One day in May

[AustinTink]

Good Gravy! I think I have lost my mind. We haven't attempted a one-day visit in almost a decade, but here we sit with plans for May(Memorial Weekend).

Where to begin:

1) Pirates is closed during our date, but we always eat at the Blue Bayou as a tradition. Thoughts on keeping our lunch reservation even though the ride is down? Will the ambiance be ruined?

2) Using Max Pass for the first time. Our last visit was summer 2016, so Max Pass is new to us. Hopefully it will ease our day a bit. Tips or tricks we should know as first-time users?

3) Parking- It has been over 10 years since we parked off-site. Toy Story or Mickey and Friends? I would prefer easy exit at the end of the day.

4) Parade- Paint the Night was in DLR last time we were there. What are the best spots to stake out for the parade now that it's in DCA. I usually find a spot 1.5 hours before.

5) Grand Californian Entrance- We usually stay at the Grand, so thinking of visiting Whitewater Snacks in the evening for a snack and a break. Can we use the DCA entrance without a room key? I've never used that entrance without staying there before.

That's all for now. I'm a bit stressed about this one-day visit, but one day is always better than zero.

 

[figment_jii]

1) I haven't been to BB during this refurbishment of PotC, but my guess is that they're going to keep the area around BB filled with water so that guests dining in the restaurant won't really notice anything (other than it'll be a bit quieter). Unless someone says that they've put up walls or done something similar, I would go ahead with your tradition!

4) Are you going on a day when there is one PtN or two? I ask because I was there on Dapper Day Sunday and the first parade was pretty busy, but the second parade was quite empty. So if you can swing the second parade, you probably don't need 1.5 hours. In terms of where to watch, I saw it from across the waterfall (kind of between Carthay and where RSR FPs are distributed) and that was a pretty good spot.

 

[AustinTink]

1) I haven't been to BB during this refurbishment of PotC, but my guess is that they're going to keep the area around BB filled with water so that guests dining in the restaurant won't really notice anything (other than it'll be a bit quieter). Unless someone says that they've put up walls or done something similar, I would go ahead with your tradition!

4) Are you going on a day when there is one PtN or two? I ask because I was there on Dapper Day Sunday and the first parade was pretty busy, but the second parade was quite empty. So if you can swing the second parade, you probably don't need 1.5 hours. In terms of where to watch, I saw it from across the waterfall (kind of between Carthay and where RSR FPs are distributed) and that was a pretty good spot.

We are going to keep our BB reservations. We love watching the boats go by but just getting in from the sun and enjoying a nice, quiet respite from the crowds for while is worth it for us.

The calendar shows one PTN at 8:45. I was hoping for a two parade day. We always choose the later of the two. I know the waterfall you are talking about. We dill definitely check out that spot!

 

[siskaren]

5) Grand Californian Entrance- We usually stay at the Grand, so thinking of visiting Whitewater Snacks in the evening for a snack and a break. Can we use the DCA entrance without a room key? I've never used that entrance without staying there before.

Yep, no problem.

 

[AustinTink]

Yep, no problem.

Awesome. I wasn't sure with all the changes to security checkpoints and not letting people enter through the Grand in the mornings, etc.

 

[cruisehopeful]

3.) I prefer Mickey and Friends because there are often long lines at the end of the day for transport back to the parking lots. The walk back to Mickey and Friends is pretty easy when I don't feel like standing around waiting.

 

[AustinTink]

Changed our dates. i couldn't wrap my head around a one-day drive up from San Diego. Now we three full days later in the summer tacked on to our Southern California trip. Took a hit on our airfare fees for making changes, but well worth it.