Max ride strategy at WDW parks

[guynhawaii]

Aloha,
For each WDW park, what is the best touring plan to maximize rides and minimize wait times?

I ask because as a DLP veteran my family and I have DL and DCA wired. Able to enjoy all the rides with minimal waiting time. However, WDW is a totally different beast. Our last trip to WDW was 2009 before the magic band and limit of three FPs.

At first look, it appears to me DLP has a better Return on Investment (ROI) or bigger bang for the buck than WDW. Thus my asking for assistance.

 

[JETSDAD]

Get to know the MDE app and learn to use FP's to maximize the number of rides. Rope drop and end of night allow for some rides without FP's but the majority of the day there will be a lot of people and long lines. Read up on refreshing for FP's. Success will depend greatly on number of people in your party but we rarely use standby lines at all and go on top attractions throughout the day.

 

[Calee]

You are only limited to 3 pre-booked fast passes. Use them wisely, and then you can schedule more after you've tapped into your 3rd. Depending on when you go and size of your party, you will have options for additional fast passes. I ride pretty much nothing in MK without a FP.

 

[Ds4angels]

If you rope drop the left side of the park (Adventure Land and Frontier Land first while everyone else is in Fantasy Land, head over to Tomorrow Land after lunch, and save Fantasy Land for last if you've got problems getting FP. Save your FP for 7D, PP and SpaceMtn and you should be able to hit almost everything. We've done this a few times w/ a lot of success.

 

[HydroGuy]

Aloha,
For each WDW park, what is the best touring plan to maximize rides and minimize wait times?

I ask because as a DLP veteran my family and I have DL and DCA wired. Able to enjoy all the rides with minimal waiting time. However, WDW is a totally different beast. Our last trip to WDW was 2009 before the magic band and limit of three FPs.

At first look, it appears to me DLP has a better Return on Investment (ROI) or bigger bang for the buck than WDW. Thus my asking for assistance.

o Park hopping - Don't do it. My personal opinion, but there is too much wasted time in between parks (as much as an hour, perhaps more).

o Like DLR, figure out the afternoon fillers. All the WDW parks have them. Keep those for, well, the afternoon.

o Rope drop is important like it is at DLR. But with FP+, the penalty for late arrival is not as much as at DLR in general and for FPs in particular.

o Mobile ordering for counter-service food - DLR has this too but WDW seems to have gone further.

I would say WDW has a different "bang for the buck/ROI" than DLR rather than lesser. As you have said you have been to WDW 10 years ago, but in general I have always observed DLR vets place on a higher priority on rides than WDW vets. WDW vets are more about enjoying hotels, dining, characters and entertainment outside the parks. If you want to do WDW like DLR with a high ride focus, you can do that. Like @JETSDAD said, get comfortable with MDE and FP+. Like @Calee said, you get your 3 FPs ahead of time. By default I always make those for the morning. Optimal times for me are 9-10, 10-11, and 11-12. That way I can ride FP #3 before lunch and start looking for FP #4. Best thread on this is a sticky here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/fastpass-frequently-asked-questions.3491680/

 

[Klayfish]

Get to know the MDE app and learn to use FP's to maximize the number of rides. Rope drop and end of night allow for some rides without FP's but the majority of the day there will be a lot of people and long lines. Read up on refreshing for FP's. Success will depend greatly on number of people in your party but we rarely use standby lines at all and go on top attractions throughout the day.

This. I don't think there's any one "best" way as far as order...it doesn't matter if you go left, right or sideways first. Just understand the FP+ system and how to use it and you'll be stunned how many attractions you can do. We can get 8-10 FP+ in 5 or 6 hours easily if we're ride focused.

 

[Bete]

If you stay onsite then utilize early and late extra magic hours. Those who do the early magic hour often park hop in the afternoon because of the crowd factor. Try to get to the back of the park using the early extra magic hour. That way you're ahead of the general crowd with regular opening time.

Don't backtrack; follow the loop around the park. Most of the time it's better to go to the left when you start off.

If you have the extra dollars you can spend do the events that get you into the park early. This is in addition to extra magic hours.

Two tricks with fastpass that you should use: most ride queues will let you in 5 minutes early from the start time on your fastpass and you can start making your 4th fastpass while you are still in line for the third fastpass. You can follow that same logic on your 5th, 6th and so forth fastpass.

Don't waste a fastpass on a show. You can do some some table service meals that will give you preferred seating for shows like Fantasmic and River of Lights.

While the big shows or parades or fireworks are going on it's easier to get on prime rides with less waiting time without using a fastpass.

Alternate rides and shows and eating to get rests; this way you can last longer in the parks.

We like using our three advance fastpasses early; so, we have a better chance to get additional fastpasses.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

One thing I’ve learned after visiting both complexes is that Disneyland is much more crowded at night than DisneyWorld.

At WDW, a lot of guests leave the parks early and the lines for the headliners can get really short.

Just keep in mind that posted wait time are intentionally exaggerated at night to discourage late riders. We’ve often found the posted times to be up to 4x the actual wait during the last hour or so of operation.

 

[guynhawaii]

Aloha,
A lot of great advice. Mahalo. For touring purposes, WDW appears to be so intimidating compared to DLR. HydroGuy is correct...at least for my family. As DLR vets, we place a higher priority on rides. Apprehensive of spending $$$ at WDW and not being able to enjoy as many rides. Avoiding high season (Christmas, Spring Break, etc...), what would be the proper expectations for number of rides at the various parks? For example, at DLR, staying on property, using EMH and Maxpass, we can knock out (commando style) DL by late lunch, chill the rest of the day/ PM and enjoy the parks at leisure. Don't have the impression we can be as successful at any of the WDW parks.

 

[Bete]

We have lived in the Midwest all our lives. So, we could go to either park from our standpoint and enjoy ourselves.

I've been to Disney World over 50 times and alas I've only been to Disneyland 5 times. We will probably never go back to Disneyland.

If you are Disneyland annual pass holders and go there often you probably can never make Disney World worthwhile purely on a dollar and cent value. It's not a fair comparison.

First consideration is not to repeat those rides that are available in Disneyland, as well as, Disney World. Skip rides like Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania, and Soarin'. You can skip many of the rides offered at Magic Kingdom and just do your favorites there. This is where a park hopper could help you. You may be able to enjoy these rides, too but I wouldn't make them my priority.

Maybe, go during a festival like Food and Wine for more enjoyment.

Consider going to other amusement parks like SeaWorld, Universal Studios, and Islands of Adventure while in the Orlando area.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Avoiding high season (Christmas, Spring Break, etc...), what would be the proper expectations for number of rides at the various parks?

It will be dependent upon the number in your party and your willingness to be on your phone searching and refreshing the FP booking page.

The record for a party of 2 DISers in MK is 21 FPs. Others report 15-17 FPs in MK.

It doesn’t compare to what you can do with MaxPass and its overlapping FP windows late in the day. Not much compares to 4 FPs to be used in the last 60-70 minutes that DL is open.

 

[JETSDAD]

It will be dependent upon the number in your party and your willingness to be on your phone searching and refreshing the FP booking page.

The record for a party of 2 DISers in MK is 21 FPs. Others report 15-17 FPs in MK.

It doesn’t compare to what you can do with MaxPass and it’s overlapping FP windows late in the day. Not much compares to 4 FPs to be used in the last 60-70 minutes that DL is open.

There's a record? Hmmmmmm.

 

[hiroMYhero]

There's a record? Hmmmmmm.

Planning to break it? And without loopholes.

 

[pens4821]

Get to the parks early would be my best advice. We did that last time after reading the pros, and it really does help. Especially in you are staying on site for the morning EMH. You can get quite a bit accomplished in the first couple hours. We then like to hop to another park. Some people don't like the thought of getting up early and standing in line for 30 or more minutes to get in, but it really does give you an advantage to getting more done.

Also, to ride the longer wait rides, if you don't get on them early and can't get a FP, get in line close to closing time. The waits aren't as long as they are posted.

 

[JETSDAD]

Planning to break it? And without loopholes.

May be worth a shot lol. I'll have to see if my wife and daughter would be up for it. We could try it with 3. I'd love to know what FP's they did. We would still want to make sure we were doing decent rides for the most part (would do them all and hit some multiple times but that's normal...we may just end up hitting Dumbo, Teacups, and Aladdin a few more times than normal lol). Any official rules??

 

[hiroMYhero]

Any official rules??

No loopholes and the DISers were in MK on a rainy day. They benefited from the weather clearing the park.

 

[hiroMYhero]

I'd love to know what FP's they did.

Because I’m a strong advocate of using the Search function, here it is:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/9-fast-passes-in-one-day.3515417/#post-55861590

 

[HydroGuy]

Aloha,
A lot of great advice. Mahalo. For touring purposes, WDW appears to be so intimidating compared to DLR. HydroGuy is correct...at least for my family. As DLR vets, we place a higher priority on rides. Apprehensive of spending $$$ at WDW and not being able to enjoy as many rides. Avoiding high season (Christmas, Spring Break, etc...), what would be the proper expectations for number of rides at the various parks? For example, at DLR, staying on property, using EMH and Maxpass, we can knock out (commando style) DL by late lunch, chill the rest of the day/ PM and enjoy the parks at leisure. Don't have the impression we can be as successful at any of the WDW parks.

I think you will be better off adjusting your expectations. Not downwards from a ride and DLR perspective, but just to how WDW works. First, WDW parks tend to not be open as long as the DLR parks. Lots of 9AM openings and earlier closures. So less park hours to power out on rides. The only park with tons of rides is MK, and that still has a bit less than DL - see this link for some insight.

"Ride Count Comparison Between DLR and WDW" - https://www.disboards.com/threads/ride-count-comparison-between-dlr-and-wdw.3221332/

The other three parks are weaker on rides compared to DL and DCA, but that is not their main focus like the California parks.

DHS is in huge transition now with SWGE coming and the whole park just shifting to a new reality. Lots of old rides torn down and new stuff being built or recently built. There are not many rides there now but it will be the busiest park at WDW once SWGE opens. I still love DHS.

AK has some unique things including the new(ish) Pandora. DON'T MISS FLIGHT OF PASSAGE!!! If you are focused on rides you will finish AK early. But AK has some non-ride things that are worth your time. Some good shows, some wildlife exhibits pretty much the same as 2009 but still a nice thing to do, and the monkeys are often a hoot.

And Epcot which will look pretty much the same as 2009 but has some new things in the queue. As far as rides strictly speaking, it is just not that great. Rides are just not it's focus. You have to be willing to embrace the beauty and size of the park and its embrace of world cultures and educational focus.

And then there are things outside the four parks that are worth the time. Go see Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue. Or the water pageant. Or the Boardwalk. Disney Springs is a lot bigger than DTD at DLR. Some nice dining there. Go do a marshmallow roast at Ft Wilderness. Make a reservation at California Grill and watch the fireworks at MK.

I think you will enjoy WDW more if you get comfortable with the things that are not specifically rides but still Disney-oriented.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

May be worth a shot lol. I'll have to see if my wife and daughter would be up for it. We could try it with 3. I'd love to know what FP's they did. We would still want to make sure we were doing decent rides for the most part (would do them all and hit some multiple times but that's normal...we may just end up hitting Dumbo, Teacups, and Aladdin a few more times than normal lol). Any official rules??

Yes. A person could probably easily get 50 Barnstormer FPs in one day but that's not a great use of WDW time.

OP, we get about 15 to 20 attractions in on most days. That is not all rides or FPs though. If it were we could get more in since shows, M&Gs, and things like Agent P take longer than most rides. Like others have said, a lot of WDW's charm is from non-ride attractions.

 

[disneycat321]

I'm also a DLR vet, and actually the reason we like WDW so much (better than DLR, if I'm going to be honest here...) is the balance of rides and non-ride attractions. We really love the shows, food, atmosphere, etc. When we do DLR now that we aren't local AP holders, we do rope drop to close 2 days in a row and go totally commando, hitting tons of rides. It's great and fun, but exhausting. I appreciate having more days to spread things out and not worry so much about the ride count at WDW.

That said, if you really want to get the most rides possible, It's all about rope drop just like at DLR. We also haven't been since FP+, but I really think it will help with the busier attractions. Schedule more time for MK because it has more rides, and as much as it pains me to say this because Epcot is my favorite park, less for Epcot and AK because they have less. You may even want to rope drop the AM EMH, since that often just pushes the opening time to DL's normal opening time.

Have you considered paying for Disney After Hours at MK, HS, or AK? We're planning to do it at MK if it's available in July when we're there. 3 hours with limited crowds and unlimited snacks where you can basically walk on all the rides, from what I've read. Might be a good option for you if you're looking to maximize rides.