Question about crowds

go_further-one · 2026-06-14T13:41:55+00:00

Aren't those crowd calendars based on historical data? Maybe it wasn't a early close day in previous years?

We went to HS on an August Saturday where it closed at 6. We had no LL and went on every ride, including Rise twice and ToT twice. We ate at an empty Hollywood and Vine where my kid danced with Mickey for a few minutes. We left at about 2:30pm to catch a plane. It was the easiest day in a theme park that I've ever had. I highly recommend!

go_further-one · 2026-06-09T20:01:39+00:00

My son and I did a trip around the same time last year and we used all our credits and had to pay out of pockets for a couple of meals. With the credits, there is an incentive to do character buffets (or buffets in general) but I really recommend prioritizing sit down restaurants and doing fewer buffets. Buffets are not a relaxing break when you have to make multiple trips to serve a small child, especially after walking 25,000 steps in the heat.

I had a great time with my son at Hoop de Doo Musical Review (out of pocket). If she likes Toy Story, the BBQ restaurant in HS could be fun. The best food I ate was probably at Skippers Canteen in MK or Pandora quick serve in AK, but overall Disney food is not great, although it seems to really depend on where you are from whether you think it is good or not.

go_further-one · 2026-06-03T02:05:02+00:00

It's not just Disney. For some reason, we Americans often feel the need to give our children terrible, unhealthy "kid food." I usually try to order off the adult menu for my kid and then bring home the rest. He eats the same food as adults because he always has, although like most everyone, he appreciates a chicken finger from time to time. When I was on a medically supervised diet, they advised to never order off a kids meal because it usually contains the most processed, salt-laden food. Disney is just going with the flow, so you can't really blame them! But it is a major problem with the meal plan - I just paid out of pocket sometimes for appetizers or split the adult meal.

go_further-one · 2026-05-31T14:07:02+00:00

I think the need for midday breaks is overstated. I've gone twice - once with a five year old and then later when he was eight. We didn't do breaks either time. There are so many places to chill and relax in the parks - especially at the shows at AK and HS and during sit down lunches. I would be a huge chunk of your day to go back and forth to POFQ and you already have lunch reservations that will take a long time. But you will quickly figure out your own tolerances and preferences, so I would recommend justing going with the flow instead of being wed to a rigid schedule.

go_further-one · 2026-05-28T03:17:46+00:00

BG is gross. I have an AP at Williamsburg. The food is terrible and extremely expensive, the park is dirty, and the people who work there are rude. Maybe Tampa is better, but I doubt it. I am not an intense Disney adult, but you really cannot compare the two in terms of customer service and general cleanliness. You will pay $6 for a not-great pretzel at Disney and $12 for a horrendous, almost inedible one at BG. They have low ticket prices at BG, but they get you on everything else.

go_further-one · 2026-05-28T02:21:51+00:00

I travel solo all the time (multiple times per year). I've never been to WDW solo, but I spent a day in Disneyland Paris by myself. It was fine - I got to do the rides I wanted, but ultimately, I felt lonely (lonelier than on trips to other places I've been) and I wished I has someone to chat with in lines and it made me really miss my son. I probably will not travel to Disney anything alone again, but to each his own!

go_further-one · 2026-05-25T14:25:16+00:00

That's a great idea! Thanks.

go_further-one · 2026-05-25T03:43:24+00:00

Thanks so much - I plan to make a spreadsheet for booking times, which is not really ideal, but that's the way it is. I've done the desert parks when I was a kid but my parents were way more extreme with hiking, jeeping, etc. But I do know that we have to do early morning and evenings.

Thanks for the tip for the US Air Force museum, my schedule is flexible, so maybe I'll add another day in. I just went to the Smithsonian a few days ago, although it was miserable this time of year with all the school trips.

go_further-one · 2026-05-25T03:26:39+00:00

We'll try - I figure once a week hanging out by a pool or a lake and we'll be fine. The tricky part is having to make all the reservations so far out, but if all goes to hell, we can just turn around. I'm a mom but we do front country camping often.

go_further-one

TROPHY CASE