Seeking Advice for an Upcoming Trip

[Stephanie Shaw]

I hope I put this in the right place....

I am planning a trip to Walt Disney World this October and was wondering if it were reasonable to plan on going to the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party on the same day we arrive? We are flying in from Chicago and will be landing in Orlando at 3:10pm (if everything stays on schedule). The Halloween party does not start until 7:00, so I figure that will give us plenty of time to get to our hotel before heading out to the Magic Kingdom. We will have a 5 year old and a 3 year old, but I figure they will be ready to run and play after spending so much time sitting on the plane.

Any thoughts, suggestions, or advice? This will be our very first trip to Disney, so we are complete novices!

Thank is advance!

 

[Southern Bell]

Well , I can't think of why you couldn't go to MK for the Halloween party. Your room should be ready, and you will have 4 hours to get into your room and get ready to go to MK. I would think the kids will be very excited about it and ready to go!

 

[Spunky946]

Personally I would not buy the tickets ahead of time, I'd wait until I was there. That's pretty tight. If I were you if there is another party you could attend I'd do that.

 

[DisneyDahling]

Have your children ever traveled before? Not knowing how they will handle the plane ride and subsequent waiting to board and waiting for luggage, etc, could make children cranky. However with the time frame inbetween getting into your room and the party, you could have a enough time for a little nap if they seem that they need it. That would be my only concern. I think using your arrival day as a party day is a good idea with time management. I'd say make sure if you are doing costumes, you pack them in your carry on and like a PP said, purchase the tickets the day of just incase something goes wrong. Special ticketed events are non-refundable.

 

[Stephanie Shaw]

Do you think the even will be sold out if we bought our tickets there instead of in advance? The kids have never traveled before, so I am not sure how they will do. I would rather do the Halloween party on its own day since I think if they spend an entire day in a park they may be burned out in the evening for another event, but since we have never been there I want to make sure we see as much as we can without getting burned out....

Thanks for the responses!

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

I love the Halloween party and would HIGHLY recommend it! When in October are you going? The parties closer to Halloween tend to sell out in advance, so depending on when you are planning on going you may want to purchase ahead of time just to be safe.

Also, are you staying onsite or off? I ask just because you'll also want to factor in travel time. For example, your plane lands at 3:10pm. If you have luggage to claim, I'd factor on another half hour to get everything and get out of the airport, which would probably put you at your resort closer to 4:00, and then take into account how long it may take you to get from your resort to the party.

And in case you didn't know, they will start letting you into MK with a party ticket around 4:00pm, so if you buy the ticket you don't have to wait until 7:00 if you guys get settled and ready to go, and it gives you some extra time to enjoy the park.

 

[Stephanie Shaw]

We are staying at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek, so off site, but still super close (from what I understand it is through the gates and physically on Disney property but just not owned by Disney?). I am thinking we may just take a cab from the resort to the magic kingdom as I am not sure of the hotel shuttle schedule. We are arriving October 9th. We plan on taking a shuttle from the airport to the hotel. Would this be early enough to be able to plan the party by ear?

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

We are staying at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek, so off site, but still super close (from what I understand it is through the gates and physically on Disney property but just not owned by Disney?). I am thinking we may just take a cab from the resort to the magic kingdom as I am not sure of the hotel shuttle schedule. We are arriving October 9th. We plan on taking a shuttle from the airport to the hotel. Would this be early enough to be able to plan the party by ear?

You understand right, it's a great location. I think you're okay that early in the month to play it by ear. I hope you have a fabulous trip!

 

[DisneyDahling]

We are staying at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek, so off site, but still super close (from what I understand it is through the gates and physically on Disney property but just not owned by Disney?). I am thinking we may just take a cab from the resort to the magic kingdom as I am not sure of the hotel shuttle schedule. We are arriving October 9th. We plan on taking a shuttle from the airport to the hotel. Would this be early enough to be able to plan the party by ear?

We will just miss each other! I'm leaving on the 8th. WBC is a great resort and terrific location. I stayed there last November for a work conference and used the buses to get to DTD and they were reasonable as far as wait time for them and crowds. I used Uber to get around when I needed a taxi service and the drivers I had were VERY friendly, their cars were immaculate and I don't feel that they were trying to gouge me by going long ways around. I recommend them. They picked me up in the Valet section, I just told one of the Valet drivers I was waiting for an Uber and they didn't seem bothered by it.

I think I read somewhere that last year the party on the 9th sold out. I'm not sure how long you are staying but there are parties on the 12,13 and 15th of October. I would guess that since those are week day parties you would be okay purchasing day of, but there is always that chance that it won't work out. I guess it comes down to how big of a risk taker you are. I have done the party several times and it is a worthy ticket item! Good luck!

 

[DisneyRegulars]

I would not do the party on arrival day. Traveling is super stressful, and even worse with kids. Adding on that you have a deadline at the end of your trip would make any delays really frustrating. Also, if your flight arrives at 3:10, I wouldn't expect to be at bonnet creek any earlier than 5:00pm. It takes thirty minutes just to get off the plane alone sometimes, and car rental lines can be horrendous. If you do the party a different night, you can go to the parks that morning, then take the afternoon off too swim and enjoy your resort and nap. Plus since you've never been, you could go to MK and get a lay of the land before the party instead of wasting precious party time trying to find things.