Changing from rope drop to nighttime touring?

[Mousefan mom]

One other trip, on MK late night EMH night, we go in about 2 hours before the park closes, its a good time to grab a QS dinner or snack, then we head to the back of tomorrow land right before fireworks start, and we do the easy rides w/ limited waits (Carousel of progress, people mover, Monster's Inc)...this way when EMH's begin, we can easily head into Fantasy land and ride those rides with little wait.

 

[jenhelgren]

Those hours will most likely be extended...at least for MK. Possibly AK and DHS but maybe not. Just keep watch. Disney usually extends hours the month before, early or mid month on a Friday. They did it this past Friday for March.

Any guesses what they will be extended to? That would really help me attempt to pick my park days--I am running out of time and planning fairly last minute this trip. We haven't done parks in May for years. October is our usual time and our last trip MK was open EMH until 2 am--it was hands down my favorite park day ever!!

 

[ArielSRL]

Any guesses what they will be extended to? That would really help me attempt to pick my park days--I am running out of time and planning fairly last minute this trip. We haven't done parks in May for years. October is our usual time and our last trip MK was open EMH until 2 am--it was hands down my favorite park day ever!!

I’d look at last year’s hours to get an idea.

 

[jenhelgren]

Is there a site that has reliable historical hours? I found a few threads searching but nothing that helped. The websites I found that had May 2018 hours only had the MK open an extra hour until 10 pm in 2018 and this years hours are already posted an extra 2 hours until 11 pm so I don't know if they are accurate.

Is there somewhere with posted Times Guides that I could use?

 

[ArielSRL]

Is there a site that has reliable historical hours? I found a few threads searching but nothing that helped. The websites I found that had May 2018 hours only had the MK open an extra hour until 10 pm in 2018 and this years hours are already posted an extra 2 hours until 11 pm so I don't know if they are accurate.

Is there somewhere with posted Times Guides that I could use?

Did you check these two:
https://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/hours/may18.cfm

https://www.laughingplace.com/w/p/walt-disney-world-park-hours-may-2018/

They seem to match so I would like to think they are reliable. But, disclaimer, while it is a good guide, we never really know what Disney will do this year. It is based on predicted crowds.

 

[Mousefan mom]

I think it will be super hard to predict, because all the new stuff is opening in the fall this year. The free dining will help get some crowds in prior to this--but last couple of years they had big new openings (Pandora and TSL) in the summer to boost those crowds. SWGE and all the other new stuff, will be a total game changer this year! Many will delay trips for this.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Last trip we stayed 10 days and mixed it up. Some days we did RD, midday break and then shut down a park. Most days we slept in, had room service or QS breakfast, hit the pool, got ready and hit a park around 2-3. It was amazing. We loved it. With FP+ it's so easy.

I'm a morning person. No matter what I'm up by 7 am. So I do like a RD day or two. For me it's not even a problem because I'm already up. So we each get what we like. Some early days, some late days, etc. But my children are older and can stay back and catch up with me/us later.

 

[nyy]

I can understand the appeal of nighttime touring but in August isn't the heat a concern? If you're headed to a park in mid afternoon you're going during the hottest time of the day. Sunset is 8-ish in August, so you're looking at many hours of touring in the hot sun. I guess you keep hydrated and schedule frequent Mickey bars.

This is our issue for sure! The heat is exhausting and zaps our energy. We have always been RD, long break at resort to swim/nap/shower, back out for dinner and fireworks. I want to sleep in and try the afternoon/night but the heat is the only issue. We can't go other than summer. August is always the best for our family/work/sports schedule. We love our resort time, esp. DD and I, but DH and DS are more go, go, go. The heat doesn't bother DH at all.

We do a lot more night time touring. The first few days of the trip we will do both (break mid day), but as the week wears on and we get tired, we do sleep in and night time tour. Here is the thing though--the year before last, Disney park hours were short in the summer (even MK closed by 9-10) and it was packed during the evenings as the parks were not open later. Last summer, Disney kept it open late and it was wonderful to have this plan. Unfortunately, you won't know how late the parks are open until after you do your FP's so you take a chance. I'm hoping for late nights this summer...but I've already noticed DHS no longer has evening EMH listed, etc....

I completely agree!

 

[The13thLetter]

Last year we took the little guy (4 1/2 months old) so we really had to do whatever he could handle (plus we were NOT waking him up in the morning under any circumstances haha). We ended up getting to the parks most days around 10, left for a couple hours in the afternoon, and were back until about 7/8pm each night. If it wasnt the summer and he wasnt so young we may have just had him sleep in the stroller while we stayed out a little later but overall it worked for us. This year he will be 16 months but its going to be hard to figure out what strategy to use because we have no idea how his sleeping patterns will be 6 months from now. It might be some trial and error but ideally if he can stay up late (or sleep in the stroller) I prefer the nighttime at the parks. We actually have 3 park nights planned to go just DW and I (thank god for grandparents!)

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I can understand the appeal of nighttime touring but in August isn't the heat a concern? If you're headed to a park in mid afternoon you're going during the hottest time of the day. Sunset is 8-ish in August, so you're looking at many hours of touring in the hot sun. I guess you keep hydrated and schedule frequent Mickey bars.

We went in August before and yes it is hot. I've always done RD, midday break by the pool and PM park when I've gone in August.

We went this past November and it was unseasonably warm. Upper 80s most days. Coming from the cooler NJ weather it took a bit to adjust to. We had planned a few RD days but mostly later start days. I wasn't expecting the weather to be so warm but we made it work.

I will say that going to the pool in the morning/afternoon left me feeling very refreshed when we hit the park around 3-4, even in the heat. We tried to do the shows and indoor attractions in the AC during the hotter part of the day when we started later.

And I believe DD had about 30 Mickey bars over 10 days.

 

[jkh36619]

Like many here, we don't RD any longer. We are AP and don't feel the need to rush. Having said that, I'm a morning person and I just cant sit around to after lunch and I have a pool at home. So we usually leave for a park around 9:30 or 10ish till 2 or so, break. then hit another park or DS. The only park i try to avoid in the evening is MK. We stay offsite and I really hate trying to get back to TTC after fireworks. If anything, We'll hang out at Traders Sams for fireworks then walk to the parking lot.

 

[angierae]

In 2012 we did rope drop our first day there...and then never again. It was spring, so there was a ton of evening EMH, and we started going into the parks later. Several times we went into MK just as the fireworks were ending, and basically walked onto things for a couple hours. I enjoy night touring much more than daytime, which is going to come in handy next year with DH, who works nights and is on a 3am-11am sleep schedule.

 

[HHMcG]

I am "sort of" considering this too for a potential Aug trip. My kids are generally early birds. Early in the trip, I was hoping to still do some RD's to beat the heat and get some PPO breakfasts, but then come back to the resort from 1-5-ish for pool and a nap. But I just don't know if my kids will actually rest. Then dinner and head back to the rides around 6 until close. If my kids won't rest this will burn them out. Has anyone had success with this?

 

[Shughart]

This will be our touring plan as well. I'd rather start with a crowd and let it dwindle down and we can close the parks (minus any EMH). My kids will be 13 and 9/10, we're all more night owl than not. I will save rope drop as a second to last resort on DHS day 2 (assuming SWGE is open) to get my son on the rides (we are there for his birthday, he loves Star Wars).

 

[Tigger's ally]

We do both, rope drop and late night. But, we are not pool people so we pretty much take a siesta in the middle of the day that allows us to both stay up late and get up early. I am used to it as I am a morning Tigger that also likes to party. I have survived my whole adult life on mostly just 4-5 hours of sleep a night. It is harder on Mrs. Ally but she likes her afternoon nappy so she goes along with it.

I will also say that staying club level really threw this plan out the window as the staff at Boradwalk club level kept giving me all the afternoon beers i could drink....

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

For afternoon breakers: when do you hit what I would consider “afternoon” attractions like shows and slow moving rides?

I wouldn’t think you would use the prime morning and evening times on non-headline attractions.

How do you fit everything in?

 

[Cinderumbrella]

For afternoon breakers: when do you hit what I would consider “afternoon” attractions like shows and slow moving rides?

I wouldn’t think you would use the prime morning and evening times on non-headline attractions.

How do you fit everything in?

We mostly go in the summer when it is hot, humid and crowded all day. Admittedly we skip most shows these days, but we go into a slow moving ride once an hour just to escape the heat. We usually do the parks 9-2 and 6-close

 

[slpeters]

For afternoon breakers: when do you hit what I would consider “afternoon” attractions like shows and slow moving rides?

I wouldn’t think you would use the prime morning and evening times on non-headline attractions.

How do you fit everything in?

You're still in the parks for 12-14 hours a day so there's still non prime hours. They just aren't as non prime as the ones you're missing. By 10 or 11 in the morning we've moved on to non prime mode and when we go to the second park we're in that non prime mode until 8 or 9. You can get even more done because even the kind of attractions you're talking about you're doing when others aren't.