Trying to come up with a plan...1st week of May

[TheDisneyCampers]

We have a trip coming up April 30 - May 9, my fastpass window opens on March 1st. I've been waiting for @easywdw to post May crowd calendars, but I understand with Disney's constant changes that he's been waiting till later to post. I'm really struggling to decide which parks to do each day.

For info, we are a group of 7: 6 adults (4 of us healthy and fast moving, 2 of us, um, likely to be a bit slower, although not elderly) and 1 5yr old. The child's last trip was as a 3 year old, when she put us all to shame with her stamina (rope drop to close for just about 6 days straight, with just a couple quick stroller naps- unafraid of any ride). We will have a stroller for her. We have 7 day park hoppers. I think with this group, we won't really do a lot of rope-dropping this trip. I think we will probably take some mid-day breaks for late lunch/early dinner at the Fort. I'd like to avoid EMH parks, when possible. For me, low(er) crowds are a priority.

My plan is to fastpass the headliners/rides with the longest potential waits. We don't do a ton of character meets unless the line is super short.

Plans so far:
Sun 4/30- arrive and hang out at the resort
Mon 5/1- 1:00 BOG lunch, likely arrive at MK around 11:00
Tues 5/2- EMM at MK, likely til around 1 or 2ish in the afternoon, then break, ? park in the evening
Wed 5/3- AK for mid morning breakfast at Tusker House, will probably stay till RoL
Thur 5/4- rest day, +/- Disney Springs
Fri 5/5- EP vs HS
Sat 5/6- HS vs EP, maybe MK for wishes if not done earlier in the week
Sun 5/7- 2 adults leaving this am, ? park in the afternoon
Mon 5/8- ?, but not a late night

Would like to see a night show in each park- specifically Fantasmic (I've never seen it), Wishes, Illuminations, and Rivers of Light.

We don't have any additional ADRs planned (eating either a big lunch or dinner at the Fort, depending on plans), but will get quick service on the fly. I am willing to adjust the BOG lunch ADR to another day if possible (I see KTP has MK in red on Monday 5/1)

If you got through this novel, do you have any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[sdomino11]

We love going this time of year! Crowds are very manageable so I think you'll be happy with your plan. Touring Plans crowd calendars for these days has been updated so maybe you can check there and see how your plans match up with their calendar.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

I will say this...For your EPCOT days, you are going to be there during the Flower and Garden Festival. Every festival with my experience is a lot more crowded on weekends. I would say this is the 2nd most popular festival compared to Food and Wine, and when I was at EPCOT on a Saturday for Food and Wine, I could barely walk. If you did EPCOT on Friday, the morning should be ok, but the park will get busier as the day goes on due to the festival. I have much better experience with festivals when I go to EPCOT on a weekday. Maybe consider switching your rest day to Friday and going to EPCOT on Thursday? That's just a suggestion. I recommend seeing Illuminations when you go to EPCOT.

When you go to Hollywood Studios, I recommend seeing Fantasmic. I see you have "?" days. If you have any Star Wars fans, Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular is not to be missed. Depending on the schedule, it might be hard to do both Fantasmic and the Star Wars show in one day. I would definitely try to see Fantasmic since you said you have never seen it.

As far as Wishes, I would see that on your first park day in the Magic Kingdom. It's a great way to begin your trip. I also want to let you know that Wishes is leaving beginning May 11th, so the MK is probably going to be a lot more crowded towards the evening since that will be the last week and a half before the show leaves. Wishes is loved by a lot of Disney fans, so I'm sure a lot of Disney fans are going to be there wanting to say their goodbyes.

 

[sharonabe]

Tues 5/2- EMM at MK, likely til around 1 or 2ish in the afternoon, then break, ? park in the evening

I would plan to go to HS this evening since F! and Star Wars Spectacular need their separate nights. Decide which one is more important to the group and plan that one for this night. You shouldn't have a problem seeing both of them with another day at HS later in the week, but you never know when weather or something will bring down a show, so prioritize just in case.

 

[TheDisneyCampers]

Ok... I've been messing around with my plans.. Y'all see if this sounds feasible:

M 5/1: late morning start at MK, BOG lunch at 1:00, no long break, Hop to EP for world showcase (possibly stay for illuminations, depending on how tired the kid is)

T 5/2: EMM at MK, stay till someone starts to complain- if that's early, maybe another park at night, if it's late, no 2nd park.- might just go back to MK

W 5/3: early-ish start at AK, TH b'fast at 9:30, leave at 3-4ish. Long break. Possibly head to MK for the late EMH (I was thinking just my husband and I, but open to the rest of the group coming along if they feel like it)

Th 5/4: OFF. May go to Disney Springs at some point

F 5/5: early am at Epcot (future world + FEA, if not done earlier). Long break. Head to AK around 6ish, catch RoL while there

Sa 5/6: HS all day (probably a later start), to include F!

Su 5/7: off in the morning (part of the group is leaving), maybe head to AK around noonish, possibly hop to Epcot 7-close?

M 5/8: MK mid morning till 3 or 4

I would plan to go to HS this evening since F! and Star Wars Spectacular need their separate nights. Decide which one is more important to the group and plan that one for this night. You shouldn't have a problem seeing both of them with another day at HS later in the week, but you never know when weather or something will bring down a show, so prioritize just in case.

Doubt anyone in my group would know they are even missing Star Wars Spectacular.

I appreciate the help! For me, picking which parks to do each day is the single hardest part of planning. Once I can pick a park, I'm good!

 

[DisneyDad2015]

Hey Disney Camper! It sounds like many of our dates overlap. We'll be at WDW from 4/30-5/7.

From the Crowd Calendars I've seen from Touring Plans, it looks like our week will be very manageable from a crowd stand point.

Your days look pretty good. I'd expect MK to be a little more crowded Monday since many people start their vacations on this day and want to make MK their first park. Also, I'd make Friday your EPCOT day and Saturday your DHS day. Saturday's will be very crowded at EPCOT during F&G, and DHS is expected to be fairly low crowds with both MK and EPCOT drawing a lot of the weekend crowd.