Help me decide -After Hours or not, with a teen!

[Jsharp13]

I am a horrible decision maker. The worst! I over analyze the pro's and con's until I'm blue in the face. Then I do it again.

Here is my scenario - please help!

Me (mom) and son (16 y.o.). We've been several times before. His favorite is Star Wars, and more thrilling rides. He is arriving from MCO around 4:45 pm on a Saturday. I'll already be there, so I'm getting to MCO and bring him back to the bubble with me. Plan to hit a part right from the airport (carry on backpack in locker).
We will have that late evening, all day Sunday, all day Monday, and a few hours Tuesday. Sunday and Tuesday are set. Here are the options:

Plan A
Saturday - hit Hollywood studios by maybe 6, 6:30 pm. Goal is only to hang in Galaxy's Edge. Park till 9, or get in line for a ride just before 9 pm.
Monday - back to HS, likely early morning until early afternoon. Back to hotel for a good break and rest. Then we'll head to Magic Kingdom for After Hours.
But, his goal in MK is really only: TRON, with repeats; 7 dwarfs, Space Mountain, and Haunted Mansion (for mom!).
I'm not sure if that is worth the cost of After Hours?

which leads to plan B

Plan B
Saturday - head right to Magic Kingdom, maybe 6, 6:30. This day, MK is open until 11. I will get LLSP for TRON, and LLMP for Space and Haunted. Maybe we'll see the Starlight parade, fireworks, do some shopping (but those aren't huge priorities). We can stay until 11 pm, and even hop in line for a ride just before closing. This would be our only MK time.
Monday - this day will fully be Hollywood studios. Again the focus is Star Wars, and add in thrill rides like Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster. We would possibly go early, take a mid day break, and return in the afternoon/evening. Or just get a later start like 12 or 1 pm, and stay till close. I have Oga's this day at 8:45 pm.

My son is a night owl, so After Hours is great. But not sure we'll get any more out of MK after hours than we would with an 11 pm close. He is leaning towards plan B.

Help!

 

[Jsharp13]

Forgot to add -
While I am not concerned about cost...
Plan A is clearly more. I am paying a full park day for just 2-3 hours in Hollywood Studios.
Then the cost of After Hours on Monday. I'm willing to pay that, but if I don't, I could redirect the money to something else.

 

[hardcorestitch]

Rookie mistake… going to a theme park the day you arrive… your son will be gassed from flying! I’d shift the first park day to Sunday full day at DHS if time or logistics permits in my opinion… perhaps give your son some time to rest on arrival day or just have a nice dinner at Disney Springs!

 

[2vets]

I vote for A, if the kiddo truly wants to do Tron on repeat and otherwise do DHS. I cannot overemphasize how amazing these events are, especially in MK. There are still lines for Tron and Dwarves, of course, but there is no comparison to a Saturday night with general admission, 11 pm close or not. I recommend hitting Tron during the special fireworks display, especially, which empties the lines quite a bit. From your notes, unless eating anything other than the included snacks or, say, Casey's (and I think the bakery?) is a priority, there is no other reason to visit MK, IMO. This will give you abundant remaining time for DHS and anything else you might do.

 

[Dug720]

You *can* stock up on soda and/or water during after hours to save some money on those later in the trip.

 

[georgina]

Rookie mistake… going to a theme park the day you arrive… your son will be gassed from flying! I’d shift the first park day to Sunday full day at DHS if time or logistics permits in my opinion… perhaps give your son some time to rest on arrival day or just have a nice dinner at Disney Springs!

He’s 16. I do after hours and holiday parties the day I fly in and I’m in my 60’s.

 

[scrappinginontario]

He’s 16. I do after hours and holiday parties the day I fly in and I’m in my 60’s.

Normally I might agree but with his flight arriving at 4:45 he likely was not up too early and will be excited to hit the parks!

I'd recommend following your Plan A! You have a shorter trip and you're making the most of it! Go for it!

 

[LuvOrlando]

I would totally do B to take advantage of the open until 11 hours if everyone is the sort who can stay up that late and enjoy it. I am not that person but some people are and if this is what your son is leaning towards I would let him lead. I would be inclined to listen to him in particular because he has limited interest in the park which could interfere with your fun and you could theoretically spend the earlier part of that day there on your own to get your full enjoyment before he even arrives.

 

[Marthasor]

I would probably do Plan B knowing there is always the possibility of a flight delay and your MK time could get cut short.

 

[winthropf]

What are you planning to do on Sunday?

 

[Jsharp13]

Thanks for the great tips on either plan!
Couple notes: the AH is the night before we leave (very late flight, no concerns about being up late), so the drink stock up doesn't help too much... we have done that at prior events though!
Sunday we have Epcot planned for the whole day, so no concerns either about getting up super early. I buy the LLMP and LLSP and can work that system fairly well to get the rides we need.
On Saturday, I would buy the LLMP and LLSP to ensure that he gets to walk on TRON, Seven Dwarfs, and Space at least once without issue. Maybe during fireworks he can hop on something else again with a lower wait. And, then hop in line just before 11 for one more ride. So, there's a decent chance we can hit Tron x 2, 7DMT x 2, Space x 1 or maybe 2.

 

[ghtx]

Plan A