FP + and Water Park Strategy

[VTGirlinNC]

We always visit WDW in February, and have come to like FP+. Sure, there are negatives, but for the most part we have made it work for our family. Now, we are planning a June trip and I am really starting to dislike the FP+ situation. How do you incorporate a water park day when you don't know what the weather will be like, and you have to have all your days/FP's planned out ahead of time? It's very hard to change things around on the fly (obviously it's doable, but you may give up the hard to get FP's). This is our first time visiting the water parks…how do you guys plan your vacation to include water parks in this new world of FP+???

 

[sweetpea29488]

Following, I would like to know this too.

 

[smitch425]

We have built in a day at BB for our October trip. We are hitting AM EMH at AK, eating an early lunch there and heading to BB until we are ready to leave (likely around closing time). We will be booking FPs for MK that evening, and staying until the end of PM EMH. If the weather is bad, we will stay longer at AK and hit up DQ for a couple of hours before going to MK.

 

[Alesia]

We just make plans and if we end up having to change them, we just roll with it.

 

[staceyeileen]

There are only a few hard to get FPs. Just schedule those for days ypu'll definitely be in the parks.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Nothing you can do about it but hope for the best and be flexible once you are there.

 

[RyMacJ]

we didn't plan any FP+ for our water park days, but we have at least one day in each of the four main parks and one in each waterpark. Unless there is a thunderstorm, we'll be at BB all day one day and at TL most of another with the exception of going to DTD for dinner.

 

[abouley]

I'm in the same boat! We are going in Aug - first trip in the summer and first trip using FP+. Trying to lay out plans is tough....there are so many moving parts with ADR, weather and FP+, + our moods/tiredness. I have one day blocked off for water parks and then was blocking a couple of afternoons. I'm thinking on the water park day though I'm going to book our AK FP+ for that day as well in case we decide to change things up. That at least gives us the option to swap those days. I'm not sure how we'd do with hitting a water park in the am and then trying to do the parks at night (we usually are wiped after a day at the waterpark).

I am booking most of our FP+ between 11-2. It sounds like the waterparks quiet down as it gets later so hoping maybe to hit the waterparks around 3 or 4 some days and stay until 7ish. If the weather doesn't cooperate we will hit shows, go take naps, hit DT Disney, etc.

I really am finding the ADR's the hardest thing to figure out at this point. Since my son is 11 and has to pay adult prices I'm not making as many ADR's as I normally do. I enjoy planning but trying to figure this all out is tough and I am trying to give us as much flexibility to go with the flow as possible! It's hard to know though if my kids will want multiple rides on certain rides (like 7DMT).

 

[WDW-WOW]

Our past four trips have been in either Oct or April and we always plan 2 or 3 WP days. One of those days it was cool and rainy but we still went and had a total blast because it was completely empty! I'd just pick the days you want and unless it's an absolute wash out, stick with it.

If we're heading to a park in the evening after a WP day, we obviously book Fps for after 6.

 

[nvrenoughdisney]

We are going in August. We hit the water parks in the morning so I'm going to make my fp+ for the evening as we always go back to the hotel in the afternoon and head back out for our ADRs, regardless of whether we do a theme park or a water park. You are more likely to need the FP later in the day anyway. So, if we change our minds and don't do a water park, we can still hit a park early and be successful without FP.