WDW help after DLR experiences - + Spring Break (agh!)

[starjazz]

So, someone talk me down here. My folks just invited us to come down to their rental property in Orlando over Spring Break. Main agenda item is WDW . Last couple of years have been DLR visits for us and we haven't experienced the new FPs or all of that planning. Plus, we've always tried to hit low season, so end of March will be a big change for us - not looking forward to the excessive crowds , but hoping the FP+ situation makes things a bit easier. Plus, it'll be the 4th year in a row my kids (7 & 4 yo girls) have been, so maybe we can focus on things other than the busy rides.

Can anyone post links to the recent FP+ summary threads, and Spring Break planning threads so I can get my act in gear. I suspect we'll have to have mostly everything figured out by September in order to get 180 day ADRs (folks over in the DLR thread have no idea what that even means - ). Any help with my mental stability would be greatly appreciated!

 

[kj2mom]

We didn't go Spring Break but we did got 4th of July week and while we expected the worst we were happy to experience nothing like that. Yes, it was crowded and hot but we had plenty of sunscreen, plenty of water, got to the parks at opening every day when the wait times were nothing for absolutely everything then had a TS lunch to cool off and relax after which we had our three FP+ scheduled. We did everything we wanted to do without making ourselves crazy and very rarely waited for anything more than a few minutes (Mickey's Philharmagic was a bit of a wait one afternoon and Space Mountain was about 30 minutes at 11pm our last night but the kids wanted to do it one more time). I know this is not the equivalent to Spring Break but I truly do believe with adequate planning and fore thought your trip will be amazing and well worth it (my mental stability was pretty bad about our trip but our friends were turning 13 on the 4th and it was their bday trip so not like it could be changed).

 

[JennyDrake]

In short, rope drop is your best friend. Be there early with breakfast in your belly and hit it hard until 12-1 pm. eat lunch and go back to the resort for a rest/swim/nap break. Return about 4-5 and enjoy your evening.

Crowds start to thicken about 11 am each day. MK is by far the worst! AK is a close second. By noon headliners will have waits of 50 minutes or more. But again, you can get a LOT done in a morning. You may want to consider two mornings at MK to be able to do the whole park. Epcot World showcase doesn't open until 11, so it is usually the most manageable.