2 Day park strategy help!!

McGreezy

Have the courage to touch the butt.
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Mar 27, 2015
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Hello! My son and I are headed to Disney for only 2 days, Monday and Wednesday, on April 30th of next year! We have been before but only once and I want to make the most out of this trip. We do have Park Hoppers obviously, for those of you that do the quick trips do you have any advice? Maybe on what days to do what? We aren't really doing any dining reservations minus Sci Fi. We can do that any day. But we are going to do Monday in Disney Parks, Tuesday in Universal, Weds in Disney parks. I'm not sure I really care about Animal Kingdom all that much, but I'm wondering if I can squeeze that in somewhere to. I know there's not a lot of time, I just wanted to know how other people do these quick trips!
 
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If it is still around in April, the VIP transportation will save you a lot of time. Disney just started it last week as a test program. Are you staying onsite? If so, take advantage of EMH. Two adults can get a lot done in short time. That said, you may want to limit yourself and not run ragged. A lot of disney is enjoying the little things.
 
MK on mondays I find to be really packed vs other weekdays so I think your off to a good start with hollywood and lunch at sci-fi. To be honest, I probably wouldn't plan much more except what the main park you want to be on wednesday is. Then when it's closer, around mid march, the schedule of park hours will be more accurate and you can decide if you can even hop or where you want to hop too. Also by april theres a good chance to know when pandora is really openining in animal kingdom and then that park might interest you. I don't think it'll be open for april but you never really know.

You didn't mention your sons age so I'm going to assume younger than a teenager. Epcot would probably be a good choice to hop too after hollywood as it'll be flower and garden which should keep it opened later than hollywood studios. In the afternoon/evenings future world is much shorter lines and you can do it faster than morning. you should still get enough time to circle the worlds although not completely explore them but get a feel for the flowers and food kiosks that are out. Could be a nice way to do dinner without any commitment to an adr.
 
Thank you so much! He's 16 (this was his bithday gift) so you are right, we will get a lot done. He and I move pretty quickly and know exactly what we want to do. I'm thinking the right move would be to start the week on Monday with Hollywood Studios in the morning followed by Epcot. We definitely want Wednesday to be our Magic Kingdom day I'm thinking because there's extra magic hours in the evening. We're just trying to figure out if we can fit in Animal Kingdom in the morning. We haven't been in two years so I'm not really sure what's new to see? At any of the parks?
 

If it is still around in April, the VIP transportation will save you a lot of time. Disney just started it last week as a test program. Are you staying onsite? If so, take advantage of EMH. Two adults can get a lot done in short time. That said, you may want to limit yourself and not run ragged. A lot of disney is enjoying the little things.

I have really been out of the loop since we came back, I have to take a look into what VIP Transportation is! Is it separate from their regular bus transportation I take it? I agree with not running ragged, we were overall just going to skip Animal Kingdom, but now that I hear that there might be a new section!? Maybe it will be finished by then!
 
There's not enough time in one day to tour all of MK. I wouldn't take any more time away from it. Personally, I would skip HS all together, but that's just me. There isn't much there to do anymore. You seem pretty set on going, and I'm sure your son will have a good time.
 
the first and only time we've ever gone to Disney World we had to skip most of Hollywood Studios because of a rainstorm that wouldn't let up. So we really do want to see it, even if it's only for a couple hours, which is why we did park hopper. Neither of us were huge fans of Animal Kingdom so we really wanted to just do the other three Parks, so I figure even if there isn't a lot to do in Hollywood Studios we can get it done by the morning and then spend the rest of our day at Epcot. Unless there are some things that I don't know? Are all the main rides still open at Hollywood Studios? I mean I definitely don't want to get there and have 70% of the place closed down.
 
I do day trips a lot and for me when I do I will pick two parks one in the morning ( normally MK) hit rope drop so that I can do a lot of things then around 12 or so I will hit the there park I do my FP at the other park so if I do HS I will have a FP starting at 1 and then once an hour after. I find I can get a lot done in one day but I go a lot and and Know what I want to do.

as fair as HS goes I think all the rides are open when it rains TSMM is inside star tours inside RNR inside TT inside ( with an open window at the top so I guess it will be open) if you want to do a lot in this park have FP starting an hour after opening there is a tier system so you have to chose between TSMM and RNR and the great movie ride I would do TSMM at rope drop go to RNR and then hit GMR then do your FP for TSMM have a FP for TT ( yes back tracking here) and finally have a FP for star tours. then take some time ( if he is a fan of star wars ) looking at the launch bay and the meet and greets I think you could easey be done with HS around 2ish then you could head to EPCOT but make sure you look at FP for the park you are going tools soon as you use your last one I have seen TT FP at around 12pm for the same day then enjoy the park
 
Since you have park hoppers, what I would do is do Epcot and HS one day and AK and MK the other day (the day that has evening EMH at MK if you are staying on site). HS is a must for us. ToT is my favorite ride, and really, this park is my favorite (reports of "everything" having been closed are greatly exaggerated, the vast majority of attractions are still there). AK I can take or leave, but we do like EE, so usually manage to plan for a couple of hours one morning. We do these kinds of trips most of the time, with just two or three park days (usually over a long weekend). For the AK/MK day, I would start at AK with rope drop and quickly hit up whatever you want to ride/see. I would not plan to use any fastpasses here. We usually go straight back to Kilimanjaro Safaris, then come back up to Expedition Everest for a few quick rides via the single rider line, then maybe hit up Dinosaur and Primeval Whirl. If the line is short, we might also do a run on Kali River Rapids. Usually within 2-3 hours tops we have done what we want to do at AK and leave, taking the bus to MK for the rest of the day. I have our fastpasses scheduled for MK for early to mid-afternoon so that we can use them shortly after arriving at the park and then start seeing what we can get as 4+ faspasses, and then we ride standby in between those. Works well for us. For the Epcot/HS day, we tend to start at Epcot, stay through lunchtime (having lunch at the Mexico quick service), then take the boat over to HS. We get to Epcot at rope drop, ride Soarin' stand by, ride Test Track a few times using single rider, then do whatever else we want to do standby. This last trip, Frozen was new for us and I wanted to ride, so we hightailed it straight there at rope drop and were able to ride with a less than 15 minute wait, then went over to Soarin' for two rides via standby with little to no wait, then over to TT single rider line for two rides. Worked really well for us. For a day like this, our fastpasses are scheduled for early to mid-afternoon at HS, again so that we can start using them upon arrival at that park and then start looking for 4+ fastpasses, riding/seeing other stuff on standby in between. For a two day trip, something like this is pretty much what we always do and it has worked very well for us. We like to skip fastpasses at park #1, instead choosing to take advantage of short standby lines early in the day, then using our fastpasses at park #2. That has been my strategy for each trip in the FP+ world and we both think it works well for the way we like to do parks. We are two adults, no kids, so we tend to open parks and close parks, and no mid-day breaks, other than the built in break of hopping parks. You mentioned your trip is April 2017. The new section of AK, Pandora - The World of Avatar, is scheduled to open "Summer 2017", which I would take to mean sometime between Memorial Day weekend and September, so I would not plan for that to be open during your trip.
 
Since you have park hoppers, what I would do is do Epcot and HS one day and AK and MK the other day (the day that has evening EMH at MK if you are staying on site). HS is a must for us. ToT is my favorite ride, and really, this park is my favorite (reports of "everything" having been closed are greatly exaggerated, the vast majority of attractions are still there). AK I can take or leave, but we do like EE, so usually manage to plan for a couple of hours one morning. We do these kinds of trips most of the time, with just two or three park days (usually over a long weekend). For the AK/MK day, I would start at AK with rope drop and quickly hit up whatever you want to ride/see. I would not plan to use any fastpasses here. We usually go straight back to Kilimanjaro Safaris, then come back up to Expedition Everest for a few quick rides via the single rider line, then maybe hit up Dinosaur and Primeval Whirl. If the line is short, we might also do a run on Kali River Rapids. Usually within 2-3 hours tops we have done what we want to do at AK and leave, taking the bus to MK for the rest of the day. I have our fastpasses scheduled for MK for early to mid-afternoon so that we can use them shortly after arriving at the park and then start seeing what we can get as 4+ faspasses, and then we ride standby in between those. Works well for us. For the Epcot/HS day, we tend to start at Epcot, stay through lunchtime (having lunch at the Mexico quick service), then take the boat over to HS. We get to Epcot at rope drop, ride Soarin' stand by, ride Test Track a few times using single rider, then do whatever else we want to do standby. This last trip, Frozen was new for us and I wanted to ride, so we hightailed it straight there at rope drop and were able to ride with a less than 15 minute wait, then went over to Soarin' for two rides via standby with little to no wait, then over to TT single rider line for two rides. Worked really well for us. For a day like this, our fastpasses are scheduled for early to mid-afternoon at HS, again so that we can start using them upon arrival at that park and then start looking for 4+ fastpasses, riding/seeing other stuff on standby in between. For a two day trip, something like this is pretty much what we always do and it has worked very well for us. We like to skip fastpasses at park #1, instead choosing to take advantage of short standby lines early in the day, then using our fastpasses at park #2. That has been my strategy for each trip in the FP+ world and we both think it works well for the way we like to do parks. We are two adults, no kids, so we tend to open parks and close parks, and no mid-day breaks, other than the built in break of hopping parks. You mentioned your trip is April 2017. The new section of AK, Pandora - The World of Avatar, is scheduled to open "Summer 2017", which I would take to mean sometime between Memorial Day weekend and September, so I would not plan for that to be open during your trip.

Wow amazing thank you!! Yes HS has all my favorite rides so skipping isn't an option for us either. I think your plan sounds absolutely perfect as Weds the 3rd shows MK with eve EMH! I could just swap our sci fi lunch ressies on Monday to dinner and do Epcot first. That way we can take advantage of the star wars fireworks!
 
Since I live "relatively" close (within 9 hour drive) and have young kids I have opted for frequent, but short trips.

My last two trips (in 2013 and 2014 were 2 park day trips .. and I have yet another coming up in 2017 (because I will have a 5-month old with us in addition to my 4-year old).

My first advice? Don't try and do all the parks. Pick ONE park to skip. Trying to squeeze it all in is a waste of time when you consider the time to get out of one park, transport over (waiting for a bus), getting back into another park .. and then walking to whatever rides you are there to do. Hop one day by hitting the "short" parks and then do MK for a full day.

My plans are different because I have youngsters, but still I think just plain skipping one park would be good. Since you have a 16 year old? I'd skip Epcot *shrug* Epcot just isn't what it used to be. For me .. DHS is made for a 16 year old boy. Star Wars .. Thrill Rides .. Stunt show. (but hey .. DHS is my favorite park .. even after they ditched the entire "making of movies" theme).

My first trip (with a 2 year old) ... We skipped Epcot (not much there for really young children besides boredom). We hit AK, hopped to DHS for the evening just to see the Frozen show and hit Star Tours and then hit MK the entire 2nd day.
My second trip (with a 3 year old) .. We skipped Epcot YET AGAIN and AK (since we had done it the previous year) and did full days at DHS and MK. For a young "first timer" to DHS . .it still had plenty to do for an entire day.
For our third trip (with a 4 year old and 5 month old?) - We are skipping AK .. with a day planned at DHS and Epcot. With plans to hop over to MK after the morning in DHS (after my son (and I) get our Star Wars fix).

My second bit of advice? Go at Rope Drop (or morning EMH if you are staying onsite). that will help maximize your day.
Don't take a "break" by going back to the hotel. No time for that .. rest in the afternoon in the park.

So just set expectations knowing you won't get it all done (not even close) .. and just hit those things missed on your next time back. Don' try and stress out with the park hopping. It sucks a lot of time out of the day to get out and in another park and since your time is limited you need to maximize your time in the parks.
 
All very good points and advice!! The Dilemma is, my favorite Park is Epcot, with Hollywood Studios being a close second. My son's favorite Park is Magic Kingdom. Neither of us love Animal Kingdom, so if we have to skip one it would be that one, but honestly, I could really take or leave Magic Kingdom, which is horrifying to some people, but I don't need to spend a full day there. We will see what it's like when I get there! It's nice to have the option though! But I'm thinking we will only do the other three parks and leave out Animal Kingdom. Mayyyybe. Lol!!!
 
We are doing 2 days/4 parks in Feb. Did it this past Feb 2016 also so I know it can be done comfortably. We set out to do our favorite rides and experiences only. This coming year the hours are shorter during our visit :/

Day one: It is early entry in Epcot and we are at BWV so we plan to do Soarin' , TT and poss Mission Space...by 9-9:30 we will head to AK which I have prebooked (today yay!) EE, Safari and Dinosaur. We are always done at AK in a few hours so we figure we will be out of there by 1:00 latest. Then back to the hotel to regroup/rest. We plan to go back to Epcot around 3 or 4 with the 4th FP that I (hopefully remembered to book!) booked after we ride Dinosaur. We have dinner at Via Napoli and then will watch Illuminations.

Day 2: DHS at rope drop. will do TSM first, then on to R and R, and TOT. Hope ST isn't too long of a wait and then Muppets. We have lunch at noon at the 50's diner. After lunch we leave and head right to MK where I have SDMT, SM and BTMRR booked for the late afternoon/early evening. We will do what else we can (hoping to do Splash) and more if possible. Depending what the kids (4 teens) want to do, we either stay for Wishes or go back to DHS to do EMH there. I have a feeling the kids will want to go back to DHS.

Good luck with your schedule and I hope you have a wonderful time!
 
You could treat DHS much as I treat AK. AK is a favorite so we plan an early morning for it and then hop if we feel like it.

I would go to DHS early and then hop to Epcot later. I would devote a whole day to MK.
 
We are doing 2 days/4 parks in Feb. Did it this past Feb 2016 also so I know it can be done comfortably. We set out to do our favorite rides and experiences only. This coming year the hours are shorter during our visit :/

Day one: It is early entry in Epcot and we are at BWV so we plan to do Soarin' , TT and poss Mission Space...by 9-9:30 we will head to AK which I have prebooked (today yay!) EE, Safari and Dinosaur. We are always done at AK in a few hours so we figure we will be out of there by 1:00 latest. Then back to the hotel to regroup/rest. We plan to go back to Epcot around 3 or 4 with the 4th FP that I (hopefully remembered to book!) booked after we ride Dinosaur. We have dinner at Via Napoli and then will watch Illuminations.

Day 2: DHS at rope drop. will do TSM first, then on to R and R, and TOT. Hope ST isn't too long of a wait and then Muppets. We have lunch at noon at the 50's diner. After lunch we leave and head right to MK where I have SDMT, SM and BTMRR booked for the late afternoon/early evening. We will do what else we can (hoping to do Splash) and more if possible. Depending what the kids (4 teens) want to do, we either stay for Wishes or go back to DHS to do EMH there. I have a feeling the kids will want to go back to DHS.

Good luck with your schedule and I hope you have a wonderful time!

I think I'm going to try real hard to do all 4!! Thank you so much, you have a wonderful time too!
 
You could treat DHS much as I treat AK. AK is a favorite so we plan an early morning for it and then hop if we feel like it.

I would go to DHS early and then hop to Epcot later. I would devote a whole day to MK.

I think the general plan is we're going to do early morning Epcot on Monday followed by afternoon and evening in Hollywood Studios. And then on Wednesday we'll do Animal Kingdom for a couple hours in the morning and just do the few things that we really like and then head on over to Magic Kingdom for the rest of the day, because they have extra magic hours in the evening. We might decide to do away with Animal Kingdom altogether as we get closer, I'd like to try my best to squeeze all of them in!
 

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