
banshee72!
We will be there from June 29th to July 5th staying at Bonnet Creek. Can't wait!! Have so many ressies already it's been 7 years since we went! My dd was only 11 months old!! It's going to be a huge surprise for her she has been pleading with us to go! Any ideas on making it extra special for her???
Only thing I think is "crazy" is the time you picked -- the closer it gets to July 4th, the more crowded it gets, and I've heard of the parks getting filled to capacity on the 4th. If you've included a "down day" in your plans, that would be the day I'd pick...and go checkout what it looks like to see the fireworks from the beach at the Poly or something like that.. OR I'd avoid MK like the plague. OR, if neither of those are an option, get to MK early and don't leave. Perhaps someone who has been during that time will say something, too. Latest in June we've stayed is, like this time, checking out on the 28th.
I am from Wetumpka! Not going to the game but I agree, I have always wondered about the mascot.
Last night, they announced the name of the NEW mascot to be side-kick to Big Mo (the anteater...): a mini potbellied piglet named Miss Gravy. (Biscuits & Gravy...) We only stayed until halfway through the game, too. At 9, they were at the bottom of the 4th inning, and I kept thinking of that hour and a half drive home. We headed out for the Shoppes at Eastchase and Red Robin, and it was still close to 11:30 or later before we left Montgomery!
I tell you, last year when we camped out on the field was a completely different experience! It didn't matter when the game was over (after 11, I now realize!), then fireworks. Then everyone else left, and it was just Girl Scouts. We set up our tents on the field, and watched Wreck It Ralph on the jumbotron. It had to be 1:30 or 2 before we could sleep, and wake up call was at 5. (Have to be out of the stadium by 7!) I'm glad we didn't do all that this time, with the rain and bad weather coming, but I still missed the experience!
My DH is from Alabama and we long distance dated for a while. I LOVE the Biscuits and had so much fun at their games! Our minor league here (the Frisco Roughriders) is not nearly as fun. I miss going! Saw the Rays played there the other day. Would have loved to see that!
Biscuits vs Birmingham Barons. Biscuits won, 14 - 7! If they shot biscuits into the stands last night, the girls were too busy playing on the playground/inflatables, so we missed most of the half of the game we stayed for.
They changed them back in February. The opening hours generally stay the same (exception being MK during Easter week) but they extended the closing hours. So if you're checked over the last 6-8 weeks they are still the same. However, no matter when we've gone, it's been common for the hours to be tweaked a few weeks or even days before we arrive and we have had extensions to the closing times of DHS which came into effect even after we've arrived before. It won't affect our FP choices or the parks we visit as I'm done with changing my plans every time there is a new announcement

It was really just to factor in a break if need be where we might not have had one. There is a difference between being at a park for 12 hours and being there for 16 hours, if you know what I mean.
I'm counting on the Summer Veterans to educate me here.
We've been going in the summer since 2009, and I can't remember them making too many other time changes. I mean, they ALWAYS extend the times for MK (especially pm EMH) as it gets closer. You can guarantee a 1 pm close for that. Wishes is pretty much always at 10. Etc. However, we've never paid too much attention to the time because we make ADRs 6 months in advance, and once we've done that, those are what parks on what days. We've had a trip or two in which we have TOTALLY avoided EMH hours, and it was just by chance. You can generally guarantee we will be in EP on my birthday and MK on DD's (although we did AK for mine one year and are probably going to Blizzard Beach this year for hers). Everything else is pretty much up in the air from year to year. (Yeah, I know...no help from me!)