Best day of the week to do MK

[ltribble31021]

Thanks so much Len. Appreciate all your input and hard work.

 

[jaysue]

Thanks Len, have preordered the 04 guide.....

Thanks
jaysue

 

[onthego103]

Len,
I tried the interactive web page entering that I was going to MK in the summer, staying at a Disney resort, and not using EMH. It listed the best days to go to MK as Fri and Sat. Is that correct? Saturday?
Also, what parks would you suggest specifically for the weekend of July 5th-6th based on the impact of the holiday?
Thanks.
Nancy

 

[lentesta]

Hey Jaysue, thanks for ordering the '04 edition. Remember the "touring plan companion" I'd mentioned on another thread? They're in the '04 edition. Detachable pages that include attraction reviews, restaurant summaries, and best places to relax in each park. Should be useful. Now if we can just get Wiley to include lanyards with each book....

Hi onthego103. Yes, Saturday is a generally decent day to visit the MK in summer. The idea is that most Disney resort guests will be elsewhere (Disney-MGM Studios, probably), and that more than makes up for the extra locals.

As for July 5th, I'd avoid the Studios. The Magic Kingdom might be a good choice, as it'll be packed on the 4th, and other folks will wait until the 6th (Sunday, an EE day) to go. I don't think Epcot would be bad either day. I'd probably avoid the Animal Kingdom. Too many people. Too few rides. Too much heat.

Hope this helps. Ride Mission:Space if you get a chance. Let us know how it is.

Sincerely,

Len

 

[onthego103]

I am dying to try Mission: Space. Do you think we will have the opportunity between 7/5-7/12? I will certainly report back here if we do. ~Nancy

 

[lentesta]

Mmmmmm.....it depends. I know they've done some limited guest testing over the last couple of weeks. I've heard that may be all they're doing until August 15. But I've also heard that they'll be continuously testing (afternoons, mostly, from what I understand) up until August 15, too. So I'd say you've got a small chance, which is better than none.


Len

 

[cinmell]

Originally posted by lentesta
Okay folks, here's a small interactive web page that tells you the best days to visit each park, based on your personal trip information:

http://www.TouringPlans.com/BestDays.htm . Len

Great link!!!!!!!

 

[cruzindon]

Len,

Thanks for the advance info.!

 

[erikthewise]

Len,

Thanks for the effort! I'm sure lots of people will find it useful.
(FWIW I'm planning to pick up the 2004 edition as my most recent is 2001.)

Now that you have a "proof of concept", you will no doubt think of ways to improve it.

Just a thought--
You know how your data is structured, but it seems to me that it would be more accurate to use Value, Regular, Peak, Holiday (for resorts) rather than Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. Of course that would require providing a chart of dates for the WDW seasons.

 

[lentesta]

Thanks for the feedback, folks!

Erikthewise, that's a good idea. I'll see how close the Disney seasons match our attendance data.

Right now I'm working on enabling web access to our touring plan software. That's going to keep me busy for a couple of weeks. In the meantime, if there's anything else folks would like to see added, let me know!

Sincerely,

Len

 

[jennymouse]

Thanks for the link, Len. I just checked my itinerary by it and it looks like I'm in good shape. We leave tomorrow, can't wait!

 

[momof2inPA]

What about the water parks? Are just the weekends busy for these?

Thanks

 

[Miscrapper]

I found inconsistent information. In your updates you recommend Studios on Mondays during off season, but Thursday and Friday are recommended for Studios during Fall on this new interactive thing.
Also which park is best on a Monday in the fall?
And there are many many threads on benefits or lack of them to EMH - what is your opinion of EMH?

We plan to use it for sure for MK based on past experience but are unsure if it is worth it for other parks. thanks so much for information!
Amy

 

[lentesta]

Hey Amy,

Thanks for pointing that out. The "Best Days" page contains the most recent recommendations. We took them from the 2004 edition of the Unofficial Guide. I'll update the "2003 Unofficial Guide Updates" page with the new information. The irony of having to update the updates page is great, ain't it?

The best park for a Monday in the fall depends on whether you're staying on-site, and whether you're willing to be at the park when it opens. Let me know that and I'll see what I can recommend.

For EMH, it depends on the park and time of year. It really helps at the MK and Studios virtually all of the time - I usually do EMH at these parks. You'll end up saving about an hour of waiting in line if you're using a reasonably good touring plan of about 20 attractions in the MK.

There's a smaller benefit to using EMH at Epcot - I usually don't use it at Epcot. The sleep-to-savings reward isn't compelling enough for me.

There's some evidence that you're *worse* off using EMH at the Animal Kingdom during holidays and other peak times. During Christmas, for example, you're likely to spend more time waiting in line for the same attractions on an EMH day than a non-EMH. This is the only park for which that's true, even with a good touring plan. Our statistician pointed this out while doing data analysis on 2002 data. Anyway, I avoid EMH at the AK.

Hope this helps.

Len

 

[lentesta]

Hey momof2inPA,

During summer, they're likely to be crowded every day. In some cases, they'll stop admitting guests as early as 11 a.m. Avoid weekends in any case.

Monday, Tuesday or Friday might be your best bets. Tourists are likely to be elsewhere on those days. YMMV.

Hope this helps!

Len

 

[billybaruch1]

Hey Len,

Really like the Unofficial Guide. Seems like you go "off the deep end," though. I mean with statistics and data and all. Of course I haven't visited The Mouse on the 4th of July, so please understand I'm not coming from a perspective of squeezing every last minute of "fun" I can out of my vacations.

That said, what's the deal with your new program? For a Fall visit to a Disney Resort and using the EMH, the "best day(s) to visit" any park is(are) always the EMH day(s). That's unsurprising, but what's the point? I already knew the answer before clicking on that "calculator."

 

[w8ting4pooh]

I just wanted to say thank you to Len for volunteering his time and expert advice on the board. I appreciate all of your hard work!

 

[swilphil]

Len--I love the calculator and all your great advice. It recommended I go on Friday or Saturday to MK, but, of course, our trip is Sunday-Thursday! Staying at Dolphin with 2 toddlers.

I was thinking of MK for Monday, June 30th, but someone said since Spectro is at 9 and 11 that night it will be too crowded. Will it still be crowded when the park opens??

I hear different opinions on Early Entry. Is it worth it or not during summer?

Which park will be best on Weds. July 2? Since it's so close to the holiday, I'm not sure.

Forgive this question, but I'm a beginner. What is EMH?

Thanks!!

 

[billybaruch1]

EMH is Extra Magic Hour or what you call "early entry." Opinions on this vary wildly, although I think everyone who disagrees with me is wrong!

Bill

 

[jcemom]

Thanks Len!