Help with which park on which days please

[sharona]

4 people, 2 adults and 2 teens both 14

We will be there 4/18 - 4/23, Tuesday afternoon through Sunday (full day). That gives us 5 1/2 days. I am 99% sure we will rent a car on the last day to drive to Universal and spend the day there before heading directly to LAX for our red eye flight home. That leaves us Tuesday afternoon through Saturday for DL and DCA. We have 4 day non hopper tix and will likely add a 5th day since, other than USH, our plans are to stay in Anaheim. We will not want to sit out on arrival day on Tuesday as we'll be excited to start the fun! We will not have any MM or EE access.

Looking for input as to which park to hit on which days? Should we follow our usual WDW strategy and avoid the park that has EE if we're not planning/able to use it? It looks like, though no firm schedule, EE is expected on Tue, Thu and Sat at DL and Mon, Wed at DCA?

Note Saturday is Dapper Day and we definitely want to see that but is it a lot more crowded at DL? We also plan to see WOC and at least one parade and fireworks at DL.

Thanks for any tips/advice.

 

[Winnowill]

We'll be there sort of the same time (M-F). Since we have APs, we're going to be starting at whichever park does not have EE that day, and then hop as we want later. Typically, EE is M, W, F, and Sunday at DCA, and the day's that have a "T" in them (T, Th, Sat) at DL.

Note that every AP lower than Signature is blocked out that Saturday.

 

[goooof1]

You should seriously consider upgrading to hoppers as well. You can start at the park that does not have EMH or MM and then hop later as things get busy. The flexibility is really nice; if it gets too crowded in one park, hop to the other......or you decide to see a show/get a bite to eat, etc. you are not stuck in one park. The entrances are right across from each other, about a minute or two walk. The upgrade to hoppers is one price per ticket no matter how many days. You won't be sorry!

 

[dshimel]

I have not found any difference based on EE/MM at the parks after the first ride, and then only if right at the front of the rope for rope drop. Seriously. On non-early day, if at the gate an hour before park opening, among first through the gates, right on the rope waiting for opening, may be on Hyperspace 10 minutes after park opening by the time you walk to the ride and then through the queue, get grouped and then loaded. On an early entry day where there are already people in the park? Maybe add 5 minutes to that.

Arriving only half-hour before opening instead of a full hour, so that you are halfway down Main Street at opening instead of right on the rope has WAY more effect then it being an EE/MM day.... in my experience.

Maybe there is more of a difference if Peter Pan is going to be your first ride. For the youngest in your group being teens? Meh, I don't see it making a difference.

 

[SMD]

I think you'd get more out of 4 day hoppers than a 5th partial day without hopping.

 

[sharona]

If we decide to hop we'll add it at the time. With 4.5 days we really shouldn't need to spend the extra for hopping.