Struggling to work out which park on which day

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

We are going to be at WDW from late 28 Sept until midday 9 Oct.

I'm really struggling to work out what days to do what parks for our visit. It's so much pressure when it's your first time isn't it. Whilst I have my fingers crossed for a second trip, DH can be unpredictable so I'm nervous I won't get back there but at the same time, want to have a more relaxed experience.

I purchased Touring Plans which I believe is very good value, esp since I had the Unofficial Guide so I think it only cost $6 or $7 dollars. The problem with touring plans, they often recommend 2 parks and my understanding is they often don't recommend a park because it has EMH that day but we love EMH and think it is so worthwhile to go to that park. The bonus seems to be that the expected crowd levels are quite low for the timeframe we are there. The other thing it takes into account is if say MK has a MNSSHP on that night but since we have park hoppers and plan to rest in the afternoons before going back to a park, it is no bother for us to leave early.

See my dilemma . Am I overthinking this?

 

[PrincessInOz]

Shuttergirl, Remind me again - How many days are you at WDW for?

If you're spending more than 7 days at the World (not including Universal or any other theme parks), then it won't matter which days you're at which park. You'll figure it out when you get there.....and its likely that you'll be going to each park at least twice.

I did a COMPLETE schedule for days at which park in my May PTR and didn't follow it one bit! We had rain on one day early in the trip, which was meant to be the MK day....so we ran to Epcot. Most days, we hit 2 parks in the same day.
We didn't plan on going commando; but on one of the days, we hit all 4 parks in the same day.

Relax...you're overthinking it.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

I so know that I am overthinking it. I keep telling myself to just chill and go with the flow but I am a total "overplanner" in all areas of my life.

It is just how I roll .

 

[PrincessInOz]

Repeat after me....I am going to wing it.....I am going to wing it.....WHEN I get to the parks.

Hmmm...This might make a good "step" for my Oct PTR . I'm going to think on this concept and see if I can some irreverent mileage out of it .

 

[Jade+3]

I am an over planner too so I know exactly how you feel. We didn't have park hoppers so I had to have it all worked out in advance for our dining.

I used the Touring Plans calender and it was spot on. I decided what days we wanted to see the fireworks etc and used that as my starting point. I would definitely recommend MK on the MNSSHP days. One of the Cast Members was telling us that the day before we went to MK, the crowd level was 40,000 people due to MNSSHP. There were no lines for anything on the days we were there.

It was the dining that gave me a headache!

Don't stress, you have park hoppers. It will all fall into place.

 

[Kalice]

We avoided parks with EMH, and Fantasmic days at HS. this worked beautifully for us. We did have to go to HS on one fantasmic day, it was truly awful. We didn't park hop, and definately never felt the need to.

I have a spread sheet that I used, it was really good. Also printed a list of ride order for parks, this meant we could do the most popular rides first, then fast pass them for later in the day. We spent the rest of the day just doing what we felt like.

If you PM me your email addy, I will forward the spreadsheet to you.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

I am an over planner too so I know exactly how you feel. We didn't have park hoppers so I had to have it all worked out in advance for our dining.

I used the Touring Plans calender and it was spot on. I decided what days we wanted to see the fireworks etc and used that as my starting point. I would definitely recommend MK on the MNSSHP days. One of the Cast Members was telling us that the day before we went to MK, the crowd level was 40,000 people due to MNSSHP. There were no lines for anything on the days we were there.

It was the dining that gave me a headache!

Don't stress, you have park hoppers. It will all fall into place.

Okay, so you recommend trying MK on MNSSHP days? Cool, that's what I was thinking.

We are going to have a fun time no matter what, I just am crazy for planning

 

[Jade+3]

Okay, so you recommend trying MK on MNSSHP days? Cool, that's what I was thinking.

We are going to have a fun time no matter what, I just am crazy for planning

Absolutely! Worked a treat for us. The only time we went to MK on a non MNSSHP day, was the night we saw the fireworks. The park closes when the fireworks finish so everyone was trying to get out at the same time. The queue to get on the ferry back to the Transportation Center were huge. It was the one time I was glad to have a the stroller, as they let anyone with a stroller jump to the front of the queue.

I also totally agree with Kalice too. If you are not going to go to Fantasmic, don't go to HS on a Fantasmic day.

Planning is half the fun. Enjoy!

 

[queenie82]

This is just a flying visit/post to say that take advantage of EVERY morning EMH.
WELL worth it.
We then would leave the park and go somewhere else once it started to get busy.

 

[GrazingGoat1966]

Ms Shuttergirl, if you're staying onsite get a you will get a copy of the up to date EMH upon check-in, which comes in fairly handy as they can make late changes to the different parks depending on a multitude of different factors. Note also the fact that the Water Parks can get shut due to capacity (yes even in September...it happened to us last trip), and a lot of your early planning will end up in the bin (obviously only if you are planning to go to the water parks.....which you absolutely should!).

Wait to see what transpires when you get there. You are way overthinking it.

PS Great advantage of park hoppers was the amount of times we decided at 930 at night after a days park hopping to, on a whim, head off to the park that had the midnight close. When you are there and you are unsure of how long it will be before you get back, trust me, you will want to cram as much into your few days as is humanly possible!!

 

[Kalice]

Spreadsheets emailed girls, enjoy!

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Spreadsheets emailed girls, enjoy!

Thanks so very much Kalice

 

[cola]

You've got park hoppers! If a park is too busy, leave! Have a plane, but be flexible, don't grit your teeth and follow the plane because you have to follow the plan regardless of the weather, blisters, suffles, etc.

Morning EMH, go, but be prepared to leave fairly soon after the EMH if it gets too crowded, you've got park hoppers! The other parks will be quieter with everyone that is at EMH. EMH is of particular importance for Animal Kingdom, you get to see the animals usually while they are being fed before they flake out in the heat. The other EMHs aren't that critical.

 

[Travel Mum]

Spreadsheets emailed girls, enjoy!

Thanks so much Kalice !!