MK itinerary help needed

[BurleyGirl]

Calling all MK strategists--my DH refuses to pay someone to tell us where to go After careful pouring over the map, we've come up with this itinerary. As this is our first trip in six years, I'm hoping some of you pros will be willing to help/impart some of your wisdom, and tell me if we've got a good/doable plan. This is for Monday, October 20th. It will be me, DH, DS4, my parents, and BIL and SIL.

We have a PS for Crystal Palace for the 8:05a seating, which means we hope to be finished with breakfast by park opening (9:00a).

From Crystal Palace, go to Fantasyland. Do all rides there. (Will a Peter Pan FP be necessary at this point?)

Go to Tomorrowland--get FP for Buzz, do Indy, Astro Orbiter, Space Mountain, Transit Authority, Buzz (My husband thought we should do Tomorrowland first as Buzz is so popular, but what I've read indicates that Fantasyland gets packed right off the bat, so we switched our strategy.)

Go to ToonTown for Barnstormer, Mickey's House.

Take train to Frontierland--get FP for Splash Mountain, do Tom Sawyer, then ride Splash Mountain

Go to Liberty Square--do Haunted Mansion

Go to Adventureland--obtain FP for Jungle or Pirates, do Swiss (if the treehouse is open then?), Aladdin, Jungle, Pirates

Main Street for 3:00p parade

After parade, decide what's left to do, and spend another hour or so and then hit the Volcano pool at the Poly.

We will also be going back to MK on that Thursday for the EE and the Family Magic Tour at 10:00a, so I figure we can use the couple of hours prior to the Tour to re-ride favorite things or ride things we didn't get to on Monday.

We're just not sure about FPs and how to make the best use of them and make them work for us. Also, how will October crowds affect this itinerary?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

 

[nrose101]

It sounds like you will be walking around a lot. I suggest after breakfast go to adventureland since it is the closest and then just do a complete circle. If you want to do some e-ticket rides I suggest sending someone to go get the fast passes while you are doing something else.

 

[B'rer Karen]

I think you have a very good plan there. One recommendation I would make is to decide before the parade if there is any FP attraction that you haven't done or want to do again. When you stake out your spot for the parade, send one of the adults to that ride to get FP's for everyone. Then, when the parade is over, you can ride other things you still wanted to hit until your FP time, and then head back to the pool.

Also, I think it's smart to do Fantasyland right away, assuming you are out of CP by 9 am.

 

[jhorion98]

I definitely agree that Fantasyland should be your first destination. Do Dumbo first (no fastpass, and long line forms very early!!), then Pooh, Peter Pan, It's a small World, Snow White, and Cinderella's Carousel. The only attractions with fast pass in Fantasyland are Pooh and Peter Pan, so get them done early. If you encounter a long line at either attraction, grab a fastpass and move on the other attractions and return when your window opens. If you are traveling in October, Mickey's Philharmagic may have just opened in Fantasyland, I am not really sure how that will affect your plans. From here I would agree that you should move on to Tomorrowland. Buzz is a very fast loading attraction (but very popular!!), so depending on current wait times, it may be more advantageous to get FP for Space Mountain instead of Buzz, or you may want to do Buzz twice for your son because he will love it and he may not be tall enough to ride space mountain. Also, other considerations are that Indy Speedway and Astro Orbiter are slow loading and outside, so make sure you take weather into account (heat/rain). Move on to Toontown, do Barnstormer and take advantage of all the characters!! Taking the train to Fronteirland will give you a chance to rest. You will definitely have to get FP at this point for all major attractions. If you want to do both Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain, I would get a FP for Big Thunder and wait in line for Splash. After doing both, move on to Tom Sawyer and The Haunted Mansion. Then move on to Adventureland, get a FP for Jungle Cruise, and then do Pirates and the Tiki Room (chances to be inside and cool, and sit and rest in the Tiki Room). After doing Jungle Cruise, and if you have the energy, wait in line for Aladdin.

Honestly, you are trying to get a lot done in a very short period of time, and I don't think you will be able to do it all before the 3pm parade. This depends on crowds and how fast your party will be moving, but even with few breaks and small crowds, this would be difficult. Depending on how you are all feeling, continue with what you haven't already done after the parade, or you may want to save Frontierland and Adventureland for Thursday, depending on how much you want to do in those areas (Frontierland first, then Adventureland), and it is easier to get things done faster first thing in the morning. October crowds are generally not too bad, but Monday is the busiest day of the week at the Magic Kingdom. If you didn't have your PS at the Crystal Palace, I would have recommended going to MK on a different day.

Well, I hope this has been helpful. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you and your family have a magical time!!!

 

[kilee]

Just a few thoughts on your plan. First, don't forget that you will need to stake out a spot for the parade almost 40 minutes early. If you for sure 100% want to sit, don't do it any later. Personally I like to do ToonTown when it opens (usually an hour after park opening). That is if character greetings are going to be a big thing for your group. The lines in the Judge's tent get to be long within an hour of ToonTown opening.

Also, unless it's a huge must-do I'd skip Indy. The line is always very long. Usually at least a 30-60 minute wait. It may help get more done.

From the looks of it you'll be doing a lot of commando style touring. If possible you may want to take a few things out and put them on the other day. This way you won't be overwhelmed. I think MK is the hardest park to plan a strategy for. It usually change mine at least 10 times for this park.

The other thing to remember is that even on an average day, in the morning it will take at least an hour possibly closer to 2 to do Fantasyland. You'll most likely need to FP Pooh or Peter Pan. Honestly, I'd skip this land and do this one at EE. If you get there right at the start of EE you could probably do the whole land before your tour. Then you could lighten up your schedule alittle and it will probably go a little smoother.

 

[Clover9990]

I agree that you have way too much planned before 3pm. First of all, for the parade you'll need to get there early to have decent seats and to have a chance at seeing anything. You also have to factor in about an hour for lunch (really, you're going to be rushing through breakfast...a character breakfast, no less- you don't want to be rushing through lunch, too, do you?). I really don't think you're going to get all that done before 2:30pm- that's around 19 or so rides/attractions to do in roughly 4.5 hours.

I do, however, agree with your plan to go to Fantasyland first. That places always gets so crowded so quickly. You're also smart to want to use FastPass to your advantage- it'll shave lots of time off your trip that otherwise would have been wasted standing in line.

Best wishes, and hope all of us brainstorming here helps you plan your itinerary to a T!

 

[Jackie H.]

Will this much planning and use of FP be necessary on October 20th? It is not a holiday (Columbus Day is the week before).

I can't say myself, because we've neve been in October. I am hoping someone who has will respond. We have been the week after Labor Day and in early November and early December and in those times you really don't have to plan everything out so carefully because the parks are not busy. Yes, they do close early, but without crowds everything can be done in a much shorter time.

What say ye October visitors?

 

[BurleyGirl]

I'm beginning to see your points. I think now that our best bet would be to plan on doing Haunted Mansion and Adventureland after the parade, which will still enable us to leave MK between 6:30p and 7:30p.

Do ya'll think this is doable?

Also, I forgot that we'll also be attending the MNSSHP on Friday. However, I'm not sure how many rides we'll actually be able to do during this time--sounds like it's really crowded, so I was using this as a time to re-ride favorites.

Thanks to everyone who has spent time helping me out so far! I really appreciate it. (I promise to return the favor to other newbies upon my return!)