Disney planning questions

[Zipzop]

So a couple questions in terms of planning (I am aware these are wishy-washy);

First: we have reservations for Ohana at 7:50 on the Tuesday of our trip, the night we would be able to do MNSSHP. We would be at MK during that day anyway. I would like to get tickets for the event that night, but my fiancé says that eating dinner and the event starting at 7 anyway means that we’ll miss too much of the event to justify the price of tickets. I know things run pretty late, so we would still get like 3 hours of Party time. Changing the reservation at Ohana seems like an impossibility at this point. The only other thing I can think of would be to get tickets for Friday night as that’s our HS day and we should have the evening free, or Sunday which would be our first day where we had planned on having a Boardwalk evening. However, I’m leery of doing that as weekend nights are supposed to be ridiculously busy and not so much fun. Also, if we go on Sunday, a day that we hadn’t accounted on going to any parks, being that it is a separately ticketed event, does that count against our park-hopper passes or not? So is it worth it to get tickets for Tuesday even though we’ll miss out on some time? Or should we work to move something else around? Would I be missing out on all that much if we didn’t spring for it?

Second: When do the fireworks go off for Happily Ever After in early October on non-party days? We have reservations for California Grill pretty late, and we may stick around to see the fireworks from there. Also, since we have never seen HAE and I know it’s a projection based show, is it a good idea to watch from the rooftop for your first time? Everyone says it’s lovely, but I wonder if we have no context for what’s going on if it will be the same kind of show/feeling/mood/whatever.

Finally: In planning for our fastpasses, we are considering opting to rope drop but not worry about going on big rides right away. The idea is that while everyone’s piling on FoP or 7DMT we have basically the whole park to ourselves and can just use our fastpasses for those rides later. Is this a viable strategy? We still want to maximize our fastpasses we can use in a day, so if we decide to pursue this strategy, when would be a good time to start using fastpasses? What are the best things to do in the parks early with this strategy? Any warnings or downsides?

 

[HayHod]

Hi

For your first question. Personally I would agree with your fiancé that whilst they are both across the water from each other they are two things you should try and do seperate nights. Personally whilst I adore the boardwalk there isn't all that much to do there. Ultimately it's up to you but I would do them on seperate nights to make sure I got the most time available at each.

Second: They go off at 9pm on the nights its showing. The projections are a considerable part of the show. Im not surr of the view from the roof of contemporary but I know you get a good view from TTC , which is further away, so would imagine you can see them pretty well.

And for your last question, thats the big question haha. Its the that everyone will have a different take on and it comes down to which you prefer. Lots of people as you say rush straight for the big rides and get them out the way but equally lots of othrt people plan to do what your suggesting and take advantage of the other rides. In regards to using fastpass+ book them for staring arround 10am to mid morning. This way you can ride the rides whilst its quieter in the parks and use them when it gets busier.
Don't forget to book nee fastpasses as soon as they become available.

Ultimately overall I guess the advice is do what makes you happy the most and suits your plans best. It's your holiday after all.

Hope you enjoy your time.

 

[eliza61nyc]

humm understand that my suggestions stem from the fact that I hate rushing. I mean I really dislike it.

1) I would bag Ohana. It's ok but not enough for me to miss out on MNSSHP especially since it carries a nice upcharge (the party not ohana). You are absolutely correct the crowds increase significantly on the weekend.
2) Unfortunately I can't help you with this one as I've never eaten at California Grill. HEA is one of my favorites and I like the atmosphere on main street so that will always be my first choice. lol, I'm a people person though, I chat up the quest around me.
3) truthfully you may not have a lot of control over when your fast passes are for fop and mine train. I booked the nanosecond the window opened for me and I still got late afternoon openings. so I would get your fp's first and then you can make the decision on how the rest of your day goes.

 

[Master Yoda]

1. Your fiancé is right. I would opt for going on your non-park day. It will not count against your other tickets and you can get into the park as early as 4 with just a party ticket.

2. Since they added projections, viewing fireworks from outside the parks is not the ideal way to view them, however viewing fireworks from the top of the Contemporary is still a great and unique experience that I would do without hesitation.

3. I would opt for early, but not opening time fastpasses. The simple reason is you can not get more than three until you use your three. I would still get to the parks early and hit as many of the attractions you can, but if your last fasspass is not until 6:00 PM, the chances of you getting a 4th or 5th is pretty low.