One day at WDW: Where do we go? Are we nuts?

[moopdog]

My family is taking a cruise in March and one port of call is Port Canaveral. At first I thought the idea of going to Disney for one part of one day was insane and we assumed we would choose to tour Kennedy Space or Cocoa Beach, etc.

Then we ended up doing a charity that qualified for "give a day" and we have 4 tickets to use. So...we'd be silly NOT to go, right? We've been to Disney as recently as Sept 2008, so we're fairly familiar with what we like/ don't like.

My kids immediately voted for Epcot, since they liked it and we only saw half of it last time. I would rather go to MK since it has more stuff (I like). My kids mostly want to do Test Track (son only), Soarin', Spaceship Earth, and the The Land boat ride. Seems like not much for one day.... should I convince them MK is the way to go??

The boat docks at Noon - shuttle takes approx 1.5 hours each way and we leave Port again at 10:00 PM. I'm thinking we'll have 6 hours or so in the park we choose. Is this worth the trouble??

Thanks for the input, I'm just looking for subjective thoughts. BTW, the day in question is Monday, March 22nd, if that helps.

 

[Purseval]

Let them go wherever they want. As long as you're all having a nice day together the park won't matter.

 

[ldrprn]

Flower and Garden is in Epcot March 3 to May 16(?). Check it out online, lots to see.

 

[moongirl]

I think it sounds like craziness to me. Get to park at 1:30 pm at the earliest. Fastpasses will probably be gone for the most popular rides at all parks which means waits in long lines. How much will you get to do? I would take the kids to Epcot if that's what they want. Is that three hours of traveling and all that waiting in line worth the 4 or 5 attractions that you mentioned?

 

[moopdog]

I think it sounds like craziness to me. Get to park at 1:30 pm at the earliest. Fastpasses will probably be gone for the most popular rides at all parks which means waits in long lines. How much will you get to do? I would take the kids to Epcot if that's what they want. Is that three hours of traveling and all that waiting in line worth the 4 or 5 attractions that you mentioned?

Yes...that's exactly my point. Trying to figure out if it IS crazy or not. Hmmm. Maybe you're right!

 

[Mickey527]

I would stay near Port and try and get to Disney another time.
What if your shuttle is late? what if there is an accident that closed the roads and you can't get back to the ship. I know, my kids call me Debbie Downer too! I always think of the bad things that could happen.
There are some great beaches in the area and I am sure there are things you can do.
Maybe rent a car for the day and go tot he outlet in St Pete to get a bit of your Disney "fix" and then to St Pete beaches. There was a great article in the Family Fun magazine about the things they have in the area. Lots of Pirate themed stuff.
Or go to the Space Center. Most of that stuff is free and you could fill a day there.

 

[sk!mom]

I wouldn't do it. In my experience, shuttles always take much longer than expected to get any where. I think that it would be hectic and stressful. Even if everything went perfectly according to plan, it would be a very unsatisfying amount of time to spend at WDW.

That being said, if you decide to do it, I think your kids are on the right track. In my experience, Epcot is the best park to go to later in the day. If fastpasses are gone you can wander the WS. On our last trip (early June), we got to EpCot around 3:00 on arrival day and we got FP for Soarin' and Test Track- the return times were fairly late though- maybe too late for you.

 

[RetroMom]

My kids and I went to WDW June 2008 for a week and had a wonderful time. Just last night I asked my 12 y.o. and my 8 y.o. which park they would choose if they could only go for 1 day. I was really expecting MK or the Studios, but they said Epcot! I was quite surprised, so I'm thinking about a one day visit myself.

My concern for you also regards the shuttle. I would hate for you to become stressed out about missing it back, but, having said that, my kids would be happy slipping in just a few hours of that Disney magic!

 

[pammypooh]

Hi,
My DH and I were on a cruise in Feb of 2008. We also had the Port Canaveral stop, and we did go to Disney for the day. The thing about the shuttle - at least on own cruise line, we took the cruise's shore excursion, which meant that if the shuttle did not make it back to the ship - they'd have to get us to the next port....it is not something I even worried about.

Now, as far as which park...I was torn between MK and Epcot also. I wound up picking Epcot. We were able to do any ride we wanted...I even did Soarin twice. It was a great day. Looking back, if we would have picked MK, I know we would have had a fab time too...I would be happy just strolling around, taking in the atmosphere.

I say go for it! Have a great time!

Pam

 

[Disney845]

I would stay near Port and try and get to Disney another time.
What if your shuttle is late? what if there is an accident that closed the roads and you can't get back to the ship. I know, my kids call me Debbie Downer too! I always think of the bad things that could happen.
There are some great beaches in the area and I am sure there are things you can do.
Maybe rent a car for the day and go tot he outlet in St Pete to get a bit of your Disney "fix" and then to St Pete beaches. There was a great article in the Family Fun magazine about the things they have in the area. Lots of Pirate themed stuff.
Or go to the Space Center. Most of that stuff is free and you could fill a day there.

Just wanted to say I think you mean St. Augustine. St. Petersburg is on the far west coast of FL by Tampa. While St. Augustine does have a Disney outlet (by I-95, not near the historic town center) it is still quite a drive from Port Canaveral. Also the Space Center does have an admission fee (close to $40 for adults I think).

 

[Candace]

Thanks for the input, I'm just looking for subjective thoughts. BTW, the day in question is Monday, March 22nd, if that helps.[/QUOTE]

Keep in mind that you will be there during Spring Break time, so the parks are quite crowded. (I usually go each year during that time). The weather is fabulous, but the crowds are usually pretty busy. So, if you are looking at 'part' of a day, you may actually only get to do a few things.

 

[mrsklamc]

You have the rest of your life to be a grown up. Your kids will be grown before you know it. As far as Disney goes- let THEM do what they want to do.

Before you know it they will be grown and gone and you can drag your DH to MK.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

It may be worth paying for a child's one day ticket and using your GAD voucher for GAD fastpasses for the day. That way crowds/regular fastpasses wouldn't be an issue. You could do exactly what you want, when you want. One voucher would get your entire family fastpasses for the day.

There is a whole category of GAD info in the attractions section.

 

[ohanaMAMA]

As MUCH as I love WDW.. I think you'd push it getting to a park and back. My DH and I went on a Disney Cruise last year and had a day in Cocoa Beach before our cruise. We did the Merrit Island Wildlife Drive. It was really interesting and we saw Manatees in the wild! It was so neat. Of course we are photographers and love wildlife.

 

[moopdog]

Hi,
My DH and I were on a cruise in Feb of 2008. We also had the Port Canaveral stop, and we did go to Disney for the day. The thing about the shuttle - at least on own cruise line, we took the cruise's shore excursion, which meant that if the shuttle did not make it back to the ship - they'd have to get us to the next port....it is not something I even worried about.

Now, as far as which park...I was torn between MK and Epcot also. I wound up picking Epcot. We were able to do any ride we wanted...I even did Soarin twice. It was a great day. Looking back, if we would have picked MK, I know we would have had a fab time too...I would be happy just strolling around, taking in the atmosphere.

I say go for it! Have a great time!

Pam

Well, maybe I was just looking to hear what I WANTED to hear... since I already knew the cons. So, thanks. Yes, I was aware that the shuttle would almost guarantee we'd be back due to the fact that it was/is a ship excursion.

So, you didn't feel too rushed, hectic, like it wasn't worth the ride, etc. Were your hours about the same as what I mentioned ours would be? And even more specific - was it a Norwegian cruise?

 

[dhdozier]

Just adding my 2cents worth...
I absolutely would chose Epcot as the park to go to for an afternoon trip. Lots to see and do in the World Showcase. My kids' favorite thing to do was go on Kim Possible missions to explore the different countries. And the suggestion of using the GAD ticket for a fastpass is a good idea IMHO.

 

[SandrA9810]

We used to drive to Disney for the day from Miami all the time, of course we could leave at park closing.

On a short time frame like that, I'd suggest Epcot too. Especially with the flower and garden festival going on, there's plenty to do without waiting in line for rides. And take advantage of single rider line at Test Track. And generally green side is a shorter line than orange side for Mission Space. Not much you can do about Soarin, there's always a line for that.

And you don't have to feel like you're cutting your time short at Epcot because the park is only ever open till 9pm. When we'd go to MK, we'd always stay to park closing, whether it was 10pm or midnight cause we didn't want to loose time. If you have to leave the park by 8-8:30, you won't feel like you're loosing out on park time.

Epcot is definatly the way to go. Another thought, which really doesn't fit into "budget at all", is do you plan on coming back to Disney sometime in the next couple of years?? Would it be worth it to use that 80$ credit from the GAD tickets to upgrade to non expiring tickets?

 

[Cyndibear]

Well, maybe I was just looking to hear what I WANTED to hear... since I already knew the cons. So, thanks. Yes, I was aware that the shuttle would almost guarantee we'd be back due to the fact that it was/is a ship excursion.

So, you didn't feel too rushed, hectic, like it wasn't worth the ride, etc. Were your hours about the same as what I mentioned ours would be? And even more specific - was it a Norwegian cruise?

We did the Norwegian Curise that stopped in Port Canaveral too. We went to WDW and had THE best time. We went to MK, I can't remember what time of year it was but I don't remember it to be too crowded. We had a blast! It was fun knowing that we were on a Cruise & still being able to spend time at Disney even if it was for just one day. Just being there was fun enough for us. I don't remember what our hours were, just that it was easy traveling back and forth. Doesn't matter which park you choose---Just do it!!! Have fun with your family and enjoy your day!!!

Cyndi

 

[MrsPete]

My family is taking a cruise in March and one port of call is Port Canaveral. At first I thought the idea of going to Disney for one part of one day was insane and we assumed we would choose to tour Kennedy Space or Cocoa Beach, etc.

Then we ended up doing a charity that qualified for "give a day" and we have 4 tickets to use. So...we'd be silly NOT to go, right? We've been to Disney as recently as Sept 2008, so we're fairly familiar with what we like/ don't like.

My kids immediately voted for Epcot, since they liked it and we only saw half of it last time. I would rather go to MK since it has more stuff (I like). My kids mostly want to do Test Track (son only), Soarin', Spaceship Earth, and the The Land boat ride. Seems like not much for one day.... should I convince them MK is the way to go??

The boat docks at Noon - shuttle takes approx 1.5 hours each way and we leave Port again at 10:00 PM. I'm thinking we'll have 6 hours or so in the park we choose. Is this worth the trouble??

Thanks for the input, I'm just looking for subjective thoughts. BTW, the day in question is Monday, March 22nd, if that helps.

You dock at noon -- what time will the shuttle leave? If it's a cruise ship shuttle, I'm guessing it'll be more like 1:00 (they'll need that long to get everyone off the ship and onto the shuttle, to verify that everyone's there). So I'm guessing it'll be 2:30-ish 'til you arrive at Disney.

Then you'll have to go through the gates, security . . . I'd be willing to bet it'd be 3:00. They'll probably drop people off first at the Magic Kingdom, then go to the other parks.

You're sailing at 10:00. What time does the shuttle leave the parks? I'm betting 8:00. So you'd have 'til about 7:30 in the parks before you have to leave to start towards the shuttle.

I'm guessing that you'd have four hours and a half in the parks.

I wouldn't do a major park in that timeframe. A water park, yes. Downtown Disney, yes.

How late does Disney stay open in March? I've never gone at that time of year, so I can't venture a guess.

On the plus side:
If it's a cruise ship shuttle, you don't have to worry about the possibility of breaking down, etc.
If you can get the Give-a-day tickets, it won't actually cost you anything.

 

[mickeymaker2003]

It may be worth paying for a child's one day ticket and using your GAD voucher for GAD fastpasses for the day. That way crowds/regular fastpasses wouldn't be an issue. You could do exactly what you want, when you want. One voucher would get your entire family fastpasses for the day.

There is a whole category of GAD info in the attractions section.

That is what I was going to say too.