Staying at Disney before shipping out

[MintJulep]

Hey Everyone,

My family and I are going to be going on a Cruise in October. We have decided to fly down the Friday before we ship out on Saturday and we want to spend a day in the park.

Since we only have one day we want to spend it at the Magic Kingdom and I am afraid that there will be a MNSSHP that evening.

Is there anyway to book a package for a hotel room, one day dining plan, but only buy the ticket to MNSSHP and not a regular park ticket?

The reason why I am asking is because we won't be able to get to the park until about 4pm, which is when they allow the MNSSHP ticket holders into the park.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[disneyfaninaz]

Here's my opinion. We did something very similar on our cruise in 2008. We flew in a couple of days early and attended the Pirate and Princess Party the night we flew in.

If I'm understanding correctly, you are flying to Orlando on Friday and won't be at the resort until late afternoon. In this case, I would not bother with a package. Just book a room and get the MNSSHP tickets separately. I would also not bother with the dining plan since you will only have at least 2 meals while you are there. BTW, if you haven't been, the halloween party is great! We loved it when were there several years ago now.

You might also consider booking DCL transfers to the ship. This is a great service that really gets you in the cruising mood. DCL picks up your luggage for your from your room on Saturday morning. You can spend a liesurely morning at your resort or go enjoy a character breakfast at another resort and enjoy a ride to the terminal around 12:00 PM.

[TheWog]

I wouldn't bother with the dining plan. You will just get a quick bite while you are there for the party. I would say get a discount room and then buy just the tickets. Have a light breakfast and then eat lunch on the ship the next day. Don't worry about packages.