We’re using the Adult Afternoon AK touring plan for what might be our only day at AK this May. As it happens, it’s predicted to be a crowd level 7, with EMH. We have never seen Pandora or Rivers of Light, but are familiar with all the other rides/attractions. I expect to have FP for FOP, ROL, and KS.
I know the usual pattern is to get a FP for either FOP or NRJ and then RD the other one, but that’s not possible with an afternoon arrival.
What’s the wait time for NRJ near closing on a level 7 day? I’d really hate to miss it but our AK day falls right in the middle of the trip, after a late night and it’s that exact scenario where the family is just too tired to do RD, never mind EMH. They’ll rebel if I try!
I just checked the wait time on MDE app. For NRJ, it currently list wait time of 105 and TP has today listed as CL 4 and it is mid-day. Perhaps you could try and find a day that is CL 7 and then check wait time around closing to get an idea
You can actually use the TP website to look at predicted wait times down to the minute for any given ride on a particular day at a particular time. If you search for “Navi River Journey Wait Times” it will show you today’s date and prediction for the whole day. In the URL, modify that date to the date you want to go and you’ll get your minute-by-minute predictions. I think this is it:
Yes, I did that. It’s giving me times that are around a half hour, which is great. I’m hoping someone can tell me if they’ve ever actually tried doing a CL 7 day with a late arrival AK, or been able to ride NRJ late on a CL 7. I know TP is fairly accurate, we’ve used it before, but I’d just really hate to miss out on this ride if I plan the day that way.
Yes, we had a late arrival to AK on Thursday, March 29th of this year. It was a few days before Easter so a very busy time. CL was predicted 7, actual was an 8. We were planning on riding Navi at rope drop, but got there late (the 3 hour time change from the west coast is a killer!) and never could pick up a same day FPP for Navi after we used our initial 3. That evening we ended up with a day of FPP for FOP, and since we were in Pandora, thought we would give Navi a try before park close. The time posted was around 30 minutes, this was maybe 10:45pm so 15 minutes before the park closed at 11pm. In actuality, it was walk on. We enjoyed it, but won’t give up a FOP FPP for it, so rope drop or end of the night is the way to go.
One suggestion with your plan to get a FPP for ROL. If you do this you will be limited to only the 3 pre-booked FPP for your day, with no chance of getting more. This is not a good plan in my opinion, getting the most from a park when you only have one day involves getting same day FPP after you use your first 3. Instead, I would do one of the following options:
Book a ROL dining package at Tusker House or Tiffins. We do this every trip, probably 5 or 6 times at this point. It saves you from having to use a FPP for it, freeing them up for the day.
Try to get ROL FPP later in the day, after you have gotten several same day FPP.
Thank you for that advice! I didn’t like that ROL FP either, but we haven’t ever seen it so I didn’t want to risk missing it. I had Tiffin’s “penciled” in for dinner, so that package works perfectly!
I know what you mean about the West coast, we are coming in from the Rockies but fortunately several days earlier so there will be time to adjust before we hit the parks. The good thing is, think how late you can leave on your last day and still get home “early”!
We’re also flying in from the West Coast on a red-eye. We land at 6am and will try to do RD-close at Epcot, then RD EMH at DHS the next day. We have a break that afternoon, but that morning is not going to be pretty. I’m planning on instituting an “early bed, early rise” program the week before we leave to try to get a little adjusted beforehand.
That might be better than wasting a day flying, which is what usually happens. I always have to make connections. If I could get a red-eye from SLC that might be something to try. Lord knows, these booking engines are always trying to give one to me even when I don’t want it!
Wow! That is going to be one long day and a half. Hopefully you can sleep on the plane. I am taking the red eye from Seattle to Orlando in December, and figure I will arrive tired and cranky at 5:45 am, of course that is 2:45 am our time. It was just another $100 to add a night at Pop, so that is what I did. I will land, drive straight to Pop and sleep for a few hours. Hopefully 3 hours. That’s pretty much what I would get if I just took the super early flight the next morning since I am a night owl and would have to be up by 3:30am. This is only the second red eye I will have done in the last 15 years.
I just scouted out my flights and it looks like we could easily do RD on our last day if we needed to, to squeeze in NRJ if we miss it. The last train to Clarksville is around 6:30 pm, not bad!
I secretly love my new AK touring plan so much, I really want to do it on a crowded day just to see if it works! We could always use that last day as a back-up, if needed.
