Ok... Dumb question but....

[Otterhead]

We do get there early, and are able to ride most rides before the crowds get there

To some degree, the old Birnbaum's Guide tips still work pretty well:
• Get to the park when it opens. Head to your favorite rides immediately.
• When in doubt, head left instead of right.
• The park gets very busy in mid-afternoon. Leave, go back to your hotel. Swim. Relax. Nap.
• Come back in the evening when it's cool, less crowded, and beautiful.
• AVOID the MK on the weekends. It's a madhouse. Go to a water park or EPCOT.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

We love the new FP+ system. We go multiple times per year, so if we miss something, it's no big deal. We never did the rope drop dash to get fastpasses, as we are older and not that fast, and it just seemed crazy to us. We rarely used the old system, since it seemed counter-intuitive to rush to one side of the park for a FP, then leave for a few hours or longer, and them have to come back. More often than not, weNow we schedule ours to fit our schedule. Don't want to go to rope drop? No problem! Schedule the FP+s for later in the morning, and stroll into the park after the initial rush has died down. Stroll to your ride and off you go. We have always gotten to go on what we wanted every trip, it just sometimes takes a bit of planning. Nothing crazy to us, just some.

I will have to agree about 7DMT. Since it is the new kid on the block, it will be awhile before demand dies down. We did our FP+ at the 60 day mark just to be sure. You can also head straight there at rope drop, and ride with minimal wait.

 

[rsoxguy]

There is no such thing as a dumb question, just dumb answers. Like this one: The capital of Peru is Susquehanna.

 

[wedway71]

Thanks guys/gals... I know by not investing the time before.. I am investing the time there...

 

[J_Carioca]

You're missing out. The welcome shows are a great way to start the day!

Yes, it's sort of a goal of mine to do this once. Though it will take supreme effort as we are not morning people at all. I have, however, ended many a day at MK at 1, 2, or even 3 in the morning. As others have said, you can get more done between 11pm and 1am than in a whole day!

 

[BJones82]

We prefer to plan as little as possible. So we get our 1 or 2 ADRs setup in advance and that is it, we do most meals on the fly with the myDisney Experience App and Fast Pass Plus we do the morning of when we get to each park. We have only done this once, the last time we visited in September of last year but it worked great and are doing the same a month from now and for our wedding though for our honeymoon we will have some more ADRs I am sure sense it is a once in a lifetime event for us Anyway I think it all depends on what you prefer and what you expect out of visiting the parks. Just do what makes you happy and have fun while you are there!!