Help with HS Plan

[PlutoIsHerFav]

I was just able to book EMM for HS for our trip in August - yay! I'm trying to figure out our HS day now so I can adjust dining, etc.

• Our EMM/HS day is our resort switch day. We'll be moving to YC. Would it make most sense to drive to HS for EMM since we have to move our car anyhow? We'll be moving from CR.
• EMM will include breakfast and we'll eat it around 9:30-10. Our lunch reservation now doesn't make much sense. We are planning to do H&V seasonal dining for Fantasmic seating. Should we move this ADR to a later lunch, leave the park to check-in and get settled/swim, then return for Fantasmic? OR plan to leave HS around lunchtime and then return in the evening for dinner and stay for Fantasmic? OR not return to HS in the evening and do this on our last/open park day? We have Park Hopper tickets.

We have not done HS yet. My girls will be 3 & 7. I don't think HS will be a full day, but my husband I would like to do RnR, ToT and Star Tours. With the girls we'll do the DisJr show and some others - Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, etc and some meet and greets. I'm not sure how long to plan for all of this. By doing EMM we'll have all 3 FP available - suggestions on which to secure?

 

[chris benton]

Suggestions:
I'd drive to emm to avoid any hassle with Disney trans at that time in the am. Then, drive the car to YC when you take your break, and leave it there.

The emm breakfast is aycte. An early lunch (no idea what time yours is) doesn't make a lot of sense.

You might wanna bug out of EMM at 8:45am, and then head to rnr. You won't have to use a fp for it. Very real chance you'll be escorted to RNR before the rope drop crowd, or at the same time. You'll more than likely have no wait.

After RNR, this is where you have to use your bestest strategery. With August crowd levels, I'd assume that you should be able to walk onto TOT, which is right next door to RNR. After TOT, I'd head to the breakfast, keeping a very close eye on Star Tours wait time. You might be able to sneak it in BEFORE the breakfast. (These are extra time bonuses that come with doing EMM. You get at LEAST one walk on at 9am.) Star Tours is kinda low demand, so while everyone dashes to TSL, RNR, and TOT, it might be a ghost town at Star Tours.

I guess I'd start my first FP at 10am, and if you wanna do RNR and TOT more than once, plan the fp's accordingly. The shows don't really need FP's unless it's crazy crowded. You can probably secure fp's for the shows on the same day just to secure a spot, and avoid waiting standby.

As far as the F! dining. I'd try to get a ressie for the F! pkg just before you plan to leave for your break, but that's me. I'd guess that after pigging out at 9:30 am, my fam would be ready for a REAL meal at..2ish?
You'll get the preferred seating, but while you are taking your break, you can use MDE to grab another fp for whatever you'd like when you return to Hollyweird for F!. Conversely, you probably don't HAVE to do a pkg, because when you are taking your break, you can probably grab a fp for F!. I'd say if there's somewhere that you WANT to eat in DHS that has the F! pkg - might as well go for it. With the dining pkg, you can score a fp for when you return, but if you get everyone a FP for F!, you won't be able to get any more fp.

 

[PlutoIsHerFav]

Thank you, this is all extremely helpful!

The emm breakfast is aycte. An early lunch (no idea what time yours is) doesn't make a lot of sense.

Right now we have an ADR for 1:00, which we planned to leave the park after. I have a feeling by this time we'll still just need snacks and my kids will be exhausted after a super early morning of packing up for our resort switch and out the door to make EMM. I'm not sure it'd work to make it any later. Is there enough for us to do to last from EMM until a 2:00 ADR or so?

Does it logistically make sense to leave HS between 12-1 to get to the resort and be back for a 5 pm reservation? I think that's the latest time we can secure for the package. What time is Fantasmic typically?

After RNR, this is where you have to use your bestest strategery. With August crowd levels, I'd assume that you should be able to walk onto TOT, which is right next door to RNR. After TOT, I'd head to the breakfast, keeping a very close eye on Star Tours wait time. You might be able to sneak it in BEFORE the breakfast. (These are extra time bonuses that come with doing EMM. You get at LEAST one walk on at 9am.) Star Tours is kinda low demand, so while everyone dashes to TSL, RNR, and TOT, it might be a ghost town at Star Tours.

I guess I'd start my first FP at 10am, and if you wanna do RNR and TOT more than once, plan the fp's accordingly. The shows don't really need FP's unless it's crazy crowded. You can probably secure fp's for the shows on the same day just to secure a spot, and avoid waiting standby.

We'll have to do RS here, so is it more reasonable to expect that we could get just on one of these rides before breakfast - with both DH and I riding?

 

[chris benton]

I'm gonna be no help for rider swap - apologies.

If you are worried about tiring the fam out, and you don't see enough to do at DHS to have a later F! pkg before you leave, then maybe an earlier departure + a later F! pkg works better for you. August is gonna be HOT, too. Being in a pool is a good way to spend the hottest part of the day, imo. I can find plenty to do at DHS to fill up a day, but I really like that park, a lot of ppl see it as a half day park. I stay at the EP resorts because I like DHS and Ep so much. But, if you don't see that much your fam would enjoy, then maybe get your emm on, rock out what you want, and bug out early, then either:

Do a F! pkg as late as you can ( but try to score addl fp's while you are taking your break, so you have a fp waiting for you when you return)
or
Skip the F! Dining pkg and score F! fp's for the fam while you are on break, and just go back to DHS for F! and low demand stuff, like Muppets, watching a JEdi Training session (very funny,) Launch Bay (if anyone cares) Storm Trooper March - things like that
or
Have you considered the F! dessert pkg?

The good thing about F! is, that it's generally an earlier "nighttime spectacular." If the wdw site doesn't have the times out yet for whatever date you are eyeing, try to look at last year's times on their calendar.

 

[Nevada Jen]

You have 3 fastpasses to use and you don't need to FP anything in Toy Story Land. Why not FP F! and skip the meal package. I would also probably FP Star Tours for the whole family if your kids are tall enough (because why not) and maybe an extra ride after EMM on which ever toy story land ride your kids would like best in a slot right before F!. You should be able to hit RNR and TOT with no problem at rope drop. This leaves you free to go to YC as soon as you want and you can eat lunch there (or even off property somewhere cheap!). Then go back and ride pre F! ride and watch the show. Yes, by not using a Fastpass for F!, you may be able to secure a bunch more fastpasses throughout the day, but it doesn't seem like you really need them anyway. The day sounds stressful enough. You have a plan for the beginning, use a F! fastpass to plan the end and let the middle of the day unfold however it goes. And absolutely yes. Drive your car!

 

[PlutoIsHerFav]

You have 3 fastpasses to use and you don't need to FP anything in Toy Story Land. Why not FP F! and skip the meal package. I would also probably FP Star Tours for the whole family if your kids are tall enough (because why not) and maybe an extra ride after EMM on which ever toy story land ride your kids would like best in a slot right before F!. You should be able to hit RNR and TOT with no problem at rope drop. This leaves you free to go to YC as soon as you want and you can eat lunch there (or even off property somewhere cheap!). Then go back and ride pre F! ride and watch the show. Yes, by not using a Fastpass for F!, you may be able to secure a bunch more fastpasses throughout the day, but it doesn't seem like you really need them anyway. The day sounds stressful enough. You have a plan for the beginning, use a F! fastpass to plan the end and let the middle of the day unfold however it goes. And absolutely yes. Drive your car!

I have thought about the F! FP! However, my kids (once they find out we're going) will really want this meal. I'm using it as the carrot since I've decided to drop Chef Mickey in favor of Ohana or 1900 PF.

With having to do RS for ToT and RnR, I'm not sure we could rope drop them both and make it in time for breakfast. Any experience here to say otherwise? We definitely want as little stress as possible - the whole reason we're paying for EMM!

Okay, and we'll definitely drive from CR to HS to YC! I imagine it should help shave some time off vs the bus! Then we'll just take the boat back to HS from YC...