4 days only... please help!

[Ladybug_Vic]

We are going to be in WDW from Mon to Thurs the third week of Nov. The hours are short and the days are few. We're staying at the All Star Music so I know we should take advantage of the extra hour/s but that is where my question comes in. I know that which ever park has the additional hours is the busiest... is it smarter to go to the one with the extra hours then transfer to another one that is less busy or does that waste even more time than staying at the original one for the entire day? For example the Monday is 8-9 am at MK, would you go to MK until 9 and then head over a different park for the day? And on Tuesday they have 7-9 pm extra at Epcot - so maybe then go spend the day at AK and then head over to Epcot? I hope that doesn't sound too convoluted! Thanks to anyone who actually reads this whole mess!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

If you go to the a.m. EMH park, as you rightly say, you have a big decision to make after that first hour. Do you LEAVE with all the other Resort guests enjoying EMH and hope to find a quieter park, or do you STAY, assuming that all the other Resort guests will leave ?
As for p.m. EMH, if the other parks have closed, I'd go join in the fun for those EMH, I wouldn't Hop just for the sake of it.

 

[KikoKea]

For morning EMH, we find we can get a lot done and nearly always stay for at least the rest of the morning. Plan your FPs for a little later after the park opens, and knock out several more big attractions. Then, if you want to hop to another park, you can leave about lunch and still have the whole afternoon and evening at another park. We often do this for AK- spend the EMH morning there and leave after lunch. Really, the crowds should not be bad at all during the time you are there, so staying at the park should not be a problem.

For night EMHs, it just depends on what you prefer. Hit another park in the morning, then head to the EMH park that afternoon is what we usually do. Once the EMHs start, lines quickly become shorter once the last flush of non-EMH riders have finished. Again, Nov usually has lower crowds, but you'll also have many families leaving after the fireworks anyway, further thinning out the parks. We love the late EMHs!

 

[felipenor]

I've always wondered about those late EMH. How do they make the guests who don't have EMH leave?

 

[KikoKea]

I've always wondered about those late EMH. How do they make the guests who don't have EMH leave?

You cannot ride without showing your resort room key (might be on the magic band, too- not sure), but I've never seen any CMs sweeping an area during EMH like they definitely do during a party. I think you could still eat or shop- just not ride.

 

[morningstar]

Factor about an hour for park-hopping. The bus / boat / monorail ride does not take an hour, but you have take into account making your way to the gate of one park and from the gate of the other to its heart. So I think hopping is close to break-even. Say by hopping you can get to a park that is open two hours later. Then you will gain an hour of park time. But you will lose two hours of relaxation and sleep time.

Also, read the fine print on EMH. Not all attractions are open. So you may feel your options are limited. Not so bad in the morning, but in the evening it's frustrating if the only rides open are ones you've already ridden. With careful planning you could save those for last. How that works for you depends on whether you think too much planning takes the fun out of things, or planning is the fun.

 

[KikoKea]

I agree with morningstar about leaving the first park at its closing to go to an EMH park. If we park hop for evening EMHs, and we frequently do, we arrive at the EMH park in the late afternoon or early evening- always before EMH starts.

 

[felipenor]

You cannot ride without showing your resort room key (might be on the magic band, too- not sure), but I've never seen any CMs sweeping an area during EMH like they definitely do during a party. I think you could still eat or shop- just not ride.

That makes sense. And what exactly do they do during a party, like Christmas? Do they close the areas and ask everybody for their tickets?

 

[KikoKea]

That makes sense. And what exactly do they do during a party, like Christmas? Do they close the areas and ask everybody for their tickets?

They "sweep" the park by forming a loose line across an area at 7pm and walk toward the exit. If they cannot see your armband, they will ask to see it. If you do not have one, they politely remind you the park is closed except to party guests and ask you to exit the park. They do this for a while, then you don't see any more lines, but I'm assuming they are keeping an eye out for those without armbands at rides, etc.

If you are in the park and have a party ticket, you'll need to get an armband. I know they do this at the entrance area, but not sure if they have other places.

 

[SAV]

You don't mention if you have a Park Hopper ticket, but that is needed if you want to switch parks. A base ticket doesn't allow admission to multiple parks in a single day.

 

[felipenor]

They "sweep" the park by forming a loose line across an area at 7pm and walk toward the exit. If they cannot see your armband, they will ask to see it. If you do not have one, they politely remind you the park is closed except to party guests and ask you to exit the park. They do this for a while, then you don't see any more lines, but I'm assuming they are keeping an eye out for those without armbands at rides, etc.

If you are in the park and have a party ticket, you'll need to get an armband. I know they do this at the entrance area, but not sure if they have other places.

That's very interesting. When you leave, do they remove your armband (so that you won't be able to return to the party the next day)?

 

[KikoKea]

That's very interesting. When you leave, do they remove your armband (so that you won't be able to return to the party the next day)?

Different color each party, I believe.

 

[Ladybug_Vic]

We will have a Park Hopper Pass. We haven't been there in years but when we used to go in November it was so slow... we loved that the lineups were 5 to 10 minutes! I have been trying several times a day to get meals at favourite restaurants to no avail. When I called into Disney they said that the week we are coming (Nov. 15th - 18th) is extremely busy. This wouldn't be such a big deal but we are bringing a 13 year old who has never been before so want to make sure we can see it all. Thank you all for responses. It would be so nice if a person could just 'know' how to make it all work, LOL.

 

[KikoKea]

I would suggest you read as much as possible about the parks to familiarize yourself with what's new or changed. This website has tons of info, as does many others that can give detailed plans for visiting. Googling Disney tourist or touring plans, etc is a good start. Your 13 yr old guest might enjoy helping do the research for your trip.

Do not expect to do everything in 4 days, but choose what will appeal to your group. You might want to make a list of what attractions are a must-do at each park (like Pirates, Ex Everest, Soarin', Tower of Terror, etc) and those for if the lines are short and you have time. Some rides always have long lines, such as Peter Pan, Toy Story Mania, and 7 Dwarf's Mine Train, so use fast passes for these. Meet and Greets take up a lot of time, so you might want to skip those. You might choose to devote only a morning to AK and HS in order to spend and more time at MK and Epcot.

Rushing through WDW is not the best way to go. Just enjoying the music, the sights, and the details is part of the whole magic, so trying to do everything is going to create stress and possibly a ruined day.

As for dining reservations, the more popular places fill up fast, such as Akershus and Be Our Guest. Keep trying, particularly closer to your trip because people will reserve early, but change plans closer to the their trip. If you cannot get your first choice, there are plenty of other great places to eat. (Don't forget Sonny Eclipse at Cosmic Ray's!!)

Before going, be sure to put the WDW app on your smart phone so you can check wait times while there, and before you go to get an idea of what's popular, and bring a small battery back up and USB cord so your phone doesn't run out of juice. (Lipstick case sized ones are under $10 on Amazon.)

 

[JillC LI]

People don't like getting up early, so we have always found that they do not take as much advantage of early EMH. Therefore, I would go to, and stay at, whichever park has early EMH. For evening EMHs, I'd hit another park during the day and join the park with the evening EMHs later in the day.