help with Park hopping in January- FP? Walk on predictions?

[JJsmama]

Hi, I am planning a January trip. We are almost always there in summer crowds. This is will Jan, but MLK weekend so I don't know what to expect.
Short trip this year so was thinking of hopping to DHS and AK each on an afternoon. We usually do rope drop then FP before things get crazy and break before dinner because of the summer heat. Will we be able to ride anything at second park without FP? If the wait is an hour, we would rather skip it.

I am trying to plan ADRs and wonder if it is even worth going to those two parks on this trip.

 

[JJsmama]

Forgot to add: Specifically TSMM and Safari and Kali. Any chance of a decent stand by line for those in Jan? I hate to use our FP for MK and Epcot those days on those instead..

 

[Missyrose]

Why not do DHS/AK in the morning without FP+ and then use your FP+ reservations in the afternoon/evening at MK and Epcot (when it's busier)?

 

[Accident]

any holiday weekend will be more crowded than another weekend so expect good sized crowds and plan around a crowded WDW. If you luck out, you just wait less for more things.

 

[pens4821]

We've been there in January/February and the waits for the big rides are around an hour. Toy Story (before third track) was always over an hour, Safari around an hour, Kali not sure as we haven't been on it and it was closed this year while we were there. Of course these times could vary, but I saw them around that more than not.

What I would do would be make sure you get to a park at rope drop (and if you could do AM EMH even better). Enjoy that park, then use your FP for the afternoon for another park.

 

[JJsmama]

Why not do DHS/AK in the morning without FP+ and then use your FP+ reservations in the afternoon/evening at MK and Epcot (when it's busier)?

What I would do would be make sure you get to a park at rope drop (and if you could do AM EMH even better). Enjoy that park, then use your FP for the afternoon for another park.

You are both right, but it is not what i wanted to hear. We LOVE our early mornings at MK and Epcot too much to give them over to DHS and AK which are both "just ok" parks for us. Maybe we will just skip them until a longer trip.

One more question: what about TSM during Fantasmic?

 

[Missyrose]

TSM has had a 45 minute wait time during the evening shows but many have reported waiting 15-25 minutes (if all three tracks are running).

 

[sharonabe]

We usually do rope drop then FP before things get crazy and break before dinner because of the summer heat.

You don't specify, so I'll just add that you will NOT need to take that break in January. You should be able to go from park open until park close without a break.

BUT if you need a little down time...

On your EP day, as noon nears, keep an eye on the ride time app and see what TSM looks like. If it's within your wait time parameters, take the boat from the back entrance to HS and do the few things you want to do there, then take the boat back. You get a rest break and get to do TSM.

AK is a little more difficult, but I'd be tempted to take the bus from MK around 2:00 or 3:00 and do the safari, maybe eat somewhere at AK or AKL, and then head back to MK. Again, it gives you a break, but you're getting things done.

Of course this all supposes you want to spend the money for the park hopper. You're really only getting a few rides in for that price, so it may not be worth it financially.

 

[JJsmama]

You don't specify, so I'll just add that you will NOT need to take that break in January. You should be able to go from park open until park close without a break.

BUT if you need a little down time...

On your EP day, as noon nears, keep an eye on the ride time app and see what TSM looks like. If it's within your wait time parameters, take the boat from the back entrance to HS and do the few things you want to do there, then take the boat back. You get a rest break and get to do TSM.

AK is a little more difficult, but I'd be tempted to take the bus from MK around 2:00 or 3:00 and do the safari, maybe eat somewhere at AK or AKL, and then head back to MK. Again, it gives you a break, but you're getting things done.

Of course this all supposes you want to spend the money for the park hopper. You're really only getting a few rides in for that price, so it may not be worth it financially.

I know it. It is a tough call on the PH. Right now i have them, and an ADR at Yak and Yeti, but I was trying to decipher what we would actually be able to Do there. My boys wont find out about the trip until Christmas and all the FP will be made long before that, so I cant even consult their opinions on it. In general, only middle son cares much about those two parks. Epcot is the favorite park of all of them and mine is MK.
It WILL be lovely to not need the afternoon break. SO looking forward to that! I think it is a good plan to do some morning stuff at Epcot and then just give DHS a shot. We all love the Muppets at least.

 

[pens4821]

You are both right, but it is not what i wanted to hear. We LOVE our early mornings at MK and Epcot too much to give them over to DHS and AK which are both "just ok" parks for us. Maybe we will just skip them until a longer trip.

One more question: what about TSM during Fantasmic?

If you like the AMs in those parks, I still think you could make it work. You could get quite a bit accomplished at each park, then use FP in the evening for the other park. If you wait to go to AK until evening, don't they say that the waits are much lower (i've never been in that park after about noon as we feel the same you do about it)? I would go to MK that morning, use FP for the longer rides in the afternoon and use the early low crowd time for the other rides with longer lines that you want to do. Then, go to AK a couple hours before it closes to ride a couple rides (for us it'd be Everest, Safari, and Dinosaur).

As for the other day, go to Epcot early, ride a couple of the big ones first thing (we would do TT then Soarin as we don't care about the new Frozen ride), then you could mix in the other rides. Enjoy your day there, then make your 3 FP's for HS starting in the late afternoon/early evening.

The only thing with that is trying to mix in night time shows if they interest you.

 

[JJsmama]

If you like the AMs in those parks, I still think you could make it work. You could get quite a bit accomplished at each park, then use FP in the evening for the other park. If you wait to go to AK until evening, don't they say that the waits are much lower (i've never been in that park after about noon as we feel the same you do about it)? I would go to MK that morning, use FP for the longer rides in the afternoon and use the early low crowd time for the other rides with longer lines that you want to do. Then, go to AK a couple hours before it closes to ride a couple rides (for us it'd be Everest, Safari, and Dinosaur).

As for the other day, go to Epcot early, ride a couple of the big ones first thing (we would do TT then Soarin as we don't care about the new Frozen ride), then you could mix in the other rides. Enjoy your day there, then make your 3 FP's for HS starting in the late afternoon/early evening.

The only thing with that is trying to mix in night time shows if they interest you.

This sounds like what we will probably do. One question i have for myself is the timing of going to DHS after Epcot.
Both Epcot mornings i have PPO AdRs at Garden Grill. (We love Gg!) so we plan to eat then be at Soarin for park opening, ride that, then go to TT.
After that, i have options since most of the other epcot things are walk on in the mornings- even in summer. We Could FP TT for another ride later. it is all my sons' favorite. OR do our morning there and have FP for DHS a couple hours later, then back to Epcot. Dont know when we will get on Frozen, but they only want to that to make fun of it anyway... (Remember, 3 sons) That is probably what we will do on the epcot/ dhs day.
On AK day, we will probably just take our chances on being able to ride anything, have dinner and see the animals if not. We don't care much for shows in general (BTDT) except the live animals shows like Flights if Wonder. love Kali, so we might get lucky with that in January.

 

[ssmurphy28]

We went the last two weeks of January in 2015! We did AK on three afternoons and had really good success. At the end of one Thursday afternoon, we basically walked on Kilimanjaro Safari three times in a row just before the park closed. Thins may be different when or if they start night time entertainment at AK, but we did have good success late in the afternoon at AK.