Which Touring Plan Do You Recommend

[seggerman]

I'm going to Disney 4 days (nearly full days) December 4th through 7th
My boyfriend is not as Disney crazy as me so I need to allow for him to meet me mid morning
day 1 pick up car, check in, drop BF off for nap, head to Hollywood Studios - do my thing, meet him at Fastpass plus line for - Slinky Dog Dash? dinner at Pop Century? off to Magic Kingdom
here's where I have a decision to make
my first plan was to do Epcot day 2 (head over to Animal Kingdom after an early dinner), Magic Kingdom day 3 and finish up with Animal Kingdom
but if the crowds are on Extra Hours days then does it make sense for me to do 2 hours at Epcot day 2 then head to Magic Kingdom and then Animal Kingdom, day 3 head to Magic Kingdom for a couple of hours and head to Animal Kingdom and the last day do Animal Kingdom, then finish up at Epcot
OR
simply do rope drop Magic Kingdom day 2, Animal Kingdom day 3 and Epcot day 4
understand that I want to see almost everything in all 4 parks - with exceptions being stuff I did 17 years ago or on my 2 previous trips
so avoiding lines is a priority

 

[Future_WorldPhonencian]

If you haven't bought tickets yet I would keep it simple and do one park a day (and save the extra $$$) There is plenty to do in each park for a one day experience.

If you already have Park Hoppers, a couple of observations from our recent trips: Apart from the Big 3 at Epcot (Test Track, Soarin', and Frozen) you won't have to wait long for attractions in Epcot. There are also holiday story tellers, festival food booths, and the Candlelit processional. Holiday season in Epcot is very special especially in the evenings. Most of those things don't begin until the afternoon (World Showcase doesn't even open until 11AM) You can easily split all of the holiday offerings and regular attractions into two afternoon/ evenings and take it all in without doing much waiting.

In my experience,Rope dropping is much more valuable at the other 3 parks. There are more attractions that will get crowded later in the day and you can "get more done" with an early arrival and a solid Touring Plan.

I would set aside 1 morning each at DHS, MK, and AK. MK and then redo your favorite or the one that you missed out on must do attractions. I would do 2 Epcot evenings, a Magic Kingdom Evening, and choose the 4th if you are still in town.

Last tip, only attend a park with EMH if you plan on being there during the magic hour(s) otherwise you will experience higher crowds with no benefit. YMMV Happy Planning!

 

[Rach3975]

Also, keep monitoring Disney's park hours for your dates. The second ride in Galaxy's Edge is scheduled to open 12/5. No one knows yet if there will be massive changes to the hours, like they're doing between 8/29 and 11/2. Hopefully Disney will announce that before your FP day.

 

[seggerman]

to minimize waiting on line I am planning to do some aggressive park hopping
day 1 head to Hollywood Studios after dropping my boyfriend and breakfast items off in the room
if the lines on Toy Story Mania and/or Alien Swirling Saucers aren't too ridiculous do either or both
do the shows and meet my now rested boyfriend for Slinky Dog Fastpass (he can D%$^Med well do ToT by himself)
take the Skyline over to Pop Century for an early supper, return and if I missed either Toy Story Land rides do them
head back to All Star Sports and take the bus to Magic Kingdom
Space Mountain and People Mover at night, then whatever dark rides I have the stamina for that are still open
boyfriend can head back if he gets tired
day 2 Epcot via International Gateway - Frozen, Space and maybe Living on the Land then head to Magic Kingdom
again, do rides and shows (no Tiki Birds, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder or Country Bear) meeting boyfriend for Seven Dwarfs Fastpass - along with Peter Pan
lunch at Columbia House
afternoon - Typhoon Lagoon if warm or miniature golf
evening - Animal Kingdom for Discovery Island lights, Pandora for Navi River and Rivers of Lights
day 3 - Magic Kingdom one last time then Animal Kingdom Everest, Fastpass for Flights of Passage and safaris
boyfriend wants Lion King I will do Dinosaur rides - dinner maybe with boyfriend's niece (day job Minnie in MK parade!)
last day Animal Kingdom then Epcot - boyfriend meet at Fastpass Soarin the lunch at Sunshine Seasons
afternoon canoe at Fort Wilderness

 

[CJJenkins]

Some people like the park hopping strategy to avoid lines. I think it's too stressful myself. To avoid an hour wait you spend 10 minutes (at best) walking to the front of park A, wait for the bus for 5 mins (if you're fortunate), spend 15 minutes loading, riding, and unloading the bus (if you are lucky enough to not have to deal with motorized scooters loading), then walk 15 minutes into park B, through security, and to your next ride... If things go smoothly you spend 45 mins and deal with a lot of variables and stress to save 15 minutes? If things go badly, you could lose time. I would rather have a more relaxed pace. I only park hop towards the end of a long trip.

You have to manage your expectations. You are going for 4 days, but you wanna see everything. Good planning can help you accomplish a lot. But my longest trip was 16 days, and we still left not doing everything on our list. WDW is a huge place with so much to do. Enjoy your time there, and try not to worry too much about what you miss. Just soak in the things you do!

 

[dez1978]

That sounds way too stressful and time wasting to me.

 

[seggerman]

I will have a rental car so waiting for the bus will be out of the equation - except for the first night to Magic Kingdom. I'm 65 and find that after too long standing in one place my legs start to hurt. Yes, a lot of rushing but less the last 2 days. I know what I don't want to see - Test Track, Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror. Yeah, a lot of heading out to the car. This is not my first trip to Disney.

 

[seggerman]

Update - American Airlines changed my plans - by putting us on a plane an hour and a half later
so we head right to Hollywood Studios - which means we are already checked in
skip the jaunt to Pop Century and dine at Columbia Harbor House
if BF needs a nap midday he can take the bus to All Stars and get to the room - I plan to stay until 4:30 ish
rest of trip same - depending on what I get with Fastpass, of course
FoP to be sure, 7 Dwarfs, Soarin, Slinky Dog and Peter Pan are high on my list