Premiere Pass for mid may

[2vets]

IMO, the benefit of PPs goes beyond ride access. It means you can do everything you want *on your own schedule.* No getting others up and ready and out the door for EE/rope drop. No dealing with the mayhem of rope drop, in fact! No running back and forth across the park. No freaking modifying. And importantly, tons of time to relax and truly take the parks and ambiance in. I wish they were less $, but I still think they are wonderful, and preferable to a VIP tour (which do provide one great day, but are focused on riding as many rides as you can during that 7 hours) in many ways aside from cost. I budget for them at Epcot (value there is less certain, but I do my best to milk the cost effectiveness out!), DHS, and MK, even if it means cutting a day off my trip or downgrading something else. Have done them when solo on occasion (DHS mostly, you get a lot of bang for your buck there), but also, especially if traveling with someone else. I am taking my mom (82) in mid-May, we overlap you a bit, and I have budgeted for Epcot and MK. Good luck deciding - the most I have had to fund was 3 (painful), so 5 definitely makes it a tougher call.

 

[Miffy]

OP, for the $4K extra you'd be spending for PP, you could instead have a much longer trip, enabling you to visit the parks at a less hectic pace.

No way would I ever spent the $ for PP, even at MK. As a PP said, it's like lighting money on fire.

I think the one-and-done idea is sending you in the direction of spending unnecessarily.

 

[BostonEd]

OP, for the $4K extra you'd be spending for PP, you could instead have a much longer trip, enabling you to visit the parks at a less hectic pace.

Yes, if your dates are flexible, you should definitely consider this. Two days in the MK will be more memorable/"magical", even with "only" the multi-pass. Or, I see you have break days, which is good especially with the 4yo. But if you could do two "easy" MK days in a row, that would probably more memorable. Or something like this:

Hollywood Studios (Wednesday 5/14)
Magic Kingdom (Thursday)
Break Friday
MK (Saturday)
Epcot (Sunday 5/18)
Or something like that.

I know you said you don't really want to do rope drop, because you don't want your vacation to feel like you're on a mission. However, I would recommend you do it anyway, even with PP. It will be hot in mid-May. Maybe not July-hot, but still quite hot. And the sun will actually be stronger than it is in August. It will be much more pleasant if you could do what you want those early three or so hours, then take it very easy, or take a break, during the hottest part of the day.

 

[Indio]

We've been Memorial Day week for many years. As previous posters have stated, it's not crazy crowded yet as a lot of school systems aren't out yet. Mid May even more-so. I wouldn't buy PP. Just get the LLMP and you will be fine. No need to spend $4k extra. That's crazy talk!

 

[brockash]

OP, for the $4K extra you'd be spending for PP, you could instead have a much longer trip, enabling you to visit the parks at a less hectic pace.

No way would I ever spent the $ for PP, even at MK. As a PP said, it's like lighting money on fire.

I think the one-and-done idea is sending you in the direction of spending unnecessarily.

This. For the amount of money you'd be spending to "enhance" your already paid for park days; you could take another trip.
To each their own, but you are not made to rope drop or backtrack through the parks etc. no matter how much you pay. You get to choose how you want to vacation. Whatever you do; enjoy.

 

[twodogs]

We have done several VIP tours at WDW over the years, with our DDs and my parents. While the cost of LLPP for 3 days does border on the cost of one day of VIP, your 4 year old may not make it through the pace and length of a single day VIP tour. It is a very long day, and it is packed! You are likely going to feel the need to “max out the value” of the day, so you will go from ride to ride without any/much downtime (don’t want to sit and watch the ducks or do a TS meal when it is $xxx/hour!). Everyone will be exhausted by the end, and you may just cut it short or use it less fully if the 4 yo is melting down by early afternoon.

I have not used LLPP yet, but I am definitely going to try it on an upcoming trip. Mostly to reduce the walking and park criss-crossing for my (now) elderly parents, allow so much less stress about booking LLs, and allow me to really engage in the day (I am the one booking the LLs, refreshing and modifying them all day, etc).

For some, taking a longer trip with that money, instead of spending it for a shorter trip with LLPP, makes sense. For me, I own my own practice, and when I am out of the office, I still have to pay my staff to be there, and I am bringing in $0. So vacation time costs a lot for me! So for me, a shorter trip saves me money, even if I am also spending more to do LLPP to get it all done in fewer park days (and it saves the extra park ticket days’ costs, extra hotel nights’ cost etc).

People’s tolerance for lines is variable. With a 4 year old, our line tolerance was about 20 minutes or less. Unless you plan to RD every day (which you have said that you don’t), not much if anything is going to be much shorter than that.

I wish you a magical trip, whatever you decide!

 

[ZerasPride]

We have done several VIP tours at WDW over the years, with our DDs and my parents. While the cost of LLPP for 3 days does border on the cost of one day of VIP, your 4 year old may not make it through the pace and length of a single day VIP tour. It is a very long day, and it is packed! You are likely going to feel the need to “max out the value” of the day, so you will go from ride to ride without any/much downtime (don’t want to sit and watch the ducks or do a TS meal when it is $xxx/hour!). Everyone will be exhausted by the end, and you may just cut it short or use it less fully if the 4 yo is melting down by early afternoon.

I have not used LLPP yet, but I am definitely going to try it on an upcoming trip. Mostly to reduce the walking and park criss-crossing for my (now) elderly parents, allow so much less stress about booking LLs, and allow me to really engage in the day (I am the one booking the LLs, refreshing and modifying them all day, etc).

For some, taking a longer trip with that money, instead of spending it for a shorter trip with LLPP, makes sense. For me, I own my own practice, and when I am out of the office, I still have to pay my staff to be there, and I am bringing in $0. So vacation time costs a lot for me! So for me, a shorter trip saves me money, even if I am also spending more to do LLPP to get it all done in fewer park days (and it saves the extra park ticket days’ costs, extra hotel nights’ cost etc).

People’s tolerance for lines is variable. With a 4 year old, our line tolerance was about 20 minutes or less. Unless you plan to RD every day (which you have said that you don’t), not much if anything is going to be much shorter than that.

I wish you a magical trip, whatever you decide!

I want to echo this comment. I have yet to utilize LLPP yet (plan to in combination with an upcoming trip over Memorial Day week) but last year I treated my darling niece to accompany me on a trip in September and we enjoyed a VIP day. It was incredible! It was also on sale (20% off with a DVC discount) so that made it feel even more like a deal.

We had a great time but it was not the day I anticipated. It felt very disjointed and for my poor niece who had never been to Disneyworld before it was a disappointment - even if she did not say the words to me - I could tell. We literally went from ride to ride and park to park. There is something to be said, especially for a first timer, of just leisurely going from land to land and taking in the scenery and atmosphere around you and even fully understanding why you are riding the rides you are riding (if that makes sense).

Going forward our plans will include LLPP and DAH as we do not like crowds, getting up early and/or zig zagging around the parks for inconveniently timed LLs.

Whatever you decided I too hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[fairy8i8]

PP is the way to go if you want a leisurely day. A single VIP tour is best for veterans or people who just want to hit headliners (or people who just like them and don't try to maximize value, especially if you can do multiple days). 12 rides in 7 hours is a pretty aweful count in my book. (I did every ride in DLR 9-4:30 with breaks for lunch and shopping 1st week of Sept. With a large group ages 5-71) You could do far more in a single park in that time if you ropedrop and follow a touring plan.

HOWEVER, for a relaxing vacation where you explore the park and do things in a relative order so your feet don't get as tired, PP is the way to go. Think of it- you just walk down main street, look at shops or get a treat, pick a spoke of the hub and hop on the first ride. Next, you can look around or hop on another ride. I personally like ride hopping. Ride, look at your photos and download, check out the merchandise shop at the end of the ride and take silly pics with the cool things there, then go to the next ride. When you come out, you can pause at a performance if there is one, get a drink or bathroom break, and then move on to the next shiny ride. When your kids get in a groove, you will ride ride after ride. Keep hydration and salt up (not hard on park food), then when everyone is tired, you can go rest at the hotel, swim, or find the air conditioned theater show, and then go back and do more rides.

As the one on the phone trying to reserve coinciding lightning lane times (big party), follow a touring plan to minimize waits, which means switching apps and trying to figure the shortest path to the next ride, and leading everyone to the next ride or lunch, I spend almost all my time on the phone, not paying as much attention to my kids. Your worries are real. PP gets rid of those worries. You have it budgeted. It will make your trip more enjoyable than even an extra day in Magic Kingdom in longer standby lines. Who knows! When my son was 4 on his first trip, he ended up loving DHS the most, but I had a tour and dining reservations for our last day in MK (because everyone says schedule 2 days there). He was so bored because his favorite ride at the time was Star Tours that I decided I wouldn't do that again. The PP will let you and your children try a bit of everything and decide what they like. If it happens to be a ride with a low standby wait, then they can do it again. Repeats are often more magical for kids.

I would do it for all the parks you have planned. Your days will just be better. It's worth the splurge. It will feel more like a vacation.

 

[VioletSparkles]

Love all this input! Thank you so much!
I do believe we are going to do PP at least for MK and HS. Still debating on Epcot!

 

[fairy8i8]

Love all this input! Thank you so much!
I do believe we are going to do PP at least for MK and HS. Still debating on Epcot!

The nice thing is that except for the busiest times (like this week), Epcot usually doesn't sell out of Premier Passes, so it may be possible to pick up the pass the same day you go if you decide you would rather not wait in the lines. The Multi Pass and its time slots for the most popular rides will be really competitive, though, and would require advance planning to get the most popular rides.