Tips on how to plan before schedules are released! (November!)

[Vness]

This will be our first time travelling to WDW in November - the last two years we went in September just after labor day.

After a month or so of pain-stakingly stalking dining reservations, I have finally managed to snag everything we wanted and made a game plan based on those for our 10 day trip...It came to my attention yesterday, reading another thread - that the schedules posted now for September and October are not necessarily what they will be for November...in fact some things (HS fireworks) only run on some days! (and if I go by October schedule) not on the day(s) I planned to be at HS after snagging the ADR for Disney Junior!

My 60 day FP window opens in 2 weeks, and I am assuming the schedules for November wont be out yet! SO how the *bleep* does one plan without knowing schedules for very important things!

Does anyone know if for the most part schedule for things like - FOF parade, Wishes, ect...Stay the same?

Any tips!

September planning was WAY easier than November planning!!

 

[CAS239]

Wishes is nightly, unless it's a party night and they do the special wishes show.

Just plan around the hours that are posted and keep an eye for stuff to change.

Things you can plan for:
Star Wars fireworks will be there
AK hours will be extended
Rivers of Light might possibly be going
Wishes will definitely be every night

 

[Robo]

Does anyone know if for the most part schedule for things like - FOF parade, Wishes, ect...Stay the same?

FoF starts daily at 3PM.

Also, except for the Halloween and Christmas Party parades, there is no nighttime parade at MK after Oct. 9, 2016.

 

[Vness]

Thank you both!!

 

[Heidi K]

I would grab another H&V ADR for a day of the week that has the fireworks, and cancel the one that you don't need later. The nice thing is, you have quite a bit of flexibility in a 10 day trip.

I'm going in October, and it is SO frustrating that they just updated the calendar with some pretty important information a couple days ago.

 

[Vness]

That's what I am trying to do, but so far no luck! I had just lucked out getting the one I already have by checking the app SEVERAL times a day!! I am assuming (hoping maybe) that spots will start opening up the closer we get...

I hear you on being frustrated! I often joke that you need a university degree in Disney planning to get this all right!!

 

[speeb]

I chose to not bother planning around anything. I planned which days I wanted to be in each park and just went with it (MK,HS,EP,AK,MK). If it ends up that SW Fireworks don't happen the night were at HS, that's fine. If there's no AK nighttime entertainment, that's okay too. It's not like we won't have plenty to keep us entertained.

Now that said, yeah, it's absurd that Disney expects people to make reservations and fast passes at 180 and 60 days but doesn't provide any information about the parks that far out. Maybe they're just hoping that people add park hoppers if their plans get messed up enough.

 

[Vness]

Try as might and would love to have that go with the flow attitude! I cant! Disney planning has become somewhat of an (unwanted) obsession for me! Much to my husband and mom's dismay!!

Funny you mention the park hopper! That is now my plan B! Never needed it the past two years - as getting my family of 6 to one park is hard enough....but I may end up adding it so we can keep (our) coveted ADR's and still see the Star Wars fire works!

 

[serenitynow]

I understand your frustration, having a post Thanksgiving day trip planned myself. But I must admit to a certain thrill when I am able to switch stuff around as Disney dribbles out little pieces of information. It no longer looks like the trip I had originally planned 10 months ago, but planning has certainly been an adventure. I have no idea what the final plans will turn out to be, but I'm trying to roll with it.

 

[disneyseniors]

I'm kinda of like the poster who goes with the flow. Disney makes us ( I know, literally doesn't Make us), schedule adr's and fp's ahead of time, which I think is totally ridiculous! How can people with children know if their child will "go along with the plan" in advance. Life happens, and gotta be flexible, but it's difficult with the preplanning. There,,, off my soapbox!
I am going in November,too, and have made my tentative plans. My fp's selection comes up in 2 weeks, too, and I will stick to the plans made with adr's. If there is a big change in something we feel we must do, then we will change our plans. But I am not planning on changing anything, just use our park hoppers and hope for the best. We always get park hoppers, and to us they are invaluable. We go to a scheduled park in the AM, using our scheduled fp's. Then back to the room for rest and recharge , then we decide where we want to go for the evening. It makes all this preplanning much easier for us. Hope this helps.

 

[karly05]

I'm a big believer in Park Hoppers, wouldn't go without them, but I'm a solo. Park Hoppers for 6 can add up. I'm with you, though, OP: sure there are things I could skip if I had to, but then there are Star Wars Fireworks!!! That's a must-do for me, too, and of course they're not on the schedule for February yet either.

Is it 60 days out when packages have to be paid in full? I've always heard that's a good time to look for ADRs as people cancel trips.

Good luck, OP. This year really does seem to be way more challenging than usual for trip planning!

 

[speeb]

Try as might and would love to have that go with the flow attitude! I cant! Disney planning has become somewhat of an (unwanted) obsession for me! Much to my husband and mom's dismay!!

Funny you mention the park hopper! That is now my plan B! Never needed it the past two years - as getting my family of 6 to one park is hard enough....but I may end up adding it so we can keep (our) coveted ADR's and still see the Star Wars fire works!

Oh, believe me, I've been obsessing and planning constantly. And I'm really bummed that we might not get to see the Star Wars fireworks (REALLY bummed). But once I got ADRs where I wanted and now, just having squared away FPs last week.... My plans are set, regardless of what the Mouse does now. My biggest concern is that they'll mess up my morning ADRs changing park hours.