MK touring strategy ... (m)

[bajanswife]

My friends and I plan to arrive at MK at 4 p.m. on Thurs Oct 14 for MNSSHP. It will still be quite crowded then, and we'll be staying late (no kiddos), so we'll get all the rides done. What do you suggest we do for the 2 hours til the park closes? We don't really want to fight huge crowds. We were thinking of riding the train, going to Tom Sawyers Island, basically trying to get off the beaten track, yet still see a bit of the park before it gets dark?

So, what would you recommend must be seen during daylight vs after dark?

Where are the quieter or more out-of-the-way spots in the park?

Is the train a good idea to get an initial feel for the park?

We will have just come from stuffing ourselves at the GF tea, so we won't be eating during that time!

 

[Shells9]

Two of the enjoyable, yet out of the way attractions on our list are:
Carosel of Progress (one of my favs) - is open only seasonally
Hall of Presidents - not always open right up until park closing

I also like browsing in the Christmas Shop.

ETA: I like the train, too, but I don't think it really conveys the feel of the park.

 

[erikthewise]

Among the "do it in the dark" category are Big Thunder Mountain and TTA. You may want to do Mickey's Philharmagic before 6; as long as you can get a seat it doesn't matter how crowded it is.

Since you'll have no kids, avoid the Speedway until you've done everything else, or maybe even then. It's a deathtrap! Last year at MVMCP we were about to leave... when we saw a very short line for Speedway, so we hopped on, still took 5+ minutes to get going, but when we finished, we couldn't get off! Problem: there were so few people getting onto the ride, it took a long time to use up the cars in front of us! Took another 10+ minutes to get off!

 

[soupy11]

Hop on the train and take it to Mickey's Toontown and then take the back path to Tomorrow land and ride the Tomorrow Land Transit. Afterwards, jump on the Carousel of Progress. Then you could walk back to Toontown and jump on the railway again and ride it over to Frontierland to ride the Liberty Belle/Tom Sawyers attraction. Cheers,

 

[swilphil]

I think riding the train would be a good idea to get a feel for the park. The Liberty Belle steamboat would also be a nice, uncrowded ride.

My sons love Tom Sawyer Island, but I don't know if it would have much to offer if I wasn't with kids.

I would probably choose to go to a show after stuffing myself at the GF. Mickey's Philarmagic is a good one.

I think during daylight you should walk around the castle rose garden and also Adventureland. It gets very dark there at night. It also might be a good time to browse some shops on Main Street.