Need help on planning

[dingyi6288]

Hey guys, I'm about to have my first trip to WDW! need some help with my plan here. Any other advices are also welcomed!!! (Also please forgive my awful English)
So the trip will be from 30th Nov to 3rd Dec, and we will be staying in All star music Resorts. there are two things we want to know:
1. We don't have thanksgiving in China so we did not notice 30th Nov is during the thanksgiving week when we booked the flight tickets. Is the thanksgiving crowd bad to the point that we need to avoid this day for MK? 30th Nov is the only day with firework, (1&3 Dec the park closes at 6:00PM for MVMCP, 2nd Dec at 4:30PM) so we don't want to miss it. But if that means much more waiting time in line, then maybe not worth it.
2. If we need to skip MK on 30th Nov, which park instead? currently we have morning EMH for AK on 30th Nov & 2nd Dec, and for HS on 1st Dec, and evening EMH for Epcot on 3rd Dec.
3. Is MVMCP worth it? Is it possible to do all the rides during MVMCP while still seeing the parade? Is it possible that we only attend MVMCP and skip MK itself, and use that day as relax day?
4. Is evening EMH worth it? We have PM EMH on 3rd for Epcot, wondering should we go to MK instead.

Some background information: I'm going with a friend, and we are tight on budget; We are in good health, so 4 full days without relaxing day should not be too big a problem.

 

[kevind2112]

We've been to WDW during the holidays (both Thanksgiving and Christmas) multiple times. I would suggest always staying away from Magic Kingdom on the actual holiday. It's just crazy. We've always spent the actual holiday at Epcot, and have always had a great time.

 

[Robo]

Hey guys, I'm about to have my first trip to WDW! need some help with my plan here. Any other advices are also welcomed!!! (Also please forgive my awful English)
So the trip will be from 30th Nov to 3rd Dec, and we will be staying in All star music Resorts. there are two things we want to know:
1. We don't have thanksgiving in China so we did not notice 30th Nov is during the thanksgiving week when we booked the flight tickets. Is the thanksgiving crowd bad to the point that we need to avoid this day for MK? 30th Nov is the only day with firework, (1&3 Dec the park closes at 6:00PM for MVMCP, 2nd Dec at 4:30PM) so we don't want to miss it. But if that means much more waiting time in line, then maybe not worth it.
2. If we need to skip MK on 30th Nov, which park instead? currently we have morning EMH for AK on 30th Nov & 2nd Dec, and for HS on 1st Dec, and evening EMH for Epcot on 3rd Dec.
3a. Is MVMCP worth it?
3b. Is it possible to do all the rides during MVMCP while still seeing the parade?
3c. Is it possible that we only attend MVMCP and skip MK itself, and use that day as relax day?
4. Is evening EMH worth it? We have PM EMH on 3rd for Epcot, wondering should we go to MK instead.

Some background information: I'm going with a friend, and we are tight on budget; We are in good health, so 4 full days without relaxing day should not be too big a problem.

1. 30 Nov. will be very busy at MK. It will be very busy at all parks.
2. 30 Nov. will be very busy at all parks.
That will be a very busy weekend. I would have picked the FOLLOWING weekend to visit WDW.
3a. Only if you want to actually do the "party" events and see the party parade and fireworks.
3b. I'd say no.
3c. Again, only if you want to actually do the "party" events and see the party parade and fireworks.
4. I don't like PM EMH at Epcot. Very few rides, so all are busy.
I like PM EMH at MK, but not during a very busy time.

 

[Robo]

I would suggest always staying away from Magic Kingdom on the actual holiday.

Since the OP is not very familiar with the holiday, we need to point out that Thanksgiving, the "actual holiday"
is Thu. 28 Nov. this year.

 

[sharonabe]

I'm about to have my first trip to WDW! need some help with my plan here. Any other advices are also welcomed!!!

I think you have 3 options and I'll put them in order with my favorite first.

1. Add the park hopper option to your ticket (about $80). This allows you to go to MK on one of those early closing days and it allows you to take full advantage of EMH without crowds. With the park hopper option, here is what I would do:
Nov 30 EP during the day and hop to MK around 3:00 or 4:00 to enjoy the fireworks and MK at night. There will be a castle lighting show around 5:30-6:00 that is special.
Dec 1 HS morning EMH. You could spend the whole day here.
Dec 2 MK for sure. The park will be so nice. That 4:30 closing makes people skip this day at MK. You'll get a lot done on this day. Hop back to EP for the evening to see the nighttime events there.
Dec 3 AK in the morning and maybe all day. If you wanted to see HS or EP again, you could hop in the evening.

2. Buy the MVMCP ticket for the 3rd and no hoppers. This allows you to experience the party and all it has to offer, but it means you miss the regular fireworks (Happily Ever After) at MK. It's also more expensive than the hopper. My plan for this option:
Nov 30 EP all day
Dec 1 HS all day (morning EMH)
Dec 2 AK all day (morning EMH)
Dec 3 MK all day including the party There's no reason for a rest day

3. Keep what you have and make a good plan. Here's what I would do:
Nov 30 MK all day. It's going to be crowded, but if you make a good plan, it'll still be okay and you get to see HEA
Dec 1 HS
Dec 2 AK
Dec 3 EP

 

[kevind2112]

Since the OP is not very familiar with the holiday, we need to point out that Thanksgiving, the "actual holiday"
is Thu. 28 Nov. this year.

Thanks @Robo ! I completely missed that !

 

[sharonabe]

We've been to WDW during the holidays (both Thanksgiving and Christmas) multiple times. I would suggest always staying away from Magic Kingdom on the actual holiday. It's just crazy. We've always spent the actual holiday at Epcot, and have always had a great time.

Just so you know, actual holiday is Nov 28, so not during OP's time frame.

 

[dingyi6288]

We've been to WDW during the holidays (both Thanksgiving and Christmas) multiple times. I would suggest always staying away from Magic Kingdom on the actual holiday. It's just crazy. We've always spent the actual holiday at Epcot, and have always had a great time.

Thanks A lot! Yeah When I first found out about the thanksgiving we were actually excited about it. We were expecting some special ornaments or treats etc, not expecting the crowds... Thanksgiving + Christmas, the more the merrier right?
Is there anything special in Epcot or any other parks, or in general during thanksgiving holiday worth checking out? If there is, we will still be excited to check out this holiday.

 

[dingyi6288]

1. 30 Nov. will be very busy at MK. It will be very busy at all parks.
2. 30 Nov. will be very busy at all parks.
That will be a very busy weekend. I would have picked the FOLLOWING weekend to visit WDW.
3a. Only if you want to actually do the "party" events and see the party parade and fireworks.
3b. I'd say no.
3c. Again, only if you want to actually do the "party" events and see the party parade and fireworks.
4. I don't like PM EMH at Epcot. Very few rides, so all are busy.
I like PM EMH at MK, but not during a very busy time.

Damn, hmmm....yeah we thought about rescheduling, but the resort are all booked out in other dates (our entire vacation is 7 days 8 nights, universal studio for the next 3 days), also we booked cheap flights, there will be a penalty if we reschedule it. So we have to deal with 30 Nov I guess. I assume it will also be very bad at Universal Studio then. At least I know the crowd will be very bad ( so 9/10 crowd level is true!!) and it's ok to give up Epcot evening EMH? Few rides anyway. thanks a lot!!!

 

[dingyi6288]

I think you have 3 options and I'll put them in order with my favorite first.

1. Add the park hopper option to your ticket (about $80). This allows you to go to MK on one of those early closing days and it allows you to take full advantage of EMH without crowds. With the park hopper option, here is what I would do:
Nov 30 EP during the day and hop to MK around 3:00 or 4:00 to enjoy the fireworks and MK at night. There will be a castle lighting show around 5:30-6:00 that is special.
Dec 1 HS morning EMH. You could spend the whole day here.
Dec 2 MK for sure. The park will be so nice. That 4:30 closing makes people skip this day at MK. You'll get a lot done on this day. Hop back to EP for the evening to see the nighttime events there.
Dec 3 AK in the morning and maybe all day. If you wanted to see HS or EP again, you could hop in the evening.

2. Buy the MVMCP ticket for the 3rd and no hoppers. This allows you to experience the party and all it has to offer, but it means you miss the regular fireworks (Happily Ever After) at MK. It's also more expensive than the hopper. My plan for this option:
Nov 30 EP all day
Dec 1 HS all day (morning EMH)
Dec 2 AK all day (morning EMH)
Dec 3 MK all day including the party There's no reason for a rest day

3. Keep what you have and make a good plan. Here's what I would do:
Nov 30 MK all day. It's going to be crowded, but if you make a good plan, it'll still be okay and you get to see HEA
Dec 1 HS
Dec 2 AK
Dec 3 EP

Thanks a lot for your advice. I think we are not in good position to consider option 1, since we bought the vacation package, if we return the ticket for hopper option, our room reservation will be gone too. Now I think about it, I will definitely never book the package anymore, the price is the same, but it reduced our flexibility by a lot.

Option 2 seems to be the best choice given our situation! We are really looking forward to visit MK, even though people are saying Shanghai Disneyland is a lot like WDW and we visited there many times, but I'm sure the Meet Characters experience will be quite different and we really want to do more of that instead of lining up for rides. We are also looking forwards to see the other parks, but MK is our first priority, so we really want to secure a not awful experience there! Also it will still be a pity not visiting MVMCP when we have the chance. Thanks again for your advice!

 

[sharonabe]

Thanks a lot for your advice. I think we are not in good position to consider option 1, since we bought the vacation package, if we return the ticket for hopper option, our room reservation will be gone too. Now I think about it, I will definitely never book the package anymore, the price is the same, but it reduced our flexibility by a lot.

You can upgrade your ticket to the park hopper once you get to WDW. It shouldn't matter if it's a part of a package. All tickets are eligible for upgrade.