On a three-day trip would you spend two days from Rope Drop to end of EEHs? (Assumed to be 16-18 hours) or is that too much?
It would be three adults and three kids (ages 12, 11 and 9 - turning 10)
Debate is staying at Dolphin for two nights to take advantage of EEHs at Epcot and MK, OR staying at All Star for three nights and going to After Hours at Hollywood Studios.
Price is about the same and with both options it allows three full park days.
W/ Swan:
Monday - MK all day
Tuesday - AK
Wednesday - Morning at Epcot and then After Hours at HS
W/All Star
Monday - Magic Kingdom and then Epcot for EEH
Tuesday - AK
Wednesday - HW all day and then MK for EEH
In fact, I was just on a trip with my family that was four full days and at no time did we rope drop any park and it was still too much IMO.
Friday 2pm lunch, then 4pm-midnight at MK
Saturday 9:30am-3pm AK, short break for errands, HS 4:30pm-9:30pm
Sunday 9:45am-3pm MK, 3:30pm-9:30pm Epcot
Then a group took a side quest to UOR from 10a-5p on Monday
It was way too much. By the end we were all exhausted and sore. One member of our party skipped an evening because it was not manageable for her (mobility issues - she eventually agreed to a scooter and that helped). We ran from thing to thing really and didn’t enjoy the trip the way I prefer to. It was a great trip and we had fun, but it always felt like we were hurrying. That said, we were with people who requested to “do everything” so that’s what I gave them.
Thank you!
I also think it’s too much. That’s the situation I’m in - my family (who has been a fair number of times) has our trip booked for 7-days, staying at Yacht.
My sister and her oldest are coming for the first couple days and want to take advantage of the EEHs. I think they’d be better off with option 2 (at All Stars) and still get most of what they want done (e-ticket rides).
I should also add that to give them what they asked for I purchased ILL$ and G+ each day which my family will do only on a limited basis anymore. But it was the only way to stack things up so we could get as much in as possible.
On a solo trip - absolutely. It would kick my arse, but I would do it. With a group of people, or kids - I don’t think it would be possible without someone bailing, or being cranky, etc. I tried to do 16 hours in MK once (MNSSHP.) I would have nailed it, but at dinner I took a break for dinner at The Wave. Service was horrible and from walk over, dinner service, and walk back - it ate up 2.5 hours of my 16.
I’m a big fan of the parks & have worked Ops (rides) for multiple theme parks…
I want to say all that so you understand my POV…
You should absolutely NOT do full days with three children with you.
I’ve spent YEARS watching tired, crying, sunburnt (sun tired) kids & parents trying to do this. They’re never happy by very late afternoon / early evening (5pm - 6pm = IMHO)
I’ll do it solo or with another Mega Theme Park Nerd. It’s still a very long day. Plus, it wrecks your next morning. I’m going to MVMCP & Jollywood nights. I’ve tried to RD the next day… It’s so hard - even for a guy who LIVES for theme parks. I’ve got water park days planned after those nights that don’t start until 9:30am or whenever I get up!
I understand this is a big trip & investment. However, take a mid-day break!! I know this means you’ll most likely skip about 4 hours each day. That’s fine! Orlando is HOTTER than ever!!
Get out of the sun from 12pm - 3pm/4pm - maybe more… .You can stay in the parks late with EEH… (It will still be HOT even after the sun sets.)
I admit - even I got really cranky around 9pm at MNSSHP. I had a real anxiety moment where I had to pause, just get a Diet Coke and get away from large crowds for a few minutes… It was either that or yell at all the rude people…
I know that I would be cranky and might be able to last one day like this (with a rest day/sleeping in day after) but not three days in a row of open to close park days… I am trying to convince my sister to consider a different plan.
I think full days back to back to back is rough. We usually stay RD to close for a HS day, and my theme park-obsessed kid (12) wants to RD to EEH at 1 am at MK just to do it (that will be like 16 hours in park, 18+ with transportation). But not back to back!
Yes - that’s what the proposed plan is - day one, RD to end of EEHs (like 16-17 hours), then a “normal” open to close day at AK (I think this could be adjusted to sleeping in, late breakfast at Boma, then spend the rest of the day at AK til close and get to bed relatively early), then a RD to EEHs (17-18 hours) next day. Feels like a LOOOOONG time to be hoofing around the parks, standing in lines…
My family went in Feb this year and did some late nights, but usually did that after mid-day breaks or late mornings…my youngest (9) also fell asleep waiting for the bus after AfterHours.
By EEH, are you referring to the extra evening theme park hours that deluxe resort guests get? If so, you will not be able to take advantage if you stay at an All Star. Didn’t know if your sister was specifically looking at Beach Club for that reason / you were trying to convince her to switch and forget about the evening hours, or if someone was assuming the evening hours are like the olden days when all Disney hotels got to take advantage.
IMO, kids are going to want to swim and there needs to be time for that. It sucks passing by the pool and having to tell them no. Better to be able to say “not now, but yes this afternoon”.
Our last WDW trip - June 2022, so hot - DH and I were all about gong slow, hanging out at benches chatting with folks while the two teens with us were about rope dropping to maximize rides. We all did early afternoon resort rests followed by a supper together after which the teens rode as many rides as possible.
So we were together some and those that wanted to cover a lot of ground got to do that too.
Back in the 90s and 2000s we did open a park every morning, take an afternoon break and close a park every day, at the same time having 3 sit down meals a day. The parks weren’t as crowded, we rarely spent 20 minutes in a line and rode every ride we wanted.
In the 2010s we had to start dropping some of the table service meals due to lack of time, and we’ve stopped closing a park each night. We alternate closing or rope dropping.
The couple of trips that we did go open to close on one day made us question our sanity. It’s doable but not fun.
Yes, Extended Evening Hours -
Correct, she currently has the Swan booked so that she can take advantage of EEHs. (My family is at Yacht).
My suggestion was that she could switch to All Stars, lose the EEHs BUT then purchase the After Hours for Hollywood Studios instead (this keeps her budget in-line).
My concern is that she wants to do some really long days that I don’t know are reasonable and if we are tired and end up forgoing the EEHs she will have paid extra for the Swan without even using the benefit.
Of course, there’s the added benefit that the Swan is right by Yacht so we will be able to meet up to enter/leave parks together easily.
My family wants to do the AfterHours for my kiddos bday.
And I agree with the pool time - we love the Yacht for the pool! And our trip is longer so there will be lots of pool time for us - we prefer a more leisurely pace ourselves.
Trying to please everyone is proving to be difficult! lol
The group I just went with had not been in a very long time (like, decades). They were decades older and the parks have changed tremendously. I cautioned them at every turn that I wasn’t sure they really wanted what they were asking for. They continue to insist they did want to Do Everything - so that’s what I planned, as much as possible. I think next time they will be more choosy.
But even with our park commando style touring, we didn’t rope drop a single day
Yeah no. I can do one day like that and then I need to recover. That means you’re getting 4-6 hours of sleep by the time you get to your room, shower, etc. That doesn’t sound fun to me. However, looking at your specific plan if you did like a half day in AK either of those is probably doable and they look the same to me time wise (I’m also thinking they are flipped). However, the After Hours at HS is probably a better use of time than EEH at Epcot. It’s longer period of time and a smaller park walking wise and there are less people at those things (save for parties like MNSSHP). The problem with EEH at Epcot is the walking distance b/w the top tier attractions. Getting from Remy to GotG ain’t no joke and it’s over a mile so that eats up 20 minutes of walking time alone. You’re gonna be limited by what you can do in two hours because of those distances, not because of lines.
Yes, do this. If you’re doing AK for attractions it’s an easy park to do from lunch on. We ended up doing this on one 14 day trip cuz we really need a sleep in day and we accomplished all the major attractions including the walk thru trails. We didn’t do the small things like Rafiki’s.
