Touring and Tusker House

[lllGurulll]

We have reservations at Tusker on June 1 for 8:05am and 10:25am and still trying to decide which one would be the better option. This will be our only day in AK and also our last full day in the World (we leave the day after this). I have heard positives for both times but I am really wondering what everyone else would do. Positive for the 8:05am res is the fact we are ahead of the RD crowd and already in the park. Positive for the 10:25am res is the extended character interaction and the breakfast/lunch combo.

Would love to hear everyones thoughts on both. Also, if 10:25 is the popular choice, what should my touring plan be like for the hour or so I have from RD till reservation time?

Oh, and yes, we will be canceling one of those ressies as soon as we decide which one to do so somebody will benefit from that.

 

[topmonkeygirl]

I never waste park time eating unless it's unavoidable. We either get ressies before RD or at the quick service at our resort before we leave.

 

[jdisnut]

I suggest choosing the earlier time. I wouldn't waste touring time eating breakfast. If you pick the 8:05 reservation, you should be able to finish your meal and still be outside close to rope drop.

 

[goofy4tink]

If it were me eating, and it will be me in August, I would have chosen the 10:25 slot...that is my favorite time for breakfast. But, it's not the same scenario for you....it's your dd's first trip, so you won't want to waste park time in a restaurant. Take the earlier slot, and then hit the park running.
When I'm booking for myself, I choose a morning that is EMHs in that park, then get there for park opening, do stuff for a few hours and then eat a late breakfast. That way, I don't have to stop for lunch and I'm eating about when offsite guests are starting to add to the park crowds. But...I go twice a year..so don't mind 'wasting' time in a retaurant.

 

[Faldred]

Since it's not an EMH day, the 8:05 breakfast is generally the better bet. If it was AM EMH, I'd go with the later choice.

 

[luvdumbo]

Ivoted for 8:05 we did this time last year and it worked out so we were out of there before 9 and one of the first on the safaris.

If this was an AM EMH I would recomend the later time.

 

[Tara]

If it were me eating, and it will be me in August, I would have chosen the 10:25 slot...that is my favorite time for breakfast. But, it's not the same scenario for you....it's your dd's first trip, so you won't want to waste park time in a restaurant. Take the earlier slot, and then hit the park running.
When I'm booking for myself, I choose a morning that is EMHs in that park, then get there for park opening, do stuff for a few hours and then eat a late breakfast. That way, I don't have to stop for lunch and I'm eating about when offsite guests are starting to add to the park crowds. But...I go twice a year..so don't mind 'wasting' time in a retaurant.

This is my feeling, too. Although the pre-opening breakfast isn't very popular in my family as we enjoy our morning sleep too much.

(Funny, I just looked at my plan for our surprise June trip. We're staying in a moderate, so no in-room breakfasts like we have in our DVC villas. All but 1 is planned for 9:30-10:30 range on a morning that park has EMH. But in August I realize now I planned our Tusker House breakfast for the wrong time...gonna go see about rebooking that now if possible. Glad this thread was here to prompt me to pay attention to that!)

 

[serene56]

We made adr's for last breakfast of the morning. Which allows us to tour at rope drop and not worry/hurrying in order to finish for rope drop.

This will allow us a break to get out of the heat.

 

[PoohsFan1]

We have reservations at Tusker on June 1 for 8:05am and 10:25am and still trying to decide which one would be the better option. This will be our only day in AK and also our last full day in the World (we leave the day after this). I have heard positives for both times but I am really wondering what everyone else would do. Positive for the 8:05am res is the fact we are ahead of the RD crowd and already in the park. Positive for the 10:25am res is the extended character interaction and the breakfast/lunch combo.

Would love to hear everyones thoughts on both. Also, if 10:25 is the popular choice, what should my touring plan be like for the hour or so I have from RD till reservation time?

Oh, and yes, we will be canceling one of those ressies as soon as we decide which one to do so somebody will benefit from that.

When we are there in September we have a 8:00am ADR, this too will be our last full day before we leave AND this is our only AK day. Our family loves to get before the park opens ADRs so we could get great pictures of the park before the crowd comes. Plus afterwards, you could head straight over to the safari and be able to see the animals come out for their breakfast (the last time we did this, we had really awesome pictures of the animals who were really close to our jeep). The 10:25am ADR just seems to late for us IMHO. Good luck deciding.

 

[wolf29]

The earlier ADR is great. We did it last year and have the same in place for this year. You get a great photo-op of a deserted Park and finish just in time to be one of the first on the Safari. Character interaction early is fine...didn't feel rushed at all.

 

[lllGurulll]

One thing to keep in mind here is that I don't have a FPV so if we do KS first I will not have any FP in hand for another ride until after we finish KS. This is the other reason I was considering the later time. I could get the FPs I need prior to the res and still get something done before we eat.

With the 8:05 res I would only be able to get a FP for KS as soon as we finish eating then run over to Dino land and EE.

Not sure which plan is the more effective one though.

 

[2littleprincesses]

Ok, now you have me thinking. I had booked the 10:25 reservation thinking we could do safari, fp for kali and maybe the trail and then go to brunch. But I am wondering how we will fit in Nemo and Lion King then. So I looked and they have a 8:20 available on our day. Do I book that or is that too late for an early ADR?

Thanks for any help.

 

[alicia080979]

We have an 8:10 ADR at TH too in September. Does anyone know if the only way to get into the park that early is a bus? Last year when we went, we just drove to the park early to be there at RD but the parking lot wasn't open so we had to sit in traffic for about 20 minutes until it opened. I wasn't sure how early ADRs worked.

Thanks!