We are heading down to Orlando at the end of the month - doing 2 days at Disney (HS & MK) and 2 at Universal b/c my boys became Potterheads over quarantine last year. We are planning to surprise them the morning we leave because with the way things are going in 2020/2021, we could have to PIVOT at a moment’s notice and I don’t want to have 2 disappointed kiddos.
We have been to Disney a few times, with our last trip in August 2019 - right before SWGE opened (purposefully to avoid the crazy HS studios crowds with SWGE’s opening). We are now heading back down for the first time since then, and per the usual, I have been going back and forth about how to tackle our days. I have always used a TP, and have never regretted it.
Having said that, I feel completely uncertain now about what to do with the recent announcement of ROTR transitioning to standby 3 DAYS before our trip. 
I know my 9 year old is going to want to ride everything and my 6 y/o will probably want to ride most everything except TOT and RNRC.
So, here are my questions…
- Having never done anything in SWGE (and likely not being able to come back for a bit), is ROTR an absolute must-do to the point that we should RD that, and risk not being able to hit all the other headliners? - OR-
- Should we RD Slinky, then head over to TOT/RNRC and hit up Smuggler’s Run later in the day, potentially missing out on ROTR?
Truly appreciate all your insight/input!!
So we do not know how this is going to go but I think the next plan of attack would be to tackle all the other rides and then do ROTR near park close. HS is not open that late so it would not be unreasonable with little kids. The amount of people that are going to stand in line at RD is basically going to make the rest of the park feel less crowded early on
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ROTR is the hands down best ride at the park. I would personally prioritize it over everything.
SWGE is a bit crowded first thing in the day so I would also recommend coming back later in the day to look around and explore the area. My son and I wandered over around 6 pm in July and I couldn’t believe how practically empty it was.
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Thanks!! So maybe hit the headliners (thinking that many may RD SWGE - especially with this new update) and then try our luck at hitting up ROTR late evening?
Thanks! This sounds like a good plan. Worst case scenario - the boys have never done the ride and don’t know it exists, so if we don’t make it, we’ll just keep in on the DL.
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If they don’t know ROTR exists, they won’t miss it so that’s a good strategy.
Unpopular opinion -I am not a SW fan. Never been on ROTR or MFSR. I’m curious, but wouldn’t pass on the other great rides in the park for it.
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We were there recently during a CL3 day. Your plan should be to be there early for rope drop then do SDD, MFSR, ROTR in that order. We rode with a BG but I got the impression that ROTR can handle massive volume so I expect lines to be manageable if you tackle all three in the first hour.
It is very important you are in front of the pack for SDD, if you aren’t then head over MFSR.
Is ROTR jawdropping? Well, I’m a hardcore fan and thought it was so-so. My kids were just ok, DD8 liked MFSR more. We would probably prefer TOT over ROTR.
I recommend leaving TOT/RNRC later in the day.
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Thanks! That was my other thought, too. As much as I really want to ride it, if we don’t make it - they won’t know what we’ve missed.
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Good to know! Thanks for the tips! I have been strategizing and re-strategizing LOL. Definitely want to at least ridge MFSR, even if we don’t get to do ROTR.
I would get all the other headliners out of the way first. Do a TP that does not include RotR and get through all the headliners you and your family must-do first.
Since the crowds are low right now, I would suspect you can get into RotR late in the day as others have mentioned. I am not clear on when they are going to close the standby line, but it is a good strategy to get in that line near the end of the day.
I would take in Star Wars all at once later in the day. That way you can immerse everyone in the story. If the crowds are low enough, you may get through everything else you want to do and then spend the afternoon/evening there.
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Love this idea and what I was kind of thinking strategy-wise! I’ve also heard SWGE is pretty at night. Will also probably try and hit up a ROTR cast member and see if they have a general idea of what time they’ve been cutting off the standby line at the end of the day so we don’t miss an opportunity to hop on before park close, if needed.
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