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[footballmouse]

I’ve been reading other threads and this one is asking a lot of the same questions that I have, so I hope it’s ok to jump on Andy ask one more....

We are going in July and planning on getting there before RD to get our BG. Then, is it a good idea to go to Smugglers Run immediately to get in the standby line? My kids are both 17 so the Toy Story rides are not as important. We are planning a 2nd HS day, so we can try to get them later, but Star Wars is very important.

I think it's funny how different people like different things. My boys are 18, 20 & 25 and when we went last year they had absolutely no interest in any of the Star Wars stuff but you better believe they made sure I had FP for the Toy Story rides.

 

[3smithboys]

Absolutely! Not to say they don’t want to see the rides in Toy Story Land, but they are huge Star Wars fans (and my DH too!) I cant wait to see his face most of all whenever we get there!

 

[siren0119]

Absolutely! Not to say they don’t want to see the rides in Toy Story Land, but they are huge Star Wars fans (and my DH too!) I cant wait to see his face most of all whenever we get there!

All time favorite moment of 2019 was seeing my husband cry at the sight of the Falcon

I'm really interested to see how long they keep the boarding groups process in place - I definitely expect it through January, but it'll be interesting to see if they go to regular lines and FP before summer.

 

[3smithboys]

All time favorite moment of 2019 was seeing my husband cry at the sight of the Falcon

I'm really interested to see how long they keep the boarding groups process in place - I definitely expect it through January, but it'll be interesting to see if they go to regular lines and FP before summer.

Since we are not going until July, I guess I will just have to keep watching to see if it’s changes from BG to FP. We have 2 HS days planned, (actually one morning and one morning/evening) so hopefully we can get to see everything.

 

[choirfarm]

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[TarotFox]

Go to Touring Plans, they have a free tool you can use to monitor cancelled reservations. Otherwise, try another restaurant, like Sci Fi or Brown Derby or what have you.

 

[YawningDodo]

I’ve been reading other threads and this one is asking a lot of the same questions that I have, so I hope it’s ok to jump on Andy ask one more....

We are going in July and planning on getting there before RD to get our BG. Then, is it a good idea to go to Smugglers Run immediately to get in the standby line? My kids are both 17 so the Toy Story rides are not as important. We are planning a 2nd HS day, so we can try to get them later, but Star Wars is very important.

The gist of what I've been reading is that the Smuggler's Run line actually peaks in length in the first couple hours of opening and then tapers off, since a lot of people head for it at rope drop and there's no FP+ to keep the standby line long throughout the day. That being said, I generally don't like to put off rides if I have limited opportunities to experience them, since you never know when something's going to go down.

Well we bought our tickets today. Linking them was a nightmare!!!!! Took us almost 2 hours to do that, link them and then get our fast passes for next week. Hubby did it, though we were all there with our phones. But it took so long and so many tries. I miss paper tickets. Unfortunately we couldn't find a reservation for 50's Prime Time Cafe... there are non the entire day. Any suggestions?

Check for openings the night before. Reservations have to be cancelled the day before to avoid a no-show fee, and it's fairly common for people to change their mind last minute and drop reservations right before that deadline. If that level of uncertainty is going to make planning this unenjoyable, I'd use the Touring Plans tool mentioned above and/or make alternate plans.

 

[BobbidieBoo]

Smugglers, only two times it’s not a long wait.
Be at the front of the rope drop herd, or near park close.

if you're at the mid to back at rope drop, it’s about the same wait as the rest of the day. It’s a long walk over, so if you’re not a commando style person, not much advantage.

 

[mamaofsix]

Reading your 1st post, you sound stressed about the tech and about trying to do what your kids want. I also noticed that all 3 of your children are adults. Honestly, let your kids plan / research and look after this day. My siblings and I were definitely doing the majority of the planning by the time we were this age and letting our parents relax. We also were paying for and purchasing / linking our own tickets by this age...

Putting them in the driver's seat also means you won't have to deal with them not being impressed with what you've planned

 

[choirfarm]

The gist of what I've been reading is that the Smuggler's Run line actually peaks in length in the first couple hours of opening and then tapers off, since a lot of people head for it at rope drop and there's no FP+ to keep the standby line long throughout the day. That being said, I generally don't like to put off rides if I have limited opportunities to experience them, since you never know when something's going to go down.


Check for openings the night before. Reservations have to be cancelled the day before to avoid a no-show fee, and it's fairly common for people to change their mind last minute and drop reservations right before that deadline. If that level of uncertainty is going to make planning this unenjoyable, I'd use the Touring Plans tool mentioned above and/or make alternate plans.

I checked and there are lots of reservations for a party of 4, but none for a party of 5. Could we just show up?

 

[siren0119]

I checked and there are lots of reservations for a party of 4, but none for a party of 5. Could we just show up?

No, you should never come to a restaurant with MORE people than are on your reservation. Tables are assigned based on the party size and when they've planned to fill a four-top but five people show up, they have to do far more shuffling to make it work. You'd be better off looking for a reservation for 6 and showing up with 5.

50's isn't a huge restaurant so if it's busy they may not be able to take walk ups without ANY reservation (you can always ask but I would expect a no and hope for a nice surprise).

That said, they DO have a lounge, I think it's a limited menu but they will allow walkup seating in the lounge.

 

[Ensusieasm]

I checked and there are lots of reservations for a party of 4, but none for a party of 5. Could we just show up?

Try a party of 6. Also, try the night before because many folks wait to cancel at the last minute.

 

[YawningDodo]

I checked and there are lots of reservations for a party of 4, but none for a party of 5. Could we just show up?

Echoing the "no" above. There are openings for 4 because they have four-tops available; if you show up with 5 they won't have a big enough table set aside for you. Don't know if that would mean you have to wait for them to open one or if it would mean they'd just turn you away.

Also echoing the suggestion to check for reservations for 6. This isn't an area where I have direct experience; I've usually been in a party of 3 or smaller at WDW. But it's a known fact among solo WDW travelers that you can sometimes find more availability if you search reservations for two people than if you search for just one--the reservation system favoring even numbers may extend into larger parties. If you find a reservation for 6 people, book it and just tell them when you reach the podium that there will only be 5 people dining. Lots of people have booked reservations for 2, shown up as a party of 1, and not had an issue.

Alternatively, you could book two separate reservations at the same time--one for two people, one for three--but if you do that, understand that you will not be seated at the same table. But it'd be a way to at least eat where you want to eat all at the same time if nothing else opens up.

Edit: Realizing that "could we just show up" might also refer to just walking up without a reservation--the answer to that one is that yes you could, but it's a complete wildcard at that point as to whether you'll get in, with the odds pretty heavily against you. I personally wouldn't count on it.

 

[choirfarm]

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