Entering parks later in the day

[portcityw]

My family is not morning people, so we always arrive sometime in the noon area. We also basically follow Accidents plan. Go with the flow. Makes for a much nicer vacation. Also, the parks are so much nicer during the night to us. We might not get to see and do everything we want, but we can get it the next visit.

 

[pawla68]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I was thinking I was crazy for wanting to tour like this. Glad to know I'm not the only one that thinks like this!

 

[StuckInKS]

This time, we are thinking of hitting the parks around 2 or so and staying until closing. Anyone with experience doing this? We want to spend time riding a few rides, but mainly taking in the parks and the sights.

This is how we normally tour, except for the rare early breakfast ADR (no more than one per trip). We really enjoy taking our time getting ready, having breakfast, etc. and on EMH nights you can usually get a lot done. The lights in the parks are great at night, especially Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and the "hub" in the MK. Plus, you've got the fireworks and nighttime shows that you are missing if you're leaving at 6-7pm. I would definitely recommend trying it!

ETA: I could not believe the number of people trying to get into MK at 9am on our one breakfast ADR this trip! The lines were packed, guest relations not only had a long line up by the ticket entrance, but also a 20 minute line down at the little round counter near security (where I had to wait since DS6 forgot his MB). It was insane and this was late Oct/early Nov, which is supposed to be a slow time. Give me nighttime EMH anyday over that.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

I could not believe the number of people trying to get into MK at 9am on our one breakfast ADR this trip! The lines were packed, guest relations not only had a long line up by the ticket entrance, but also a 20 minute line down at the little round counter near security (where I had to wait since DS6 forgot his MB). It was insane and this was late Oct/early Nov, which is supposed to be a slow time. Give me nighttime EMH anyday over that.

This is the main reason why a late night strategy works so well. More and more people are showing up to the parks early, making park opening one of the busiest times of the day. These guests do tend to get tired out at some point and leave well before closing time, leaving the evening as the very best time for multiple rerides on the headliners with little to no waits.

 

[megs1313]

We like to sleep in. That's just how we roll. I can't drag my kids out of bed before 10. *shrug*

We usually reach a park around 11 or noon. we hit our FP+s and do shows/stuff with short waits. We take a break for Linner around 4 or 5 and we head back in the evening. It's relaxed. It's fun. It's not that big of a deal.

 

[mrzrich]

The best park for late day arrival in my opinion is AK. For years we have heard..."You have to be on the Safari as close to Rope drop as possible." But we have also heard scores of people say "AK is a half day park". Well guess what? All those people arriving at rope drop and only staying for half a day are cleared out by 2pm. Look at wait times on the App after 3pm on most days. You will see the wait times dwindle as the night time approaches. This summer, when AK was open late. The place was a ghost town.

Now I must admit that when you come in October Pandora and Rivers of Light should be open. This will likely change my AK touring plan

 

[buzznina]

Our family are all night owls and love the parks especially MK better at night and we much rather close the park then open it Since we stay late and have little ones, we would never schedule an early morning if we are out late the night before. We let our DDs sleep until they wake up, usually around 9 and we are usually in the park around 11. We still want to get in our favorite rides so we do schedule the park days so we can use FP+, and like ckb_nc mentioned, FP+ has made this great for us.

 

[buzznina]

I want everyone to remember when people ask if RD is the best way to tour we all tell them "yes".

 

[memo10]

We almost always do evenings! Closing down MK is one of my favorite things ever!

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

I want everyone to remember when people ask if RD is the best way to tour we all tell them "yes".

Yes, and be sure to tell them to arrive at least 45 minutes before the gates open. That should wear them out.

 

[anniemae]

We are not rope droppers. We don't like to rush in the morning, feels too much like work/school days! We sleep until we wake up, get ready, grab breakfast (we even linger over coffee!! gasp!!), go back to the room to freshen up, and make our way to the parks. Rope droppers would probably pass out if they saw this!!