** Official August 2024 Thread **

[OurLaughingPlace]

I'm watching on MDE for my room assignment. I know it can change up to the time that you arrive, but for those of you that stay on-site, how early have you seen your room assignment posted? We are staying at Beach Club if that matters.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I'm watching on MDE for my room assignment. I know it can change up to the time that you arrive, but for those of you that stay on-site, how early have you seen your room assignment posted? We are staying at Beach Club if that matters.

You won't see your room number until the room is ready for you. We have had a room at the BC ready as early as 9:30am, but that was a rare event. My sister once received her WL room number around 9 am when she was still at home. But it never hurts to keep checking MDE for your room number. There have been a few times when we did not receive a room ready notification, and I had to depend on the app for the number.

 

[han22735]

Today was my booking date. We only planned to book on our 2/3rd park day so 9 and 10 days out. Got what we wanted for MK and HS but terrible times I was able to modify slightly earlier but still later than I wanted. It was disappointing. Not sure how offsite guests get anything. I also had the "card did not work error" I hit retry 3 times and then I saw an email pop up thanks for my purchase but the app totally froze both times and I had to force close it to get it to work.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I plan to get Genie+ for our MK day only. Does the window for this open at 7am? Our check in day is Aug 25 but we are going to MK on Aug 26. Do they start counting the 7 days window from the check in day or from the day you plan to go to the park?

 

[han22735]

I plan to get Genie+ for our MK day only. Does the window for this open at 7am? Our check in day is Aug 25 but we are going to MK on Aug 26. Do they start counting the 7 days window from the check in day or from the day you plan to go to the park?

Yes 7am and its 7 days before check in day.

 

[Disneylover99]

I'm watching on MDE for my room assignment. I know it can change up to the time that you arrive, but for those of you that stay on-site, how early have you seen your room assignment posted? We are staying at Beach Club if that matters.

You won’t get your room number until the day you check in, and the room has to be serviced and completely ready for you before they will actually give you your room number. So, once you get your room number, it won’t change.

 

[msmith1026]

Today was my booking date. We only planned to book on our 2/3rd park day so 9 and 10 days out. Got what we wanted for MK and HS but terrible times I was able to modify slightly earlier but still later than I wanted. It was disappointing. Not sure how offsite guests get anything. I also had the "card did not work error" I hit retry 3 times and then I saw an email pop up thanks for my purchase but the app totally froze both times and I had to force close it to get it to work.

How early were you able to book your first one for? I have checked the app early mornings (6am) and have found I’m able to get earlier return times. I have heard they drop times at 5am and I may check tomorrow because I will be up. But maybe as it gets closer you can modify?

Tomorrow is our departure day for the first part of our trip-a college drop off! All college bags are packed and today is last minute errands and final trip packing. First up- Disney theme manicure!

 

[han22735]

How early were you able to book your first one for? I have checked the app early mornings (6am) and have found I’m able to get earlier return times. I have heard they drop times at 5am and I may check tomorrow because I will be up. But maybe as it gets closer you can modify?

Tomorrow is our departure day for the first part of our trip-a college drop off! All college bags are packed and today is last minute errands and final trip packing. First up- Disney theme manicure!

After reading some more for MK I canceled my pirates (earliest I could get was 11:30) and added buzz for 9:30..that way I can start getting Tier 1 rides right after.....Same went for HS. I canceled my ToT (earliest available was 12:50) and added star tours for 9:20 and then start trying for tier 1's. This system absolutely benefits people booking for later in their trip. Even though we are going for 13 days our only rope drop park days are at the beginning and I feel if you're not rope dropping then Genie is a waste of money.

 

[msmith1026]

feel if you're not rope dropping then Genie is a waste of money.

I feel the same. I think being able to scan in to the first ride early is the key to being able to pull an additional tier 1 ride.

 

[BellesRosesAndBooks]

I would definitely choose Hoop Dee Doo or Storybook. There is a bus to FW from WL that makes it convenient. If you are driving and want to do the campfire than you might want to stick with Hoop Dee Doo so that your car is there when you leave the campfire.

Love Hoop Dee Doo and Storybook, but I would pick Hoop Dee Doo - so much fun! It's entertainment and a great meal (and includes sangria / beer).

Also agree with staying close so picking betweeen Hoop Dee Doo or Storybook. Both are really good but also very different experiences. If it was me, I’d pick Storybook because I love the Evil Queen and I like the food choices more than the food at HDD.

Whichever you pick - it’s going to be a fun dinner !

Okkkkaaayyyy, I picked Storybook!!!!! That is more the vibe for that evening. Thank you all. I have bad FOMO.

Hope everyone traveling this week and weekend do so safely. And anyone going to tonight’s party, spill the hottest tea you have on the Jack and Sally meet and greet!!!

 

[BellesRosesAndBooks]

@msmith1026 @han22735 I am actually really worried about booking this Sunday for our AK day. It’s our first park day for Mon 8/26. I guess the good thing is we are focused on afternoon return times.

 

[MarknTara]

I cannot believe that we leave for Disney World on 8/23 already. This year has flown by. Do you all recommend doing Lightning Lane for all the parks? Is it worth it?

 

[han22735]

@msmith1026 @han22735 I am actually really worried about booking this Sunday for our AK day. It’s our first park day for Mon 8/26. I guess the good thing is we are focused on afternoon return times.

I think the only issue really is MK for early on in a trip. HS is our first day and it wasn't an issue getting any ride I wanted just not as early as I wanted. I think at AK its not a problem at all.

 

[han22735]

I cannot believe that we leave for Disney World on 8/23 already. This year has flown by. Do you all recommend doing Lightning Lane for all the parks? Is it worth it?

For us we don't. With genie the only parks we bought for was MK and HS and now that's the same for this trip but only for our first 2 park days and then we won't buy again. The past few trips have been this time of year and the waits were never bad at AK (fop is a pay ride anyways) At EP the only 2 with longer waits(maybe 45 minutes) are Remy and frozen. So we didn't mind waiting vs paying. Plus watching times we've waited even less.

 

[MarknTara]

For us we don't. With genie the only parks we bought for was MK and HS and now that's the same for this trip but only for our first 2 park days and then we won't buy again. The past few trips have been this time of year and the waits were never bad at AK (fop is a pay ride anyways) At EP the only 2 with longer waits(maybe 45 minutes) are Remy and frozen. So we didn't mind waiting vs paying. Plus watching times we've waited even less.

Good points, thanks. I miss the free fast passes. We haven't been since 2019 (we used to go every year) and honestly I have been putting it off because Disney just seems to be so greedy nowadays. It is a shame. I decided I wanted to take my kids this year (8 yr old and 4 yr old Daughters). We will be in Epcot, MK and Hollywood Studios 2 days each too and one day in AK. I am debating if I should buy for all of the days or if we will be OK just buying on certain days like when we go to MK. Thank you for responding, I have to figure this out soon lol.

 

[msmith1026]

@msmith1026 @han22735 I am actually really worried about booking this Sunday for our AK day. It’s our first park day for Mon 8/26. I guess the good thing is we are focused on afternoon return times.

You’ll be good! There was a ton of AK availability when it was our day to book. We debated getting it for our AK day because we are hopping over to MK in the evening, and it is cheaper to buy it for AK than it is for MK. AK is our first park day, and the last day we booked and we got 8:00am return times so you will definitely be able to get afternoon ones.

I think the only issue really is MK for early on in a trip. HS is our first day and it wasn't an issue getting any ride I wanted just not as early as I wanted. I think at AK its not a problem at all.

Agreed - I think MK is the most challenging park. Especially if you want Tianna’s. But the Tier 2s also go fast - I’m looking at you Haunted Mansion- so for that park specifically you have to think about what your must dos are.

I cannot believe that we leave for Disney World on 8/23 already. This year has flown by. Do you all recommend doing Lightning Lane for all the parks? Is it worth it?

My opinion is that it’s worth it for MK and DHS, but not necessarily so for AK and Epcot.

In Epcot- having Soarin as Tier 1 is crazy to me. The tiers are what I struggle with for Epcot-as most of the tier 2 rides do not need a skip the line pass. We have park hoppers, so on our Epcot day, I booked Remi, and then living with the land and spaceship earth - neither of which needs a LL. Once we tap in to Remi, I will switch our other ones to Hollywood Studios because we are hopping there ahead of our After Hours night.

Animal Kingdom you can do without if you utilize early entry (if staying on property). We have also had a lot of success hopping into the park at around 3 and getting all the rides minus FoP done. We tend to do early entry and rope drop Navi, grab breakfast on our way over to the Safari. Then we keep an eye on wait times and alternate rides and shows.

We normally wouldn’t buy it for AK, but because we were hopping to MK we decided to go ahead and get it there first, so we could book some rides after we hop. If we weren’t hopping, I would have done standby for everything but FoP.

 

[MarknTara]

My opinion is that it’s worth it for MK and DHS, but not necessarily so for AK and Epcot.

In Epcot- having Soarin as Tier 1 is crazy to me. The tiers are what I struggle with for Epcot-as most of the tier 2 rides do not need a skip the line pass. We have park hoppers, so on our Epcot day, I booked Remi, and then living with the land and spaceship earth - neither of which needs a LL. Once we tap in to Remi, I will switch our other ones to Hollywood Studios because we are hopping there ahead of our After Hours night.

Animal Kingdom you can do without if you utilize early entry (if staying on property). We have also had a lot of success hopping into the park at around 3 and getting all the rides minus FoP done. We tend to do early entry and rope drop Navi, grab breakfast on our way over to the Safari. Then we keep an eye on wait times and alternate rides and shows.

We normally wouldn’t buy it for AK, but because we were hopping to MK we decided to go ahead and get it there first, so we could book some rides after we hop. If we weren’t hopping, I would have done standby for everything but FoP.

Thanks, which rides are must do LL if we end up getting it? I am debating not doing it for Epcot and AK. Thanks

 

[msmith1026]

Thanks, which rides are must do LL if we end up getting it? I am debating not doing it for Epcot and AK. Thanks

Here’s my list- I like to utilize early entry and I try to zig when others zag so I’m not feeling like I have to race people to the “must do” rides.

MK: Tier 1s: Tiana’s, Big Thunder or Peter Pan if traveling with kids. Tier 2s : Haunted Mansion, Pirates or Winnie the Pooh (all tend to run out of availability so if important to ride I recommend booking these ). When rope dropping here - I tend to go to Peter Pan then scoot over and wait for frontier land to open and do big thunder.

DHS: Tier 1: I am always going to recommend Slinky Dog. If it doesn’t interest you I would say Rock and Roller Coaster. Tier 2: Tower of terror and Toy Story Mania. Out touring strategy for this park is to buy the pass for Rise, do early entry and rope drop Tower and RnR, then we can usually get to Runaway Railcoaster as our last ride before park opening. We try to avoid rope dropping Toy Story and Star Wars since that’s where most people go.

AK- if getting it here, I’d do Safari, Navi and Everest. But i find early entry rope drop here to be a huge help to touring the park with only needing the LLSP for FoP. We rope drop Navi because everyone else is going to FoP.

Epcot - If it works with your budget- buy Guardians. For the multi passes: Remi or Frozen (rope drop the other if you can) and then honestly whatever you can get the soonest return time for. Spaceship Earth is my favorite thing to to in Epcot after Guardians, so it’s a must Tier 2 for me. My husband would say otherwise

Hope this helps !

 

[MarknTara]

Here’s my list- I like to utilize early entry and I try to zig when others zag so I’m not feeling like I have to race people to the “must do” rides.

MK: Tier 1s: Tiana’s, Big Thunder or Peter Pan if traveling with kids. Tier 2s : Haunted Mansion, Pirates or Winnie the Pooh (all tend to run out of availability so if important to ride I recommend booking these ). When rope dropping here - I tend to go to Peter Pan then scoot over and wait for frontier land to open and do big thunder.

DHS: Tier 1: I am always going to recommend Slinky Dog. If it doesn’t interest you I would say Rock and Roller Coaster. Tier 2: Tower of terror and Toy Story Mania. Out touring strategy for this park is to buy the pass for Rise, do early entry and rope drop Tower and RnR, then we can usually get to Runaway Railcoaster as our last ride before park opening. We try to avoid rope dropping Toy Story and Star Wars since that’s where most people go.

AK- if getting it here, I’d do Safari, Navi and Everest. But i find early entry rope drop here to be a huge help to touring the park with only needing the LLSP for FoP. We rope drop Navi because everyone else is going to FoP.

Epcot - If it works with your budget- buy Guardians. For the multi passes: Remi or Frozen (rope drop the other if you can) and then honestly whatever you can get the soonest return time for. Spaceship Earth is my favorite thing to to in Epcot after Guardians, so it’s a must Tier 2 for me. My husband would say otherwise

Hope this helps !

Thanks! We normally do fantasyland at MK first (Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, etc) since those are usually shorter rides and build up big lines. I am thinking LL may be good for MK since there is so much to do and I have 2 kids (8 yr and 4 yr Daughters).

For DHS- We haven't done Slinky Dog yet but my kid's are roller coaster fans. I haven't done it, is Slinky a fun coaster? I would likely want to get Runaway Railcoaster, Rise, Smugglers done first


For AK- We have always started with the Safari but we haven't been since 2019. My kids love DuckTales, do you know if they are still there in AK? My 8 yr old remembers meeting Scrooge and LaunchPad , mainly because I accidently sprayed suntan lotion onto her face and the reaction from Launchpad and Scooge while waiting in line was hilarious. I was shamed so badly lol.
I am thinking we should probably try to rope drop FoP, we haven't done it yet and it looks awesome. The kids want to do Navi for sure too.

Epcot- I love Spaceship Earth!! My kids definitely want to do Frozen, Remi and Soarin. My little one wants to do Nemo and Figment too but I know those lines are generally small.

I am still trying to figure out if I need to buy everyday or just for MK, one day in HS.

 

[msmith1026]

Thanks! We normally do fantasyland at MK first (Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, etc) since those are usually shorter rides and build up big lines. I am thinking LL may be good for MK since there is so much to do and I have 2 kids (8 yr and 4 yr Daughters).

For DHS- We haven't done Slinky Dog yet but my kid's are roller coaster fans. I haven't done it, is Slinky a fun coaster? I would likely want to get Runaway Railcoaster, Rise, Smugglers done first


For AK- We have always started with the Safari but we haven't been since 2019. My kids love DuckTales, do you know if they are still there in AK? My 8 yr old remembers meeting Scrooge and LaunchPad , mainly because I accidently sprayed suntan lotion onto her face and the reaction from Launchpad and Scooge while waiting in line was hilarious. I was shamed so badly lol.
I am thinking we should probably try to rope drop FoP, we haven't done it yet and it looks awesome. The kids want to do Navi for sure too.

Epcot- I love Spaceship Earth!! My kids definitely want to do Frozen, Remi and Soarin. My little one wants to do Nemo and Figment too but I know those lines are generally small.

I am still trying to figure out if I need to buy everyday or just for MK, one day in HS.

Slinky is so fun! I would prioritize that one with your multipass, because it will go fast. You can rooe drop Mickey and Minnie’s and once done there also more than likely get to Smugglers and do that before crowds build. I usually buy the individual pass for Rise - it’s unreliable at rope drop and can be down which can throw any good plan out the window.

I think Scrooge and Launchpad are on floatillas but am not certain if they have traditional meet and greets.

For Animal Kingdom- if you rope drop FoP then go to Navi next, I don’t think you would need to purchase the multi pass. Everyone is going to be going the same direction but the line moves quickly in the morning.

I would definitely prioritize buying for MK and HS- it will be very helpful. For me, if I am on the fence and budget allows, I would err on the side of purchasing to make life easier. It’s exactly how I ended up with AK this time. Knowing we only had one day at AK we decided to go for it so we can get everything we want to done.