Last minute trip - URGENT advice needed!

[gurziwan]

Hello! I'm new to this community and would love some advice.

My husband and I just recently found out that we will both have time off next week and so have booked a last minute holiday vacation to Disney World (12/22 - 12/25). I love planning ahead so this is very crazy for me and I would appreciate some advice.

Trip info:
- We've never been to WDW, but have been to Disneyland in California a couple years ago.
- We are staying onsite and have 4 day park hopper passes but our flight is on Christmas evening so we actually only have 3.5 days to spend in the parks.
- So far the plan & booked FPs are for: 12/22 Epcot, 12/23 Magic Kingdom, 12/24 Hollywood Studios, 12/25 (half day) Animal Kingdom.
- In general, our priority is attractions and shows and we really want to get to as many as possible. We are not focused on characters or dining

So here are my most pressing questions:
1) Is 7 am - noon enough for Animal Kingdom. We couldn't get FPs for Pandora this late but have them for Kilimanjaro, Expedition Everest, River Rapids. Is there time from any other park that you would cut out to give more to animal kingdom?

2) I'm very confused about what the best FPs for Magic Kingdom would be for us. Here are the options:
a) We have Big Thunder, Peter Pan, Seven Dwarfs - but they are from 6 - 11 pm meaning we would not be able to get extra FPs. (FYI the scheduling doesn't overlap with shows.)
b) Should we give up those to get FPs earlier in the day for Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, & Speedway. They are currently available throughout morning/noon.
* I guess the question comes down to whether it's useful to finish 3 FPs early on and keep getting more during the day (does this work in peak season) or keep the coveted late FPs. Also considering we plan to be there for rope drop and stay until midnight.

I'll likely have some more questions by tomorrow. Thank you!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Hello! I'm new to this community and would love some advice.

My husband and I just recently found out that we will both have time off next week and so have booked a last minute holiday vacation to Disney World (12/22 - 12/25). I love planning ahead so this is very crazy for me and I would appreciate some advice.

Trip info:
- We've never been to WDW, but have been to Disneyland in California a couple years ago.
- We are staying onsite and have 4 day park hopper passes but our flight is on Christmas evening so we actually only have 3.5 days to spend in the parks.
- So far the plan & booked FPs are for: 12/22 Epcot, 12/23 Magic Kingdom, 12/24 Hollywood Studios, 12/25 (half day) Animal Kingdom.
- In general, our priority is attractions and shows and we really want to get to as many as possible. We are not focused on characters or dining

So here are my most pressing questions:
1) Is 7 am - noon enough for Animal Kingdom. We couldn't get FPs for Pandora this late but have them for Kilimanjaro, Expedition Everest, River Rapids. Is there time from any other park that you would cut out to give more to animal kingdom?

2) I'm very confused about what the best FPs for Magic Kingdom would be for us. Here are the options:
a) We have Big Thunder, Peter Pan, Seven Dwarfs - but they are from 6 - 11 pm meaning we would not be able to get extra FPs. (FYI the scheduling doesn't overlap with shows.)
b) Should we give up those to get FPs earlier in the day for Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, & Speedway. They are currently available throughout morning/noon.
* I guess the question comes down to whether it's useful to finish 3 FPs early on and keep getting more during the day (does this work in peak season) or keep the coveted late FPs. Also considering we plan to be there for rope drop and stay until midnight.

I'll likely have some more questions by tomorrow. Thank you!

1. I think 7-noon is okay for Animal Kingdom: I like that you have a fast pass for the safari and everest. Personally I don't care for the rapids but if you like getting drenched then you might, or you can use it as a throw away fast pass in case something for Pandora pops up. I would keep checking for one of the Pandora rides to pop up and if it does lose the rapids fast pass. If you are set on doing something in Pandora and a fast pass doesn't pop up go there with the herd when it first opens and you should have enough time for one of the 2 rides. I like Pandora but honestly I would be happy touring just the other AK attractions.

2. If you are spending the whole day at the MK I would start my fastpasses about an hour after opening, that first hour will give you time to go on rides with a short wait. While I love your three later fast passes (those are usually my first 3 of the day) waiting until 6 pm to use your first fast pass is might make for a long day at the MK. I would get there at rope drop and if 7Dwarfs is a must do I would go there first, then Peter Pan and then maybe Big Thunder. And have ideally have my first fast pass start about an hour after park open. Going right away to 7Dwarfs will probably give you about 20-30 minutes wait/ride depending on how fast you get there, then about 30 minutes for Peter Pan. So in the end I would rather have fast passes to play with later in the day for MK or if I wanted to hop to another park.

We have done the late fast passes at the MK too when we rope dropped it or another park early and then took a pool break, then it was nice to have some big fast passes later for the MK.

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

Wow how exciting! And congrats on your first upcoming WDW trip!

A word from someone who has been burned before...FL is known for its hot humid and sunny climate but what some don’t know is that it can get into the 40s and even 30s in the winter months. Your half AK Day is good timing, but look at the weather for your Kali River Rapids FP because you may not want to get soaking wet in anything lower than 60° (well that’s just me at least). Unless it’s a fluke hot day, the line likely won’t be long so if there’s another FP available, I’d switch up.

I would also pack FPs in early at MK so you can get more later for sure.

Have fun!

 

[wdwfamilynh]

I’d suggest swapping your half-day at Animal Kingdom with the full day at Hollywood Studios.

 

[21stamps]

1. I think 7-noon is okay for Animal Kingdom: I like that you have a fast pass for the safari and everest. Personally I don't care for the rapids but if you like getting drenched then you might, or you can use it as a throw away fast pass in case something for Pandora pops up. I would keep checking for one of the Pandora rides to pop up and if it does lose the rapids fast pass. If you are set on doing something in Pandora and a fast pass doesn't pop up go there with the herd when it first opens and you should have enough time for one of the 2 rides. I like Pandora but honestly I would be happy touring just the other AK attractions.

2. If you are spending the whole day at the MK I would start my fastpasses about an hour after opening, that first hour will give you time to go on rides with a short wait. While I love your three later fast passes (those are usually my first 3 of the day) waiting until 6 pm to use your first fast pass is might make for a long day at the MK. I would get there at rope drop and if 7Dwarfs is a must do I would go there first, then Peter Pan and then maybe Big Thunder. And have ideally have my first fast pass start about an hour after park open. Going right away to 7Dwarfs will probably give you about 20-30 minutes wait/ride depending on how fast you get there, then about 30 minutes for Peter Pan. So in the end I would rather have fast passes to play with later in the day for MK or if I wanted to hop to another park.

We have done the late fast passes at the MK too when we rope dropped it or another park early and then took a pool break, then it was nice to have some big fast passes later for the MK.

I’m going to second the part about Kali River Rapids. The past two Novembers have been too cool for me to ride it.. and that was in 80degree weather.
You may not mind being wet on a cooler day, but unless there is nothing else that you’d like a FP for.. skip the fast pass and wait in a short line. The FP won’t be needed, most likely.

 

[gurziwan]

Thank you to all for the great advice about switching the Kali Fastpass. I will definitely do that.

I've been working hard to change the MK FPs and here is what I have so far: morning - Space Mountain, afternoon -Splash Mountain, evening-Peter Pan. I guess what I'm trying to balance is how to have FPs be in the morning when they aren't available for the big rides and also the big rides aren't close to each other so it would mean walking from one end to the other just to make the FPs and then coming back for the other rides? Should I give up Peter Pan for Big Thunder FP an hour earlier? Is there a chance of getting more FPs 6pm in the evening?

I'm interested in getting a poll about Hollywood Studios vs. Animal Kingdom. Or thoughts on going to Animal Kingdom 12/24 morning to be sure to catch Pandora (8 - noon) and then hopping to HS and leaving 12/25 for whichever we want more time at? Does park-hopping waste a lot of time?

 

[gurziwan]

The other option would be morning at AK then evening Epcot?

 

[yensid67]

I’d suggest swapping your half-day at Animal Kingdom with the full day at Hollywood Studios.

I AGREE! I CONCUR! LOL! DHS is nothing but a big construction zone and from what I can remember, there are only a handful of attractions...I would use DHS as the half day OR SKIP DHS entirely and use the half day for some last minute attractions! Maybe use for Pandora IF you can't get a FP. This way you can concentrate on the rest of AK and enjoy it, then go back to AK on the half day and just do Pandora, have a lunch and then head out!

 

[JillC LI]

I'd switch DHS to a half day park. I'd want to at least try for one of the Avatar rides either at rope drop or else standby if I had longer to wait online. Plus I wouldn't want to miss the Rivers of Light show at night.

 

[Bullseye1967]

I would move you MK FPs much earlier in the day, switch your DHS and AK days, and rope drop AK to get a chance to do FoP without an insane wait time. I would devote at least a full day to Epcot, as there is a lot to see and do.

 

[gurziwan]

I would definitely like to spend more time in AK I was just worried about missing the DHS evening/night shows. We only have 3 nights at the parks so that means missing one park’s night time show.
We’ve seen a version of Fantasmic in California so it would be DHS’ (jingle bam, movie magic, Star Wars night show) versus AK’s rivers of light. Thoughts?

 

[gurziwan]

I would move you MK FPs much earlier in the day, switch your DHS and AK days, and rope drop AK to get a chance to do FoP without an insane wait time. I would devote at least a full day to Epcot, as there is a lot to see and do.

Thanks for answering my questions. The main rides don’t have FPs left in the morning - I’ve been checking persistently. So I have them spread out from 9 am to 6 pm. Is your reasoning for earlier FPs to be able to keep getting FPS through the day?

 

[21stamps]

I would definitely like to spend more time in AK I was just worried about missing the DHS evening/night shows. We only have 3 nights at the parks so that means missing one park’s night time show.
We’ve seen a version of Fantasmic in California so it would be DHS’ (jingle bam, movie magic, Star Wars night show) versus AK’s rivers of light. Thoughts?

I’m always in the minority here, but I would much rather spend an evening at HS vs AK.
I love Animal Kingdom, but we love Hollywood Studios even more.. it’s a full day park for us. I think they have the best evening entertainment outside of MK.

Jingle Bell Jingle Bam was cute. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity to see the SW show.. had it been playing during either of my last visits- we would have been there!

 

[Bullseye1967]

I would definitely like to spend more time in AK I was just worried about missing the DHS evening/night shows. We only have 3 nights at the parks so that means missing one park’s night time show.
We’ve seen a version of Fantasmic in California so it would be DHS’ (jingle bam, movie magic, Star Wars night show) versus AK’s rivers of light. Thoughts?

From that point of view, I do love Fantasmic! and the Star Wars show. I think the Star Wars show is very under rated, but then again I am a Star Wars geek. Will you have a car? You said you have Park Hoppers, so maybe go back to DHS in the evening? I can spend a whole day at the limited options at DHS, but then again sometimes when Star Tours is a walk on, we ride it 6 or 7 times in a row This will not happen over your dates. The good news is usually the crowd levels at DHS are lower than other parks. Also realize the crowds will be at or near capacity on all your dates, so plan extra time to get from place to place. You will want to use as many FP as you can due to the crowds. I am still jealous you are going. We should be there now, but plans changed

 

[DisneyOutsider]

I would definitely like to spend more time in AK I was just worried about missing the DHS evening/night shows. We only have 3 nights at the parks so that means missing one park’s night time show.
We’ve seen a version of Fantasmic in California so it would be DHS’ (jingle bam, movie magic, Star Wars night show) versus AK’s rivers of light. Thoughts?

Animal Kingdom is the most thematically impressive theme park in North America in my opinion. I would definitely trade time at DHS for more time at AK. However, Fantasmic is a really good show, and while I love the ambiance of AK at night, the evening show at AK, River of Lights, isn't really a must-see. You could spend most of your day at AK and park-hop late afternoon in time to see some of the cool night-time shows at DHS like Fantasmic and Jingle Bells Jingle Bam. But I'd caution that this would make for an incredibly exhausting day.

 

[Driver]

I would move you MK FPs much earlier in the day, switch your DHS and AK days, and rope drop AK to get a chance to do FoP without an insane wait time. I would devote at least a full day to Epcot, as there is a lot to see and do.

^^^^^^ what he said and definitely get to AK for rope drop to catch FOP. Don't let the long stand by line fool you in the morning that's when it moves the fastest. They limit FP in the morning on purpose. I have been there in the am with crazy long lines and was on the attraction in 70 minutes!! In contrast I have been there in the afternoon when the line was in the garden / jungle area and it took 4 hrs. before I got on the seat. I have been on the attraction many many times, don't blow it off it's probably one of the best to date!!

 

[Worldlover71]

Fantasmic in HS is great but not as great as Fantasmic in Disneyland so since you will have to skip something, skip that. I am also a bit concerned about your MK FastPasses. With crowds as heavy as they will be, I don't know if you will be able to get additional ones. Get FP for whatever your top three priorities are, whatever time they are available.

 

[21stamps]

I think the OP, if I’m reading correctly, is talking about the other night time shows at Hollywood Studios- JBJB and Star Wars etc.. not debating between RoL to Fantasmic.

Good luck in your decision @gurziwan .. my vote is early AK and an afternoon and evening at HS. . But that’s me, my best advice is to compare the two parks online, spend more time at whichever one has more offerings that you’d enjoy.
Just know that Hollywood Studios is not a half closed park or one big construction zone. There’s still so much to do! Imo it’s better now than it ever was before.

 

[Seeshark]

- I would definitely not miss Animal Kingdom. I love it there. I think a half-day is enough to catch all the highlights. I would get there well before rope drop for FOP since you don't have a Fast Pass. I got there 80 minutes before rope drop and was on and off both Pandoara rides 15 minutes after they had opened, which left me the full morning to do everything else. I think you got the other big FastPass gets, though again, if it's cold, you may want to skip the rapids - maybe do Dinosaur. I love the Lion King show and the Tough To Be A Bug shows as well. You could hit all the highlights this way in a half day, but you could also easily stay longer - there's a lot to do there.

- Maybe do Seven Dwarfs at rope drop, then if you have time depending on what time your morning Space Mountain FP is, see if you can bang out Peter Pan, since that's not too far away. It probably will be jammed up, but if you get lucky, then you can start looking for extras once you're through Splashdown.

- Tower of Terror and Star Tours are two of my favorites in all of Disney World. The Aerosmith coaster is pretty awesome. After that, I could take or leave HS. I do like the Muppet theater though. Launch Bay was OK. We usually get through it in a half day. Maybe you could do Animal Kingdom at night (which is neat) and come back in the morning. Or go back to MK that night. Fireworks are a good time to maybe sneak on a couple rides.

- You also may want to use your park hopper to go back to Epcot for a couple dinners. Move HS to your departure day - spend the morning/afternoons at the other parks and do dinner in Epcot. Something to consider...

 

[yensid67]

I would definitely like to spend more time in AK I was just worried about missing the DHS evening/night shows. We only have 3 nights at the parks so that means missing one park’s night time show.
We’ve seen a version of Fantasmic in California so it would be DHS’ (jingle bam, movie magic, Star Wars night show) versus AK’s rivers of light. Thoughts?

since you have seen the dl version of fantasmic, I would DEFINITELY make RIVERS OF LIGHT A MUST DO! It's new and something you have NOT SEEN yet!