May trip, Touring Plan critiques

Here’s hoping they all head to HM first instead.

I’m an eternal optimist so bare with me on this one. Only 2 rides as tier 1 seems odd to me. Everyone has the ability to use FP+. Are they assuming SDD & MFSR FP+ lines can accommodate HS’s entire crowd? I think not, which makes me think maybe MMRR will be tier 1 as soon as it opens??? I know, its optimistic, but its a theory.

I think MMRR will eventually be tier 1. Not sure if it will be initially, nor by our trip. Regardless, it won’t change much for us. We’ll have to do Standby for those rides regardless since we only get to book 30 days out.

No. They assume most people will still have to wait in the standby queues.

Everything I’ve read about Jedi Training says you need to be there 30 minutes before the show starts. Also I’ve seen that it’s 20-25 minutes long, as opposed to the 15 minutes in TP. I added a couple of breaks in my plans on either side of it to play it safe.

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We’ll be in the park at 7:00, so we can sign up on our way to SWGE. But Touring Plans won’t let me schedule anything before 9:00.

My plan actually has 27 minutes of free time around lunch that will allow proper cushioning.

Are you starting things at 7:00am assuming they’ll be continuing the early opens into May?

Yes. If that changes, I will have to replan by eliminating things. Jedi Training is something my DS10 isn’t even sure he wants to do, for example.

Yeah, we’re heading out in mid-April; I suppose I could make a similar 7am plan, as well.

We’re doing only Star Wars stuff on one HS day, but everything is in such flux that I’ve just got a basic template assuming no FP+ except probably Star Tours…

Was thinking another tier 1 option might add more tier 1 availability to 30-dayers, but yes, its a bit overly optimistic.

Best bet for that is if they announce expanded hours at less than 30 days out, then if I’m really quick, I could get a tier 1. Maybe.

Lots of thoughts on HS… (Here are our days: HS report)

Jedi Training: We signed up after RDing some attractions. I want to say we signed up for it around 0830 after we did Star Tours. I can’t really remember. The main point is that you probably don’t have to do it immediately at RD (even if you wanted that first 0940 slot though who knows). Then you won’t sacrifice more waiting time in the MFSR queue. Also, my 11 year old son enjoyed Jedi Training even though he was initially doing so his sister’s (age 6) confidence would be bolstered.

MFSR: We RDed this on our 2nd morning and did pretty well getting off at 0753. The line behind us was substantial. It got up to 130 minutes at 0730 (MFSR wait times on 16 Jan 2020). At 0709 there were observed wait times of 80 minutes. It paid to be in the ‘front’ (not really as we got in the RD crowd around 0630). Stopping to sign up for Jedi Training easily would’ve put you in that 2 hour queue. All that said, with the changes coming to HS by your May time frame (MMRR, FP tier changes) it remains to be seen how it will affect MFSR at RD. I imagine the wait will still be substantial.

Same day FPP availability: ToT was definitely more available than either TSMM or RnRC. I’d try to move up your FPP (which I think will be possible when they change park opening time within the 30 day window). I think you could wait 5 minutes instead of 30+. Really, I think you could probably get SDD or MFSR as long as you get TP updates on days you’re tracking.

Right now, if you use today as an example, the ONLY attractions with same-day availability are ToT and RnRC, but not until evening. We don’t mind waiting for ToT in SB. It is interesting, and air-conditioned. RnRC may be air-conditioned, but the queue is really annoying by comparison.

Wait times in the morning hours in HS are the worst, now that everyone is showing up at 7:00 for ROTR, but I found by moving most of the attractions to late afternoon, evening there was not only more FP availability at 30 days out, but the standby lines are shorter.

Anyhow, I definitely foresee my HS plan changing the most between now and the actual trip! Too many moving parts. :confused:

Here is our Day 3: EPCOT.

https://touringplans.com/plans/print?id=4025005

Ryan, I’m going the week before you and your predictions are killing me! lol!
7 am opening at HS…ugh! Not what I want to hear. Dragging the littles out that early to MAYBE get a BG (and MAYBE at a time that we can even do) for a ride my DH really wants to do sounds horrible! If it’s 7, I may end up sending him alone to just get himself a BG if he really wants it.
And MMRR not having a FPP? Also not my favorite thought! I’m planning on saving a Tier 1 FP with all the hope I can muster that it will be useful for MMRR in May. I feel like Disney has to toss us a bone somewhere! lol! (I know they DON’T actually have to…but I’m hoping)

I’m curious…10 minutes per country? Is that because you’ve been there before? I haven’t been there since I was a kid, so it will be like new for me, so I feel like that’s pretty fast. I can dilly dally in a shop for 15 minutes! lol!

We’ve been many times, and EPCOT can be a two-day park for us. But this trip, we are only doing a single day in EPCOT. As a result, World Showcase is more or less seeing highlights and otherwise just walking through. (Really walking PAST.) It is unfortunate…although, if we want to pause and take a little more time, we could. I just didn’t want to do another full day after the previous day at HS.

But in December, when I go with just my wife, we’ll spend a lot more time in WS.

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Well…just hope I’m wrong. It happens from time to time. :slight_smile:

I wouldn’t wait too long to sign up for Jedi Training, but I don’t think it needs to be first thing. We thought it didn’t open until close to 9 so we headed over just before 9 and couldn’t get in until 1 pm. It obviously opened early, but not sure it was at 7 am with park opening. Does anyone know if there is a policy on this? Or they just open it whenever they feel like when park opening is before 9.

@michellekelly625…based on your experience would you say we’d likely be ok if we signed up for Jedi Training at like 8:30 on a CL4 day in May? We’d not be looking to do it until the afternoon (it’s in my TP for the 2:20 class)

Yes, based on our trip on Jan 16 of this year that sounds fine. It was a CL4 too. If it is a must-do then I would get there early. If not, I’d get a few rides done first. We wanted to do it earlier in the day so we were bummed by the 1 p.m. slot, but if you want the afternoon it shouldn’t be a problem.

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