One Day at Disney... what would u suggest?!

[Vallie]

Hi all, I have a couple questions. My boyfriend and I are going to a cruise departing from orlando florida. I managed to convince him to stay an extra day and head to disney world. The problem is with so much to do at disney world we don't know what to do! This will be both of our first trips to the park and curious which of the four parks would you suggest?

We are thinking the Magic Kingdom however that expidition everest ride at animal kingdom looks soooo amazing!

My second question is we need to stay at a hotel near the MCO airport and we found a great deal however the hotel does not have transportation to disney world and we do not want to rent a car, how else can we get to disney? taxi maybe?

Also any tips, planning that you could give would be appriciated!

 

[barneythebassett]

If you have never been before, I would recommend the Magic Kingdom. However, I have thought about this before...if my family went for a day my choice might be AK. I love the park, the animals, and the attractions. EE was being built on our last trip but we loved Donald's Breakfastasourus, the Kali River Rapids (my DD fav), the Triceratops Spin, Dinosaur, the Safari and the Lion King show.

The Magic Kingdom is, well, Magical and has a feel that is not experienced elsewhere. There are great rides there as well.

Can you talk him into 2 days?

 

[Vallie]

no unfortunatly with our school scheduals and budget 2 days will not be a possibility

 

[Lynne M]

I'm afraid that a taxi from the airport area to WDW is going to be rather expensive. It's about a 30 minute drive, each way.

Does your hotel provide shuttle service to the airport? If so, you mignt look into Mears shuttles from the airport to WDW. I think they'd be less than a cab.

I don't know what your budget looks like, but could you swing a room at the All Stars or Pop Century, or at least one of the nearby offsite hotels, for that one night you'll be spending at WDW?

 

[orljustin]

Hi all, I have a couple questions. My boyfriend and I are going to a cruise departing from orlando florida.

I would love to see a cruise departing from Orlando, Florida. Have they built a canal to the ocean?

Perhaps you mean Port Canaveral?

Mears shutle is a good option.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

I also recommend the Magic Kingdom. Of all parks, this one is usually most people's favorites. It must be seen! Animal Kingdom would not be a great choice if you only have 1 day. In Magic Kingdom, must sees are: space and splash mountain (if you like thrill rides) and haunted mansion, pirates of the caribbean, peter pan's flight, phillharmagic, and buzz lightyear (if you don't like thrill rides). I also recommend skipping any table service sit down meals since these take up a lot of time. Good luck!

 

[The Mick]

When are you going? Soon?

If so, you could also go to EPCOT and enjoy the International Food & Wine Festival.

If it's you and your boyfriend, and are both of drinking age and enjoy an occassional drink ( ), you could have a little "adult fun" there, as well as sample some incredible food from around the world.

But it all depends on what your interests are.

- Magic Kingdom is the epitome of Disney. It's a good couples park too, but it's also, obviously, more for kids. But it is a very special place and romantic in its own right. Plus, it's sort of hard to go to Disney World for the first time, for one day, and NOT make it be to the MK. And if you go here, MAKE SURE you see Mickey's Philharmagic, perhaps the best single attraction at all of Walt Disney World.

- EPCOT, like I said, is the "adult park". Much less geared toward smaller children. Great restaurants, Food & Wine festival, and some GREAT rides too (Soarin, Test Track, Mission Space, etc.).

- AK of course has Everest. It's a great park too, and has other cool rides/attractions like Kilimanjaro Safari, Tough to Be A Bug, Festival of the Lion King, Kali River, Maharajah Jungle Trek and a few more. But if I'm going to Disney World for one day, I'm not going to AK. Same can be said for MGM (even though they have Rock & Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Indy Jones and a few others).

So to me it's between Magic Kingdom or EPCOT, and it just depends on your tastes and what you like and what kind of vacation you want.

 

[GIOny]

I would also go with the MK, it's the original and the classic Disney . Also has the most to do in it . If you can't stay 2 days then just make it a point to come back again. Are you sure your cruise departs from Orlando, I believe that's land locked. I know cruises usually leave from the Titusville/Cocoa Beach area, which is about 45-1 hr. from WDW across the Bee Line expressway. I agree with Lynne and I would look into one of the value resorts in WDW and also the cost of a Mears shuttle...http://www.mearstransportation.com/:thumbsup2

 

[Vallie]

Oops yes i do mean Port Canaveral lol We needed to stay by the airport because our bus to the port is from the airport.

Basicly our plan is our cruise leaves on the 29th of December and we are flying down on the morning of the 28th and going to disney on the 29th.

I think we are leaning more towards Magic Kingdom just because it seems like it so... well magical haha The only drawback was seeing the Expidition Everest Ride and wanting to try that out. But overall I think Magic Kingdom is a better choice for the whole day.

But I'm mostly concerned about the transportation to disney world.
Where can I find out about Mears shuttles?

Also how much is a one day pass for disney?

 

[Vallie]

look into one of the value resorts in WDW and also the cost of a Mears shuttle.../[/url]

o ok you just answered the mears shuttle question for me hehe

 

[The Mick]

Oops yes i do mean Port Canaveral lol We needed to stay by the airport because our bus to the port is from the airport.

Basicly our plan is our cruise leaves on the 29th of December and we are flying down on the morning of the 28th and going to disney on the 29th.

I think we are leaning more towards Magic Kingdom just because it seems like it so... well magical haha The only drawback was seeing the Expidition Everest Ride and wanting to try that out. But overall I think Magic Kingdom is a better choice for the whole day.

But I'm mostly concerned about the transportation to disney world.
Where can I find out about Mears shuttles?

Also how much is a one day pass for disney?

http://www.mearstransportation.com/AttractionTrans.htm

Last I saw, base price for a single-park, one-day ticket is $67.00.

You could add on other "Magic Your Way" options for, of course, more $$.

And yes, now that i think about it, if you have one day, MK is the way to go. It IS everything disney.

 

[GIOny]

Oops yes i do mean Port Canaveral lol We needed to stay by the airport because our bus to the port is from the airport.

Basicly our plan is our cruise leaves on the 29th of December and we are flying down on the morning of the 28th and going to disney on the 29th.

I think we are leaning more towards Magic Kingdom just because it seems like it so... well magical haha The only drawback was seeing the Expidition Everest Ride and wanting to try that out. But overall I think Magic Kingdom is a better choice for the whole day.

But I'm mostly concerned about the transportation to disney world.
Where can I find out about Mears shuttles?

Also how much is a one day pass for disney?

You are going to Disney on the day your cruise leaves ?? I don't think that will give you much time at the park . What time do you have to be at the ship and do you have to go back to your hotel to get your luggage? That is going to be very time consuming. Is it possible to go when you get back from the cruise or on the 28th if you arrive early enough??

 

[Vallie]

oops sorry our cruise leaves on the 30th we are planning to spend the 29th at disney.. i need to proof read these posts hehe

also i have one more question... crowd wise... would we be better of going to Disney in jan or december? I've heard the week between christmas and new years is the busiest.. would we be better off going on the 7th when we come back or will there not be much of a difference?

 

[DisneylandForever]

Advanced sorry to the AK lovers, but I wouldn't waste any time there. I am going for 7 days and as it is we only have half of one day planned for that park. EE is a cool ride, but IMO it is so not worth making a special trip to the AK for!


I would hit the Magic Kingdom hands down. CoP, Space, Splash, BTMRR, HM, Pirates, Fantasyland, etc. Epcot would be my 2nd choice.

 

[flortlebap]

We personally would chose Epcot over MK. And AK over MK. TBH I don't care for MK at all, it's always overcrowded and stressful!! It's only an OK park apart from that, and we found it much worse when we went with kids than with adults. Not even the kids enjoyed themselves.

Anyway we don't get the appeal of it, but I know most people wouldn't agree, so go for it. You could always park hop if your budget permits - maybe go to AK in the morning to ride EE then go over to MK in the afternoon and evening?

 

[dixiedizfan]

You definitely need to go to WDW at the end of your cruise, on the 7th. The week between Christmas and New Years is the most crowded time at Disney EVER. You will not get to see or do much if you go that week.

 

[Lynne M]

Oh, geez, DEFINITELY go at the end of the cruise, in January. No question about it. The week between Christmas and New Year's is insanely busy, and IMO, the MK is no place for a first timer at that time of year. You'll be spending your day standing in lines.

 

[blessedby3]

I agree, go after the cruise. You will enjoy it so much more and get to do so much more. I would also go to the MK if you can only do one park. It is soooo magical and the "original". This is our family's favorite park and we have kids of all ages- 40,39,16,11,7. Hope you have a great time on your cruise and at the Happiest Place on Earth!!

 

[jkid721133]

I agree with the consensus, since this is your first time you wanna hit MK. It would be weird telling people that you went to Disney World, then when they mention Cinderellas Castle you say that you didn't go there. The after, everyday, non-disney freak (unlike all of us Disfreaks) associates "DisneyWorld" with the Magic Kingdom.

If possible, I would avoid a cab. Meanrs should be able to hook you up for considerably less than a cab would. Also, depending on what Hotel you stay at, see if they have shuttle service to MCO. Usually its free. Have fun. Let us all know how your trip was when you get back.

 

[Lucky4me]

Okay this is what I'd do-
Book a room at one of the value hotels in Disney for the 28th for two nights. Try mousesavers.com to find a good rate or even call AAA. Disney will transport you to and from the airport for free, but you need to make a reservation for the shuttle.
The first day, the 28th, Book a character dinner such as Chef Mickeys and take a monorail tour that evening. Stop at The Grand FLoridian, The Contemporary and The Polynesian to look around and take in the holiday decorations. They are spectacular. You could even watch the WIshes fireworks display from the 4th floor viewing area at the Contemporary. They pipe in the music and it's very cool. You do not need a park ticket to do this.

Get a good nights sleep and get up at the crack of dawn for a full day at The Magic Kingdom. It's early entry all that week, so get to the bus stop early. Ask the front desk what time the first bus leaves. Since it opens at 8am regular time, the buses may leave as early as 6:30am to open by 7am.

Hit all the major rides in the first couple of hours before it gets packed. Research on here what sounds good to you or buy an Unofficial guide.
Pace yourself during the day, rest when you're tired and see as much as you can see. I would probably eat counter service to avoid long waits for sit down meals.
Stay for the holiday WIshes fireworks if you didn't see them the night before. The park stays open till midnight.
Check out as early as you need to get back to the airport in time for your cruise shuttle. I think you usually need to give yourself three hours before a flight out, probably less than that just for a port shuttle.

You will be exhausted, but just think, you'll have a week of R and R on the ship to recover.

I think you'll be paying around $60-65 for a one day pass to a park, not sure about that.

I hope you do this because if done right, it will be a wonderful memory.