Disney-Magic Kingdom
 

OK, I'm going to do what Fodorites hate and that is ask, what's your "must sees" at Magic Kingdom with a 6yo princess lover in October. I've done my homework, I'm familiar with the touring plans, etc. I wanna hear from others that have Been There! Shows you're glad you saw, parades not to miss, rides you/your kids loved... Best use of FastPass... One touring plan has Its a Small World, one doesn't... How intense is Big Thunder Mtn, REALLY? At 6 she doesn't nap, should we still consider leaving the park for a few hrs? (I know, that's dependent on my child). Any suggestions/tips you'd like to share will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Are you going to Disneyland or Disney World? With a 6yo I would definately leave the park in the afternoon to spend time at the hotel pool and have a rest. This is easier to do if you stay at a Disney property. It's more difficult if you are staying further away.

I would definately do It's a Small World. Thunder Mtn might be too intense for a 6yo. You can watch the Thunder Mtn ride and see how she feels about it and take her lead.

Must do rides:
It's a Small World
Peter Pan
Storybook Land (this ride is at Disneyland, CA; I don't know if it's at WDW, FL)
Autopia
Jungle Cruise
Haunted House

Take time to watch some of the shows. This gives you a chance to sit down and rest a bit - pace yourself and remember you're with a 6yo who may not be able to keep up with an adult.

Keep hydrated - take in bottled water with you so you don't have to pay park prices for your first water of the day.

At that age, our daughter loved getting the autographs of the princesses. There are certain areas and times each of the princesses appears: for example, Ariel at her grotto. We also enjoyed the breaksfasts at the Disney hotels. We saw Snow White and the Beauty & the Beast breakfasts.

Our daughter did not go for the fast roller coaster ride too much. Also include Dumbo and the Spinning Cups, as well as Pirates of the Carribean. Skip Splash Mountain - you will probably get soaked.

We did all this at Disneyland in CA.

Have been visiting this park since it was the only one there.
6 year olds do best with the characters dumbo teacups It's
a small world.Some are scary space mountain rolling thunder are a couple I would not put them on.Hydrate frequent breaks bring them back for fireworks at night to get you money's worth... Polynesian or Contemporary Hotels my favs.

Best views over magic kingdom zip to and fro on Monorail best

www.wdwinfo.com/best-kept-secrets_mk.htm
disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/magic-kingdom

Have fun!

Thanks so much for your replies! I did forget to specify which Disney ...WDW. We will leave the park for a few hrs break, as suggested. We will probably appreciate that as much as she will! From what I'm gathering ariel's grotto is permanently closed. But there are many others she will love, I'm sure. Thanks!

We stayed at the Contemporary several years ago, and they had Disney characters at breakfast. Not sure if they still do this, but it was especially good because not many people knew of it so it was not crowded. The characters come over to each table for photo ops. You might see if this is still done.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/chef-mickeys/

I was curious, so I looked it up. Yes, they still do this at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary hotel. It is a full breakfast or dinner buffet. You can ride the free monorail from the WDW park to the hotel. Our kids really enjoyed it.

I would for sure do Cinderella's Castle for a character meal. Make reservations ASAP. Get your fast pass as soon as you go in the gate. Don't use a fast pass on your first ride as the line will be short anyway. The fast passes get snatched up quickly, so get them right away. Our plan(at any age of the child) is to get there before the park opens and be in line, take a break/nap mid-day, go back in the evening. Sunday mornings is the time that I find the least crowded. I would head straight to Small Work section and do it first. A lot of those lines look massive, but they load so quick that the lines really move fast.

I think the castle has the best character meal. We like Contemporary, Animal Kingdon for character meal(if you do breakfast you can get in before the park even opens), and we really like Grand Floridian character meals.

Another good plan is to eat in Magic Kingdom somewhere that takes reservations for lunch. This way you aren't waiting in line forever.

We like all the parades, but especially the night parades and events at Disney.

Disney typically closes one or two rides a month for yearly maint.

We like a lot of the rides/shows in Animal Kingdom. And we really really like both waterparks at Disney.

If it rains, the park really thins out. Use this time to your advantage and keep on truckin.

At age 5, my daughter's favorite ride was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Your daughter's sense of adventure should dictate whether you take her on it or not. When we took my daughter on her on her first trip to Disneyland, a wise mother told us to hit the park first thing in the morning, go directly to the back of the park and work our way towards the entrance; leave around noon for a nap (for kids AND adults!) and lunch at the hotel. We did just that, returned to the park around 4, and passed many families with screaming, overly tired children on their way out.

Thanks everyone for all the great advice and input. We're really looking forward to our trip. We aren't staying at a Disney resort bit our resort is still on property. Can we do a breakfast or other meal even though we aren't staying at that hotel/resort? Thanks

Yes you can. Where are you staying?

Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom has a great character meal (although it's Pooh, which might not be as good for a 6-year-old girl as princesses or Mickey), and if you make the first breakfast reservation you will be in the parks before they open the gates. I haven't eaten other meals there, but the breakfast is quite good, if pricey.

We were planning MK on Tuesday but just found out the evening electric parade won't be showing so we'll switch to wednesday. I think that will be a good parade to see. Hope we're making the right decision...

We're staying at Bonnet Creek Resort. It's on property and they have a shuttle to the parks so we don't have to deal w parking...or pay!

Bonnet Creek is considered only sort of on property but gets very high marks on Disboards, and is very convenient, particularly to Epcot. BTW, the folks at Disboards are always full of helpful advice.

Thanks everyone! I appreciate all the advice and information.

The Electrical Parade is absolutely worth seeing. Grab your spot early.

FYI: Bonnet Creek resort is a non-Disney resort on Disney property. Transportation, while included, doesn't work as seamlessly as it would if you were staying at a real Disney property. I stayed at the Doubletree on Disney property a couple of years ago, and while there was a bus, the service was erratic and the bus really really crowded). It rarely ran on schedule and often left people at the hotels (I was getting on at the first stop, so I never had a problem, but by the time we reached the Hilton, it would often be full. And the non-Disney resort buses don't usually take you directly to Magic Kingdom; they stop at the transportation center and require you to take the ferry in (Bonnet Creek is situated differently, so I'm not sure about what its bus does). This adds about 20 to 30 minutes to your travel time to the Magic Kingdom, and takes even longer than if you drove yourself considering all the stops the buses make. It's less of a problem for other parks where you're dropped off closer to the front gates, but I suspect going back to the hotel in the middle of the day wouldn't work from the Magic Kingdom.

The transportation was nice, and it was certainly better than the transportation from the resorts in the I-Drive area that offer "free" buses, but it was a distinct disappointment, and I'd never rely on it again unless I just couldn't afford the parking fees. WDW resort buses drop you off right at the front gates of the Magic Kingdom, bypassing the boat trip, a real time-saver.

I'm sure that transportation from Bonnet Creek is going to be better than that from the Doubletree, if only because it's so much closer to the Magic Kingdom. But I haven't stayed there and have no personal experience to guide me. Still, you may want to consider renting a car if you aren't driving to Orlando and be willing to pay for parking to make transportation easier, especially with a 6-year-old. At least for the day you go to the Magic Kingdom.

Transportation always takes longer than people expect. Build in PLENTY of time.
What we like to do is eat something in the room (cereal, banana w/ pnut butter, etc.) and BE AT THE GATES BEFORE THE PARK OPENS. It will seem packed even then but once you're let in, the crowds disappear and you can walk on/into all rides/attractuions. Within a couple of hours there will be long lines. Avoid Saturdays!
Then, have a late bfast/early lunch at Crystal Palace. They have good food and Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and Tigger come around to the tables :)
Have a magical time!