Suggestions Please

[V.B.]

Hello there

I have not been to Disney in easily 25 years and my family has never gone. So, essentially, it's a first time trip for us (as the park will be quite different for me after so much time away). We're looking to go in 2020, or even 2021.

So, I'd love some advice about planning and length of time needed. With crowd levels very high at most times of the year, would you pick either January (not on a marathon week-end), or after Thanksgiving, but before the park is busy with Christmas crowds?

Also, is two days enough time for Magic Kingdom (our kids are older and don't care about character meals) and we're not really needing any dining reservations. I don't want to be rushing from morning to night with little downtime, as it's supposed to be a vacation. So, with use of fast passes, is two days enough to get in the majority of the rides? Or, if you had the time, would three days be better?

I'm also reading a lot online about how people can do Epcot in one day. Is that even feasible with the size of the park? Or, if it's likely to be your only trip to Disney in quite a few years, would you keep Epcot as a two day park?

Sorry for all the questions! But, I could use some advice as I start planning our trip. Thanks so much!

 

[chris benton]

My first suggestion for you would be to buy or go to your library and read The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World.
If your first step is to figure out when to go, and how many days, if those are your only two choices, I'd pick the week after Thanksgiving in hopes of nicer weather. Two days for MK should be decent for "older" kids, but that all depends on what you'd like to do, and how you'd like to do it.

Epcot can certainly be "done" in one day, but again, it only depends on what you want to do to consider it "done." If you'd like to see all it has to offer, then it most certainly cannot be "done" in one day, but if you only wanna ride Soarin' and Test Track, and eat an ice cream sandwich in the France Pavillion, then yes, one day is plenty.

Please read the guide, along with the multitude of threads here. Ask plenty of questions. Many ppl are here to help.

 

[STJ]

Are you planning on hitting just Epcot and MK or all the parks? I assume all the parks. If I wanted 2 days MK, and to hit the other parks, without a rest day I would do 6-7 nights. I don't hit the parks in fly in or fly out day bc I like to just chill and enjoy being there.

To be honest, my husband and I have been 3 times recently and still haven't explored the countries of Epcot like we would have liked. It really depends on how much it will interest you and your family. Is seeing the countries something you want to do, with mostly shows and experiences, or are you wanting to just go for the rides?

How many people are you taking? The more people, the slower the group tends to move, and the harder it can be to find fastpasses day of. Definitely not impossible. Last time we were there, we were a group of five 20-somethings and got plenty of stuff day of the first week of Sept.

 

[V.B.]

Thank you for your response. We're wanting to hit Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom as well as Magic Kingdom and Epcot. It would just be our family of four. I know that with the way my family is, that I'll exhaust myself trying to get them moving quickly and on also keeping to a schedule, so I pretty much have to leave a lot of room to rest and relax. Our family would enjoy seeing the countries and shows, but also the rides. I do remember as a child, LOVING Epcot and in fact, wishing that we could have spent an extra day there (this was YEARS ago, well over 25 years ago), but I don't know if it's changed a lot in recent years. So, I guess I was wondering if six days gives us time to see a lot of what Disney has to offer and if taking a couple of rest days to hang out by the pool, or go to Disney Springs would be a good game plan.

 

[STJ]

That is entirely based upon your party. some people dont need or want the rest day and can keep going. we enjoy just hanging out and taking in, taking a nap in a hammock, get a drink and chill out. some people would rather just keep going in the parks. it really is up to you and your budget.

 

[old feller]

Subscribe to " touring plans".....tons of info

 

[emily nicole]

Our trips are usually: 2 MK, 2 Epcot, 1 AK, 1 DHS, 1 rest day. So, 7 full vacation days - 9 days total with travel days.

I definitely think Epcot deserves 2 days and 2 is enough for MK.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Just avoid the 1st week in Dec it is Pop Warner Superbowl weekend and the national cheerleading competition both held at Disney

 

[cj.scribbles]

Either Jan or after Thanksgiving is fine. Just depends on your preference.

I'd definitely do 2 MK, 1 EC, 1 DHS, 1AK. And give yourself a day or two of rest. You can use those to determine if you wanna go back to the parks or if you want to go offsite or to Disney Springs.

MK is big and theres a lot of good stuff so 2 days is almost necessary. 1 day at Epcot is fine especially during the slower seasons.

 

[V.B.]

If I were to buy let's say passes for six days, I can use the passes at any of the four main parks, correct?

 

[cj.scribbles]

If I were to buy let's say passes for six days, I can use the passes at any of the four main parks, correct?

No, not quite.
When you purchase admission tickets you'll be purchasing either Park Hopper passes or select day passes.

Park Hopper passes will allow you to as many parks as will be on your ticket. So say you buy two tickets, you can visit two different parks in a day. It's a little confusing and difficult to explain and since I'm not a tickets CM I'm going to say you should check online for more accurate detailing and pricing. But the important thing to note is that if you buy a one-day admission to MK that's all you can visit for that one day.

If you buy a park hopper ticket you can visit multiple parks during one day. I wouldnt necessarily recommend it be your default choice though. For example, like I mentioned before you'll need at least two full days to experience Magic Kingdom so doing two half days wont cut it. But if you wanted an additional day to revisit some of your favorites before heading home then a park hopper is a great option.

Also in regards to the Fast Passes if you're going to be staying at a resort you can reserve your Fast Passes 60 days in advance and 30 days if not staying on property. You can choose up to 3 FREE Fast Passes for any of the parks daily. These FPs will have a window of one hour to use before expiring. After using your three FPs you can choose more FPs by selecting one at a time up until park close. You may also choose to purchase more FPs if you have a large party and would all like to participate in a ride/experience.

Note that some Disney rides have a rider swap option to allow children or those that need assistance to wait with a family member while another takes turns. You wont be going together necessarily but it's a good option if you want to experience a ride without having to compromise too much.

Also persons with disabilities or are otherwise incapable of waiting in long lines can go up to a FP CM and ask for a return time. Skip waiting in the lines and simply come back when they tell you to. This is a good option if you want to go on a ride but are uncomfortable waiting in the sun, etc.

 

[V.B.]

No, not quite.
When you purchase admission tickets you'll be purchasing either Park Hopper passes or select day passes.

Park Hopper passes will allow you to as many parks as will be on your ticket. So say you buy two tickets, you can visit two different parks in a day. It's a little confusing and difficult to explain and since I'm not a tickets CM I'm going to say you should check online for more accurate detailing and pricing. But the important thing to note is that if you buy a one-day admission to MK that's all you can visit for that one day.

If you buy a park hopper ticket you can visit multiple parks during one day. I wouldnt necessarily recommend it be your default choice though. For example, like I mentioned before you'll need at least two full days to experience Magic Kingdom so doing two half days wont cut it. But if you wanted an additional day to revisit some of your favorites before heading home then a park hopper is a great option.

Also in regards to the Fast Passes if you're going to be staying at a resort you can reserve your Fast Passes 60 days in advance and 30 days if not staying on property. You can choose up to 3 FREE Fast Passes for any of the parks daily. These FPs will have a window of one hour to use before expiring. After using your three FPs you can choose more FPs by selecting one at a time up until park close. You may also choose to purchase more FPs if you have a large party and would all like to participate in a ride/experience.

Note that some Disney rides have a rider swap option to allow children or those that need assistance to wait with a family member while another takes turns. You wont be going together necessarily but it's a good option if you want to experience a ride without having to compromise too much.

Also persons with disabilities or are otherwise incapable of waiting in long lines can go up to a FP CM and ask for a return time. Skip waiting in the lines and simply come back when they tell you to. This is a good option if you want to go on a ride but are uncomfortable waiting in the sun, etc.

Thank you! I don't think we'll go for the Park Hopper tickets, in theory, it would be nice to be able to go to a park for EMH (in case we stay on site), but the reality is, I know how tired my family gets and it would be a lot of work to leave and go to another park on the same day. I was thinking more along the lines of if we had a six day pass, could we use all six of those days in one park (just as an example, or three of the days at Epcot).

I had no idea about the disabilities and asking a CM for that. Is a Dr's note required for that (which would be possible).

 

[V.B.]

Thank you! I don't think we'll go for the Park Hopper tickets, in theory, it would be nice to be able to go to a park for EMH (in case we stay on site), and then move to a less busy park, but the reality is, I know how tired my family gets and it would be a lot of work to leave and go to another park on the same day. I was thinking more along the lines of if we had a six day pass, could we use all six of those days in one park (just as an example, or three of the days at Epcot).

I had no idea about the disabilities and asking a CM for that. Is a Dr's note required for that (which would be possible).

 

[Monorail_Man_NJ]

MK 2 days
EPCOT 1 day
Animal Kingdom and HS can both be half days (or at the very least hit in the morning, take a break at resort and then go back in evening)

Once Galaxy Edge opens HS is going to be BRUTAL. Park will be packed and anyone who cant wait in massive lines for the new rides will then flood Toy Story Land, R&R Coaster etc.

 

[TCRAIG]

Just avoid the 1st week in Dec it is Pop Warner Superbowl weekend and the national cheerleading competition both held at Disney

Actually - first week of Dec is great - Pop Warner doesn’t seem to flood the parks with kids. We’ve been going first week of Dec for years.

 

[TCRAIG]

No, not quite.
When you purchase admission tickets you'll be purchasing either Park Hopper passes or select day passes.

Park Hopper passes will allow you to as many parks as will be on your ticket. So say you buy two tickets, you can visit two different parks in a day. It's a little confusing and difficult to explain and since I'm not a tickets CM I'm going to say you should check online for more accurate detailing and pricing. But the important thing to note is that if you buy a one-day admission to MK that's all you can visit for that one day.

If you buy a park hopper ticket you can visit multiple parks during one day. I wouldnt necessarily recommend it be your default choice though. For example, like I mentioned before you'll need at least two full days to experience Magic Kingdom so doing two half days wont cut it. But if you wanted an additional day to revisit some of your favorites before heading home then a park hopper is a great option.

Also in regards to the Fast Passes if you're going to be staying at a resort you can reserve your Fast Passes 60 days in advance and 30 days if not staying on property. You can choose up to 3 FREE Fast Passes for any of the parks daily. These FPs will have a window of one hour to use before expiring. After using your three FPs you can choose more FPs by selecting one at a time up until park close. You may also choose to purchase more FPs if you have a large party and would all like to participate in a ride/experience.

Note that some Disney rides have a rider swap option to allow children or those that need assistance to wait with a family member while another takes turns. You wont be going together necessarily but it's a good option if you want to experience a ride without having to compromise too much.

Also persons with disabilities or are otherwise incapable of waiting in long lines can go up to a FP CM and ask for a return time. Skip waiting in the lines and simply come back when they tell you to. This is a good option if you want to go on a ride but are uncomfortable waiting in the sun, etc.

Please note - purchasing extra fast passes is limited to those staying club level at certain $$$ resorts - it’s $50 per person per day (or at least those were the rules last I checked).

 

[lookame]

I went the first week of Jan this year. We happened to be there during the race and honestly it was great. We only got caught in a crowd after the parade when we were trying to get to the princess meet area. We were even at Epcot on a race day (the race was around Epcot area) and aside for a mad dash to sourin and a decent amount of drunk adults we actually didn’t notice it crazy busy. We got a good amount of pixie dust during that trip as well. There was one day that it was cold but otherwise weather was pretty nice, jeans and tee kind of weather and one or two days which were swimming and shorts kind of weather.

We also tend to go around October/November and it’s a great time to go as well. The weather is nice-warm but not to warm and crowds tend to be manageable.

 

[cj.scribbles]

Thank you! I don't think we'll go for the Park Hopper tickets, in theory, it would be nice to be able to go to a park for EMH (in case we stay on site), but the reality is, I know how tired my family gets and it would be a lot of work to leave and go to another park on the same day. I was thinking more along the lines of if we had a six day pass, could we use all six of those days in one park (just as an example, or three of the days at Epcot).

I had no idea about the disabilities and asking a CM for that. Is a Dr's note required for that (which would be possible).

As far as I'm aware, no. Disney Cast Members cannot legally require you to provide documentation of a disabilities. You do have to give them a reason for not being able to wait such as anxiety or being claustrophobic. They cannot, by law, make you prove you have a disability. Of course most people using this courtesy service are wheelchair bound or are otherwise more obviously in need of assistance, but it's not necessary.

My friend that I visit the parks with struggles very hard with standing in extremely long lines and we've asked a few times to get return times so that they don't have to stand and be unhappy when they could just come back later.

If you wanted to you could bring documentation of the person/s injuries or ailments just in case. I think it's a good idea just in the unlikely event something happens to them you could have that documentation with your party, maybe in someone's bag or purse, on potentially how to treat them or help assist. But like I said, not necessary.

 

[cj.scribbles]

Please note - purchasing extra fast passes is limited to those staying club level at certain $$$ resorts - it’s $50 per person per day (or at least those were the rules last I checked).

I'm not in Guest Service or trained to sell FastPasses so I'm not sure what the sales are for FPs exactly. All I know is that once you've used the three free fast passes you can book another ride one after the other. There are also FP Kiosks if people wanted to purchase them. I dont think this would be necessary though.

Say you have a party of six, which means you have six tickets. When you book a fast pass you're booking ONE fast pass with six people in it, not six individual fast passes.
That being said Im not sure why people would need to buy more FPs but the option is available if necessary I guess.

 

[bookbabe626]

I'm not in Guest Service or trained to sell FastPasses so I'm not sure what the sales are for FPs exactly. All I know is that once you've used the three free fast passes you can book another ride one after the other. There are also FP Kiosks if people wanted to purchase them. I dont think this would be necessary though.

Say you have a party of six, which means you have six tickets. When you book a fast pass you're booking ONE fast pass with six people in it, not six individual fast passes.
That being said Im not sure why people would need to buy more FPs but the option is available if necessary I guess.

The FastPass kiosks are just a way for people without smartphones to be able to book/change their FastPasses day-of. They are not a place to buy FastPasses.

OP, read the first few posts of the FastPass FAQ threads in the Theme Parks sub-forum for accurate and detailed info. The Unofficial Guide suggested earlier will also have a good section on tickets and FastPasses and all the other things you’ll need to know.

The basics, in layman’s terms: A six day regular base ticket will give you six days total at one of the four main parks, one park per day, of your choice in any combination. You could use all six days at MK if you wanted. Adding the Hopper option lets you go to multiple parks as part of one ticket day, for example MK in the morning and AK in the evening, instead of just MK only on that ticket day. Adding the Plus option adds entries to the waterparks in addition to the four main parks. Everyone with a ticket is permitted to book three FastPasses per ticket day per person in advance. You use the My Disney Experience section of the website or the app to book FastPasses, dining, and make and manage all of your plans.