Too busy to ride, what do you do?

[LJisthewalrus]

We (adult brother, mom, and I) were at Epcot yesterday and had a lot of time to kill before Illuminations, so we did Agent P's Adventure at the nearest pavilions. Agreed it is fun, and gets you into nooks and crannies you might not normally visit! I've never seen an episode of Phinneas and Ferb, and I can follow the little stories (or you can always skip them!).

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

In general, to maximize rides we try to get there early, take a midday break, and go back as late in the evening as it's open.

My kids are 12 and 13, and they actually enjoy just taking in the parks while sauntering around with a snack and a beverage.

They'll sometimes do Sorcerers in MK or Agent P in Epcot, or chill out on PeopleMover or Living with the Land, or check out the aquariums in The Seas, or some of the animal trails in AK. They're big on trying different foods, so Epcot is a good place to do that.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

The most crowded times we have been at the parks have been now (late December through NYE) and Easter week.

When it is bonkers bananas crowded, there is still lots to do in the park - but we also do not measure our trips by how many rides we get on. We always have some priorities but we enjoy a lot of other things besides rides. We enjoy most of these things even when the park isn’t super crowded.

Here are some suggestions for MK and Epcot.

MK:
- Entertainment like Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire, FoF, Main Street Trolley Show, Hoedown Happening, Casey’s pianist, Muppets Great Moments in History, etc.
-Things like Enchanted Tiki Room, CoP, Country Bear Jamboree, TTA (even though the line can back up for that.
-Go to the glassblowing demo on Main Street in Crystal Arts.
-Explore the shops on Main Street.
-Tom Sawyer Island

Epcot:
-Explore all of World Showcase. All the films, explore the shops, etc.
-Eat around the world, trying and sharing foods from each country.

 

[Mousey0324]

R

The most crowded times we have been at the parks have been now (late December through NYE) and Easter week.

When it is bonkers bananas crowded, there is still lots to do in the park - but we also do not measure our trips by how many rides we get on. We always have some priorities but we enjoy a lot of other things besides rides. We enjoy most of these things even when the park isn’t super crowded.

Here are some suggestions for MK and Epcot.

MK:
- Entertainment like Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire, FoF, Main Street Trolley Show, Hoedown Happening, Casey’s pianist, Muppets Great Moments in History, etc.
-Things like Enchanted Tiki Room, CoP, Country Bear Jamboree, TTA (even though the line can back up for that.
-Go to the glassblowing demo on Main Street in Crystal Arts.
-Explore the shops on Main Street.
-Tom Sawyer Island

Epcot:
-Explore all of World Showcase. All the films, explore the shops, etc.
-Eat around the world, trying and sharing foods from each country.

We do very similar things...if the parks are busy we always turn our attention to the tier 2 attractions that don’t seem to get much attention...

MK:
Carousel of progress, Swiss family tree house, shops on Main Street, people mover, train around the park, philharmagic, under the sea, Tom Sawyer island, etc...

Epcot:
Probably has the most to do on crowded days...shops, eat, shows, finding Nemo, living with the seas, Pixar films, etc. There is plenty to see and do. If you pick and choose certain times of the day you should be able to get on living with the land and spaceship earth.

AK:
The best thing to do and easiest is probably walk around and look at animals, namely the jungle treks. There are a couple of attractions that don’t get much attention: bugs life and sometimes dinosaur.

Hollywood:
Probably the hardest to find things to do..best is probably to hit shows, Indiana Jones, beauty and the beast, under the sea, Star Wars (launch bay), Walt’s Life, etc.

Just my 0.02

 

[momz]

We went to animal kingdom yesterday. It was so much better than the previous day at studios!

It was crowded but the walkways were manageable most of the time. The lines were incredibly long, but with fast pass we rode FoP twice, Navi and Everest. We rode Everest several times us ing the single rider line. In addition, the kids rode dinosaur and we all saw the Lion King. Hubby and I hung out in a quiet place with a drink to rest. We had a meal and a snack in Pandora as well. We did Gorilla Falls during the heat of the day and found it to be much cooler through there with the thick shade through most if this trail. We also spent some time talking with the educators along the trail. We don't usually do that, but we were taking th8ngs much slower this day.

Epcot is our plan for new years eve.

 

[AJA55]

Sounds like you had a great day at AK momz. We love to go there armed with a few questions for the educators.

 

[kniquy]

What do your teenagers do to enjoy the parks?

Hubby and I can do ok with people watching, but the teens aren't so happy.

Pick a reasonable wait time -- sometimes you can find something with a 30-40 minute wait, which might sound long but you could use the new Disney app to play games while in line.

You could do the pirate adventure or the scorers adventurer at MK. Doesn't involve any waits, but you do have to work through the crowds. Check out the windows on the second floor going down main street. See who can find Walt's window first.


If at HS then leave and take a walk to the boardwalk area and get some ice cream at ample hills. Try and hit some shows.

If at Epcot take your time really looking at each country. Most of the time you move quickly though and you don't get to appreciate the details put into each pavilion. There are some areas where no one goes, such as a little gallery in morocco and Japan.

AK definitely do the nature trails.

Going at this time of year involves very low expectations of getting anything done and a whole lot of patience. Other than that, keep refreshing the app, try and snag a TS meal to get out of the crowds. If you trip extends past new years day then you might get a few days of lower crowds.

We tackled NYE for my first ever WDW trip and I knew nothing about planning a WDW trip. I scrambled to learn a lot and thankfully with a good solid plan for FP and TS meals we were able to see and do a ton.

You can always do disney springs or do a monorail resort hop, .

 

[georgina]

We only waited in a few long lines when we went Thanksgiving week, but my adult DDs enjoyed the Play Disney Parks app. There was a trivia game in the Soarin line and a group game in the TSMM line that we played.

 

[kandb]

I get that people "find" things to do at the parks when they go Christmas week due to the crowds. What I don't get is spending ALOT of money to get into the parks (like around $100/day per person, super expensive for a family) and then have to find stuff to do because the crowds are so big and the rides have many hours wait. Sorry, if I am going to spend almost $500 a day to be in a park, it isn't going to be so crowded that I can't do the popular rides and wait forever trying to get food or to use the bathroom. Is that really worth hundreds of dollars?

 

[ClapYourHands]

I am sorry, and I mean no disrespect. I understand that everyone has their own opinions and likes and dislikes but...... I do not go to WDW to go golfing, go bowling, go to a movie. These are all things i can do at home and save lots of money. As others have said just immersing yourself into the various parks is well worth the trip. Again just my opinion.

Well, I suppose I CAN go golfing or bowling at home. But I never do. I will sometimes go to a movie here, too, but not often. I think just about the only time I set foot on a mini golf course is when I'm on vacation. I can also go shopping at home, and with the rise of the internet, there are very few things I cannot buy from the comfort of my home. BUT going to a store, looking at the items in person, trying on different Mickey Ears, and so on, is an enjoyable experience.

For that matter, I can go swimming at home, too, but we still like to take breaks from the parks to spend time in the pool when we're at WDW.

Nothing wrong with taking a break from an overcrowded park to do something that is simply enjoyable, even if it's not for an activity that is exclusive to that place. Although I would argue that mini golfing with a Fantasia theme is not something I can do at my local mini golf places.

 

[kalista]

Sometimes you just go when everybody has the same days off of work and school. For us, it was either go at Christmas or don’t go at all. We spent almost as long driving down and back as we did at WDW. We did things we haven’t done before only because they had shorter waits: HoP, Muppet show, tiki room, animal trails. Kids enjoyed the dance party and Earl of Sandwich at DS, and they’re 17-21!

 

[tink2]

I've been twice during Christmas week. The key is getting to the parks early. We did rope drop every morning- at MK that was 7am, other parks were 8am I believe ~ seems like another one was 7am every day but can't remember which one. For a couple of hours~ maybe 2~ we rode a ton of things~ hit all the major things we wanted at least once and some twice. We then had the first 3 Fps for late morning, early afternoon~ leaving time for lunch. Used those and then got whatever was left. By this time, we had ridden the major rides at least twice if not more~ at rope drop and then our 3 major FPs. We had a party of 11 both trips~ so extra FPs weren't always easy~ but we kept refreshing and even went to a kiosk when MDE wasn't working (kiosk wasn't much better but that is another topic). I remember in Mk our last Christmas week trip we got a additional FP for Pooh, Pirates, Buzz Lightyear I think~ just not the major major ones. Did a few character meet and greets.

It is doable~ but you have to work at it and the hours are exhausting. We did rope drop daily and went hard until lunch~ slowed down a little to eat and maybe watch the parade at MK (while trying to get FP in between for later)~ then went back at the rides we could get until fireworks. We rode as much as we wanted to and all of the big rides multiple times.
We used to be able to do the slower times of the year~ when the kids were younger and could miss school. Now I have a senior in high school and a sophomore in college~ their spring breaks don't even coordinate~ so we're pretty much stuck with summer or Christmas break. We are going June this year~ the crowds are much more manageable if the heat won't be so bad~ it wasn't our last June trip.

But I do love Disney during Christmas too. You have to really plan and plan and more plan, be prepared and set everyone's expectations for crowds and rides, and be flexible.

 

[Disneylover99]

I get that people "find" things to do at the parks when they go Christmas week due to the crowds. What I don't get is spending ALOT of money to get into the parks (like around $100/day per person, super expensive for a family) and then have to find stuff to do because the crowds are so big and the rides have many hours wait. Sorry, if I am going to spend almost $500 a day to be in a park, it isn't going to be so crowded that I can't do the popular rides and wait forever trying to get food or to use the bathroom. Is that really worth hundreds of dollars?

For us? Yes. Lol.

We go twice a year, August and Christmas week. We actually get more done, do more rides, etc.... this week over August. In comparison, weather is 1000% better. We are happy in the heat or cold of December. While we love our August trips, the heat and humidity does zap the energy out of us.

Buses seem more plentiful this time of year, rides are running at full capacity and we’ve had better luck getting fp’s at the MK for all rides, except 7 Dwarves for our family of four. Call me crazy, but people seem happier this time of year, even with the crowds. I love the energy and vibe this week! It’s hard to explain.

For the other 3 parks, rope drop or late nights is the way to go if you want to ride the rides, but I find that is necessary in August as well if you want to avoid lines.