Few Questions!

[Nelly2016]

Me and my friends have five days in Disneyworld. All of them park days and we are planning on no park hopper, but can be swayed to change our minds based on the advice we get! We are planning on doing every park. I have a few questions that I could really use some insight on!

1. If I make a dining reservation in MK but spend the day in HS, do I need a park hopper to get in to the park to go to the restaurant? If so, does this mean that if I spend the day at HS, my dining reservation should be at a restaurant in the same park as well?

2. Illuminations, Wishes, and Fantasmic. I've seen Wishes and loved it - I want to see it more than once when I go back. Any advice on Fantasmic and Illuminations? Are they both firework shows as well? A must for first timers or can we skip it?

3. We are going in late April of 2017. Would you recommend a park hopper for this time of year? I know getting to and from can be time consuming and we do not want to waste any time. We are all adults and will not be carting around strollers and such.

4. We are planning on brown bagging it for lunches in the park and dining out for dinners. Does anybody else do this and if so, what food do you find it best to bring along? We don't want to carry too much and also don't want to sink into food comas. We are interested in eating light snacks/meals that are filling but not too filling and drinking lots of water.

 

[DisneyJoe]

1. yes, or at a location outside of a park, there are many at the resorts.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

1. You must have park admission to eat in a theme park. Another option is to dine at a resort. You could spend the day at HS, go eat dinner at the Polynesian, and watch the fireworks from the beach, as an example.

2. Illuminations has fireworks and a large float on the water. It's a must see. Fantasmic! has some fireworks and fire effects, but is mostly projections on water screens and floats in the water. A must see if you haven't seen Disneyland's version (which is a bit better IMO).

3. If you're not sure about park hoppers, don't get them. You can add the option when you get there and it won't cost any more than doing so now. Check the park hours for guidance. Upcoming changes aside, Animal Kingdom tended to close at 5:00. That leaves a big chunk of time that could be spent at another park.

I always use park hopping. I like the flexibility. HS is a half day park for me at most (it's show heavy and I don't need to see them again). I want to be able to head over to Epcot for the evening. Travel time isn't always so bad. There are buses between the parks. You can walk from HS to Epcot. The Monorail from MK to Epcot is quick and an enjoyable experience unto itself.

It also lets you make better use of Extra Magic Hours (assuming you stay on site). You can go to the park with morning hours, take advantage of the time, and then head to a less busy park, as an example.

 

[Rsj88]

First, we always use park hoppers. We love to see all the parks but we spend the majority of our time in MK and Epcot. So it's nice to be able to hop back there at night for magic hours and shopping. I also like having the flexibility to change up the schedule depending on weather and crowds. Although FP and ADRs make it a bit more complicated. Second, I would recommend checking out videos of Fantasmic and Illuminations on YouTube. We always see Wishes but we sometimes skip the others.

 

[PrincessRachelT]

1. You can't park hop even with a restaurant reservation unfortunately. If you enter HS (without a park hopper) for the day, you can eat at HS, any Disney resort, Disney Springs, or offsite, but not at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, or Animal Kingdom.
The resorts have wonderful restaurants, I would highly recommend trying some!

2. Fantasmic and Illuminations are wonderful! I would definitely put them on your schedule!!

3. As PP said, you can always add them when you get there.

4. I've done it before and we usually bring an apple and a sandwich, maybe some cookies. We also bring water bottles and refill them at quick service restaurants.

 

[cdeev8690]

Easter Sunday is April 16th and a lot of schools spring breaks are around that time. Park Hopper will be essential, especially if you get to a park just to realize it is insane! You'll be happy you have that park hopper when you decide to go to a less crowded park.

 

[YozhikRoth]

I personally don't buy Park Hoppers, as a lot of time is burned getting between the parks. In my experience it's best to plan out what parks to visit based on attendance trends, EMH and EEH and dining reservations. For example, Epcot is almost always the best choice on a peak attendance day, such as a weekend or holiday, as its sheer size and relative lack of rides allows it to absorb high crowds. I will never visit a park on EMH days, as the 3 or so attractions I will ride at 7 am are offset by higher crowds the rest of the day. I almost always visit the MK on an EEH day, leaving the park after lunch and returning around 4-5 ish.

It's all a matter of preference, but the objective should always be minimizing waiting time, to me park hopping adds to waiting time.

 

[SAV]

1. has been answered.

2. Illuminations is my favorite night time show. We didn't care for F!. But if you haven't seen it, I'd say see it and make your own determination.

3. We initially got hoppers, but didn't hop. So now we don't get hoppers and can still fill a whole day at each park.

4. There are so many snacks around WDW, that you can just eat those in place of your Lunch. Then schedule an earlier dinner and then you can snack later in the night if you need to.

We always will use the Crowd Calendars as a guide of what park to visit on what day. Then plan our one sit down meal around that.

 

[JillC LI]

Suggestion re: IllumiNations: Get a late dinner reservation at Rose & Crown Pub. The food is great and you will be able to have a front row seat for the show when it starts rather than trying to reserve a standing viewing location long in advance of the show.

FWIW, we always get park hoppers for the flexibility. But we also rent a car so we don't have to wait for buses.

 

[JIMINYCR]

If you havent been to Disney before, a PH pass might not be in your best interest. There is so much to see and do that you will be buzy enough finding your way around, trying everything out and visiting every shop that youd be spending for an option that you wouldnt really be getting your moneys worth. If you were going for a longer stay and had been to WDW multiple times before then I'd say go for it.
Illuminations is the best fireworks show on property!!! But be sure to grab a good viewing spot early so you can see it better. It will astound you, the show appearing on the globe and the pyrotechnics are worth seeing more than once. Wander around after the show ends and let the crowds thin out. Its a wave of bodies heading for the exits as soon as it ends.
We always pack in trail mix, crackers & peanut butter, and other munchies to help save money. Lunches can be brought in but be sure its things that the heat wont spoil. And you might want to bring in Mio or Kool aid packets or some other type of additive to put into your water to give it a better taste. But no matter what, be sure to bring money to try all the Disney snacks because youll never find better stuff to snack on anywhere else.

 

[Nelly2016]

Easter Sunday is April 16th and a lot of schools spring breaks are around that time. Park Hopper will be essential, especially if you get to a park just to realize it is insane! You'll be happy you have that park hopper when you decide to go to a less crowded park.

We are definitely going to avoid Easter weekend for this reason but thanks for the tips!

 

[Nelly2016]

Suggestion re: IllumiNations: Get a late dinner reservation at Rose & Crown Pub. The food is great and you will be able to have a front row seat for the show when it starts rather than trying to reserve a standing viewing location long in advance of the show.

FWIW, we always get park hoppers for the flexibility. But we also rent a car so we don't have to wait for buses.

What time should we get the reservation for would you say?

 

[cdeev8690]

We are definitely going to avoid Easter weekend for this reason but thanks for the tips!

Good plan, but the entire month of April will have some heavy park volume. This is the usually the case the weeks leading up to and after Easter. Everything is doable with a solid touring plan though. Have fun!

 

[Nelly2016]

Good plan, but the entire month of April will have some heavy park volume. This is the usually the case the weeks leading up to and after Easter. Everything is doable with a solid touring plan though. Have fun!

I've heard that late April has usually died down to moderate crowds. Any experience with going to WDW during that month? And thanks were really looking forward to it!

 

[DisneyJoe]

I've heard that late April has usually died down to moderate crowds. Any experience with going to WDW during that month? And thanks were really looking forward to it!

Easter 2017 is on April 16, and crowds will be heavy the week(s) before and after.

If Easter was in late March or very early April, then late April would be better with crowds.

 

[PinnySmart]

Me and my friends have five days in Disneyworld. All of them park days and we are planning on no park hopper, but can be swayed to change our minds based on the advice we get! We are planning on doing every park. I have a few questions that I could really use some insight on!

1. If I make a dining reservation in MK but spend the day in HS, do I need a park hopper to get in to the park to go to the restaurant? If so, does this mean that if I spend the day at HS, my dining reservation should be at a restaurant in the same park as well?

2. Illuminations, Wishes, and Fantasmic. I've seen Wishes and loved it - I want to see it more than once when I go back. Any advice on Fantasmic and Illuminations? Are they both firework shows as well? A must for first timers or can we skip it?

3. We are going in late April of 2017. Would you recommend a park hopper for this time of year? I know getting to and from can be time consuming and we do not want to waste any time. We are all adults and will not be carting around strollers and such.

4. We are planning on brown bagging it for lunches in the park and dining out for dinners. Does anybody else do this and if so, what food do you find it best to bring along? We don't want to carry too much and also don't want to sink into food comas. We are interested in eating light snacks/meals that are filling but not too filling and drinking lots of water.

Go prepared. It is going to be packed due to Easter and Spring Break. Wall to wall people. Easter is one of the most packed weeks at WDW.

 

[WDW_Emily]

Last year we went two weeks after Easter. The only park that had ridiculous lines was Hollywood Studios. Epcot we actually got everything done early. Around 7:30 realized we did everything we wanted to and were able to go back and take in the countries a little more. Mind you this was with getting to the park at 9am and a 4:30 dinner reservation in Japan.

We had park hoppers last time for the first time and only used them one day, to go back to dhs and ride rockin roller coaster since it was done the first day. I honestly think park hoppers waste time. You can get a full park done a day as long as you don't mine early mornings and late nights.

 

[rt06]

1. Yes and yes.
2. Illuminations is not a priority for me. Fantasmic is. The second show is less crowded as more guests start dropping out for the night so don't burn a FP.
3. Park hopper is unnecessary with a well planned itinerary. With five days, you'll probably want two for MK and one each for the rest. If you hop everyday, you're wasting time. If you do it once, you're wasting money. Inefficient either way.
4. I feel you. Last trip, we made breakfast in the room. So convenient in many ways. I'm not the type to carry food and water when you're surrounded by food and water. I mean, what kind of lunch are you bagging? You're gonna indulge in Disney, so why fight it at that point? I may be biased because I'm the one that carries everyone's stuff.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

It occurs to me, after reading some comments here, that park hopping is more valuable during a longer trip.

A short trip likely means hitting each park once, and using the whole day to see it all. Park hopping becomes more valuable during a longer trip where you're more likely to pick and choose what do to again, whether hitting DS for an hour to ride Toy Story once more, or spending an evening at Epcot for dinner and shopping.

 

[Nelly2016]

1. Yes and yes.
2. Illuminations is not a priority for me. Fantasmic is. The second show is less crowded as more guests start dropping out for the night so don't burn a FP.
3. Park hopper is unnecessary with a well planned itinerary. With five days, you'll probably want two for MK and one each for the rest. If you hop everyday, you're wasting time. If you do it once, you're wasting money. Inefficient either way.
4. I feel you. Last trip, we made breakfast in the room. So convenient in many ways. I'm not the type to carry food and water when you're surrounded by food and water. I mean, what kind of lunch are you bagging? You're gonna indulge in Disney, so why fight it at that point? I may be biased because I'm the one that carries everyone's stuff.

Yeah, were definitely not holding back on snacks and stuff - I know Disney has a ton of yummy treats. The one thing we can't justify is a full lunch meal when were planning on going out to dinner anyway! But yes, we are planning on at least one snack a day as well as our dinner out! Thanks for the tips!