Top Tips during Peak Attendance

[consultant]

We almost always do our several weeks a year vacationing during shoulder and value seasons. However with my oldest son now in Kindergarten, I am having to limit myself to the number of days we take him out during the school year (we vacation 5-7 weeks a year and the weather where we live [Seattle] is best in the Summer so we like to stay home then - WDW would be too hot and muggy for us then anyway.) So I went ahead and traded one of our Timeshares for the Sheraton Vistana Resort at WDW during Presidents Day Week (yikes). This is our first time there (we usually go to Disneyland since we live on the West Coast).

So I understand this is one of, if not THE busiest week of the year. Great We hate long lines and are use to going to Disneyland during the off-season and waiting 5-30 minutes max to get on rides. This is going to be a bit of a shock for us. So of course I'm researching and studying everything I can find about WDW to try to 'outsmart' the herds - a tough challenge for that week. Here's what I've gathered so far. Thanks in advance if anyone has any other tips, especially considering we are not staying in the Resort itself.

- Get there 1-hr before park opens as morning is least crowded
- Try to book an early morning character breakfast at Magic Kingdom on a day there is no early opening hours (will they even have a day without the special early openeing that week? Probably too late to reserve a time early enough at this point.)
- Eat breakfast before arriving (if not doing character breakfast).
- Eat lunch and dinner during non-peak times (before 11 am or after 2 for lunch, before 5 or after 8 for dinner - we may do well eating AFTER the peak time since we will be coming from a timezone 3 hours behind)
- Get a AAA Diamond Parking Pass for closer parking (I hear it doesn't make much of a difference at Magic Kingdom time wise but is advantageous at the other parks)
- Get a FastPass for the most popular ride in the park we want to ride as soon as possible (examples: Splash Mountain, Test Track, etc.)
- Get Second FastPass ticket BEFORE going on ride for First FastPass (also, evidently some rides will let you get the second FastPass before your time comes up for the first FastPass, you have to look on the back of the ticket)
- Hit the Fantasyland rides (we mainly want to do Peter Pan) that don't have Fast Passes first thing or near closing (not sure how long our kids will last, especially with the time change.)
- Call ahead for Priority Seating at table service restaurants (probably should have done this weeks ago, better do it now.)

We will have 6 full days. One thing I'm concerned about is my kids handling the time change and how long they will last. I'm not sure how fast/convenient it is to come and go from the parks via car or Shuttle from the Sheraton Vistana. Is it pointless to try to do a mid-afternoon break and then come back in the evening or is getting in and out of the park in the early evening not to bad (I'm guessing using the shuttle is the key but I have no idea how long it takes.)

I'm also not completely sure which of the top rides at each of the parks have the longest waits build up the quickest. If I think about Disneyland, I know Splash Mountain would probably be in the top 3 at Magic Kingdom. I've heard Test Track at Epcot is so bad the FastPass has a 20-30 minute wait! Is the ride THAT good?? And I imagine Tower of Terror is in the top 3 and Disney Studio. Any advice on ride strategies would be appreciated keeping in mind one of my kids is 43 in and the other is 44.

I've gotten info on which days are historically the busiest for which Park. We are going to avoid Magic Kingdom Sat, Sun, and Mon. (Probably do it Tue, or Wed). We are actually more interested in the three other parks more since we've been to Disneyland already so many times.

Cheers

 

[ACrider]

Very helpful thanks!

We are staying at Sheraton Vistana also and I had been checking into the transportation deal. SV does not offer free park transportation, it costs per person. another poster here told me she called and they shuttle service (that costs) also ends at noon, so after that you;d have to drive yourself or get a taxi.

A couple posters have indicated it is about 15 minutes with traffic to drive from SV to MK. (it is only 2 miles? away). Not sure about the other parks.

Hope this helps
Amanda

 

[QT Pooh]

My advice would be to sign up for a tour guide Mike subscription. His 'peak season' advice to avoid crowds is worth the $18.95, IMHO.

 

[Disney Fool]

I may be able to help. I am an owner at the Vistana, and it is a very, very short ride to the parks, MK and AK being the furthest away. You will be literally 5 minutes from Downtown Disney, and 7-10 min. from Epcot/MGM. 12-15 min. from AK/MK. The shuttle from the resort is $6 per person (unless it's gone up since last year) and very inconvenient. Rent a car, you'll be happier. by the way, the Vistana is a 20 min ride to the airport--not complicated at all. Should you decide to go back to the resort to rest during the day, it's not hard to do. The real problem is coming back once you've gotten comfortable "at home"!!!

If you check out the "other hotels and attractions" board, you'll get lots of info on the Vistana and the surrounding area. PM me if you need more info.

 

[UrsulasShadow]

Plan on doing most everything you want INSIDE the parks first thing in the morning.
If you want to stay inside the parks all day, find quiet places to rest midday so you don't kill yourselves.
Purchase the Unofficial Guide to WDW, it gives you a lot of touring advice, with touring plans at the end of the book.
Drive to parks, do not rely on outside hotel's shuttle systems.
Plan to eat counter service early, and dinner early...you'll probably be too tired to stay up for late shows, late ADRs. Understand that the early shows are going to be the more crowded (Fantasmic, HDDR, Cirque).
If parades are not too important to you, ride headliner rides during parades (same with fireworks).
To get an overview of rides, menus, shows, check out allearsnet.com.

 

[mamacatnv]

Having just returned from our stay 12/29-1/5/06 here is my best advice. We too are from the West Coast and the time change was brutal. We arrived in FL. 3 days prior to checking in at WDW and tried to reverse our clocks a little bit.

Prior to departure, start adjusting your wakeup time to getting up earlier. I would suggest at least a week - it will be strange to go to bed at 6 or 7 pm, but worth it on the trip side.

Arrive at the parks the moment they open (eat snack on the way), we did almost every ride in MK in 3 hours (7-10am) on 12/30/05, if returning to the same park, pick up fastpasses. Then return to hotel for breakfast and a long nap. Return to parks late afternoon for dinner and evening entertainment.

Take a stroller for when the younger set poops out in the evenings, our 7 yr old did great but by day 4 the evenings were killing her so we hauled her around in her stroller and that made a huge difference.

Get fastpasses early ie.. at 11:45 am the Soaring fastpass was for 7:25-8:25 that evening. By 12:30 they were out of fastpasses for the day. It took us 3 days to finally score Soarin fastpasses.

Have a great trip. I slept almost 2 days solid upon our return (got a cold the day before departure) but it was worth every minute of lost sleep.

MamaCatNV

 

[snowy76]

Congrats -- looks like you've done a lot of homework!

I'm also not completely sure which of the top rides at each of the parks have the longest waits build up the quickest.

These are the ones that we would try to FP the quickest...

MK: Space, Splash, Big Thunder
Epcot: Soarin, Test Track
MGM: Tower, Rockin' Roller Coaster
AK: Dinosaur, Kilimanjaro Safari, Kali River Rapids

There are SOME differences between the DL and WDW versions of Space and Splash so don't rule them out altogether. I believe Soarin is identical to the one at DCA -- this is by far the most popular attraction at Epcot right now.

 

[ACrider]

I have to wonder - if everyone is trying to avoid the big crowds (all the advice I have seen is to go in early and head back to the resort for lunch and afternoon to rest and then maybe go back again) and everyone follows that schedule, then doesn't it end up being most crowded in the mornings afterall? a little ironic maybe - Is the real secret to go in the afternoon because everyone is home napping from their crazy morning??!! ;-)

 

[UrsulasShadow]

I have to wonder - if everyone is trying to avoid the big crowds (all the advice I have seen is to go in early and head back to the resort for lunch and afternoon to rest and then maybe go back again) and everyone follows that schedule, then doesn't it end up being most crowded in the mornings afterall? a little ironic maybe - Is the real secret to go in the afternoon because everyone is home napping from their crazy morning??!! ;-)

No,no,no, because only the SMART people who subscribe to these boards do this...everyone else sleeps in!

 

[TastefullyChris]

I think most people KNOW that getting there early is the best plan of attack...it's just that many are not willing to do what it takes to get there at park opening, and of those who ARE willing, only about half are truly able to pull it off!! I can't tell you how many times just in the course of everyday life I have tried to get my family up and out of the house early and FAILED!!! Too many variables! We are taking our first family WDW vacation, and I am packing cattle prods (ha, ha!) 'cause I WILL get to the parks early!!!

 

[Matty_Disfan]

Other stuff not mentioned:

In Epcot hit wold showcase when it opens and then move back to future world towards the end of the day, the future world attractions will mostly be walk-ons (except TT, MS, and Soar) as people drift towards world showcase.

If you plan on shopping through WS do so as soon as it opens.

Magic Kingdom is usually golden at the end of the day, later hours especially when the parades Fireworks are going.

when leaving the Magic Kingdom take the monorail to the GF and Poly, it will then go to the TTC and there is usually less of a lineup (people are probably kicking me for boarding this one, a very old trick some regarded as sacred).

Don't leave via the ferries, with the Water Pageant it can be a very long wait.

if you rented a car then use it, almost always faster than the bus regrettably.

fatspass at all times, if you are standing around trying to figure out what to do next grab a FP!! MAKE IT YOUR RELIGION.

AK at the end of the day (late afternoon) is entirely do-able as most guests show up in the am and are gone by mid-afternoon. Hit it at around 3:00pm and you should be golden. Watch the people streaming out! (only do this if you have park hoppers as it won't give a lot of time in the park).

At MGM everyone hits the big rides in the am and then filters through to the shows and the smaller side streets. That means hit the stunt shows and small attractions early and then the big rides later in the day. ToT can be a walk on just before Fantasmic etc.

Anyone disagree? This worked for us.

 

[ACrider]

Ah, that makes sense. Planning and doing are two different things, I can relate.

Marcel thanks for those great tips, those are great! I am taking notes!!
- one question about the MK monorail thing - if one doesn't do as you mention, what are the "other" choices? do most usually walk to the TTC from MK?

 

[tiff211]

Other stuff not mentioned:

In Epcot hit wold showcase when it opens and then move back to future world towards the end of the day, the future world attractions will mostly be walk-ons (except TT, MS, and Soar) as people drift towards world showcase.

If you plan on shopping through WS do so as soon as it opens.

Magic Kingdom is usually golden at the end of the day, later hours especially when the parades Fireworks are going.

when leaving the Magic Kingdom take the monorail to the GF and Poly, it will then go to the TTC and there is usually less of a lineup (people are probably kicking me for boarding this one, a very old trick some regarded as sacred).

Don't leave via the ferries, with the Water Pageant it can be a very long wait.

if you rented a car then use it, almost always faster than the bus regrettably.

fatspass at all times, if you are standing around trying to figure out what to do next grab a FP!! MAKE IT YOUR RELIGION.

AK at the end of the day (late afternoon) is entirely do-able as most guests show up in the am and are gone by mid-afternoon. Hit it at around 3:00pm and you should be golden. Watch the people streaming out! (only do this if you have park hoppers as it won't give a lot of time in the park).

At MGM everyone hits the big rides in the am and then filters through to the shows and the smaller side streets. That means hit the stunt shows and small attractions early and then the big rides later in the day. ToT can be a walk on just before Fantasmic etc.

Anyone disagree? This worked for us.

ITA!! We were fastpass crazed. We were never w/o one! It worked out sooo well for us!!! When we went in 2001, DH and DD couldn't get into Fantasmic and when I came out they told me they were able to ride ToT and RR two times each back to back.