Convoluted FEA strategy

[GaryDis]

So FEA FP+ was not available for my Epcot day.

What I'm thinking of doing instead is going to Epcot on a morning EMH day, just for FEA. This is our MK day, so we'd grab the monorail right from FEA to the MK, where our first FP is for 9:25 on Buzz, giving us to 10:25 to get there. Since we're staying at BWV, getting to Epcot early is no problem, but we'd be dependent on the actual time to get through Frozen, plus the monorail reliability.

It means giving up a BOG PPO ADR. But the money saved from not getting the overpriced BOG breakfast could go towards MNSHHP, which we've been waffling on. Of course, the FP outlook for late Sep. is confirming the business then, meaning the party might be really crowded.

But you can't have everything. So the question is whether this seems like a fair idea.

 

[Klayfish]

I don't do Disney dining, so I can't speak to saving the money or giving up that experience. But as for getting on FEA without a FP+, it's definitely doable. Any day you're in Epcot, if you get to FEA before around 10:30 or so, you won't wait THAT long. We waited less than half an hour.

 

[Shanti]

So FEA FP+ was not available for my Epcot day.

What I'm thinking of doing instead is going to Epcot on a morning EMH day, just for FEA. This is our MK day, so we'd grab the monorail right from FEA to the MK, where our first FP is for 9:25 on Buzz, giving us to 10:25 to get there. Since we're staying at BWV, getting to Epcot early is no problem, but we'd be dependent on the actual time to get through Frozen, plus the monorail reliability.

It means giving up a BOG PPO ADR. But the money saved from not getting the overpriced BOG breakfast could go towards MNSHHP, which we've been waffling on. Of course, the FP outlook for late Sep. is confirming the business then, meaning the party might be really crowded.

But you can't have everything. So the question is whether this seems like a fair idea.

I would definitely utilize Extra Magic Hours for Frozen Ever After. We rode it this past Sunday with a FastPass, and the FP line extended out past the entry to Akershus. We had a 20-30 minute wait in the FP line. The posted standby wait time was 120 minutes.

The beauty of EMH (besides the lower number of guests) is that there is no FP gumming up the works, so lines move more quickly than during regular hours.

We didn't think FEA was worth all the hassle, but that's a comment for another post, I suppose...

 

[HappyHaunts999]

A word of caution. FEA did not open till noon the other day. They are still having problems.

 

[GaryDis]

We didn't think FEA was worth all the hassle

I'm wondering about that, too. I've been on Maelstrom more times than I can count.

But I'm not sure I'd judge Sept. crowds by current conditions.

Mostly I'm concerned about the combined travel time. Assuming the walk from IG to Norway takes 10 minutes, then time for the ride and lines, then walking to the front to catch the monorail. I need to guesstimate about when we'd get into the MK, to judge a drop-dead time for giving up on FEA. Though I suppose I could live with loss of the Buzz FP. We have 7DMT in late afternoon, so that aspect is under control.

 

[Shanti]

I'm wondering about that, too. I've been on Maelstrom more times than I can count.

But I'm not sure I'd judge Sept. crowds by current conditions.

Mostly I'm concerned about the combined travel time. Assuming the walk from IG to Norway takes 10 minutes, then time for the ride and lines, then walking to the front to catch the monorail. I need to guesstimate about when we'd get into the MK, to judge a drop-dead time for giving up on FEA. Though I suppose I could live with loss of the Buzz FP. We have 7DMT in late afternoon, so that aspect is under control.

Personally, I'd rather enjoy my PPO BOG breakfast & MK rope drop low crowds than ride FEA again. I like the Frozen movie & characters, but the only value I got out of the ride was being able to say I've been on it. After PPO at BOG you can ride 7DMT, Peter Pan, BTMR and Splash, all with little-to-no wait. Add in the Buzz FP, & I have to say, no way would I make that switch.

I do recommend EMH for FEA, but recommend ones that don't cut into your other plans.

I agree about not judging September crowds by current conditions, but in the opposite way from what you probably expect. This July's crowds have been low, and it seems likely that September crowds will be bigger than what we encountered this trip.

 

[GaryDis]

I agree about not judging September crowds by current conditions, but in the opposite way from what you probably expect. This July's crowds have been low, and it seems likely that September crowds will be bigger than what we encountered this trip

That's exactly the way I expect. Unfortunately.

Thanks to you and others for the feedback, and keep the comments coming.

 

[amandals2007]

I would definitely utilize Extra Magic Hours for Frozen Ever After. We rode it this past Sunday with a FastPass, and the FP line extended out past the entry to Akershus. We had a 20-30 minute wait in the FP line. The posted standby wait time was 120 minutes.

The beauty of EMH (besides the lower number of guests) is that there is no FP gumming up the works, so lines move more quickly than during regular hours.

We didn't think FEA was worth all the hassle, but that's a comment for another post, I suppose...

i was thinking FEA wouldnt be worth it just like i dont think 7DMR is worth the hype. too short for me. im sure the ride will be cute but if its going to stay tier 1 with soarin (which i assume it will) ill never choose FEA over soarin or test track. but thats just my opinion

 

[MHSweb79]

I would do it! You should be able to get Buzz as a 4th FP if you don't make it in time. Or you could try to change your FP time now to give yourself a bigger buffer.

It's a long walk from FEA to the monorail, and you could wait awhile for a train. Then it's about a 10-15 minute ride, depending on whether you go right through or have to wait on the tracks (this seems to happen to us a lot). Buzz isn't worth stressing over, in my opinion.

 

[kj2mom]

I did Epcot EMH with the intention of going to FEA first thing. I did that but I walked at a normal pace, I was not race walking or running once the rope dropped (it was already pretty hot and it was the very first morning of my trip so I didn't want to go crazy and make myself miserable the rest of the day). I looked at the photopass time stamp and I was on the FEA ride at 8:40am. After getting off the ride I headed toward TT and rode single rider. I remember looking at my watch and I was getting on the ride at exactly 9:00am. I think your plan could definitely work, you might be on the later side of your MK FP but providing that FEA is up and running at rope drop I think you should be fine.

 

[GoldenOwner]

Do you have another Epcot day planned before the possible EMH then MK day? If so, don't cancel your BOG yet and see what the standby situation is for FEA. If it's not too bad, ride FEA, if it's too much of a wait, THEN cancel the BOG and do Epcot on the EMH morning then head to MK. Keep in mind how much time you'll spend traveling between Epcot and MK when evaluating how long is too long in standby for FEA!

 

[GaryDis]

Do you have another Epcot day planned before the possible EMH then MK day? If so, don't cancel your BOG yet and see what the standby situation is for FEA. If it's not too bad, ride FEA, if it's too much of a wait, THEN cancel the BOG and do Epcot on the EMH morning then head to MK. Keep in mind how much time you'll spend traveling between Epcot and MK when evaluating how long is too long in standby for FEA!

There's no reason to cancel the BOG ADR this early., so I'm on that.

The only possibility for additional Epcot is the day we transfer from USO to WDW. It's evening EMH in Epcot and MNSSHP the same night. Part of me says to go ahead and buy the party tickets now, since that's partly why I chose late Sept., and it will make up for missing the PPO, and there's a chance it will sell out. Part of me says it's foolish to buy until a few days before the party, because of the possibility of bad weather and because there's a chance of a sell-out crowd (making the party less productive). So that's really the only thing I'm struggling with right now.