What would you do if you only had 2 nights at the poly & 1 day at MK?

[vossjemi]

This will be our 1st trip to WDW in sept. We are a party of 6...my parents, my DH, DD5, and DS3. We're going on a 4 day Wonder cruise. We get done on a Thursday and are heading over to the poly. We figure we'll just relax when we get there...hang out at the Volcano Pool and enjoy the resort. We haven't decided on dinner yet, but if we end up swimming all day and didn't feel like getting prettied up, we thought we might just order some take out pizza and go to the beach and watch the EWP and Wishes. If we do clean up, we've been reading some good things about Ohana. Or, we could save Ohana for Friday, but Friday is our MK day. On Friday, we're hoping to have a PS at Cindy's Castle and then spend the day at MK. We'll be leaving Sat morning. So, we'll only be getting a 1 day pass.

Questions: Should we do Ohana Thurs or Fri? I hate to do it Fri as it will interfere with our one and only MK time. What about Chef Mickey's? Should we do that instead of Ohana? Hopefully, we'll see a lot of characters on the cruise, so I'm just wondering which is a do not miss over the other? Should we then try and stay at MK for Wishes on Fri? If so, where at MK should we eat? Will we need a PS for that too? Ok now, as for MK itself, is there anything that is a do not miss for our kids? Also, as far as the 1 day pass, where should I get that? I hate to wait until I walk in the park. Can we get it before going? Cheaper than once we get there? Or should we just wait and buy them at the poly? We probably won't get the opportunity to go back for several years so no need to buy more days now. Finally, if your time at MK/poly was so short, what would make sure you got to do?

Any tips/advice is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

Wow - one day...hmmm. Here's what I would do with a DD 5 and a DS 3 (I have a DD6, DD4, and DS3 so I know pretty well what you are dealing with

O'Hana's on Thursday -- definitely not Friday, to keep your options open for Magic Kingdom...

Must Do's for those ages will be:
* Fantasyland * particularly Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, Mickey's Philharmagic, and It's a Smalll World. (Most kids love Dumbo, too, but it can have long lines...) Snow White's Scary Adventure is too scary for many little ones.

* Toon Town *
My kids loved Mickey & Minnie's houses, Donald;s Boat, and Goofy's Barnstormer!

Other possible favorites throughout the park would be:
Tomorrowland - for the Buzzlight Year ride
Jungle Cruise, Aladdin's Magic Carpets (same thing as Dumbo, can have long waits), Pirates of the Caribbean (I love it - can be a bit scary for the kids....same for the Haunted Mansion....)

I would consider a very brief break mid-day and then dinner in the Magic Kingdom and more rides.

There's pleny more to do that kids that age would enjoy, if you have more time, but I tried to name to must do's since you have 1 day (What time of year is your trip?? That will impact wiat times and park hours).

Good luck getting Cinderella's Castle for breakfast. Be sure to check out the advice and tips on the restaurant board here! As for dinner, you might consider the Crystal Palace (with Pooh & friends) or Liberty Tree Tavern (with Minnie, Chip & Dale, Goofy & Pluto).

Hope that helps a bit!!

 

[vossjemi]

Thanks SWR! We'll be there in late sept, so hopefully wait lines won't be too long. Sounds like we should do Ohana the day we arrive. Do you think we will need a PS? If so, what time should we ask for? We'd like to be able to be out at the beach in time for the EWP and Wishes. Do the restaurants at MK that you recommended need PS? Or do you think it won't be so busy that we can just play it by ear at MK? We used DU for our cruise and poly booking, so they are working on our CRT PS as well. But, if I need them to make other PS, like Ohanas, I need to do that. What if on our MK day, we walked over to the Contemporary for dinner at Chef Mickey's and then back to MK for Wishes....is that too much? Should we just eat dinner in the park? Thanks!

 

[debbiedoo]

I would say Ohana on thur night--enjoy Mk on fri--if you are leaving on sat morning--Breakfast at Chef mickey's before you go to the cruise

have a great time!!

 

[vossjemi]

Our cruise is first, then the poly/MK. I've also heard about the Tonga Toast at the Kona Cafe. Since we will only have 2 brkfasts, 1 and Cindy's, the day we leave, should we do Kona instead of Chef Mickeys? Which is better?

 

[kimwim8]

I agree with the previous posters, to not make a PS outside of MK for Friday night..to keep your options open - since you only have one day in MK. There are a few restaurants inside MK that you can make PS's for & then if you decide you still have too much to do in the park & don't have time for a sit-down...you can alter your plans & eat counter service.

The only thing I disagreed with was the afternoon break. I personally wouldn't leave the park if I only had one day. I'd get a stroller, let the kids ride in that & possibly take a short nap (while the adults can sit & relax, maybe have a snack, you could split up & do a more adult-type ride while one person stays with the kids & chills a little).

I haven't been on DCL yet, but if you will have a lot of character interraction on the ship, then I wouldn't worry about a character meal in WDW on such a short stay.

Have a great time!

 

[vossjemi]

Thanks Kim! Yeah, even though our kids will be 3 and 5 when we go, my daughter who is 4 now rarely takes a nap. My 3 year old son still does, but I always bring a stroller here at our local amusement parks for napping, and guess what? Too much excitement to nap! So, although we'll probably rent a stroller for the day just in case, I'm sure we won't be going back to the poly until after the fireworks since it'll be our only day at MK. How late does MK usually stay open in sept on a friday night?