Summer Openings and effect on planning

[KatieCharlotte]

I know this is very speculative, but I appreciate educated guesses.

(1) Guardians of the Galaxy. What will the FP demand be like by late summer? It's brand new and exciting, but also not for the little ones and faint of heart. It is a must-do for me and my DD. We will have two days at DCA, but both will probably be EMH and we will be at regular rope drop. Do I need to get a FP right away for GotG, or will RSR still be the first priority?

We will have a DAS for my son and can use that for TSMM, but he will not be riding GotG. He will probably not ride Soarin or Grizzly River. He is a big MAYBE for Radiator Springs (i.e. he may see it and decide not to ride), which is a huge must-do for the rest of the family. So, I need to maximize our FP for the headliners. (For those unfamiliar with the DAS, it can only be used if the cardholder rides.)

(2) Fantasmic is rumored to be returning a couple weeks before our trip. That could change, of course, but I like to be prepared. Do you expect DL to reinstate the same dining packages? They are tempting but very expensive and we're already planning to splurge for WOC. Are the dining packages going to sell out as soon as they're available? Do you expect that the demand for FP will be extremely high because it has just returned, or should we be okay if I grab regular FP in the early morning (non-MM day)? Is there anywhere that we can stand with a regular FP that won't make my kids feel trapped in the crowd -- I read something about elevated spots near the back? Is the dining package FP area just as confined and crowded?

 

[figment_jii]

(1) Guardians of the Galaxy. What will the FP demand be like by late summer? It's brand new and exciting, but also not for the little ones and faint of heart. It is a must-do for me and my DD. We will have two days at DCA, but both will probably be EMH and we will be at regular rope drop. Do I need to get a FP right away for GotG, or will RSR still be the first priority?

My guess is that at least initially, GotG will be more popular than RSR in terms of FPs. If you're not going until later in the summer, I would watch the FP return times on the official Disneyland App once GotG opens to get a sense of how fast they are running out for RSR and GotG.

(2) Fantasmic is rumored to be returning a couple weeks before our trip. That could change, of course, but I like to be prepared. Do you expect DL to reinstate the same dining packages? They are tempting but very expensive and we're already planning to splurge for WOC. Are the dining packages going to sell out as soon as they're available? Do you expect that the demand for FP will be extremely high because it has just returned, or should we be okay if I grab regular FP in the early morning (non-MM day)? Is there anywhere that we can stand with a regular FP that won't make my kids feel trapped in the crowd -- I read something about elevated spots near the back? Is the dining package FP area just as confined and crowded?

While no one can say for sure what things will be like when F! returns, I'm inclined to say that it'll will be very popular this first summer. I would expect FP demand to be extremely high. I would also expect dining packages to be very popular (I don't think they'll sell out immediately, but they'll probably go pretty quickly). Honestly, I doubt there will be anywhere you can stand that won't be wall-to-wall people (at least not this summer) within the FP and/or standby viewing areas. Frankly, if seeing F! is a priority, I would either plan on grabbing the FP first (I think we're all hoping that it will be disconnected like WoC currently is) or buying a dining package.