Not enough time in MK??

[cj2424]

Hi!

I love these boards. Everyone is sooo helpful! I've been just reading until today, mainly because I am a little worried about what I have scheduled for our day at Magic Kingdom, coming up in just 25 short days! Yay!!

Here's what I did. Well first let me say we're staying outside Disney, 3 miles away, actually. And so I booked a dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table at 4:25pm (thinking the kids would be better behaved earlier rather than later) and we're getting MYW Base tickets, so we're just planning on going to MK the day we have the dinner. Well, someone told me about the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique and I just couldn't resist. I made an appointment for my 4 year old for 12pm that same day, thinking she would be all dressed up for the dinner.

And I mean, we have 3 young kids, my 4 year old is the oldest, then we have two boys--2.5 and 15mos--so I was thinking they could take naps during the time we take my daughter (my parents are coming with us to Disney, and my sister). But we only rented one car! And I'd be nervous to rely on Disney transportation (we can use that right? even though we're not staying in the resort or no??) because I'm afraid we wouldn't make it in time. And I'm also concerned that we just won't have enough time in the morning at MK to do everything! I was thinking we could do some things after the dinner (how long do those things last?), but I just don't know how the kids will be (tired, cranky). I'm wondering if I should just cancel the dinner. I originally thought all the princesses were going to be there, but to my surprise, it's only Cinderella (who just greets you as you arrive) and then the Fairy Godmother is there the rest of the time (I think?). So I'm not all that excited for that anyway.

Should we cancel the dinner? Is it really worth it? Should I cancel the BBB appointment for my daughter instead?? Maybe I should just take a Zanex and call it a night.

Thanks for reading if you got this far!

~Cindy

 

[bnsilly]

Hi Cindy..
It sounds like you might be really stressed on that day, trying to get to BBB and then the dinner, etc..and so yes, you are not going to have that much time for the MK..me, I would cancel both and enjoy the park and the princesses you may see around the park, etc...relax and have a fun trip..we leave Friday!!!!

 

[ndgqccmiller]

Okay Question
Is this your first trip?



If it's your first time. Enjoy the park, it was my kids favorite. We went 3.5 days out of 8 on our trip. I'm not sure, but there is a barber shop at MK and I think they do color in there hair maybe that would be enough or just a really cute costume at one of the great shops. Won't take you long but she'll look adorable to eat at the castle.

If you are one of the vet disney family and go. Then do the stuff you have never done.
You'll have a great time!

 

[MomofKatie]

I agree with bnsilly- if you are only spending one day at MK, you will be burning a lot of that time doing "extras" that are fun, but not necessary, aspecially for first-timers. Would the young ones nap in the stroller? Otherwise, you'll need to take a midday break, and that will take more time out of your only day to enjoy MK.

If it was me, I'd ditch BBB and CRT, and do maybe CP or LTT for dinner instead. Cheaper, and more character interaction (Pooh and friends at CP, and Minnie and friends at LTT). Sit down dinners should take about an hour, start to finish.

Have a great trip- you'll have fun!!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I'm going to agree with the other posters. I would ditch the BBB appointment unless you can do it on a different day. You wouldn't get much time at MK before having to head to DTD. The transportation would be a nightmare with only having one car. I think I would also cancel dinner at CRT since you only get to see Cinderella when you arrive and only your 4 year old is really old enough to really appreciate the whole experience.

Crystal Palace would be a great place for your family for lunch or dinner. You get to see all of the Pooh characters. Plus, it's a buffet and easier to get eveyone's favorite foods. It's a more relaxed atmosphere than CRT so your family should fit right in and feel comfortable there.

Since you only have 1 day at MK, I would plan on getting there early and doing all the "must-see" rides for the kids first. That way if they get cranky and you decide to leave early you don't have to regret missing Dumbo!

 

[MSSANDRA]

For sure ditch BBB. With travel time, you will have no time in the MK ! We always spend more than a day there even with out little ones. I would plan one TS inside MK whether it be CRT or one of the other character meals. It will give you a change to get out of the heat and rest.

It will be hot and crowded during your visit so you will need to go slow and keep everyone as cool and hydrated as possible. I would plan on strollers for everyone and encourage naps in those.

You can use WDW transportation. The monorail can be a great escape for the park. GEt on and ride the loop a few ( or quite a few ) times while you rest and cool off. Just relax and do what you can. No way can anyone do it all and you will go crazy if you try.

 

[Princess Roo]

I agree with ditching at least one of the two things. They also have a BBB at Downtown Disney if you wanted to do that on a non-park day.

Also, just to clarify, since I'm not quite sure what you're asking: once you get to the park you can use Disney transportation to get to other parks or to ride the monorail around, for example, but Disney transportation doesn't run to off-site hotels. Some off-site hotels have their own shuttles to the parks, but they often run less frequently.

 

[cj2424]

Thanks everyone for your replies and advice!! While this isn't my first trip to Disney, it has been about 15 years, and it's our first trip with the kids. I don't know when we'll be back there again, so we're really trying to do as much as possible this time. We're only going to be there for 4 days, not counting travel days, and we're planning on going to AK the first day, and SeaWorld the day before we leave. I was planning on going to MK the second day we're there, and the third day is in the air... MGM? A waterpark maybe??

I was originally only planning one day for MK, but we're thinking we're going to skip MGM since there's really only a couple shows that they would be seeing anyway--one of which is the Little Mermaid one that might be cancelled by the time we're there anyway. So maybe we'll do MK in two days instead? I know it sounds silly but I was really looking forward to taking my "princess" to BBB, and I know my daughter did too (which I know, she's 4 so she'd just have to deal with it, lol) so I'm thinking I'm just going to cancel CRT. At this point so close to going, I don't think we'll be able to get a breakfast reservation anywhere, and my 2 younger kids would probably be terrified of the characters anyway. Plus, with such a short trip, I really want to take advantage of getting to parks early, so a breakfast is pretty much out.

This is so hard because my husband has just about had it with what he calls my "overplanning" (I call it being prepared) and my mom and dad work full time so I feel like I'm "preparing" everything by myself.

I really appreciate your feedback everyone. Thank you so much!!

~Cindy

 

[beattyfamily]

MK is the best park, IMHO, especially for little ones. It takes us at least 2 days to see and do everything, usually more though.

I would cancel at least one of those things OR I would add another MK day.

There's so much to see and do in MK but you would be killing SO much time doing BBB and CRT dinner. Time flies so fast too. It's so hard to fit it all in.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

I would plan two full days at MK. We always seem to end up there. MGM has some fun things for little ones (Playhouse Disney, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Muppet Movie, Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground) and so does AK. I would consider skipping Sea World and doing another day at WDW (if you have already bought tickets, it is probably cheaper to add a fourth day to WDW than to buy Sea World tickets). If you haven't bought tickets, I'd buy four days at WDW, or maybe even five if you will get there early enough the first day.

For example:

three day base ticket (no hopping, no expiration) - 204.48 adults, 170.40 kids
four day base ticket - 215.13 adults, 178.92 kids
five day base ticket - 219.39 adults, 179.39 kids

These would be slightly cheaper through the Undercover Tourist link. Disney REALLY wants you to stay at their parks. A one day Sea World ticket is about $55 if you buy in advance. Even if you get to WDW late in the afternoon the first day, you could spend some time at MK, watch fireworks, do a few rides, etc. It wouldn't cost much to do that first night, and you would gain a few hours of park time. You would have to pay another day of parking since you are staying offsite (about $10, I think?).

BBB is lots of fun and I'm glad we did it! Both of my girls said they would rather do rides next time than do it again, but I am very glad we did it once. I have never been a big fan of CRT - too expensive. We much prefer the food and characters at Crystal Palace, but if you have a princess fan, CRT is a good place to be. We also like 1900 Park Faire at the Grand Floridian. You can see Cinderella, Prince Charming, the Fairy Godmother and the two girl mice (Suzy and Perla). It is not at the parks, so you don't have to use a park day for that.

Have a great trip!

 

[cj2424]

StitchandPooh's Mom and Beattyfamily, thanks so much for all the info! We haven't gotten our tickets yet, so I'm definitely going to look into the info you gave me on those... I canceled our CRT reservation, since it would just be too much to do. Maybe when the kids are a bit older they'll appreciate the character breakfast/dinner, you know? And I think we will plan on two days at MK. That seems to be the best park for the little ones, and would take the most time to cover. I still haven't canceled the BBB appointment... I just can't bring myself do it!

Thanks again ladies!!

~Cindy

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

You're welcome! Have a wonderful trip - I wish we were going in 24 days!

 

[clm3]

You have to keep in mind the standby times for rides. You will be cutting your day very short if you do BBB and dinner. Some rides can have very long wait lines, and then you have to worry about tired cranky kids. I would either skip MGM and spend 2 days at MK or 1 day at MK for just rides.

When my DD was 3 we did Chef Mickeys for dinner and CP for lunch with Pooh and friends. We had great interaction with characters.

If you cancel BBB and CT you'll have an excuse to go back real soon.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I would say for a 1st time trip or 1st trip back in years, I would nix BBB-possibly CRT. Althought CRT may have allowed everyone to get some rest and refueling for evening touring.

 

[2cutekidz]

If you want princess charcters try Akershaus at Epcot - most princesses are there (usually not Cinderella though.)

 

[2cutekidz]

If you want princess charcters try Akershaus at Epcot - most princesses are there (usually not Cinderella though.) You'll see Belle in her ball gown (she's in her blue dress at CRT), Jasmine, Esmerelda (From Hunchback of Notre Dame), Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, AND Ariel in a ball gown with feet!! Apparently this is the only place Ariel has feet instead of her tail. You can always do BBB at DTD before dinner, then got off to Epcot.