Uber-planners help needed

[momto3jboys]

OK, this is my first trip staying on property with my two sons. We are arriving late in the day on April 3rd (so no park) and flying out on Saturday April 12th, late in the day, so we can go to the park in the morning. We have AP's that we bought during Thanksgiving when we stayed off property so we are able to park hop. My son has spacial issues and anxiety so we typically hit rope drop and stay until early afternoon. I am feeling completely overwhelmed with the all the choices; EMH, FP+, recommended parks versus non-recommened parks.

I would like to attempt rope drop and ride standby then take a break at our resort to decompress and then head back to a park for the late afternoon and evening entertainment. In all of our trips (5 total), we have only been in the parks twice at night or late afternoon.

Are there any uber-planners out there that would like to help me with park suggestions and FP+ strategy? Thanks in advance for any and all help!

 

[Laketravis]

Try this and see if it helps: Onsite FP Hopper Strategy

 

[redhotariel]

I would say that If you will be there for a number of days and have the opportunity to park-hop, then I would recommend going to parks that will have fewer guests (go for the green parks not the red to start). If you want to be at rope drop and plan to be there through the late morning/early afternoon then I would take advantage of the FP+, just make sure to get earlier time slots, if you made your reservation for a resort online then you can select your FP+ there as well. I would get them whether you actually end up using them or not. Your plan to just ride the rides when you get there is pretty solid. Go to rope drop, go on the rides that are most important to you first and go from there. If someone gets tired or needs to sit it is a great opportunity to grab a drink or snack and then continue on when you're ready. In regards to heading back to the resort for the mid-afternoon, that is always a good plan. The mid-afternoon is typically when it is warmest and the crowds are the most high, so head back to your room for lunch, swimming, napping, decompressing etc and then if you are feeling up to it head back over to that park or another for the evening festivities. If not, if you are staying at a Disney resort enjoy some of the amenities there, I mean you aren't only paying for the room you are paying for the resort! Use it! Another great option is to checkout Downtown Disney/Disney Marketplace. You can get dinner, check out some nice little stores etc, or else Disney Boardwalk is a great option too! There is plenty to do really and either way you go you will enjoy it. Just do yourself a favor and don't go overboard with the planning. I have a tendency to do that and honestly I enjoy myself 10x more when I just go with the flow. When the children are getting tired they will let you know, if they want to keep going, they will tell you, and you know either way they will be enjoying themselves, so just go with the flow. Don't get caught up on using the FP+, if you use them you use them, if not at least you would have them just in case! Have Fun!

 

[KaLyn]

When planning my FP+ selections, I found the first post of this thread to be a major help!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3143281

 

[JennyDrake]

Some general thoughts here: You are going during a very busy time; therefore, I would be hesitant to over plan as you have no idea what crowds and waits will be like. Instead, I would go with the great general plan that you seem to already have in place. _I_ WOULD go with park hoppers. As your son as issues, RD is the answer! But you already know that, so _I_ would get morning FP and try for 10:00 or thereabouts. Go to the park at RD and ride everything like crazy that you can ride before the crowds set it, fitting in FP+ in the later morning. By 1:00 pm, you will want to start toward the exit--trust me.

Consider fitting in some mini golf in the afternoons after a nice rest, or perhaps resort touring. Does your son like to ride boats? Monorail?

Finally, I go to WDW 3-4x/year and I put ZERO faith/planning/credibility in touring plans or crowd calendars. I always take advantage of EMH mornings, but evenings are hit or miss for me--except to avoid DHS during OL evening EMH.