Help w/ 3 Day Park Hopping Strategy Starting 12/15

[lorilclevelandrn]

Hi there,

I promise I’m not a procrastinator. Last minute invite for niece’s 18th bday and leave tmrw. Her mother makes no plans and I’m a planner; however, I’ve never park hopped w/ 3 park days and looking for advice. All help is tremendously appreciated and n advance, thank u!

Have a blessed day and Merry Christmas!

 

[lovethattink]

Get connected with them on MDE and see what FP you can get. What's on your must do list?

 

[lorilclevelandrn]

They really enjoy shows and her daughter characters. My daughter is 5 and will b w/ us but we just returned n September. I have told her this is more about the birthday girl this trip.

We did purchase tickets to attend Xmas Party on 18th.

 

[OB1]

I think AK is a must if they enjoy shows. Lion King is THE BEST, and Nemo is mighty good also. Throw in a Safari, some neat eating, and at least walk around Pandora. It may be tough to get on those rides, but you may get lucky. HAVE FUN

• You can probably split a day with AK & HS.
• MK may be a full day, and it also may be fun to resort hop and look at decorations. Since you are doing the party, this could be the day you catch AK or HS for your partial day.
• The 18 yr old should like EPCOT, and most of the countries now have their story of Christmas shows. Italy, France, and Norway are tops. The Joyful Noise is a great group to experience and will get you in the spirit for sure.
• A hop to Disney Springs for the Christmas Tree Trail would be nice if possible. You may be too busy already.

 

[JK World]

Personally I'd do a full MK day, a full HS day, and split the last day with AK in the morning and Epcot in the afternoon/evening.

 

[lorilclevelandrn]

Thank u for such a speedy reply, great ideas!

 

[lorilclevelandrn]

Which nightime show/fw show would u consider a must do? I heard Epcot has holiday themed add on to Illuminations? They have not seen Fantasmic or Jingle Bell Jingle Jam either.

 

[MomOTwins]

MK and EP are our favorite parks, and in our experience, MK lines are always much shorter in the morning. So we like to start at MK and hop to EP (via monorail) or AK (via bus) for afternoon/evening. Then on another day we will start at EP and work our way through the world showcase and have lunch there, and then hop to HS for the afternoon/evening.

 

[KCMiller]

If you have the chance to see Illuminations, I would go - it's scheduled to end this coming summer.

 

[lorilclevelandrn]

I think AK is a must if they enjoy shows. Lion King is THE BEST, and Nemo is mighty good also. Throw in a Safari, some neat eating, and at least walk around Pandora. It may be tough to get on those rides, but you may get lucky. HAVE FUN

• You can probably split a day with AK & HS.
• MK may be a full day, and it also may be fun to resort hop and look at decorations. Since you are doing the party, this could be the day you catch AK or HS for your partial day.
• The 18 yr old should like EPCOT, and most of the countries now have their story of Christmas shows. Italy, France, and Norway are tops. The Joyful Noise is a great group to experience and will get you in the spirit for sure.
• A hop to Disney Springs for the Christmas Tree Trail would be nice if possible. You may be too busy already.

I was looking on 12/15 to split AK/HS but just noticed EMH morning. In the past, we’ve avoided parks w/ EMH. What’s ur opinion. Thanks for reminding me about Christmas Tree Trail. We have reservations at The Boathouse on 12/17 to celebrate her Bday. It would be fun to add to the evening.

 

[DisneyBelle27]

I actually just did a mini Just Back trip report from last week - we also had 3 day park hoppers and Christmas party tickets. We did have a lot more lead time though, and booked FPs 60 days out. Still managed to get a bunch more day of while in the parks, and also kept moving pre-booked ones earlier so we could fit more in. We had a party of 3 adults. Here's what I typed up in my report in case this is helpful:

- 3 park days - 12/4-12/6: Epcot (day 1: arrival day), AK & HS (day 2), MK w/MVMCP (day 3)
- no rope drop: arrived at Epcot around 10:30ish am, AK and MK somewhere around 9:15-9:30ish am
- pre-booked FPs @60 days: Soarin', The Seas, Spaceship Earth, FoP, Safari, Everest, BTMR, PP, 7DMT
- wait times: we did not wait in a line longer than 10 minutes at ANY POINT of the trip!

*what we accomplished*
Epcot (Day 1: w/evening EMH) - Soarin', The Seas x2, SE, TT, M:S orange, Oh Canada circlevision, LWtL, IllumiNations, FEA, some holiday festival booths (plus an afternoon nap since we'd been up since 2:50am for our flight)
AK - (Day 2 part 1) FoP x2, KS, Gorilla Falls trail, EE, Dinosaur, Maharajah Jungle Trek
HS - (Day 2 part 2) ST, MV 3D, ToT, Sunset Seasons Greetings, Frozen Singalong, Disney Movie Magic, JBJB
MK (Day 3: w/MVMCP) - BTMR, Splash, Treehouse, Magic Carpets, Muppets Great Moments, PP, 7DMT, WtP, PM, Buzz x2, Teacups, Under the Sea, Regal Carousel, PotC, JC x2, PhilharMagic, Frozen Holiday Wish, Totally Tomorrowland Christmas, Astro Orbiter, 1st Christmas parade, Holiday Wishes, IASW, HM, Christmas treats

Total FP's (including pre-booked):
Epcot: 5
AK: 5 / HS: 3
MK: 9

 

[lorilclevelandrn]

I actually just did a mini Just Back trip report from last week - we also had 3 day park hoppers and Christmas party tickets. We did have a lot more lead time though, and booked FPs 60 days out. Still managed to get a bunch more day of while in the parks, and also kept moving pre-booked ones earlier so we could fit more in. We had a party of 3 adults. Here's what I typed up in my report in case this is helpful:

- 3 park days - 12/4-12/6: Epcot (day 1: arrival day), AK & HS (day 2), MK w/MVMCP (day 3)
- no rope drop: arrived at Epcot around 10:30ish am, AK and MK somewhere around 9:15-9:30ish am
- pre-booked FPs @60 days: Soarin', The Seas, Spaceship Earth, FoP, Safari, Everest, BTMR, PP, 7DMT
- wait times: we did not wait in a line longer than 10 minutes at ANY POINT of the trip!

*what we accomplished*
Epcot (Day 1: w/evening EMH) - Soarin', The Seas x2, SE, TT, M:S orange, Oh Canada circlevision, LWtL, IllumiNations, FEA, some holiday festival booths (plus an afternoon nap since we'd been up since 2:50am for our flight)
AK - (Day 2 part 1) FoP x2, KS, Gorilla Falls trail, EE, Dinosaur, Maharajah Jungle Trek
HS - (Day 2 part 2) ST, MV 3D, ToT, Sunset Seasons Greetings, Frozen Singalong, Disney Movie Magic, JBJB
MK (Day 3: w/MVMCP) - BTMR, Splash, Treehouse, Magic Carpets, Muppets Great Moments, PP, 7DMT, WtP, PM, Buzz x2, Teacups, Under the Sea, Regal Carousel, PotC, JC x2, PhilharMagic, Frozen Holiday Wish, Totally Tomorrowland Christmas, Astro Orbiter, 1st Christmas parade, Holiday Wishes, IASW, HM, Christmas treats

Total FP's (including pre-booked):
Epcot: 5
AK: 5 / HS: 3
MK: 9

Thank u for sharing! Everyone has helped out so much. Truly appreciate it!!!