The BIG DAY approaches & I'm confused!

[wildflower]

With Oct. 27 right around the corner, I'm trying to figure out how this is all going to work. We're going in April, and park hours and schedules are only being posted through Jan. I won't be able to plan which parks we will be in which days until I see the extra magic hours schedule. How will I be able to make ADRs when I don't even know where we'll be? Also I wanted to time some dinners around park events (California Grill for dinner during Wishes and Rose and Crown for dinner for a good view of Illuminations). If I don't know what time they start, I'm not going to know what time to plan my ADRs.

Has anyone elso thought about this? Am I missing something? Is there any chance that Feb., Mar., and April schedules will be released in the next two weeks?

 

[NeverlandClub23]

This is how it was before they changed to the 90 days. I don't really know how people with non-park hopping passes do it but what we used to do is just pick our restaurants and make ADR's for about 5-6 p.m. for dinner. If we have a 5:30 p.m. dinner ADR at Crystal Palace then we find out MGM (DHS) has EMH until 10-11 p.m. we'd spend our day at MK, eat dinner, and take a bus over to DHS after dinner. Or if we were eating at a resort we'd leave, go to the resort and eat, and then go to whatever park has EMH.

Also as far as viewing the fireworks they pretty much stay about the same time year to year. You can view the past firework schedule (try google or I think it's even on DIS somewhere) and then make a dinner ADR for about 1-1 1/2 hours before that time and you should be fine. I would go closer to 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours as you don't want the fireworks to have changed by thirty minutes or so and people do not leave if it's close to fireworks and you end up not being sat before the fireworks (although if you're waiting for your table at Cali Grill they will let you go stand on the Observation Deck with the rest of the guests as it's hard to see the fireworks from a lot of the tables at Cali Grill).

 

[wildflower]

We weren't planning to get park hopper passes, not just because they cost extra, but because we don't want to waste time hopping between parks. We'll just have to take an educated guess at what park we'll be in what day and try to make changes when the park hours and events schedule is released.

Does anyone know how much the schedules vary or stay consistent year to year?

 

[aviva5675]

I think they are fairly consistent. I would go ahead , check out last years and the year before, then narrow your park choices for what will work best for you. Then plan your ADR accordingly. I think with 180 out you will have a chance to tweak things fairly easily once exact park hours come out. I think they can change those fairly last minute anyway, so you will need to commit at some point.

 

[francie57]

I have read on these boards that the park hours are also going to be posted at 180 days. So maybe they will have the hours up by the 27th. We are with one of the previous posters. We just make our reservations and then use our hopper option. We don't find that it wastes time since we go back to the BW for a few hours in the afternoon anyway.

 

[wildflower]

I have read on these boards that the park hours are also going to be posted at 180 days. So maybe they will have the hours up by the 27th.

Can anyone confirm this? If so, are they expected to be posted on the 27th for those of us whose 180 days mark is actually before that date?

 

[DisneyGrampa]

Can anyone confirm this? If so, are they expected to be posted on the 27th for those of us whose 180 days mark is actually before that date?

Disney hasn't even been getting the schedules posted in time for the 90 day ahead ADRs. Can't see them getting it done for the 180 days!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Disney hasn't even been getting the schedules posted in time for the 90 day ahead ADRs. Can't see them getting it done for the 180 days!

Isn't that the truth! It's very frustrating when you're trying to plan. I'm not really sure why they wait so long to release new months. Making sure they have employees to schedule? Waiting to see the popularity of certain promo's? I don't know. But I think they should at least be able to do 6-8 months out. I remember one year when we were making ADR's 180 days out and they released the hours less than two months before we were going .

 

[DisneyGrampa]

I sent them an email on it. I got a call from a manager, but all I got was a run-around about how they have to wait until they have a better picture of the crowds expected. At that time, all I was asking was why they couldn't release the calendars 95 days before. You can't tell me that 5 days makes a difference. In fact, they've been updating about 85 days before. I had to make my ADRs without the park information.

 

[disprincessatheart]

With the exception of Friday nights when EPCOT closes at 8 for EMH from 8 to 11 and possibly christmas time, Illuminations is always at 9m, so that one is easy. We had our wedding in APril 08, and had originally planned it for April 07 - the EMH days for each park and the basic park hours were consistent for those 2 years. If you plan based on those, you'll be relatively safe. Just be sure to make note of when Easter was each year - that week park hours are always longer.

Just to point out, it could be much worse. When we booked our wedding, we wanted a wishes cruise on the grand 1 after dinner. I was able to book all of our meals at 180 days then, but had to wait until 90 days to book the Grand 1. Well, at 90 days there were NO MK fireworks scheduled for our wedding day. They were holding that day for a possible Pirate and Princess Party. I knew that all the other nights that week Wishes was at 9, and for the parties fireworks were at 9:30. I booked the Grand 1 for 8:30 and they told me I could change it if they never announced any fireworks or if the times were off, but it was nervewracking!! In the end it all worked out though and I probably had an easier time booking since no one else wanted the day with no fireworks for a fireworks cruise! Good luck - I'm sure yours will work out too.

 

[vicb]

With the exception of Friday nights when EPCOT closes at 8 for EMH from 8 to 11 and possibly christmas time, Illuminations is always at 9m, so that one is easy. .

Wow, I'm so glad I just read your post carefully. I am in the same boat as the OP, making ADRs for Feb without park hours. Friday night will be our last night at WDW and I had planned on being in Epcot as we always end our trips there, I had noted it was evening emh but failed to see the difference in hours! So thank you! Otherwise I would have made my dinner ressie at Teppan Edo for 7pm and probably missed Illuminations!

I pulled up last years park hours and am planning with that, will have hoppers so not that big of a deal for us. Without free dining I don't think it will be that crazed trying for ressies during our week which is the week after Pres. Day week.

Thanks again!