MK on a Saturday, yay or nay?

[Mintycake]

OK weird question but I'm trying to plan my ADRs and which days we will go to which park (no park hoppers). I read somewhere on this board you should avoid MK on Saturday (presumably due to more locals going). Is it really that bad for crowds? Shifting one of my MK days to Saturday would make EVERYTHING so much easier for me plus as it's DH's and DD's first trip to WDW I thought starting our trip at MK would be a really magical way to do things.

Thoughts?

 

[AJA]

For a first visit I would totally start at Magic Kingdom!

Set up fast passes for your must do rides and let the day unfold. You never know what your families favorites will end up being so no need to worry About estimating crowds. Check out the crowd calendar for your dates. It might even turn out that Saturday would be good depending on extra magic hours, extras happening at the park, etc. Remember something as last minute as that day's weather can greatly affect a park so make plans that work for you (especially on a first family visit).

 

[Klayfish]

Personally, we don't "avoid" any park on any day because we're afraid of the crowd. The way we see it, we spent the money to be there and drove the 8 hours, so we're taking advantage of it. You just need to be aware of what the crowd may be like and be prepared for it. Get the FP+ for the attractions that you "must" get on, do RD to get on ones you want to get on but don't have a FP+ for, and plan to do stand by on the attractions that rarely draw huge crowds. For example, the Laugh Floor, Stitch, Carousel of Progress, Peoplemover typically have standby lines more than 20 minutes. Pirates is often short too.

And yes, I absolutely would start at MK! For me, it's the heart and soul of WDW and no matter how many times I do it, walking under the train station and out onto Main Street is a sight that NEVER gets old. I could do it every day and still be dazzled by it.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Not a weird question at all, one that is often asked, which park/which day.

Good idea is to review crowd calendars such as Josh's here.

http://www.easywdw.com/easy/crowd-calendars/

Sometimes Saturday's are good at Magic Kingdom, sometimes not. Plan you DR's accordingly.

 

[Mom2Stitch]

MK first, especially on a first trip and even more so if you have more than one day planned for MK. MK is at least a 2 day park, even for us and we have been lots of times and have no more little ones. Saturday can be busy no doubt, but it's more about the planning. RD if you can, FP what's important, most importantly--enjoy being there in those moments!

 

[Mintycake]

Not a weird question at all, one that is often asked, which park/which day.

Good idea is to review crowd calendars such as Josh's here.

http://www.easywdw.com/easy/crowd-calendars/

Sometimes Saturday's are good at Magic Kingdom, sometimes not. Plan you DR's accordingly.

Thanks! Unfortunately crowd calendars aren't updated yet for Dec 2016 (argh!) and my ADR date is coming up next week! Stressing

 

[jeannieVW]

I expect the parks to be busy everyday.

Go to MK on your first day! I'm in agreeance, it's a magical way to start!

 

[Hezzy04]

Our last two trips we have gone Saturday's and had great experiences. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[katt789]

As someone who was a local for a year, and had Saturdays as one of my days off, they are more crowded, there's a LOT more locals in the parks, and a lot more of the "instagram" crowd is around. That being said, if you're off riding rides, you might not even notice them (they usually show up later around 11, and are don't stay until close)

Get there for ROPE DROP!
-Utilize fp's
-If it's too crowded for you (we found the chunk of time after the day parade and before fireworks to be the worst) take a hotel break, or head over to a monorail resort to relax for a little bit and return later to continue on for the evening

 

[ArielSRL]

We are doing our Saturday arrival day at MK (this Saturday). It will probably be the busiest day crowd wise of our trip but I wanted it to be the first park. We are also doing MK two other full days so if we miss something it won't be a huge deal.

We are going next year, same time frame, and I'm considering having Sunday as our first day so we don't run into the Saturday at MK again, though.

 

[maryj11]

We did Saturday on our last trip in the middle of August and did not have any problems with the crowds. We did have FP's and a plan. We also went the Tuesday after that Saturday and it was way more crowded. We didn't even get to ride Big Thunder because the wait was to long. Saturday was definitely better than Tuesday crowd wise that week.

 

[Love Tink]

In December, Saturdays are particularly, hugely crowded (because of the early closings and the lack of nighttime entertainment on party days). Lines will be significantly longer than they will be on party days, and everything will feel much more crowded.

Some times of year, I might go to MK on Saturday. Personally (since you asked), I would never do it in December.

 

[PrincessNelly]

Saturdays at MK can be busy... however, if you have more than one MK day planned.. then go for it! We always do it just knowing to expect crowds.