Planning without a hope or a dream

[Greenfield1984]

Ok the title may be overly dramatic.

We are a party of 8 that ranges from a 2yo, some pre and reg teens as well as adults and havnt been to the world in 5 years.

We will be staying offsite and plan to not use genie+ or individual lightning lanes. So maybe the situation is quite dire...

We will be getting 7 day passes and will arrive 30 minutes prior to park open. We also plan on making much of our meals the night before to further cut costs.

We will be arriving mid august.



I figure without having genie+ it actually might actually make things a bit easier as we can plan in advance and not rely on availability.

My initial plan is hit 1 or 2 headliners first thing in morning. Then maybe a couple mid tier attractions and eventually the least pophlar attractions and then maybe leaving the park at around 1 or 2 when the scprching sun begins frying our oh so pale redhead canadian skin.

Then returning around 6 or so.

So who else has visited the world under these conditions? What advice do you have to minimize wait times (my main concern).

Who currently has the best touring plans for a group like ours?

 

[DisneyOma]

You might need to leave earlier to avoid that scorching sun - I have the same issues and leave around noon or even before that, and then come back or park hop to a different park late afternoon. It's doable to stay until 2, but maybe plan more of the inside attractions for late morning, early afternoon. And consider genie+ for one day at Magic Kingdom!

 

[Greenfield1984]

You might need to leave earlier to avoid that scorching sun - I have the same issues and leave around noon or even before that, and then come back or park hop to a different park late afternoon. It's doable to stay until 2, but maybe plan more of the inside attractions for late morning, early afternoon. And consider genie+ for one day at Magic Kingdom!

I refuse to cough up more money for genie+! honestly if it was like fast pass where you can book months in advance i may consider it. But i dont want to be glued to my phone on the trip.

As for the sun. Absokutely. Noon is rough. But figure noon is when ppl eat so hoping to get a couple more rides in while ppl are eating. And definitely indoor.

By noon im thinking rides like its a small world or maybe haunted mansion.

Im more concerned with what rides to do once i come back after an afternoon rest. What are crowds like at 4 or 5pm and then tbroughout the night.

Is 5pm quite busy and then a gradual decline?

 

[holden]

It will be busy all day. I have found that mid to end of August is less busy than July, but it is still busy.

Lowest crowds will be just before closing. You can hop in line for a headliner five minutes before closing and have a shorter wait than during the day.

You will not notice a drop in crowds until maybe an hour before closing, and even that depends on where you are in a park and which park you are in.

If you don't want to do Genie+, consider buying ILL for any attraction that you really want to do - ROTR, for example. The cost may be high, but your time is valuable and it will save you over an hour's worth of time.

If you are taking a break during midday, consider staying in a park or close by (like a resort). Disney transportation is notoriously bad, and they recommend to allow up to 1.5hrs to get from a park to your resort and vice versa. Commuting will eat up a lot of time. Going to and from your resort will most likely take at least 2hrs total (back and forth from walking to the bus stop until arrival at your destination and maybe up to 3hrs. Uber/Lyft is always a good option. Minnie Van is great too. Both will save you time.

While I get wanting to get a break from the sun, you actually will not get a break from the sun until it goes down. August is brutally hot - like surface of the sun hot. It may rain every day around 3. The rain doesn't bring a break from the heat. It just makes it even more humid (if that's possible).

Having said all of this, we have gone many times in August and have always enjoyed ourselves. I always say "never again in August" and then we go back again in August. When you are at the happiest place on earth, crowds and heat don't matter as much.

 

[Dulcee]

We managed a group of 9 last March while staying offsite, no genie+, ages infant to 70s AND spring break crowds. We're doing it again with a different group of 10 (husband's family this time) this March.


It is doable! Our preferred method, especially in those super hot summer months, arrive early. Bail to your offsite rental for lunch/naps/swimming, and then head back in the late afternoon/early evening to hit the parks again. Save headliners you couldn't get to in the AM for hopping on right as the parks close. Our trip last March the only "headliner" rides we didn't get on were 7 Dwarves and Rise. Both were choices due to having rode them already or most of the group not having an interest in them.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

It will be busy all day. I have found that mid to end of August is less busy than July, but it is still busy.

Lowest crowds will be just before closing. You can hop in line for a headliner five minutes before closing and have a shorter wait than during the day.

You will not notice a drop in crowds until maybe an hour before closing, and even that depends on where you are in a park and which park you are in.

If you don't want to do Genie+, consider buying ILL for any attraction that you really want to do - ROTR, for example. The cost may be high, but your time is valuable and it will save you over an hour's worth of time.

If you are taking a break during midday, consider staying in a park or close by (like a resort). Disney transportation is notoriously bad, and they recommend to allow up to 1.5hrs to get from a park to your resort and vice versa. Commuting will eat up a lot of time. Going to and from your resort will most likely take at least 2hrs total (back and forth from walking to the bus stop until arrival at your destination and maybe up to 3hrs. Uber/Lyft is always a good option. Minnie Van is great too. Both will save you time.

While I get wanting to get a break from the sun, you actually will not get a break from the sun until it goes down. August is brutally hot - like surface of the sun hot. It may rain every day around 3. The rain doesn't bring a break from the heat. It just makes it even more humid (if that's possible).

Having said all of this, we have gone many times in August and have always enjoyed ourselves. I always say "never again in August" and then we go back again in August. When you are at the happiest place on earth, crowds and heat don't matter as much.

but with a 2 year old they will not be able to use rider swap at end of day with your end of day headliner ride

 

[RoseGold]

If you go to WDW twice a year, sure whatever. I don't need G+, I've ridden that before, or I'll do it next time. But as occasional visitors, the system is really designed to force you into G+ if you want to optimize expensive park time.

I would think about priorities in the group, and think about at least getting one day of G+ so you can make sure you can get to it all.

With every ride taking a huge amount of line time, you are really fighting time. You need to plan to really park warrior. That afternoon break will really cost you a lot of time. The last couple rides before closing can be among the shortest lines and most efficient as well. This is especially important in summer, when many people tap out in the afternoon for heat. The late hours are important to optimize.

Exception would be the 2 year old and family. The baby-ish rides are much more manageable. Maybe you wait for MM RR in HS, sure. But most of them aren't that bad, and this is def doable without G+. The 2 year old can't go on most of the headliners anyway.

 

[sponica]

The only reason I will recommend an ILL for ROTR (If you can get one) is that the ride can be unreliable, and it's one thing when it goes down after you've entered the ride experience, then you get a lightning lane. But if it goes down when you're in line when it goes down, you've spent time in line for a ride that can take a while to re-set.

 

[Debbie Jean]

Hopefully your off site location has a pool. A midday lunch by the pool will be a welcome respite from the blazing heat! Evenings in the parks are so much more pleasant in the summer.

Whatever crowd levels you encounter, pack some patience and remember to enjoy being together!!

 

[fla4fun]

Since you are staying off site, what are you planning to do during your break time? Depending on where your off site accommodation is located, it could take a lot of time to drive there and back, particularly the ride back during the local rush hour. Also, are you planning to bring food to the park to eat? I was confused by your wording on the food issue and didn’t know if you were planning to eat dinner during your break back at your resort or pack up food the night before to bring with you to the parks.

I have visited in late August a lot over the years. It’s hot and the heat is very tiring. I would spend about six or seven hours in the park, and be done for the day. There is no way I personally would have the energy to return to the parks once I was back in my nice, cooled resort, especially if I were planning to be up and at the parks early the next morning. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself ready to sleep instead of ready to go back.

My advice would be, if you get to the parks extra early so you are ready to go when the park opens, that first hour you are in the park should be dedicated to the attractions at the top of your must do list. After that, do attractions that have the most unprotected lines, where you would be waiting in the sun. Get as many of those out of the way by noon as possible. Then focus on attractions where the bulk of the line is indoors, as well as the ride itself. The hotter it is getting outside, the more time you should spend inside. Long attractions like The American Adventure at Epcot, where the queue area and show are indoors will keep you inside for up to an hour are great in the afternoon. I can’t guarantee you won’t be waiting in line, but this strategy should make the wait time more bearable in the heat.

Have fun, and remember to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

 

[RoseGold]

I would also consider ILL for GOTG. By then, the (free) VQ should be for Tron, and I imagine ILL$$ will be the way to go on this ride.

You can skip it for little kids and chickens, but for adults who want a thrill, I'd pony up the cash for this one in particular. You can thank me later.

The rides I would skip would be Navi (why is this one always an hour?) and Peter Pan, which has a long line because of nostalgia and old-fashioned ride design that is just slow by modern standards. Frozen is also not fantastic and the crazy line is because of the limitations on the ride design. I'm on the fence on Test Track. I know people like it, but I just don't think it's that good, and the wait is always crazy.

ROTR I would try at rope drop and at park close.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Your plan can certainly work, but you'll do a lot of waiting and it's going to be hot - but you are already planning for that. A good thing to consider - if you find the first couple days of your stay aren't allowing you to do the attractions you want, you can always choose to do a day with G+ to maximize one day - or buy a single ILL to enjoy GOTG or Rise or your top attraction of choice. You don't have to buy it in advance and you don't have to buy it for more than a day or 2. Hope it all works out and you have a fun trip!

 

[T.G.I.Friday]

I’d recommend looking at historical park hours and wait times for August of 2022 to help you get an idea of what you will likely be able to accomplish.

Looks like parks opened at 9 for off-site. (AK at 8). If you want to be leaving around 1, that gives you 4 hours.

Without any kind of advantage (resort guest or G+), I would think that you could experience 3/4 attractions total in that time - 2 with wait times of around an hour, one 25-30 minute wait and either a show or a dumbo/teacups type of ride.

Honestly, I think your list is too ambitious and you are going to be disappointed if you aren’t able to do what you’ve outlined, so I’m trying to be more realistic in what I believe you can do. Pleasantly surprised rather than disappointed if you get 5 rides in 4 hours.

 

[kwdw]

If you aren't buying Genie, I might actually suggest NOT doing the back and forth thing as that is exhausting - especially being off-property. Decide if you are morning or night people - and stick with it. I'm normally a morning person - but because the humidity is SO high in the morning and it can be 90+ by 11 am - I sometimes opt to start at 3-4 pm instead. Do the pool and be lazy at your resort - then head to the parks in the afternoon. The sun is still HIGH at 3-4 - so it's still hot, but the humidity has decreased some - and I would plan indoor things as my first things. For example, at MK - I'd head to Laugh Floor, COP, and Peoplemover. Then over to Philharmonic or Under the Sea. After that - the sun might be getting a tad lower so there is more shade overall - or I would head to an air-conditioned spot for dinner. Then - as the sun is lower in the day - start trying to pack things in. That going back and forth when off-site takes a TON of time. To and from the car, park gate time, drive time, etc - it's like an hour really - and that's if you are close!

 

[Trinity88]

We've done August many times, both off and onsite. If you're going after Florida schools are back, you'll have better luck with waits. My biggest concern with your plan is the early mornings and late evenings. I know you'll have the mid day break, but will people really nap/rest? I always find it hard to go back in the evening because I've started to relax during the break. Anyway, you may find you're too tired to keep up that pace of early mornings and late evenings in the heat.

Agree with the others, plan headliners first thing in the morning (but also be aware that resort guests will have been there half an hour before you) and move to smaller rides as the morning goes on. If you want to do every headliner, you will need Genie, or multiple days imo.

 

[DisDreaming4116]

On our August trips, we sleep in a bit (7-8am), eat breakfast in the room (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches do the wallet well) and go swimming. A relaxing start to the day can be a great investment. We arrive at a park around 1pm and stay for the remainder of the day and night. There are so many details which can only be seen at night and the cooler temps are a huge benefit.
Also, as others have said, it's exhausting and time consuming to do all the transportation, especially offsite.

 

[loves to dive]

Yes, it's doable. Yes, its hot, yes it will rain, yes you are going to have melt downs at some point but it's doable.

I was there from 8/28 thru 9/3 last year and everything was a walk on, I mean the longest wait I had the entire week was EE for SDMT which was a hour and I got there maybe 10 min. into EE and 20 min. for Little Mermaid. Otherwise, everything else, including Rise and PP was a walk on. To be fair, I had hoppers so there was an advantage of being able to repeat parks at night. I always take breaks in the afternoon, we always have. Summer hours the parks are open later so that is to your advantage. If school hasn't started yet there will be crowds.

Just be prepared with some way to try to combat the heat, lots of water (free in the parks) maybe cooling towels or small fans (especially for the little one). Ride things with AC as often as you can. Be prepared to wait in lines, we don't have problems with lines since we have been going since long before any kind of FP system so if you wanted to ride a ride, you waited in line. Will you do everything in the parks? No, but lets face it, even if you bought Genie+ and ILL you probably wouldn't do everything there is to do. It's possible to ride every ride with Genie+ and ILL if you go from park opening to park close and not take a break and cross all over the parks but that is exhausting. And that is still not doing everything in the parks. Maybe pick two or three rides in each park that are must dos and go from there.

 

[Greenfield1984]

We managed a group of 9 last March while staying offsite, no genie+, ages infant to 70s AND spring break crowds. We're doing it again with a different group of 10 (husband's family this time) this March.


It is doable! Our preferred method, especially in those super hot summer months, arrive early. Bail to your offsite rental for lunch/naps/swimming, and then head back in the late afternoon/early evening to hit the parks again. Save headliners you couldn't get to in the AM for hopping on right as the parks close. Our trip last March the only "headliner" rides we didn't get on were 7 Dwarves and Rise. Both were choices due to having rode them already or most of the group not having an interest in them.

This is exactly how we are doing it and sp its good to know that you managed it very well.

I may only splurge on a lightnibg lane (as a pp suggested) for rise as we havnt done it before and looks like its on a whole other level and must be done.

 

[Greenfield1984]

Since you are staying off site, what are you planning to do during your break time? Depending on where your off site accommodation is located, it could take a lot of time to drive there and back, particularly the ride back during the local rush hour. Also, are you planning to bring food to the park to eat? I was confused by your wording on the food issue and didn’t know if you were planning to eat dinner during your break back at your resort or pack up food the night before to bring with you to the parks.

I have visited in late August a lot over the years. It’s hot and the heat is very tiring. I would spend about six or seven hours in the park, and be done for the day. There is no way I personally would have the energy to return to the parks once I was back in my nice, cooled resort, especially if I were planning to be up and at the parks early the next morning. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself ready to sleep instead of ready to go back.

My advice would be, if you get to the parks extra early so you are ready to go when the park opens, that first hour you are in the park should be dedicated to the attractions at the top of your must do list. After that, do attractions that have the most unprotected lines, where you would be waiting in the sun. Get as many of those out of the way by noon as possible. Then focus on attractions where the bulk of the line is indoors, as well as the ride itself. The hotter it is getting outside, the more time you should spend inside. Long attractions like The American Adventure at Epcot, where the queue area and show are indoors will keep you inside for up to an hour are great in the afternoon. I can’t guarantee you won’t be waiting in line, but this strategy should make the wait time more bearable in the heat.

Have fun, and remember to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

Fortunately we will be staying at windsor hills. Been there a few times and its quick and easy access to the parks.

Indeed it is tough to return to the park after taking a break. And many times in prior trips we dont.

However the parks look beautiful at night and i love the nighttime entertainment. So maybe we jist come back for a couple hours to soak up the atmosphere, see a show and maybe one ride before close. And maybe one adult stays back with the toddler and those too tired from my militant early rise and parading from ride to ride in the day.

As for food. I got a pretty good system. We have a double stroller. One seat for toddler the other for a fair sized cooler. Then i also have a backpack cooler. So in the backpack i got snacks and drinks that i replenish from the cooler that has drinks of various levels of melted from frozen. It also has usually larger meal usually lunch. We grab and eat on the go.

On trips past we would do one meal that we made ourself for say lunch and buy one counterservice meal for supper. This time we are going even more frugal.

People rightfully complain that disney is overly expensive. But by driving instead of flying (from ottawa), making your own meals, and staying off site you can save a ton of money.

I want to see if avoiding the extra genie+ fees is also feasible and still fun.

Part of this is our own doing. Having 4 kids is very costly. When we only had one we stayed at the animal kingdom lodge, using a super deal of course.

 

[Greenfield1984]

The rides I would skip would be Navi (why is this one always an hour?) and Peter Pan, which has a long line because of nostalgia and old-fashioned ride design that is just slow by modern standards. Frozen is also not fantastic and the crazy line is because of the limitations on the ride design.

....how....dare...you...sir!
fun for all ages rides are my jam! My happy place if you will. They will not be skipped.

However this also means im not a big fan of thrill rides so agree with test track. Our drive to orlando is 26 hours straighy no break for the night. I got enough driving in that test track does not draw me in.

However. Everyone seems to love cosmic rewind. May have to pony up cash for a few riders while i skip it. Im super weak when it comes to motion so not worth it. Which is fine. I love park ambiance and just wandering around and people watching with the baby while others ride the thrills suit me fine. Btw im 38 not 65 as im sure im sounding..