Returning to the parks in the afternoon?

[HeadintoWDW]

My DH and I will be at WDW from May 16-23. My general plan was to go to a park in the morning, return to the hotel for swimming/naps, and then set out for another park in the late afternoon.

My question is: when we return to the parks, are we going to have a difficult time getting on popular attractions (such as Splash and Space Mountains, RnR, Haunted Mansion, etc) I know that by the time we "hop" over to another park, all the Fast Passes will be gone for the day. Will the lines be so long that we won't be able to get on many attractions? Would we be better to just stay in one park all day and not take breaks? Are there any parks that would be very limited if I don't have Fast Passes? I just don't want to tire us out and would rather take some kind of break. I'm torn, because this is our first trip together and probably our last for a while.

Thanks in advance for your tips!

 

[ChairborneRangr]

May 16-21 are going to have low crowds anyway since it is before the FL schools let out for the summer.

I rarely switch parks except to finish the day at illuminations or Fantasmic, but it is a popular option on this board

Don't worry about it. Just avoid hopping TO the EMH park in the afternoon, and stay away from MK on Saturday.

The EMH parks are:
Monday Animal Kingdom
Tuesday Studios
Wednesday EPCOT
Thursday Magic Kingdom
Friday Animal Kingdom
Saturday Studios
Sunday Magic Kingdom

 

[Sandi]

All of the FP's might not be issued for the day when you go to a park in the afternoon. I've only had that happen with Test Track and Space Mountain -- around 3:00 in the afternoon.

Take Ranger's advice and don't go to the EMH park in the afternoon. It'll be a zoo from all the people who push it and don't take that needed mid-day rest.

 

[georgina]

We don't leave the parks to take breaks every day. It depends on many factors - are we actually getting to the parks at opening, how late the park is open, etc. Sometimes we just schedule a nice leisurely lunch in the parks, and that refreshes us enough to continue on. When we do switch parks after a break, we usually end up at Epcot in the evening. We find the World Showcase is often best taken in small bits rather than all at once.

 

[Dismom63]

If you happen to eat at an off time...For instance we often have a large late lunch and only a snack for dinner...you could return to you park of choice during typical dinner hours and combined with the dates you are going - you may find you can have a relatively short wait for things! We have seen times (peak times) when Fastpass is sold out but the line is only 10 minutes. I say, stand in the line!
Overall, I wouldn't let the crowds put a damper on my fun. If you get someplace and it is a madhouse - go to another park!

 

[jellydisney]

The only attraction I've ever seen run out of fast passes is Test Track. So next month, I plan on going to Epcot EMH to get fast passes for TT and to ride it a couple of times before the crowds get unbearable.

It's pretty routine for me to go to a park in the morning for a few hours, go back to the resort to swim and eat, and then go to a different park in the evening. I don't think I've EVER been in a park from open til close. And I'm rarely in a park between the hours of 1 and 4.

 

[ChairborneRangr]

Test Track is really fun at night. My wife and I checked back a couple of times and ended up getting Fast Passes for an 8-9pm return. We picked them up around 1 in the afternoon, but you really need to check the burn rate of the fast passes in order to get the later time window.

We hit TT after dark, then watched Illuminations. It was great.

 

[GrammieMame]

We've actually had a lot of success going back to MGM and AK in the late afternoon around 4:00 or so. By that time, lots of folks are leaving the parks to go back to their hotel and freshen up for dinner or a later return. We have fought the crowds leaving MGM after the parade and been able to walk on just about anything. And we go during crowded spring break weeks.