How possible is this 4th FP+?

[jawa7400]

I'm planning to do a HS/AK day during our trip in June. We have kids (5 and 3) and so I'm trying to make the best use of FP+s to avoid long lines. Which one seems more feasible? I've never used the 4th FP from the kiosk before so I'm not sure how possible my plans are.

Option 1:
HS in the morning and use all 3 advanced FPs
AK in the evening (probably return around 5pm after kids nap-RoL will be running then and park will be open later) Pick up 4th FP for KS.

Option 2:
AK in the morning to use all 3 FPs
HS after nap and pick up 4th FP for TSMM

There are no ADRs that day to schedule around so I'm hoping that flexibility helps. We are staying at BWV so we would probably get to HS quicker after nap than we would AK.

Thanks for your input!

 

[soniam]

You won't be able to get a 4th FP for TSMM. It's not just highly unlikely; it's really unheard of. We have successfully gotten 4th+ FP+ at AK in the early afternoon for Safari, with some stalking. I got an FP+ for one thing and switched it out after watching MDX for a while. Before ROL, I would say you could do a lot without FP+ in the late afternoon at AK. However, ROL will change everything. I would still do AK as the second park. TSMM gets way worse waits than Safari. It might mean that you have to wait 30 minutes for Safari, but it's better than waiting 100 minutes for TSMM.

 

[soniam]

You won't be able to get a 4th FP for TSMM. It's not just highly unlikely; it's really unheard of. We have successfully gotten 4th+ FP+ at AK in the early afternoon for Safari, with some stalking. I got an FP+ for one thing and switched it out after watching MDX for a while. Before ROL, I would say you could do a lot without FP+ in the late afternoon at AK. However, ROL will change everything. I would still do AK as the second park. TSMM gets way worse waits than Safari. It might mean that you have to wait 30 minutes for Safari, but it's better than waiting 100 minutes for TSMM.

Actually, there is one scenario where you might be able to do TSMM at night without an FP+. Currently, when DHS runs the Star Wars or Frozen Summer Fun fireworks, they close TSMM early. Supposedly, the wait goes down a lot before it's supposed to close, especially if it doesn't close as early as scheduled. However, this would require staying up until close to park close. It would also require that they are running the fireworks. The Star Wars fireworks are scheduled through 3/19 (dessert party is scheduled on the web at least), but it's not known if they will continue after that. It is also not known if Frozen Summer Fun will return next summer. A lot of ifs unfortunately.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

My kids love Toy Story so we ride it as many times as possible during our June visits. It's very unlikely to get it as a 4th FP, but the actual wait times do decrease significantly during the last hour of operation. Just keep in mind that the posted wait won't decrease and they do use the "line stacking" illusion to make the attraction appear much more crowded than it really is.

As mentioned, it's common to be able to ride about 3 times in a half hour on a fireworks night. We can also often ride 4 times in an hour on a non fireworks night during the early presentation of Fantasmic.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

The animals are more awake and doing things in the morning so I would do AK first.

 

[subtchr]

How about Option 3?

AK in the morning - KS at rope drop, then whatever else you want to do.

HS after naps with pre-reserved FP, including TSMM.

 

[Paigesmom2013]

Question about "line stacking" at night...does the MDE app give you the actual time or the inflated time?

 

[subtchr]

Question about "line stacking" at night...does the MDE app give you the actual time or the inflated time?

The MDE app shows the wait time that is displayed at the ride, so inflated.

 

[ariane37]

I'm planning to do a HS/AK day during our trip in June. We have kids (5 and 3) and so I'm trying to make the best use of FP+s to avoid long lines. Which one seems more feasible? I've never used the 4th FP from the kiosk before so I'm not sure how possible my plans are.

Option 1:
HS in the morning and use all 3 advanced FPs
AK in the evening (probably return around 5pm after kids nap-RoL will be running then and park will be open later) Pick up 4th FP for KS.

Option 2:
AK in the morning to use all 3 FPs
HS after nap and pick up 4th FP for TSMM

There are no ADRs that day to schedule around so I'm hoping that flexibility helps. We are staying at BWV so we would probably get to HS quicker after nap than we would AK.

Thanks for your input!

How about Option 3?

AK in the morning - KS at rope drop, then whatever else you want to do.

HS after naps with pre-reserved FP, including TSMM.

I'm going to say go with subtchr's suggestion, as this is what we've done many times. Really you don't need FP's in the morning at AK if you're there for RD; it's true (at least in our experience) the animals are quite active in the morning so it's a good time to do the safari, and you should be able to do Kali w/o (long) wait. FP's are definitely more important for HS, especially if you're looking to do TSMM.

I realize this doesn't put you at AK for ROL........hopefully if that's something you want to do there's another night you can fit it in My 2nd suggestion would be your option 1.

 

[jade1]

Agree about at night using FP+. We can do pretty much all of AK by noon or one if there at rope drop. Then have DHS set for that evening.

Makes no sense to use AK AM FP+ when lines are walk on anyway (head right to Safari IMO)-but saving over an hour EACH at TSM/TOT/S Tours that night does, and you still get Fantasmic and Star Wars fireworks as well.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Question about "line stacking" at night...does the MDE app give you the actual time or the inflated time?

the MDE app shows the posted wait time.

Line stacking works very well at Toy Story as you can't see the queue from outside. They close of almost all of the waiting area and riders go directly to the spot where you pick up the 3D glasses. Even a very short line will spill outside to the courtyard. This plus a posted 70 minute wait time (when the actual wait is only 10-15) is an intentional deterrent to potential riders.

However, if you know this trick you can ride multiple times with the shortest actual waits of the day. There's no way that this could be accomplished in the morning.

 

[jawa7400]

the MDE app shows the posted wait time.

Line stacking works very well at Toy Story as you can't see the queue from outside. They close of almost all of the waiting area and riders go directly to the spot where you pick up the 3D glasses. Even a very short line will spill outside to the courtyard. This plus a posted 70 minute wait time (when the actual wait is only 10-15) is an intentional deterrent to potential riders.

However, if you know this trick you can ride multiple times with the shortest actual waits of the day. There's no way that this could be accomplished in the morning.

So what time does this generally happen? I don't want to assume a short wait and really be in line an hour.

 

[jawa7400]

Agree about at night using FP+. We can do pretty much all of AK by noon or one if there at rope drop. Then have DHS set for that evening.

Makes no sense to use AK AM FP+ when lines are walk on anyway (head right to Safari IMO)-but saving over an hour EACH at TSM/TOT/S Tours that night does, and you still get Fantasmic and Star Wars fireworks as well.

I'm definitely leaning toward this option. KS would be our first stop definitely.

 

[soniam]

So what time does this generally happen? I don't want to assume a short wait and really be in line an hour.

About an hour before park close or ride close if there are fireworks. It's usually during one of the shows, ie Fantasmic and/or fireworks.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

So what time does this generally happen? I don't want to assume a short wait and really be in line an hour.

About an hour before close if Fantasmic is underway. Your best bet is to ask the gate attendant if the posted wait is accurate. They'll tell you.

In June, the park is generally open until 10 pm with Fantasmic at 9 & 10:30. We head to Toy Story around 9 and can often ride 3-4 times. The final ride is usually over by 10:15 which gives us plenty of time to head to the late show.

 

[Rylie Grite]

I agree with subtchr - good plan.