I’ve done DAH twice at MK. Typically I would expect to achieve FOP three times — including a leisurely walk through the richly themed, and literally empty, standby line, NRJ twice, EE and Dinosaur.
The strategy is not to head to FOP straight away. The standby line will be full of day guests and they take a while to clear. Your wait will be typical of a standard FPP entry. Later in the evening, FOP is a walk-on.
I’ve never regretted doing DAH. I’m not doing it on my next trip because the dates it is offered don’t work with my schedule. And I’m trying to cut costs a bit.
If my kids were more interested, I’d prioritize a second AK day over Epcot. And possibly over HS, but what that park will be like (and how many same day FPs you’ll be able to get) is a big unknown so having two HS days seems safer. With DAH at AK I’d be happy with one day I think.
If your main goal is to ride FoP several times, DAH is definitely worth the money. EE was down on our night on Monday so we did FOP 3 times in a row. Keep in mind each time on FoP takes 30 minutes minimum due to the lengthy preshow. All 3 were a walk on. We finished an hour early. We could have easily done it two more times but 3 is the tipping point when I started feeling nauseous, and I have a strong stomach.
Obviously, if your goal is to ride KS and Kali river rapids, or if you want to do any of the shows, you’ll have to get those in during the normal day hours.
We went to AK for 1 1/2 days in 2012 when DD and DS were 14 and 12 and Pandora wasn’t even open then. We all loved AK then and look forward to returning to AK. If it wasn’t for Galaxy Edge, we would plan to go to AK for 2 days in December instead of going to HS for 2 days. We would go 2 days for the ambience and the food.
We love the ambience. There is so much to do and see in AK. With one day, we have to prioritize and won’t get to do all the attractions. And may not be able to ride FOP more than once. I have read that Pandora is gorgeous at night. It would be great to wander the land leisurely and feast on the design. With one day, we have to be constantly on the move. 2 days would make it so much more relaxing. It is not a zoo but more like a rain forest (It has the hottest temperature of all the parks.), with very creative man made elements. But then, we really enjoy our natural environment. Having said that, last time, we loved the Safari ride, rode it twice, and got to see the lion on his iconic perch. This time, we are staying away because we have been to Denali National Park since then and have seen moose, caribou, Dall sheep, and other wildlife in their true natural surroundings. Safari ride just sadly doesn’t compare.
The food. There is so much to eat and not enough time and stomach space in a day. Our food list is so long for AK! We know we won’t be able to get to all of it.
We have to see how GE looks as the weeks march on. The news said GE reached capacity within minutes on opening day this morning. Then, the Ride of the Resistance opens on 12/5, 10 days before we visit… We are not keen on waiting in line beginning the middle of the night. We are a 6.5 hour drive or 1 hour inexpensive plan ride from Anaheim and my kids are at UCI and UCSD. We can easily go to DLR for GE later.
We’ll see how things shake out but we would welcome a second day at AK but wouldn’t pay DAH for 4 people. We don’t have park hoppers but if you do, that would help.
Let’s agree that GE threw a wrench into our anticipated trips but we can still have a great time.