Best options for 10:30/11 am park arrival

[2vets]

Hi, all - taking my mom to Disney next week, I’m AP and go quite a bit, but she has not been except for one overnight trip (MK and a quick ride on Remy) for the last 8-10 years. She wants to see “the new things”… She is driving down and meeting me at our resort (BWI) next Wed, will probably arrive at around 10ish. She leaves Friday around noon - I was planning on Epcot that morning to keep it close to the resort. She has a parkhopper, and we have MVMCP tix for Thursday (will do a lot of rides). I want to spoil her and hope to plan the best, easiest visit- I am planning on throwing money at it to do so, buying G+ every day and 2 $LL each, can lyft or Minnie Van as needed.

I can’t decide on strategy. Should we do DHS the day she arrives? We have dinner res in Epcot at 7 is the only other restriction. There are MVMCPs on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, so that likely means a lower crowd day on Wed at DHS. I can “stack”, but she arrives at kind of a weird time for that. Thinking of clustering all our G+ for like 11 am on, but that only gets us 3 to use plus a $LL right away…which I guess could work if I get us Slinky, MMRR, maybe TOT or MFSR depending on how return times are looking? I am usually done and out by noon or stacking for late in the day, so I’m totally unfamiliar with how to approach a late morning arrival!

Alternate idea is to rope drop DHS at EE Thursday morning, but there are likely to be higher crowds, and that would also make for a very long day. I was planning on us doing a few things at AK that morning, then heading to MK around 4 with some G+ stacked and a $LL for Tron.

Thoughts? Thanks for reading my rambling post!

 

[g-dad66]

I don't think your plan to cluster 3 LLs around 11:00 on Wednesday will work. You are not eligible to book second LL until 2 hours after DHS opens, and return times for them will be in the afternoon. By the time you are eligible to book 3rd LL, it may be too late to book any of the big rides, since you have to be in Epcot for dinner at 7:00.

(And if you book Slinky as your first LL since it would be the only way to get an LL early enough for your schedule, the return time for it might be well after 11:00 also.)

DHS stacking strategy works best for having about 5 LLs stacked up for late afternoon and evening, but since you don't have an evening for DHS, doing DHS on Wed may still be your best day for it. (Because rope dropping DHS on Thursday would probably only get you one short wait before the lines for the big attractions start building quite quickly on a busy day.)

 

[2vets]

I don't think your plan to cluster 3 LLs around 11:00 on Wednesday will work. You are not eligible to book second LL until 2 hours after DHS opens, and return times for them will be in the afternoon. By the time you are eligible to book 3rd LL, it may be too late to book any of the big rides, since you have to be in Epcot for dinner at 7:00.

(And if you book Slinky as your first LL since it would be the only way to get an LL early enough for your schedule, the return time for it might be well after 11:00 also.)

DHS stacking strategy works best for having about 5 LLs stacked up for late afternoon and evening, but since you don't have an evening for DHS, doing DHS on Wed may still be your best day for it. (Because rope dropping DHS on Thursday would probably only get you one short wait before the lines for the big attractions start building quite quickly on a busy day.)

Thank you!!I’ve done stacking at DHS before, just after 3:30 pm. This situation is not awesome from an optimization perspective! And argh, you’re right - we’ll roll in with 2 (one I’ll be booking as we arrive), not 3. I have never had an issue snagging an immediate Slinky (Atomic Clock app on 2nd phone FTW), I almost always nab a pre-10 am one, but the need to get one at 11 complicates things. I’ll have to wait a beat, which I’m unused to doing!! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

One help is that she mainly wants to see new things, and she loves the Muppets, so that adds in something easy to do. I also got us an Ogas res for 12:15 to fill things. I will get Slinky right at 7, buy Rise, and go for MMRR at 11. Everything else is gravy if we can manage it, and by the time we get to 2pm, G+ returns should be pretty decent. She won’t know what she doesn’t know, and I just want her to have fun. We can always (ick) wait in a standby line.

I have been to DHS sooo many times where you haul over to SDD and it’s delayed in opening! And that’s without the party effect to amp things up… Anyways, wish me luck…

 

[g-dad66]

I'd recommend taking Slinky for whatever time it shows, because you can then modify it to later, if needed.

Sounds like you have a solid plan.

 

[2vets]

I'd recommend taking Slinky for whatever time it shows, because you can then modify it to later, if needed.

Sounds like you have a solid plan.

Agree. And the other thing I realized is that we CAN get ahead of G+ if I can pull something like 10:30-11:30 and get badged in before 11… Mom says she’ll be there by 10, so we can throw her bags in my room and truck it outta there fast!!