Can I fit this into 2 day park hopper??

[AVanstraten]

Our last (and first time) as a family to Disney we did the whole shebang! Stayed onsite, meal plan, many days in parks with afternoon breaks and so on. Our kids were younger and we weren't sure due to cost (ouch!!) if we would ever make it back. Now, we are heading to Orlando in late January, (Martin Luther King week) with family/in-laws and we are staying in a house off site (thank you grandma/grandpa). And we are adding on Universal as we are HUGE Harry Potter fans and our kids are older now and better able to handle those rides (at time of travel, 1 will be almost 13 and the other almost 10).

Would like to do 2 days at Universal and 2 days at Disney Parks. HS will be a full day as we are avid Star Wars fans and will want to see it all, and Toy Story land was not there either when we went. But here are the other things we really want to see/ride/do at the other parks...
Animal Kingdom - Everything Avatar/Pandora (was not there when we went)
Epcot - Soarin' (down for refurbishment when we went last)
Magic Kingdom - Nothing that is "new/have to see" but loved Space Mountain, Seven Dwarfs, and nighttime projection show

Wondering if we could fit this all into 2 days...? Would like to build in some extra "non park" days this time around to visit NASA Center/Beach and some other odd/ends with family. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!! TIA!

 

[BrianL]

You can do a lot with a 2 day park hopper, but you may not be able to do HS as a "full" day. I would pair the parks, 2 and 2. It is easiest to hop between HS and Epcot using the boats (or walking it). Skyliner is also an option now, but it is not direct. It strikes me that you may have a car, so you may not need the DIsney Transportation. In that case, I would do day one rope drop at HS for Star Wars and day two rope drop at AK for Avatar, then hop to the evening park of your choice. This could depend on which nighttime shows you want to see, though with a car your transportation is a bit easier most of the time.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

You can do a lot with a 2 day park hopper, but you may not be able to do HS as a "full" day. I would pair the parks, 2 and 2. It is easiest to hop between HS and Epcot using the boats (or walking it). Skyliner is also an option now, but it is not direct. It strikes me that you may have a car, so you may not need the DIsney Transportation. In that case, I would do day one rope drop at HS for Star Wars and day two rope drop at AK for Avatar, then hop to the evening park of your choice. This could depend on which nighttime shows you want to see, though with a car your transportation is a bit easier most of the time.

I second this. Do DHS/Epcot one day, and AK/MK the other. That way you get the great nighttime entertainment at Epcot and MK, but you get to RD two very popular lands.

 

[AVanstraten]

Great!! Never thought about pairing up as I was just assuming from all the hype that it would take a full day to get through the Star Wars stuff. We will have a car but with two families sharing it we may Uber sometimes.

 

[ClapYourHands]

Great!! Never thought about pairing up as I was just assuming from all the hype that it would take a full day to get through the Star Wars stuff. We will have a car but with two families sharing it we may Uber sometimes.

Well, it may or may not take all day to get through the Star Wars stuff, but that's because of the lines you may encounter. There will be two rides when you go, but whether or not there will be FP is undetermined at this time. Since they're likely to be hot commodities, if there ARE any FP, you likely won't snag one with your offsite stay. You should plan to arrive well before opening, and RD one of them. If you want to eat at Oga's Cantina, you should start looking for an ADR immediately. There are two paid experiences: building a lightsaber ($200) and building a droid ($100). If you think you want to do one or both, book times in advance. Otherwise, you can just wander around and enjoy the land, but it shouldn't take all day.

 

[AVanstraten]

Thank you! I am curious about the Fast Passes for the Star Wars rides as well but your right, with an offsite stay, I'm pretty sure even if they open up we won't snag any. We were thinking of Oga's Cantina and yes, I was thinking we need to book that ASAP! Did the lightsaber last time around and sadly, my son never really played with it at home as much as I was hoping so doing that and not even sure if we are doing the droid (which I read is a better experience). But again, not sure it will ever be played with after we leave the parks so just not sure it's worth the time and money.... I'm hoping that during the middle of the week in the last week of January that the crowds won't be too bad but we'll just have to wait and see...

 

[gharter]

The other unknown at this time is whether they will extend EMH into January after RoTR opens. If its not extended, no problem.
But if it is:
By staying offsite you can't get into HS until 9, all onsite could get in at 6. Could be long lines by the time you get there.
Same with AK. By getting there later than the onsite, the line for FoP will easily be 90 minutes by the time you get in.
Doesn't make your plan not doable, but could make it more challenging.

 

[BrianL]

Did the lightsaber last time around and sadly, my son never really played with it at home as much as I was hoping so doing that and not even sure if we are doing the droid (which I read is a better experience). But again, not sure it will ever be played with after we leave the parks so just not sure it's worth the time and money....

Just FYI, the Galaxy's Edge light saber building thing is much different than the old "build your own lightsaber" in the gift shops. There is a whole "experience" and the sabers are much more fancy with lights and sounds and replaceable Khyber Crystals that change the color of the blade. It also costs $200, so if you are worried about it being played with, I'd take a pass.

 

[AVanstraten]

The other unknown at this time is whether they will extend EMH into January after RoTR opens. If its not extended, no problem.
But if it is:
By staying offsite you can't get into HS until 9, all onsite could get in at 6. Could be long lines by the time you get there.
Same with AK. By getting there later than the onsite, the line for FoP will easily be 90 minutes by the time you get in.
Doesn't make your plan not doable, but could make it more challenging.

oh shoot, never thought of that! Darn it! But not much we can do about that.... Last time we went in late January/Early Feb and we were onsite and the crowds were very low, it was great! We had fast passes but honestly, really didn't need them. So I'm really keeping my fingers crossed that we have the same experience this time around...

 

[ClapYourHands]

oh shoot, never thought of that! Darn it! But not much we can do about that.... Last time we went in late January/Early Feb and we were onsite and the crowds were very low, it was great! We had fast passes but honestly, really didn't need them. So I'm really keeping my fingers crossed that we have the same experience this time around...

How long ago was that trip? I ask because in the last few years, crowds have been at record high levels, even during traditionally slow times. There really aren't any "very low" crowd days anymore.

If there are the daily EMH like we're seeing now, you are going to have a very hard time doing Galaxy's Edge. There will be no rope-dropping for the GE rides, and even on your AK day, you'll find waits for FoP to be well over an hour, even if you're through the turnstiles the minute they're open for offsite guests.

Wait and see what the hours are. If you can go on days without morning EMH, you'll be fine. If there are EMH, you might consider investing $100 in a throwaway room; go through a Priceline or Hotwire deal for a Disney Springs hotel. If you do Disney two days in a row, that room reservation will get you EMH for both days because your qualifying "stay" gives you EMH on both check-in and check-out days.

 

[TinkSassy]

I'll be there the same week - waiting to see what they do on EEMH or additional events. Until RoTR opens in December - will be hard to know what the crowds will do. Right now they are lighter than expected which is why we decided to give it a go - crowds not horrible and the second ride opening (that will be a big draw). Star Wars is our main focus that weekend as well as the new items that should be open in Epcot by then. I am on-site though.

 

[AVanstraten]

I never even thought of a "throw away" room, had no idea people did that! Kind of kills me to spend $$ on a room that we will never stay in but smart on getting in early. Love these boards. Wondering if we could split the room cost between the two families and then we would all be able to benefit and it would be cheaper.

When do the hours get posted?

 

[ClapYourHands]

I never even thought of a "throw away" room, had no idea people did that! Kind of kills me to spend $$ on a room that we will never stay in but smart on getting in early. Love these boards. Wondering if we could split the room cost between the two families and then we would all be able to benefit and it would be cheaper.

When do the hours get posted?

Usually, the hours are more or less in place a couple of months before your trip, but they could theoretically change right up until a week or two before. That's rare, though.

You can split the room cost however you want, but know that you still need to adhere to room occupancy limits. So if you book a room that can hold 4 people, you can't put 8 people on the reservation.

The exception is the campsites at Fort Wilderness which have an extremely high occupancy. I believe you can have up to 12 people on the reservation. This makes for a very popular throwaway "room" option, but incurs the wrath of some campers. Some people on the Fort Wilderness board are very outspoken in their criticism of this practice, and I can see where they're coming from if someone's random Wednesday one-night reservation means they can't camp for the week like they planned. Still, if you get there first and you pay for it, it's yours.

Even with resort fee, taxes, and other fees, you can book a night in Disney Springs for under $100 during most of the year.

 

[AVanstraten]

Usually, the hours are more or less in place a couple of months before your trip, but they could theoretically change right up until a week or two before. That's rare, though.

You can split the room cost however you want, but know that you still need to adhere to room occupancy limits. So if you book a room that can hold 4 people, you can't put 8 people on the reservation.

The exception is the campsites at Fort Wilderness which have an extremely high occupancy. I believe you can have up to 12 people on the reservation. This makes for a very popular throwaway "room" option, but incurs the wrath of some campers. Some people on the Fort Wilderness board are very outspoken in their criticism of this practice, and I can see where they're coming from if someone's random Wednesday one-night reservation means they can't camp for the week like they planned. Still, if you get there first and you pay for it, it's yours.

Even with resort fee, taxes, and other fees, you can book a night in Disney Springs for under $100 during most of the year.

I feel bad for asking this but I have to admit, I'm loving your room throw away idea... So, if we book a one night stay at the wilderness with 8 people (2 families) we could still book our park tickets separately correct? That way, they could pay for their tix on their own and us on our own, and then we would each link our tickets back to the reservation in our Disney account? Any insight you could share on this would be greatly appreciated!

 

[ClapYourHands]

I feel bad for asking this but I have to admit, I'm loving your room throw away idea... So, if we book a one night stay at the wilderness with 8 people (2 families) we could still book our park tickets separately correct? That way, they could pay for their tix on their own and us on our own, and then we would each link our tickets back to the reservation in our Disney account? Any insight you could share on this would be greatly appreciated!

Whether you are on site or offsite, you can link your tickets to friends' tickets in MDE. Doesn't matter who pays for the tickets. It allows groups to schedule FP together. We took a trip with another family a few years ago and stayed off site. I linked everyone's tickets in MDE and did all the FP scheduling for the group.

When you make the hotel reservation, just put everyone's name on it. If you are all linked in MDE, you should all show up, but you might need to tweak it a bit to make sure everyone is there under his/her name. This will allow you all to go to EMH because it will show that you are all 'staying' in a qualifying resort when they scan your MBs at entrance. Oh, and if you stay at the FW campsites, you get free parking in the parks.

 

[JennyDrake]

oh shoot, never thought of that! Darn it! But not much we can do about that.... Last time we went in late January/Early Feb and we were onsite and the crowds were very low, it was great! We had fast passes but honestly, really didn't need them. So I'm really keeping my fingers crossed that we have the same experience this time around...

I doubt it. And you are going over a federal holiday.

With that said, I agree with others who have suggested splitting it 2/2 for the parks.

 

[AVanstraten]

Whether you are on site or offsite, you can link your tickets to friends' tickets in MDE. Doesn't matter who pays for the tickets. It allows groups to schedule FP together. We took a trip with another family a few years ago and stayed off site. I linked everyone's tickets in MDE and did all the FP scheduling for the group.

When you make the hotel reservation, just put everyone's name on it. If you are all linked in MDE, you should all show up, but you might need to tweak it a bit to make sure everyone is there under his/her name. This will allow you all to go to EMH because it will show that you are all 'staying' in a qualifying resort when they scan your MBs at entrance. Oh, and if you stay at the FW campsites, you get free parking in the parks.

Thank you, that helps! Last time we did everything on our own and linked it all through our MDE but it's been awhile and I didn't know that you could link other tix to the same account. The free parking is awesome, had no idea!

 

[ClapYourHands]

Thank you, that helps! Last time we did everything on our own and linked it all through our MDE but it's been awhile and I didn't know that you could link other tix to the same account. The free parking is awesome, had no idea!

Any onsite stay gets you free parking at the theme parks. If you stay at a resort, you'll pay to park overnight at the resort, so Disney is getting their parking fee one way or another. The exception, again, is the Fort Wilderness Campsites because people need to drive in with their camping gear. Even if you are legitimately staying there, you get to park one car there for free. No limit to how many cars get free parking at the parks, though. As long as the parking lot CMs see an onsite stay when they scan your MB at the entrance, you won't be charged for theme park parking.

 

[cjlong88]

Definitely doable, especially if you get the right FP's at the right time.

 

[stsomewhere]

i would look at cost of a 2 day hopper vs a 3 day single park ticket. Just do HS, AK, and MK. I would skip Epcot since it is under construction and you just want to ride Soarin.