One day Disney trip-HELP!

[shelby_36]

Hi, new here and need some help.
I was at Disney 20 years ago this month (eek!) and haven't been back since. My husband and I are taking our kids on a short bahamas Cruise and are leaving out of Port Canaveral. We will be in Orlando for several days but after spending all the money on the Cruise we won't be able to afford more than One day at the park. I have read some great tips here but was curious if anyone had any suggestions that would be good for optimizing our One day trip (this will be our kids first trip to Disney). Their ages are 15, 12 and 5.

2 more questions: What is up with the Penny pressing? i've seen several posts on it and it has me intrigued.

Also I know at other parks Ive been to you can't remove your shoes on water rides, Is there any way to keep your shoes dry so you aren't uncomfortable the rest of the day?

Thanks SSOOO much!

 

[hockey mom]

With only one day I would say it has to be MK. Something for everyone here and a full days worth.

Pressed penny machines are scattered throughout the park. Some are of rides and some are characters. The cost is .50 plus the penny. You can also purchase a book to keep them in -$6

To be honest I don't think my shoes have ever gotten wet on any of the water rides. T-shirt and hair- yes, but not shoes.

 

[mhingher]

When will you be in Orlando? The time of year makes a big difference on crowds. I agree though, Magic Kingdom is your best bet. There are rides for the older kids, like Splash Mountain, Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (5 year old might even like those, my nephew was 4 and went on all except Space Mountain, only b/c he wasn't tall enough) MK also has Fantasy Land, which has plenty of rides for those who are "kid at heart" and the younger one. It could be tough only going for one day, so get map of the park and plan your day. Some people go as far as planning the order of rides- I say just figure out what "lands" you'll go to, and take it from there. And above all, take advantage of Fast Pass! Fast Pass allows you to use your park ticket at certain attractions to get a "Fast Pass), which tells you what time to come back to the ride, where you'll get on a special line and only wait 10 minutes or so.

 

[shelby_36]

We definately be going to MK..just not sure if there are any tricks or things to avoid being we only have one day.