How do you strategize FP when you expect park hours to change?

[Jkpark]

We are heading to WDW January 1-5. Everything I have read, including calendars from January 2018, tells me the park hours will be extended. MK, AK and HS are all 9-8 during our trip right now. Is there a strategy I should follow if this doesn't happen before my 60 day FP booking window?

I am also trying to work through the harder rides (FOP, SDD, 7DMT), as it is during a busy period and we will have only 60+4. If I don't secure those from the start, then do I just wait to book all FP when the hours are announced so I have the most flexibility getting those rides during the later hours? As long as it happens before the 30 day window opens for people?

I'm stressing more than I usually do. We are travelling with my two sisters. One has a 5 year old and we don't know if she likes thrill rides yet. My older sister has a teenager who is "past" all the little kid stuff - and my girls are in the middle - they like it all. I'm trying to come up with our plan and the uncertainty on park hours isn't helping Any advice is appreciated.

 

[PSUGuy]

No advice here but I will say I got our plans messed up last Nov with this issue. I made plans for our party of 11, wifey and I at Board Walk the others rented a villa with pool off site. The morning of our 2nd trip to MK I was having a coffee on the boards, reviewing our FP choices when I saw that Disney added an hour to the morning, opening at 8, not 9. My FP choices were predicated onus getting to RD and walking on Space Mtn, Buzz and People Mover before using the FP' for Mine Ride, Pirates and Spl Mtn. No way was that crew of 4 adults and 5 kids, aged 5 to 15, gonna make rd even if I could reach them by phone or text. They notorious for missing or ignoring both. So.. we had to wing it for the walk-ons until our FP windows opened. The only fun thing is that I joined them on Astro Orbiter for the first time in more than 10 years.

Bill From PA

 

[Klayfish]

We are heading to WDW January 1-5. Everything I have read, including calendars from January 2018, tells me the park hours will be extended. MK, AK and HS are all 9-8 during our trip right now. Is there a strategy I should follow if this doesn't happen before my 60 day FP booking window?

I am also trying to work through the harder rides (FOP, SDD, 7DMT), as it is during a busy period and we will have only 60+4. If I don't secure those from the start, then do I just wait to book all FP when the hours are announced so I have the most flexibility getting those rides during the later hours? As long as it happens before the 30 day window opens for people?

I'm stressing more than I usually do. We are travelling with my two sisters. One has a 5 year old and we don't know if she likes thrill rides yet. My older sister has a teenager who is "past" all the little kid stuff - and my girls are in the middle - they like it all. I'm trying to come up with our plan and the uncertainty on park hours isn't helping Any advice is appreciated.

First, don't stress, you'll be fine. My suggestion would be to book for existing hours and then you can modify them to the later hours if they extend. If you wait for FoP, SDD and 7DMT you won't get one...until day of (which may be hard for FoP and SDD...but is easy for 7DMT).

 

[kniquy]

Is there a strategy I should follow if this doesn't happen before my 60 day FP booking window?

The park hours will change minimally so they should not significantly impact your FP selection. You can get an idea of that they might be by looking at past park hours to get an idea. If you can RD then you can get quite a bit done in that first hour the park is open. With that then maybe start your FP for later morning. So even if the park opens earlier than expected you will still have your FP to use. Park hours might extend to be open later, so if anything it will just give you a little more time in the park.

I am also trying to work through the harder rides (FOP, SDD, 7DMT), as it is during a busy period and we will have only 60+4. If I don't secure those from the start, then do I just wait to book all FP when the hours are announced so I have the most flexibility getting those rides during the later hours?

Do not wait to book your FP. Having only 60+4 to work with I would put your highest priority ride at the 60+4 day. The minute your FP window (at 7am) hop on the compute and work through those 3 hard to get FP first again in order of preference. Book FP for late morning so that you can RD hit what you can and then use your FP for late morning/early afternoon. This frees you up to leave the park for a break and to book a 4th FP for later (either at the same park or a different park if you have hoppers). If you put your FP selections for later in the evening then you will be limited to only 3FP.

I am going at a slow time (week after thanksgiving) and was not able to secure any of those rides -- I'm not sure why I had an issue this trip as a previous trip in April (predicted higher crowds) we had no problems getting FOP or 7DMT. I understand the issue i had with 7DMT as it is at MK and MK has MVMCP most nights of my trip leading to shorted park hours. At any rate, book what you can as soon as you can. After that breath and then you can tweak your times without loosing your FP. I made mine yesterday and have already been tweaking the times.

 

[rwdavis2]

I would not normally make FP reservations during either an extra hour in the morning or later hours in the evening. We always make them from late morning to early evening when parks are always open.

 

[gharter]

All you can do is book for the current hours. If the park has opened earlier the past few years, then it is scheduled to this time, you might move your FPs to a little earlier than you normally would. Or leave them do RD and then ride what yo ucan until the FPs come up.

 

[WiscMomof2]

No advice here but I will say I got our plans messed up last Nov with this issue. I made plans for our party of 11, wifey and I at Board Walk the others rented a villa with pool off site. The morning of our 2nd trip to MK I was having a coffee on the boards, reviewing our FP choices when I saw that Disney added an hour to the morning, opening at 8, not 9. My FP choices were predicated onus getting to RD and walking on Space Mtn, Buzz and People Mover before using the FP' for Mine Ride, Pirates and Spl Mtn. No way was that crew of 4 adults and 5 kids, aged 5 to 15, gonna make rd even if I could reach them by phone or text. They notorious for missing or ignoring both. So.. we had to wing it for the walk-ons until our FP windows opened. The only fun thing is that I joined them on Astro Orbiter for the first time in more than 10 years.

Bill From PA

MK park hours went from 9AM to 8AM during your trip? I wonder if last minute changes like this fairly common? It would be nice to have a little advance notice for planning purposes.

 

[Alesia]

I book my fastpasses for 10-11, 11-12, and 12-1 regardless of park hours

 

[Babs1975]

I wouldn't plan on getting FOP at 60+4. 60+5 seems to be the sweet spot. But you might. Or it might come up later. Just expect it to not be there at 60+4 so you're not disappointed.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

An extra hour in the morning or at night won’t change our FP. Those extra hours usually have lower crowds, especially the morning.

 

[Gehrig1B]

We always fast pass mid day when crowds are greatest so a change in opening and closing really doesn't affect our FP+ decisions. FP+ #1 is scheduled for around 10:00 am and the others to follow back to back.

 

[PSUGuy]

MK park hours went from 9AM to 8AM during your trip? I wonder if last minute changes like this fairly common? It would be nice to have a little advance notice for planning purposes.

Not sure exactly when the change was made. It was after the 60 day mark because all was well when I made our FP+ choices so it could have been 59 days out. I did ask here if there was a time when the hours were set in stone and several DISers told me that it could change the day before.

Bill From PA

 

[GeneralTso]

I never even know what the park hours actually are until we get there! I make FP the moment it opens up (4am my time!!) and start with the furthest day out and work back. I get all the hard ones, no problem. I read about all the angst of not getting FOP especially and that has not been my experience. Don't worry about it, it'll all work out. Just book right when it opens. Seems like folks are headed back from vacation after NY, so you might have higher chance of booking stuff.

 

[fla4fun]

We always fast pass mid day when crowds are greatest so a change in opening and closing really doesn't affect our FP+ decisions. FP+ #1 is scheduled for around 10:00 am and the others to follow back to back.

I am very similar, although I usually start about 11:00 or so with my first FP. That way, I have the flexibility to hit the park earlier if I want, or if I've had a late night the day before, I can sleep in and don't have to rush. I know a lot of people do them early in the day, hoping to pick up more FP later, but if I book my Must See FP for my first 3, I can usually still get more FP if I want them. I would not let a change in open/close time affect when I book my FP.

 

[georgina]

We are heading to WDW January 1-5. Everything I have read, including calendars from January 2018, tells me the park hours will be extended. MK, AK and HS are all 9-8 during our trip right now. Is there a strategy I should follow if this doesn't happen before my 60 day FP booking window?

I am also trying to work through the harder rides (FOP, SDD, 7DMT), as it is during a busy period and we will have only 60+4. If I don't secure those from the start, then do I just wait to book all FP when the hours are announced so I have the most flexibility getting those rides during the later hours? As long as it happens before the 30 day window opens for people?

Don't stress, just book 3 FP as you normally would. If you are unable to get the popular FP you mentioned, then keep an eye on the hours. It takes a day (sometimes 2) for more FP to become available after hours are extended. Then you go in and modify one of your other FP to the one you really want!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

We are heading to WDW January 1-5. Everything I have read, including calendars from January 2018, tells me the park hours will be extended. MK, AK and HS are all 9-8 during our trip right now. Is there a strategy I should follow if this doesn't happen before my 60 day FP booking window?

I am also trying to work through the harder rides (FOP, SDD, 7DMT), as it is during a busy period and we will have only 60+4. If I don't secure those from the start, then do I just wait to book all FP when the hours are announced so I have the most flexibility getting those rides during the later hours? As long as it happens before the 30 day window opens for people?

I'm stressing more than I usually do. We are travelling with my two sisters. One has a 5 year old and we don't know if she likes thrill rides yet. My older sister has a teenager who is "past" all the little kid stuff - and my girls are in the middle - they like it all. I'm trying to come up with our plan and the uncertainty on park hours isn't helping Any advice is appreciated.

I used to stress terribly about the park hours.

I definitely get up early and am ready to book at the 60 day period at the time FP opens. I also start with the most important to me rides. For Example if SDD is extremely important to you I would attempt to book that FP+ first. Then switch dates to book the FOP FP and then switch dates again to book 7DMT. And take the first times you can get for each attraction.
Then you can go back and fill in with remaining attractions.

I will say I was booking for 60+4 this trip I just got back from. SDD was not available at any time during any day of my trip.
So I quickly gave up on that one and hurried to FOP which I was able to get on the 3rd day of my trip (thankfully because I had the Caring for Giants tour that day and wanted to be in AK all day on that one particular day). Then switched dates to look for Frozen and was able to get that and finally switched days to look for 7DMT and was able to get that the morning I was flying home and going to be in MK that morning. 7DMT had more availability than the others.

I also had decent luck while in MK and AK for getting some same day FP after I used my 3 up. Epcot didn't have any good ones left after I'd used my first 3 and I was able to get into the Moonlight Magic Event so I knew I could ride SDD then - which I ended up not riding that night anyways since I was having too much fun meeting rare characters.

I also start my FP+ times at 10am. That way if I'm running late to a park which happens often, I'm not stressing about missing my FP. And if I get there early, that's ok because ride lines will be shorter and I get a few rides in before my FP starts.

If you really want to ride SDD - get up early and get to DHS a half hour (even better 45 minutes before) the park opens and head right back there for a minimum wait. Or you could wait until an hour before the park closes and go back there to ride it but then you would miss the Star Wars spectacular which most people want to see.

I hope this helps you some. It's no fun planning when it stresses you out. Good luck!