Looking for Touring Advice

[Valerie22]

Hello ! I am looking for some advice from the experts here. Sorry in advance for the length of this post. I've been to WDW many times but not in several years (not since the fastpass system changed). My method was always get there at park opening grab the fastpasses, tour til mid-afternoon, and head back to the resort. Most of my past trips have been 8-10 days so we would do a half day/evening at the parks on some rest days just to catch the nighttime shows. I also had children with me on almost all of my past trips so the morning was better for touring than evening.

I am heading back to WDW next month with my boyfriend who has never been. We have 4 whole days and 2 half days (travel). I've planned out our days as follows:
Monday, 7/29 - plane lands at 7:55 a.m., head to CBR and then to EPCOT. Concentrate on WS. Have lunch and dinner there and stay for fireworks if we are not too tired. No reservations this day as we will just decide what we want for dinner and just book something.
Tuesday, 7/30 - MK day. Early morning 8 a.m. breakfast ressie at Be Our Guest then park touring. Character dinner at Wilderness Lodge around 5:30 then back to the park for fireworks.
Wednesday, 7/31 - 2nd EPCOT day with concentration on FW. Arrive at park opening and tour/have lunch until 2 or so. Back to resort to relax, swim. Possibly back to EPCOT for fireworks if we missed them the first night.
Thursday, 8/1 - HS day. Arrive for opening. Tour the park and lunch ressie at Sci Fi around 2 p.m. Leave the park and head to Disney Springs or the resort. Head back for Fantasmic.
Friday, 8/2 - AK day. Arrive for opening. Tour the park and lunch ressie at Yak and Yeti around 1 p.m. Head out around 2-3 and head to Disney Springs or the resort. Pack up for flight home the next day.
Saturday, 8/3 - 2 MK day to see anything we missed, do favorites again. Our flight home leaves MCO at 9:40 p.m. so I assume we can plan to be in the park until 5 or so. I also don't plan to arrive at park opening this day since we will have to check out and check our bags.

This has been my plan for months and now I'm wondering if I should change it all. My concerns are: 1. It will be HOT. 2. We are more night people than morning people and this plan has us up and moving early every day. 3. I'm wondering if it is still necessary to get there so early now that you don't have to physically get fast passes. 4. I would really like to make this trip as fun and relaxing as I can and I'm not sure this plan accomplishes this. My goal this trip is not necessarily to see everything but see the highlights and to foster a love for the mouse in my newbie boyfriend so we can make more trips in the future . The attractions he is most excited to experience are: Test Track, Soarin', Pirates, Hall of Presidents, Slinky Dog (which I have not been able to grab a fast pass for), Rockin' Roller Coaster, Safari, Expedition Everest. I would like to see FOP and Frozen Ever After because they will be new to me.

So what do you all think? Would I be better off switching my days to have us touring in the evening and taking advantage of MK and EPCOT EMH? There are none sadly for HS or AK while we are there. I'm not really interested in spending the extra for any of the after hours events since this is such a short trip but I could have us arriving around 2 or so on the days we are at AK and HS. I just worry the lines will be longer and we won't be able to ride anything.

 

[Robo]

Hello ! I am looking for some advice from the experts here. Sorry in advance for the length of this post. I've been to WDW many times but not in several years (not since the fastpass system changed). My method was always get there at park opening grab the fastpasses, tour til mid-afternoon, and head back to the resort. Most of my past trips have been 8-10 days so we would do a half day/evening at the parks on some rest days just to catch the nighttime shows. I also had children with me on almost all of my past trips so the morning was better for touring than evening.

I am heading back to WDW next month with my boyfriend who has never been. We have 4 whole days and 2 half days (travel). I've planned out our days as follows:
Monday, 7/29 - plane lands at 7:55 a.m., head to CBR and then to EPCOT. Concentrate on WS. Have lunch and dinner there and stay for fireworks if we are not too tired.

A. No reservations this day as we will just decide what we want for dinner and just book something.

Tuesday, 7/30 - MK day. Early morning 8 a.m. breakfast ressie at Be Our Guest then park touring. Character dinner at Wilderness Lodge around 5:30 then back to the park for fireworks.

Wednesday, 7/31 - 2nd EPCOT day with concentration on FW. Arrive at park opening and tour/have lunch until 2 or so. Back to resort to relax, swim. Possibly back to EPCOT for fireworks if we missed them the first night.

Thursday, 8/1 - HS day. Arrive for opening. Tour the park and lunch ressie at Sci Fi around 2 p.m. Leave the park and head to Disney Springs or the resort.
B. Head back for Fantasmic.

Friday, 8/2 - AK day. Arrive for opening. Tour the park and lunch ressie at Yak and Yeti around 1 p.m. Head out around 2-3 and head to Disney Springs or the resort. Pack up for flight home the next day.
Saturday, 8/3 - 2 MK day to see anything we missed, do favorites again. Our flight home leaves MCO at 9:40 p.m.
C. so I assume we can plan to be in the park until 5 or so. I also don't plan to arrive at park opening this day since we will have to check out and check our bags.

This has been my plan for months and now I'm wondering if I should change it all. My concerns are:
1. It will be HOT.
2. We are more night people than morning people and this plan has us up and moving early every day.
3. I'm wondering if it is still necessary to get there so early now that you don't have to physically get fast passes.
4. I would really like to make this trip as fun and relaxing as I can and I'm not sure this plan accomplishes this. My goal this trip is not necessarily to see everything but see the highlights and to foster a love for the mouse in my newbie boyfriend so we can make more trips in the future . The attractions he is most excited to experience are: Test Track, Soarin', Pirates, Hall of Presidents, Slinky Dog (which I have not been able to grab a fast pass for), Rockin' Roller Coaster, Safari, Expedition Everest. I would like to see FOP and Frozen Ever After because they will be new to me.

So what do you all think? Would I be better off switching my days to have us touring in the evening and taking advantage of MK and EPCOT EMH? There are none sadly for HS or AK while we are there. I'm not really interested in spending the extra for any of the after hours events since this is such a short trip but I could have us arriving around 2 or so on the days we are at AK and HS. I just worry the lines will be longer and we won't be able to ride anything.

A. I'm sorry, but that's not very good idea anymore. Things book up.
B. Be sure to be back in the park at least an hour before Fantasmic!
And, it will be to your advantage to get a SAME-DAY Fantasmic! FP before you exit DHS that afternoon.
Head into the Fantasmic! theater at least 45 min. before show time.
C. DME bus will pick you up about 6:15pm, or so... Don't wait too late to get to the bus back to your resort from MK. (5PM, as you say, should be good.)

1. For sure.
2. Up to you.
We virtually always get up early. (We get up early for work... why not do so to maximize FUN?)
3. With the way the crowds are now... YES, it can be a distinct advantage to be very early.
But again, that's up to you.
4. "Relaxing" is a "pool and reading" vacation.
WDW is not exactly geared to that, sorry to say. (Especially with a relatively short stay like yours.)
Many of the attractions you are desiring will be busy.
So, early-arival (and/or trying to ride at "closing") and FP will be your friend.
But, if you want to see the evening spectaculars/fireworks, getting into the attraction lines
at "closing time" may not be an option. (Especially with a relatively short stay like yours.)

 

[Katie Dawn]

Excited for you that you get to go back!

Don't bank on getting same day dining reservations anywhere. You can definitely do counter service meals (& mobile ordering is a great tool for counter service!) but most sit down restaurants will be booked up. People do sometimes find ADRs at the last minute but it's not anything to expect.

And yes, it will be RIDICULOUSLY hot. That's one reason to go early, return to your room (air conditioning!) for a nap or a swim, and go back in the evening. The heat (even the morning heat) is going to exhaust you. But it's easier to handle in the morning. We are a rope dropper family but we go hard for a couple of days and then either sleep in or have a day when we get back to the room pretty early and don't go back out that night. If you're both exhausted you won't enjoy your trip.

Have a great time!

 

[Christine]

FWIW, I was there the exact same week last year. It is/was REALLY hot. I am also historically a morning touring person, but no longer do rope drop. Park heat was pretty brutal by 11AM. There were a few days where I left the park by NOON (it was THAT hot), came back to the resort, and went back out around 3:30-4:00 (after the afternoon storm). My god, that was what I should have done everyday. So keep that in mind.

Some of the popular rides you listed are going to have significant waits if you don't have a fast pass. Keep trying to get one through the app or website. You'll be surprised what you can get even the same day, but it takes work and diligence. But it's worth it. For the top rides, if you cannot get FPs, consider trying them out right before the park closes. The posted wait times might seem long, but they are lies...this is how I did FoP. I know you don't have that as a must-do ride, but let me tell you...do NOT miss it. I'm not even an Avatar fan. It's wonderful. I rode it three times last year.

 

[only hope]

Unless you love sweating, become morning people for the trip and take mid-day breaks. August is the worst month here. Most mornings it’s still an oppressive sauna when I walk my dog just before sunrise; sometimes I even sweat a little- and that’s usually the coolest part of the day.

Since you’re new to fp+, make sure to play around with it and learn about refreshing. Schedule everything back to back starting soon after you arrive at the park. Get your 4th as soon as you tap in for the third, etc etc. There are very few rides you can’t get a fp for same day with persistence, which means aside from a few rides first thing in the morning, you really shouldn’t be wasting time in standby lines longer than say 15mn. Just get a fp. The few exceptions (FOP, Slinky, and mine train), if you don’t get lucky and get a fp, you’ll either have to rope drop, go right at park closing, or wait a very long time. You really don’t need to worry about lines aside from those three if you learn the fp+ system. Learn what doesn’t need fp too- basically all the shows/films. People who complain they waited in long lines are the ones who only use a few fp for the whole day and do standby for almost everything.

I agree with others about the dining, although Epcot is the easiest place to get same day dining because of the sheer volume of restaurants. Just be prepared to have limited or no choices and eat counter service instead. If you’re willing to walk to/ride a boat to an Epcot area resort, that gives you more choices.

 

[Valerie22]

Thank you everyone for your advice!

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Hello ! I am looking for some advice from the experts here. Sorry in advance for the length of this post. I've been to WDW many times but not in several years (not since the fastpass system changed). My method was always get there at park opening grab the fastpasses, tour til mid-afternoon, and head back to the resort. Most of my past trips have been 8-10 days so we would do a half day/evening at the parks on some rest days just to catch the nighttime shows. I also had children with me on almost all of my past trips so the morning was better for touring than evening.

I am heading back to WDW next month with my boyfriend who has never been. We have 4 whole days and 2 half days (travel). I've planned out our days as follows:
Monday, 7/29 - plane lands at 7:55 a.m., head to CBR and then to EPCOT. Concentrate on WS. Have lunch and dinner there and stay for fireworks if we are not too tired. No reservations this day as we will just decide what we want for dinner and just book something.
Tuesday, 7/30 - MK day. Early morning 8 a.m. breakfast ressie at Be Our Guest then park touring. Character dinner at Wilderness Lodge around 5:30 then back to the park for fireworks.
Wednesday, 7/31 - 2nd EPCOT day with concentration on FW. Arrive at park opening and tour/have lunch until 2 or so. Back to resort to relax, swim. Possibly back to EPCOT for fireworks if we missed them the first night.
Thursday, 8/1 - HS day. Arrive for opening. Tour the park and lunch ressie at Sci Fi around 2 p.m. Leave the park and head to Disney Springs or the resort. Head back for Fantasmic.
Friday, 8/2 - AK day. Arrive for opening. Tour the park and lunch ressie at Yak and Yeti around 1 p.m. Head out around 2-3 and head to Disney Springs or the resort. Pack up for flight home the next day.
Saturday, 8/3 - 2 MK day to see anything we missed, do favorites again. Our flight home leaves MCO at 9:40 p.m. so I assume we can plan to be in the park until 5 or so. I also don't plan to arrive at park opening this day since we will have to check out and check our bags.

This has been my plan for months and now I'm wondering if I should change it all. My concerns are: 1. It will be HOT. 2. We are more night people than morning people and this plan has us up and moving early every day. 3. I'm wondering if it is still necessary to get there so early now that you don't have to physically get fast passes. 4. I would really like to make this trip as fun and relaxing as I can and I'm not sure this plan accomplishes this. My goal this trip is not necessarily to see everything but see the highlights and to foster a love for the mouse in my newbie boyfriend so we can make more trips in the future . The attractions he is most excited to experience are: Test Track, Soarin', Pirates, Hall of Presidents, Slinky Dog (which I have not been able to grab a fast pass for), Rockin' Roller Coaster, Safari, Expedition Everest. I would like to see FOP and Frozen Ever After because they will be new to me.

So what do you all think? Would I be better off switching my days to have us touring in the evening and taking advantage of MK and EPCOT EMH? There are none sadly for HS or AK while we are there. I'm not really interested in spending the extra for any of the after hours events since this is such a short trip but I could have us arriving around 2 or so on the days we are at AK and HS. I just worry the lines will be longer and we won't be able to ride anything.

1- Yes it will be hot, not sure where you are from but for me being from FL, I've termed central FL as the armpit of the state, it's HOT!! 2- decide if you want to do rope drop and be early birds. It's 'cooler' at night since there is no sun but not that much cooler, it's still 85 at 9pm. But yes, if you don't have FP+ rope dropping is the way to make the most of your park touring plans and get on rides you would end up waiting in really long lines. 3. We usually do 4 or 3 night trips so this is pretty normal for us to rope drop. We do get up early but taking midday breaks allows us to swim and/or nap so that's how we get our down time. Getting on FOP without a crazy wait will either only happen with rope drop or get in line at park close. Same for Frozen Ever After. Arriving at parks later in the day won't necessarily help you avoid long lines, the later in the day shorter line opportunities happen during fireworks and park close.