When to go to parks?

[dbkelly]

If a park closes early, does that mean that they do not expect a lot of people? Should I schedule my itinerary to go on the days that the parks close early, because I still have a 5 year old that looses steam around 8 pm.

Or would it be better on a day that the parks close late, because that will give people more time to do all the rides?

I am so confused. Does anybody have experience with this?

D. B. Kelly

 

[wdwfreak]

We have three kids, two of whom have been to the parks. Their ages are 2 and 5. In our experience, the best strategy for any day is to get to the parks before they open, i.e. early.

If early entry is in effect, go to that park first and experience as many attractions as possible (usually Fantasyland and Tomorrowland are open). Leave that park by 11:00 am, go back to the room for nap, lunch, swim and then head to a non-early entry park in the early afternoon.

We don't mind the parks closing early. Our kids won't make it past about 8 or 9, and it ensures we are in bed early for the next early morning.

Of course, this plan assumes that you are staying at a Disney Resort and that you have tickets that allow you to hop to different parks in the same day.

Good luck! I hope I helped in some way ...

 

[2belles'mom]

I completely agree--your best bet is to be on hand at opening, and at early entry if you are staying on site. I have two daughters, age 3 and 6, and we have always managed to avoid the crowds (even the week between Christmas and New Years!) by going at the crack of dawn. That gives us lots of time to swim, take naps, and MAYBE head back to the parks in the evening. GO EARLY!

 

[MELSMICE]

I agree with both of these posters. If you have a child that loses steam around 8 p.m., then parks closing early shouldn't really even be an issue.

Get there before park opening & do as much as you can. Take a mid-day break & go back to finish up or do another park.

It is really hard to anticipate crowds. My opinion is that it doesn't matter how late they are open, there will still be some crowds. Plus, when one park closes early, many people head to another park that may open for only another hour or so.

Just go have fun.

 

[jenjie]

IMHO park closing time won't affect attendance in the way you're thinking. You might want to check out some kind of schedule as far as which parks are usually busiest on which days of the week. One of the ones I used is here:

http://www.wdisneyw.co.uk/bestday.html


If you have little ones, 8:00 park closing will be plenty for you. We went when MK & MGM closing was 7:00 and my kids still fell asleep on the way back to our room.

 

[dbkelly]

Thank you. I think some of you were confused as to what I asked, but I still appreciate your help. I have always gone to the parks when they open and leave midday, only to return later. What I was wondering is whether the attendance level is in correlation to the times that the parks are open. For example, if Disney closes are park at 8:00 pm one night and at 10:00 pm another, does that mean they expect more people on the day that is closes later. Therefore, if you have young children, the 8:00 pm would be the better day to attend.

D. B. Kelly

P.S. Jenjie, thank you for the site!

 

[jenjie]

You're welcome