Park Strategy Question....

[kyleandconnorsmom]

This trip will be myself, DH, and our 3 boys (ages 12, 6, and almost 3). We will be at WDW 6/5-6/11. Barring too many more snow days here, we should actually arrive on 6/4 and will stay at a value before checking in to AKL on 6/5. I haven't been since 2011, so this whole fp+ system is new to me. Right now I have tentatively planned to head to AKL early on 6/5, check in (room likely won't be ready) and head to MK for awhile. Then we will head back to the resort in the late afternoon and explore/swim/eat there. That, or we will check in, spend the day exploring the resort and swimming, then head to MK for the evening after the room is ready.

Saturday 6/6-Epcot
Sunday 6/7-Beach/Resort Day
Monday 6/8-AK
Tuesday 6/9-HS
Wednesday 6/10-MK
Thursday 6/11-Check out and head home

We are not big early-risers and DH prefers a lot of "down time" and pool time (the boys love swimming too). I am not planning on staying at the parks all day and probably won't return in the evenings. The only day I plan on hitting RD is our HS day because my 6 year old wants to do JTA. Other than that, we will probably roll in sometime between 10-11am. My biggest concern is our Epcot day. It's a Saturday, so I'm concerned about crowds. Like most other people, TT and Soarin are our "must dos". I will probably also get a fp for SE, but other than that, we are flexible. I just don't know if I should get a fp+ for all of us (minus YDS, who is only 36 inches tall) for Soarin' and then let DH and the big boys attempt stand-by for TT with a rider-swap for me, or fp TT for the 6 year old and myself and Soarin' for DH and ODS and use rider-swap for each. My only concern about that is our boys will argue about the other getting to do "X" ride twice.

Another way to combat that problem, would be if we did Epcot the evening of 6/5 and planned something else on Saturday (possibly MK or AK). 6/5 is EMH for Epcot. I've read the lines can be pretty short during EMH, and since we don't really do WS , I'm wondering if just being at Epcot for an evening would be sufficient?

Sorry, I am just thinking out loud and if anyone has any helpful tips or suggestions, I would appreciate it!

ETA:If we do AK on Saturday, we will do MK on Monday in its place, I definitely want to go to MK twice.

 

[rizzo0904]

Friday night will be busy at Epcot. It has EMH hours that day. I would really try to be at Epcot for rope drop. Ride test track first and have a FP for Soarin.

 

[kyleandconnorsmom]

I will have to try to talk DH in to doing another RD (besides HS). Maybe since his beach day is the next day I will be able to talk him in to it. He is so unbelievably grouchy when he doesn't get a lot of sleep, lol.

 

[rizzo0904]

Leave him in the room and the rest of you go. He can meet you when he's chipper.

You will be there for Star Wars weekend..so it's good you're doing HS on a weekday. Its also gay days but I don't think that impacts crowds much.

 

[soar2014]

You will be arriving at AKL the same day as us! We'll be in Kidani though. We're only staying 3 nights. I'm taking a newbie and her kids so we have no choice but to do MK, AK, and DHS.

 

[kyleandconnorsmom]

Haha...I would leave him, but that wouldn't work because the 6 and 12 year olds couldn't ride without me and I would have to stay with the little guy.

 

[MrInfinity]

You are overthinking it.

Crossing up your FPs like you're thinking is fine, but it's overcomplicating things and making for a headbanging exercise trying to pull it off in the park when you're dealing w the crowds, and your kids, and bathrooms, and everything else.. Just go ride Soarin via FP. One of you sits w the baby or rides LWTL. The other takes both boys. When done, you swap. The other parent gets to ride, again with both boys. (the rider switch gets the other parent on with 2 extras).

Now you go to Test Track. You send 3 of you to ride it standby. Hour wait, one time. Again you get a rider switch. When done, the other of you goes (again) with the two boys. You've now gotten to ride both Soarin and TT twice for your boys, and once each for you and DH.

While one of you waits for the other on Soarin, ride LWTL w the baby or eat at the food court. While you wait for the other at Test Track, you're not near anything useful, but it's doable to walk over and ride Figment or Nemo w the baby, or just go get a slushie at the big slushie store.

Make sure to take your Tier-2 rides for things everyone will want to do together, like Figment, Nemo, SE, or MS. You'll feel like you're split up a lot due to having to sit out w the baby, so some nice things that everyone can do as a group will be great.

I'd say you can do all of this in a half-day without much trouble at all. The combination of FP+ and Rider Switch is really useful.

 

[kyleandconnorsmom]

That could work. I don't mind waiting in line for TT. I also don't mind taking the little guy to do something while the others wait. Problem is, DH won't want to do either. Maybe I'll get lucky and catch him I'm a giving mood. Lol.

 

[shalom]

While you wait for the other at Test Track, you're not near anything useful, but it's doable to walk over and ride Figment or Nemo w the baby, or just go get a slushie at the big slushie store.

Depending on how long we're talking, Innoventions would be an airconditioned place to hang out with the little one, and it's closer to TT than any other option I can think of. There's a firetruck in Innoventions West, which most toddler boys think is pretty cool. Dunno about any of the other exhibits there, though. Some of my 3yos would have thought them keen just to wander through, others not.

Both the Seas and the Imagination pavillion had play areas suitable for toddlers, last I knew, although how long said three year old would find them entertaining I dunno.

 

[kyleandconnorsmom]

Thanks! I just spoke with DH and he said he would rather rope drop than wait in long lines all day. He wants to ride Soarin at least twice. So I guess we will be heading straight for Soarin stand-by, using a fp for it a little later and then heading to TT stand-by. I appreciate the suggestions for things to do near TT, bc I really only know the big rides at Epcot and I haven't visited innovations since like '95.

 

[To the honeypots]

I might be wrong and please tell me if I am, but couldn't she fp+ TT and her band and Fp+soaring on dh's band and use rider swap at each? I thought other threads said that you both didn't need fp+ scheduled.