Advice for attending a Conference/ getting good park time

roctavia

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jan 17, 2020
I will be attending a conference at the Grand Californian Memorial day weekend (not ideal, but I don't pick the conference dates!) But I want to make sure we are getting the most out of our park time. I'm traveling with my Husband and two kids, 5 and 7. We are arriving early with the full Thursday before to spend in the parks. I was planning to do Max Pass that day to make sure we have a full day.

My dilemma is what to do for the conferences. They are scheduled from like 7am- 2 on Friday and then 7a-1:15 Saturday and Sunday. I don't have to attend everything, and usually pick and choose what topics are interesting and just attend those portions... but I don't know if it would be better to skip the morning lecture and take advantage of the early morning access for hotel guests and get my family to the parks, and then go to some sessions, or if I should start at the conference and then duck out at 10 or 11 depending on if any of the topics interest me. I could do both, so maybe an early morning one or two of the days and a later start the others?

My husband is not a fan of travel and crowds, so I don't know how much he will want to do with the kids without me, but I don't want them to miss out either. We are only doing parks Thursday- Sunday and I'm expecting big crowds due to the holiday... but we can stay all evening and I think the kids will power through (they loved staying until close at WDW last year).

Related questions regarding max pass- do you need the phone to redeem it, or will it be linked to the ticket? Like can I be setting up fast passes from my conference while they are in the parks redeeming them without the smart phone?

Has anybody attended a conference at the parks? I'd apprecate any advice :P Long time lurker on DIS and finally had a topic prompting me to register!!
 
If you're there for work and you're not self employed it shouldn't matter.

You should do your usual prioritizing/scheduling making. There is more than enough time to enjoy the afternoon and evening.
 
It is a purely optional learning conference, sometimes with the same topic offered more than once at different times, and some topics that don't apply to my specialty, so I'm just trying to figure out which times would be better- the same thing is offered one morning but also the next afternoon, so I can choose which to attend.
 
We went last year at Memorial Day weekend, it was surprisingly low key and not all that busy and was also told that was the norm by many people who worked there. I usually go a lot during the summer months and it seemed much less crowded then during these days. With 4 park days even being half days, it seems like you should have plenty of time!
 


We went last year at Memorial Day weekend, it was surprisingly low key and not all that busy and was also told that was the norm by many people who worked there. I usually go a lot during the summer months and it seemed much less crowded then during these days. With 4 park days even being half days, it seems like you should have plenty of time!

Good to know! I've been nervous about it being a holiday weekend. I know the crowds have been unpredictable lately, so hopefully it won't be too busy. I'm also glad the parks tend to be open later so we'll have more time after the conference stuff is over.
 
Good to know! I've been nervous about it being a holiday weekend. I know the crowds have been unpredictable lately, so hopefully it won't be too busy. I'm also glad the parks tend to be open later so we'll have more time after the conference stuff is over.
Yes, we have also gone Labor Day Weekend and that seemed much more crowded
 
It is a purely optional learning conference, sometimes with the same topic offered more than once at different times, and some topics that don't apply to my specialty, so I'm just trying to figure out which times would be better- the same thing is offered one morning but also the next afternoon, so I can choose which to attend.
If you have the choice - I would see if you can do the lectures later morning/early afternoon. That way you can scan your ticket for Maxpass and get on a ride or 2 before you lectures. If you husband has a smartphone just have him use your Disney account log in. But yes you can make fastpasses using Maxpass from anywhere as long as the ticket your trying to do a fastpass for has been scanned into a park.

then... while your at the lectures you can be making maxpasses for the after your lectures. Plus I'm sure your kids will like to do some pool/ rest time in the afternoon anyways.
 


I agree with Pamela M. I've attended a conference and brought my family several times, and I found it extremely effective to arrive at the park early and do a lot in the morning and then join the workshops/panels around lunch. My family was glad for the rest and my conference didn't really get going until around lunch anyway. We'd usually return to the park around dinnertime for more leisurely pursuits. It makes for a long day but it has worked well for me.
 
I agree with the PP...crowd during Memorial Day weekend are usually pretty manageable. Just to let you know, that Thursday, 5/21 is the last day for SoCal Resident tickets, so it may be higher than normal crowds. That will be my first day in the parks also, but with MaxPass and a good plan, you should have no problem getting a lot done that day.
 
I did see a crowd calendar that had that day in particular marked as quite crowded, though you never know how reliable those things are :P but that would make sense for a busier day.

I'm curious how things will be going with Galaxies Edge by then... I kind of hope they are still doing boarding groups for ROTR or at least something to make it easier to get on the SW rides aside from just standing in line for hours. My family is really excited about that part of the park.
 

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