Need help planning visit to MK on 10/31

[Lenalee524]

Hello!
I will be sailing on 10/27/19 from NYC to Castaway Cay and then Port Canaveral on 10/31/19. I have a 4 and 5 year old and am a little nervous about the visit to MK on 10/31. Has anyone ever done this with young kids and can give me some tips or helpful suggestions?
Some questions that I had were:

1) Will it be very crowded at MK on Halloween and should we therefore go to another park?
2) How long is it door to door, from getting onto the shuttle bus to when you enter the WDW park?
3) Do you recommend we eat dinner at the park before we need to leave by 6, and then head back to the cruise ship, or visit another park? What was your itinerary like with your young kids?
4) If you have multiple kids, did you bring your own stroller, or rent one from the cruise ship, or rent it from a 3rd party site?
5) What touring plan would you best recommend with young kids?

Thanks!!

 

[XSeabiscuitX]

I can't answer the rest of your questions, but for the first one: Halloween is always a sold out party night, but generally party nights are some of the least crowded days. Because the park closes so early, a lot of day guests don't go to Magic Kingdom, they go on nights its open later. Obviously there's no guarantee, but the park will be most crowded from 4-6.

 

[Budzooka]

I can’t answer any of your questions, but am on this cruise as well and can’t wait! My DD8 and I will be taking our first daddy/daughter trip. We got tickets to MNSHP, so we are starting the day at AK and will work our way over to MK late afternoon. Hope you get some answers and will see you on the ship next week!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Hello!
I will be sailing on 10/27/19 from NYC to Castaway Cay and then Port Canaveral on 10/31/19. I have a 4 and 5 year old and am a little nervous about the visit to MK on 10/31. Has anyone ever done this with young kids and can give me some tips or helpful suggestions?
Some questions that I had were:

1) Will it be very crowded at MK on Halloween and should we therefore go to another park?
2) How long is it door to door, from getting onto the shuttle bus to when you enter the WDW park?
3) Do you recommend we eat dinner at the park before we need to leave by 6, and then head back to the cruise ship, or visit another park? What was your itinerary like with your young kids?
4) If you have multiple kids, did you bring your own stroller, or rent one from the cruise ship, or rent it from a 3rd party site?
5) What touring plan would you best recommend with young kids?

Thanks!!

As PPs have said, party days typically have lower crowds until the party guests show up. At 2 pm DVC guests with MNSSHP tickets can enter and, at 4 pm, regular party guests with MNSSHP tickets can enter. We've found the park starts to get pretty crowded in the 4 pm - 6 pm time frame. You could certainly eat in MK before you need to leave at 6 pm. If you do that, I would highly suggest making an ADR as QS will probably get fairly crowded. You could also consider leaving the park and eating dinner in another park or even at one of the MK resorts.

 

[Lenalee524]

As PPs have said, party days typically have lower crowds until the party guests show up. At 2 pm DVC guests with MNSSHP tickets can enter and, at 4 pm, regular party guests with MNSSHP tickets can enter. We've found the park starts to get pretty crowded in the 4 pm - 6 pm time frame. You could certainly eat in MK before you need to leave at 6 pm. If you do that, I would highly suggest making an ADR as QS will probably get fairly crowded. You could also consider leaving the park and eating dinner in another park or even at one of the MK resorts.

Are any of the characters dressed up in their costumes and available for pictures? Or does that only start at 6pm? Have you ever seen the special characters like Moana or Seven Dwarfs come out before 6pm? Thanks!

 

[XSeabiscuitX]

They are strictly for party guests and do not come out until after 6 pm.

 

[auntlynne]

[Edited - realized I have no idea what young children do at Disney ]

Happy sailing.

You might want to check the Parks forum on this site. Probably more answers.

 

[vegs1]

It’s approximately an hour from the port to the park....maybe a tad over. You can rent strollers at the park on a first come, first serve basis. If you’re there early, it isn’t a problem.

In all likelihood, the park will be less crowded during the day as those without Halloween party tickets must leave by 6. As for a touring plan, I would personally pick the rides you want to be on the most and hit those up trying not to zigzag all over as this wastes time. Get fast passes if you are able and if you can’t get them for the rides you want then keep checking as they open up all the time.

If you only have one day in the park, I wouldn’t do a sit down meal but that’s just me. It takes time. Or, you could book a dinner at the Polynesian or Disney Springs, get an adr for that and go once you leave the park.

Have fun!

Edited to say that I believe you can borrow a stroller from the ship if you request one as soon as you board. Someone told me they did that and used it in Nassau. I don’t know firsthand but you could check when you board.

 

[Lenalee524]

Thanks! Yeah, I may cancel the dinner reservation I made at Liberty Tree Tavern. I originally thought it might be nice to have a sit down meal, but maybe we’ll want to make the most of our time at Magic Kingdom before we have to leave at 6.

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

Thanks! Yeah, I may cancel the dinner reservation I made at Liberty Tree Tavern. I originally thought it might be nice to have a sit down meal, but maybe we’ll want to make the most of our time at Magic Kingdom before we have to leave at 6.

Perhaps you could make a dinner reservation near the Magic Kingdom for 6:30 or so? Some character meal options nearby would be Chef Mickey's or 1900 Park Fare.

Your ticket is a Park Hopper, correct? That means you could visit a second park after Magic Kingdom! You should have plenty of time.