Disney World for a day?
 

I am attending a Firefighter convention at Orlando in January. My wife is going with me and we are going a day early to have fun. We will have one full day and both of us want to see Disney. The cheapest and easiest place to stay for the one day would be a Disney resort. After that we plan on getting a shuttle to the convention.

I know one day is not enough but thats all I have. In that regard, how busy will it be Jan. 20 and is there any hint to packing a good day in? We will have two evenings after 4:00 free. We might try and see a little of Seaworld then. Anything else that might be suggested?

Angus

January 20 should be a good time to go. It will be after the holidays and before spring break. The secret to Disney is to go well before it opens and have a pre-made list of the rides you want to go on, and hit those first.
This will leave you to leisurely see the park afterwards. Noontime until 3pm gets really busy, so we usually go back to the hotel, take a nap, and go again about 3:30 or 4pm. As you come back in, people are pouring out.
Remember, you can't see everything in one day, and tacking on Sea World afterwards may be way too exhausting.

Just remember that January 20 is a holiday weekend (Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend). It's not a major travel weekend for families, but it may be busier than your typical January Sunday.

But you're going to have to spend 2 nights at a Disney Resort (Saturday and Sunday) and then go to your convention on Monday morning. Otherwise, you'll spend a long time checking into a hotel on Sunday morning and will waste the best part of the morning. If you arrive in the park when it opens, there are no lines and you can probably see much of what you want to see by 2 or 3.

If you have never been to WDW before, then you should go to the Magic Kingdom. It's the most "Disney" of the four parks and has the most to offer. If you get the park-hopper option, you'll have time to jump on the monorail and go to Epcot in the afternoon, when Magic Kingdom starts getting really busy or go back to your room for a rest and then back to one of the parks for the night. With just one day, I think it's worth the extra money if you've never been. If you're not so frenetic, then pick your favorite park and stay until you are tired.

The mid-range hotels are showing $190 a night for that weekend (the only reason I know is because I was shopping last night for hotels). The budget hotels are cheaper but are the furthest from the Magic Kingdom.

To save more time, definitely take the bus to the Magic Kingdom. It brings you right up to the park gates instead of at the Ticket and transportation center (from which you have to take more transportation to actually get to the Magic Kingdom). That alone will save you half an hour to 45 minutes.

For two adults EPCOT is by far the best choice. (MAgic Kingdon has a few things for the child in adults - but it's mostly for the real children -esp the younger ones.)

Magic Kingdom is Disney, but is geared more for kids. If you just want to experience it, then that is a fun place to go.
You mentioned that you will have a couple of nights after 4pm, I would recommend getting the park hopper and going to Epcot for dinner and walking around. Even my kids loved the countries section of Epcot. It is a great walk around the world.
Also, the MGM studios has some good adult rides.
Seaworld was so-so. I didn't find it all that great and neither did my kids. Universal Studios has some great rides. We all liked Spiderman the best. This was a few years ago. I am not a big rides person and even I enjoyed the Spiderman ride :)
Have fun!

These are all great tips. Just to clarify, we are checking in on Sat. night. That leaves Sun. the 20th completely open for Disney only. We are scheduled to check into the convention hotel that Sunday night. Not sure were the lugage will go that day. I'm sure the Disney hotel will want us out around 11 or noon. Monday and Tues. after 4pm are open.

Since that weekend is a holiday weekend you may have to do a 2 day Friday night and Sat night to get a better deal at Disney.

I LOVE Disney World and have been there many times. The suggestion of EPCOT is probably the best since you only have one day and I'm not sure it would be worth getting a park hopper pass for more than one park.

I'd suggest calling Disney to see what kind of rates you can get and ask if they have any special rates that weekend for the Firefighters, often if they know a large convention is in town they have special events and discounts available.

Also there are some GREAT outlets for shopping in Orlando and since you are going after the holiday, there should be some great sales.

Also check the Disney website for Orlando to see events for that weekend, I know there have been some wine tasting and special dinners at some of the countries around the lake at EPCOT.

Have a GREAT time.

As you can see from the varied responses here, each person has their own opinion of what one fun day at Disney would entail. I don't know the ages of anyone here. But my mid-30's self LOVES Magic Kingdom and would <i>always</i> pick it as the park to visit if I could only choose one park. See the castle, ride Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, all the classic rides and shows.

EPCOT is nice for an evening stroll and dining around the World Showcase (consider making your dinner reservations now...). The evening EPCOT fireworks/laser display is impressive. But if you're paying for park tickets and can't enter the parks until after 4pm, you'll be paying a LOAD of money for the privilege of visiting a park for just a few hours. You may consider Downtown Disney/Pleasure Island for the evening instead. It's a outdoor shopping/dining/nightlife area situated around a lake. There's also an enormous (ha -- I typed enormouse) movie theater on site there.

Check www.touringplans.com for expected crowds on the day you'll be visiting WDW, no matter which park(s) you choose. The site can also give you a free basic one-day touring plan for any of the Disney parks if the thought of figuring out the place on your own is too daunting. It will suggest a route around the park help you fit the most into your day.

Yes, I'll just have to humbly say that I still love the Magic Kingdom the most, and if one has never been to a Disney park before, that's the one I'd most strongly recommend.

I find Epcot kind of boring, though I love the Test Track ride but am way too motion-sensitive for Mission Space.

I've also thoroughly enjoyed Animal Kingdom, and with the new Expedition Everest coaster, there is a bit more for adults to do there.

I really like Disney-MGM, but it's not the park I'd recommend if you had only one day.

If that is Martin Luther King weekend (not sure if it is or not), we have travelled to Orlando several times over that weekend. (We have visited family in the area and then stayed at a Universal property one or two nights and gotten fast passes to the Universal theme parks.)

Anyway, to my amazement, it has always been incredibly un-crowded at the Universal parks that weekend. The last time we did this was in 2005, but I would imagine the crowds wouldn't have changed much since then...

Epcot would not be my first pick for Disney Parks. I would do Magic Kingdom or Animal Park first. The only thing I really like about Epcot is the food and laser show. Do not miss any of the parades. If you are into thrill rides you might consider Universal over Disney. The food at Universal is very good for theme parks. Make reservations ASAP for any Disney dining you want to do. You might consider cinderlla's castle meal if there is any seating left. Use fastpass at Universal or Disney. A lot of people just never figure it out or are lazy. It can cut 3-5 hours of standing in line time off your day. Get to the park when it opens and stay until it closes. the first couple of hours and the last couple of hours are the least crowded times. For parades, find a good spot 1 hour before it ever starts. Park yourself right on the curb next to the street. If you sit on a bench 4 feet from the street, people will be in front of you before it starts. Get a coke or snack and watch people and take a break while waiting for the parade. Disney sometimes does an afternoon parade and an evening parade. Sometimes they only do one. They are totally different and both worth seeing. Animal Kingdom has Parade also. You will get a kick out of any 3D rides.

If you have never been, the Magic Kingdom is worth it, if even brief. It's very small despite all the rides there, compared to walking in Epcot, you can zoom around the Kingdom pretty quick. When you go in and walk up Main Street, go to the left and begin in
Adventureland...you can go on the Pirates of the Caribbean, the Jungle Ride, and the through Frontierland, and to Adventureland where you need to go on It's a Small World, Peter Pan, and then around the bend in Liberty Square is the Haunted Mansion. Then if you want, Tomorrowland is there with Space Mountain. I like starting on the left because most of the rides I like are in that direction and if I don't have time, I don't mind missing Tomorrowland.

I love Epcot the best, but for a first timer, it would be my second choice. It is very expansive and you will walk farther between exhibits. It is more educational, but the countries are fun along the very back of the park.
Enjoy !!

I live in the area and have often gone for a full day in January and comfortably visited three and even four parks in one day by staying a couple of hours at each. This is doable because the lines are so short.

I was there earlier this month on a Sunday and didn't spend more than 15 minutes on any of the lines at the Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom.

Trying to do more than one park in a day will add an extra $90 (+ tax) to your costs because you will have to purchase the &quot;Park Hopper&quot; option. Then you loose time traveling from one park to the other.

Try looking at the theme park section at www.allearsnet.com - great info about each of the parks. My favorites are Epcot &amp; Animal Kingdom. My husband's favorites are Magic Kingdom and Disney Studios so I don't know what to advice.

Monday always tends to be a really busy day for the Magic Kingdom.

The SeaWorld website isn't showing the January hours but they do tend to close early during non-peak seasons so this might not be a good choice for evenings.

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World contains Disney &amp; SeaWorld information. www.buildabettermousetrip.com does custom touring plans for both Disney &amp; SeaWorld.