RD FEA then Akershus @ 9:40am or 8:05 Akershus THEN FEA?

[HandsofReiki]

I accidentally posted this in the Restaurant Boards, but I think it belongs here...

I'm trying to figure out what would be the better option.

RD FEA then Akershus ADR @ 9:40am OR 8:05am Akershus then FEA?

We will have two days at Epcot. Me, hubby, and our then 4 yo DD.

Which would you pick and why?

THX!

 

[CinderellaDream]

If Epcot opens at 9:00am then I would do the 8:05am Akershus and then line up for FEA before the rope drop crown gets there. That way you don't have to fight the RD crowd from the front entrance all the way to FEA with a 4 yo.

 

[ChristineOH]

I'd do the PP opening breakfast. You're eating breakfast instead of waiting at RD. And then you're riding rides instead of eating breakfast. Much better use of time.

 

[HandsofReiki]

How long does Akershus take? If said 4yo is OBSESSED with Princesses and will not be denied any one of them? Still the 805?

 

[Alesia]

I would go with the first option because I wouldn't want to have to rush through breakfast in order to get to FEA before the rope drop crowds do.

 

[Alesia]

How long does Akershus take? If said 4yo is OBSESSED with Princesses and will not be denied any one of them? Still the 805?

I have never had a character breakfast take less than an hour (usually it's more like 70 minutes.) If you want to beat the crowds, you'll probably have to miss a princess or two if you go with the 8:05 ADR.

When we do character breakfasts, we book the latest seating possible. The character interaction is better and we're not wasting so much prime park time.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

I would go with the first option because I wouldn't want to have to rush through breakfast in order to get to FEA before the rope drop crowds do.

This.

 

[HandsofReiki]

I will say this trip is our first, and HIGHLY princess focused. Our main draw for Epcot this time around is meeting the princesses at all the pavilions. We have loose plans to include things like soarin and test track if it makes sense and works out...same with Nemo/Crush. but literally our focus is princesses and food. We will have 2 full Epcot days to accomplish this, and we are not looking to rush at all. LOL hubby and I balk against the feeling and it makes us both slow down more. THAT being said, we don't have THAT many rides we want to go on and will have another full day to fill in spots of things we "missed" the first day.

So how long is a non rushed Akershus? And if rides were not the priority beyond FEA, would you still choose the 8am ChristineOH and CinderellaDream?

 

[HandsofReiki]

K, got the length down. thx! Now about rides not being a priority, but meeting princesses in pavilions?

 

[Daniela Rose]

My 4yo dd is also princess obsessed. I think she was a Disney princess in a past life.

I personally wouldn't want to do the 805am. I hate that anxiety of having to rush through. Not to mention crowds are let in before 9am. You could also go through all that and the ride might even be working. Even if it is i don't think you'd beat the crowd unless you rush through.

Is fastpass not an option?

 

[ChristineOH]

So how long is a non rushed Akershus? And if rides were not the priority beyond FEA, would you still choose the 8am ChristineOH and CinderellaDream?

In that case, I think you'd be fine doing the later reservation time.

If you really want multiple rides on FEA, then you could certainly RD it before Akershus. Personally, I wouldn't even RD FEA. I don't love the RD stampede to rides. I would have a relaxed morning and just plan to get to the park about 9:15 and head to your ADR. Also, FEA waits are often only about 30 minutes late morning, so you might consider jumping in line after breakfast.

I would book an FEA FP for both your Epcot days. Since you have two full days, after you use your three FP, book an evening FP for TT or Soarin'. (Soarin' is easier to get than TT, but either is obtainable.) Also, since you're going to be spending one morning doing Akershus, remember that the evenings are a great time to tour FW. Pretty much everything but TT and Soarin' is a walk on. (None of that may apply if you're going the week between Christmas and New Year. lol.)

 

[HandsofReiki]

My 4yo dd is also princess obsessed. I think she was a Disney princess in a past life.

I personally wouldn't want to do the 805am. I hate that anxiety of having to rush through. Not to mention crowds are let in before 9am. You could also go through all that and the ride might even be working. Even if it is i don't think you'd beat the crowd unless you rush through.

Is fastpass not an option?

Absolutely is an option. just wanted to see what options might be if we couldn't get one. the 940 day we would be able to book FP at 60. the 805 not until 30. (onsite/offsite)

 

[HandsofReiki]

In that case, I think you'd be fine doing the later reservation time.

If you really want multiple rides on FEA, then you could certainly RD it before Akershus. Personally, I wouldn't even RD FEA. I don't love the RD stampede to rides. I would have a relaxed morning and just plan to get to the park about 9:15 and head to your ADR. Also, FEA waits are often only about 30 minutes late morning, so you might consider jumping in line after breakfast.

I would book an FEA FP for both your Epcot days. Since you have two full days, after you use your three FP, book an evening FP for TT or Soarin'. (Soarin' is easier to get than TT, but either is obtainable.) Also, since you're going to be spending one morning doing Akershus, remember that the evenings are a great time to tour FW. Pretty much everything but TT and Soarin' is a walk on. (None of that may apply if you're going the week between Christmas and New Year. lol.)

thanks! we are dec 5th-12th.thats great information about the walk ons. after what time?

I'd have to reconfigure our pavilion princess meets if FEA after 940. we were scheduling Mary poppins at that time. I'll take a look. like the idea of a more leisurely morning!

 

[ChristineOH]

thanks! we are dec 5th-12th.thats great information about the walk ons. after what time?

I'd have to reconfigure our pavilion princess meets if FEA after 940. we were scheduling Mary poppins at that time. I'll take a look. like the idea of a more leisurely morning!

You could schedule your FEA FP to use after breakfast, since you're right there, and then you wouldn't have to worry about what the line might be. But if Mary Poppins is a priority, just do that. You can't go wrong; you just have to decide what you want to do. (Not that that's always easy! So many choices.) You might look into whether they are scheduling FEA FP at 9:00 or at 11:00. It used to be 11:00 (when WS officially opens) but if you could schedule your FEA FP either before or after your ADR, that would be efficient.

FW probably opens up around 4:00ish, but possibly even earlier in earlier December. We watch people waiting in a 35 minute line at SE at 10:00 a.m., wondering if they know it will be a walk on from late afternoon on.

And as long as you don't go on an evening EMH day (currently Tuesday) you should be able easily get additional FP for rides. I was looking today, and I even saw FEA pop up multiple times for a party of two.

 

[CinderellaDream]

I will say this trip is our first, and HIGHLY princess focused. Our main draw for Epcot this time around is meeting the princesses at all the pavilions. We have loose plans to include things like soarin and test track if it makes sense and works out...same with Nemo/Crush. but literally our focus is princesses and food. We will have 2 full Epcot days to accomplish this, and we are not looking to rush at all. LOL hubby and I balk against the feeling and it makes us both slow down more. THAT being said, we don't have THAT many rides we want to go on and will have another full day to fill in spots of things we "missed" the first day.

So how long is a non rushed Akershus? And if rides were not the priority beyond FEA, would you still choose the 8am ChristineOH and CinderellaDream?

If rides were not the priority and you have two full days at Epcot then I would use one of those days to do the 9:40 breakfast, book FEA FP and meet all the princesses around the World Showcase. Maybe use that morning to sleep in a little more and not have to fight RD crowds. I would use the other day to focus on Future World attractions and potentially meet any princesses you missed on the first day. Maybe throw in another FEA FP on the second day if you didn't want to use your tier 1 on Soarin or TT.

 

[HandsofReiki]

to everyone!

 

[bizeemom4]

So how long is a non rushed Akershus?

I'd say 90 minutes+. I'd haul it to the ride and then do breakfast afterwards.

 

[ceeceegee]

Sounds like you may have made up your mind, but I thought I'd give you our first hand experience from mid-June this year. We had an 8:00am Akershus breakfast reservation with the goal of doing FEA right after and it worked out just fine. My nieces are 4 and 6 and totally princess obsessed and they LOVED the breakfast and the princess parade through the restaurant. I too did not want to rush through breakfast so I was enjoying myself and not paying attention to the time until I looked up and noticed that most of the restaurant had emptied out! Uh oh! Must be 9am! We took our time finishing up (we had already seen all the princesses in that hour so we were good there) and according to the time stamp on my photos we finished at Akershus at 9:20am. Then of course we had to have a potty break (cue this Auntie freaking out just a little, but you gotta do what you gotta do) and we were in line for FEA at 9:30am. Waited about 15-20 minutes and on our way to Test Track by 10am.

I like PPO breakfasts because I'd rather be eating than waiting outside the park for rope drop, the line to get into the park is pretty much non-existent versus rope drop when lines and crowds are building, and I'm not a fan of the mad rush to the ride. It's a much more relaxing experience for me to get there early, eat and then do rides/characters.

 

[HandsofReiki]

Thank you. I haven't actually made up my mind and I am glad you shared. This is a nice perspective. I still have no clue, but more puttering around with the puzzle pieces is in order. So many moving parts to a disney trip. I kind of like learning about them all.

 

[shawnh199]

We were there in June. We had an 8:05 am ADR, were not seated until (8:20 am or later). We went to the buffet after ordering drinks. Our food was at the table not long there after. Princesses came in our area and we saw all but one before the little parade they do with the kids. We paid for our food before we were done (this is key as it can take a while). We ordered a second plate of food and it was delivered quickly. We saw all the princess and were out by 8:55 am and in line before the rope drop crowd was there. My kids are 10 and 14, so they probably eat a bit quicker than your 4 year old. (My 14 year old was 4 on our first visit to Akershus).

So my advice would be the 8:05 am PPO. You could probably send someone out to get in line if your child isn't done, has to use the bathroom or is waiting on a princess. There were several people who had their families join them later on. (And, FEA was down for the first 25 minutes that day, so we waited in line for a while)