Some Early Entry and LL strategy questions

[mggeary]

Haven't been in a few years and starting to plan our days for a trip this June. We are family of 8 that rope drop early, head back to resort for pool/rest mid day, and that back to the parks for evening. Thanks in advance.

1) If we arrive early and are toward the front of the line for 7DMT in ETPE, do we have any shot of riding PPF after should we just head to Tangled bathrooms rope drop area afterwards?
2) We are using MPLL most days. I have heard it is much harder to modify or grab good times now esp with large groups. Should we still be frequently checking/refreshing? Should we instead just look for groups of 4 and try to patch it together instead of for all 8 of us?
3) How easy is it to move up your TBA LL time to the morning the night before or day of for a large group?
4) How hectic is the rope drop crowd heading to TBA from Tangled bathrooms after ETPE? Do you end up behind the Liberty Square rope drop masses?
5) Our last trip the same day new LL drops listed on thrill data worked great for our large family (ie we would set alarm for a set time ie 2:48pm and easily snag great rides). They seem more spread out and less at predictable now. Is this the case?
6) How are AKL busses these days?

Thanks!

 

[kylenne]

Haven't been in a few years and starting to plan our days for a trip this June. We are family of 8 that rope drop early, head back to resort for pool/rest mid day, and that back to the parks for evening. Thanks in advance.

1) If we arrive early and are toward the front of the line for 7DMT in ETPE, do we have any shot of riding PPF after should we just head to Tangled bathrooms rope drop area afterwards?

The rope drop meta has changed significantly at MK since Tron got rid of its VQ. The overwhelming majority of guests head to Tomorrowland now for EE even though Tron is usually not open for it. So you should have no problems hitting Pan after Mine Train. That's actually the ideal strategy to me now and we plan on doing it in May.

2) We are using MPLL most days. I have heard it is much harder to modify or grab good times now esp with large groups. Should we still be frequently checking/refreshing? Should we instead just look for groups of 4 and try to patch it together instead of for all 8 of us?

It's not really harder but rides sell out earlier than they used to esp. Tier 2s and using burners/throwaways is key. Since you're starting your day in Fantasyland I would book Mad Tea Party for exactly park open. You don't even have to ride it, you just need to be able to tap in as soon as you can so you can fully unlock the system as early as possible, when availability is greatest.

3) How easy is it to move up your TBA LL time to the morning the night before or day of for a large group?

Backing up Tiana is hard even with smaller groups. It's the hardest to book LL in all of WDW along with Slinky Dog. A bunch of same day availability opens up at 7am though so I would be up at that time trying.

4) How hectic is the rope drop crowd heading to TBA from Tangled bathrooms after ETPE? Do you end up behind the Liberty Square rope drop masses?

Most non resort guests are heading over there from Adventureland. Tiana isn't always open at regular rope drop though, and is often on a delayed opening. That was actually the case even when it was still Splash. With Big Thunder down it kind of makes it a bit risky to attempt at "second rope drop". Keep an eye on the app and if it's down I would pivot to Mansion or Pirates depending on where you're at.

5) Our last trip the same day new LL drops listed on thrill data worked great for our large family (ie we would set alarm for a set time ie 2:48pm and easily snag great rides). They seem more spread out and less at predictable now. Is this the case?

There are still regular drops. The times have changed but they're still there. Idk about bigger groups vs smaller groups.

Can't help with AKL buses, apologies.

 

[mggeary]

Thanks so much. Confirmed all my suspicions. Typically we zig when everyone else zags during ETPE (ie multiple Everest rides, Soarin', etc...) but in the past have been able to get many more FP/Genie+/LL as day goes. Hope this is still possible!

Thoughts on ETPE strategy for DHS if we want to RD SDD and get there towards front of line? Current plan:

1) SDD ETPE RD
2) TSM standby before 9
3) ?burner Alien Saucer LL if can get it 9-10 (prob not)
3) ?? MFSR if standby is low or burner LL
4) SWROR $LL
5) Star Tours
6) Indy 10:45 show
7) Early Backlot lunch
????
8) RNRC and ToT with LLs
9) Back to resort/pool


Also for those that Zag and do Soarin' first in ETPE, is Figment open in ETPE (looks like not). First Turtle Talk show not till 9:40 right?

 

[kylenne]

Thanks so much. Confirmed all my suspicions. Typically we zig when everyone else zags during ETPE (ie multiple Everest rides, Soarin', etc...) but in the past have been able to get many more FP/Genie+/LL as day goes. Hope this is still possible!

Thoughts on ETPE strategy for DHS if we want to RD SDD and get there towards front of line? Current plan:

1) SDD ETPE RD
2) TSM standby before 9
3) ?burner Alien Saucer LL if can get it 9-10 (prob not)
3) ?? MFSR if standby is low or burner LL
4) SWROR $LL
5) Star Tours
6) Indy 10:45 show
7) Early Backlot lunch
????
8) RNRC and ToT with LLs
9) Back to resort/pool


Also for those that Zag and do Soarin' first in ETPE, is Figment open in ETPE (looks like not). First Turtle Talk show not till 9:40 right?

I'm a zig when others zag sort myself and at HS if you plan to utilize LLs I would skip trying to rope drop Slinky altogether and start down Sunset at Tower instead, working your way back to Runaway Railway. I've done that for literal years at this point and imo it's the ideal way to tackle EE, making for the least stressful morning. 95% of people are headed for TSL and SWGE during EE so it's very easy to be front of pack (I am very often literal first in line for Tower). And if you're front of pack, if Tower is having issues and only running one elevator it won't impact you because you'll be on the first load anyway.

Instead, aim to prebook these:

SDD
Tower
Mania

Those are the ones that sell out the fastest and are hardest to pull day of. If you're not planning on park hopping that day, I don't actually think a burner is necessary at HS the way it is at other parks. I used to think so but Molly made a pretty compelling argument in a recent video that I agree with. The rides that sell out the fastest you'll have already knocked out during rope drop time. As long as you can tap in during that first hour of opening you'll be straight. Again I can't really speak to large groups because I am only ever booking for 1-2 people at most (this next trip will be 3), but I honestly think you should be fine.

Re: Epcot, no, Figment's not open during EE. Personally I would pivot to Spaceship Earth after Soarin because the front of pack folks at Cosmic Rewind will all be heading to Norway 2nd and they'll be replaced by stragglers. No one's heading to any other pavilions that time of morning. Correct on first Crush being 9:40 but it's a show you can do any time without issue tbh.

 

[mggeary]

I'm a zig when others zag sort myself and at HS if you plan to utilize LLs I would skip trying to rope drop Slinky altogether and start down Sunset at Tower instead, working your way back to Runaway Railway. I've done that for literal years at this point and imo it's the ideal way to tackle EE, making for the least stressful morning. 95% of people are headed for TSL and SWGE during EE so it's very easy to be front of pack (I am very often literal first in line for Tower). And if you're front of pack, if Tower is having issues and only running one elevator it won't impact you because you'll be on the first load anyway.

Instead, aim to prebook these:

SDD
Tower
Mania

Those are the ones that sell out the fastest and are hardest to pull day of. If you're not planning on park hopping that day, I don't actually think a burner is necessary at HS the way it is at other parks. I used to think so but Molly made a pretty compelling argument in a recent video that I agree with. The rides that sell out the fastest you'll have already knocked out during rope drop time. As long as you can tap in during that first hour of opening you'll be straight. Again I can't really speak to large groups because I am only ever booking for 1-2 people at most (this next trip will be 3), but I honestly think you should be fine.

Re: Epcot, no, Figment's not open during EE. Personally I would pivot to Spaceship Earth after Soarin because the front of pack folks at Cosmic Rewind will all be heading to Norway 2nd and they'll be replaced by stragglers. No one's heading to any other pavilions that time of morning. Correct on first Crush being 9:40 but it's a show you can do any time without issue tbh.

Completely agree on DHS Sunset Blvd 1st (which is what we usually do), but this will be our 2nd park day with DHS AM/ MK PM planned. Wont be able to snag SDD for the AM for a group of 8 im pretty sure. Hope to be back at resort by 1-2. And with the burner, I can keep an eye out for TBA or other same day avail for the night at MK. If we don't get to DHS EE early enough, will def pivot to RnRC/ToT first.

 

[kylenne]

Completely agree on DHS Sunset Blvd 1st (which is what we usually do), but this will be our 2nd park day with DHS AM/ MK PM planned. Wont be able to snag SDD for the AM for a group of 8 im pretty sure. Hope to be back at resort by 1-2. And with the burner, I can keep an eye out for TBA or other same day avail for the night at MK. If we don't get to DHS EE early enough, will def pivot to RnRC/ToT first.

Ah ok. If you are hopping to MK definitely grab a burner. Saucers is weirdly popular to book so aim for Star Tours, you're probably much more likely to get that for park open than Saucers.

 

[Blue32]

I'm a zig when others zag sort myself and at HS if you plan to utilize LLs I would skip trying to rope drop Slinky altogether and start down Sunset at Tower instead, working your way back to Runaway Railway. I've done that for literal years at this point and imo it's the ideal way to tackle EE, making for the least stressful morning. 95% of people are headed for TSL and SWGE during EE so it's very easy to be front of pack (I am very often literal first in line for Tower). And if you're front of pack, if Tower is having issues and only running one elevator it won't impact you because you'll be on the first load anyway.

Instead, aim to prebook these:

SDD
Tower
Mania

Those are the ones that sell out the fastest and are hardest to pull day of. If you're not planning on park hopping that day, I don't actually think a burner is necessary at HS the way it is at other parks. I used to think so but Molly made a pretty compelling argument in a recent video that I agree with. The rides that sell out the fastest you'll have already knocked out during rope drop time. As long as you can tap in during that first hour of opening you'll be straight. Again I can't really speak to large groups because I am only ever booking for 1-2 people at most (this next trip will be 3), but I honestly think you should be fine.

Re: Epcot, no, Figment's not open during EE. Personally I would pivot to Spaceship Earth after Soarin because the front of pack folks at Cosmic Rewind will all be heading to Norway 2nd and they'll be replaced by stragglers. No one's heading to any other pavilions that time of morning. Correct on first Crush being 9:40 but it's a show you can do any time without issue tbh.

Are you saying you should be able to ride every ride in the park without a burner? Or be able to pull every lightning lane after your first 3?

I am curious about the best strategy to try to get re-rides in at HS. Most notably, TOT, RNRC, and MMRR.

Is it possible to grab both RNRC and MMRR as LL day of after starting to use them?

Thanks!

 

[kylenne]

Are you saying you should be able to ride every ride in the park without a burner? Or be able to pull every lightning lane after your first 3?

I am curious about the best strategy to try to get re-rides in at HS. Most notably, TOT, RNRC, and MMRR.

Is it possible to grab both RNRC and MMRR as LL day of after starting to use them?

Thanks!

I've done it when hopping into HS before (pulled every non-show LL at HS the day of while at MK with a burner spent on Mad Tea Party at 8am, including Slinky Dog) so I have no doubt you can manage it without a burner if you're rope dropping EE from front of the pack whichever ride you decide to start at. Slinky Dog is really the only hard one to pull day of. If you can prebook that you'll have zero issues. Prebook Tower and Mania as your Tier 2s. As long as you're tapping in during the first hour of park time you're fine bc none of the HS Tier 1s besides Slinky Dog are hard to pull day of. MMRR usually goes before the others. I would do the starting down Sunset strategy at EE if you're willing to pay for Rise

 

[mggeary]

Anyone out there with experience on how hard it is to same day book or modify LLs with a party of 8? I was assuming that it would be near impossible to grab "cancellation LLs" and would be basically hoping for new drops of LLs to snag for a group of 8. If this fails i'll try for groups of 4 and overlap.

 

[Blue32]

I've done it when hopping into HS before (pulled every non-show LL at HS the day of while at MK with a burner spent on Mad Tea Party at 8am, including Slinky Dog) so I have no doubt you can manage it without a burner if you're rope dropping EE from front of the pack whichever ride you decide to start at. Slinky Dog is really the only hard one to pull day of. If you can prebook that you'll have zero issues. Prebook Tower and Mania as your Tier 2s. As long as you're tapping in during the first hour of park time you're fine bc none of the HS Tier 1s besides Slinky Dog are hard to pull day of. MMRR usually goes before the others. I would do the starting down Sunset strategy at EE if you're willing to pay for Rise

I am actually not willing to pay for Rise. But we have done it several times before and plan to take our chances on a late evening ride there.

But this is very helpful, thank you!

Would you say it is best strategy to pull the 4th LL for whatever is soonest time? or highest priority and try to pull the times back?

Knowing that MMRR goes quickly is great to know.

 

[cruising spud]

Anyone out there with experience on how hard it is to same day book or modify LLs with a party of 8? I was assuming that it would be near impossible to grab "cancellation LLs" and would be basically hoping for new drops of LLs to snag for a group of 8. If this fails i'll try for groups of 4 and overlap.

We went to Disney this past January with a party of eight. I anticipated having to break our party up in order to book LLMP. We booked our rides seven days out with no problems. We also added and modified rides the day of each park with no issues at all. HOWEVER, we went in January a few days after New Year and only overlapped with the marathon for a day or two. Also, two of our days were very cold (for Florida) and overcast. That might have kept the locals away.

 

[HeiHei2018]

Also for those that Zag and do Soarin' first in ETPE, is Figment open in ETPE (looks like not). First Turtle Talk show not till 9:40 right?

In August 2024, Figment did not emerge from his portal until a few minutes after 9:00. We were second in line for photos. The ride was open during EE.

 

[tofubeast]

1) If we arrive early and are toward the front of the line for 7DMT in ETPE, do we have any shot of riding PPF after should we just head to Tangled bathrooms rope drop area afterwards?

I think so. Luckily, they are close together, so you can quickly look at the app or the Standby Line sign itself to judge.

2) We are using MPLL most days. I have heard it is much harder to modify or grab good times now esp with large groups. Should we still be frequently checking/refreshing? Should we instead just look for groups of 4 and try to patch it together instead of for all 8 of us?

I am not sure if groups really matter from what I have read. Definitely keep checking. My biggest luck in advance of the park day was using the free alerts on Thrill Data. I was able to snag earlier LLs that way which put me in a much better position to get news ones once in the park.

3) How easy is it to move up your TBA LL time to the morning the night before or day of for a large group?

I think it more so depends if you are going during a busy time or not. As I said, I used the free Thrill Data alerts. It helped me. I was not part of a large group though. I wouldn't say it is easy, but if you have your phone on you with the sound alerts on and are quick, you might luck out like I did.

4) How hectic is the rope drop crowd heading to TBA from Tangled bathrooms after ETPE? Do you end up behind the Liberty Square rope drop masses?

Not sure. Didn't try.

5) Our last trip the same day new LL drops listed on thrill data worked great for our large family (ie we would set alarm for a set time ie 2:48pm and easily snag great rides). They seem more spread out and less at predictable now. Is this the case?

Some of the drops were at the times they stated, some were not. I had a ton of reminders in my phone to search for drops on the day off. It was almost comical. I think the biggest tip besides using the TD alerts in advance of park opening, is to try and secure the attraction you want without caring for the time. Then you can try to modify the time as you go. It is much easier to do it that way due to changes made to the app in the past few weeks. View recent EarScouts YT video for a discussion about that.

6) How are AKL busses these days?

I can't say, but I didn't have a problem with them back in summer of '23.

Thanks!