Good Friday - Crazy Idea for First Timer?

[JJ2017]

We are finding ourselves with one possible day to visit DL/DCA - Good Friday. I was there last summer solo and got a good handle on the lay of the land/Maxpass, etc. But hubby and kids have not been. We have been to WDW many times and with heavy crowds, but not Spring Break/Xmas type crowds. Would it not be a great idea to try the parks on Good Friday? We'd be at an offsite hotel the night before and night of.

Will Indiana Jones and Snow White be under refurbishment at this time of year? Any other headliners?

After watching Imagineering Story with my son (9), he is dying to go!

 

[VandVsmama]

Good Friday will be busy for sure and if you can figure out a way to add a 2nd day, you should consider it. But if all you have is one day, there are a few things you should consider in order to maximize your potential for fun and minimize the potential for standing for hours in long lines. Here's some food for thought:

• Be there when the park first opens. This does not mean pulling into the parking lot at 8 am (for an 8 am park opening). If the park opens at 8 am (which it probably will on a day like Good Friday), then the parking lots will open 90 minutes before that. If your hotel is within walking distance, get to security by 7:15 am.
• Spend the extra $15/person for Max Pass, especially since you'll only be there for one day. There are some sticky threads here on this board that describe how it works.
• Pick Fantasyland or Tomorrowland to go to first. Personally, I'd pick Fantasyland because those are all mostly slow loader rides, meaning that as they day goes on, the lines get longer, the waits get longer.
• Plan on skipping Peter Pan entirely.
• 1 hour after regular park opening (so it'll be 9:00 am), go to Toon Town. Walk straight to Mickey's house and take photos with him with no wait. Then go on Roger Rabbit.
• For your 1st FP using Max Pass, pick something in Tomorrowland...Space Mtn or Star Tours. Maybe consider Space Mtn first because that's a slightly more popular FP ride than Star Tours, so its FP return windows quickly end up being later and later in the day.
• When you select your FP using Max Pass, the app will tell you at what time you can get a FP for another ride. Set an alarm on your phone for that time. Then when the alarm goes off, go on the app to pick a FP for the next ride you want. Lather, rinse, repeat throughout the rest of the day.
• Use busiest part of the day (often mid-afternoon) to go see shows, explore Tom Sawyer's Island, ride the sailing ship & the Mark Twain river boat, etc.
• Decide if you're just doing Disneyland or if you're doing park hopper tickets that day.
• Consider doing a dining package so you can see Fantasmic in a reserved section up close. Most expensive one is Blue Bayou. Might be worth it if you're already planning on eating there, but it is rather pricey. Cheapest option is Hungry Bear. By the way, on the Hungry Bear package, you CAN select from the regular menu in case your son doesn't like any of the dining package options there. Seated viewing is not guaranteed in the Hungry Bear section, but people here have reported that Hungry Bear viewing is often seated.
• Expect that starting around 5 pm on Friday, the parks will probably seem busier than the morning. This is because locals with APs will be going to DL after work. Target to get your "must do" rides finished by about 2:00 pm.

 

[Becca1007]

Buy Hoppers and MaxPass and make a list of the rides that are DL exclusive and hit those first.

 

[JJ2017]

Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!

 

[JJ2017]

Can you please confirm what rides will not be available during this time of year? I see Indiana Jones and Snow White (bummer....two rides that we cannot do in WDW). Any others?