WOAH - Park hours!

[Figment1989]

ETA: Oops - poor formatting. fixed!

These were the park hours for my trip last time I checked:

SO WHAT DO I DO?

Namely, my big problem right now is that I scheduled my dining/fastpass based on those hours. Because of the shifts in times, I want to go to AK on the 23rd now...I'm mainly trying to figure out if I should wait to change things until later just in case they change park hours again, or if I should make changes now. Theoretically, I *could* just go with the flow...but

Any recommendations? Any thoughts that they might add EMH until 3am while we are there? Now there aren't any nighttime EMH for MK which I was counting on...

 

[Figment1989]

OK - now that my initial panic has subsided (GET A GRIP!)

I am thinking of modifying my original schedule slightly.

the 21st was going to be hectic: AK in the AM, then TL, then HS. Now, I'm thinking of TL @ opening (9am), then potentially Disney Quest???????????? then HS. Has anyone done Disney Quest? I have absolutely no knowledge of it whatsoever, so any info is appreciated!

Then the other big change is on the 23rd, start with AK @ 7am, then eventually get over to MK and stay until park closing @ 1am.

Then on the 24th...probably more EPCOT. Any thoughts? I hate changing plans (first world problems much?!)

 

[mmouse05]

Epcot usually has magic hours on Friday nights

 

[smk]

This is the very reason I gave up planning ahead. It will work against me with all the changes but I will continue to fly by the seat of my pants on my WDW vacations and roll with the hand that is dealt to me. Vacations are not to be planned so far in advance! IMHO.

 

[cw1982]

Honestly, I tried planning my trip around which parks had EMH's on which days. You know what happened?

Sunday: We went to MK because they had evening EMH's until 3 am. We lasted until about 1:30... lol
Monday: We went to HS because they had evening EMH's until 12 am. We stayed until 12, but only because we did the second show of Fantasmic and stayed after that to get in a few more rides.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday: EMH's didn't apply to our plans because we're not morning people
Friday: We planned to be in Epcot because of evening EMH's, but we ended up going back to MK after Illuminations anyway (so not making use of the Epcot EMH's after all).

Bottom line: plan to go to whichever park you want to go to, and don't worry so much about the EMH's. Yes, they're nice and all, but it sounds like you're planning a LOT of running around, and that can be exhausting. A few notes about your plans specifically, since you asked:

-I can't imagine being at AK at 7 am and then staying at MK until 1 am in the same 24-hour period. And I'm high energy (most days lol).
-I do like the idea of doing TL in the morning, and then heading to either Disney Quest or even having more time at one of the main 4 parks in the evening. I've never been to Disney Quest, but DH and I went to HS on a Monday with evening EMH... we did pretty well with that. The evening EMH was prime time to be riding ToT and RnRC.

Something else to consider: from my observations, the hours generally get changed based on what TDO thinks the crowds will be like. I hate to jinx you by going into too much detail there, but read between the lines of what I just said (lol)... if I'm right, the lack of later hours might actually be a good sign in terms of what they think the crowds are going to look like that week. Maybe that means the hotels aren't as booked up as they had hoped? IDK... just something to think about.

No matter what, have fun!

 

[DVCPluto]

I agree with @cw1982 - early AK then late MK seems exhausting, unless you nap in between.

I've always been one to avoid EMH and go where the crowds are predicted to be lower... Most of the time, you can get more done and have a more enjoyable day. But, we rarely visit during high peak times, so EMHs may be better during peak season.

If you are ok with changing things around, and can still get what you want, AND you'll be able to sleep at night, then changing your plans makes sense. BUT, I would not stress too much because I'm sure your original plans will still work out fine.

Have a great trip and remember to enjoy each moment!!

 

[belledream]

the 21st was going to be hectic: AK in the AM, then TL, then HS. Now, I'm thinking of TL @ opening (9am), then potentially Disney Quest???????????? then HS. Has anyone done Disney Quest? I have absolutely no knowledge of it whatsoever, so any info is appreciated!

To shed some light on Disney Quest, it's basically a big Innoventions or arcade with a few headliner 'attractions' and then a lot of less impressive computer games, arcade games, and kiddie fun. Not sure what your party makeup is, but unless you have children, it won't be a huge deal for you. You should definitely stop by and try the 'headliners' (a 3D Pirates adventure, Buzz Lightyear bumper cars gone wild) if you're in the Downtown Disney area, but I wouldn't sweat missing it if you're pressed for time!

 

[Figment1989]

Epcot usually has magic hours on Friday nights

Unfortunately, we leave quite early on Friday

This is the very reason I gave up planning ahead. It will work against me with all the changes but I will continue to fly by the seat of my pants on my WDW vacations and roll with the hand that is dealt to me. Vacations are not to be planned so far in advance! IMHO.

I wish I could avoid planning, but I don't think it's in my nature! I'm such a micromanager!

Sunday: We went to MK because they had evening EMH's until 3 am. We lasted until about 1:30... lol
Monday: We went to HS because they had evening EMH's until 12 am. We stayed until 12, but only because we did the second show of Fantasmic and stayed after that to get in a few more rides.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday: EMH's didn't apply to our plans because we're not morning people
Friday: We planned to be in Epcot because of evening EMH's, but we ended up going back to MK after Illuminations anyway (so not making use of the Epcot EMH's after all).

Bottom line: plan to go to whichever park you want to go to, and don't worry so much about the EMH's. Yes, they're nice and all, but it sounds like you're planning a LOT of running around, and that can be exhausting. A few notes about your plans specifically, since you asked:

-I can't imagine being at AK at 7 am and then staying at MK until 1 am in the same 24-hour period. And I'm high energy (most days lol).
-I do like the idea of doing TL in the morning, and then heading to either Disney Quest or even having more time at one of the main 4 parks in the evening. I've never been to Disney Quest, but DH and I went to HS on a Monday with evening EMH... we did pretty well with that. The evening EMH was prime time to be riding ToT and RnRC.

Something else to consider: from my observations, the hours generally get changed based on what TDO thinks the crowds will be like. I hate to jinx you by going into too much detail there, but read between the lines of what I just said (lol)... if I'm right, the lack of later hours might actually be a good sign in terms of what they think the crowds are going to look like that week. Maybe that means the hotels aren't as booked up as they had hoped? IDK... just something to think about.

No matter what, have fun!

I know that my schedule seems crazy (and undoubtedly it is), but we are hoping to not actually go too crazy on the long days: we will be in the parks, but not rushing to get a ton done. The fiance doesn't do roller coasters, so it eliminates a lot of the waiting and stress of getting to different rides. The crazy AK/MK day will probably look like AK from 7-12, then to MK and relax. Once we get done with AK, we have nothing else to try to fit in...so we don't even need to go on rides - we can just relax!

And I'm not going to even jinx anything by talking about the thing that you said at the end

I agree with @cw1982 - early AK then late MK seems exhausting, unless you nap in between.

I've always been one to avoid EMH and go where the crowds are predicted to be lower... Most of the time, you can get more done and have a more enjoyable day. But, we rarely visit during high peak times, so EMHs may be better during peak season.

If you are ok with changing things around, and can still get what you want, AND you'll be able to sleep at night, then changing your plans makes sense. BUT, I would not stress too much because I'm sure your original plans will still work out fine.

Have a great trip and remember to enjoy each moment!!

It seems insane, but I'm thinking that we will be able to push ourselves in the morning and then relax and do whatever we want in the afternoon. If not, I can always (attempt) to be flexible.

To shed some light on Disney Quest, it's basically a big Innoventions or arcade with a few headliner 'attractions' and then a lot of less impressive computer games, arcade games, and kiddie fun. Not sure what your party makeup is, but unless you have children, it won't be a huge deal for you. You should definitely stop by and try the 'headliners' (a 3D Pirates adventure, Buzz Lightyear bumper cars gone wild) if you're in the Downtown Disney area, but I wouldn't sweat missing it if you're pressed for time!

It's just the two of us on our honeymoon...but we also own a large collection of nerf guns and video games. We are essentially small children!

 

[belledream]

It's just the two of us on our honeymoon...but we also own a large collection of nerf guns and video games. We are essentially small children!

Sounds like it's right down your alley then! My fiancé loved being able to play all the arcade games for free and the Buzz thing is really fun. Try to avoid the lines where you can! Sadly there is no such thing as a FP for DisneyQuest.

 

[cw1982]

I wish I could avoid planning, but I don't think it's in my nature! I'm such a micromanager!

I know that my schedule seems crazy (and undoubtedly it is), but we are hoping to not actually go too crazy on the long days: we will be in the parks, but not rushing to get a ton done. The fiance doesn't do roller coasters, so it eliminates a lot of the waiting and stress of getting to different rides. The crazy AK/MK day will probably look like AK from 7-12, then to MK and relax. Once we get done with AK, we have nothing else to try to fit in...so we don't even need to go on rides - we can just relax!

And I'm not going to even jinx anything by talking about the thing that you said at the end

It seems insane, but I'm thinking that we will be able to push ourselves in the morning and then relax and do whatever we want in the afternoon. If not, I can always (attempt) to be flexible.

Since your fiance doesn't do roller coasters, honestly there's really no need to rush any of it. With very few exceptions, the only things that generally need a FP tend to be the ones that are bigger thrills, so the most popular FP's are for the coasters. There's a few exceptions:

Magic Kingdom:
-7dmt (hardly big enough to count as a coaster)
-Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (again, not really a coaster... get your fiance to Youtube it first and see what happens lol)
-Anna and Elsa Meet and Greet
-Splash Mountain (if you're riding during the day; after about 9 pm, the wait goes way down for this one)
-Peter Pan's Flight
-Haunted Mansion
-Pirates of the Caribbean (those last two, HM and PoC, both don't need a FP after about 9 pm usually, and during the day they tend to go through phases where they are walk on as well. It comes and goes in spurts until the nighttime entertainment starts).

Epcot:
-Soarin'
-Test Track (FP one of those, and be there at opening for the other)
-Mission Space, Spaceship Earth, Maelstrom, and Living with the Land seldom jump over 30 minutes, but it can happen on occasion

Animal Kingdom:
-Kilimanjaro Safari
-Kali River Rapids
-Primeval Whirl and Dinosaur go through busy spurts, but when we were there three weeks ago we got FP+ for both using our rolling FP at the last minute, so not really high demand like those first two

Hollywood Studios:
-Toy Story
-Star Tours
-Tower of Terror (though I'm not sure if someone who doesn't do rollercoasters will want to ride this)

I say all of that to make this point: if you're not going on any of the bigger thrills, there's really no need to stress about getting everything in, as very few other things will have any kind of significant wait times to them. I wouldn't plan to "relax" at MK. If you really still want to be at AK at 7 am (which means getting up by about 5 am to allow plenty of time for transportation and all), I would highly recommend going back to the hotel after lunch for a nap, a swim, or a little recharging time in general before going back out for the afternoon/night.

You sound a lot like how I was this time last month; I was so excited about my trip, and wanted everything to be perfect, that I found myself rethinking everything way too much. We ended up having a great trip, and it was about as close to perfect as it could have been, but I really could cut the time I spent thinking about those things in half and still had just as much fun lol.

Besides, you'll be on your honeymoon! Who wants to have to make plans to be up at the crack of dawn when they're on such a romantic trip?

Either way, I'm jealous! We were just there, and I already want to go back lol.

 

[mweier]

What's the point of letting you book FP+ 60 days out if they're prone to completely changing the hours for the day you plan to go? Basically removes any incentive to pick your days in advance and cascade other plans off them.

This exact thing just happened to me today too... I had picked park days for our upcoming August trip based on EMH and crowd calendar... I just found out that EMH has been changed from Sunday MK PM EMH to Saturday MK PM EMH

I don't have Park hopper presently for our 3 day park tickets. my current plans have an ADR for Artist point and all my MK FP+ set for the day in which MK is no longer is open until 1am. I'd need to bump all ADR/FP+ to a different day if I want to re-align with evening EMH, which would shove rope drop HS a couple days later if we're to have a morning after EMH to sleep in.

both days in question don't have in-park dining ADR's so it would still be possible to bus from HS to WL (rather than boat) and then have AKL Sanaa ADR coincide with MK I suppose.

What do you typically do?
1) swap ADRs multiple times in hopes of keeping them aligned with EMH
2) ignore EMH (not an option as I am hoping for a late night at MK to avoid crowds/heat)
3) park hop just for EMH you made at an off-park?

i don't remember hours changing on our last trip, which made it less of a tricky moving target. Choice of park days is one of the foundational choices if you're going to plan the whole shebang.

 

[LAKid53]

OK - now that my initial panic has subsided (GET A GRIP!)

I am thinking of modifying my original schedule slightly.

the 21st was going to be hectic: AK in the AM, then TL, then HS. Now, I'm thinking of TL @ opening (9am), then potentially Disney Quest???????????? then HS. Has anyone done Disney Quest? I have absolutely no knowledge of it whatsoever, so any info is appreciated!

Then the other big change is on the 23rd, start with AK @ 7am, then eventually get over to MK and stay until park closing @ 1am.

Then on the 24th...probably more EPCOT. Any thoughts? I hate changing plans (first world problems much?!)

7AM at AK? I'm just waking up at that time. Does 8AM in parentheses mean that is EMH for AK that day? Why show up 1 hour early? The beauty of FP+ is to schedule those, usually popular, rides and then wing everything else. Kilimanjaro Safari is best in the AM during the hotter months, but 7AM? I like to relax on my vacation, not run around all stressed out trying to fit every single ride at a park in each day. Like CW1982 said, most rides are not that busy after 9PM and it will be hopefully much cooler. So if you cannot ride on one of the more popular rides at a park and that park is open after 9PM, try then.

And try not to stress out. We don't do every ride anymore, just the ones we like the best.

 

[Figment1989]

What's the point of letting you book FP+ 60 days out if they're prone to completely changing the hours for the day you plan to go? Basically removes any incentive to pick your days in advance and cascade other plans off them..

hence my initial frustration

7AM at AK? I'm just waking up at that time. Does 8AM in parentheses mean that is EMH for AK that day? Why show up 1 hour early?

The change of time means that it now opens at 7am that day. I thought it was strange too!


A lot of my urge to rush around is a couple of things:

1. I've been quite a few times, but am used to spending 7+ days there, so the 4 1/2 park days we have makes me panic.

2. My fiance hasn't been since 1999, and hasn't been to AK. So I'm hoping to get him to see everything and fall in love with it.

And yes, I realize that I'm probably doing the opposite by rushing, but I feel like having a schedule will prevent us from wandering around getting hot and cranky all day. We do ok when we make decisions ahead of time - not so good at going with the flow.

 

[mweier]

hence my initial frustration
1. I've been quite a few times, but am used to spending 7+ days there, so the 4 1/2 park days we have makes me panic.

My issue too. While I'm not really panicking yet, having this occur during a short stay (in my case it will be only 3 park days compared to our normal 6+!) this doesn't leave as much room to flex the plan around since now the only day I can get AM EMH at HS is the same day there is PM EMH at MK.

 

[LAKid53]

hence my initial frustration



The change of time means that it now opens at 7am that day. I thought it was strange too!


A lot of my urge to rush around is a couple of things:

1. I've been quite a few times, but am used to spending 7+ days there, so the 4 1/2 park days we have makes me panic.

2. My fiance hasn't been since 1999, and hasn't been to AK. So I'm hoping to get him to see everything and fall in love with it.

And yes, I realize that I'm probably doing the opposite by rushing, but I feel like having a schedule will prevent us from wandering around getting hot and cranky all day. We do ok when we make decisions ahead of time - not so good at going with the flow.

4 1/2 park days would be excess for us since we go so frequently. But I would think MK 1-2 days (the 2nd maybe not being a full day), AK 1 day (since fiancé hasn't been there before), EPCOT 1 day and HS taking up the rest of your time. We make short trips (3 day weekends) and two 5-6 day trips each year. We run out of things to see for those longer trips and usually end up spending too much time shopping and listening to the groan of my wallet.

 

[DebDeb]

I feel your panic! Made our dining reservation according to EMH for late July and now they changed in the last few days! On the WDW Magic sight on park hours they are still the same, but they have def changed on my Disney Experience!

 

[disney4life2008]

7AM at AK? I'm just waking up at that time. Does 8AM in parentheses mean that is EMH for AK that day? Why show up 1 hour early? The beauty of FP+ is to schedule those, usually popular, rides and then wing everything else. Kilimanjaro Safari is best in the AM during the hotter months, but 7AM? I like to relax on my vacation, not run around all stressed out trying to fit every single ride at a park in each day. Like CW1982 said, most rides are not that busy after 9PM and it will be hopefully much cooler. So if you cannot ride on one of the more popular rides at a park and that park is open after 9PM, try then.

And try not to stress out. We don't do every ride anymore, just the ones we like the best.

In the first 3 days of my vacation - I like to accomplish as much as possible. So if it means waking up at 7 to make it to morning EMHs I will do it. I balance it with I usually leave mid day and can have a bigger lunch/pool time when everyone else is just leaving the resort. Then head back in the evening for cooler weather and in many cases lower waits (and evening emhs)

 

[disney4life2008]

Honestly, I tried planning my trip around which parks had EMH's on which days. You know what happened?

Sunday: We went to MK because they had evening EMH's until 3 am. We lasted until about 1:30... lol
Monday: We went to HS because they had evening EMH's until 12 am. We stayed until 12, but only because we did the second show of Fantasmic and stayed after that to get in a few more rides.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday: EMH's didn't apply to our plans because we're not morning people
Friday: We planned to be in Epcot because of evening EMH's, but we ended up going back to MK after Illuminations anyway (so not making use of the Epcot EMH's after all).

Bottom line: plan to go to whichever park you want to go to, and don't worry so much about the EMH's. Yes, they're nice and all, but it sounds like you're planning a LOT of running around, and that can be exhausting. A few notes about your plans specifically, since you asked:

-I can't imagine being at AK at 7 am and then staying at MK until 1 am in the same 24-hour period. And I'm high energy (most days lol).
-

No matter what, have fun!

Before I noticed the changes - I had my plan outlined great with a restful night (saturday) then MK EMHs Sunday night. The changes threw me off and now I am having an extended Saturday (1am) with MK evening hours; and plan to wake up at 7 for morning EMHs at AK. LOL

I am weird though - on vacation I tend to wake up at the sound of the pool being cleaned and when they are landscaping the groups (usually around 5/6am). So I suspect with 3 to 4 hours of sleep Saturday night I will be eager to wake up Sunday for AK and arrive by 730am. Under my new plan - I should be done with AK and MK by the end of mid day - day 2

 

[cw1982]

Before I noticed the changes - I had my plan outlined great with a restful night (saturday) then MK EMHs Sunday night. The changes threw me off and now I am having an extended Saturday (1am) with MK evening hours; and plan to wake up at 7 for morning EMHs at AK. LOL

I am weird though - on vacation I tend to wake up at the sound of the pool being cleaned and when they are landscaping the groups (usually around 5/6am). So I suspect with 3 to 4 hours of sleep Saturday night I will be eager to wake up Sunday for AK and arrive by 730am. Under my new plan - I should be done with AK and MK by the end of mid day - day 2

Honestly, I suspect that if I was going by myself I would be the same way. I have a hard time sleeping as late when I'm away from home, especially if I'm by myself. I used to always be in this awkward situation when I'd stay with friends overnight as a kid... lol... I'd wake up at least an hour before they would and not be able to go back to sleep. I was sort of shy back then, so this was always weird for me. DH and I just went into that trip fully planning to NOT get up before 8:30 or 9:00 lol.