How to visit in the evenings

[Keyser]

[This is a version of another post I made, but I think I worded it poorly. So, I'll try again...]

I'm wondering how other people handle their evenings now. Let me explain...

We have been to WDW a few times, but found we really liked the old "Tour Guide Mike" approach, and used it on our last 3 trips. Basically, we'd be there at rope drop, stay until early afternoon, head back to the hotel, then return for the evening. For us, "evening" was usually 2-3 rides that we could use Fastpass for and dinner, with a show (Fantasmic/Illuminations/MSEP+Wishes) on some (not all) nights. It was all very relaxing and fun - even if there were crowds, we never waited in lines in the evening (except for staking out a spot for MSEP and Wishes) and were able to see everything we most wanted.

However, this will be our first time to go with FP+ in place, we're coming up on our 60 day window soon, and I'm wondering how other people who followed that old approach have adapted to the new system. I know how FP+ works - I'm looking for advice from others as to how you've adapted to the new reality - is it possible to follow the old "style" without using all your FP+s on nighttime rides/events?

Do the evenings (we will be going in a busy time in July) tend to be so crowded that the only way to ride anything is with a FP+? Or do the rides tend to clear out, enough that we can ride something (headliners? mid-popularity? anything?) without much wait/lines? Should I save most/all of my passes for the evening, so that I'll have them, or am I likely to find a few good (though maybe not "headliner" rides to do in the evening with little/no wait? Any help here would be appreciated...

 

[Slapshot1188]

I always use my FPs for nights. I know that if I used them first thing, I could book a 4th or 5th fastpass once they expire but on the days I go there is never anything good available.

So I get to the park early (either EMH or RD), stay until the park gets crowded... head back to the hotel.. and head to my night park with 3 FPs in hand (or wrist...)

 

[Parker Clan]

We do the same thing as you and RD, break in afternoon, then back to the parks at night. We go in August so it's not as crowded. But what we do is a mix of some FP in the morning and some in the evening.
We try to do a handful of rides at night if we've used our FP in the morning. Depending on the park (and the weather) you can get a lot done.
For example, at HS one night it was rainy and we rode ToT with no wait twice in a row.
At MK during Wishes we rode BTMR with barely a wait. Haunted Mansion as well.

 

[Slapshot1188]

One other note- We like to parkhop so you cannot currently split your FPs between parks

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

We've always found the evening hours to be much more efficient for touring than the morning. More and more guests are arriving early and they will eventually tire out and leave early. Here's just an example of what we've been able to accomplish on a recent summer evening from 8 pm - midnight with no FP+. Just keep in mind that posted wait times are intentionally inflated at night to discourage riders.

Big Thunder 3x
Splash Mtn 2x
Space Mtn 2x
Mine Train (10 min wait right a closing time)
Pirates
Jungle Cruise
Haunted Mansion
Pooh
Peter Pan
Speedway
Barnstormer 2x

We also watched the parade and fireworks and had a couple of Dole Whips.

 

[CAS239]

I've never heard of tour guide mike..but we do what you said every time we go.

We go as close to rope drop as we can. Ride whatever we want, then we drive back to the hotel around 1pm to relax and eat. Then we head back to the park in the afternoon around 3-4ish and have FP's already set up. And we tend to stay until park close. Closer you can make it to closing time, the lower the wait times get

It's a lot busier in the afternoon than it is in the morning so the FP's later in the day are a lot more beneficial.

 

[cassie58]

I think your old approach will work fine- we still use it now. If you do RD (or morning EMH) you will get a lot done in those first few hrs. before it gets more crowded and hot. Make your FP for late morning and/or early evening after your break. Evenings are always a toss up - if the parks are open late, sometimes it will get less crowded after Wishes and the parade, as that is the end of the day for some people, especially with younger kids. We have had nights where we could do several rides once 11:00 hit. But it is a toss up, depending on crowds and park closing time. You cannot figure on an empty park, but with the app, you can try and make a 4th or 5th FP once your 1st three are done. It also lists wait times, so you can know what direction to head to do the shorter wait attractions. Lines also tends to be shorter during fireworks and parades, so if you don't want to see them, you could hit some rides during that time.
When you make FP, you will want to get the Seven Dwarves Mine Train, Space Mtn., and Peter Pan as the rides that have the longest waits all day. Or you can plan to do some of those at RD, and FP Splash or Big Thunder Mtn. Others that you might want to get later in the day, or if you split them over two days, would be Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and Buzz. We usually have 2 days at MK, so we split our 6 faves into our 3 FP, and then try and go early to get several things done, and if we end up getting some of those done, we can try and switch for other FP. As long as you go early, have FP, and have a plan for your day, you will do great!

 

[mshanson3121]

We've always found the evening hours to be much more efficient for touring than the morning. More and more guests are arriving early and they will eventually tire out and leave early. Here's just an example of what we've been able to accomplish on a recent summer evening from 8 pm - midnight with no FP+. Just keep in mind that posted wait times are intentionally inflated at night to discourage riders.

Big Thunder 3x
Splash Mtn 2x
Space Mtn 2x
Mine Train (10 min wait right a closing time)
Pirates
Jungle Cruise
Haunted Mansion
Pooh
Peter Pan
Speedway
Barnstormer 2x

We also watched the parade and fireworks and had a couple of Dole Whips.

Holy cow! When was this? What were the crowd levels like, and how long did you wait? We're considering an evening approach ourselves next time. Going from like 6-close at AK, HS and MK. That way we have our day to sleep in and relax in the pool.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Holy cow! When was this? What were the crowd levels like, and how long did you wait? We're considering an evening approach ourselves next time. Going from like 6-close at AK, HS and MK. That way we have our day to sleep in and relax in the pool.

This visit happened to be early last June but we've had several visits with this type of result over the past couple of years. It was a crowd level 8 EMH morning. We hopped to MK about 8 pm and found bumper to bumper traffic leaving the park when we arrived.

We prefer to arrive at our 1st park of the day around 10:30 - 11 am then stay out until the last park closes. My kids like to hit the headliners multiple times each visit and the best time to do this is at night.

 

[mshanson3121]

This visit happened to be early last June but we've had several visits with this type of result over the past couple of years. It was a crowd level 8 EMH morning. We hopped to MK about 8 pm and found bumper to bumper traffic leaving the park when we arrived.

We prefer to arrive at our 1st park of the day around 10:30 - 11 am then stay out until the last park closes. My kids like to hit the headliners multiple times each visit and the best time to do this is at night.

That's really good to know, our tentative dates next year are June 12-24. I wish we could do 11 to close, but it would kill the kids (and DH, lol). But, we'd really like to focus more on evenings. We found them much more enjoyable to the blazing heat of afternoon

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

That's really good to know, our tentative dates next year are June 12-24. I wish we could do 11 to close, but it would kill the kids (and DH, lol). But, we'd really like to focus more on evenings. We found them much more enjoyable to the blazing heat of afternoon

Have fun. We're going to Disneyland this summer June 4-11 but I hear their parks stay a little more crowded later into the evening.

Your kids may surprise you while on vacation. My fondest Disney memory is chasing my then 3-year old daughter back to the entrance of Space Mountain moments before midnight with her screaming "one more time Daddy" all the way. We were about 3 hours past her normal bed time but that didn't slow her down at all.

 

[VACamm]

We've always found the evening hours to be much more efficient for touring than the morning. More and more guests are arriving early and they will eventually tire out and leave early. Here's just an example of what we've been able to accomplish on a recent summer evening from 8 pm - midnight with no FP+. Just keep in mind that posted wait times are intentionally inflated at night to discourage riders.

Big Thunder 3x
Splash Mtn 2x
Space Mtn 2x
Mine Train (10 min wait right a closing time)
Pirates
Jungle Cruise
Haunted Mansion
Pooh
Peter Pan
Speedway
Barnstormer 2x

We also watched the parade and fireworks and had a couple of Dole Whips.

This is very impressive!!

 

[disneyseniors]

[This is a version of another post I made, but I think I worded it poorly. So, I'll try again...]

I'm wondering how other people handle their evenings now. Let me explain...

We have been to WDW a few times, but found we really liked the old "Tour Guide Mike" approach, and used it on our last 3 trips. Basically, we'd be there at rope drop, stay until early afternoon, head back to the hotel, then return for the evening. For us, "evening" was usually 2-3 rides that we could use Fastpass for and dinner, with a show (Fantasmic/Illuminations/MSEP+Wishes) on some (not all) nights. It was all very relaxing and fun - even if there were crowds, we never waited in lines in the evening (except for staking out a spot for MSEP and Wishes) and were able to see everything we most wanted.

However, this will be our first time to go with FP+ in place, we're coming up on our 60 day window soon, and I'm wondering how other people who followed that old approach have adapted to the new system. I know how FP+ works - I'm looking for advice from others as to how you've adapted to the new reality - is it possible to follow the old "style" without using all your FP+s on nighttime rides/events?

Do the evenings (we will be going in a busy time in July) tend to be so crowded that the only way to ride anything is with a FP+? Or do the rides tend to clear out, enough that we can ride something (headliners? mid-popularity? anything?) without much wait/lines? Should I save most/all of my passes for the evening, so that I'll have them, or am I likely to find a few good (though maybe not "headliner" rides to do in the evening with little/no wait? Any help here would be appreciated...

Dear OP: We do the same plan, and YES, it is possible to use your 3 fp's in the am park of your choice, then get another or so at another park. We always get park hoppers and go to the designated park for the day at rope drop, stay til after lunch, then back to the resort to rest and recharge. Then, we pick out where we want to go at that time. Sometimes it's to Disney springs, most times it is to another park we are interested in. We don't bother with fast passes at the 2nd park of the day. But that is just us. We wait in line if we really want to do something then. The reason why is that we already have that park picked for another morning with fast passes for our must do attractions.
We love the being free to pick where we want to go in the evening, and honestly, not going for more fp's doesn't bother us or change our plans at all. Good luck!

 

[MainMom]

We've always found the evening hours to be much more efficient for touring than the morning. More and more guests are arriving early and they will eventually tire out and leave early. Here's just an example of what we've been able to accomplish on a recent summer evening from 8 pm - midnight with no FP+. Just keep in mind that posted wait times are intentionally inflated at night to discourage riders.

Big Thunder 3x
Splash Mtn 2x
Space Mtn 2x
Mine Train (10 min wait right a closing time)
Pirates
Jungle Cruise
Haunted Mansion
Pooh
Peter Pan
Speedway
Barnstormer 2x

We also watched the parade and fireworks and had a couple of Dole Whips.

Very interesting. We are going the beginning of June. If they expand park hours I would like to try this. I take it you rode a lot during the fireworks & parade?

 

[linskypens]

As a former disciple of Tour Guide Mike, I feel your pain, however we have been 4 times under the new system , and we have found the the tried and true method of Mike still holds true for the most part. While we arent gathering FP's all morning, and saving them for later, we still without fail make rope drop. Ive found (especially at Magic Kingdom) that an early arrival still almost guarantees a successful day., On out last trip in October, I rode Space twice, Buzz, HM,thunder, Splash, and pirates all before 10:30 AM. While lines were really just starting to really form, you could still have done Philharmagic, People Mover, Laugh Floor, Presidents, Country Bears, Tiki Room, Stitch (although why would you ), Small World with little to no wait. Save your FP for after your break, you just dont need them at Rope Drop. We also religiously follow what we call the "Post Wishes Fantasyland Tour". We save Pooh, Ariel, Dumbo, Carousel, Tea Cups, for after wishes, and can generally blast all that out in 35-45 minutes. Save your FP for Mine Train, Peter Pan (if need be) and a second ride on one of the mountains.
We alsways leave time for the Castle show and Wishes, not so much for the parade for us, but that is personal preference.

 

[sls404]

That's really good to know, our tentative dates next year are June 12-24. I wish we could do 11 to close, but it would kill the kids (and DH, lol). But, we'd really like to focus more on evenings. We found them much more enjoyable to the blazing heat of afternoon

That's exactly what we do. We like to sleep in, eat lunch/swim then head to the parks in the evening until closing. The parks are beautiful at night and it makes for a much more relaxing vacation.

 

[anneboleyn]

Holy cow! When was this? What were the crowd levels like, and how long did you wait? We're considering an evening approach ourselves next time. Going from like 6-close at AK, HS and MK. That way we have our day to sleep in and relax in the pool.

This is pretty much how my family does it. We are night owls and have never seen rope drop. We sleep in, have some food and swim and then head to the parks around 5:00 or 6:00 (except for Animal Kingdom...we get there at like 11:00...but now that it will be open late during our trip in September, we will head there later too). We love the parks at night, and have never had an issue with riding whatever rides we wanted

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Very interesting. We are going the beginning of June. If they expand park hours I would like to try this. I take it you rode a lot during the fireworks & parade?

No, we went to the early parade and the fireworks. We have a few tricks that will get front row viewing at the parade with minimal waiting then we like to watch the fireworks from Fantasyland near the carousel. We also had time to fit in the fireworks preshow from the bridge to Liberty Square. We do this same routine just about every visit and have a pretty good route pre-planned that helps avoid what's left of the crowds. This visit was better than most though, probably because it was an EMH morning and a lot of guests were leaving early.

 

[mindeola]

Holy cow! When was this? What were the crowd levels like, and how long did you wait? We're considering an evening approach ourselves next time. Going from like 6-close at AK, HS and MK. That way we have our day to sleep in and relax in the pool.

We've always found the evening hours to be much more efficient for touring than the morning. More and more guests are arriving early and they will eventually tire out and leave early. Here's just an example of what we've been able to accomplish on a recent summer evening from 8 pm - midnight with no FP+. Just keep in mind that posted wait times are intentionally inflated at night to discourage riders.

Big Thunder 3x
Splash Mtn 2x
Space Mtn 2x
Mine Train (10 min wait right a closing time)
Pirates
Jungle Cruise
Haunted Mansion
Pooh
Peter Pan
Speedway
Barnstormer 2x

We also watched the parade and fireworks and had a couple of Dole Whips.

We had a similar experience last June at night. It was great! So far, the tour guide Mike style still works out really well for us. We rope drop and accomplish a ton. I make FP for around lunch time. We eat an early or late lunch depending on what we have going on. We head back for a break from about 3-5ish. Then the parks in the evening we catch up with rides that have low waits, parades, shows and fireworks.

 

[mshanson3121]

That's exactly what we do. We like to sleep in, eat lunch/swim then head to the parks in the evening until closing. The parks are beautiful at night and it makes for a much more relaxing vacation.

This is pretty much how my family does it. We are night owls and have never seen rope drop. We sleep in, have some food and swim and then head to the parks around 5:00 or 6:00 (except for Animal Kingdom...we get there at like 11:00...but now that it will be open late during our trip in September, we will head there later too). We love the parks at night, and have never had an issue with riding whatever rides we wanted

I think it would make for a much more relaxing vacation honestly. DH is NOT a morning person, so having to be up and rush out the door at 7:45 every day on vacation was not ideal for him. Me either honestly. I mean, yes, we definitely appreciated that it was cooler/less crowded, but it was so tiring. And it just felt like your whole entire day was rushing - getting up early, rushing around getting ready, rushing out the door, waiting in line, rushing around the park trying to get as much done as you can, then the hassle of the leaving for the mid-day break, doing it all over again... Even on the days when we just left the park around 2:00 and were done for day, we were so tired by evening.

And I agree that there's an entirely different feel at night. We did two evenings (closed out HS and closed out MK), and yeah it was crowded, but... still just a very different atmosphere, it was definitely more relaxed, and felt more leisurely.