How fast can we get off ship and make it to Disney?

[L&J]

Another thing to consider is that the Sunday you are there (2/2/14) is the Super Bowl. I would suspect that parks would be less busy that day.

 

If you do a web search you can find last Feb. park hours and schedule to get an idea what they might be for next Feb.

 

OMG, that is AWESOME news --I didn't realize it was Superbowl Sunday -- less people in lines!! Yay!

 

Yes, I did exactly that...calendar search for the past 2 years. My only concern was that Wishes was only offered 1 night that weekend. Sure hope it'll be offered when we are there. I think seeing that would be the perfect ending to our trip!

[FlaGrl4Evr]

OMG, that is AWESOME news --I didn't realize it was Superbowl Sunday -- less people in lines!! Yay!

 

Yes, I did exactly that...calendar search for the past 2 years. My only concern was that Wishes was only offered 1 night that weekend. Sure hope it'll be offered when we are there. I think seeing that would be the perfect ending to our trip!

 

 

If wishes is on Sat night and you will not be in the MK, go to Fort Wilderness Campground and park your car. Make reservations for the Trails End Buffet. This will enable you to enter the campground and take the transportation bus to the beach area, which is where the restaurant is. Have a nice dinner and then get a prime spot on the beach to watch Wishes. It wont be the same as being right in the park, but you will still be able to see them. You can also hop on one of the WDW transportation boats and take a ride from the campground over to the MK. You will not be able to gain entrance, but could either stay on the boat or just step off and watch them from the garden area just before the ticketing gates. When the kids were younger, we used to camp quite a lot a Fort Wildnerness and this is what we would do when we were not up to staying late in the park but still wanted to see the fireworks.

 

BTW, if you are staying on property, your WDW parking pass will allow you to enter Fort Wilderness without a dinner reservation. Unless you have a campsite, you still need to park by the campground entrance and take the transportation bus to the Trails End Restaurant/ Hoop-de-Do Review stop. This is also the area where they have the petting zoo, stables and horses. That is kind of a fun thing for kids to see and do as well. If you are into hayrides, they also offer one that takes you all around the campground. It is a lot of fun and a neat way to see some of the campsites and cabins.

 

 

 

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Good luck. :):)

 

 

 

 

.

[L&J]

If wishes is on Sat night and you will not be in the MK, go to Fort Wilderness Campground and park your car. Make reservations for the Trails End Buffet. This will enable you to enter the campground and take the transportation bus to the beach area, which is where the restaurant is. Have a nice dinner and then get a prime spot on the beach to watch Wishes. It wont be the same as being right in the park, but you will still be able to see them. You can also hop on one of the WDW transportation boats and take a ride from the campground over to the MK. You will not be able to gain entrance, but could either stay on the boat or just step off and watch them from the garden area just before the ticketing gates. When the kids were younger, we used to camp quite a lot a Fort Wildnerness and this is what we would do when we were not up to staying late in the park but still wanted to see the fireworks.

 

BTW, if you are staying on property, your WDW parking pass will allow you to enter Fort Wilderness without a dinner reservation. Unless you have a campsite, you still need to park by the campground entrance and take the transportation bus to the Trails End Restaurant/ Hoop-de-Do Review stop. This is also the area where they have the petting zoo, stables and horses. That is kind of a fun thing for kids to see and do as well. If you are into hayrides, they also offer one that takes you all around the campground. It is a lot of fun and a neat way to see some of the campsites and cabins.

 

 

 

.

 

 

Good luck. :):)

 

 

 

 

.

 

Thank you for the ideas. We'll be dining at RainForest Cafe that night, but we are staying on property with a rental car, so this could be an option if Wishes is only on Saturday. We need to research the best viewing spots while in (or out) of MK.

[NanciRDH]

OMG, that is AWESOME news --I didn't realize it was Superbowl Sunday -- less people in lines!! Yay!

 

I wouldn't count on it, I've been on Super Bowl Sunday, and it's really not any different than any other day crowd-wise. Weekends are usually busy.

[L&J]

I wouldn't count on it, I've been on Super Bowl Sunday, and it's really not any different than any other day crowd-wise. Weekends are usually busy.

 

Oh well, that's OK. We're not going during peak season or any holiday week, so we'll be fine.

[Jen1000]

Go to WDW on Sunday. The lines are shortest right on opening so you should plan to be at WDW prior to opening so you can get right in and to the rides on Sunday. Saturday, you may want to do Rainforest Cafe for lunch and find a spot to watch the fireworks at night, either a restaurant or outside. Some places have the music piped in. There is a lot to do at WDW in addition to the actual parks and DTD that are not too expensive (paddle boats, kayaks, canoes, mini golf) so check out other options if it is not really pool weather. Another thing we like to do on non park days is check out other resorts, 2 great ones are Animal Kingdom Lodge (there are animal viewing areas) and the Polynesian Resort. You can ride the monorails for free so that can be a fun adventure.

 

Jen

 

One big thing you are leaving out. In the winter, The Magic Kingdom often closes by 7PM.

 

I would hit the park on Sunday. If you go on Saturday and cannot get through the gate until noon, you'll onlly have seven hours in the park.

 

Epcot is open the latest I think.

[monkeyluis]

Another good restaurant at Downtown Disney is the trex cafe. We got there every so often with the kids, we live in the area. It's like rainforest, but Dino theme. Very fun place.

[BlueHerons]

I wouldn't count on it, I've been on Super Bowl Sunday, and it's really not any different than any other day crowd-wise. Weekends are usually busy.

That and the fact that the park will close either before or right around the time the game starts.

 

February isn't off season for Disney parks. We have TONS of snowbirds and Europeans here for the balmy weather.

 

While there may not be many American families, there are still a lot of people here. It is peak season for all of Florida south of Orlando and lots will day trip or weekend trip.

 

Have fun!

[FlaGrl4Evr]

OP, Here is a link to attendance figures for the parks based on the time of year: http://allears.net/pl/attend.htm

 

 

 

:)

 

 

 

 

 

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[ducklite]

If you were to take a car service to Disney, what do you plan on doing with your luggage? Or will you get dropped off at your hotel, check in, drop your bags, then take the bus to the park? If this is the case, add another hour+ to your schedule.

[quantumleap]

...

[L&J]

If you were to take a car service to Disney, what do you plan on doing with your luggage? Or will you get dropped off at your hotel, check in, drop your bags, then take the bus to the park? If this is the case, add another hour+ to your schedule.

 

We've decided to rent an SUV for 2 days for the same price as private transportation. We'll take everyone's advice and enjoy the hotel and downtown on Saturday, then be there for rope drop until fireworks on Sunday. This'll take the panic out of getting there as fast as possible on Saturday.

[BlueHerons]

We've decided to rent an SUV for 2 days for the same price as private transportation. We'll take everyone's advice and enjoy the hotel and downtown on Saturday, then be there for rope drop until fireworks on Sunday. This'll take the panic out of getting there as fast as possible on Saturday.

 

That sounds like a fantastic plan!

[Anita Latte]

Another good source for Disney info is this forum:

 

http://www.disboards.com/

 

And the related site that has more info:

 

http://www.wdwinfo.com/

[L&J]

Another good source for Disney info is this forum:

 

http://www.disboards.com/

 

And the related site that has more info:

 

http://www.wdwinfo.com/

 

Yes, I've been on disboards but there's SO much information that it's overwhelming! Luckily, we have lots of time to sort through it.

 

What rides would be good for 8&10 year olds? They're not big on rides for the most part. We have the Calgary Stampede here and they'd rather play the carnival games than hit the rides. They enjoy Log Rides (like Splash Mountain) and would like the Railroad one. Are Space Mountain & Thunder Mountain scary?

We're doing a day at Kennedy Space Centre before the cruise - would the Space Mountain ride be similar to the Shuttle Simulator?

[NMCruiser55]

Space Mountain is a roller coaster in the dark. Thunder Mt is also a roller coaster. Space Mt can be scary, both are scary if you hate roller coasters. They are more fun than carnival rides. The rides at MK tend to be tame. Some are in the dark (PeterPan, not a roller coaster).

[NanciRDH]

Space Mountain is a roller coaster in the dark. Thunder Mt is also a roller coaster. Space Mt can be scary, both are scary if you hate roller coasters. They are more fun than carnival rides. The rides at MK tend to be tame. Some are in the dark (PeterPan, not a roller coaster).

 

Thunder Mtn has lots of "bunny hop" type hills, which my DD finds scarier than Space Mtn!

[L&J]

The Disney portion of our trip is part of a Christmas surprise. I suppose we'd still have a month to show them youtube videos of all the rides and they can help plan our theme park route! I think they'd like the Jungle Ride too, even just to rest our feet and get out in some water. Is the People Mover a real ride or just another one for a quick break to rest our feet?

 

Another question - our daughter has Celiac Disease and must adhere to a strict gluten-free diet. I know Downtown Disney has a gluten free bakery, but what will her options be in Magic Kingdom?

[NMCruiser55]

Sorry, I can't help you with the gluten free food.

The people mover is great for a rest, not scary or fast. Sort of fun people watching.

You should try to get a Fastpass for Jungle ride. The line can be deceiving. Who knew an old corny ride can be so popular. :)

[NanciRDH]

The Disney portion of our trip is part of a Christmas surprise. I suppose we'd still have a month to show them youtube videos of all the rides and they can help plan our theme park route! I think they'd like the Jungle Ride too, even just to rest our feet and get out in some water. Is the People Mover a real ride or just another one for a quick break to rest our feet?

 

Another question - our daughter has Celiac Disease and must adhere to a strict gluten-free diet. I know Downtown Disney has a gluten free bakery, but what will her options be in Magic Kingdom?

 

 

The people mover is a real ride, you get a good above ground view of Tomorrowland, and it gives you a sneak peek at some of the other attractions. The line is rarely long, and it's a good break for your feet. :D. If you have Netflix, there's a few park videos on it. Entertaining, but a good advertisement for the parks, lol.

Disney is excellent with food allergies, and gluten free specifically. It does take a bit more prep time, so you'll want to be prepared for that, but you'll get fresh, safe and tasty options. Be sure to let your hostess know, or better yet if you're making sit down reservations, let them know at the time of booking. For sit down places, a chef will come and speak with you directly. At quick service places you'll speak with a manager, and they'll make the arrangements. http://allears.net/din/guestceliac.htm. This site has excellent WDW info, and the link will take you right to the celiac page. You might also want to visit http://www.disboards.com. They are to all things Disney that Cruise Critic is to cruising. My oldest DD is a CM at the Grand Floridian, and has dealt with allergies both as a guest and employee. She said they do a great job, are very careful to avoid cross contamination and the food tastes better than she was expecting for gluten free.

[L&J]

The people mover is a real ride, you get a good above ground view of Tomorrowland, and it gives you a sneak peek at some of the other attractions. The line is rarely long, and it's a good break for your feet. :D. If you have Netflix, there's a few park videos on it. Entertaining, but a good advertisement for the parks, lol.

Disney is excellent with food allergies, and gluten free specifically. It does take a bit more prep time, so you'll want to be prepared for that, but you'll get fresh, safe and tasty options. Be sure to let your hostess know, or better yet if you're making sit down reservations, let them know at the time of booking. For sit down places, a chef will come and speak with you directly. At quick service places you'll speak with a manager, and they'll make the arrangements. http://allears.net/din/guestceliac.htm. This site has excellent WDW info, and the link will take you right to the celiac page. You might also want to visit www.disboards.com. They are to all things Disney that Cruise Critic is to cruising. My oldest DD is a CM at the Grand Floridian, and has dealt with allergies both as a guest and employee. She said they do a great job, are very careful to avoid cross contamination and the food tastes better than she was expecting for gluten free.

 

Thank you SO much, that's nice to hear. She was only diagnosed recently so it's still pretty scary for us. I'll check out the link when prying eyes have gone to bed ;)

[c-cruise]

Yes, I've been on disboards but there's SO much information that it's overwhelming! Luckily, we have lots of time to sort through it.

 

What rides would be good for 8&10 year olds? They're not big on rides for the most part. We have the Calgary Stampede here and they'd rather play the carnival games than hit the rides. They enjoy Log Rides (like Splash Mountain) and would like the Railroad one. Are Space Mountain & Thunder Mountain scary?

We're doing a day at Kennedy Space Centre before the cruise - would the Space Mountain ride be similar to the Shuttle Simulator?

 

An 8 and 10 yr old should be able to do most anything at MK. The only thing remotely resembling a thrill ride is Space Mountain and that is only because it is in the dark. It's a really smooth ride though, not jarring with multiple slow downs and lift hills like Big Thunder Mountain.

 

As others have suggested make sure to read about or watch videos of the rides in advance so you can have a list of your "must do's" and make your plan for the day.

[c-cruise]

Thank you SO much, that's nice to hear. She was only diagnosed recently so it's still pretty scary for us. I'll check out the link when prying eyes have gone to bed ;)

 

Ditto the experience of the poster above. Our daughter has a peanut allergy and they are fantastic particularly at the table service restaurants with going over the menu and customizing for special needs. It most definitely does slow things down though.