Magic Kingdom Excursion..Is it worth the money???

Hello All,

Me (39) wife (36) and son (6) are doing the breakaway (7 day) on Mar 6 2016 and considering doing Magic Kingdom Excursion...Full disclosure..My wife and I are not Disney People..the long lines..strollers..people..craziness..spending the day standing on hot pavement...is not our idea of a vacation...so we would never book a full week at Disney for that reason...then we saw this excursion as a possible way to expose our son to the "Magic" but is that enough time to be there...i would hate to pay all that money and only have time to get on 5 rides...we would not buy a fast pass because the cost is a bit high for us but we are looking for advice from people who actually went on this excursion and would they do it again if had the choice..as a second option we thought the Kennedy space Station tour may be fun... please help!!! lol

Also...we are first time NCL cruisers (princess 8 times) so we are excited to go on Breakaway so any tips would be appreciated..

-Mark

do you have a link to the details of the excursion? I live in Tampa, Fl. Disney is EXPENSIVE (even for Fl residents) so I'm curious as to what they are offering.

You can't buy fast passes. IMHO not worth it. Fast passes will probably be gone, lines will be long, you will probably get on 5 rides.

What hours are you in Port Canaveral? Keep in mind that a good part of the time for the shore excursion will be taken up by the travel to and from Orlando.

Also, I'm not sure of spring break times, March 6 may be a little early for that. But if you hit any school holidays then, all the stuff you don't like about Disney (crowds, lines, etc.) will be worse. So you may want to check that out.

The Kennedy Space Center is absolutely amazing (we were just there in May), but I suspect your son is too young to really appreciate it.

Not lots of good options in Port Canaveral. Given your son's age, and the fact that you aren't Disney people and won't do a land-based trip there, perhaps this one day there would be a good option for you. I hope that folks who have done the Magic Kingdom excursion at that time of year will be able to help you.

Have a great trip!

Hi Leo,

i dont have the link but its 189 pp and 149pp child for 8 hours...total. 1 hour each way for transportation so essentially 6 hrs to do park. which is our struggle...there is a fast pass option but it would be even more money...

thanks for help.

About 90 minute ride on the bus to and from Disney. Not worth the trip. Even though it is not the busy season, lines will still be long. You need at least a full day just for Disney World. That's not including Epcot, MGM studios, etc. You need at least 4 days. Go to Cape Canaveral. The Space center.

I assume they are providing the transportation? Or do you have a rental car?

Tried this a few years back going to Animal Kingdom. Not worth the money, IMO, for the little amount of time you get to spend there. Rushed around and did not even see some of the major attractions... and we were 4 adults.

It's not worth the cost for that little bit of time. You really need a full week...then, the "crowds and lines" won't be such a factor. I would wait until your son is about 8, tho...that's when they really get the "Magic" that is Disney! Go in "off" season (not summer or holidays) and the lines are fast and crowds aren't a problem. Take your kid out of school and do it...it's worth it!

You will be spending more time on transportation on the excursion, than in the park. Once you get to the parking lot, it's about another 30 mins. before you get INTO the actual park! 1 partial day is NOT enough.

Hello All,

Me (39) wife (36) and son (6) are doing the breakaway (7 day) on Mar 6 2016 and considering doing Magic Kingdom Excursion...Full disclosure..My wife and I are not Disney People..the long lines..strollers..people..craziness..spending the day standing on hot pavement...is not our idea of a vacation...so we would never book a full week at Disney for that reason...then we saw this excursion as a possible way to expose our son to the "Magic" but is that enough time to be there...i would hate to pay all that money and only have time to get on 5 rides...we would not buy a fast pass because the cost is a bit high for us but we are looking for advice from people who actually went on this excursion and would they do it again if had the choice..as a second option we thought the Kennedy space Station tour may be fun... please help!!! lol

 

Also...we are first time NCL cruisers (princess 8 times) so we are excited to go on Breakaway so any tips would be appreciated..

 

-Mark

Spring break - definitely stay away.

Hi Leo,

i dont have the link but its 189 pp and 149pp child for 8 hours...total. 1 hour each way for transportation so essentially 6 hrs to do park. which is our struggle...there is a fast pass option but it would be even more money...

 

thanks for help.

What fast pass are you talking about? Universal has a paid one, but that's a different company. WDW has fast pass plus, where those with tickets can book their fast passes well in advance, even further out if staying on property, all for free. WDW consists of four parks - magic kingdom, Disney Hollywood studios, Epcot, and animal kingdom. Six hours at MK barely touches what it offers.

Here's a link to the Magic Kingdom Fast Passes. https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/help/fast-pass-plus/

They are free but there is an art to getting them. If you're not Disney People then I would say to pass on it. You don't want to be rushed through Disney, especially with a 6yo. Plus the regular tickets are $105 and $99. Sounds like a rental car would be cheaper and less headache. If you have your own transportation then maybe go to Downtown Disney. It's free and plenty of Disney Magic

Hi Leo,

i dont have the link but its 189 pp and 149pp child for 8 hours...total. 1 hour each way for transportation so essentially 6 hrs to do park. which is our struggle...there is a fast pass option but it would be even more money...

 

thanks for help.

Unless you are crazy, the answer is don't do it. Such a waste of time. It would be better to do the land vacation there with hotel accommodations so you have options. There is so much to do besides hitting a few rides. Disney is 4 main parks, Magic Kingdom, MGM, Animal Kingdom, Epcot , parades, fireworks nightly, going between parks by small boats, shows at Epcot and the list goes on.

It really depends, you get maybe 6 hours in the park. Since it's March, it won't be bad heat or crowd-wise, so you should be able to get on plenty of rides. However, you'll also need to pick up lunch and at least a snack if not dinner. (I can't remember the hours in the park). When we first went to Disney, our boys were 4 & 6 we spent a lot of time in Toon Disney (not even sure that's still there since it was about 10 years ago) and the boys had a lot of fun. They weren't really into Disney or watching the Disney channel but it's an amusement park, so they had fun.

If you do buy the tickets, be prepared for cancellation. Last April when cruised, the seas were bad so we got to Port Canaveral late & they cancelled all the Disney/Universal tours because of the time involved to get there.

I'm another one who loves KSC but that might be a little much for a 6yo, but it is a lot of fun.

PS - I'm on the same sailing, so make sure you join the roll call :)

Count me in the big waste of money column. You really can't get the Disney experience in 6 hours and that's a very large amount of money, IMO.

I would pass on it.

Keith

Huge waste of money. It's not enough time to really do anything. Save Disney for a land trip some time.

We've been to Disney several times & did the Universal excursion on our Breakaway cruise. This might be a great way to see enough of the Magic Kingdom & not drive you & your wife to want to strangle Mickey:D

By the time you arrive, the people staying there will have had 4 or 5 hours. The wait times & the more popular attractions will be less because many of the people have already done them & the young ones need a break. It is a weekday & probably a good time of year to go.

Hit the Disney World site & check out the rides, schedule of shows & Character visits & figure out what you would like to see.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/destinations/magic-kingdom/

Download the app that will allow you to check wait times wile you are in the park.

Also realize that many of the rides that have long lines are for folks older than your son. Many of the rides when we were there last September had very minimal wait times in late afternoon. We just about walked on to the Little Mermaid & Peter Pan. They also are indoors & AIR CONDITIONED!!

reply to all:

Thank you sooo much for helping with this decision...lol...i think we will pass on Magic Kingdom..

We will definitely join the roll call. i love that everyone was so definitive on their suggestions...thats what a great cruise forum is for...

We will debate the Kennedy space experience as a replacement..

-Best,

Mark, Melissa and little Mason

OK....waste of money if you are wanting the "full" Disney experience, or if your day in port is a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

However, that is not what you were asking for....so I will try to answer your question from the "taste of Disney" perspective.

6 hours in Magic Kingdom is enough to get a "taste" of Disney. Depending on which rides/attractions you want. If you are wanting all roller coasters/thrill rides...then you will probably get to do those, and those ONLY.

However, if you want some of the other classic attractions, such as "Small World," "Haunted Mansion," "Country Bear Jamboree," "Buzz Lightyear," "Pirates of the Caribbean," etc. then you would have time to do those and probably the parade. I know that it is spring break in the part of Florida where I live (Panama City Beach), but it is more college students and not families. The families hit in April, so early March MIGHT be OK for Disney.

Long lines WILL be at:

The Jungle Cruise (about an hour)

Space Mountain (about an hour)

Thunder Mountain (about an hour)

Runaway Mine Train (1 1/2 hours plus)

Snow White (about an hour)

Peter Pan (about an hour)

Moderate lines:

Pirates (30-45 minutes)

Haunted Mansion (30-45 minutes)

Buzz Lightyear (30-45 minutes)

Small World (usually about 30 minutes)

Astro Orbiters (30-45 mintues)

Shorter lines:

Country Bears (I doubt you'd have to wait out more than one show 15-20 minutes)

Hall of Presidents (15-20 minutes)

Tiki Birds (15-20 minutes)

Monster's Inc - (20-30 minutes) (This is one of my favorites!)

BEST ADVICE I can give you -- download the "Disney Wait Times" app from Phunware for Android or Iphone. About 2 weeks out, start checking the wait times for Magic Kingdom. This will give you an idea of what kind of wait times you are looking at. If they seem to be getting worse the closer it gets to your cruise, then don't book that excursion. I've found this app to be reasonably accurate.

Not worth it

How about Seaworld Adventure Park with Quick Queue. Our 7-year niece loves it there. Or the Airboat Adventure & Alligator Jungle.

We just returned from WDW and it can be a bit much in that short amount of time. But our 5 & 7 year old nephews really can't wait to go back~~not so much the adults~~we were exhausted! Hopefully, you will get there and when you do, maybe just 2 parks per trip with lots of time for the pools. Heard lots of kids wanting to go back for the pool. Funny.

P.S. We did all the planning for our Disney trip~~dining, fastpasses, etc. but our neighbors used a travel agent and they did all the planning for them. Duh, I never considered that.

As others have said, Fast Passes are free, so the fact that this excursion charges for them already gives me a sour taste.

reply to all:

Thank you sooo much for helping with this decision...lol...i think we will pass on Magic Kingdom..

We will definitely join the roll call. i love that everyone was so definitive on their suggestions...thats what a great cruise forum is for...

 

We will debate the Kennedy space experience as a replacement..

 

-Best,

Mark, Melissa and little Mason

KSC would be my recommendation whether you go through the ship or on your own based on the BA getting in at noon.

OK....waste of money if you are wanting the "full" Disney experience, or if your day in port is a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

 

However, that is not what you were asking for....so I will try to answer your question from the "taste of Disney" perspective.

 

6 hours in Magic Kingdom is enough to get a "taste" of Disney. Depending on which rides/attractions you want. If you are wanting all roller coasters/thrill rides...then you will probably get to do those, and those ONLY.

 

However, if you want some of the other classic attractions, such as "Small World," "Haunted Mansion," "Country Bear Jamboree," "Buzz Lightyear," "Pirates of the Caribbean," etc. then you would have time to do those and probably the parade. I know that it is spring break in the part of Florida where I live (Panama City Beach), but it is more college students and not families. The families hit in April, so early March MIGHT be OK for Disney.

 

Long lines WILL be at:

 

The Jungle Cruise (about an hour)

Space Mountain (about an hour)

Thunder Mountain (about an hour)

Runaway Mine Train (1 1/2 hours plus)

Snow White (about an hour)

Peter Pan (about an hour)

 

Moderate lines:

 

Pirates (30-45 minutes)

Haunted Mansion (30-45 minutes)

Buzz Lightyear (30-45 minutes)

Small World (usually about 30 minutes)

Astro Orbiters (30-45 mintues)

 

Shorter lines:

 

Country Bears (I doubt you'd have to wait out more than one show 15-20 minutes)

Hall of Presidents (15-20 minutes)

Tiki Birds (15-20 minutes)

Monster's Inc - (20-30 minutes) (This is one of my favorites!)

 

 

BEST ADVICE I can give you -- download the "Disney Wait Times" app from Phunware for Android or Iphone. About 2 weeks out, start checking the wait times for Magic Kingdom. This will give you an idea of what kind of wait times you are looking at. If they seem to be getting worse the closer it gets to your cruise, then don't book that excursion. I've found this app to be reasonably accurate.

WoW - great tips!