Panic mode

[yellobutterfly]

2 weeks from today!! I went when I was 9 but this is my family's first trip!! I have so many questions and think of new ones constantly :/

1) day one we have a breakfast reservation @ chef mickey's at 7:10 am, park opens at 9...what do I do with all that down time? I have hear you should arrive 30 minutes early but think we may be more like 50+ minutes early...

2) how do we get from OKW to the contemporary? What method of transportation is best/fastest (since it is such an early reservation we will most likely be running late...)

3) i loved going to mickey and Minnie's houses and little village (when I was 9!), do they still have this and if so, what's it called and what park is it located in?

4) do you carry a tote bag with snacks, etc all over the parks or do you rent a locker? If you bring a bag what is in your Disney park bag? What type of bag/brand is best? I just got a thirty one bag that I love (essential tote) but it doesn't have a zipper, not sure if that would defeat the purpose?

5) we are a large family and on a tight budget so I want to be sure I understand exactly what is included and what costs extra - the vehicles on main street (carriage, trolleys, etc) are these complimentary or a fee? What about the jungle safari, and the liberty boat ride thing? Are all the shows in the park included?


I have more questions but forgot them...will update this first list as they come to me - thanks for the advice!

 

[eangel12]

1) day one we have a breakfast reservation @ chef mickey's at 7:10 am, park opens at 9...what do I do with all that down time? I have hear you should arrive 30 minutes early but think we may be more like 50+ minutes early...

You won't have a lot of down time! It usually takes an hour or so to eat, walk to MK, enjoy rope drop! It is a good time to eat right outside the park and make rope drop.

2) how do we get from OKW to the contemporary? What method of transportation is best/fastest (since it is such an early reservation we will most likely be running late...)

If I were you I would take a taxi! Much easier and the taxi will drop you at the front door of the Contemporary!

3) i loved going to mickey and Minnie's houses and little village (when I was 9!), do they still have this and if so, what's it called and what park is it located in?

I loves this too! It is no longer there...at least it wasn't the last time I was there!

 

[yellobutterfly]

1) day one we have a breakfast reservation @ chef mickey's at 7:10 am, park opens at 9...what do I do with all that down time? I have hear you should arrive 30 minutes early but think we may be more like 50+ minutes early... You won't have a lot of down time! It usually takes an hour or so to eat, walk to MK, enjoy rope drop! It is a good time to eat right outside the park and make rope drop. 2) how do we get from OKW to the contemporary? What method of transportation is best/fastest (since it is such an early reservation we will most likely be running late...) If I were you I would take a taxi! Much easier and the taxi will drop you at the front door of the Contemporary! 3) i loved going to mickey and Minnie's houses and little village (when I was 9!), do they still have this and if so, what's it called and what park is it located in? I loves this too! It is no longer there...at least it wasn't the last time I was there!

Is the taxi service included like the other transportation services are? If not how pricey is it? We will have a vehicle with us, but would we be able to drive ourselves over and park there and leave the vehicle for the day while we are in the park?

Oh no - I'm soooo sad they don't have the mickey/Minnie houses - they were the cutest things!!!

 

[teambeaman]

If you pay the $15 to valet at the contemporary, then you could leave your car there all day. Considering a taxi would be about the same, that's what I would do.

 

[DebbieB]

Is the taxi service included like the other transportation services are? If not how pricey is it? We will have a vehicle with us, but would we be able to drive ourselves over and park there and leave the vehicle for the day while we are in the park?

Oh no - I'm soooo sad they don't have the mickey/Minnie houses - they were the cutest things!!!

Taxi service is not included.

I would drive to the Contemporary. They probably will not allow you to park it there all day. So with the extra time you have, you can either drive back to OKW or park in the Magic Kingdom parking lot (TTC).

 

[yellobutterfly]

Taxi service is not included. I would drive to the Contemporary. They probably will not allow you to park it there all day. So with the extra time you have, you can either drive back to OKW or park in the Magic Kingdom parking lot (TTC).

Thank you -
Is there a fee to park in MK parking lot if we are staying at OKW?

 

[DebbieB]

Thank you -
Is there a fee to park in MK parking lot if we are staying at OKW?

No

 

[skywaywaver]

So exciting!
We are there in 8 days

We do bring a few snacks, especially now that we know my 6 year old has blood sugar issues if he doesn't eat frequently enough. Nothing huge, just thrown in the diaper bag/backpack I use.

I feel a zipper top is pretty necessary, but that's JMO. I have a Disney World zippered top tote that my mom has told me that they have since changed but it was my "purse" for a long time.

ETA: definitely valet park at the Contemporary. Worth every penny!

 

[Tpiejg]

2 weeks from today!! I went when I was 9 but this is my family's first trip!! I have so many questions and think of new ones constantly :/

1) day one we have a breakfast reservation @ chef mickey's at 7:10 am, park opens at 9...what do I do with all that down time? I have hear you should arrive 30 minutes early but think we may be more like 50+ minutes early...

You won't have that much down time between eating and park openings.since Eating will probably take you an hour and then depending on the park that you plan to visit that day another 10 to 20 minutes if you drive your car.

2) how do we get from OKW to the contemporary? What method of transportation is best/fastest (since it is such an early reservation we will most likely be running late...)

I would drive my car if you have one. Budget wise it wont cost you anything. you can park in the hotel parking lot. then you can drive to the park and park in the parking lot there. if you are staying onsite then parking is free at the parks.


3) i loved going to mickey and Minnie's houses and little village (when I was 9!), do they still have this and if so, what's it called and what park is it located in?

They no longer have the houses anymore.

4) do you carry a tote bag with snacks, etc all over the parks or do you rent a locker? If you bring a bag what is in your Disney park bag? What type of bag/brand is best? I just got a thirty one bag that I love (essential tote) but it doesn't have a zipper, not sure if that would defeat the purpose?

If you are not on the dining plan and want to save money then yes i would bring snacks and water. I also carry bandaids for blisters, lip balm, tylenol, etc. My family each carries a water bottle carrier that we got off Amazon, it shares the load. they are inexpensive and can carry two bottles of water which saves you money.

5) we are a large family and on a tight budget so I want to be sure I understand exactly what is included and what costs extra - the vehicles on main street (carriage, trolleys, etc) are these complimentary or a fee? What about the jungle safari, and the liberty boat ride thing? Are all the shows in the park included?

all the shows and rides are included in the parks. There are no trolley rides or carriage rides on Main st. or in any of the parks. the carriage rides are at some resorts and are an extra fee.


I have more questions but forgot them...will update this first list as they come to me - thanks for the advice!

Relax and enjoy your trip!

 

[BlueFairy]

Your resort will give you a parking pass so you can park for free at your resort or any park throughout your stay. Other resorts cost the valet fee (for the day) or are free to self park for only 3 hours with a dining reservation.

Buses are direct to MK front gates. Chef Mickeys and the Contemporary parking lot are a 5 minute walk to MK front gates. If you were to have time to move your car (unlikely), then remember that it can take up to an hour from your hotel bus stop or easily 30 minutes from the MK parking lot tram to get to the park gates. The monorail is running on an abbreviated schedule right now also, slowing things down there.

MK opening ceremony (i.e. rope drop) has been happening around 8:40 on a 9am official opening day. So you will have just enough time to eat and walk over IF you are seated right at your reservation time. Can't hurt to be early for that too.

There is also a character meal bus that will be running from your resort. I think it might slow you down.

Bags are inspected, so pack light. No glass containers or weapons. You can carry water,drinks and snacks into the park. Bring ponchos, sunglasses, hats, camera, magic bands, sunscreen, an extra form of payment, cash for snack carts, and a change of clothes for any small child prone to accidents or jumping into fountains. You want something to keep the rain out and a zipper is useful on thrill rides to keep things from flying around.

All rides inside the park are free. Extras are souvenirs and food, VIP tours, dessert parties, pressed pennies, and maybe the shooting arcade (?).

Toontown (the character village houses) are gone, replaced by Storybook Circus. There are some similarities, but the houses are completely gone. Mickey's friends still meet guests in that area all day. Mickey meets guests on Main Street.

 

[Missyrose]

Thank you -
Is there a fee to park in MK parking lot if we are staying at OKW?

MK's parking lot is at the Ticket and Transportation Center. You'd have to drive your car from CR to there to park and then take either the ferry or monorail to get to MK.

It would be much, much easier to either take a cab to breakfast, then take Disney transportation home.

Or, like PP said, you could valet your car at CR for the day.

Cost of each option is $20 (roughly for the cab, and the valet fee went from $15 to $20 a few months ago.

Driving to CR then taking your car to TTC and getting back to MK will eat up a lot of time, you'd probably be racing to even make rope drop at that point. So everything depends on what you value most: cost, convenience or speed.

 

[Oomiak]

There are no trolley rides or carriage rides on Main st. or in any of the parks. the carriage rides are at some resorts and are an extra fee.

This is not true. I took a picture of the double decker bus on Main Street from one month ago giving rides down Main Street. The vehicles are out on Main Street first thing in the morning and they are complimentary.


I would take a cab to the Contemporary and walk to the Magic Kingdom after breakfast. You would be out front around 8:30, which is a great time to be there. Also, check to see if MK has extra magic hours the morning you are dining at Chef Mickeys, the park may open at 8:00.

 

[fluffykalie]

1. I would take my time eating then just walk over to mk and watch the opening show. It gets very busy at park opening and with bag check it can get a little backed up so 30-55mins is not really all that early to show up. Also if you are moving your car over to mk you won't have much extra time it is very busy outside mk in the morning.
2. The bus's won't be running yet so you will have to drive or take a taxi. I suggest driving its cheaper and you have free parking make sure to tell the parking attendant that you are a resort guest if you move your car over to mks parking lot. Also valet parkings rates got raised this year it's 20
3.yep they are gone i rember them from my childhood too and was disappointed to see them gone. You can see Mickey, minnie, Donald, and goofy in the circus tent.
4. I just use a backpack nothing special. My kids still use a stroller so i don't have to carry it around.
5. All rides and shows are included in park admission not sure about the trolleys but i doubt that they cost more.

 

[nkereina]

1) day one we have a breakfast reservation @ chef mickey's at 7:10 am, park opens at 9...what do I do with all that down time? I have hear you should arrive 30 minutes early but think we may be more like 50+ minutes early... I agree that you won't have a ton of down time. IF you are seated on time (not always the case), by the time you eat and get through the characters, I would expect it to be aorund 8:30. A good 15 minute walk to MK will put you there at about 8:45. And this is if they seat you on time.

2) how do we get from OKW to the contemporary? What method of transportation is best/fastest (since it is such an early reservation we will most likely be running late...) Agree with the others that a taxi is really your only option if you don't want to drive your own car. I would expect a fare of about $25-30 or so from OKW.


4) do you carry a tote bag with snacks, etc all over the parks or do you rent a locker? If you bring a bag what is in your Disney park bag? What type of bag/brand is best? I just got a thirty one bag that I love (essential tote) but it doesn't have a zipper, not sure if that would defeat the purpose?
We bring as little as possible for both comfort and easiness. So we don't bring snacks. If we were going to, I'd bring a backpack of some sort so I could carry it around easily. I wouldn't rule out a locker either.

 

[dsneprincess]

I also love the essential tote, but not for Disney. I use a backpack or shoulder tote. I prefer nylon so inside stuff stays dry. I carry water & snacks for 4, change of pants/underthings for kiddos, ponchos for 4, sunscreen, cell phone, cell phone boosters, and usually a hat or 2.

 

[yellobutterfly]

This is not true. I took a picture of the double decker bus on Main Street from one month ago giving rides down Main Street. The vehicles are out on Main Street first thing in the morning and they are complimentary. I would take a cab to the Contemporary and walk to the Magic Kingdom after breakfast. You would be out front around 8:30, which is a great time to be there. Also, check to see if MK has extra magic hours the morning you are dining at Chef Mickeys, the park may open at 8:00.

Thank you for clearing that up - they were on the Disney map online so that is why I had asked.
Will keep an eye out for them...
Also the park doesn't have extra hours on the day in question, but does another day during our trip.

 

[yellobutterfly]

Thanks everyone for the help - I really appreciate all of your insight! Now I just need to pass this info on to the hubby and see which route he wants to take...

 

[Ronda93]

For the park at CR for breakfast only then move to TTC lot strategy, will they have to completely leave the TTC area and pop a U-turn at the gas station (Hess?) outside MK parking lot?

 

[leeholmes1]

you can also park at TTC and take the monorail to the Contemporary for breakfast. That way after breakfast you won't need to move your car nor will you have to blow money on transportation.

 

[yellobutterfly]

you can also park at TTC and take the monorail to the Contemporary for breakfast. That way after breakfast you won't need to move your car nor will you have to blow money on transportation.

This is my favorite lol - will the monorail be running that early? What time should I board the monorail if my breakfast res is at 7:10? What is TTC?