Using sites to help decide days

[fanofdisney]

I am a bit confused about who to listen to. I like to check a web site to see what days they recommend to visit each park. A friend told me about another site to check and they don't give the same recommendations, who do you listen to or do you roll the dice? I don't think I can name the sites but the one I always refer to is the "unofficial" site and the other one is a free site. If I can name it please let me know.
So, how do you pick your days? I am mainly concerned because we are going to try to have a little bit more laid back trip this time which does not get us to the parks at opening so I feel it is important to pick the right park for the day.

[Itchy]

I agree that the sites can be confusing. When we go we most often hit the parks that have early extra magic hours. That way we get into the parks before those other than resort guests can get in.

We are able to hit most of the rides that we enjoy before the crowds hit. Then we just look at wait times for the other attractions.

We really do not decide until we see the park schedules after we check in. It works most of the time for us. But we are still at WDW and having fun.

Hope this helps..:mickey:

[Strmchsr]

Honestly, there is no one really perfect answer, which is why you see a variety of suggestions across all sites that try to suggest which park on which day. The "problem" is that everyone has access to this information. It's not "our little secret" any more. So if everyone is looking at seeing MK is "best" on Tuesday all of a sudden everyone shows up at MK on Tuesday and it's no longer a good day. The only thing consistent about park days is Monday and Saturday still seem to be very crowded at MK and Friday and Saturday evenings are bonkers at Epcot. Other than that, all the parks are hit and miss. I use the EMH method mentioned above and as soon as "regular" park hours hit I jump to another park and that seems to help with crowds.

[buzznwoodysmom]

If the free site you speak of is run by Josh, that is the one I would go with. I don't really follow any of these crowd prediction sites, but I have noticed Josh's recommended parks are usually spot on when I have loosely followed his recommendations.

[Maleficent's Dad]

I just sent you a PM.

If the free site you speak of is run by Josh, that is the one I would go with. I don't really follow any of these crowd prediction sites, but I have noticed Josh's recommended parks are usually spot on when I have loosely followed his recommendations.
Couldn't agree more. Josh rocks. And with his cheat sheets, even a novice will be well prepared.

I don't use any touring plans these days, but highly recommend Josh's site for guidance to others. :thumbsup:

[AgentC]

I used to be pretty obsessive about checking all the parks and having a mapped out plan of what park what day but I have really eased back on that.

If you are picking between the two sites I think you are, I agree with the other's that Josh's site has been more accurate for me.

A lot also depends on what time of year you plan on going. If you are going when the parks are packed as strange as it might seem the busy days don't make as much of a difference because everything is busy.

Since you want to go to the parks late, I would avoid any parks that have morning EMH hours. I'd probably avoid MK on a Saturday as well since a later Saturday arrival will put you at the height of the crowds.

[faline]

Personally, I don't pay any attention to any of the sites that tell which parks are best on which days. I make my own plan. If I'm there at a busy time of year, I know that all the parks will likely be busier than optimal. If I find the park I'm at is even busier than I'm willing to put up with, I go to another park and go hang out at my resort.

[ANG]

I don't pay attention to particular days some recommend for each park. I just follow the EMH and decide if I want to use the perk or avoid the park for less crowds.

[BuddyL4]

I also used to obsess over planning. That's why I love park hoppers. If a park gets to stressing then we can move on to the next park.

[Janmac]

We used to do more planning but we have streamlined down to two rules of thumb: be at the park about 30 minutes before official opening, and avoide the park with morning EMH.

We have even done a lot at MK on a Saturday morning - usually considered a park to avoid - by arriving early enough.

It will get crowded, but then we leave and go somewhere else - our resort for a nap or swim, or DD, etc.

Jan

[fanofdisney]

I am going to really try to relax this trip on the planning but then that compulsive planner monster comes out...:D
I am trying to make our mornings more relaxing but it sounds like even without a "plan" the best "plan" is to be at the parks at opening. Maybe I need to learn how to relax and take a break in the afternoon rather than making mornings a bit slower?

[Strmchsr]

Maybe I need to learn how to relax and take a break in the afternoon rather than making mornings a bit slower?

That's usually the best way to avoid the biggest crowds. A lot of people like to sleep late on vacation (sleeping "late" for me and my boys is 7 am, so not an issue for us) so the parks don't tend to get crowded until lunch or a little after. So, we'll be there at opening, hit a few things, and then chill in the afternoon. We might go back to the resort, or just chill out in the parks, then hit a few more things in the evening when crowds die down again.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

I can't believe the difference it makes to get up and going early in the day. It really is a different park in the first few hours that it is open, no matter how busy it will get later on in the day.

[rjmdds]

In general, I will try to go to parks that had EMH the previous day/night. That park tends to be a little quieter the day after EMH. It has generally worked for me. I will sometimes make an exception and go to early AM EMH at Epcot or MK, but I make it a point to be out of there by noon.

[Yo Mickey!]

In general, I will try to go to parks that had EMH the previous day/night. That park tends to be a little quieter the day after EMH. It has generally worked for me. I will sometimes make an exception and go to early AM EMH at Epcot or MK, but I make it a point to be out of there by noon.

this is great advice and what we often do as well. and...like some above have said, if you get to the parks at opening you can basically hit all of your favorite rides (usually several times) before a crowd is even there. when we go to MK the first thing we do is head straight back to big thunder and splash. we end up riding each a good 5 times and then head over to space. my son is happy and we are out of MK before 11:30 am. pool all afternoon and another park at night. but going to the park the day after EMH has always been a good move for our family.

[SBETigg]

What Chris, aka Strmchsr, said. There's no set prediction or way to know. Sometimes the sites are accurate, more times they are way off. The unofficial guide generally avoids parks with EMH, which is a strategy more and more people seem to be following, making those parks now seem more crowded sometimes. We like to park hop and if crowds seem bad at one, we can always hit another park. But also, we like to take advantage of EMH sometimes. So park hopping works for us. Our plans are never set in stone except for ADRs, and we've even moved those around on occasion. My family has been much happier since I've stopped planning so much and become more spontaneous, but the new FP system might change all that.

[bruin1344]

I don't pay attention to particular days some recommend for each park. I just follow the EMH and decide if I want to use the perk or avoid the park for less crowds.

same here


In general, I will try to go to parks that had EMH the previous day/night. That park tends to be a little quieter the day after EMH. It has generally worked for me. I will sometimes make an exception and go to early AM EMH at Epcot or MK, but I make it a point to be out of there by noon.

I like the EMH previous day idea

If someone tips me off about an unofficial event at the parks like Gay Days, I will avoid that park.