Questions on EE and what parks to go to what days?

[Lambert808]

My family and I are going Nov 6-13. What is the best way to do this? I want to plan some PS's by what park we are in what day. Is it best to go to the EE park of the day, and spend the whole day there? My dd will be a 'young' 8yo when we go. According to the schedule now, we will have EE on the following:
Sat- we arrive lunch time
Sun-MK
Mon-AK
Tues-Disney-MGM
Wed-Epcot
Thurs-MK
Fri-AK
Sat-Disney-MGM, Leave for airport at lunch time

So how do I pick which night to do the Hoop-dee-do Revue? Cindys breakfast (if we can get in. LOL!), Chef Mickeys, and Whispering Canyons, etc?

HELP!

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

I will comment on your EE question and leave the rest to others.
You will NOT want to spend the whole day in the EE park. You will want to get there before opening. Ride everything that you want (use Fast Passes also). Then leave by 11:00-12:00. With the combination of the EE guests joing in with the other guests the EE parks tend to get uncomfortably busy by noon. It's best to head back to your resort for a break and then go to a different park for the rest of the day.
We have found that this works very well and saves a lot of aggravation. It also keeps you refreshed for the rest of the day.

 

[Lambert808]

Thank you! Is this true even in November? And are some parks not worth bothering with the EE time? Say Epcot? Just go to a different park all together on that day?

 

[rscotty]

If the parks are crowded, I have used the strategy of going to the EE park early in the morning and then departing for another park before noon. It seems that the majority of prople who go to the EE park, stay there for the entire day and this results in the park being pretty crowded.

With that said, November usually has light crowds. We were there in November of 2001 and had a wonderful time in uncrowded conditions. Some of this was undoubtedly due to 9/11.

The kicker this November is that the Epcot food and wine festival will still be going on as it has been extended this year. I don't know how to factor that into the crowd levels. I'll find out though because we arrive November 6th.

We've become off-season converts. The weather is better, the crowds are lighter and we get to do more. The only down-side is that the park hours are shorter and some of the 'street entertainment' isn't happening in the off season. The lack of crowds more than makes up for that for us.

Rich

 

[rscotty]

I'd definately take advantage of EE at all times. Epcot has 2 of the most popular attractions in DW. Specifically Mission Space and Test Track. The waits for these 2 can be lengthy even off-season. Use EE and Fastpass to hit these before the crowds arrive.

I need to mention that EE may or may not be available in November. It varies year to year and is probably linked to attendance levels.

One other thing to consider: If we are very, very lucky, they may have an E-ticket night in November while we're there. It doesn't often happen in the off-season, but we can hope. If you aren't familiar with this, its a seperate hard ticket you can purchase at your resort (assumes you're staying on-site). I believe the cost was $10 last time I was there.

Disney closes the Magic Kingdom early in the evening and then allows e-ticket holders in for about 3 - 4 hours to ride the major attractions with little or no wait. We always do this when its available.

Rich

 

[Lambert808]

Rich - That is when we are arriving also! Thanks for all the info. I will have to go do some planning tonight to start making our HDDR PS! I can't wait to go

 

[MomCanWeGoYet?]

Originally posted by Lambert808


So how do I pick which night to do the Hoop-dee-do Revue? Cindys breakfast (if we can get in. LOL!), Chef Mickeys, and Whispering Canyons, etc?

HELP! [/B]

well, for Cindy's, we got an 8:05 PS for a NON EE day, and it was great....we finished and beat the crowds for a bunch of things because we were already well into the park when it opened!
When we go next year, we're hoping to do the same thing!!

 

[Hollua]

I would suggest going to Chef Mickey's for dinner the night that you arrive. It is a fun way to start the trip and if your child is the kind that is dying to see the characters that could save you a bit of time in the parks.

We went last November and had no problem with getting on Test Track and Mission Space in the Evening. My DH and I talked to a CM about switching off and he gave me a fastpass type voucher. DH went in the singles line and walked right on. When he got off I did the same thing. Mission Space has a great play area at the ride exit. The kids didn't even know we had taken a ride.

How about a rest day in the middle. It can keep your sanity and your feet going.

 

[XStAnt]

I typically do NOT park hop, even on EMH days. I find it's usually too troublesome and time consuming to go to another park. If I get into the park for EMH it usually gives me about a 2 hour jump on the regular masses to do the rides, etc. I feel like I generally stay ahead of the crowds when touring. Even if I wait in some rides a little longer, that would be offset by the time it took to get to another park.

Don't misunderstand me. I think park hopping works for a lot of people and is something you may wish to consider. I just don't feel it's a necessity. Of course, if you're heading back to your resort for an afternoon nap for the kids, then you should definitely go to a different park later in the day.

As for when to do HDD, I find the day I go to AK is a great day to plan an activity at night. AK is not a full day park, has no night time activity, and usually closes early (5:00 pm or 6:00 pm). That leaves the evening free to do something like HDD.

As for Cindy's breakfast, if you can book it for an EMH day try to get a later time--like one of the last breakfast seatings. This will give you some time to do EMH before breakfast.

 

[Lambert808]

Thank you for the great ideas! This helps so much Maybe I will be set enough to call on HDDR today

 

[Wonderlandmom]

I only think EMH is worth it for MK. You may wear yourself out going to EMH everyday! Just get there at 9 for the other parks and you will be fine. I would do one MK EMH day and one non-EMH if you want a 8:05 ps before the park opens. Take a breather one morning and go to Epcot or one of the parks later.