Need tips: planning for evenings in theme parks

[peacefrogdog]

Planning a short 3 night stay May 19-22, 2016 (note: Canadian long weekend, but a week before Memorial Day)

My kids are pre-teens, so we like doing the theme parks at night. We plan on arriving around 2-3 pm and staying until park closing. However this will be our first time using FP+.

Questions:

1. Any suggestions re: booking FP plus times to allow us to do the rides we want during the actual times we will be in the park (3 pm to 10 pm)? For example, can we book times for the late aft/evening on the app, or only after the morning times are booked up? If so, appreciate suggestions on how we can best ride of these rides below:

MK: Mine train, Space M, BT Mountain, Splash (we have no interest in doing the princess stuff, character meets)
DHS: TSMM, RnR, ToT, Star Tours
AK: Safari, EE, Kali, Dinosaur

2. re: EMH
EMH days are: Fri the 20h (MK morning, DHS evening), Sat 21st (AK AM), Sun 22nd (DHS AM)

To what extent will morning EMH affect crowds from 3 pm onwards?
Also, on this site it says on the 20th when DHS is supposed to have evening EMH, the park closes at 8:30 (as opposed to the usual 8 pm). Evening Extra Magic Hour can't possibly be less than a hour, can it?

Thanks in advance

 

[Alesia]

Any suggestions re: booking FP plus times to allow us to do the rides we want during the actual times we will be in the park (3 pm to 10 pm)?

Book them as early as possible. If you'll be arriving at 3:00, Book the first one for 3:00.

For example, can we book times for the late aft/evening on the app, or only after the morning times are booked up?

You can book them for whatever you want. I highly recommend reading the first 2 posts of this thread: http://www.disboards.com/threads/fa...ed-priorities-and-strategies-part-ii.3326057/

To what extent will morning EMH affect crowds from 3 pm onwards?

From 11:00 on, the park with morning EMH will be the busiest park by far! Avoid it.

Also, on this site it says on the 20th when DHS is supposed to have evening EMH, the park closes at 8:30 (as opposed to the usual 8 pm). Evening Extra Magic Hour can't possibly be less than a hour, can it?

Evening EMH is always 2 hours.

 

[siskaren]

Also, on this site it says on the 20th when DHS is supposed to have evening EMH, the park closes at 8:30 (as opposed to the usual 8 pm). Evening Extra Magic Hour can't possibly be less than a hour, can it?

Are you talking about the hours that are posted here?

Those are the regular hours.

 

[peacefrogdog]

Planning a short 3 night stay May 19-22, 2016 (note: Canadian long weekend, but a week before Memorial Day)

MK: Mine train, Space M, BT Mountain, Splash (we have no interest in doing the princess stuff, character meets)
DHS: TSMM, RnR, ToT, Star Tours
AK: Safari, EE, Kali, Dinosaur

Thanks all. Based on the first post in this thread, it seems to make sense to get FP+ for TSMM, RnR and ToT at DHS (and then get ST later or do Standby), and for KS, EE, Kali at AK (and get Dinosaur later or do standby)
What are you suggestions for MK for which our priorities are all A attractions? Mine train is a definite FP+ I would think. Which of the mountains do you think we should try to get the remaining FP+ times?
I was thinking Space and Splash.

 

[siskaren]

Thanks all. Based on the first post in this thread, it seems to make sense to get FP+ for TSMM, RnR and ToT at DHS (and then get ST later or do Standby), and for KS, EE, Kali at AK (and get Dinosaur later or do standby)
What are you suggestions for MK for which our priorities are all A attractions? Mine train is a definite FP+ I would think. Which of the mountains do you think we should try to get the remaining FP+ times?
I was thinking Space and Splash.

You can't get FP for both TSMM and RnR because those are both tier one attractions and you can only book one tier one.

 

[mshanson3121]

Planning a short 3 night stay May 19-22, 2016 (note: Canadian long weekend, but a week before Memorial Day)

My kids are pre-teens, so we like doing the theme parks at night. We plan on arriving around 2-3 pm and staying until park closing. However this will be our first time using FP+.

Questions:

1. Any suggestions re: booking FP plus times to allow us to do the rides we want during the actual times we will be in the park (3 pm to 10 pm)? For example, can we book times for the late aft/evening on the app, or only after the morning times are booked up? If so, appreciate suggestions on how we can best ride of these rides below:

MK: Mine train, Space M, BT Mountain, Splash (we have no interest in doing the princess stuff, character meets)
DHS: TSMM, RnR, ToT, Star Tours
AK: Safari, EE, Kali, Dinosaur

2. re: EMH
EMH days are: Fri the 20h (MK morning, DHS evening), Sat 21st (AK AM), Sun 22nd (DHS AM)

To what extent will morning EMH affect crowds from 3 pm onwards?
Also, on this site it says on the 20th when DHS is supposed to have evening EMH, the park closes at 8:30 (as opposed to the usual 8 pm). Evening Extra Magic Hour can't possibly be less than a hour, can it?

Thanks in advance

You can book them for anytime. So if you plan on watching the parade at 3:00, book your first one for anytime after 3:15 or so. An ideal plan would be to watch the FOF parade in Fronteirland, with your fastpasses for splash, then BTMR, THEN mine train. Try for a 4th FP for space later that evening or hit it on your way out .

Even if you don't do the parade I'd still use that order. Myself I'd rather get wet on splash while it's daylight so I'll dry faster.

The parks may be a bit busier, but that time of year morning magic hours aren't going to increase night crowds that much.

 

[peacefrogdog]

Despite DHS having evening EMH on May 20th, posts on this forum suggest lines may actually be longer for the headliners because everyone staying for EMH will flock to those rides.

for May 19-21: What do you think will affect us most crowd wise, given we plan to arrive 2:30-3 pm, and stay to closing:
- That MK has early morning EMH (Friday, May 20th)
- Or the impact of a weekend day (may 21st)

I know crowds will be higher on MK AM EMH days but hoping most would have had their fill and either go back to their hotels or hop to another park by the mid-afternoon when we arrive.

 

[minnie mum]

Both Fri and Sat will see higher crowds at MK. Its just the way the crowds work. And crowds build to their highest in early/mid afternoon (right when you plan to arrive) and dont really drop off until after Wishes. Since you have no intention of taking advantage of the EMH hour, it really makes no sense to plan on being in that park on Friday. Sat will see a lot of locals as well as tourists finishing their visit at MK. Sun would probably see the lowest crowds of those 3 days.

Have you looked at easywdw.com for park recommendations? They would recommend avoiding EMHs and doing Fri AK, Sat DHS, Sun MK.

 

[peacefrogdog]

Both Fri and Sat will see higher crowds at MK. Its just the way the crowds work. And crowds build to their highest in early/mid afternoon (right when you plan to arrive) and dont really drop off until after Wishes. Since you have no intention of taking advantage of the EMH hour, it really makes no sense to plan on being in that park on Friday. Sat will see a lot of locals as well as tourists finishing their visit at MK. Sun would probably see the lowest crowds of those 3 days.

Have you looked at easywdw.com for park recommendations? They would recommend avoiding EMHs and doing Fri AK, Sat DHS, Sun MK.

Yes saw that. We arrive quite late on the Thursday evening. When doing AK we will likely plan to go for park opening, so was avoiding Ak on the Friday because we will likely sleep in after a late arrival