Park Hopping & FP+ Selection

[Abatts]

this is our first time with park hoppers and I'm torn on what our strategy should be! We are going the first week of March, so hopefully fairly low crowds. Our TA suggested using FP+ for the first park and then using the 4th FP for the park we are hopping to. We have 4 full days at the parks and our first evening in one park (after arrival, plan on hitting HS or MK for F! or wishes.
This is our general plan for the full days

AK (EMH AM hours), stay at park til about 2. Head back to resort for quick rest then head to HS at 5 for dinner, possibly quick rides and/or night show. I have FP for HS this day

MK til 3 or 4. Resort for a couple hours, head to EP for EMH PM hours. FP+ for headliners at MK

HS with headliner FP until about 2 or 3. Resort for short rest, spirit of Aloha at 5:15. Use monorail to MK for EMH PM hours.

EP with AM EMH hours and FP til 2 or so. Resort for rest then head to one of the parks for PM (probably MK)

Does this seem feasible? We def don't want to be rushed and wanted to work in resort time since it's our first time at a deluxe resort.

Also we are driving and had plan to drive to all parks except MK ?

 

[Abatts]

However the hours are short as of right now, HS closes at 7 each night, EP at 9 and MK at 8.

 

[gap2368]

your planes seem fine to me

I would never use FP at AK but you are really going to be there most of the day and HS you really will not have music time for many rides ( depending on when it closes I would just get a FP for the park you will be going too right after you use your 3 FP

also if the park is not open too late I am would skip going back to the hotel as that can take an hour each way.

 

[ashleymrush]

I think your plan looks very feasible. The only thing I would suggest changing would be to use your FPs at the MK on the last day instead of at EP. Because of the tier system, EP FPs are pretty useless except for the first one. The only positive to this would be to have the ability to ride one top item early and then use a FP for the other. If that's what you are going for then you are fine. Just know that the other two EP FPs won't be necessary, especially in the morning.

Have fun!

 

[CAS239]

Look for hours to be extended.

And I'd go against what your TA suggested and I'd do what I always do when we park hop, which is start your FP's at your second park when it's the busiest. If you're going to AK one morning, take advantage of low crowds for the first few hours. Then say you go to MK in the afternoon, I much rather have FP's for say 7dmt, Space, and Big Thunder vs trying to get a 4th FP and getting like Small world and Buzz. Some like to start knocking out their FP's early in the day but I don't see the point when you can get right on the ride with low crowds.

Only exception would be if you're doing hard to get headliners like 7dmt or Frozen.

 

[Klayfish]

There's no right way. We do opposite of what CAS239 said, but it doesn't make him wrong or us right. We usually do FP+ first thing, but we only get them for the really popular rides, and we'll ride the less crowded stuff in between. So for example, at MK we may get FP+ for Splash Mountain, Space Mountain and Peter Pan. All three of those rides will have long standby lines within an hour of park opening (at least in the summer time), so we have FP+ for 10am, 11am and noon. We'll ride Small World or Pirates in between FP+. Then we'll hop to whatever park we feel like and shoot for a 4th FP+.

No wrong way to do this, just try to be efficient so that you don't spend all your time commuting between parks.

 

[CAS239]

There's no right way. We do opposite of what CAS239 said, but it doesn't make him wrong or us right. We usually do FP+ first thing, but we only get them for the really popular rides, and we'll ride the less crowded stuff in between. So for example, at MK we may get FP+ for Splash Mountain, Space Mountain and Peter Pan. All three of those rides will have long standby lines within an hour of park opening (at least in the summer time), so we have FP+ for 10am, 11am and noon. We'll ride Small World or Pirates in between FP+. Then we'll hop to whatever park we feel like and shoot for a 4th FP+.

No wrong way to do this, just try to be efficient so that you don't spend all your time commuting between parks.

We do this as well if we're in the first park for quite awhile. Start FP's around 11 or noon. I just strongly recommend starting FP's within 2 hours of a park being open