Need advice on MK

[disjantz]

I am going to Magic Kingdom for the first time with my kids. They are 3 and 1. We are going in March for 1 day to Magic Kingdom. Does any one know how crowded the park is at that time of year and what attractions should we focus on since we only have one day there. Any other advice would be appreciated. We are doing dinner at Chef Mickey's. Thanks.

 

[ssdeverell]

What day in March? The last two weeks will be extremely busy as Easter is on the 27th. I suggest you go to Fantasyland first to do the tamer rides that tend to get long rides. Then just make a list of the other rides the two of them will be able to do. Have fun!

Stephanie

 

[dyingtodisney]

If you are staying in a Disney resort I would visit MK on a day they have extra magic hour in the morning and head straight for Fantasyland!!!!

 

[Draglon]

This is a tough one without knowing more details. Are you staying on-site? If you could plan your one day to be an extra magic hour early opening at MK it could help you a lot. Make a rough plan of which rides your children would want to see and then go as early as possible. Especially if your plan includes Dumbo. When you first get there get Fastpasses for Peter Pan or the ride of your choice that offers them. This way you can go on some others while waiting. There are a lot of great tips available to you on these boards. Good luck.

 

[sters]

I'd probably focus on the attractions and shows in Fantasyland and Toontown, hang out a bit on Main Street. If time permits, storytime with Belle near the castle is cute. The parade is nice to see if your kids are into it, if not parade time is the PERFECT time to see Toontown. You might want to try a character breakfast before you start at the parks? Just a thought to take in some characters without having to wait in line while in the park.

 

[WorldlyWise]

Figure out the FastPass system before you go. Get a guide and read their strategies (I personally think their touring plans are a little whack but you can at least check their thinking). At a minimum, figure out what you might like to do and the best order to follow rather than just wandering from long line to long line with the rest of the crowd.

 

[disjantz]

I got advice from some to use the FastPass system at MK. Does that work for everyone or only if you have a certain ticket for the park? Where can I get info on FastPass?I will be at MK on March 7th only.

 

[cruisin'Mike]

I agree with the others that you should get there early. Try to be there a little BEFORE official opening time and head straight to Fantasyland.

I'm sure if you do a search for Fastpass, you'll find loads of info. It is available to everyone who has a park ticket, so please use it. In a nutshell, it allows you to bypass the regular standby time. Instead you get a ticket with a one hour window for your return time, to come back with little wait. Only select attractions at each park offer Fastpass.

I'm sure others have some "best practices" for using Fastpass and will add on to these. There are some things to keep in mind:
You can only have one Fastpass at a time. Check the bottom of the Fastpass to see when you can get your next one. It is usually about 5 minutes after the start time of your current one. We usually get our next Fastpass first and then go ride the one we have the ticket for.
Also, keep this in mind when looking at the start time of the window before you automatically get a Fastpass. I'll use Stitch's Great Escape as an example, although with your kids ages, I'm definitely NOT recommending this attraction. When we were down in Dec, the standby line for Stitch was 20 minutes. The Fastpass return time at about 11AM was not until 7:30 PM!! If we had gotten Fastpass for then, we would not have been able to get any others for most of the day.
If there's an attraction your kids really like, you can use Fastpass to get a "double dip". Get your Fastpass, wait in the Standby line, then ride again when your Fastpass comes up.

Check out the attractions and ask questions ahead of time so that you have an idea of which ones you would like to try. There are some great attractions in the other lands that you and the kids would probably enjoy also. Pick out a few "must see" rides and then have an idea of what else you'd like to do if there's time. Don't try to overplan though. Go with the flow, relax, and take your leads from the kids. Most of all, have a fun trip!

Mike

PS, Are you going with another adult? If so and there is a ride you really want to try but the kids can't go on, then you could do the child swap so you get a chance to experience it. Obviously, I wouldn't spend the day doing this (not really fair to the kids), but I would do it once for, say, Splash Mountain.