Nov. & Dec. Hours Changed-MK opens: 8AM, Daily-Starting TODAY

[DVCkidsMOM]

Hoping I'm allowed to "express extreme disappointment" in this. We arrive the 11th to our resort around 8pm, which is our son's bedtime. And we all know a kid just arriving to WDW on a surprise trip will go straight to bed, right? The single most important part of our Touring Plan has been RD. To effectively accomplish this, I will now have to wake that toddler by 6:15am latest in order to feed him, dress him and get to the bus stop in order to arrive at the gates by 7:15. This is also our Party Day, so we'll be in the park till midnight. At this point I'd like to cancel our park ticket that day and do a resort day, but it's our first day! Also this is an abbreviated trip, so we don't have the luxury of a resort day and we have all our FPs and ADRs set for MK. Simply stated, this stinks

So having done disney with a toddler and baby then when they were both toddlers... Here is what I suggest. (I don't have all information, and I'm not you; so take what you want from the idea salad bar and leave/tweak the rest. My goal here is only to be helpful because I wish I could help you be less frustrated with your upcoming trip.) Can you keep your toddler asleep between transportation to WDW and your resort so they don't know until morning that they are really at WDW? Can you take clothing and toddler food with you to the park so that toddler can sleep through breakfast/bus and get dressed after a few in-park experiences? Have a few experiences between earlier opening and ADR - then you still get some low-crowd touring and your ADR. I think if you make EMH RD experience something then return to Main St, you will find it not too crowded. It won't be empty but should still be worthy of some excellent photos and views. If toddler would nap in stroller, then I would try to make that happen - change back into the jammies, cover stroller in blanket, and escape to a low crowd or low interest part of the park to decrease stimulation. A quieter part of the park would be a break for you during your longer day as well. Our plan for a break on our long MK day (Christmas Eve) is to escape to a corner of Tom Sawyer island and/or sleep in Hall of Presidents. We are also planning to eat leisurely with an extra course (beverage and/or appetizer) during our ADRs to maximize that time away from the crowds. We found that we and our kids had incredible stamina the first day because we were all excited, but then we needed to slow way down; so maybe the long day is doable if you have extra breaks the rest of the trip.
I hope you get something worked out that fits your family and still does the majority of what you want to do.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

I kind of wonder what numbers Disney are looking at to go to a "holiday" schedule for such a long time? Thanksgiving Week? Got it. Christmas? Believe it or not just by looking how the weekends fall before Christmas I could see the 13 December start. But the two weeks in early December? Are free Dining Plans having that big of an impact? IF so I did not see the out of ordinary data from previous free Dining Plans. It will be interesting to see wait times during this period to see if they really are increasing that much.
Now for the individuals that this had a negative impact on your plan I am sorry.
For the individuals that are glad they get an extra hour in the park I am happy for you

Josh's numbers ticked up about a notch (the week of the 13th showed 4s previously, now it's 5s) so I'm really not worried about out of control crowds prior to Christmas week. I really wonder if they've received a lot of complaints about short operating hours during party season, and the resulting lack of FP+ availability, so they're now experimenting with how much an earlier opening will help with that.

Since the other parks' hours are unaffected, I don't think they're expecting a massive influx of crowds. I really think this is tied more to parties than to anything else since expanded hours are confined to MK. Party season now makes up about a quarter of each year, and it really does mess with crowd levels at the various parks during that time. People avoid the MK on party days, which increases crowds elsewhere on those days, and crowds descend on the MK on non-party days.

We've been in October when they announced 8 a.m. openings on party days. Once the announcement came right before we left on our trip, the other time the announcement was made after we were already in Orlando. We didn't manage to get to the park until 8:25 or so both times, and the park was practically empty. Maybe this will be different since there's more advance notice, but I doubt it. Making a 9 a.m. opening is fairly doable for most people, but a 8:00 opening means a 7:30 (at the latest) departure from the resort, which means a 7:00 wake up time. Most people find that intolerable on vacation.

 

[georgina]

If the park opens at 8am, this is when guests will be able to experience the most amount of attractions with the shortest waits. If Buszz sticks to the orginal plan, as you suggest, more time will be spent in lines after breakfast is finished. Before disney extended their hours, Buzz was able to eat breakfast before rope drop which was a win win. Now, it's not.

Yes, but Buzz was talking about cancelling both breakfast and lunch ADRs for that day so they could add a mid-day break, which would lose them 3 hours of park time, so it seems to me it would cost them less time to go ahead with their plans. Like others, I doubt that the 8-9 hour will add to crowds that much, compared to losing 3 hours of park time by leaving mid-day. I keep hearing crowds are lower on party days to begin with because those not going to the party don't want to go and have to leave at 7.

 

[Suvadoo]

Yes, but Buzz was talking about cancelling both breakfast and lunch ADRs for that day so they could add a mid-day break, which would lose them 3 hours of park time, so it seems to me it would cost them less time to go ahead with their plans. Like others, I doubt that the 8-9 hour will add to crowds that much, compared to losing 3 hours of park time by leaving mid-day. I keep hearing crowds are lower on party days to begin with because those not going to the party don't want to go and have to leave at 7.

I'm sorry , but I thought Buzz was going to the party, so I figured they could take a break and return to the park well rested at party time.

 

[laughinplace199]

Hoping I'm allowed to "express extreme disappointment" in this. We arrive the 11th to our resort around 8pm, which is our son's bedtime. And we all know a kid just arriving to WDW on a surprise trip will go straight to bed, right? The single most important part of our Touring Plan has been RD. To effectively accomplish this, I will now have to wake that toddler by 6:15am latest in order to feed him, dress him and get to the bus stop in order to arrive at the gates by 7:15. This is also our Party Day, so we'll be in the park till midnight. At this point I'd like to cancel our park ticket that day and do a resort day, but it's our first day! Also this is an abbreviated trip, so we don't have the luxury of a resort day and we have all our FPs and ADRs set for MK. Simply stated, this stinks

A late arrival followed by an early morning can be a major mistake unless your child is a very go with the flow kind of kid. Two of mine would have melted down by lunch time with that schedule and my youngest would have been absolutely fine. I hope your little one is the easy going type!

Honestly your plan sounds like a recipe for disaster. You are planning on being in the MK all day? I hope you are taking a nap break in the middle somewhere.

I totally agree - that's way too long of a day, especially after arriving at bedtime. Even the adults in our party need mid-day breaks, especially on party days.

Yup, total disaster. We weren't planning on a resort break, just a stroller nap. Now we probably will need a resort break which means not only am I now having to cancel my 8:05 CRT, but also my lunch BOG FP, which was to serve as our large meal before the party. So by adding that extra hour, our family will end up with 3 less MK hours that day. So frustrated.

So you were originally planning to be at MK at 8:00 for CRT. Now you're going to cancel CRT so you can start park touring at 8:00. Do I have that right? Because if I do, the only thing that's changed is that you're not eating breakfast at MK. Why does this change now necessitate a resort break when your original plan didn't? I actually think a resort break is a good idea, but I understand you don't want to lose so much park time.

Pack some Cheerios and an apple sauce or something for your little one and have a quick breakfast in your room, at the bus stop, or once you get to MK.