Planning without really knowing park hours

[Afabena]

Hi all - I am starting to narrow down our park planning days and looking for advice on how all of you do that when the park hours are not set this far in advance. I can book ADRs in about a month, so I am starting to strategize which parks we will most likely go to on which days. We will have 6 nights arriving on a Sunday in the first week of November, and will do the parks Monday-Friday. We are planning to get hoppers and plan to do a park in the morning return to the hotel for a swim and a rest and then go to a different park for dinner and the evening. Staying at BLT, so would like to definitely maximize our time at MK but also visit the other parks as well. I found a park schedule from last November and it seems MK closed at 4:30 on the first Monday in November and there will most likely be 2 parties on the Thursday and Friday that week (this is complicating things more). I haven't been able to find if there were EMH the first week in Nov last year. Does anyone know if they offered EMH that week? I have not been to Disney in 20 years, and this is my first trip where I am planning! My husband has never been and this will be my DS and DD first trip and they are only 6. We are also bringing along my parents, so I am definitely feeling the pressure LOL! Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Hi all - I am starting to narrow down our park planning days and looking for advice on how all of you do that when the park hours are not set this far in advance. I can book ADRs in about a month, so I am starting to strategize which parks we will most likely go to on which days. We will have 6 nights arriving on a Sunday in the first week of November, and will do the parks Monday-Friday. We are planning to get hoppers and plan to do a park in the morning return to the hotel for a swim and a rest and then go to a different park for dinner and the evening. Staying at BLT, so would like to definitely maximize our time at MK but also visit the other parks as well. I found a park schedule from last November and it seems MK closed at 4:30 on the first Monday in November and there will most likely be 2 parties on the Thursday and Friday that week (this is complicating things more). I haven't been able to find if there were EMH the first week in Nov last year. Does anyone know if they offered EMH that week? I have not been to Disney in 20 years, and this is my first trip where I am planning! My husband has never been and this will be my DS and DD first trip and they are only 6. We are also bringing along my parents, so I am definitely feeling the pressure LOL! Any advice is appreciated.

Hi!

If you look at the link I left you, that's the November map for 2018. On there it shows days where there were EMH. Morning is in orange, evening is in green. I did the same as you, look at calendars from the previous year. Back in November and December I started planning my June trip. The trip has been in the making since June of 2018. I don't officially start "planning" till about a half year before trip time. June has longer hours and that's always nice to know. I don't have to worry about parties or hurricanes throwing a wrench in my trip plans. Yes hurricane season starts in June, but it doesn't peak till September. That's a time I can't visit because I'm a teacher and even if I wasn't, I wouldn't pull my son from school to go to Disney.
Don't let the parties complicate things for you. See if you can visit other parks on party days.

https://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/hours/november18.cfm

 

[Afabena]

Thank you! I will take a look at that link. This trip has been in the making officially since last Nov, but I have been plotting and secretly planning for about 2 years! I am part of the "Jersey" crowd where my kids are off from school the week we will be there. We can't go in the summer, and I did not want to go over their spring break. I was hoping to avoid SWGE, but now that it will be open we are just hoping for the best and trying to have solid plans in place.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Thank you! I will take a look at that link. This trip has been in the making officially since last Nov, but I have been plotting and secretly planning for about 2 years! I am part of the "Jersey" crowd where my kids are off from school the week we will be there. We can't go in the summer, and I did not want to go over their spring break. I was hoping to avoid SWGE, but now that it will be open we are just hoping for the best and trying to have solid plans in place.

Well the one thing you won't have to worry about is hurricanes. Season ends in October. Good luck planning.

 

[gap2368]

Well the one thing you won't have to worry about is hurricanes. Season ends in October. Good luck planning.

Just becuse the season end does not mean a Hurricane can not hit Kate hit November 15 1985. So there is alway a change not likely but a chance.

 

[gharter]

Park hours are contninually changing, even up to the day of.
For planning, the best thing you can do is look at last years hours.
The other issue which may make last years hours wrong is the opening of Star Wars. The parks are expected to be very busy for awhile after it opens the end of August. So the parks may be opening earlier or closing later than before, or they may stay the same. Nobody knows at this time.
Also, as you noted, look for the party days and dates as you may overlap the Halloween and Christmas parties.
All you can do is to plan using the information you have.
Good luck

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Just becuse the season end does not mean a Hurricane can not hit Kate hit November 15 1985. So there is alway a change not likely but a chance.

I am perfertly aware of that. You bring up something that was over 30 years ago. Had this been in the last few years, I could understand your reasoning for mentioning it.

 

[gap2368]

I am perfertly aware of that. You bring up something that was over 30 years ago. Had this been in the last few years, I could understand your reasoning for mentioning it.

It can still happen unlikely but there is away a chance

 

[Rach3975]

We're going to be there around the same time as you are. The early closing on Monday is for an annual cast member event, and people more in the know than me think they'll do it the same week this year.

With all of the unknowns due to Star Wars, I'm trying to keep my plans more flexible than usual. When our ADR date comes, I'm considering making ADRs in 2 parks for certain days. Those are days when early openings, late closings, EMH, and paid events like After Hours could change our plans. On our 2016 and 2018 trips I didn't need to do that, but this year relying on past park hours may not be close enough. I'm hoping Disney will give us a better idea of what to expect before our Fast Pass day, at which point I'll cancel the ADRs I don't want.

One last thing--don't worry too much about changing your park plans after your ADR day. In the past we've planned our trips 3 and 5 months ahead of time. There were still restaurants available to book then for Our party of 5. Our 1st choices were sometimes full, but by trying again (and again...and again...) we still got everything we wanted on the day we wanted it.