Hi all,
Thank you to everyone that spends their time answering and contributing to this forum, the information and encouragement I have been reading are priceless.
I am going to WDW next week with my 19-year-old twins for their college spring breaks.
I know spring break is crazy. That is the time they have and they want to spend it with their mom so that is that.
Context:
We will have a car
We are staying at Pop Century
We are doing one park a day: 3/14 AK, 3/15 DHS 3/16 EP 3/17 MK
We do want to spend time taking in our surroundings, theming, etc AND we want to ride as many rides as possible in the day we have in each park.
I am willing to throw money at whatever will make this the least stressful for everyone in terms of Genie+ and ILL and we will get up as early as needed.
Can I get to DHS and EPCOT in time to be in a good position for RD if we use Skyliner or should I just drive?
Planning to drive to AK and MK ( I know MK is the most annoying one to drive to, however we will head back to Tampa after that park so having the car makes sense, I think?
Should we all be on the same MDE/BG1 account or should we each have our own with the other two people linked?
As I work on my Touring Plans, I mark Yes, that I will buy ILL and when I click optimize, it goes back to No. Should I be clicking Evaluate instead of Optimize? I may have more questions after I manage to get a touring plan that uses ILL but I can’t seem to make it work. I have tried with DHS and EP at this point and it isn’t saving the ILL at my selection. Is the plan telling me not to buy ILL? Hope that question makes sense.
After you click “Yes”, then you need to click on the Configure box right below the “Yes” box. Then you add the time you are planning for the ILL (with ILL you can pick your return time as long as that return time is still available when you purchase). After you save the return time for the ILL, then Optimize should work.
Note: I have found that ILL works fine in a TP with Optimize, but I have not been satisfied with the Optimize results for predicted LL return times. For a TP with LL, I go to the “Additional Scheduled Return Times” box and enter my own thoughts on projected return times for LL attractions (based on my experience and information on the thrill-data website).
Yes. AK is a great park to drive to. And although MK is 100% the most annoying to drive to, your need for vehicle supersedes that annoyance because doing a bus transfer back to Pop is just as much of a PITA if you don’t drive. And driving will maximize the time you can stay at MK before leaving for Tampa.
Thank you! I guess I thought the TP would tell me what return time to pick or to aim for that would keep the day optimal. Any guidance around ILL return times to pick? Later in the day when lines are longer elsewhere so I can knock out other rides in the morning to take advantage of EEH and RD?
Generally I would avoid booking ILL for early-mid morning because crowds are generally lighter so it is a good time to ride SB with shorter lines and also ride your first LL so you can book another LL before the 2 hour window.
Here is what we did for the ILLs …
MK - booked 7DMT for 11:00 am-Noon. It was a 7:30 am EE day and we planned to RD and stay until around 4:30 pm. The thinking was that we would RD and get some other LL and rides in before the crowds got heavy. Then we would do 7DMT before lunch and continue to add LLs for the afternoon.
EP - booked Guardians for 1:30-2:30 pm. It was an 8:00 am EE day and we planned to RD and stay until 4:00 pm. The thinking here was we would RD Soarin’, then Remy LL, then character meet and greets in World Showcase, then lunch, and then Guaradians.
HS - booked Rise for 4:00-5:00 pm. We planned to sleep in, arrive around 11:00 am and stay until closing time. I woke up before 7:00 am to start stacking LL for the afternoon and evening. I booked Rise for 4:00 pm to give us time to get other LLs during the early afternoon.
AK - booked FoP for 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm. We planned to arrive around 10:00 am for Safari LL, then hit Dinoland, then lunch, and then Pandora (and leave around 3:00 pm).
Thank you! This is a huge help and it helped me see that just because I have EE doesn’t mean I have to use EE every day. I have been thinking about how to manage the late nights when we want to stay for whatever the evening thing is (fireworks, harmonious, etc) and the slog of getting back to the hotel AND also getting up early to get Genie Plus and LL/BG whatever. The EE also means getting an LL at 7 even if we don’t do RD so I am still taking advantage of staying on property. This really helps!
My kids were 7 and 4 during our trip this past fall so we had to consider this same issue. We did EE the first two days and then let the kids sleep in the last two days. I’ve noticed from past WDW trips that my kids have an easier time getting up early the first couple days and then is gets harder the later in the trip. So, the first two days we arrived at the parks early and left on the early side. The next two days we arrived at the parks later in the morning and stayed out late. We did MNSSHP after AK on our last day.
Note: Even on the “kids sleep in days”, DW and I woke up early to book LL and ILL at 7:00 so DW and I were tired with a couple late nights followed by early mornings. But it was worth it!
Well, my sleep deprivation concerns are only for me. My twins are 19-year-old college freshmen on spring break! I have the option of letting them stay in the parks for the late-night things without me, but then I will have FOMO and I can sleep when we get home. I don’t want to miss any time with them since now we have an empty nest and I am not sure how many more times I can count on both of them wanting to spring break with me. Thinking I can get one of them to wake up for the early bookings! Thanks for your thoughtful and helpful replies!
We are middle of the pack people, but we used the Skyliner to RD HS and it was fine for us! The line moves super fast. I don’t think it’s necessary to drive to EP unless you’d rather be in the front of the park instead of international gateway.
Welcome to the Forum! I’ late to the game but wanted to drop you a few lines.
Gotta hang out with those kids as long as they want us around! Have a fabulous trip, full of precious memories. Stop for lots of pictures, too.
I feel that everyone having their own MDE accounts and linked makes life easier, especially if you plan on the 7 AM first Virtual Queue, LL, and ILL availability. But totally okay for just one of you to get Virtual Queues/LLs/ILLs, too. Last month, DH was busy with the parking lot attendant at 7 AM. I got SDD for the first hour after park opening and then ILL for 3:45 pm. That was the earliest available time!
Having more than one account spreads the screen time around!
Yes! I was just thinking I hope I can remember to enjoy them and take pictures and not just worry about lines. They are both bringing their kindles to read in line, are fully prepared to wait ( they aren’t toddlers) and don’t want to burn their phone batteries. so I really need to take a breath! We all got our own accounts and DS has the BG1 on his phone as well BG and LL. Thanks so much, great advice and I have appreciated reading all of your contributions as I prepare.
I have the option of letting them stay in the parks for the late-night things without me, but then I will have FOMO and I can sleep when we get home. I don’t want to miss any time with them since now we have an empty nest and I am not sure how many more times I can count on both of them wanting to spring break with me. Thinking I can get one of them to wake up for the early bookings! Thanks for your thoughtful and helpful replies!
Pictures and BG1 usage drain the battery!