Torturing myself over decision to switch from BWPPI to PP...

[NewbieMouse]

Like most people, I hate crowds. We will be in the parks for 5 days from January 4-8 (Monday to Friday). We are coming into Anaheim Sunday night and departing on a 7"00 a.m. flight from SNA on Saturday morning. We are super early to the parks and always make rope drop every day. Unfortunately, the week we are going looks to be more crowded than I had hoped. Touring plans puts it at 9 for both Monday and Tuesday, 7 for Wednesday and 6 for Thursday & Friday.

Option 1 - Current Plan: We are currently booked at BWPPI for the whole time - total bill $941.40 (no parking as we're ditching the car when we arrive). We always stay here so I am well acquainted with its pluses and minuses. We like the free breakfast and proximity to the parks. We rarely take afternoon breaks.

Option 2 - Torturous Decision Keeping Me Up at Night: We could stay at PP Sunday - Thursday using Orbitz's current 15% promotion for Sunday - Thursday for $1315. For our last day at the parks on Friday we'd store our bags and cab it over to a cheap SNA hotel to catch our 7: 00 a.m. flight Saturday morning, which would add about $100 (suggestions on a hotel for that welcome!). As there's no breakfast included we would have to factor in the cost of eating breakfast as well. The real benefit of value is the EE entry every day - that's what I really care about. Club level prices are out of the question.

Do you think it's worth it, wise DISers? The Libra in me can't make a decision.

 

[MommyLove]

That's a tough one because I think the value of something like that is really in the eye of the beholder. We'll be in the parks from Jan 2nd through the 6th (and side note, while we often stay at the BWPPI, this time we'll be staying just a couple doors down from there). More often than not, we go during the really busy times and we've found that your rope-drop plan is the best strategy for getting the most out of the parks during the busy times. We call them "the golden morning hours". You mentioned you rarely take afternoon breaks - do you stay in the parks from rope-drop until closing? Which on those days should be midnight. Those are lonnnnng days. We find that taking a break during the busiest time of the day (late afternoon) including a nap gives us the energy to make it to closing while enjoying the last couple hours after many families have gone home because the little ones crashed (ie. another strategy for mitigating the crowds - it's still busy at night, but there is some relief proportionally).

With Option 2, while you get the benefit of EE every day, there is a lot of new inconvenience for you in addition to the much higher cost; a further walk to the turnstiles (ugh) and no more free breakfast. You just have to decide if the added cost and inconvenience is worth a total of 4 EE morning hours (I'm assuming you're getting a pre-purchased 5-day ticket which includes one MM). For us, the answer to that would be no.

 

[NewbieMouse]

Thank you, Kathleen! (That's my name, too ). Usually we're out of the parks by 8 or 9 at night, but have been considering switching to an afternoon break model as the kids are getting older and can stay up later. But the parks aren't really expected to be open that late, though. There are only predicted hours on TP right now, which are:

Monday: DL 8am - 11pm (8/10 crowds), DCA 8am - 10pm (10/10 crowds, EE @ 7am)
Tuesday: DL 9am - 10pm (8/10 crowds, MM @ 8am), DCA 9am - 9pm (9/10 crowds)
Wednesday: DL 9am - 9pm (5/10 crowds), DCA 9am - 8pm (9/10 crowds, EE @ 8am)
Thursday: DL 9am - 9pm (6/10 crowds, MM @ 8am), DCA 9am - 8pm (5/10 crowds)
Friday: DL 9am - 11pm (5/10 crowds), DCA 9am - 10pm (6/10 crowds, EE @ 8am)

Now that I look at it like that, maybe it's not such an advantage. We'd get the Tuesday MM anyway, so it's really just the 3 EE's at DCA that are the main advantage, and mostly the ones on Monday and Wednesday. I suppose we'd only start at DCA on Thursday, to get the jump on TSMM (Cars isn't big for us).

Analysis paralysis!

 

[Malcon10t]

As long as you feel EE is worth $140+ a day, then I'd say go for it. ($500 difference in price, plus food / 4 days of EMH you wouldn't have.) For us, it wouldn't be worth it.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Personally, for me, it wouldn't be worth the extra cost. I think the extra hour of sleep to handle the crowds is better than going in at 7am (which means you'd have to be up by 5:30/6am) and 8am. I'd plan on being there at rope drop, and prepare for the crowds that will be there as the day goes on. With the closing off of part of Disneyland on Jan 10th, people are going to want to get those last rides in.

 

[NewbieMouse]

I agree with all of you - put like that I don't think it is worth it. I will save the $$ and stay onsite sometime when GCH is a possibility. Thank you!