How do you choose park order?

Walt Disney World Crowd Calendar
1

I go to WDW 1-2 times per year, with any of my kids who are willing to join me (ages 10-25). DH goes to WDW about once every 5-7 years, and decided the time is now…er, March.

I’m hoping to make a kick-butt plan so he has a great time and wants to attend with us more often. He knows I’m a planner. He just hasn’t seen it in action AT the parks lately—just the prep work from other trips. So I’m putting pressure on myself to select a park order that doesn’t kill his feet, and gives us the lowest crowds in an already busy week of March. With all the crazy factors that can skew a crowd prediction calendar, how do YOU decide a park order that works for you, with hopefully the least crowds?

Observe the calendar somewhat (all parks 7-9 out of 10, every day)?

Save the best park for last?

Book your preferred dining times, then book parks around those?

Make 11 spreadsheets because you’re a numbers geek, like me?

Never MK on a Monday?

Say “screw it” and just go with liner knowledge and G+ , since its spring break and gonna be crazy?

I think we want to do a pattern of:
Thurs–Arrival day/no parks
2 park days
1 resort/rest day
2 park days
Wed–Return home

I’m thinking, don’t do EP and MK back to back in that schedule, to help our feet. But otherwise, im not finding a good answer. The crowd calendar numbers are too close, so im struggling.

I can candle crowds, and so can the kids (10 & 13) But we zig when others zag. DH doesnt need a scooter, but will struggle to enjoy the trip if we do our usual zig zag.

What park order would you do, if going to each one, once?

4 Likes
2

My park day choices are centered on the fact that I will not go to my favorite park (MK) on arrival day. Why? Because I want to see it when it first opens for the day. I love the feeling of walking right down the middle of Main Street USA when it’s not packed with people. Therefore, MK tends to always be day two. All the others are planned around that. I generally don’t plan the park based on the crowd calendar - because I have a certain amount of time, and the crowd is what it is.
Next trip I arrive on a Saturday and planning to do EPCOT. Seems like a bad idea because Saturday night will likely be a drunk fest for the locals. However, the drunks give me a reason to leave and go to DS. Otherwise, I just don’t make time for DS.

I definitely understand what you mean about saving your feet. EPCOT is brutal in that regard. For example, when you’re beat tired and have to walk from say Japan to the front of the park or IG. It would be better if you didn’t have to dodge and weave the crowd/bottlenecks. IMO, MK and AK are the best feet saving parks due to their layout and the amount of shows, sit down spaces, and sit down rides.

5 Likes
3

We

always park hop

usually try to be at the tap styles before the park opens

always try to stay on property

usually leave a morning park by 11:30

almost always spend a few early afternoon hours in our room

won’t wait more than 20 - 30 min in a line

haven’t used genie

aren’t interested in experiencing each attraction in each park
.
.
When I start planning I think in terms of blocks of park time. Roughly 3 morning hours and about the same amount of evening hours.

I don’t use a spreadsheet - I use a calendar with each day separated into morning and evening.

I look at the morning hours of a park on the crowd calendar and figure out the average crowd level for just that time. I do the same for the evening hours. And make note of the crowd levels.

I do the same for each block of each day and each park.

I look for the block with the lowest crowd level for each park. That starts to fill in which park for which day.

HS might have a high crowd level for Wednesday overall but the last 3 hours of the day might have reasonable crowd levels. Or the first 3 hours. And that’s when you go to HS.

We will also do just Adventureland and Frontierland. And now that it’s operating again, we’ll use the train. Or we’ll do just a few countries near the boat dock.

As you say, you’ve been to WDW a lot. You’ll be there again, likely.

For this trip, what is your DH interested in? Shows? Eating? Parades? Animals? Looking for hidden Mickeys? Pin trading?

One year our AK morning involved getting on the first Rafiki train to watch what the AK animal team were doing that morning. Turned out to be a wellness check of a not small komodo dragon. We stood for 2 hours watching and didn’t even realize it was any time at all.

8 Likes
4

Mostly this. I try to avoid MK on Saturdays, but some might say things have changed the past couple years and it doesn’t matter as much as it used to. Without doing a deep dive and given your desire to avoid EP and MK back-to-back, my initial reaction is MK on Friday, AK on Saturday, Epcot on Monday (are you on-site and is there Extended Evening Hours that day?) and HS on Tuesday.

1 Like
5

With 2 MK days I like to bookend it since it’s special I feel you need to start with it and then end with it. The other days I prioritize in order of hardest to get ADRs, putting those parks towards the end.

2 Likes
6

He’s interested in HS and EP the most. I was thinking EP on one of our last 2 days. We are on property, but not deluxe for the extra evening hours on a Monday.

2 Likes
7

This is what i would normally think, too. But the crowd calendar shows Sat as the 6/7 as compared to an 8 the rest of the time. I’m stuck between follow the math and follow the logic of MK is crowded on weekends, too.

2 Likes
8

We are on site but at at Pop so I can spend more on dining experiences that might interest him. Also, hes never been on the Skyliner as his last trip was Oct 2016. He’s not seen Galaxys Edge, Flight of Passage, Guardians… I tried to do a split stay with Swolphin points, but…not possible.

2 Likes
9

I’m basic and like to see Main Street and the castle on the first morning. From there I base it on TP crowd level and park hour predictions. Modify if needed for ADRs.

I also like to start at a new park each of the first four days. That’s what I’m planing for our trip this month. Not knowing if we’ll stay there all day, I made ADRs for lunch those four days and left dinner open. Then did the opposite for the last two days (6 day hopper). That allows the flexibility to make those last two EE park decisions based on what we didn’t get to previously.

Ideally the trip would close with MK fireworks. We’re not doing that this time, because I wanted to see the final “Disney on Broadway” performance (featuring 4 singers instead of the usual 2) which happened to fall on our last day. Saying goodbye to the parks from the Skyliner sounds pretty good too.

2 Likes
10

I also like to save DHs feet (and my own).
Crowd calandar is important me in determining the overall trip dates. I will target a park that is showing a significant difference over the other parks if that happens to take place but a one or 2 level difference doesn’t equate to THAT much with a good TP. I will avoid AK on higher crowd days. But this is my peace park and people don’t equal peace to me.

I don’t care what park I end with but I do like to do something special on the evening before we leave. This can be a very nice meal, a nighttime show, enchanted extra- just something special to say farewell.

I rarely book parks around dining. If you have a couple things you know will knock DHs socks off, try to get those couple things.

I :heart: spreadsheets. I make a couple (8).

I can’t say that the day of the week impacts my MK visit. Crowds do. And MK is forgiving on crowds because there is so much to do.

And you’re going during Spring Break so you already said SCREW IT :joy: :joy:

I like your plan of attack and having the rest day in the middle. I would suggest the day before the rest day be your MK day. For me, this is the late night park and sleeping in the next day is wonderful. In this senerio, I would have Epcot be the day following your rest day because, fresh feet for all the extra walking.
Beginning with AK can be nice but I would personally have it as my last park day. It’s that relaxing park where you can easily sit and enjoy the atmosphere. HS is chaotic and requires stamina IMO, lol. Making this your first park day is wise because you are at your peak performance then. And it is the park I feel you do less walking in if you plan it right. So having the MK day after should be tolerable. You could do AK first day and HS last day though and I think it would work out just fine as well.

1 Like
11

If he is a SWs fan, end your trip with HS.

12

Where do you find crowd levels for different parts of the day?

1 Like
13

I don’t know if they’re still around with the website update. I’ll look now

2 Likes
14

There used to be a graph thing iirc when you clicked on a particular park and day.

2 Likes
15

I did go to MK last Thanksgiving :joy:. The rest of the week was surprisingly manageable but I do have a pretty high pain tolerance :woman_shrugging: So I’m thinking, if I can handle THAT, I’ll be fine. I’m just not sure what DH’s level of “fine” is these days.

What you described is pretty much what my first plan happened to be: HS, MK, rest, EP, AK. But might reverse those last 2 because AK is unusually high crowd that last day.

DH has now decided he might golf on MK day and join us for 3 of 4 parks. Whatever, I’m just glad he’s joining us. DDs 13 and 10 can’t wait for him to experience FoP, GotG and RotR. Not sure I’d get him on Tron anyway. I cant wait for him to hear the witty comments and magical moments from the kids while we enjoy the parks.

2 Likes
16

I’m not finding the colored graph thing that I used so much.

You can use the current crowd calendar selecting for date and park and then comparing the 10 am ride waits across the mornings of your trip. Or the 7pm ride waits.

I don’t feel that the ride waits provides the same info that the previous crowd calendar charts supplied. Part of the crowd description was how much effort moving around required.

I suppose elevated ride wait times will indicate more folks in the walkways.

2 Likes
17

Select TP logo, then My Dashboard, then select the TP logo which will give you a different page, which you can scroll down to crowd calendars.

Select crowd calendar access

Then scroll down to a calendar which you can adjust to the month, day and park relevant to your trip.

1 Like
18

That is so cool! Thank you!!

1 Like
19

You’re very welcome.

More info is always good. :blush:

1 Like
20

I have a similar DH, he goes because it makes us happy but isn’t interested in going as often as we’d like to go.

Last trip he really enjoyed because I really reined in my tendency to try to see and do everything. Similar to @janamelia’s recommendation, we did chunks of park time to hit highlights and then plenty of down time for a leisurely meal or pool time or something restful.

I used genie+ to do an afternoon/evening at HS after a sleep in morning. Stacked LL so we just strolled from one attraction to the next with minimal waits. Also he’s a Star Wars fan and really enjoyed making a droid with our son and I gave him plenty of time to take in Galaxy’s edge. I guess that pretty much boils down to I didn’t rush him that trip, and he was much happier than the trips I felt the pressure to get to everything.

2 Likes