Disney World tomorrow... can I get some tips

[Jumping In Puddles]

about what to do when Disney is crowded?

 

EDIT: I survived and I'm back from Disney World. :D

 

 

Last week, my Aunt told me that Disney was very quiet. She went yesterday and told me it was unbelievably busy. :001_huh: They went to Hollywood Studios and only went on one ride in 3 hours.

 

:crying:

 

Tomorrow, we will stay at the Wilderness resort since we will be arriving too late and Disney has a maximum of (gulp) 95,000 and that fills up by 11am.

 

So we will let the kids do the horseback riding, archery, pools, maybe DTD, then campfire, outdoor movie and fireworks.

 

Thursday: Magic kingdom all day. ANY TIPS for MK? We have Chef Mickey reservations mid-morning.

 

Friday: Hollywood Studios. BUT the kids are on a pirate cruise that morning so we won't get to DHS until about noon. From noon to 6pm, I don't want to only go on 2 rides!!

 

Anyone have recommendations for Disney Busiest Week of the Year??? (Spring Break week apparently :sneaky2:)

Edited March 20, 2010 by Jumping In Puddles

[Karenciavo]

Thursday: Magic kingdom all day. ANY TIPS for MK? We have Chef Mickey reservations mid-morning.

MK opens at 8 AM on Thursday, be there for the opening and head straight for whatever you really want to do.

 

Friday: Hollywood Studios. BUT the kids are on a pirate cruise that morning so we won't get to DHS until about noon. From noon to 6pm, I don't want to only go on 2 rides!!

Can you or someone else in your party go on ahead to grab fast passes to Toy Story Midway Mania? I'm pretty sure Fast Passes will be way gone before you get there and I've seen the wait at 90+ minutes in September!

[Jumping In Puddles]

Thanks Karen! and yes, my dh is going to be dropped off by my dad to DHS to secure one of those vehicle buggy thingies for my mom so I will have him get us a fast pass to Toy Story Mania.

 

For MK we will def. head straight to what we want to do, but we want to do so much! :001_huh::tongue_smilie:

[Jennifer in MI]

I'm SOOOOOO frustrated! I typed out a HUGE message for you and it's GONE because the stupid server was too busy. GRRRRRR . . .

 

Okay - the basics:

 

How old are your kids?

 

At MK, my family splits up. I take the little one back to Fantasy Land and Toontown first. We do everything back there first. On your way back, ride the race cars (ALWAYS a line - and NO fastpasses!) Get fastpasses to Peter Pan. Ride Dumbo (that stupid ride always has a slow-moving line!). Go to a character meeting. Ride Barnstormer, etc, etc, etc. Then, we work our way toward the front of the park as everyone else works their way back.

 

My dh and boys to straight to the three Mountain rides first. They usually are able to ride one or two right away. Then, they get fastpasses for anything with a long line. (Long to us is over 20 minutes.) Then, he meets up with us back at the back of the park and we stick together for some rides.

 

At HS - Cn you send someone over early to get fastpasses for your family for Toy Story Mania? The FP run out and the line is nearly always 90 minutes long or longer. That ride is SO awesome!! Basically when you get there, pick up a show/parade schedule and schedule out your day. My boys LOVE Lights Motors, Action and Indiana Jones. They even liked Beauty and the Beast. The parades are a LOT of fun!! My dd. loves the Playhouse Disney show and the character meets over there.

 

We've always been able to walk on to the other rides there.

 

Basically, I will not wait in any line that's over 20 minutes.

 

Good luck and have fun!!!

[lynn]

IF you go on the early open day you can get a lot in in that 1 hour. Look at the map and have a plan to know exactly what you want to do. focus on those rides. We went during spring break one year and it was tough but my two older guys were little and really wanted to see the buzz lightyear ride and the haunted house the few other things we did go on were a bonus but they were happy. I'd skip the lunch reservation and grab a snack on the go, for rides a little less busy during lunch time.

[Cera]

Plan to be at the parks when they open and to stay until they close with a break in the middle. In my experience the mornings are busy but not crazy until 10:30 or so and then it thins out around 6 or 6:30 because kids who have been there all day start to melt down and leave.

[Jan in SC]

Your Chef Mickey reservation is going to make it difficult to do much at MK. I would decide which is more important. Chef Mickey's is always very crowded and usually running behind (30 minutes) on seating.

 

Be sure to send everyone's tickets with your dh for fastpasses!!

[Jumping In Puddles]

I'm SOOOOOO frustrated! I typed out a HUGE message for you and it's GONE because the stupid server was too busy. GRRRRRR . . .

 

Okay - the basics:

 

How old are your kids?

 

At MK, my family splits up. I take the little one back to Fantasy Land and Toontown first. We do everything back there first. On your way back, ride the race cars (ALWAYS a line - and NO fastpasses!) Get fastpasses to Peter Pan. Ride Dumbo (that stupid ride always has a slow-moving line!). Go to a character meeting. Ride Barnstormer, etc, etc, etc. Then, we work our way toward the front of the park as everyone else works their way back.

 

My dh and boys to straight to the three Mountain rides first. They usually are able to ride one or two right away. Then, they get fastpasses for anything with a long line. (Long to us is over 20 minutes.) Then, he meets up with us back at the back of the park and we stick together for some rides.

 

At HS - Cn you send someone over early to get fastpasses for your family for Toy Story Mania? The FP run out and the line is nearly always 90 minutes long or longer. That ride is SO awesome!! Basically when you get there, pick up a show/parade schedule and schedule out your day. My boys LOVE Lights Motors, Action and Indiana Jones. They even liked Beauty and the Beast. The parades are a LOT of fun!! My dd. loves the Playhouse Disney show and the character meets over there.

 

We've always been able to walk on to the other rides there.

 

Basically, I will not wait in any line that's over 20 minutes.

 

Good luck and have fun!!!

 

Thanks for the great advice I'm taking notes! :grouphug: BTW, my ds is just 7 and dd is almost 6.

 

 

IF you go on the early open day you can get a lot in in that 1 hour. Look at the map and have a plan to know exactly what you want to do. focus on those rides.

 

Thanks, we are going to arrive early for sure!! Park opens at 8am, we will be there by 7:15am.

 

Plan to be at the parks when they open and to stay until they close with a break in the middle. In my experience the mornings are busy but not crazy until 10:30 or so and then it thins out around 6 or 6:30 because kids who have been there all day start to melt down and leave.

 

The MK is open until 11pm, hmmm, I'm going to have to see how the kids are holding up. Thanks for the reply!

 

Your Chef Mickey reservation is going to make it difficult to do much at MK. I would decide which is more important. Chef Mickey's is always very crowded and usually running behind (30 minutes) on seating.

 

Be sure to send everyone's tickets with your dh for fastpasses!!

 

Oh gosh, I wonder if it is too late to cancel Chef Mickey at this point. :confused: Maybe I will call and see what they say. We will have 6 tickets all together and I will definitely send them with DH! Thanks!!

[Teachin'Mine]

Some great suggestions already like getting there early - start from the farthest points and work towards the entrance - and get fast passes!!! Have cell phones or walkitalkis to communicate. You can split up and communicate what you've got with the fast passes.

 

For spring break week, if possible, do something other than Disney. :tongue_smilie: I'm not a fan of the crowds, but if you're okay with that, then just go early and leave when you've had enough. Nice thing about being at Fort Wilderness is that you can easily get there by ferry and can leave anytime you want. Try to find out the most popular days at the different parks, and avoid those parks on those days - like Epcot I think tends to be busier on Fridays than Mondays, so go on Monday - things like that. Talk to the employees - they'll help you out with suggestions. :)

 

The water parks tend to be less crowded in the morning than in the afternoons. At any of the parks, try to have your meals at off times - less time spent waiting on line for your food. Wear very comfortable walking shoes - and have fun!!!! :001_smile:

 

If weather is at all questionable - go to Disney; it's the best time because other people don't want to risk the weather. You can always go inside for a brief shower or even head back if it's not letting up. It's also a great time to do the shows.

 

I think you can go down to the waterfront that first night, and catch the fireworks from there. You can also take the ferry to see them - you don't have to go into the park, just ride another ferry back. (check with the people there about this, but I think you can see it from there very nicely).

[QueenCat]

Thanks Karen! and yes, my dh is going to be dropped off by my dad to DHS to secure one of those vehicle buggy thingies for my mom so I will have him get us a fast pass to Toy Story Mania.

 

For MK we will def. head straight to what we want to do, but we want to do so much! :001_huh::tongue_smilie:

 

He'll need the "tickets" of each person he is getting a fast pass for so all of those people will already need to be in that park since they need their "ticket" to get in to the park.

[LibraryLover]

It's supposed to rain Wednesday. We are in Orlando as well and the skies are darkening. I am hoping it will pour tonight and be ok tomorrow. We are not going to WDW, I don't think, this week. Maybe Universal next week. I may spend tomorrow afternoon in Whole Foods. :) Or maybe the Titanic exhibit. It's school vacation, and I talked to a woman at our pool today and she said yesterday was a mad house in MK.

Edited March 16, 2010 by LibraryLover

[jujsky]

I have no advice because we are going for the first time ever in October, but when you get back could you please let me know how your kids liked the pirate cruise? We're thinking of sending ours on it, but don't know anyone who has done it.

 

Thanks! Enjoy your trip!

[LibraryLover]

Despite the rain, If I had to do a park tomorrow to get my money's worth, I would do Epcot. I's huge (twice the size of MK) and there are many indoor activities and rides. Plus, wine. ;)

 

By Pirate's Cruise do you mean the Pirates of The Caribbean attraction/ride? I think it can be scary for very kids, but it's not scary with surprises. It's a little dark...but nothing jumps out. And the ride itself is very smooth. The end of feels as if you are going to splash down, but you really do not. If you mean pirate cruise on real water, I have done the bay pirate cruise in Clearwater and that is a lot of fun! My kids love it. Its fun even for young teens, ime. Everybody gets a water pistol. ;) Families who don't like squirt guns of any sort will hate it.

Edited March 16, 2010 by LibraryLover

[Mejane]

From the official Disney guide: turn left when entering the park; most people turn right. From me: many people go home after the parade at 3:00, so the crowd thins then. We actually skip the parade entirely and go on as many rides as we can. Eat at off-times and go on rides when everyone else is eating. Go early and stay late. Use FastPass; I'm always surprised by how many people don't. :confused:

[Jan in SC]

My three guys did the pirate cruise and loved it! Our cruise left from the beach club marina. You have about two/ three hours on your own. One thing we did not know is that they actually take the kids off the boat and on a treasure hunt through EPCOT. The boys had a great time, but we were surprised they went through the park.

[Cathy in IL]

If your mom need the "buggie thing" maybe you can get a GAC. Go to guest services and let them know your mom has limited mobility. They may issue you a special card that would allow your group to wait in the wheelchair accessible lines at the attractions, they are faster than the general lines.

[LibraryLover]

My three guys did the pirate cruise and loved it! Our cruise left from the beach club marina. You have about two/ three hours on your own. One thing we did not know is that they actually take the kids off the boat and on a treasure hunt through EPCOT. The boys had a great time, but we were surprised they went through the park.

 

 

Oh, Yes! I forgot that! I've heard good things. As far as I have heard, it's well-supervised.

[Melissa in FL]

Thanks Karen! and yes, my dh is going to be dropped off by my dad to DHS to secure one of those vehicle buggy thingies for my mom so I will have him get us a fast pass to Toy Story Mania.

 

For MK we will def. head straight to what we want to do, but we want to do so much! :001_huh::tongue_smilie:

 

Use the parent swap, it will let you go ahead of others. I'm not sure what a "vehicle buggy thingies" is, but if it's anything like a wheelchair than use that for getting on the rides quicker also. I had family who had a member in a wheelchair go to disney last year and they were treated great! You should be able to get a list of rides that allow a separate entrance for those in a wheel chair and they usually get you on the ride very quickly. I've never used that, but we have used the parent swap and it works great.

Melissa

[cougarmom4]

Check out ridemax.com! For under $20, you can print out itineraries for your days at each park. You enter the dates, they consider the typical busy-ness of the park for that day of the year, you enter the rides you really want to go on, you enter what time you want a break, etc. It is amazing! Seriously, we paid for the Disneyland one a year ago--and were absolutely amazed at all that we were able to get done. The thing we loved is we didn't have to think about anything--we just headed to the next thing on our agenda. We will do this again--FOR SURE! It was really the coolest thing in the world.

 

Another thing...about FastPasses...we hadn't realized before that you can have more than one fast pass at a time. You can use them anytime during the day--even after the supposed come back time has passed. So if you get a fast pass for one ride that says "1:00 - 2:00 p.m." that actually doesn't have to be used DURING that hour, but it can be used ANYTIME after 1:00. Now then, once the 2:00 hour has passed, you can get ANOTHER fast pass for another ride. SO...what this ultimately means is you can gather fast passes all throughout the day and then use them all up later in the day/evening and you don't have to wait very long. (I have to add...I am a RULE FOLLOWER...and didn't want to do anything that broke the rules or was 'cheating'...so I asked several different employees if this was okay...they all said it was fine.) I'd say to check with an employee--just in case--as it has been a year since we used this. Just ask, so if I don't make it back in between "1:00 and 2:00" can we still get on the ride? (And just for the record, the fast pass machines would NOT give us another fast pass until that hour passed...but as soon as the hour passed, they would). If this isn't clear, I can try to explain it better...

[Jumping In Puddles]

I have no advice because we are going for the first time ever in October, but when you get back could you please let me know how your kids liked the pirate cruise? We're thinking of sending ours on it, but don't know anyone who has done it.

 

Thanks! Enjoy your trip!

 

I'll let you know how they like it. It does sound like fun!

 

If your mom need the "buggie thing" maybe you can get a GAC. Go to guest services and let them know your mom has limited mobility. They may issue you a special card that would allow your group to wait in the wheelchair accessible lines at the attractions, they are faster than the general lines.

 

We will check into that, I have heard that Disney treats their disabled visitors well. :)

 

Another thing...about FastPasses...we hadn't realized before that you can have more than one fast pass at a time. You can use them anytime during the day--even after the supposed come back time has passed. So if you get a fast pass for one ride that says "1:00 - 2:00 p.m." that actually doesn't have to be used DURING that hour, but it can be used ANYTIME after 1:00. Now then, once the 2:00 hour has passed, you can get ANOTHER fast pass for another ride.

 

Good to know, thanks! I'll check out ridemax too, sounds interesting.

Edited March 16, 2010 by Jumping In Puddles

[Mom0012]

For the last 2 years, I've used the iterineraries from http://www.tourplans.com. We haven't waited in line for more than 15-20 minutes for any ride. Prior to using this resource, I hated Disney because we'd pay over $300 to be able to wait in line all day and maybe get on 4 rides.

 

Lisa

[katilac]

Use Fastpasses, definitely. When you get a fastpass, it will have a time printed on it for when you can get the next one (depends on business of park; might be right away, might be two hours).

 

As another poster said, a mid-morning restuarant visit will seriously cramp your style and reduce what you get done. Cancel if you can.

 

We always hit the main rides in each land, rather than doing one land at a time. For instance, we might go straight to Space Mountain, but after riding that, we leave Tomorrowland and hit the big ride in the next land. Only then do we start lingering in each land. For this to work, you want to look at the maps (preferably today; I think they're online) and figure out the routes from land to land.

 

If you don't mind missing the parade, it's a good time to go on rides. Again, survey the maps.

 

Eat breakfast, and bring snacks - you want to try and not have a big eating break until after standard lunch time (when park is the crowdest). We always find that a big ice cream about 11 am holds the kids over nicely, lol.

 

If you're willing to split up on rides, rather than go as a big group, you will get on faster. Single rider gets you on faster still.

 

If your kids want autographs, save it for the ultra-crowded times. You can always tell them that your family is scheduled for rides in the morning and characters in the afternoon (scheduled by you). We've never had trouble letting one person take the kids for an autograph while the others hold the place in line; use this same method to go to the restroom and stand in food lines. General rule: never have the entire family in the same line, *g*. Multi-task!

 

Figure out where all the 'resting' rides are: the cool, dark ones that let you sit and rest in comfort. Hall of Presidents, Carousel of Progress, People Mover (which has a new name, I think).

 

Move fast in the prime morning hours. No shopping, no autographs, no general lollygagging. There is plenty of time for those things when the lines are insanely long.

 

We are geeks who go to Disney with a written plan; everyone picks the one thing they don't want to miss, and the plan is made up accordingly. Tomorrowland for Space Mountain, then cut across to Frontierland and Big Thunder Mountain, etc etc. Sounds silly but being able to just glance at a list saves a LOT of time.

[Cathy in IL]

I read these posts and I think the next time we get to Disney it might almost be a disappointment. You see, our first and only trip was my son's Make-A-Wish trip. We didn't stand in any lines, met every character they hoped to meet, and experienced every attraction they had any interest in - lots of them multiple times.

 

I hope the details all come together and you have a wonderful, magical time!

[Jumping In Puddles]

I'm back! :)

 

Disney was extremely crowded but we did almost everything on our list! My mom had a hard time maneuvering her ECV (electric scooter for the disabled) because of the crowds but we were able to go right into the fast pass lanes without getting a fast pass only for the rides my mom wanted to go on, so that helped. My kids wanted to do everything twice but we only managed to do a few things twice (Splash Mountain, Pooh's Honeypot, Star Tours in DHS).

 

Hollywood Studios was not super crowded (as compared to the Magic Kingdom) and we had a nice day. Toy Story Mania fast passes were gone and we never got to do that ride. The line for Jedi Training Academy was 2.5 hours and NO Fast Pass so my kids didn't get to do it but they did ride Star Tours 2X and LOVED IT!

 

Thank you for the tips and strategies. The tip about FastPass being accepted after the time to return was AWESOME!! People who don't do that are wasting a lot of time because it was so easy to stack them that way!

 

Pirate Cruise: The kids did this at Caribbean Beach Resort before we headed to Hollywood Studios and they loved it. There were about 6 kids from age 5 to about 9 and 2 college age cruise guides. They were suppose to get lunch on the cruise but only got a bottle of water and goldfish :glare: so they were hungry when they got off the cruise. They were given a bandana to wear and at the end they were given a bag of loot.

 

My kids both said they want to do it again next year. Next time, I'm going to do it on a day we don't plan to go to the parks or on the 2nd day of the same park (although I thought 1/2 day at Hollywood Studios was good for my kids)

 

Oh yeah, we could cancel Chef Mickey but we left MK at 10:35 and arrived just in time for 10:45 reservation and walked right in with no waiting! The food was good and the kids loved the characters. EXACTLY 1 hour later we were on our way back to the MK!! :w00t:

 

We ate at the Sci-Fi theater in HS too and it was really great. I had a rueben sandwich, fries and milkshake and it was decent. Not fine dining obviously but it tasted good and was filling. We all loved the theme and had a funny waiter who quietly pointed out his favorite line in the movie where the girl says to her new husband "I expected to be riding on my honeymoon but I wasn't expecting it would be anything like this!!" (as they are driving out of control in their car) :001_huh: :tongue_smilie: Pretty risque for it's time, no? LOL

Edited March 20, 2010 by Jumping In Puddles

[cillakat]

about what to do when Disney is crowded?

 

So you've already gone;) but i'll post anyway for others who have trips upcoming....

 

The busiest week of the year is actually between Christmas and New Year but the difference between that and spring break are minimal and will essentially feel the same.

 

Having done Disney for years during Christmas break, I can stand solidly by the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World's touring plans.

 

You can buy and wade through the book (recommended) and/or join touringplans.com for about $10 (also recommended).

 

Get there early. Generally avoid parks that have EMH in the am or pm (they're much busier) and *follow the touring plans*. For us, this made the difference between doing *everything* we wanted to by noon.....and when not following the plans, getting in only one ride. At first dh wanted us to stay with his sister's family so we could all 'tour' together. That was the day we went on *one* attraction. It was at the studios and is was swamped....had extra magic hours that night and was filled to capacity. there was no way to get anything in....we could barely move. After that, we followed the touring plans arriving first thing in the am and following them nearly to the letter. We did this every year b/c it worked over and over. Tour Guide Mike's plans aren't as good..... stick with the evidence based _UGtWDW_ and touringplans.com and you'll be so happy!

 

K

Edited March 20, 2010 by cillakat

[Karenciavo]

Glad you were able to have a great time. No matter when you go or how often you always have something to go back for. :D