Starting to worry about our trip in May!

[Calidisneyfam]

Ok thats about the time I was thinking, I mean you'd think at 6:55 there would not a stampede of people to get in but you never know with Disney HA. Is there a separate area that you go to for early entry? Im assuming with a normal 7:30 rope drop there will be tons of other people waiting for that time.

Well, there actually was a stampede of people at 6:55. We got there at 6:40 and it was fine, in the sense that there were a lot of tapstiles open, and we were probably 15 back. Then the long walk to where they hold you on the way to Pandora. Short wait there and then lots of walking to get into FOP. There were probably a few hundred in front of us, but we moved through the line the entire time so it was fine. We were probably off the ride about 7:45, then got on Na'vi with a 23 minute wait.

There was not a separate line for people who were there for normal rope drop. After entering, if you had early entry, you went to the left and they scanned you in. I guess the other people went to the right and waited. I didn't really notice.

 

[JustinMI]

Well, there actually was a stampede of people at 6:55. We got there at 6:40 and it was fine, in the sense that there were a lot of tapstiles open, and we were probably 15 back. Then the long walk to where they hold you on the way to Pandora. Short wait there and then lots of walking to get into FOP. There were probably a few hundred in front of us, but we moved through the line the entire time so it was fine. We were probably off the ride about 7:45, then got on Na'vi with a 23 minute wait.

There was not a separate line for people who were there for normal rope drop. After entering, if you had early entry, you went to the left and they scanned you in. I guess the other people went to the right and waited. I didn't really notice.

How early did you have to go to the bus stop? The website says the buses only start 45 min before the park open.

 

[Calidisneyfam]

How early did you have to go to the bus stop? The website says the buses only start 45 min before the park open.

We did Uber that day because I was worried if we just missed a bus, that 20 minutes would make a huge difference in where we were in line. Got Uber about 6:20.

 

[NicholeB630]

Well, there actually was a stampede of people at 6:55. We got there at 6:40 and it was fine, in the sense that there were a lot of tapstiles open, and we were probably 15 back. Then the long walk to where they hold you on the way to Pandora. Short wait there and then lots of walking to get into FOP. There were probably a few hundred in front of us, but we moved through the line the entire time so it was fine. We were probably off the ride about 7:45, then got on Na'vi with a 23 minute wait.

There was not a separate line for people who were there for normal rope drop. After entering, if you had early entry, you went to the left and they scanned you in. I guess the other people went to the right and waited. I didn't really notice.

Ok so they didnt hold you at the main tapstilies? You were able to just scan and go in. That's what gives me the most anxiety getting there and tons of people in the way and then not being able to get in for early entry bc of all the other ppl.

 

[Calidisneyfam]

Ok so they didnt hold you at the main tapstilies? You were able to just scan and go in. That's what gives me the most anxiety getting there and tons of people in the way and then not being able to get in for early entry bc of all the other ppl.

We were held at the main tapstiles until about 6:50, then we walked to Pandora and stopped on the bridge; were only there a few minutes, then right at 7:00 started walking to FOP. I remember because we stopped for just a minute right at 7:00, and we got our first LL at that time.

 

[xipotec]

I think its important to remember the reservation system is just a tool for them to use to figure out labor needs. It comes down to the fact that when a park hits capacity, they are basically looking at labor dollars versus guests in the park. They WANT a packed park in relation to labor, so their labor expenses are maximized.

You only get a better day when people do not goto the park they reserved for some reasons in large numbers or a huge amount of people park hop to another park for some reason (and that can really hurt the park they hop to.)

 

[NicholeB630]

We were held at the main tapstiles until about 6:50, then we walked to Pandora and stopped on the bridge; were only there a few minutes, then right at 7:00 started walking to FOP. I remember because we stopped for just a minute right at 7:00, and we got our first LL at that time.

Oh shoot I didnt think about that, how Ill already be in the park when I need to start booking my genie+ and purchasing FOP.

 

[boxer]

We go May every year, and I think it is one of the best times to visit. Compared to our Oct/Nov trips, I think the crowd levels are much more manageable

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

We go in May as well, and our last trip was also May, pre-pandemic. Back then it was a wonderful time to go, the crowds were tolerable and the weather was awesome.

Don't read too much into the park reservation thing. I was worried about this too and even posted on here in regards to it - but it's my understanding that just because a park is unavailable for park reservations, does not mean it's at "capacity," legally speaking. It just means that Disney has capped attendance for whatever reason, which could be anything from crowd control to staffing. In fact, I looked at the calendar and saw that dates/parks that were blocked out for resort guests actually still had availability for AP's and regular non-resort ticket holders. So clearly the park is not at capacity for those dates. As an example, we have park reservations for MK on May 3, which is a day that MK closes early at 4:30 Touring Plans has an expected crowd level of 2/10 that day as a result and the logic there seems to make sense to me. Yet, MK no longer has park pass availability for resort guests for that day. In that case it seems like the lack of availability may be more related to staffing, rather than capacity being maxed out.

In any case, I always expect crowds. If I go based of of Touring Plans, the first two weeks of May look like manageable crowds in *most* cases - there are two dates where MK is expected 10/10, but those are the days surrounding that MK early closure and we'll just avoid MK those days. We're going with small kids and as a result, we've decided we're biting the bullet on Genie+, however much the whole thing gets under my skin. We'll do the best we can to roll with the punches, and just enjoy the resort if the crowds start to feel overwhelming.