Disney?

[DukeASUGirl]

We're sailing out of Port Canaveral on a Sunday in October. The kids start Fall Break that Friday, so theoretically we could fly out Thurs night or Friday, even though we'd been planning to fly on Saturday for a Sunday embarkation.

 

We've been to Disneyland a bunch of times, but have never taken the kids to Orlando (even when we lived on the East Coast). 

 

Part of me thinks we should just have this trip focus entirely on just the cruise, and not even consider adding a Disney or Universal stay. But the other part of me says "But we likely won't be heading back to Florida anytime soon, so..."

 

How insane would it be to go to Disney for a single day? I know this likely means only a single park, so probably one of the ones that's completely different from anything we've ever been to in Anaheim (Epcot, maybe?) would make the most sense.

 

Would it be worth it to go to one of the less popular parks and skip Magic Kingdom? I generally avoid Disneyland on Saturdays due to the crowds and the high percentage of South Californians with annual passes -- same logic in Orlando or does it matter?

 

We really can't extend the trip to do more days there, so it would just be 1 day before the cruise.

Edited April 14, 2022 by DukeASUGirl

[DukeASUGirl]

If we did this, we would plan to arrive at whichever our chosen park is at rope drop to make the most of it. Or maybe just the Mickey's Halloween Party in Magic Kingdom (after hours)? Hmmm....

[hrhdhd]

DW now uses a park reservation system, so you'd have to make a reservation for the park you want to visit.

 

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/availability-calendar/?segments=tickets,resort,passholder&defaultSegment=tickets

 

Make sure you've got both tickets and reservations if you decide to go.

[cynt]

We love DW. I would do it and head to Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. Definitely use the genie. I would even be tempted to go VIP at Magic Kingdom. 

 

Or skip DW altogether and go to Universal Studios and purchase a pass to both parks and stay onsite.

 

It really boils down to how much you want to pay for convenience. 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

EPCOT or Animal Kingdom unless you are huge Star Wars fan, then do Hollywood Studios. I like Disneyland better than the Magic Kingdom.

[FlaMariner]

On 4/14/2022 at 4:03 PM, cynt said:

Or skip DW altogether and go to Universal Studios and purchase a pass to both parks and stay onsite.

 

I like this idea better...Universal or Sea World?  If you do Disney, make sure you understand the prices for one day park.....Not cheap....plus the reservation thing is a hassle....and no more fast pass....and on and on....Not for the faint of heart especially if right before a cruise. 

 

We've been saying No to Disney lately......

 

[Anita Latte]

I’m a huge Disney fan…but the parks have changed a lot in the way that you tour them. I knew my way around the FP system and how to make that work for us but now with all the advanced reservations, etc., we haven’t really been back to the parks. I know the system has been changed for a long time, well before Covid, but we just moved to Florida summer 2019. One September day, 2019, we decided on the spur of the moment…like literally that afternoon…to go to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party, which was a lot of fun. Part of the fun was because there is no advance planning for such special party events, unless it’s changed again, these parties are like going back to Disney, old school style. If you go to the party, you are able to enter the park several hours before the party begins and then, of course, you have the time of the party. And if you make it through to the end of the party…you should be able to ride what you want…and being a person that would still be on AZ time, you would likely have an easy time of it staying up so late.

 

Having said that though, if you really believe that this is going to be a vacation that you wouldn’t likely repeat anytime soon, I would recommend that you do something else. Because as great as the party can be, since you’ve gone to Disneyland…it’s not that much different. Going to another park…the only one that I would recommend is Animal Kingdom because it is so different from Disneyland. (I grew up in the Bay Area and I used to go to Disneyland on school trips, etc.) The fun thing about Animal Kingdom is that you can do a lot there that is not on a time schedule necessarily…the shows are fabulous there, if the weather is cooler (or early morning), the animals can be really active on the different walks. If you like animals, then the park offers a lot…if you’re not that into animals…I wouldn’t go necessarily.

 

EPCOT is great but it’s a huge park and it will be exhausting. Just flat out…it will be exhausting, but if your kids wouldn’t be disappointed with going to a park that isn’t as much about the rides…is more about touring around and seeing the different performances and the interesting things that are there (the anime “museum” in Japan, the mini army in China, etc.) I think there is a special event there in October…the food and wine festival? That could be fun or make it that much more crowded, especially on a Saturday.

 

Leaving from Port Canaveral…there‘s many things around PC that you could do to take advantage of the things outside the theme parks that are unique to Florida. One of the most unique things around PC is the fact that you can experience bioluminescence here in the Indian River Lagoon. There aren’t so many places in the world that you can. If you are at all interested in such things, there are sunset/evening kayak tours that you can take (if the moon cycle is in your favor). The other very unique thing around here is the National Seashore. I know you’re about to hit up some gorgeous beaches, but the National Seashore is a completely undeveloped natural beach. Having been born and raised in CA, and a beach enthusiast, I’ve never been to such a beach…it’s not fancy AT ALL…in fact, I think the toilets at each parking lot area are just pit toilets. It’s just being able to see a shore line with absolutely no buildings in site. People often talk about Kennedy Space Center too. I haven’t been there yet, but I’ve been to JSC when we lived close by in Houston…and if you’re a space enthusiast, going there is amazing. 

 

You didn’t mention the ages of your kids, nor other interests, so I’m just throwing things out. Another thing that can be fun is to be in the port area when the sail aways happen. We were just there this past Saturday and there were 3 ships that departed. If you are in the port area at all, or if you go to Jetty Park and are on the fishing pier when that happens? It’s pretty incredible to get that view of the ships. Raising the anticipation for embarking on your own cruise on Sunday. You could look at the port schedule to see how it might be changed by then…

[KeepCalmBearOn]

Disney is great, but I really knew how to use my 11 Adventure Ticket Book and I am so mad it is gone!

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Sure, do a day at Animal Kingdom or EPCOT.

Get there right when they open so it's not as crowded and you can get a bit more in. (In reality, October is not very crowded anyway because "Fall Break" is not something most of the country offers.) And do buy your tickets ahead of time and make your park reservations.

 

You only live once!

[slidergirl]

Don't forget the Kennedy Space Center!!!  With the space business in full bore, there is a lot to see and learn there.