Can you Help? Jan. 30 - Feb. 6 strategy for Park reservation system

[Imaginette]

Hey Dis Peeps!

I'm having a hard time figuring out how to schedule our park days for the park reservation system. We would get to the park hotel area around 1pm on Saturday, Jan. 30, and have AP's that we're trying to use before they expire on February 13th

Can you give me some sort of strategy for booking park reservations during this time frame? It's basically Sat 30th night, Sun - Fri, flying back Sat. the 6th. We're staying at AoA (first time!) to save $$$, so that we can spend it on art at the festival.

MY BEST GUESS? Pick a park to do during the AM (say, AK), and then do EP at night as a park-hopper. This is so last minute that getting some dining and drinking ops are already booked, but of course, I'll keep cruising the app in the park to see if an opportunity comes along to do a late night BOG, or an Ogas' (yeah, right!!!)

We don't really have any must-do rides (have done them all), it would be more of an opportunity thing to ride our favs... but DH does NOT want to wait more than 40 minutes for a ride, so I'm not banking on rides so much as getting out of the apartment and coming back "home" to visit.

Would love to find some AP discount deals, pop up shops, AP shirts, etc.

We're really coming for the arts festival (yay!), because we both love it, and they have more Star Wars, Marvel, and interesting character art during the festival than in the galleries any other time of the year. It's so much fun to walk around and dream of art, and then buy it, and put it in your living space. We even turned lightsabers into wall art, it's so much fun!

Please and thank you in advance for any and all tips or advice, this trip is coming up FAST, and I would really appreciate your help.
Your figment-loving' pal,
~ Imaginette ~

 

[Imaginette]

(if you have a web page as a reference for research, I would appreciate that as well... things are all different now with COVID, so I'm not sure how to do this in 2-weeks)

 

[TexanInTheMidwest]

If you are coming in for the Festival of the Arts, I would make Epcot your main park at least for one day. An opportunity to get in before the afternoon/evening crowds.

Be sure and double check your hours for the parks. For example, I am coming in on Jan 23rd and made a dinner reservation at Skipper Canteen for 6:50 to be able to stroll out of the park after close - and today I noticed MK is now closing at 9 PM. ;-)

 

[Imaginette]

Be sure and double check your hours for the parks. For example, I am coming in on Jan 23rd and made a dinner reservation at Skipper Canteen for 6:50 to be able to stroll out of the park after close - and today I noticed MK is now closing at 9 PM. ;-)

Thanks for the tip! I was wondering how the Skipper Canteen (is that the one by Jungle Cruise) was, we haven't enjoyed that yet. I'm not a super-adventurous eater, so I didn't want to eat anything weird, and my friend joked that the place by Jungle Cruise was full of weird menu items... lol.

I have to figure out the park hopping thing too, this should be interesting.

 

[TexanInTheMidwest]

Thanks for the tip! I was wondering how the Skipper Canteen (is that the one by Jungle Cruise) was, we haven't enjoyed that yet. I'm not a super-adventurous eater, so I didn't want to eat anything weird, and my friend joked that the place by Jungle Cruise was full of weird menu items... lol.

I have to figure out the park hopping thing too, this should be interesting.

We ate there in October and it was good. I had the Pork appetizer and a salad together as my meal. They also have Brazilian cheese bits that aren't on the menu for an appetizer. It's probably the best sit-down food in MK...

That said, I will probably cancel my reservation as I made it specifically so I could get some quiet almost-empty park time after dinner. I have 1 1/2 solo days before a girlfriend joins me - and I want to soak in all the park time I can during the solo time without worrying I'm boring someone else with my slow-poke meanderings . But, I'd rather spend that time riding rides instead of eating.

I'm not quite sure about the park hopping thing, either. I understand that after 2 PM you can hop. But it feels fuzzy on "you don't need a park reservation" yet "there may be limited capacity". I sure don't want to hop if I can't get in as that seems like a waste of time.

For our planning, this is what we're doing

Saturday the 23rd - my arrival day - MK. My flight arrives around 10 AM so I figure I'll get to the park close to 1 or 2. (I'm staying off property)
Sunday the 24th - AK Park reservation. I loved doing a solo day at AK on my last trip. When/if I hop, I was thinking of HS. I need to pick up my girlfriend at the airport around 10 PM, so want plenty of time
Monday the 25th - HS 1st. Then we will hop (if we aren't too tired from travel)
Tuesday, the 26th - Epcot 1st. (We have breakfast reservations at the Boardwalk then we'll enter from the International Gateway.
Wed - not sure yet. Probably depends on if we get a Rise boarding group on Monday.
Thurs - not sure where we will start but plan to hop to MK and then have dinner at Cali Grill at the Contemporary

Now, the rest of the planning I've left to my girlfriend (we are both leaving on the 31st)

I hope this helps.

I think what I appreciate the most in October was just being able to take it slow without too much rushing from here to there to hit a fast pass.

I did make some dining reservations but modified them often

 

[Imaginette]

Tuesday, the 26th - Epcot 1st. (We have breakfast reservations at the Boardwalk then we'll enter from the International Gateway.

If you get the chance, try the breakfast at the ALE AND COMPASS at some point (check out the menu online). It's at the Yacht Club, so we did the same thing last trip in September before walking to Epcot when it opened via the IG. The dark chocolate waffles were especially amazing, and not a sugar-drenched festival, believe it or not. DH got the french toast banana foster (trying to remember) thing, and we kept sneaking bites off of each other's plates.

Sunday the 24th - AK Park reservation. I loved doing a solo day at AK on my last trip. When/if I hop, I was thinking of HS. I need to pick up my girlfriend at the airport around 10 PM, so want plenty of time

Do you have Disney+ at home? If you get a chance, check out their Animal Kingdom animal series BEFORE you go. We had no idea there were so many animal experiences that were walking trails. After watching, we really want to check out the Gorilla trail, among others, as we have a connection after watching the Disney+ animal series.

Wed - not sure yet. Probably depends on if we get a Rise boarding group on Monday.

Since you're staying off property, are you still able to log on at 7am to get into a boarding group? I'm assuming so, since you're making park reservations for that date. We have only done the "get to the park early to get into a boarding group at 10am" experience, so I'm actually excited to be able to do that from the comfort of the hotel room instead... lol.

TIP - YOU CAN BOTH TRY AT THE SAME TIME, but have one on wifi, and on your phone provider's data when trying to get those RotR passes at 7am. Our luck varies, but you both select each other as your "boarding party", and then whoever gets in first, you yell to the other "I'M IN" and you go with their attempt to get a pass.

That ride breaks down about three times a day, so pack your patience ;-) The app is fun to play in cue, but you won't be waiting long, my guess... so you might have to wait to play the in line things until another trip. The PLAY in park app eats up a lot of battery power anyway ;-)

Have fun, and thanks for talking with me about trip planning!
~ Imaginette ~