More for Less: A Theme Park Planning Strategy

[Laketravis]

Whenever I go from a park to DTD, it's generally from DTD back to my resort for the evening rather than back to another park. Not sure about the "and back" but from the time I leave a park (front gate) to the DTD parking lot is usually in the 15-20 minute range. Finding a place to park at DTD can take another 20 minutes or better, that is where the time-sink will occur.

I agree with wisblue that it might be quicker to take a bus to SSR, then walk over to DTD from there.

Thanks, I thought he was talking about taking a break from the parks and going to DTD for lunch and then back to the parks. There are a couple of places we like to eat at DTD and wasn't sure if we'd get to include them in this trip.

 

[Laketravis]

Didn't you not even like SDMT? I would just axe it and do something you like.

Any legit exercise should have broad appeal, so I figured scheduling FP's for this and determining the availability of would need to include popular ones that many people would want. Thus, 7DMT made the list.

I had to draw the line at A&E, though. You couldn't pay me to do that one. Besides, none were available.

 

[Cormoran]

Any legit exercise should have broad appeal, so I figured scheduling FP's for this and determining the availability of would need to include popular ones that many people would want. Thus, 7DMT made the list.

I had to draw the line at A&E, though. You couldn't pay me to do that one. Besides, none were available.

Sorry LT but this is one of the Dumbest reasons I have ever heard of for getting a SDMT FP. If you're getting is purely as an exercise in availability then I think you should try for Anna and Elsa too, and I want pictures!

 

[cakebaker]

I had to draw the line at A&E, though. You couldn't pay me to do that one. Besides, none were available.

Is it raining cats and dogs? I think we've reached common ground. I'm just praying to the disney gods that they never start an Olaf meet.

But yeah, it's not legit unless there are pics of you with the girls- hugs would be a nice touch.

 

[Cormoran]

We found many years ago, on our first trips with kids, that we prefer everything at WDW in smaller doese over multiple days. I remember reading in a guidebook somewhere that WDW is like a big ice cream sundae; you enjoy it more if you take small bites.

That discovery led to the approach of taking breaks at midday that we have carried to this day. And, as I've said many times, FP+ works beautifully with this approach, something that this thread highlights.

I would say, though, that hopping from one Disney park to another (possibly with a stop at the resort in between) seems different than hopping from a WDW park and driving to USO to enter a park there. But, we have never tried it, so maybe it wouldn't really be that different in terms of what kind of break it would provide. Obviously, unless you have APs that give you unlimited admission and free parking at both places, the economics would be significantly different.

And see, our approach to that is a few hours in the morning, then the break, and then the hours in the evening. Even if you don't want to fight the crowds at rope drop, you could arrive at around 9:30 and stay until about 1, then take a break somewhere and return to the park around 5 and be there for your FPs and the nighttime entertainment. The main thing is that you would be avoiding the parks in the middle of the day when they are the most crowded.

Of course, a lot of this depends on where you are staying and how easily you can get around. When we had small kids we stayed at the Polynesian and returned there, and the kids loved the monorail rides. Now that we have DVC we might be at BLT or one of the EPCOT resorts, making those breaks easier when we are at the nearby parks. Or sometimes the break just involves going to DTD for lunch at Earl of Sandwich or a monorail to Poly for lunch at Captain Cook's. All I know is that I usually feel better at 6 PM when I haven't been in a park since 9 AM or earlier. As always, just a personal preference.

If you were looking at this kind of a schedule for anyplace else in the world, you'd probably say, what a hassle! That's way too much work! I think it's funny that you will do all of this stuff on a Disney vacation. Seriously Wis, your love of Disney is showing!

 

[mom2rtk]

Sorry LT but this is one of the Dumbest reasons I have ever heard of for getting a SDMT FP. If you're getting is purely as an exercise in availability then I think you should try for Anna and Elsa too, and I want pictures!

Pictures or it didn't happen!

Is it raining cats and dogs? I think we've reached common ground. I'm just praying to the disney gods that they never start an Olaf meet.

But yeah, it's not legit unless there are pics of you with the girls- hugs would be a nice touch.

Olaf meets daily at Disney California Adventure. I hope he's still there when we go back later this year.

 

[Laketravis]

If you're getting is purely as an exercise in availability then I think you should try for Anna and Elsa too, and I want pictures!

But yeah, it's not legit unless there are pics of you with the girls- hugs would be a nice touch.

Pictures or it didn't happen!

LOL! Sorry, but this is the closest I think we'll ever get to a princess M&G:

 

[Cormoran]

Olaf meets daily at Disney California Adventure. I hope he's still there when we go back later this year.

An Olaf meet and greet? Now this is truly sick and twisted!

 

[mom2rtk]

LOL! Sorry, but this is the closest I think we'll ever get to a princess M&G:

View attachment 2424

Adorable! Is that your son? (Funny, he doesn't look like a caveman.)

You need to go back and get an updated photo. We dragged one of the boys along once and had a ton of fun with it. It's amazing what a teenage boy will agree to when there's a buffet involved. But sister was the "excuse" for going at least.

An Olaf meet and greet? Now this is truly sick and twisted!

Doesn't it make you want to change coasts for your next trip?

 

[wisblue]

If you were looking at this kind of a schedule for anyplace else in the world, you'd probably say, what a hassle! That's way too much work! I think it's funny that you will do all of this stuff on a Disney vacation. Seriously Wis, your love of Disney is showing!

Not sure if you're kidding or not, but, compared to how we travel in other places, this is literally a walk in the park.

For example, when we visited Boston, in one day we went to a tour of Fenway Park in the morning, took a subway back to The Boston Common to start the walk of the Freedom Trail, stopped for lunch at the Fanueil Hall marketplace, walked out to the USS Constitution, took the ferry back to our hotel downtown, stopped at the hotel to change clothes, and then went back to Fenway Park for a night game. It was a great day.

Or, on one day on our recent trip to California, we drove from Anaheim to San Diego, spent about 4 hours at the SD Zoo, stopped at the Air and Space Museum in Balboa Park (I wanted to see the actual Apollo 9 command module), then drove past Petco Park (just because we wanted to see it), went up to La Jolla Cove to see some seals and sea lions in their natural habitat, and made a quick stop to see the Torrey Pines golf courses (another one of my things that my daughters tolerated). Another great day.

When we get somewhere where I'm not going to be very often, we don't dawdle. But, at WDW, we enjoy a more leisurely pace.

 

[cakebaker]

Pictures or it didn't happen!



Olaf meets daily at Disney California Adventure. I hope he's still there when we go back later this year.

We're in heavy discussions over a DL trip next summer- Cars Land being the draw. But Olaf and Cars, my grandson's 2 loves in the same place? This may just tip the scales. It's been a long time since our last DL trip. It's a horrid drive for us and we have a non flyer in the group, but this is leverage, big leverage.

 

[mom2rtk]

We're in heavy discussions over a DL trip next summer- Cars Land being the draw. But Olaf and Cars, my grandson's 2 loves in the same place? This may just tip the scales. It's been a long time since our last DL trip. It's a horrid drive for us and we have a non flyer in the group, but this is leverage, big leverage.

No guarantee how long that Frozen stuff will last. I'm hoping for later this year. No timelines have been given.

 

[cakebaker]

No guarantee how long that Frozen stuff will last. I'm hoping for later this year. No timelines have been given.

I'll definitely be keeping a eye on it now though.

 

[WillAustin]

We dragged one of the boys along once and had a ton of fun with it. It's amazing what a teenage boy will agree to when there's a buffet involved. But sister was the "excuse" for going at least.

My son refuses to go back to 1900 Park Fare entirely due to the stepsisters.

 

[Cormoran]

Not sure if you're kidding or not, but, compared to how we travel in other places, this is literally a walk in the park.

For example, when we visited Boston, in one day we went to a tour of Fenway Park in the morning, took a subway back to The Boston Common to start the walk of the Freedom Trail, stopped for lunch at the Fanueil Hall marketplace, walked out to the USS Constitution, took the ferry back to our hotel downtown, stopped at the hotel to change clothes, and then went back to Fenway Park for a night game. It was a great day.

Or, on one day on our recent trip to California, we drove from Anaheim to San Diego, spent about 4 hours at the SD Zoo, stopped at the Air and Space Museum in Balboa Park (I wanted to see the actual Apollo 9 command module), then drove past Petco Park (just because we wanted to see it), went up to La Jolla Cove to see some seals and sea lions in their natural habitat, and made a quick stop to see the Torrey Pines golf courses (another one of my things that my daughters tolerated). Another great day.

When we get somewhere where I'm not going to be very often, we don't dawdle. But, at WDW, we enjoy a more leisurely pace.

I was totally kidding! By the way, remind me never to hire you as my travel agent! I don't consider what you do at Disney a "Leisurely Pace." So let me guess, you load everyone up with monster drinks prior to starting a day of touring? ( kidding)

 

[Cormoran]

We're in heavy discussions over a DL trip next summer- Cars Land being the draw. But Olaf and Cars, my grandson's 2 loves in the same place? This may just tip the scales. It's been a long time since our last DL trip. It's a horrid drive for us and we have a non flyer in the group, but this is leverage, big leverage.

I assume you live on the East coast? Where? How long does it take you? Have you ever looked at traveling by train?

 

[Cormoran]

My son refuses to go back to 1900 Park Fare entirely due to the stepsisters.

You can't leave it just hanging! Why ?

 

[Laketravis]

Adorable! Is that your son? (Funny, he doesn't look like a caveman.)
Doesn't it make you want to change coasts for your next trip?

It is. Luckily he has his mother's looks.

My son refuses to go back to 1900 Park Fare entirely due to the stepsisters.

Same with mine.

 

[WillAustin]

You can't leave it just hanging! Why ?

He was really embarrassed by their attention. They are really funny, but he didn't take it that way. I'll see if I can find a picture.

 

[Laketravis]

This isn't going to help next month but might prove useful for (way) future visits in terms of traversing the two park systems, especially if it's on the northern side of WDW and Reams Road to 535 could provide a bypass to congestion on Epcot and World drives:

A new entrance to WDW?

In regards to the RPDE, it's kinda sad to see yet another "thing to do" go away.