Argghh.. Should I change my itinerary?

[Linc82]

We are coming in for 2 days Jan 7/8 (staying at Poly). First trip for DH; kids and I have been three times in the last 3 years- I am a big planner & have been planning this one since we left our last trip in May . I was just patting myself on the back for getting my ADRs taken care of, just booked FP yesterday, called in our room preferences... AND THEN I checked the crowd calendars and realized every site I look at is telling us not to do MK on that Friday. Crowds are a big thing for DH so I want to do everything I can to minimize and make his first trip the first of many.

We have 2 day Park Hoppers; here was my original plan:
Day 1 (Thurs) - Morning and lunch at AK, then head to Epcot in afternoon; dinner there
Day 2 (Fri) - 8:15 ADR at Be Our Guest, lunch in park, then Citricos for dinner and back for Wishes.

We specifically picked the Poly due to the transportation options.. and I booked a super early ADR so we could get in before opening at MK & beat the crowd. Now that crowds are looking higher at MK on Friday AND my early ADR will be not so early due to EMH... I'm seriously considering switching the days around.

Totally kicking myself here. What should I do?

 

[mrsR123]

Touring Plans doesn't say to avoid it. They are calling it the lowest for Friday. Don't fret.

 

[lroger01]

I would switch if you can. MK is the most "Disney" park, and everyone in my group enjoys the first day the best. The other days are fun, but have the risk of someone/everyone being tired and/or sore. Also with MK first, you'll take immediate advantage of being at the Poly - something your DH might notice and will help ensure a good first impression for him. It may mean skipping breakfast at BOG, but you'll gain short rope-drop lines and the welcome show - which is fun for newbies. Just my thoughts.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

Don't second guess yourself .. Go with your original plan and have a great time! It's really not worth shuffling ADRs, FPs, etc. I'll actually be there at the same time and we would normally do MK on that Friday, but it's the only night we can see Fantasmic due to other ADRs we don't want to drop that we have at MK earlier in the week. If we didn't have those we would choose MK for Friday too. Have fun!!!

 

[horse11]

See if you can get the ADR's for the opposite days without canceling what you have. if you can get the ADR;s you want then feel free to switch. It will also depend on what FP's you have and if they are really hard to get like A&E. The reason I even suggest this is because my DH can not handle crowds at all either. That early BOG ADR could be very beneficial if you can get it for the opposite day. If not you may at least want to cancel you BOG early ADR and try for lunch instead and then keep everything as planned. That first EMH are essential to knock out some of the more popular rides.

 

[GPC0321]

I vote for switching BOG to lunch (11am-ish if possible) and keeping everything else the same. That way you can take full advantage of early EMH, get a lot done before the park gets too crowded, then enjoy lunch, then head out for midday break.

 

[sharonabe]

I also have a crowd-hating DH, and if you can get your ADRs switched around, I would definitely change my days. If you haven't checked out easywdw.com, I would. Right now, you are heading to the most not-recommended parks on both your days. It will be a much better experience for your DH if you can switch the days.

 

[Mikie]

I like to refer to crowd calendars and don't disagree with others that it's worth taking a look to see if your reservations can be changed, BUT you are going at a slow to "regular" time and shouldn't suffer much even if you keep the "wrong" parks. I use the crowd calendars to pick my days with all other factors being equal, but things like a preference to start at a certain park regardless of recommended status, ADR's or FP availability can sway our park choice and it still works out great. Since you're not looking at crazy crowd levels, please don't stress if you can't switch! You've picked a great resort and some lovely meals and your other planning will help you have a great time!

 

[GPC0321]

I was going to say what Mikie said. Those dates don't strike me as being during a particularly busy time anyway.

Regarding the crowd calendars, isn't the general gist that parks with EMH are the ones advised against? But isn't that more for off-property or day guests who cannot take advantage of EMH? And aren't morning EMH especially beneficial to those who can access them?

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

There is a BIG marathon that weekend. Hence the reason for the crowds. The 26 mile race is on the 10th and the half marathon is on the 9. Goofy race at Epcot on Jan 8. Most will arrive on the 7 & 8.

 

[Lindsay Parker]

I vote for switching BOG to lunch (11am-ish if possible) and keeping everything else the same. That way you can take full advantage of early EMH, get a lot done before the park gets too crowded, then enjoy lunch, then head out for midday break.

I agree!

 

[Linc82]

Thank you all!
Yes, fair point on the crowds.. when we were there in May, we experienced 8 and 9 level crowds... those two days in Jan are 3/4. But, I'd prefer to maximize our chances for DH if we can.

I will try and move the ADRs. Right now I have a BOG breakfast on the 8th at 8:45... but all things being equal, I don't think that's going to do much for us, since we'd probably be better off eating breakfast in the room and showing up for rope drop... crossing my fingers for ADR luck

 

[siskaren]

Regarding the crowd calendars, isn't the general gist that parks with EMH are the ones advised against? But isn't that more for off-property or day guests who cannot take advantage of EMH? And aren't morning EMH especially beneficial to those who can access them?

Well, someone who can't take advantage of EMH should definitely avoid the park that has it, but it's also not a bad idea for people who can take advantage of it. Josh at easyWDW feels that Disney does such a good job of promoting EMH, that a lot of people feel that they're Disney's way of telling them which park they should go to each day, and therefore the EMH parks are generally more crowded. By avoiding EMH days, even if you are eligible, you should experience lower crowds. What some people like to do is go to the park that has morning EMH and then when it starts to get crowded (because apparently a fair number of people who stay on property go to the morning EMH park even though they're not getting there early enough to take advantage of the EMH), they hop over to another park.