Leaving the park after Wishes?

[KLK622]

It's so much better to just grab a cab back to the resort. Buses are jammed and you are just waiting and waiting for the next bus to come.

My understanding is that my 4 year old is required to have a car seat in a cab, so this isn't an option for us

 

[KLK622]

I'm confused...if the park hours are only scheduled until 10 PM, and Wishes is at 10 PM, how late are which rides running?

We are going Sunday the 17th...the park is open until 12 am and Wishes is at 10 pm. I think the park is open until at least 11 pm most days coming up.

 

[Shanti]

How congested is it leaving the park after Wishes? I will have my four year old with me and we will be heading back to POFQ via the buses. Would we be better off to hit up a few rides and then try to leave the park or should we head right out?...We will be in the Wishes FastPass+ area and it will be our first time in the parks with the plan to come back to the Magic Kingdom the next morning.

I really don't recommend keeping a 4 year-old up late for Wishes, then taking him back to the park early the very next morning. Choose one or the other, or set them a day apart. The morning after fireworks, the child will likely need to sleep in, unless you want to drag a sleepy & cranky child around the Magic Kingdom all day.

 

[Aunt Dani]

We are going Sunday the 17th...the park is open until 12 am and Wishes is at 10 pm. I think the park is open until at least 11 pm most days coming up.

We're going next month, and on May 10 it shows park closes at 10 and Wishes at 10

 

[KLK622]

We're going next month, and on May 10 it shows park closes at 10 and Wishes at 10

I was referring to the next couple of weeks. Through May 9th there are only two days that MK closes at 10, all other days are later.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

The lines are at their very shortest after Wishes. For example, last summer we found a 10 minute wait on 7D (posted wait 50) then a 1 minute wait at Peter Pan (posted wait 40) shortly after the show. We finished up the evening with 4 rides on Space Mtn. over the last 35 minutes of operation.

That 4 year old may surprise you and get an extra burst of energy after the parade and fireworks. My fondest Disney memory is chasing my then 3 year old daughter back to the entrance of Space Mtn moments before midnight with her screaming "1 more time Daddy" all the way.

 

[J.Casto79]

Tonight the buses weren't bad. We drove so it took us an hour to get to the car. Of course no buses go to the parking lots, the monorail was down AGAIN and they were only running 2 ferries.

 

[kwdw]

Leaving immediately after Wishes is just a crowded mess - but it is doable. I'd suggest waiting about 5 minutes in the FP viewing area, though, before heading out. You need to let the crowd start to move. You just have to move at the speed of the masses - you can't think you are going to hurry through the crowd. And yes - there will be lines at the buses - but they are ready for the crowds after Wishes - and they tend to come a bit closer together. It's all about your attitude - many people leave then for the SAME reason - they want to get home and get to bed. As long as you know its a crowded mess - it's easier to cope. To me, it's always shocking how many people really fit on a Disney bus. Or man - how many fit on the ferry.

The part of your plan that worries me is the plan to get up and head right back to MK in the morning. If you get up early after a late night - you are likely going to have a very cranky kid sometime the next day. You might want to either plan to sleep later or be prepared to leave the park when the kid has had enough.

The ride lines are short in Fantasyland after Wishes - but for some of the rides close by the hub - you have to MOVE through those crowds or by the time you get there - the line will already have built back up. Everyone has the same idea.

 

[Nancyg56]

Another vote for staying in the park. Honestly, it is a great time to ride things. The giant mass of humanity leaving means most people will be gone. Have a great time on Buzz, Astro Orbiters, the TTA people mover, etc. give yourself at least an hour. If your son is really tired and you need to chill, have an ice cream from the Parlour and watch the 2nd Celebrate the Magic from the tables.

I love to get an ice cream at the Parlour but that line is wicked long after Wishes.

I really don't recommend keeping a 4 year-old up late for Wishes, then taking him back to the park early the very next morning. Choose one or the other, or set them a day apart. The morning after fireworks, the child will likely need to sleep in, unless you want to drag a sleepy & cranky child around the Magic Kingdom all day.

I thought that I was the only one who was worried about the OP plan.

OP- please consider how your family is on travel days and what their normal schedule is at home. If we hit a park on arrival day, and we seldom do, I never plan a late night, especially followed by an early morning the next day. It is tempting to try to cram it all in but I know that if I did this for our crew, I would be setting them up for a miserable time.

 

[brockash]

How congested is it leaving the park after Wishes? I will have my four year old with me and we will be heading back to POFQ via the buses. Would we be better off to hit up a few rides and then try to leave the park or should we head right out? My goal is to minimize waiting and maximize fun, while still trying to get my four year old to bed at a reasonable hour (ha!).

We will be in the Wishes FastPass+ area and it will be our first time in the parks with the plan to come back to the Magic Kingdom the next morning.

Thanks!

Honestly, what we usually do is just sit (in the fastpass area) until things clear out. Hitting up some rides sounds good, but it's very congested and not fun trying to go anywhere (whether deeper into the park or out). I'd just sit with your kiddo and wait til it clears out and then maybe do a few rides before leaving (hoping the bus lines die down a little).

ETA: I think your plan of staying til close and heading back for rope drop the next morning is fine as long as you have a stroller. We do back to back open to close many times throughout our trips with kids of all ages and it's never been a problem, but we also bring our stroller through age 5 at Disney World for our kids as it just makes things easier for us.

 

[KLK622]

I thought that I was the only one who was worried about the OP plan.

OP- please consider how your family is on travel days and what their normal schedule is at home. If we hit a park on arrival day, and we seldom do, I never plan a late night, especially followed by an early morning the next day. It is tempting to try to cram it all in but I know that if I did this for our crew, I would be setting them up for a miserable time.[/QUOTE]

If he isn't happy or is tired we will adjust our plan...its just the two of us (Dad and Baby Brother are staying at home) so its really "all about him." This is the only late night/early morning combo (park opens at 9 am the next day, so not super early) I have planned for the whole trip. I had planned to do the fireworks the next night, but they added DHS EMH to the next day and that is our DHS day, so we have to be there at 8 am to sign up for Jedi Training Academy....so this seemed like the best plan in my head, but we will see.

Oh and my son is a super good traveler (this is like his 30th flight) and we will have an easy morning at home, followed by a drive to the airport and a 3 hour flight, so I actually think this will the day he is LEAST tired and overwhelmed....but, as we all know, traveling with kids requires flexibility and none of this may go as planned

 

[KLK622]

Honestly, what we usually do is just sit (in the fastpass area) until things clear out. Hitting up some rides sounds good, but it's very congested and not fun trying to go anywhere (whether deeper into the park or out). I'd just sit with your kiddo and wait til it clears out and then maybe do a few rides before leaving (hoping the bus lines die down a little).

ETA: I think your plan of staying til close and heading back for rope drop the next morning is fine as long as you have a stroller. We do back to back open to close many times throughout our trips with kids of all ages and it's never been a problem, but we also bring our stroller through age 5 at Disney World for our kids as it just makes things easier for us.

Thanks I don't think we will make it until midnight, but I was thinking 11 pm. I plan to rent a stroller from Disney as needed...its just me traveling with my son so I want to carry as little as possible while traveling. This was my only late night/early morning day....if you want to see any of the nighttime shows AND make rope drop I am not sure how to do it any other way??

 

[Linleedo]

My understanding is that my 4 year old is required to have a car seat in a cab, so this isn't an option for us

Check with the cab companies. I believe the one we used had a car seat for us. I found it. Here's a link http://www.orlandotaxiservice.com/

 

[ciera321]

I always watch Wishes from atop the train station, just when the grand finale is about to occur I go down the stairs and watch the last bursts, then immediately power walk to the buses. I always get a seat on the first bus that pulls up.

This is exactly what we do! The view is really nice, especially if you get there a while before Wishes starts.

 

[valerie160]

I always watch Wishes from atop the train station, just when the grand finale is about to occur I go down the stairs and watch the last bursts, then immediately power walk to the buses. I always get a seat on the first bus that pulls up.

For some reason I thought this area was reserved (or often reserved?). I don't know why I thought that . If we can watch from the train station I will definitely be doing that! How early do you usually show up for a good spot? I would assume MSEP is not good from that angle though?

 

[lvdis]

Thanks for the tips! We are flying in that afternoon from the midwest so hopefully he will feel like it is one hour earlier (and will have napped on the plane)...we were just going to rest at our hotel the first night, but I couldn't pass up the MSEP and Wishes FastPasses I was able to secure in this past week

Why did I think they weren't doing FP+ for the parades and fireworks anymore? It sounds like they must still be? I'm confused!

 

[Nancyg56]

For some reason I thought this area was reserved (or often reserved?). I don't know why I thought that . If we can watch from the train station I will definitely be doing that! How early do you usually show up for a good spot? I would assume MSEP is not good from that angle though?

Why did I think they weren't doing FP+ for the parades and fireworks anymore? It sounds like they must still be? I'm confused!

I could be wrong but I think this area is now reserved for VIP viewing.

 

[Hootch]

We usually stay at POFQ. Even though it is one of the the smallest resorts, the bus lines will be long right after Wishes. We usually stay in the park for 30 minutes or so. It may be ice cream or shopping, but the lines will eventually go down.

 

[Grand Admiral]

We'll be staying at WL this fall. Would it be better to try to catch the boat from MK, or possibly try walking to CR and hop the boat there?

 

[kevgraub]

I plan to rent a stroller from Disney as needed...its just me traveling with my son so I want to carry as little as possible while traveling

Just a quick suggestion, but we found that having our own umbrella stroller was much better than renting one from Disney. It can be somewhat of a hassle at times, but being able to put our kids in their stroller while walking out of the parks and also back to our rooms when we got to the resort was pretty nice. Being solo I can understand not wanting to take a large stroller, but you might find that having a small umbrella stroller is pretty handy.