Question to WDW vets from DL vet

[akmomesq]

My family loves DL. We’ve gone at least once a year for the past 9 years. We’ve been to WDW once, pre-magic bands. We have a long vacation planned for end of May 2020 and are considering WDW but I have some reservations. Hoping a few of you WDW vets can answer my questions.

I’ve used and love the max pass system at DL. Last time we were at WDW, there were only fast passes. I haven’t fully researched magic bands and the ride reservation system, but I understand you can (and absolutely need to) sign up 60 days out. At DL, I have a system down - we make max pass reservations throughout the day; while we’re waiting for those reservation times, we ride other rides. The wait times are not bad. At WDW, say I have my 3 reservations for any given day. Are the wait times for the rest of the rides ridiculous? If I miss out on reservations for pandora for example - am i just out of luck or stuck with a many hour wait?

My other big concern is our timing. I understand there are really cool things in the works for 2021 at Epcot (I think it’s just Epcot). Is that accurate? Is there a reason to wait it out until 2021? (We’re tentatively planning DL for 2021 to be there for the Marvel attractions when they’re finished.)

Appreciate any advice. We really love DL, which makes me think we’re going to enjoy WDW world, too, but it’s hard to commit to spending our whole vacation there - and all the expense - without knowing what to expect. We liked it last time but didn’t LOVE it - getting used to the necessary transportation between the parks for example was really different - but I think with our kids being older it might be different.

 

[NoTime42]

Currently, Pandora FoP has the longest typical wait (so it’s not like every ride, all day, is multi hour waits. With FoP, if you arrive 45 minutes before rope drop, or enter the queue <15 min before close you should have a reasonable wait.

Once you use your (3) FP+ you can reserve another FP+ on the app. It can be difficult to get many high priority rides as the 4th FP+. MK is best for multiple FP+ in the same day since it has more rides than the other parks.

If you are willing to pay beyond standard park admission, WDW has also been adding a number of paid extra hours events that let you do more rides with reduced crowds.

 

[ArielDreams]

FP: I actually really like the current fast pass system. I like knowing that we have guaranteed reservations for rides later in the day and we tend to get a lot accomplished in the morning arriving at rope drop. I’m also an advanced planner in general and find it fun, not stressful, to book in advance. May is not the most crowded time of year so you should have options. I don’t find lines without FP to be outrageous, you just need to time it right.

Epcot: in my opinion, I highly doubt all of those Epcot improvements will even be done by 2021. They still won’t announce the opening for the Space restaurant and that was announced 2+ years ago at this point. Others may disagree but it just seems like it’s taken a lot longer to roll out new attractions lately (or perhaps they announce them too early?) Anyway, I wouldn’t plan your trip based on this. There’s always going to be something new coming.

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

To your question regarding waiting until 2021:

Lots going on at WDW in preparation for their 50th anniversary (which is Oct 1 2021 but guessing the party will start a few months earlier).

New attractions and a lot of sprucing up. Many many details surrounding this in the Rumors and News forum.

Some say it could be worth waiting for.

I say the crowds it will bring in will make it a hard pass for this gal.

 

[yorkieteacher]

If you get the three hottest fast passes 60 days out-Flight of Passage in AK, Slinky Dog Dash in HS, and 7 Dwarfs Mine Train in MK, others are easier to get -The hardest ones to get in Epcot are Test Track and Frozen, I would rope drop one. I would rope drop Space Mountain in MK, Navi River in AK , and either Tower of Terror or Rock n Roller Coaster in HS. Peter Pan and Big Thunder Mountain or Splash Mountain would be my other two to go for in MK, and the Safari ride and Everest in AK. The current tiers that are crazy in HS make it hard to know about FP in this park for me. In MK, if you rope drop, and get three morning past passes for the harder to get rides, other rides like Pirates, and Haunted Mansion and nearly everything else in Fantasyland are easier to get same day fast passes and working in rides that don't need fast passes between, which it sounds like you are used to in DL. Just google "rides that don't usually need fast passes" and you'll se a general agreement on these rides in each park= You will have a great time! I hope one day to visit Disneyland!

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I have been to WDW an obscene number of times over the last 20 years, and during that time have enjoyed two family vacations to DLR...
I think MaxPass is a much better system than FP+ at WDW. On our 2018 trip to DLR we kept rolling right into excellent FP choices at both DL and DCA. It was a breeze to do everything we wanted to do pretty much any time we wanted to do it. Some of my WDW trips are not planned 60 days in advance, and I often stay offsite these days, so the FP+ system is frustrating in terms of me getting FP+ for the super headliner attractions. In addition, FP+ has bloated wait times for attractions that really should not be that long. Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, and PotC come to mind as prime examples. I like the ease and convenience of the magic band, but am not overly fond of the FP+ system.

2020 or 2021? That is the question. Some good stuff coming in 2020 (Ratatouille ride at Epcot; MMRR at DHS), but even more coming in 2021. I tend to be more cynical about WDW than I used to be, so I'd lean toward keeping the 2020 plans. There will be a tidal wave of marketing in 2021, a couple more price hikes between now and then, and probably more people wanting to squeeze in a WDW trip that year. Yep, I'll probably sneak in a few days at WDW that year too. But if it was an either/or proposition I'd probably just wait until 2022

 

[LittleMissMagic]

WDW FP+ is veryyyy different from DL MaxPass. WDW implemented FP+ before DL had MaxPass, and when they did, I thought it was great - I could book my FPs in advance and plan dining around them. I could book for later in the day and not have to worry about getting to the park early before all of the FPs were gone. But over the years, they've revised the "Tiers" so that at some parks, it's hardly even worth it to make FP+. All of the "E-Ticket" attractions are in Tier 1 for DHS and Epcot, and the Tier 2s aren't worth getting because the queues for those attractions are never that long. Now I'm spoiled by DL MaxPass.

Some things to know about WDW FP+

• You can book for the entire duration of your stay starting at 60 days out. So if you have a 6-night stay at an eligible resort, that means you're booking your first day FP+ 60 days out, but your last day 67 days out. So it's more likely that you'll be able to get your Flight of Passage and Slinky Dog FP+ later in your vacation (that's also why they're already booked up for the first day of your vacation).
• You can book in advance up to 3 FPs per day at the same park, but you don't have to. Once you use all 3 of your FPs, you can book additional FPs for that day (if any are available), and they do not have to be at the same park as your advance FP+. So say you're park-hopping between Epcot and Hollywood Studios. You spend the morning in Epcot and only get to choose one Tier 1 FP+ and you go with Frozen. Instead of booking in advance a useless Epcot Tier 2 FP+ for Living with the Land, you book only one advance Tier 1 FP. Once you've used the FP+ for Frozen, you then hop on the app and book an open FP+ for Beauty and the Beast at Hollywood Studios.
• Like at DL, wait times for attractions are lowest in the morning. For that reason, I prefer to make advance FP+ for late morning/afternoon. You can rope drop the park and spend the morning taking advantage of low wait times for attractions that you weren't able to get FP+ for. Then once it starts getting crowded, it will be time to use your FP+.
• Flight of Passage and Slinky Dog are the toughest FP+ to get right now. If you don't get FP+ for either, the best way to experience them without wasting a huge chunk of your day is to arrive at the park an hour before opening. You'll be waiting to get into the park for awhile, but the wait for the attraction at that point is shorter than later in the day, and then you aren't wasting several hours in the day to wait in line. (Note: right now DHS has 6 AM EMH.... I do not think that you need to arrive at the park at 5 AM.... 6 AM or even later is probably fine.)

If WDW is all new to you, I don't think that you need to wait until 2021 for all of the new stuff - there will already be so much that you haven't experienced before. Also, there's hearsay that many people are waiting until 2021... which makes me think that 2021 will be more crowded and more expensive. Go take advantage of WDW in 2020 when Disney is still feeling the heat from the lack of enthusiasm for SWGE.

 

[DavidNYC]

As someone who did the reverse learning (expert at WDW and did first trip to DL in 40 years a few months ago), I'd say just read a few of the FAQs and threads. Spent a few hours here and there in the months before my trip reading up and by the time I got there I was fine. You'll be fine too. But a lot of strategy depends on what your goals are and how you tour. But a few universals:
1. Know which rides are most likely to have the longest lines and thus best use of FP (which as a DL vet you probably basically know).
2. MOST IMPORTANT - learn about "refreshing". It makes a huge difference in getting additional same day FP. As a user of MaxPass - you probably get the gist of this. It's akin to searching on the DL app and suddenly you see a much earlier time pop up for some ride due to a cancellation. Similar here just that inventory changes second to second rather than starting early and progressing through the day.
3. My personal opinion is it's best to rope drop a park, get on a couple rides in that first 60-90 minutes while park is light and then schedule your FP for 10, 11, and 12 (give or take) so that you have the rest of the day to try to get additional ones. BUT, note that this general strategy depends on what parks you're visiting each day and in what order. Sometimes if you're hopping it makes sense to use your FP in the second park (especially if you're going to AK or MK second). The current tiering in Epcot and especially DHS makes the FP in those parks a lot less useful beyond your sole tier 1 ride.

I've gone the last few Novembers - a crowded time, but not as bad as holidays - and have rarely waited on a line more than 15-20 minutes using the basic strategies above and some flexibility.

 

[CastAStone]

Once you use your (3) FP+ you can reserve another FP+ on the app. It can be difficult to get many high priority rides as the 4th FP+. MK is best for multiple FP+ in the same day since it has more rides than the other parks.

DHS is pretty easy to get additional great FPs today with the new tiering, and will be even easier when you go, assuming MMRR opens and they move the SWGE rides to the FP system before then. With the exception of Alien Saucers, every single ride at DHS was or will be at one point the park's headlining attraction. so every ride FP there is pretty worthwhile.

Epcot: in my opinion, I highly doubt all of those Epcot improvements will even be done by 2021.

Agreed! Don't wait for Epcot to be done or you'll wait forever. As soon as they're done with these changes the rumor now is that they're going to completely redo Imagination and build a new pavilion in World Showcase. That park will be in a constant state of building and refurbishment for a decade, longer if we have a recession or two in there.

My advice is this: if you're planning a long stay, which you say you are, make sure you have a day at Epcot, DHS, and AK each at least as the 5th day or later of your stay. These days will have had less FPs pulled already by people booking their FPs in the days before you for their entire trips. Target those days for your super-headliner FPs (Flight of Passage at Pandora, Ratatouille at Epcot, and whatever's hardest to get at DHS at that point, which we don't know yet).

Then do 7DMT and Peter Pan at MK the day before your DHS-AK-Epcot end of trip days (it's not *quite* as insanely hard those two as it is to get as the other rides I mentioned). Then fill in the gaps as appropriate - other than Rat, FOP, 7DMT and maybe Peter Pan, nothing at MK, AK, or Epcot will be unavailable for the first half of your trip at 60 days. Hollywood Studios is very hard to predict with so many new rides coming on board and the tiers almost certain to change between now and then, so just keep an eye on it.

It's one morning of "akk!" but then it's over and you can enjoy your days!

 

[bumbershoot]

getting used to the necessary transportation between the parks for example was really different

Just in case you made it harder on yourself than was needed, there is park to park transportation. Many people think they have to go to a resort thejncatch a park bus, but you don’t. There’s either a monorail or busses (depending on where you are) that will take you from where you are to where you want to be.


Isn’t maxpass only two years old or so? How quickly we grow accustomed... I haven’t done MP. Paying extra peeves me.

 

[SFMommy]

Hi! We live in California and have been to DLR many times. Our first trip to WDW was in 2016 and we are headed back for a week during Thanksgiving this year.

In terms of 2020 vs. 2021...there will always be new things on the horizon. Go when you want and there will be stuff that is new to YOU. When we went in 2016, Pandora and Toy Story Land were not open yet...so we have that to look forward to this trip, in addition to Galaxies Edge.

Yes, Maxpass is awesome. But FP+ is also really good. Especially for a planner (which is sounds like you are). Also, our first trip was in May because we wanted to avoid crowds and humidity. So you are going during a slower time too. I wouldn't worry too much about wait times, FP+ or missing out on attractions. Sounds like you know what you are doing, so you will be fine.

Here are a few things we did on our first trip that worked well for us...

1. We rented a car so we could explore and have freedom. (This was back when resort parking was free!) We drove to AK, Disney Springs, Publix for grocery runs, the outlets, AKL for dinner at Sanaa, etc.
2. We had a day away from WDW. We went to the Kennedy Space Center and absolutely LOVED it. I was skeptical about missing at day at the parks, but we all really enjoyed our day there and I highly recommend it. It also made the vacation more "worth it" for my DH, who was not enthusiastic about "wasting" a week of vacation in WDW. (We are used to short 3-4 day trips to DLR.)
3. We focused on the parks and attractions specific to WDW that we don't have in DLR. So we actually only spent 1.5 days at MK. We had 2 days at EP, 1 HS and 1 AK. This trip we are doing 2 MK, 2 EP, 2 AK and 1 HS. AK and EP ended up being our favorite parks and we are looking forward to spending even more time at them this trip.
4. We stayed at the Boardwalk, so that we could walk to HS and EP. We are so spoiled not having to deal with transportation at DLR that I didn't want the whole bus/transportation/travel time thing to "ruin" our impressions of WDW. So we walked to HS & EP, drove to AK and took the bus to MK. It was great and I would suggest staying somewhere central to make your trip more enjoyable. This Thanksgiving we are staying 3 nights at the Poly and 5 nights at the Swan. Again...location is important when you are used to walking everywhere at DLR!

Also, there are so many things to do in the Orlando area, if you want to make more of your vacation than just Disney. We decided to stick with just WDW for our next trip because we know that Thanksgiving will be a crowded time. But another thing on our radar for next time is Discovery Cove. If you check-out the Orlando forum, there are tons of other places to go and things to do. So you could add Discovery Cove and Kennedy Space Center into your plans, if you wanted to. There are also the 2 water parks, which we have yet to check-out.

Hope that is helpful! Happy planning!

 

[Mome Rath]

I'm going to be an odd voice here... I was in the opposite situation as you, only I'd never done DL before, but WDW gobs, then about 2 years ago I went to DL for the first time, and I highly suggest to everyone that can go to both parks to do both parks at least once. Now, to answer your question, I think it depends on your situation.

It depends on where you live, if you do anything alongside going to the parks for vacation, etc... I say it depends because if you love DL and only liked WDW before, you may just want to stick to DL until all the stuff is done at WDW (and by that I mean the major overhaul of EPCOT mainly). UNLESS there is something specific to WDW that you are targeting, such as Animal Kingdom. The other thing would be if you are wanting to check out other things in Florida, or Orlando, or really like the new Disney Springs... or, perhaps if you want the complete Disney bubble.

FP+ is good in my opinion, you just have to know how to use it, and others have already given you tips, but most like Maxpass better (they rolled out Maxpass right after our DL trip so I've not tried it). Yes, the biggest differences between East and West coast is park hopping, and the longer distances in WDW. We see the transportation options as part of our vacation, and enjoy the buses, boats, monorails, and hopefully Skyliners. It's always going to take more time and planning at WDW, and that may or may not put a damper on the mood for you. It's ok if DL is your go-to, I loved it there, but love going to WDW more, so that's where I'll head (but that's because the travel time and expense is so much more for us to go West rather than East, and I really value the WDW bubble).

I would think that you would indeed have a lot of fun at WDW, and maybe it's a good break from DL... but don't feel pressured to go just because it is a bit different. If you do go, just read up on FP strategies, and travel times between hotel and park and between park and park, and go from there. I hope you have a great vacay either way!

 

[akmomesq]

Thank you everyone! I think your comments sealed the deal for us. We’re super excited to try WDW again and you’ve given me a lot of really good tips! (Thanks for the suggestion to go to the Kennedy Space Center SF Mommy!)
Seriously appreciate every single response. Thank you all!