2 day park hopper strategy

[40ariel]

We are planning on doing 2 day park hopper plus tickets. For budget reasons we would prefer not to buy $ILL or G+. We are staying on site, AKL, very busy time of year. We will be renting a car. My family loves Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom but they also really love Guardians of the Galaxy which is the reason for Park Hopper tickets. My family looks forward to the sit down buffet breakfasts more than the parks and rides and cannot be missed. Without the buffet breakfasts, the trip will unravel.

Just wondering if I am missing something, or if there is a better strategy. Wondering if we should use rental car on park days or rely on Disney Transportation.

Current plan:
1st park day: with Extra Evening Theme Park Hours at MK:
-7am TRON virtual queue, Magic Kingdom Early Entry: Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain before TRON Virtual Queue. Breakfast at Crystal Palace at 10:30am.
-Park hop to EPCOT before 1pm: Guardians virtual queue. Optional: Remy's standby and Test Track Single Rider.
-Return to the resort for a break.
-6pm TRON Virtual Queue
- Geyser Point for late dinner
- MK: TRON Virtual Queue, Tomorrowland Speedway, Haunted Mansion. Optional: Pirates, Jungle Cruise, Buzz, Peter Pan's Flight, Seven Dwarfs.

2nd park day:
-7am Guardians virtual queue if return time still not being enforced.
-AK Early Entry Flight of Passage, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Everest, Dinosaur and Kali River Rapids. Breakfast at Tusker House at 10:20am.
-Return to resort for a break.
-Park hop to EPCOT for Guardians virtual queue.
-EPCOT Quick Service Dinner: Regal Eagle Smokehouse.
-Park hop to Hollywood Studios: Tower of Terror, Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run Optional: Slinky Dog Dash, Toy Story Mania.

 

[WinterSolider]

We are planning on doing 2 day park hopper plus tickets. For budget reasons we would prefer not to buy $ILL or G+. We are staying on site, AKL, very busy time of year. We will be renting a car. My family loves Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom but they also really love Guardians of the Galaxy which is the reason for Park Hopper tickets. My family looks forward to the sit down buffet breakfasts more than the parks and rides and cannot be missed. Without the buffet breakfasts, the trip will unravel.

I'm just teasing because I suspect you know this, but this might be the most expensive way possible to do the least amount of stuff.

There is absolutely zero chance that you get to all of the stuff on your list. Park hopping and buffet breakfast and midday resort breaks and no Genie+?

 

[40ariel]

I'm just teasing because I suspect you know this, but this might be the most expensive way possible to do the least amount of stuff.

No I didn't know this. Please enlighten me. Please tell me how I can accomplish these rides differently. I appreciate any suggestions!

 

[40ariel]

There is absolutely zero chance that you get to all of the stuff on your list. Park hopping and buffet breakfast and midday resort breaks and no Genie+?

Okay good to know, I guess I need to revise my strategy.

 

[WinterSolider]

No I didn't know this. Please enlighten me. Please tell me how I can accomplish these rides differently. I appreciate any suggestions!

The biggest thing would be to not leave the parks midday and do fewer scheduled meals. Three sit-down meals in two days is a huge time suck. Park hoppers are extremely expensive on a per-day basis when you have a shorter trip, so if you're going to spend on them you want to maximize the hours you're actually in the park.

If you can persuade the family to skip Guardians, I think Genie+ on a full Magic Kingdom day will be way more fun-per-dollar than Park Hopper, and it'll be cheaper too.

 

[40ariel]

The biggest thing would be to not leave the parks midday and do fewer scheduled meals. Three sit-down meals in two days is a huge time suck. Park hoppers are extremely expensive on a per-day basis when you have a shorter trip, so if you're going to spend on them you want to maximize the hours you're actually in the park.

If you can persuade the family to skip Guardians, I think Genie+ on a full Magic Kingdom day will be way more fun-per-dollar than Park Hopper, and it'll be cheaper too.

Thank you for your suggestions. I really appreciate your insight. We normally do 4 day tickets, one park per day, but our budget simply will not allow it this trip.

 

[Anthony1971]

You do not have a long list of rides however VQ are very unpredictable as far as return times. I would plan on staying at MK and trying to fit in all you want to do there doing a CS breakfast at best. Plan on going to EPCOT for the Guardians VQ Having a Sitdown later lunch as your break. Going back to your resort will take time as well as going to another resort for a late meal. I would plan on staying in the parks the entire day and having tentative DP. This may allow to return to your resort and go to MK later in the night to do more if you want expect MK to be VERY crowded closer to the normal closing time and thin out a lot about an hour into the EMH. I will say 2 things Guardians plan on an hour from when you get in line. Tron was very short once called -this may change- but certainly not worth doing twice. Guardians is worth trying to get on twice. I would do AK and HS in the mornings as the rides you want are the most popular with long lines. We do 2-3 PH days a lot as we still have non expiring passes and just do not go the parks a lot anymore. With that (and my passes running out) you will be far better served with your plans to get 4 day one park tickets for similar price and doing each park one day.

 

[Disney0010]

Never mind……..

 

[mommyk8]

I think you would do better cutting out a table service the first day and buying genie plus. Rope drop AK Do avatar, safari, Everest, Kali River rapids. Start stacking LL at MK for the evening you just need to keep modifying them, lunch at Satuli Canteen or Flame tree. Go back to resort to change and relax then get to MK around 6 pm with your lighting lanes and then you have EE.
Day 2 gets VQ for guardians-once called you can use it anytime after. Do Early morning entry HS do tower of terror, RNRC, check the time on slinky or skip to millennium Falcon, Toy Story mania. Take the skyliner to Epcot do GOtG from 7am, get 1pm VQ. Eat and do other rides at Epcot

 

[scrappinginontario]

Question concerning Magic Key using the park hopper option. If you arrive at DL after 11:00 AM do you still have to go to the park where you made the reservation first or can you just go to the other park? I seem to remember that after 11:00 it was open but want to make sure.

This thread is in the WDW, Florida portion of DISboards.

Please ask your question in the Disneyland portion of the boards as the locations have different offerings, attractions and rules.

 

[scrappinginontario]

We are planning on doing 2 day park hopper plus tickets. For budget reasons we would prefer not to buy $ILL or G+. We are staying on site, AKL, very busy time of year. We will be renting a car. My family loves Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom but they also really love Guardians of the Galaxy which is the reason for Park Hopper tickets. My family looks forward to the sit down buffet breakfasts more than the parks and rides and cannot be missed. Without the buffet breakfasts, the trip will unravel.

Just wondering if I am missing something, or if there is a better strategy. Wondering if we should use rental car on park days or rely on Disney Transportation.

Current plan:
1st park day: with Extra Evening Theme Park Hours at MK:
-7am TRON virtual queue, Magic Kingdom Early Entry: Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain before TRON Virtual Queue. Breakfast at Crystal Palace at 10:30am.
-Park hop to EPCOT before 1pm: Guardians virtual queue. Optional: Remy's standby and Test Track Single Rider.
-Return to the resort for a break.
-6pm TRON Virtual Queue
- Geyser Point for late dinner
- MK: TRON Virtual Queue, Tomorrowland Speedway, Haunted Mansion. Optional: Pirates, Jungle Cruise, Buzz, Peter Pan's Flight, Seven Dwarfs.

2nd park day:
-7am Guardians virtual queue if return time still not being enforced.
-AK Early Entry Flight of Passage, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Everest, Dinosaur and Kali River Rapids. Breakfast at Tusker House at 10:20am.
-Return to resort for a break.
-Park hop to EPCOT for Guardians virtual queue.
-EPCOT Quick Service Dinner: Regal Eagle Smokehouse.
-Park hop to Hollywood Studios: Tower of Terror, Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run Optional: Slinky Dog Dash, Toy Story Mania.

The thing that jumps out to me is your are anticipating quick return times for your VQs. You will have no control over what time your VQ is called. Our 7AM VQs for Tron have been called as late at 4:45 one day (and 8:45 AM the following day). Similar with Guardians, there is no guarantee when your group will be called and the 1 PM drop is more likely to be later.

I agree with dropping the ADR and spend the money on ILL$ and G+. An ADR takes about 60-75 mins on average unless you choose to eat quickly which is disappointing when paying so much.

 

[Miffy]

OP, Are you renting DVC points for your AKL stay? If so, ignore what I'm about to say. If not, read on.

Have you considered staying at a less expensive resort? One of the Moderates, for example? Yes, you'd lose the extra evening hours that Deluxes get, but you'd gain lots of $$, which could help you do many, perhaps all, of these things: (1) stay an extra night or even 2 extra nights; (2) buy G+, (3) buy ILL$; (4) relax a little.

I realize this is a radical suggestion and perhaps your entire trip depends upon staying at AKL, which I understand, since it's my favorite resort. But the room rates there have ballooned in the last couple of years, and you did mention "budget."

We stay at POFQ all the time now and love it there.

 

[40ariel]

I thought I would report back on what we actually did:
We stayed at AKL booking directly through Disney in a Resort View Room. Our priority is staying in a room with a balcony. Our favorite ride is Guardians of the Galaxy. We used a combination of rental car and Disney transportation.

1st park day: with Extra Evening Theme Park Hours at MK:
-7am TRON virtual queue, Magic Kingdom Early Entry: Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean before TRON Virtual Queue.
-Park hop to EPCOT before 1pm: Quick Service breakfast at Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie. Remy's standby and Test Track Single Rider.
-Return to the resort for a break and swimming. 1pm Guardians Virtual Queue.
-Dinner time return to EPCOT and Guardians was down. 6pm TRON Virtual Queue. Regal Eagle Smokehouse dinner. Guardians back up, rode before leaving for Magic Kingdom.
- MK: Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan's Flight, TRON Virtual Queue, Tomorrowland Speedway, Buzz Lightyear.

2nd park day:
-7am Guardians virtual queue (return time still not being enforced)
-AK Early Entry Flight of Passage, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Everest, Dinosaur and Kali River Rapids. Breakfast at Tusker House at 10:20am.
-Return to resort for a break and swimming.
-Park hop to EPCOT for Guardians virtual queue.
-EPCOT Quick Service Dinner: Pizza window/Katsura Grill. Guardians broke down while we were in the Queue, but we hung on and ended up riding with the song "I ran" which made us all feel like it was worth waiting.
-Park hop to Hollywood Studios: Toy Story Mania. and Slinky Dog Dash was down so we rode Micky and Minnie's Runaway Railway.

On our non park days we slept in, enjoyed eating Boma breakfast and Sanaa/Mara mobile order dinners and went to Typhoon Lagoon and played mini golf.
We had a great trip! I thought we did well with the budget and time we had, balancing our priorities.

I am already planning our next trip and I am considering a 1 bedroom villa with more space and a kitchen...

 

[mommyk8]

You got a lot done with the short amount of time you had.

 

[Mouse Tracker]

Just caught this thread.

I was going to comment on original post that it sounded good, I would only question the rental car expense vs using it on G+.

Your trip report reads as being very successful, especially keeping your main desires.

 

[40ariel]

Just caught this thread.

I was going to comment on original post that it sounded good, I would only question the rental car expense vs using it on G+.

Your trip report reads as being very successful, especially keeping your main desires.

We had the rental car because we flew into the Sanford airport. I would agree I would rather spend the money on G+!