1st day: Tradition vs Convenience

[Giggy]

Hi everyone. We are going to Florida for 2 weeks starting August 25th. Our first day is the Wednesday travelling, we drive to Manchester airport early in the morning and take the 9-10 hour flight to Orlando. Due to time differences it will be about 3pm but we don't plan to go to a park that day. On the first day we sort out the car, find where we are staying, get settled in and find somewhere for dinner.

The main question is the day after, a Thursday. Our usual tradition at WDW is to start with Magic Kingdom and catch the train to meet Mickey in toontown. However we had a look and realised that Magic Kingdom has evening EMH that day, therefore is likely to be busier. We checked our guide book (A Brits Guide to Disney World & Orlando) and it lists Magic Kingdom as being very busy, EPCOT as being average whereas MGM and Animal Kingdom are listed as having lighter days. We last went in 2004 so were planning to try out Toy Story Mania for the first time, it is supposed down for refurb for the first few days so were going to go later on in the holiday. Therefore our plan B was going to be Animal Kingdom on the first day, then maybe heading to Magic Kingdom that night for Spectromagic and Wishes. We will then spend more time at Magic Kingdom on a quieter day.

Is it therefore a good idea to make our first day in the parks Animal Kingdom? Is there a noticable increase in crowds at Magic Kingdom on Thursdays? If so we all like Animal Kingdom and would probably be happier starting there with less crowds. It also means we can try out Expedition Everest for the first time that day as they were building it when we last visited. As we are there for the end of August we have missed the very worst of the summer crowd but know it isn't going to be exactly quiet.

Thanks in advance. We are staying offsite so can't do EMH but have tickets that allow us to park hop.

(This is probably a longer post than needed to ask this question but as it's my 400th I figured I should make the most of it.)

[SBETigg]

I would say to choose one of parks listed as less busy. If you could do EMH and get the benefit of staying long past park close, it's a very good time to enjoy the park. But without the ability to stay through EMH to take full advantage, yes, that EMH park is usually pretty crowded and you'll probably get more out of choosing a different park for that day.

[forever a child]

I think since you can not take advantage of EMH that I would choose another park to avoid the crowds. Should be great!

[Giggy]

Wow, thanks for the quick replies.

I think we will do Animal Kingdom that day then. I think they have EMH at AK the day before so should be quieter on Thursday as a lot of the resort guests will have been there all night and wanting to do something different.

Animal Kingdom is what we agreed on earlier and think we'd all be happy starting there. Expedition Everest is a new ride for us so a good place to start. We're getting close to the exciting point where we start planning where we'll go each day.

[SBETigg]

Everest is great! You're going to love it. AK has won us over. We need two visits per stay now. It is weird to buck tradition, isn't it? Best to beat the crowds, though. Have a wonderful vacation!

[LVT]

Watch for the EE singles lines to the right of the regular line. When it is open it is way faster. Of course first you have to go thru and see the regular line's decor. Have a great trip.

[TheVBs]

I think you've made a great choice. I know how hard it is to change things around when something has become a tradition. In fact, when I've tried your plan in the past, for pretty much the same reasons, DH has dug in and insisted we start at MK. It all turned out fine with no real problems with the crowd levels, but it's nice to make sure you're starting out at a comfortable pace.

[Pigtunia]

Might I suggest you go to 'Ohana for your first night dinner? We find it's a great warm up to the whole vacation.
You get dinner in a WDW resort, you can watch the "Wishes" fireworks show, and you can see the "Electrical water pagent" on the Seven Seas Lagoon.

If you want a lighter day for your first one in the parks, AK is definitely the way to go.

[Goofy Texan]

I think its a good idea to start with a different park each trip. The first day is usually so enjoyable because you have full energy and the feet aren't sore. It allows you to see the park in a whole new light. For our trip in August we're heading to Epcot on day 1 for the first time. I'm really looking forward to it.

Anyway, I'm sure you'll throughly enjoy Animal Kingdom as your day 1 park!

[diz_girl]

If you don't visit the MK on Thursday, then definitely do it on Friday. Weekends and Mondays are always crowded at the MK, so I'm sure that you wouldn't want to wait too long to visit the MK.

[crazypoohbear]

I think because you are going so late in August that it would not be an issue with crowds at the MK mid week. Also, if it has EMH for the evening then MK might not be crowded in the morning as more people would go later in the day to take advantage of the EMH.

Animal kingdom is fine and I would suggest you go very early for the safari and to see the animals because by mid day they will be quite lethargic from the sun. So do the animal things first thing in the morning then do the rides.
Definately do the single rider line at EE!
Make sure you bring a change of clothes or a rain poncho for Kali river rapids.
Have a wonderful trip

[Giggy]

Update:


It looks like I misread the info, turns out the AM EMH on Thursday is Magic Kingdom while PM EMH is at Epcot. On the other hand Friday EMH is MGM in the morning and Magic Kingdom in the evening.

On the other hand my usual reliable book still says that Magic kingdom is very busy on Thursdays and quiet on Fridays.

Now I'm confused, do morning and evening EMH have the same effect on the crowds and if so why have I got MK listed as quiet on a day it has evening EMH? The plan had been AK on the first day and then MK on the day after. However if it is going to be busier on the Friday would we be better off starting at AK and then moving on to MK late afternoon, then going somewhere different for Day 2? Animal Kingdom is much more than a 'half a day' park for us but what we often do is split itup, spend the first part of 2 or 3 different days there and then move somewhere else by mid-afternoon because AK gets very hot.

Thanks in advance, hopefully this post makes sense but I've just been posting thoughts as and when they came.

[SBETigg]

Your usually reliable book might not have been accounting for EMH on those days, and might be figuring historic data on crowds for those days into the mix, which would further cloud your picture.

Morning and Evening EMH both do have an effect on crowds, probably in part due to people who enjoy EMH and don't believe in park hopping. Getting in to the park an hour early lets you get a lot done before crowds come in-- but if you don't plan to hop at that point, you're stuck in what becomes a more crowded park once the regular crowds show up, too. Similarly with Evening EMH, people who want that extra time at night might show up at any time during the day and not plan to hop, making a day at that park from midday at least until regular closing time a more busy than usual park.

If there are AM or PM EMH going on, throw out the usual logic and plan accordingly. This is why, again, I love park hopping. I can enjoy the morning EMH and hop on to another park for the afternoon and evening. Hopping isn't that much more expensive for the flexibility it provides. If you're hopping, you can just see how it is (but I understand that no one wants to waste time in transporting back and forth). But you can still manage if you're not hopping and even during EMH. There are some days that just don't see as many crowds. This could be one of those cases. So maybe you should just trust your instincts and play to tradition?

[disneymom2000]

I don't think I could ever buck tradition and start my vacation anywhere else than walking down Main Street USA. On two of my trips I could only stay for an hour or so but it was so worth it to get that magical feeling.

[faline]

I'd probably stick to tradition. If you find it's too busy for your liking, you still have the option to hop to a park that might be less busy!

I will have to say, when I read your post, I reacted to your statement that it would take 9 or so hours to fly to Florida from Manchester! My first thought was - no way! It's no more than 3-1/2 hours! Then I remembered thre's more than one Manchester so I checked and realized you're from the "original" Manchester! We often fly out of Manchester, New Hampshire. Oftentimes, when I search for Manchester, I end up with information on the wrong airport!

[chefmickey3]

I would go with tradition especially in light of your updated information. We always start in the MK and when we have postponed the second day until later in the week in order to do the other parks, it feels wrong.

You will love AK whenever you do it. Besides EE I would also make time to see the Nemo the Musical. It is a great show and air conditioned. I think that is new since the last time you were there.

Be flexible with planning - that is the joy of park hoppers. The crowds should be settling down when you are there - we traveled once in August and the crowds were markedly better than June and July.