It’s April 15th, 2019, or the Monday before Easter, as we head back towards Frontierland via Liberty Square just after 10:30am. Nothing says liberty quite like the freedom to go to Walt Disney World on the second busiest week of the year. On the other hand, if our options were to go to Disney World from April 15th to 21st, or to Hollywood Studios on seven straight days from August 29th to September 4th, then maybe they made the right decision. Or if their options were to go to Walt Disney World from April 15th to 21st, or to Hollywood Studios any other day of the year, then it still makes a lot of sense that we’re here and not there. I certainly don’t judge.

In Part One, I covered what to expect from a regular 8am open, followed by the rush to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train first thing. Despite some of the heaviest afternoon crowds of the year, the 8am rope drop ended up being better than the usual 9am rope drop, in large part because your average guest isn’t going to be able to do what it takes to get here in time for an 8am open. Part Two continued our touring plan, focusing on why we do the things that we do, with stops in Adventureland for Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean, along with a pleasant ride on the Liberty Square Riverboat.

So far, this is what I’ve accomplished:

1. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: 8am – 8:19am
2. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: 8:20am – 8:27am
3. Peter Pan’s Flight with FastPass+: 8:30am – 8:38am
4. Haunted Mansion: 8:40am – 8:53am
5. Jungle Cruise: 9am – 9:16am
6. Pirates of the Caribbean: 9:20am – 9:43am
7. Liberty Square Riverboat: 10am – 10:22am

Things went surprisingly well  – I was expecting to finish up with Pirates of the Caribbean closer to 10:15am. My own success means that you could move considerably slower and still experience the first six priority attractions before it’s time to use our second FastPass+ of the day, which is at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Liberty Square Riverboat can be visited at your convenience later in the morning or afternoon.

As a reminder, here’s what wait times looked like over the course of the day:

Continue reading “Magic Kingdom Disney World Easter Week Late Morning Touring Strategy and Crowds”

We pick things up just before 9am on Monday April 15th, 2019, in Liberty Square amidst low crowds. It’s the perfect opportunity to stop for a moment and thank capitalism for the fact that not only are we here during the second busiest week of the year, but it’s also the second most expensive week of the year to visit. What’s more American than that? We’re continuing from Part 1, which covered what to expect from rope drop on a busy day with an 8am open.

As a reminder, this is what I’ve accomplished so far:

1. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: 8am – 8:19am
2. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: 8:20am – 8:27am
3. Peter Pan’s Flight with FastPass+: 8:30am – 8:38am
4. Haunted Mansion: 8:40am – 8:53am

The regular 8am open continues to be of great benefit. Obviously, if the Park opened at 9am, I would not only have visited zero attractions at this point in the morning, but I’d still be waiting in front of Cinderella Castle to be let into any of the Lands. Instead, I’ve already visited four priority attractions and I’m on my way to a fifth. It’s the perfect opportunity to stop and think about all of those suckers sleeping in and trying to relax on vacation, probably dropping in to a nice restaurant at their resort to enjoy a leisurely breakfast with a couple of mimosas and a round of lobster eggs benedict. Maybe they’re laughing, talking about all the fun they’ve been having this week, when they could be out here sprinting from Mad Tea Party to Liberty Square because the boat’s leaving in 30 seconds but I’m four minutes away. What a bunch of idiots.

Continue reading “Disney World Easter Week Magic Kingdom Morning Touring Plan”

We set out for Magic Kingdom on the morning of April 15, 2019, which happens to be the Monday before Easter this year. Where on the calendar the sometimes-March-but-usually-April holiday falls impacts spring break crowd flow significantly, but the week leading up to the holiday is almost always the busiest week of the first 11.75 months of the year, with just the week from December 25th – January 1st seeing heavier crowds and longer wait times. When Easter arrives in March, which it won’t again until 2024, crowds are typically even heavier. Some school districts, and primarily those in the northeast that funnel big crowds into the Florida theme parks, always have the week leading up to Easter off. Even if that’s somehow in August. Other schools schedule their spring break in late March, regardless of when Easter comes into play. When these two phenomenons collide, as they did in 2016, things get particularly ugly. Fortunately for us, things are just regular ugly this year. Like looking at a hamburger from Electric Umbrella made by someone who cares. Still pretty bad looking? Sure. But it could be a lot worse.

On this auspicious morning, we enjoy a rare 8am regular open – just the sixth of 2019 up until this point. The early opens are one of our best tools to help us stay ahead of the crowds because far fewer people are able to make it to Magic Kingdom at 8am than 9am. With a 9am open, waits might be short at most attractions just through 9:30am. With an 8am open, waits are still going to be similarly short at 9:30am, giving us a much-needed extra hour to enjoy light crowds.

Continue reading “Magic Kingdom Easter Week 2019 Rope Drop Touring Strategy”

Those of you that find yourself around the Walt Disney World Resort in the days leading up to the 30th anniversary of Disney’s Hollywood Studios are in for a treat.

On April 29th, 2019, from 7pm to 10pm, there’s a beach party coming to Shipwreck Beach on the shores of Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts. Featuring appearances by eight original Adventurers Club performers, a former Pleasure Island DJ spinning Club classics, and a bar serving four original  P.I. drinks, including the Kungaloosh, enjoy the evening with other fans as the sun sets over Crescent Lake.

This one-time-only event is hosted by WDW News Today in conjunction with Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts. Tickets start at just ten dollars and come in three tiers:

Continue reading “Pleasure Island 30th Anniversary Party Coming to Shipwreck Beach at the Yacht and Beach Club”

Larger: Here.

We set out for Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park to check out the Tasting Sampler, which is currently available between April 12th and 22nd. Typically, the website wouldn’t hone in on a detailed review of something with such a limited run, but we saw a similar promotion over Christmas 2k18 and it “feels” likely that a similar set of tastings will be available during busier times of the year. I’ll also be offering some insight into what these kiosks typically offer, SO THERE’S THAT, too.

The Tasting Sampler is, ostensibly, a way for Disney to push people away from the most popular quick services, during the busiest times of day, during the most crowded times of year, and instead point them towards some of the more under-performing kiosks that aren’t typically open. In order to facilitate that, they’re offering a small bonus. Specifically, if you commit to putting $50 towards the 40 outdoor food and beverage locations that participate in the Tasting Sampler, Disney will float you an extra $10 digital value card that’s valid at a variety of major indoor quick services for use after 5pm.

The fine print is a bit cumbersome to get through:

Continue reading “Review: Everything in the Tasting Sampler at Disney’s Animal Kingdom”