One day at Magic Kingdom?

[pacomom]

My husband and I (2 kids-just turning 9 and just turning 6) are going on a Disney cruise in June. We are flying in two nights before getting on the ship and were planning on spending the day lounging around the hotel pool (free room at offsite hotel). However, we are now considering spending that day at the Magic Kingdom instead. They haven't been there before.My question is-is it worth the money to spend just one day there?

We have been there before, before kids. We know we obviously can't even come close to fitting everything in. The idea would be to give the kids a taste of Disney World. We would want to do Peter Pan, Pirates of Carribean, Small World, and maybe one or two others. We can be there at rope drop, but don't plan on staying until the park closes. We're hoping to avoid too much stress and just see the castle, main street, soak up the atmosphere and ride a few rides.

I am concerned about the high cost and the new FP system has me completely puzzled. If it were you, would you spend one day there?
Thanks so much for any advice and input!

 

[erineab]

I would totally, absolutely, 100%, for sure spend just one day there (and have in the past)! As long as you go in with the mindset that you won't be able to see and do it all, you will have a wonderful day! In my opinion, no trip to the Orlando area would be complete without a day spent at MK.

 

[Madamebutterfly1]

Oh, this was my question too. We have one day and I' m freakin out over everything I want to do. Hehehe

 

[williamscm3]

Definitely! My friend just did the exact same thing before her cruise and they had a great day at MK

 

[Winnowill]

We did this in 2012. The MK Day just happened to be Mother's Day AND my daughter's 4th birthday. It was wonderful. We rode, maybe, eight rides (I didn't know about touring plans), saw the parade, MSEP, fireworks, but no "headliner" rides, really. We started with the CRT breakfast, so we were in before official park opening, which was really just magical - we got to see everything without the crowds. It was a great way to get set for our cruise.

 

[pacomom]

Thanks so much for the feedback! I think we are leaning toward doing it.

Can I get through the day without worrying about fp+ since we aren't staying on property or should I start working on that? I am completely confused by the whole system and kind of scared by what people are saying. I was hoping we could ride our few rides for one day without having to stress about it.

 

[JanaDee]

Tickets alone will be $409 for one day at MK. If that is worth it to you, plus the cost of food, sure, go ahead.

Only you and your DH can decide whether you want to spend the extra money or not.

Personally, for me, no, it is not worth the extra $500 for one day it would add to our budget.

 

[JanaDee]

Thanks so much for the feedback! I think we are leaning toward doing it.

Can I get through the day without worrying about fp+ since we aren't staying on property or should I start working on that? I am completely confused by the whole system and kind of scared by what people are saying. I was hoping we could ride our few rides for one day without having to stress about it.

You will have to stand in line at a FP+ kiosk at park opening to schedule your three FP+ rides for the day. Currently, those FP+ lines are long and people are wasting an hour or more in line.

 

[practicallyperfect77]

If the cost works for you and you can be there at RD, I would do it. You can do so much of the park in the morning right after RD. Was there the Fri after thanksgiving (a crowd level 9 day on easywdw) and got in 11 rides in 3 hours. Granted it was just me and a friend and 3 of those rides were 3 in a row on space right at opening. I also see your trip isn't until June. I haven't heard of offsite being able to pick in advance yet but some offsitw folks that have ADRs and tickets linked have see dates changing in MDE when they'll be able to book. I personally am hopeful off site will be able to book in advance.

 

[metzgardesign]

For me...no.....I would not go to MK for a day.

For the first time in at least 15 years, I foresee our next annual trip to Orlando (it's always been known as the WDW trip....and up until last year, was exclusively a Disney trip), will have no Disney time, whatsoever. And it won't be a week.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

We're going to MK for the day before a short cruise. We're using Disney Visa rewards toward the park tickets, so the out-of-pocket cost is much less, and we're staying onsite with our rewards, but I think you should seriously consider it if the money isn't too much for your budget, which I'm guessing it's not based on your other vacation plans. (We can't afford a summer Disney cruise. ) I do think it's worth it if the cost isn't an issue. The first day at MK is always the most magical part of a Disney park vacation.

If you arrive at RD, I might just forget about FP+ and head straight to Peter Pan (the lines build quickly) and then any other must-dos. Or, your DH could book the FP+ after Peter Pan while you ride something he wants to skip. (My DH would be thrilled to skip IASW.) We had the kids each make a short list of "must-dos" and made a plan around those. Don't stress about what other people say you shouldn't miss. Just give the kids a taste of classic Disney.

 

[MacDalt]

We have done MK many times for just one day. Last April, on a day when it closed due to capacity, we did 22 attractions, including all 3 mountains. We were there from 8:30 am to 12:30 am. It's sooo worth it!!!

 

[amylevan]

We can be there at rope drop, but don't plan on staying until the park closes. We're hoping to avoid too much stress and just see the castle, main street, soak up the atmosphere and ride a few rides.

At $100 pp? No.

I love WDW, I really do. But that is a ridiculous price IMO, especially since you aren't planning on staying all day, and are looking for more of a "soak up the atmosphere" day.

Everyone has there own cost-value ratio, but for my family, that would not be how we would choose to spend our vacation money.

 

[Mrsjvb]

with the announced price increase to $99 per person(94 for kids under 10) plus tax, no way in hell is one day at MK worth it any more.

that $400 plus is far better spent on board the ship.

 

[coolbrook]

We did it in January before our Disney cruise with our 5 kids and had a fun day. The 4 teen/ young adults went to Epcot and DH and I took our DD10 to MK. We made rope drop, rode lots of rides in Fantasyland, tomorrow land, and BTMRR then had lunch at Be Our Guest. Rode Haunted Mansion and saw Laugh Floor, then left for a nap, supper, and a swim at the hotel. For us it was worth it. Disney world makes us happy! Just walking into that place....sigh!

 

[AndreaDM]

DH & I are doing this next month, only at Epcot. Yes, spending $100 pp is crazy, but we've never been there for F&G and really want to see it. Your girls are at the perfect age & will remember it.