MK Touring Questions

[Aridge1]

My family plans on going next October for my daughter's Fall Break. Touring Plans crowd calendar is calling for 6/10 on a full MK day. We haven't seen HEA Fireworks yet. Should we do a full day and see fireworks with larger crowds, or do a half day instead due to MNSSHP with 3/10 and skip HEA? If it makes a difference we will attend a MNNSHP later that week and see HalloWishes.

 

[Robo]

It would make sense to see as many things as you can, if you have the opportunity to do so.

 

[LSUfan4444]

Why not do just an evening at MK and stay for HEA? Spend the first half of your day at a less crowded park, grab lunch at a nearby monorail or MK resort then head to MK that evening where your FP+ can be waiting for you to help with busier crowds.

 

[BriLovesDisney]

I would do the whole day at MK and stay for HEA.

 

[Klayfish]

That really depends on your goals. Do you want to get a lot done at MK, and how important is seeing HEA to you? That would dictate your answer.

 

[kellyarms20]

Touring Plans 6/10 means CROWDED. That being said, HEA is not to be missed, IMO. Manage the expectations with crowds if you decide to do the whole day at MK, and get there early for HEA. I wish we'd been closer to the show on our last trip. There are some projections that appear lower on the castle that you can't see from farther away due to crowds in the sight line. On our last trip, we did 2 full days at MK, one of them being a MNSSHP day. The party day had noticeably lower crowds until about 4pm. Had I to do things over again, I'd have hopped, doing daytime MK on the MNSSHP day and Star Wars fireworks that night at HS, skipping the party entirely. It was just meh to me. I totally understand that the ticketed parties are must do's for some though. I'm kind of put off by them, personally, but I'm curmudgeonly.

 

[TulipMom]

Like others above, I think this is just a "it depends" answer. For some people HEA is a do or die thing on their agenda. For us, it's a beautiful show but not one of our top priorities in our day. We were at WDW this October and found non-party day MK crowds to be big, difficult and slow to move through. When we booked the trip, the day was projected at 6/10 and it ended up being 8/10. We were so glad that we picked our main MK day to be a party day. We did our main MK day from 8am to 5pm on a MNSSHP party day. Then we also used our park hopper to come back to the MK for an evening later that week and stayed from 6-10pm. But, if a park hopping evening to the MK isn't an option or you, I would still opt for the lighter crowds party day at MK and skip HEA. But, a lot people here would rate HEA as a must see and disagree with me.

 

[DisneyFive]

I have to disagree that a 6 out of 10 is CROWDED at MK, but crowds are a very "eye of the beholder" type of thing. Now, a 9 or 10 out of 10... Now we're talking crowded. We do tend to notice crowds at a 5 or higher in our experience but 6 is certainly manageable and isn't bad.

Personally we would do a full day at MK with a 6, no problem. I would hate to miss HEA. MNSSHP is such a different vibe at MK that it would be a shame to miss out on a regular MK day as well.

Dan

 

[Aridge1]

Why not do just an evening at MK and stay for HEA? Spend the first half of your day at a less crowded park, grab lunch at a nearby monorail or MK resort then head to MK that evening where your FP+ can be waiting for you to help with busier crowds.

The possibility of park hopper tickets isn't out of question, but we generally don't use them due to putting that money towards things like dessert parties or other extras like a Character meal. It's definitely something to think about.

 

[Aridge1]

That really depends on your goals. Do you want to get a lot done at MK, and how important is seeing HEA to you? That would dictate your answer.

Actually we're slowing down this trip and doing less. We're still doing our favorite attractions and rides, but not feeling the rush to "Do everything" since it's our 3rd week long trip for my family. Last October my husband was really "put off" by he crowded day at MK on a non-party day and didn't enjoy his time there as much as I'd hoped. My family honestly doesn't even know about HEA and the change up from Wishes bc they don't follow Disney like I do lol.

 

[SpaceMtnGirl]

We spent Saturday October 7 in the MK for the same reason, to see HEA. Touring Plans predicted a 6/10, ended up being a 10/10. Not sure what date you are looking at, but this was the Saturday before Columbus Day. It was VERY busy but we arrived early, 7:15 AM for 8:00 opening (it was not EMH, the park just opened at 8 that day). We had Tomorrowland to ourselves for over an hour (not literally, but it felt so empty). Crowds built up around 9:30. With the early arrival, use of FP+, willingness to wait in some lines, and a nice relaxing lunch at Crystal Palace it was a good morning. We lined up around 1pm for the 2pm Festival of Fantasy parade in a shady spot in Frontierland. Then took a break at the hotel and returned for HEA -- we booked the dessert party with garden viewing so once again avoided the crowds. It was a good day for us. I would definitely try to see it!

 

[Aridge1]

We spent Saturday October 7 in the MK for the same reason, to see HEA. Touring Plans predicted a 6/10, ended up being a 10/10. Not sure what date you are looking at, but this was the Saturday before Columbus Day. It was VERY busy but we arrived early, 7:15 AM for 8:00 opening (it was not EMH, the park just opened at 8 that day). We had Tomorrowland to ourselves for over an hour (not literally, but it felt so empty). Crowds built up around 9:30. With the early arrival, use of FP+, willingness to wait in some lines, and a nice relaxing lunch at Crystal Palace it was a good morning. We lined up around 1pm for the 2pm Festival of Fantasy parade in a shady spot in Frontierland. Then took a break at the hotel and returned for HEA -- we booked the dessert party with garden viewing so once again avoided the crowds. It was a good day for us. I would definitely try to see it!

This is the strategy we will go with if we decide to do a full day. Go early for rope drop, leave the park for lunch and rest at the resort, then return for a fireworks dessert party. Last year it was supposed to be a 5/10 when we went and ended up being a 9/10. We're going the last Saturday in September, the 29th, which is essentially the same day we did last year. It's just hard trying to keep everyone happy. Keeping hubby less stressed about crowds, keeping my daughter happy with staying busy (thinking more pool time), and I'm giving us more down time outside the parks this trip with resort hopping and Disney Springs. The First Week of October is just so busy now.