Please Provide Feedback: First trip with twin 4 year old girls.

[caspersf]

We are taking our twin 4 year old girls to Magic Kingdom just for one day on Thursday August 6. I have a tentative itinerary based on things I have read on DISboards which I have outlined below as well as a ton of questions. Feel free to correct problems or holes that you see as I have not been to DW in over 10 years so the new world of FP+ is new to me but I want to make the most of the day for the girls. If there are threads I should read, please point me in the right direction. We are staying at Wilderness Lodge the night before and night of.

Rope Drop 8am

• Anna & Elsa Meet & Greet
• Splash Mtn
• Thunder Mtn
• Aladdin's Magic Carpet
• Enchanted Tales w/Belle (Fast Pass around 11:30am)
• Lunch reservation at Be Our Guest at 12:20pm
• 7DMT (Fast Pass around 1:30pm)
• Peter Pan's Flight (Fast Pass around 2:15pm)
• Pick up fourth fast pass (either journey under the sea, meeting ariel in her grotto or viewing for celebrate the magic or wishes).
• Back to hotel for nap 2:30-5
• Barnstormer
• Pete's Silly Side Show
• Journey Under the Sea
• Meet Ariel in her Grotto
• Mickey's Philharmagic
• Meet Tiana in Liberty Square
• Main Street Electrical Parade
• Celebrate the Magic
• Wishes
• End day or if they are still coherent, do a couple of other rides or one of their favorites from the day.

Questions:

1. Does the order of rides make sense? Do I have enough time to do all of this in one day or am I not planning enough?
2. Will I be able to get my fast passes?
3. Which of the major rides should I go in the first 1-2 hours of park open without fast pass + and which are better to wait and use fast pass + later in the day?
4. Can I start booking fast pass + at midnight on the 60th day?
5. What rides are best to save for a fourth fast pass after we use the initial three?
6. Can you get wishes or celebrate the magic viewing with fourth fast pass? Are they worth using a fast pass on?
7. How long is the wait for a ride when you show up for your fast pass time?
8. How much time should I leave between scheduling fast pass +?
9. Is Festival of Fantasy Parade worth delaying nap for?

Thanks in advance for all your help!

 

[skuttle]

1. Is your 8am rope drop an EMH morning? If so, Adventureland and Frontierland aren't open for early EMH, so you wouldn't be able to do splash, thunder, or carpets until the park actually opens for the rest of the guests.

2. You shouldn't have any problems getting your FP. We went for Easter week and were able to get everything we wanted on the days and times we wanted.

3. If you have early EMH, I would try to knock out as much of Fantasyland as you can before the park opens. When we went for Easter week, we went to Fantasyland at rope drop and we were able to knock out 7D, Dumbo, Pooh, Little Mermaid, Barnstormer, met Ariel, and did Pete's side show all in a couple of hours (which included a 45min wait for 7D). We had a mid-morning ADR a Be Our Guest, but I think we would have also been able to knock out peter pan, IASW, and Enchanted Tales with Belle if we wanted to without much of a wait.

4. You can start booking your FP+ at midnight Florida time.

5. We never tried for a 4th FP. If there's something you really want to do/ride/see, don't count on a 4th FP because it's not a guarantee.

6. We had a Wishes FP, and I thought it was worth it. However, we spent 3 days at MK during our trip. If we only had one day, i wouldn't waste a FP on Wishes.

7. Our FP wait times for Easter week were never more than 5 -10 minutes.

8. Time between FP depends on how close together the attractions are.

9. My 4 yo DS LOVED the parade. He loved seeing all of the characters. We actually caught the parade every day we went to MK. We never waited for it. We ended up stumbling upon it every time. However, my DS doesn't nap, and hasn't napped for a couple of years.

We just returned from a week at WL with our kids. Our middle DS turned 4 in January. I hope you will have time set aside for the pool. It's beautiful and all of my kids loved it! They also loved taking the boat to/from MK.

Also, I didn't care for the Pete's Sideshow meet and greet. The characters were dressed up in the sideshow theme and I really didn't care for it. We did it because it was completely empty when we walked in. Just be aware that they won't be dressed in their classic outfits.

Also, if your DDs are big enough for 7D, Splash and Thunder, if you need to cut something I'd cut Barnstormer. My DS didn't care of it after riding the bigger coasters. And the line can get really long for a super short ride!

 

[Kathryn777]

I think that looks good... I suspect you'll get some protest walking from a&e to splash, you pass a lot of fun stuff. My kids really struggle with the "we'll come back to that" concept

 

[caspersf]

1. Is your 8am rope drop an EMH morning? If so, Adventureland and Frontierland aren't open for early EMH, so you wouldn't be able to do splash, thunder, or carpets until the park actually opens for the rest of the guests.

2. You shouldn't have any problems getting your FP. We went for Easter week and were able to get everything we wanted on the days and times we wanted.

3. If you have early EMH, I would try to knock out as much of Fantasyland as you can before the park opens. When we went for Easter week, we went to Fantasyland at rope drop and we were able to knock out 7D, Dumbo, Pooh, Little Mermaid, Barnstormer, met Ariel, and did Pete's side show all in a couple of hours (which included a 45min wait for 7D). We had a mid-morning ADR a Be Our Guest, but I think we would have also been able to knock out peter pan, IASW, and Enchanted Tales with Belle if we wanted to without much of a wait.

4. You can start booking your FP+ at midnight Florida time.

5. We never tried for a 4th FP. If there's something you really want to do/ride/see, don't count on a 4th FP because it's not a guarantee.

6. We had a Wishes FP, and I thought it was worth it. However, we spent 3 days at MK during our trip. If we only had one day, i wouldn't waste a FP on Wishes.

7. Our FP wait times for Easter week were never more than 5 -10 minutes.

8. Time between FP depends on how close together the attractions are.

9. My 4 yo DS LOVED the parade. He loved seeing all of the characters. We actually caught the parade every day we went to MK. We never waited for it. We ended up stumbling upon it every time. However, my DS doesn't nap, and hasn't napped for a couple of years.

We just returned from a week at WL with our kids. Our middle DS turned 4 in January. I hope you will have time set aside for the pool. It's beautiful and all of my kids loved it! They also loved taking the boat to/from MK.

Also, I didn't care for the Pete's Sideshow meet and greet. The characters were dressed up in the sideshow theme and I really didn't care for it. We did it because it was completely empty when we walked in. Just be aware that they won't be dressed in their classic outfits.

Also, if your DDs are big enough for 7D, Splash and Thunder, if you need to cut something I'd cut Barnstormer. My DS didn't care of it after riding the bigger coasters. And the line can get really long for a super short ride!

Thank you very much. It is EMH at 8am. I was assuming Anna & Elsa would take an 1 hour. If you think it will be faster, I might try and do what you said which is do more of fantasyland at the beginning and FP Splash and Thunder for after lunch. Would it be better to skip A&E first thing in the morning and fast pass it for later in the day?

I am thinking the parade is a great idea but I will have to play it by ear since my girls still nap and I want to try to avoid a meltdown. We are planning on hanging at the hotel/pool the day before Magic Kingdom to just make it relaxing. I am hoping they have a movie night as well. We may go over to the Contemporary to see the fireworks. I was thinking the same thing on Pete's but since it looks indoors, I was trying to throw in some things where we might not be sitting out in the sun. Is Easter and Summer similar crowds?

 

[caspersf]

I think that looks good... I suspect you'll get some protest walking from a&e to splash, you pass a lot of fun stuff. My kids really struggle with the "we'll come back to that" concept

Thank you very much. I agree with your thought on the kids wanted to do everything they pass (especially if we pass the carousel). I am trying to balance planning and spontaneity at the same time.

 

[skuttle]

Since you are going back to Fantasyland for lunch, I would try to get as much of Fantasyland done in that hour before the park opens. Then, around 9am, when the park opens, I'd head over to Frontierland and you shouldn't have much of a wait for Splash or Thunder and you could probably knock out a few others things in Adventureland (Pirates, Jungle cruise, carpets, etc.). I would do a FP for Anna and Elsa instead of Enchanted tales with Belle. I'd keep 7D and Peter Pan, since those lines get long fast. You may be able to do Peter Pan without much of a wait first thing in the morning at 8am. I know the lines for 7D and Anna/Elsa get long fast.

Don't forget that Dumbo has a neat INDOOR playground for kids, too!

WL should have movie night. They had a movie showing on the beach every night of our stay. They even stop the movie when the water pageant passes by and they pipe in the water pageant music. We were able to walk to the edge of the beach to watch it, then walk back to our seats on the beach and they restarted the movie.

I think Easter crowds are probably worse than the summer!

 

[Lucius Best]

We are taking our twin 4 year old girls to Magic Kingdom just for one day on Thursday August 6. I have a tentative itinerary based on things I have read on DISboards which I have outlined below as well as a ton of questions. Feel free to correct problems or holes that you see as I have not been to DW in over 10 years so the new world of FP+ is new to me but I want to make the most of the day for the girls. If there are threads I should read, please point me in the right direction. We are staying at Wilderness Lodge the night before and night of.

Plan looks good, but I agree with what some of the other posters are suggesting. Maybe get FP for A&E, and use that first hour of park opening to get a lot of Fantasyland rides done before lines get long. Peter Pan first, then Barnstormer, then Pooh, those lines can all get long early in the morning. Depending on time, you might also be able to do Dumbo and/or Teacups before heading to Frontierland. You'd probably want to head over there before public comes in at 9am.

Height limit for Thunder/Splash are both 40 inches, assuming the girls are tall enough. Note that FP return times are hour-long windows, and they cannot overlap, but you can return 5 minutes early and up to 15 minutes late. However, FPs can overlap ADRs. So if your BOG ADR as 12:20pm, you could get 7DMT FP 1-2pm and A&E FP 2-3pm or vice versa.

We had good luck getting additional FP, it is theoretically easier at MK than other parks because there are so many rides. I'm sure you'll be able to get something with return time after 5pm before you leave the park around 2:30pm. Good choices for 4th FP would be Little Mermaid or Buzz. Wedway, Laugh Floor, Carousel, Philharmagic are all good choices for standby and should have shorter lines for when you return after 5pm.

If you're staying onsite, you should have no problem getting all the FP you want 60 days out.

 

[caspersf]

Plan looks good, but I agree with what some of the other posters are suggesting. Maybe get FP for A&E, and use that first hour of park opening to get a lot of Fantasyland rides done before lines get long. Peter Pan first, then Barnstormer, then Pooh, those lines can all get long early in the morning. Depending on time, you might also be able to do Dumbo and/or Teacups before heading to Frontierland. You'd probably want to head over there before public comes in at 9am.

Height limit for Thunder/Splash are both 40 inches, assuming the girls are tall enough. Note that FP return times are hour-long windows, and they cannot overlap, but you can return 5 minutes early and up to 15 minutes late. However, FPs can overlap ADRs. So if your BOG ADR as 12:20pm, you could get 7DMT FP 1-2pm and A&E FP 2-3pm or vice versa.

We had good luck getting additional FP, it is theoretically easier at MK than other parks because there are so many rides. I'm sure you'll be able to get something with return time after 5pm before you leave the park around 2:30pm. Good choices for 4th FP would be Little Mermaid or Buzz. Wedway, Laugh Floor, Carousel, Philharmagic are all good choices for standby and should have shorter lines for when you return after 5pm.

If you're staying onsite, you should have no problem getting all the FP you want 60 days out.

Thanks so much.

They are literally 39 3/4" tall at their 4-year check-up two weeks ago. I assume with 2.5 months and shoes, they will be tall enough (but no guarantee). How many rides are realistic to get on in the first hour EMH in Fantasyland. I am trying to figure out which one of these is better:

Option 1:

• Fantasyland EMH
• Frontier/Adventureland
• Fantasyland for lunch and use FP+ for A&E/7DMT
• Mid-day Hotel
• Fantasyland leftover
• Nighttime parades/fireworks

Option 2:

• Fantasyland all morning
• Fantasyland for lunch and use FP+ for A&E/7DMT
• Mid-day Hotel
• Frontier/Adventureland
• Nighttime parades/fireworks

I am trying to figure out where the larger crowds will be when I come back after nap at the hotel.

 

[Kathryn777]

Option 1! I would add tomorrow land to your fantasy land leftover section. The people mover was my 4 year olds favorite ride. Buzz is a good 4th fp, and my kids worship that stupid speedway. Teacups, carousel, they're good late afternooners

 

[Lucius Best]

Probably option 1. If you're trying to see as much as possible in one day, you need to accomplish as much as possible before 10am, focusing on the rides that are the most popular. It's possible, but it's also going to be hot and crowded, and the kids are 4yo and will need naps. So they are probably going to be tall enough for Thunder/Splash, but will they want to do Thunder/Splash? Have they been on other coasters/rides with big drops? My 5yo niece loved Thunder, but everyone's different.

You could quite easily do Peter Pan, Pooh, and Barnstormer between 8-9am, maybe one more. Then Thunder/Splash/Aladdin and back to Fantasyland by 10:30am. Belle FP 10:30-11:30am, 7DMT FP 11:30am-12:30pm, maybe squeeze in something with short line. BOG ADR 12:20pm, Anna&Elsa FP 1:20-2:20pm, then get 4th FP at kiosk (Dumbo, Buzz, Mermaid, Jungle Cruise?) for when you plan to return to the park.

I am trying to figure out where the larger crowds will be when I come back after nap at the hotel.

The larger crowds will be everywhere. But there will be rides/shows with short waits like Philharmagic, Carousel, Laugh Floor, Wedway, Tiki Room, Tom Sawyer's Island, Railroad. The following link has lots of information with sample touring plans, including estimated wait times for every ride in the park during the course of the day.

http://www.easywdw.com/cheatsheets/mk_cheatsheet_v3.pdf

The other option, if you're going to be at WDW the day before, would be to go to the MK 2 days. FP+ is good for booking 3 FP for the afternoon on arrival day.

 

[Mainemama]

Are you familiar with Touring Plans? It takes care of many of the questions you are asking and gives you a timed plan. You are staying 2 nights at WL... Any chance you can add another ticket day? You will likely find one day is not enough! (Course I find 2 isn't, 3 isn't, 4 isn't.....and so on!

 

[ktlm]

Are your 4 year olds thrill seekers? Have they been on Roller Coasters or to Amusement park rides before? My DD HATED Splash and Big Thunder at age 4. If those were the first rides I took her on, I don't think she would have ridden anything else. At that age, it was the Fantasyland rides she loved- Peter Pan, Pooh, Small World, Carousel, Tea Cups, Dumbo. She also enjoyed Jungle Cruise, Aladdin's Magic Carpets, Philharmagic, and I'm sure there are more I am forgetting. As far as lines, doing Splash and Big Thunder first thing is a good idea. As far as 4 year olds on their first trip, doing those things first or possibly doing them at all, is going to depend on what your kids like. Also be prepared that they might have different ideas than you do-- as someone said you will be passing a lot of things they are going to see and want to do between rides. Also, we found with DD, that if she saw a character anywhere, getting in that line would take priority for her over any ride.

 

[caspersf]

Are you familiar with Touring Plans? It takes care of many of the questions you are asking and gives you a timed plan. You are staying 2 nights at WL... Any chance you can add another ticket day? You will likely find one day is not enough! (Course I find 2 isn't, 3 isn't, 4 isn't.....and so on!

Thanks. I joined touring plans and created my own itinerary which it gave me specific timing for but it didn't seem to make sense as it seemed to give me wait times for each ride as if almost no one was going to be at the park. Not sure if I did something wrong.

I could add another day but I wanted to give them time to relax and enjoy the pool at WL, which looks like a lot of fun and hopefully not overwhelm them. I will definitely think about the extra day.

 

[eyehartdisney]

Definately drop the enchanted belle's FP, you miss seeing the cottage if you FP it. Get an elsa and anna FP instead... and I'm thinking you're going to have to meet cinderella and rapunzel as well (They're in the same building as the frozen girls, but in a different line.) They might also enjoy space ranger spin, if the other 4th fps aren't available.

 

[Mainemama]

I would vote for 2 days and plan on swimming, and a rest. They will be overwhelmed. You will be overwhelmed. Trying to make it all happen in one day could be really stressful. If you know you have the benefit of an extra evening, even, hopefully you can let the twins slow down and take it at their pace! WL is awesome, by the way! They may love the boat ride to MK more than anything. My kids still wax fondly on say, the monorail, and may never mention the e ticket rides!

 

[caspersf]

Are your 4 year olds thrill seekers? Have they been on Roller Coasters or to Amusement park rides before? My DD HATED Splash and Big Thunder at age 4. If those were the first rides I took her on, I don't think she would have ridden anything else. At that age, it was the Fantasyland rides she loved- Peter Pan, Pooh, Small World, Carousel, Tea Cups, Dumbo. She also enjoyed Jungle Cruise, Aladdin's Magic Carpets, Philharmagic, and I'm sure there are more I am forgetting. As far as lines, doing Splash and Big Thunder first thing is a good idea. As far as 4 year olds on their first trip, doing those things first or possibly doing them at all, is going to depend on what your kids like. Also be prepared that they might have different ideas than you do-- as someone said you will be passing a lot of things they are going to see and want to do between rides. Also, we found with DD, that if she saw a character anywhere, getting in that line would take priority for her over any ride.

Thanks. We have season passes to Hershey Park in PA so am pretty sure Splash and Thunder will be rides they like. I appreciate the thoughts on the listening to the kids. Trying to balance my vision of what they will like through what I have to plan ahead for and their actual vision once we are there. I agree meeting princesses will probably be their #1 priority.

 

[caspersf]

I would vote for 2 days and plan on swimming, and a rest. They will be overwhelmed. You will be overwhelmed. Trying to make it all happen in one day could be really stressful. If you know you have the benefit of an extra evening, even, hopefully you can let the twins slow down and take it at their pace! WL is awesome, by the way! They may love the boat ride to MK more than anything. My kids still wax fondly on say, the monorail, and may never mention the e ticket rides!

Thanks. You guys have convinced me to go 2 days. I am thinking day of arrival going post nap to Fireworks show and then rope drop day 2 and stopping at nap time and not going back in the evening 2nd day and just swim and watch movie at hotel. Is there a way to find out the movie schedule for your hotel ahead of time?

 

[caspersf]

Definately drop the enchanted belle's FP, you miss seeing the cottage if you FP it. Get an elsa and anna FP instead... and I'm thinking you're going to have to meet cinderella and rapunzel as well (They're in the same building as the frozen girls, but in a different line.) They might also enjoy space ranger spin, if the other 4th fps aren't available.

Thanks. great suggestions. I am going to remove belle's FP so we can go through the cottage. Do you actually get to meet belle at all or just see her as part of the attraction?

 

[tstottle]

I am all for rope drop and getting on as many rides in the morning, but...with 4 year olds who love princesses, their first sight of the castle will be a moment to stop and savor. It's hard to rush past the castle when it's their first time seeing it! You might want to factor that in, or have a plan for "seeing it later" (even though there is not much to see).

 

[caspersf]

This may be a dumb question but when I book my fast passes (starting tomorrow), do I book each one for the entire family at once or is it an individual process?