Reservations for short trip EEH EP Dolphin stay

[MammaMia 80s Kid]

Hi! I am so grateful for people’s input and sharing of their experiences!

Thank you to anyone who can advise me & is willing to read some details!

For location/walkability to EP & HS, access to EP’s EEH on a short trip, guaranteed connecting rooms, and Marriott Bonvoy points, I just moved our reservation from POFQ to the Dolphin (2 connected rooms—1 for my family of 5 w/ 2 parents and 3 kids aged 9, 14, & 16 & the other for my senior parents) for 2 nights later this month, arriving Sun. afternoon around 3-5 pm via rental car from Sarasota, leaving in the rental car around 8 pm Tues. night for a 10:50 pm flight).

As our trip is quite brief with 3 day park passes for Sun. afternoon/evening, Monday-including EEH at EP, and Tuesday w/ a checkout and park(s) until 8 pm, I want to maximize park time, but still try to relax and maybe enjoy the pool and beach area at the Dolphin/area around BW a bit.

Also, my parents and teens can have flexibility.

Here are my questions:
1. Do you think I should invest the EDIT-called and asked- $425 more to upgrade my family’s tickets to PH? (My parents’ tickets would add $170 more.)

EDIT-
*After all discounts, upgrading to PH for my family alone would cost $413.25-$551 and leave me with $128-$228 in DGC.

I can rationalize that they could cost $285-$323 for my family, as I could use the remaining DGC towards food, Tron ILL, Genie +, etc.

If I included my parents’ PH, they would cost $551-remaining DGC balance of $53, so I could rationalize that they cost $498.

*If my mother gets DAS, we might be able go with her some LL.
The math for the PH/DGC is below.

2. If we do invest in PH, how would you book your park reservations?

*Without PH, my plan was MK Sun. afternoon and evening, EP Mon. (need reservations or to PH there for the EEH that night), and MK Tues. (no HS or AK-can park at EP and leave right from there).

Options:
1. Leave reservations as MK Sun., EP Mon. (plan to PH to at least HS that day and maybe return to the Dolphin for lunch or dinner/a little pool/beach time), and MK Tues. (option to PH to EP or HS, though we probably wouldn’t, bringing rental from TTC or leaving it at the Dolphin to pick up before we leave EP or HS)

2. Should I make all reservations at MK (was already planning MK for Sun. afternoon/evening and Tues.) since it’s the first park to get completely full for reservations and to give us more chances to get in the Tron LL ar 7 am, hoping we can switch to EP or HS if we decide that we don’t need to try for Tron’s VQ at MK Tues. morning?

3. Should I make reservations MK Sun. night, HS Mon. (Plan to PH to EP later that day for EEH), and MK for Tues.?

4. Should I do HS Sun. afternoon/evening, EP Mon. (to ensure we don’t miss out on EEH at EP that day), and MK Tues.?

*If we don’t have reservations at EP Mon but do have PH, is there any chance we won’t be allowed access to EP and EEH with PH passes?

*Do you have any other ideas on how you’d reserve your days and plan your PH?

*
EDIT-removed my dumb idea to ADR early lunch at a walkable to MK resort on Tues. so we could leave the car there for 3 hours then PH to HS or EP and park there so we could just drive from there to the airport around 8 pm-it’s too much.

Thank you!

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EDIT: Feel free not to read.

Here’s how I came up with the discounted cost for PH:

I got approved for a Discover card today that gives me 5% back including gift cards on wholesale store purchases.

BJ’s sells a $500 DGC for $479.99 and is running a deal for $10 off $150, and I also have $53 in Chase Disney Visa rewards. However, my BJ’s only has $150 DGC’s for $145 each.

For those, I could buy 3 for $435, then get 5% statement credit of $21.75, making the cost $413.25 for a $450 DGC.

If I included my parents’ park hopper upgrades, I’d buy 4 of those for $580, then get 5% statement credit of $29 for a price of $551 for a $600 DGC.

I would then use $53 of my Disney Visa Rewards towards the PH upgrade.

If I was just getting PH for my family, I’d be left with $128-$228 in DGC, depending upon whether I’d bought 3 or 4 $150 DGC at BJ’s.

If I got it for my parents, too, I’d have to get 4 and be left with $58 in DGC.

*If I don’t get PH, I could still get some DGC for Tron ILL, Genie +, and food.

 

[teawar]

I would skip the park hoppers and save the money. I have an annual pass and we just traveled with friends last week who were insistent on getting park hoppers for the flexibility, and they only park hopped once late at night. You can really fill the day at each park (AK is the one that is always our shortest day).

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

I would also skip the PH. For a 3 day trip I don't think it's worth it....especially if MK is on your half day and the rest of the trip will be EP/HS focused. I guess the only way I could see adding it is if Tron is a must. But it seems you would be better to try and just buy the ILL for your day for the $20.

We are staying at Swan starting next week and the location can't be beat. It's our go to when we are DVC points "poor" for the year.

 

[MammaMia 80s Kid]

I would skip the park hoppers and save the money. I have an annual pass and we just traveled with friends last week who were insistent on getting park hoppers for the flexibility, and they only park hopped once late at night. You can really fill the day at each park (AK is the one that is always our shortest day).

Hi! Thanks for your advice!

I don’t think that I will only go to MK on Sunday night unless we could actually fit everything that we want to do into that visit, as it is my youngest’s first visit to Disney and my parents’ first since 1972. My mom really wants to ride some of the classics (Small World, Peter Pan’s Flight).

Given our situation and the fact that we haven’t been to Disney in 10 years despite planning to come back three years after our last visit in 2013 when I was pregnant with my youngest, I think it’s highly unlikely that we ever will be back with my parents.

The kids all definitely want to ride Tron, and so do I and my husband. I really think my parents do, too-and we might not get the chance to ever do so again.

While my mother will just enjoy anything at any park and all of the Disney magic, my family of 5 is really not at all concerned about visiting or taking pictures with princesses or characters or many of the “little kid“ rides at MK. While we surely would like the fireworks and any parades, we’d ride during them if necessary to fit in what we hope to do.

At MK, we really hope to ride Tron, 7 Dwarfs Mine Train, Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, It’s a Small World, Peter Pan’s Flight, and PhilharMagic. Besides these, we also would like to enjoy some of the other rides and just being there. If we need to skip viewing parades or fireworks to fit those in, we will.

I am pretty sure this is impossible to do starting at 3 PM at the earliest on Sunday, when MK closes at 11. Do you think it is with Genie +?

My mother will apply for a DAS for her colon/bowel and other issues, but Idk if we will be allowed to join her on her reservations or if she will want to ride all of the “big” rides.

Also, although we will still be in Sarasota on Sunday morning, since we have reservations at the Dolphin that night, I think that we will be able to enter the VQ for Tron at 7 AM on if we are lucky enough to to get spots for our party of 7.

However, I don’t know if we can choose a time later in the day, as we will still be in Sarasota until after my daughter swims a 7.5 K at 10 AM, and then we will have to drive two hours to get to Orlando. We also need to check in at the Dolphin (or at least someone from our group has to).

Can I buy Tron ILL’s early in the day for an afternoon slot?

We definitely won’t be able to get into Tron’s VQ at 1, as we won’t be in Orlando or MK yet.

Honestly, I think the only day I’d plan to PH is Mon. bc we get those extra extended hours at EP and could quite conveniently get to HS that day, too—and to give us a chance to try for Tron that day if we don’t get it Sun. (though we will likely go to MK Tues.)

Basically, we want to experience many rides at MK, a few at EP (Ratatouille, Soarin’, Test Track, the big ones-but I don’t think we mind missing Frozen w/ teens and a 9 year-old boy) along with the whole experience there with the countries, and a few at HS (the big ones, Tower of Terror, Slinky Dog Dash, etc.).

We will not worry about AK. We might have to give up any idea of visiting HS.

If we stick with base passes, which of these do you think is smartest?
1. Use Sunday for MK (as we can’t get there until 3-5 pm and it’s open latest), Monday for EP (so that we can access EEH), and Tues. for MK bc we won’t be able to get it all done Sunday afternoon and evening—or is it possible w/ ILL and Genie +? (In that case, HS is hopefully available for reservations and we can modify them from MK to HS as soon as I know we got all of our key rides at MK and want to do that late Sun. night.)

2. Relax at the resort Sun. night and make reservations at both EP and HS with 2 of our 3 day passes on Monday (so that we can choose to start at either EP or HS that morning and then get to the other park whenever we want-before 1 if we want, and definitely have access to EP’s EEH that evening), then MK for Tuesday (but we will have to leave at 8 or maybe earlier to get our car from the TTC and drive to the airport to return the rental and catch a 10:50 pm flight)

3. Reserve HS (maybe w/ Genie +) on Sunday afternoon/evening, EP Mon. (only way to use EEH), and MK Tues. (have to leave at 8 or maybe earlier).

I currently have all 3 days reserved at MK with the idea of adding PH. Otherwise, I think I’ll make them MK, EP, MK (or HS, EP, MK—or even, if we think we might pull it off, MK, EP, HS—more resort time on Mon and Tues—unless I do that unusual plan of no park, EP and HS, and MK).
**********************************************************************
P.S. Feel free not to read!
We live in PA and virtually never fly. We only have the chance to be in FL bc we are using flight credits from a COVID-cancelled trip planned for March of 2020 to attend my oldest daughter’s first Junior National (and open water) swim meet in Sarasota before heading to Orlando. The cancelled trip was also added to a FL swim meet for her. Besides my girls and I randomly flying to NC for my niece’s birth 6 years ago and to Myrtle Beach when my youngest was an infant, 2013 is the last time we flew (not including my youngest, who wasn’t born yet).

My point is that we truly may not go again as a family, so we don’t want to feel as if we ran out of time and that, if we’d PH’d on any one or two days, we could have done more and made it less stressful.

Thank you again!!!

 

[RoseGold]

I wouldn't spend that for Park Hoppers. I would do what you can on the assigned days for each park. You have three day passes. Book Epcot for EEH and pick your other two parks.

You have to have tickets and reservations for EEH.

You don't have enough park time to get lunch at Poly or plan for much pool time. If you want to work that in, sure, but I wouldn't plan around that when you are wasting park time.

 

[woodys_girl]

Hi! Thanks for your advice!

I don’t think that I will only go to MK on Sunday night unless we could actually fit everything that we want to do in on that visit, as it is my youngest’s first visit to Disney and my parents’ first since 1972. My mom really wants to ride some of the classics (Small World, Peter Pan’s Flight).

Given our situation and the fact that we haven’t been to Disney in 10 years despite planning to come back three years after our last visit in 2013 when I was pregnant with my youngest, I think it’s highly unlikely that we ever will be back with my parents.

The kids all definitely want to ride Tron, and so do I and my husband. I really think my parents do, too! We may never be back at Disney.

While my mother will just enjoy anything at any park and all of the Disney magic, my family of 5 is really not at all concerned about visiting or taking pictures with princesses or characters or many of the “little kid“ rides at MK. While we surely would like the fireworks and any parades, we’d ride during them if necessary to fit in what we hope to do.

At MK, we really hope to ride Tron, 7 Dwarfs Mine Train, Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, It’s a Small World, Peter Pan’s Flight, and PhilharMagic. Besides these, we also would like to enjoy some of the other rides and just being there. If we need to skip viewing parades or fireworks to fit those in, we will.

I am pretty sure this is impossible to do starting at 3 PM at the earliest on Sunday, when MK closes at 11. Do you think it is with Genie +?

My mother will apply for a DAS for her colon/bowel and other issues, but Idk if we will be allowed to join her on her reservations or if she will want to ride all of the “big” rides.

Also, although we will still be in Sarasota on Sunday morning, since we have reservations at the Dolphin that night, I think that we will be able to enter the VQ for Tron at 7 AM on if we are lucky enough to to get spots for our party of 7.

However, I don’t know if we can choose a time later in the day, as we will still be in Sarasota until after my daughter swims a 7.5 K at 10 AM, and then we will have to drive two hours to get to Orlando. We also need to check in at the Dolphin (or at least someone from our group has to).

Can I buy Tron ILL’s early in the day for an afternoon slot?

We definitely won’t be able to get into Tron’s VQ at 1, as we won’t be in Orlando or MK yet.

Honestly, I think the only day I’d plan to PH is Mon. bc we get those extra extended hours at EP and could quite conveniently get to HS that day, too—and to give us a chance to try for Tron that day if we don’t get it Sun. (though we will likely go to MK Tues.)

Basically, we want to experience many rides at MK, a few at EP (Ratatouille, Soarin’, Test Track, the big ones-but I don’t think we mind missing Frozen w/ teens and a 9 year-old boy) along with the whole experience there with the countries, and a few at HS (the big ones, Tower of Terror, Slinky Dog Dash, etc.).

We will not worry about AK -‘d might have to give up HS.

If we stick with base passes, which of these do you think is smartest?
1. Use Sunday for MK (as we can’t get there until 3-5 pm and it’s open latest), Monday for EP (so that we can access EEH), and Tues. for MK bc we won’t be able to get it all done Sunday afternoon and evening—or is it possible w/ ILL and Genie +? (In that case, HS is hopefully available for reservations and we can modify them from MK to HS as soon as I know we got all of our key rides at MK and want to do that late Sun. night.)

2. Relax at the resort Sun. night and make reservations at both EP and HS with 2 of our 3 day passes on Monday (so that we can choose to start at either EP or HS that morning and then get to the other park whenever we want-before 1 if we want, and definitely have access to EP’s EEH that evening), then MK for Tuesday (but we will have to leave at 8 or maybe earlier to get our car from the TTC and drive to the airport to return the rental and catch a 10:50 pm flight)

3. Reserve HS (maybe w/ Genie +) on Sunday afternoon/evening, EP Mon. (only way to use EEH), and MK Tues. (have to leave at 8 or maybe earlier).

I currently have all 3 days reserved at MK with the idea of adding PH. Otherwise, I think I’ll make them MK, EP, MK (or HS, EP, MK—or even, if we think we might pull it off, MK, EP, HS—more resort time on Mon and Tues—unless I do that unusual plan of no park, EP and HS, and MK).
**********************************************************************
P.S. Feel free not to read!
We live in PA and virtually never fly. We only have the chance to be in FL bc we are using flight credits from a COVID-cancelled trip planned for March of 2020 to attend my oldest daughter’s first Junior National (and open water) swim meet in Sarasota before heading to Orlando. The cancelled trip was also added to a FL swim meet for her. Besides my girls and I randomly flying to NC for my niece’s birth 6 years ago and to Myrtle Beach when my youngest was an infant, 2013 is the last time we flew (not including my youngest, who wasn’t born yet).

My point is that we truly may not go again as a family, so we don’t want to feel as if we ran out of time and that, if we’d PH’d on any one or two days, we could have done more and made it less stressful.

Thank you again!!!

Just a head's up that #2 doesn't work because you can only have one park reservation each day.

Since it sounds like you'd be pretty interested in doing HS, I'd do #3. HS is a great park to spend the second half the day in--you can easily stack several G+ and anything you want to do again or didn't manage a LL for, you can hop in line for at the end of the night.
EP on Monday gives you the EEH and you'll be able to RD Remy, ride TT single rider, and probably even have time for a pool break since you are in walking distance to your resort.
While it would be nice to have a full day at MK, if you get there early and use G+ I think you'll be surprised at how much you'll be able to accomplish. You might consider paying for the Tron ILL so you can be sure you get to ride it at a time that works for you. I think the only thing that I don't like about this plan is leaving so many must-do's for the last day and a day you have to leave early at that, but for the reasons I explained, I think it is still a good plan.

 

[MammaMia 80s Kid]

I wouldn't spend that for Park Hoppers. I would do what you can on the assigned days for each park. You have three day passes. Book Epcot for EEH and pick your other two parks.

You have to have tickets and reservations for EEH.

You don't have enough park time to get lunch at Poly or plan for much pool time. If you want to work that in, sure, but I wouldn't plan around that when you are wasting park time.

Hi! Yes, I agree about the out-there Poly idea (was just about saving time in the end of the day to get to our rental and head to the airport without having to get to the TTC). That was a dumb idea. Lol!

Also, as Mon. EP EEH is valuable, I understand that, if we have only base passes, we absolutely need to reserve there that day to get the chance to experience EEH.

Originally, we had 4 park days (my daughter could have competed on Fri. or Saturday at 8 a.m., so we could have headed to Orlando a day earlier), I had reservations at POFQ from Sat.-Tues., and I wasn’t even considering HS, so EP the last day made sense bc of leaving the park by just walking to the parking lot and driving.

Then, I started to watch videos and read about Disney in trying to plan this trip, and I realized how crowded it might get, how we couldn’t get fast passes with staying on-site anymore, how many options weren’t available to us in a single room for a family of 5 vs. 4, and how we couldn’t just get a room w/ 2 queen beds and sleep with my girls in one bed and my husband and 9 year-old in the other as we often do bc of MDE, and how staying offsite would be quite a trade off and actually cost more or not much less than many onsite options once I accounted for parking and resort fees, not to mention missing out on early access, having to pay extra for and reserve shuttles to and from the parks——then my kids and I got really excited about Tron. After that, we saw all of these cool rides at HS. I hadn’t realized it had Tower of Terror and Slinky Dog Dash before.

I went there for one day 10 years ago in 2013 with my girls, who were then 4 and 6, and I don’t think we rode much. Maybe my kids were too little, and I couldn’t have ridden any coasters (or, likely, the Tower of Terror) because I was 7-8 months pregnant.

I don’t really remember anything about HS except that it was hot, I shared a kids’ chicken fingers w/ FF meal with my girls again for lunch,, and I was getting sick of eating this by then.

My memory of Animal Kingdom was also just taking a picture with Minnie in a safari outfit, seeing some animals, and being really hot.

I could cancel the Dolphin and switch back to a 2 rooms at a moderate or value resort (7 guests) so that our last day could be Epcot. (Sun-HS or MK, Mon-MK, Tues-EP or HS-can park and leave from there most easily). This would leave more money available for ILL and Genie +.

I just know that having a reservation at only Epcot on Monday will mean we will not need to be at the park the entire day with the extra evening hours.

Maybe, instead of trying to use that extra bit of time to PH to HS, we could just not worry about early entry rope drop and can sleep in a little and maybe walk around the boardwalk a bit or have a grab and go breakfast by the pool before heading to EP-or we could rope drop, but can afford a break sometime during the day since we will have EEH that night.

Thank you again!

 

[MammaMia 80s Kid]

Just a head's up that #2 doesn't work because you can only have one park reservation each day.

Since it sounds like you'd be pretty interested in doing HS, I'd do #3. HS is a great park to spend the second half the day in--you can easily stack several G+ and anything you want to do again or didn't manage a LL for, you can hop in line for at the end of the night.
EP on Monday gives you the EEH and you'll be able to RD Remy, ride TT single rider, and probably even have time for a pool break since you are in walking distance to your resort.
While it would be nice to have a full day at MK, if you get there early and use G+ I think you'll be surprised at how much you'll be able to accomplish. You might consider paying for the Tron ILL so you can be sure you get to ride it at a time that works for you. I think the only thing that I don't like about this plan is leaving so many must-do's for the last day and a day you have to leave early at that, but for the reasons I explained, I think it is still a good plan.

Hi! Thank you!

Can I buy ILL at 7 am and schedule it for later in the day? I’m afraid they’ll run out of ILL by the time we get there. I don’t have control of when we arrive, as my daughter is competing that morning. All I know is that swim should take about 1.5 hours.

 

[woodys_girl]

Hi! Thank you!

Can I buy ILL at 7 am and schedule it for later in the day? I’m afraid they’ll run out of ILL by the time we get there. I don’t have control of when we arrive, as my daughter is competing that morning. All I know is that swim should take about 1.5 hours.

As a resort guest, even if you haven't checked in yet, you should be able to purchase ILLs at 7am. If you don't buy hoppers, you'll only be able to purchase one for the ILL at the park you have reserved (or 2 if MK is your reserved park). If you do decide to purchase hoppers you can buy up to two for any park if you wish.

 

[MammaMia 80s Kid]

Thank you!

Do you mean that I am allowed to purchase ILL’s for my entire party (7 people) for up to 2 rides per day (like Tron and Dwarfs Mine Train)?

I think that one is quite extravagant, but I’d feel glad if we were able to ride at all, as it seems all but impossible to get into a VQ at this point (for the last 2 days, gone in 4 or fewer seconds at 7 am and 1 pm), and, with MK reservations, I could only get one chance on Sunday, 2 on Monday, and 2 on Tuesday at most. I also read that l, even with a VQ boarding group, you might not get in-as time ran out on 4/4 and 4/5.

Also, MK closes at 10 during our trip.

It seems that, if we really want to ride Tron, we pretty much have to purchase ILL-and obviously need to reserve at MK that day in order to do that. If I did that for our whole party, that would be $140 before taxes.

Maybe I could just do it for my kids, but my 9 year old might really want me there—and I think my parents (definitely my father) would really enjoy the experience, and they most likely won’t ever be back to Disney.

Do you think I should consider switching our passes to 2 day park hoppers since, as we will arrive our first day in the afternoon or evening (3-5 pm), we can’t get on Tron or really get that much of a benefit from Genie + (unless I make LL reservations and continually move them forward all day before we get there) that day anyway? I don’t think I can stack them for the afternoon without being there yet. Is that right?

We could enjoy the Dolphin and grotto pool, rent a Swan boat, walk around Disney, try the Skyliner and Friendship boats Sunday night, go to MK in the morning and EP in the afternoon and EEH on Monday, and go to MK/HS/EP (one or maybe 2 of those) on Tuesday.

I think the 2 day PH option for all would be slightly less than 3 day base passes and it might be less expensive to purchase these directly through Disney (6 of our tickets are fully refundable 3 day passes through Get Away Today, and 1 is a 95% refundable 2 day pass from Undercover Tourist).

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

 

[sheilafri]

Just my opinion, but GotG is a much better ride than Tron. Tron is fun, but so short in duration that it makes you wonder why you made so much effort for it.

Rather than hoppers, consider G+ for MK & HS, especially if you can stack for later arrival time which I’m sure you can do without being in the park. It is easy to do now that you can modify a reservation. I regularly arrive mid-afternoon my first day, but I start reservations at 7 am Eastern time and stack them for after when I think I’ll arrive. Make sure you understand the system and have plenty of phone battery. Yes, you may have to keep modifying. I watch which rides sell out or move to later in the day quickly to determine my order of selection. I try to keep my latest selection (closest to entering the park) as the one which comes up soonest. That way I can schedule my next ride according to what is nearby and available soon. It works great to keep flipping that selection then move on to the previously stacked selections. Not sure how well the last minute flipping will work for a large group, though.

Also consider remote check in to the Swan. They assign your room, but you do not have to actually go to it if you feel short on time.

 

[woodys_girl]

Thank you!

Do you mean that I am allowed to purchase ILL’s for my entire party (7 people) for up to 2 rides per day (like Tron and Dwarfs Mine Train)?

I think that one is quite extravagant, but I’d feel glad if we were able to ride at all, as it seems all but impossible to get into a VQ at this point (for the last 2 days, gone in 4 or fewer seconds at 7 am and 1 pm), and, with MK reservations, I could only get one chance on Sunday, 2 on Monday, and 2 on Tuesday at most. I also read that l, even with a VQ boarding group, you might not get in-as time ran out on 4/4 and 4/5.

Also, MK closes at 10 during our trip.

It seems that, if we really want to ride Tron, we pretty much have to purchase ILL-and obviously need to reserve at MK that day in order to do that. If I did that for our whole party, that would be $140 before taxes.

Maybe I could just do it for my kids, but my 9 year old might really want me there—and I think my parents (definitely my father) would really enjoy the experience, and they most likely won’t ever be back to Disney.

Do you think I should consider switching our passes to 2 day park hoppers since, as we will arrive our first day in the afternoon or evening (3-5 pm), we can’t get on Tron or really get that much of a benefit from Genie + (unless I make LL reservations and continually move them forward all day before we get there) that day anyway? I don’t think I can stack them for the afternoon without being there yet. Is that right?

We could enjoy the Dolphin and grotto pool, rent a Swan boat, walk around Disney, try the Skyliner and Friendship boats Sunday night, go to MK in the morning and EP in the afternoon and EEH on Monday, and go to MK/HS/EP (one or maybe 2 of those) on Tuesday.

I think the 2 day PH option for all would be slightly less than 3 day base passes and it might be less expensive to purchase these directly through Disney (6 of our tickets are fully refundable 3 day passes through Get Away Today, and 1 is a 95% refundable 2 day pass from Undercover Tourist).

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Yes, you can purchase to ILLs/day for each guest.

If I were you, I would do HS on Sunday, Epcot on Monday, and MK on Tuesday and not buy park hoppers. Buy G + for HS and make your first booking at 7 and then every 2 hours after park opening time as the poster above described. You do not have to be in the park to book your LL.

For your Epcot day I'd get a 7am Cosmic Rewind VQ, and I would RD Remy and then go to Frozen (unless you really don't want to do that--then pick something else). Then I'd do other rides/food until mid-day, then go back for a long resort break. Come back for dinner and try for the 6pm (extra hours) VQ. Enjoy your EEH.

For Monday, purchase ILL for Tron and SDMT that way you can choose a time before you have to leave. Also purchase G+ and probably get your first LL for PP although JC would also be an option. Yes, it is extravagant, but it is less expensive that PH tickets.

If you want to skip HS, then I would do MK on Sunday instead. Since you have the EEH at Epcot I would do your resort time that day, regardless.