Dilemma Need Help

[anna0513]

We have our trip end of September into first week of October. Our dining is all over the place because of park hours. Right now Magic Kingdom hours are 9-8 on the day we plan to go. We already have a BOG breakfast for 8:00 a.m. to be in the park before it opens. However, I've been told and from prior years its clear that they changed the park hours to 8-12. We wanted to be in the park before it opened have breakfast and run to a couple of hard to get FP attractions. We are coming up on our FP window and the park hours haven't changed. If the hours don't change we won't get FP for Mine Train or Peter Pan and just plan to go to these right after breakfast. However, if the hours change we will need fastpass for those attractions. Does anyone have any suggestions? Does Disney generally wait til the last minute to change the park hours? I feel bad holding on to this BOG breakfast too. We won't need it if the park hours change to 8:00 a.m. that day.

 

[Spencer Wright]

Unfortunately park hours can be very tricky, and I have seen them change up to a month before hand.

I might recommend making a plan as best you can based on the current schedule, as if you start switching based on changes to park schedules, it will be never ending. I would not feel bad holding on to the ADR!

 

[gharter]

There are no hard and fast rules for hours. In the last year, they seem to change hours frequently, even up to a few days bofore. If the park has a large crowd before opening time, some parks have opened earlier than posted.
So the answer to your question is there is no way to know until that day, what time the parks will open. A week to 2 before, you should have a good idea, but it can change.
For those trying to set breakfast ADRs, it causes all sorts of problems as you have found.
Good luck!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Really hard to say. Looking at the last two months (and granted past performance is not indicative of future results) Disney did a relatively big July update on 6/15 and a June update on 5/11. But even after that hours can change (although they were pretty much mostly final at those updates).

Point being, you’re more than likely going to hit your FP date and still have MK hours that could be subject to change - so a combination of educated guesses and flexibility in your plans are probably your best bets.

 

[Linleedo]

From my experience, the park hours won't be changed until after you make Fastpasses. The hours have always changed for our trips. So, make them based on the availability that you have now. Remember that after three Fastpasses, you can always try to get more while in the park.

 

[EdmondD]

Not to be glib, but my best advice is to not let dining drive your agenda. We might have one or two places we really want to go on a particular trip, but over seven days we might make only those one or two reservations. Being freed from ADRs is really kind of liberating.

But I recognize we put much less emphasis on sit-down dining than some people.

Your instance is a little different because you are specifically using a PPO reservation to get in the park early. Would you consider Extra Morning Magic? It's expensive but you were already going to pay too much for breakfast at BOG. I think it's only offered a couple days a week, though.

 

[focusondisney]

Since Mine Train & Peter Pan are had to get, why not just make fastpasses for those & change them later if you decide you don’t need them? Any other ride will be easier to get last minute than those 2.

 

[focusondisney]

And don’t feel bad about holding the BOG adr. You won’t be the only one changing dining plans if Disney does change the park hours. Heck, even if they don’t, people change & cancel ADRs all the time. Unexpected pixie dust for whoever picks it up last minute!

 

[wcw57]

We have our trip end of September into first week of October. Our dining is all over the place because of park hours. Right now Magic Kingdom hours are 9-8 on the day we plan to go. We already have a BOG breakfast for 8:00 a.m. to be in the park before it opens. However, I've been told and from prior years its clear that they changed the park hours to 8-12. We wanted to be in the park before it opened have breakfast and run to a couple of hard to get FP attractions. We are coming up on our FP window and the park hours haven't changed. If the hours don't change we won't get FP for Mine Train or Peter Pan and just plan to go to these right after breakfast. However, if the hours change we will need fastpass for those attractions. Does anyone have any suggestions? Does Disney generally wait til the last minute to change the park hours? I feel bad holding on to this BOG breakfast too. We won't need it if the park hours change to 8:00 a.m. that day.

THIS is why I don't like the whole FP system....turns a vacation into scheduled thing and creates more stress for us planners.

I didn't want to hijack your thread but I had a hard time explaining my old self in a different thread....

That being said, I hope uour vacation goes well and the glitches disappear. Have a great time!!!!

 

[gap2368]

You need to think of your ADR as just that a place to eat breakfast I know some people that did just this and the CM held them up and let RD people get in line first ( they only waited in the line for I think 15-20 minutes ) but the CM that day made sure no ADR people got any extra head start. I am telling you this so if something comes up you will not be disappointed I would make FP for any rides you must do and then go from there.

 

[Dug720]

You need to think of your ADR as just that a place to eat breakfast I know some people that did just this and the CM held them up and let RD people get in line first ( they only waited in the line for I think 15-20 minutes ) but the CM that day made sure no ADR people got any extra head start. I am telling you this so if something comes up you will not be disappointed I would make FP for any rides you must do and then go from there.

Agreed. It is much easier to change those FP+ to other rides if the hours don’t change than it would be to get them later or get the ADR back if you let it go.

 

[anna0513]

Okay thank you. Wish the whole process was much easier.