Last day of trip at Magic Kingdom?

[eyeontheball]

Hi everyone,
We are planning our first trip to WDW October 30-November 5 with my two daughters age 6 and 2. Wednesday November 4 will be our last day at the parks and all the crowd calendars I am looking at say Magic Kingdom is the least recommended park. But it just seems like the best way to end the trip would be the Magic Kingdom. So are we crazy for trying to do that? What would you do? Thank you!
BTW, so far I have planned late afternoon arrival at MK on arrival day Friday 10/30, AK 10/31, MK and MNSSHP 11/1 (although we probably wouldn't go til the afternoon), Epcot on Monday 11/2, HS on Tuesday, and MK on Wednesday). We also have park hopper tickets through the FD.

 

[kj2mom]

We always have to end with MK, no matter what the crowd calendars/predictors say. I am all about expectations, if you go into it knowing what to expect and keeping your mind within that you will be fine. Make some FP+ for the must do's and plug in as much as you can in between. We actually went and got Wishes FP+ for our last night because while we know we are sacrificing the potential to get a 4th FP+ it is worth it for us all to be together with a great view of the fireworks for our send off.

 

[mom2rtk]

Can you follow up with a couple hours at rope drop in the MK on departure day? On our last week-long trip, our last day was a very non-recommended day in the MK (last weekend before APs blocked out for December). We had fun, but by night (Wishes, MSEP) it was not feeling very magical. So we left knowing we were coming back for 2 hours before catching DME the next day. Those 2 hours reminded us how magical the MK can be and were worth the effort.

 

[sbrost13]

I think it's a great idea. I'd recommend getting there for rope drop because you can get a lot done in the first 2 hours, then you can have your fastpasses set for later in the day.

 

[tinkerbesh]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Even though it may be least recommended, the crowds won't be insane to begin with. If you plan your touring right, you could still have a great experience. Get your headliners in on previous days, and save the less popular rides/shows for this last day.

 

[Lucius Best]

Pretty sure MK is not recommended because of the evening EMH. I would guess crowds won't be too bad in the morning but will get worse as the day goes on. If you switched MK to Tuesday and HS to Wednesday you'd get both parks on recommended days.

 

[loutoo]

First of all, using a crowd calendar to help plan your trip is a great tool, it helps maximize what you can achieve in the time you have, but letting the crowd calendar dictate every detail of your vacation can seriously get in the way of having the trip you want to have. We also start and in end in MK regardless of what the crowd calendar say. Don't let it effect your plan.

Secondly, late Oct/early Nov is a fantastic time crowd-wise in wdw. Lower crowds in general means there is less importance in picking the absolute best park for each day.

Finally, I just checked touringplans.com calendar for Nov 4,2015. It has the MK crowd level at 2. Most sites probably have MK as not recommended because it has evening extra magic hours, but the park is going to be less crowded than any other day you are there. It will be a fantastic way to end your vacation. Have a wonderful trip.

 

[noahsketomom]

If it makes you feel better, we are doing the same thing. I just wanted to finish up the week at MK and our last day falls on a monday, typically a very busy day at MK. We have an ADR scheduled there for dinner and hope to stay for Wishes. Set your expectations low for what you'll get done that day and you might be pleasantly surprised!!!

PS. Totally agree with loutoo -- can't let crowd calculators dictate everything. (Although I do try to follow their suggestions usually) I was able to get a BOG dinner on my daughter's birthday but MK is not recommended due to EMH. Guess what? We're going to BOG regardless!

 

[HeatherL1985]

I find that I don't need to rely so much on crowd calendars as the overall attendance level drops. For example, if the overall level is a 9, I'll head to the most recommended park to get some relief. If the overall level is a 2, I'll go wherever I want! I think that choosing vacation dates based on the overall level is more of a priority than choosing individual park days. Does that make sense? GOOD LUCK and have a happy vacation.

 

[JimmyBean42]

We always close at MK as well and pay no attention to the crowd calendar. We know that's where we want to end so we make it happen. Line up your FP+'s for the must-do's and try and hit rope drop for the others that were in contention. If the crowds get too crazy - guess what time it is? Time for everyone's favorite snack and to relax together and take in sights.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

The only days we ignore the crowd calendar is our first day and out last day. Those are always Rope Drop to close at MK with a midday break.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We always start our trip at MK by going on arrival day since we get in very early. We always end our trip at MK with rope drop, midday break and shut down the park. It doesn't matter what the crowd predictions say.

 

[DisneyFive]

Our last full day is MK, regardless of crowds. Hard to leave WDW without that one last look back down Main street and the castle.

Dan

 

[chelseabun76]

I will never end my trip to WDW anywhere but at the MK. I made sure to book our Peter Pan fp+ as the very last thing before we walked out those gates to head home. Best decision ever. It was a BUSY Saturday, but we didn't care. We had our 3 favorite rides booked with fp+, we had a dole whip and churro, we went to PhilharMagic one last time, and took our time just walking around and taking it all in. It was a relaxing day mostly because we didn't have any expectations of doing anything other than the 3 rides. lol

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

I wouldn't be that concerned about crowds early November. Even if it is the most "crowded" it won't be enough to alter any plans.

 

[dprincessmom]

GO FOR IT! You have plenty of other MK days already in your trip so this last day would be hitting the highlights. Get 3 FP+ that you think your kids will like for the last day and be willing to do SB for ones that the kiddos may want one last ride on.

I use the crowd calendars as a suggestion but there are times when you just have to do what you have to do.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[Newsies]

Yes, go for it! I always end my trips with a day at MK. One last trip on Splash Mountain, one last Dole Whip, one last chat with Ariel, and most importantly... one last Wishes and one last look at Cinderella's Castle!

 

[loves to dive]

With little ones I would say go for it, I've never even looked at a crowd calendar and it hasn't seemed to cause us to have problems. Go early and enjoy.

 

[LiveToTravelNicely]

Since you have park hoppers, you can go to a more recommended park for the majority of your day and hop to the MK for late afternoon and evening. I would go to rope drop at another park, do a short break afternoon to pack, head over to MK around 3 and use your FP+s for the day then, eat dinner at MK, and finish your trip with MSEP and Wishes. If your group is up for it, you can then stay for EMH after Wishes.

 

[Ava]

We have an evening flight out of MCO this year, so we will actually have time to do something on departure day. We'll be at MK for MSEP & Wishes the night before, but we'll probably want to spend those last few hours back in MK before we fly out. It's a non-recommended Saturday with evening EMH but the crowd level is predicted at a 4, so I'm just going to make some FPs for mid-day and roll with it. Or we might be all MK'ed out by then and decide to go to Epcot and load up on WS snacks instead. I'm planning to wing it. (Only in WDW do you need to plan to not have a plan!)