MNSSHP newbie....help!!!

[Parkerpirates]

I everyone! I apologize if you've heard these questions a million times but here goes:

We are flying into Orlando on Thursday, October 23 to cruise on the Fantasy Saturday, October 25. I figured we would go do something fun with our 4.5 year and bought tickets to MNSSHP for Friday, October 24th. Can you give me the ins and outs?
What's the earliest we should arrive at the park?
Should we plan on dining at MK? Where, if so.
Should we stay at the parks or near our port? I don't want to spend more than 175/night. We will also need transportation from then support to our hotel and then to the port.
What rides should we go for?
Our daughter doesn't normally ride in a stroller but will on long walks since we have a double stroller for her little brother (he won't be coming). Should we plan on renting one or do you think she'll be ok walking?
Does everyone dress up? We can't overpack because of the cruise...

Are there any other places we should visit while we are in Orlando on Thursday evening/Friday morning?

Any other tips or advice? Thanks y'all!

 

[katt789]

With your party ticket you can arrive at 4:00pm, and I suggest arriving then.

I'd say in the morning/early afternoon, check out Downtown Disney, and dine there, you don't want to waste party time eating in the Magic Kingdom.

From 4-7pm the party will not be in full swing, check out some characters or rides or even grab a snack as this will be the best time. Once 7pm hits, you will have stuff like trick or treating, rare character greets, parade, fireworks & stage shows to catch!!

DON'T MISS THE PARADE!! It runs twice, from Frontierland ending at Main St, I wanna say 8:15 & 10:30? The second one is always less crowded.

Same with the fireworks, they're incredible, don't miss them!

Lots of people dress up, especially the closer to Halloween you get. You won't feel out of place not dressed up, but it's super fun to do!

Go for whatever rides you want! Everything will be open from 4-7, and then some will close once the party starts/as the night goes on. Definitely check out Haunted Mansion once it gets dark, there's some fun to be had over there.

I would say a stroller is always a good idea, especially since the party goes til midnight, if you're dd can't handle it, it'd be easier for her to lie down in a stroller rather than you have to leave early after spending money on the party.

For where to stay, I have no idea, I'd think it'd be up to you. You can get some decent offsite, super close hotels for around $30 a night, a room at a Disney resort will run you around $120 for a value (ish). There's always transport from the parks to the Disney hotels, and a cab from the ticket center/contemporary resort to a close offsite hotel will run you around $20-$25. Getting to the port however I have no clue!

 

[goofy4tink]

I would try to book a value resort for the two nights. You would get DME from the airport to the resort. Spend some time at the pool and relax. Then, on the 24th, eat at the food court and hang out again. Or, check out some other resorts..... Take a bus to a park and then transfer to a bus to another resort. Figure out where to eat. I would be very tempted to try to get an ADR at the Crystal Palace....your dd would probably love earring with Winnie the Pooh and friends. Or perhaps a breakfast at Chef Mickeys that morning instead of the food court. I wouldn't worry to much about wasting time eating in the MK. Your dd will get pooped out easily, so a nice dinner might be a food idea.
I also think that your dd would love to dress up....not to mention what she will do when she sees others dressed up and she's not! You should be able to get something easy to pack...will there be any dress up activities on the ship so you could get two wearings? If they have pirate night, maybe she could dress up as a girl pirate. Do something simple....without a ton of ruffles or overly full.
You should be able to book the shuttle to port from your resort. Or, take DME back to the airport and get the shuttle from there.

You can get into MK at 4:00 with your party tickets. As already mentioned, be sure to catch the fireworks and the parade. These special fireworks and parades are terrific. Only you will know what attractions your child will enjoy. But....I imagine she would love Enchanted Tales with Belle, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Dumbo, It's a Small World, Peter Pan, Pirates of the Caribbean, Magic Carpets, The Tiki Room, Carousel, Winnie-The -Pooh....pretty much almost everything. Probably not Space Mt, Splash Mt, Big Thunder Mt, AstoOrbiter, Stitch. Go online and check out the attractions and make a list of the things she might like.

 

[Excited4More]

Rent a car! Because you also need to go to port, having a rental will be your best bet after considering cab fees. (I know this from taking a cab to an off - site time share 1 mile away last year... $50 later!). Beyond that, I'm not sure as this is our first party, too.

 

[minniegirl19]

I would definitely get to the park at 4 to get your moneys worth out of the tickets!

Dining at magic kingdom is completely up to you! I wouldn't do a sit down though because it could take up a lot of time so i would just do a counter service so you get to enjoy as much as the park as possible.

I would stay on property 100%. For 175 a night you might be able to stay at a moderate but to save money I would just stay at a value resort especially because its for a couple nights. You would be able to take DME from the airport to the hotel which saves money. Also someone correct me if I'm wrong.. since you are going on a disney cruise they should provide you transportation from your disney resort to port canaveral and back to the airport after the cruise. I have never done that but I know people who have so thats something to look into.

Rides I would do anything your daughter can do! Anything in fantasyland/new fantasyland buzz lightyear pirates HM rides like that she will love! If she's tall enough I would say big thunder too!

A lot of people dress up! especially for halloween! I would at least have your daughter dress up for it so she feels part of the party.

As far as the stroller thats up to you. You will have to sit about an hour before the parade (must see) if you want a good spot for either the later one or early one they both fill up. Make sure you see the fireworks too but I would suggest a stroller so she doesn't get tired early The less she walks the longer she should be able to last at the park! Trick or treating is fun and seeing rare characters is too! those lines are very long though so I would plan on seeing many.

Thursday evening I would just enjoy downtown disney. Friday morning I would do a late breakfast at ohana or chef mickeys and then relax at the resort before going to the party.

hope this helps!

 

[Parkerpirates]

Thank y'all so much!! More than helpful! I will check out the value resorts and transportation offered!!

 

[Susan C]

If you are taking a Disney Cruise, they will transport you from resort to port.

have fun

 

[Bethry]

If you are taking a Disney Cruise, they will transport you from resort to port.

have fun

Yes, for $35 per person each way ($70 round trip!).

 

[Parkerpirates]

So what are my options at the end of the cruise to get back to the airport?

 

[Itinkso]

So what are my options at the end of the cruise to get back to the airport?

DCL bus to Airport.

 

[Bethry]

So what are my options at the end of the cruise to get back to the airport?

Disney transportation buses will take you either back to Disney property or to the Orlando airport ($35 per person one-way).

Or you could rent a car. Or hire a towncar or limo (there is a break-even point where this actually becomes cheaper than doing Disney buses if you have a larger group).

My first cruise was just my son and I - we did the Disney bus from a value resort to the port, then back again for a total of $140.

Second cruise was with extended family and there were 9 of us - we had a limo pick us up at our Disney resort to get to Port Canaveral, then again from the port to the airport (round-trip was somewhere in the low $500's, a significant cost savings over Disney buses).