What are the park hours for the month of _____?
When are the parades/fireworks shown?
The hours are listed on disney.com's monthly calendars, after you have selected the month you are interested just click on the date you are interested in. A pop-up window will open. If the calendar isn't available on disney.com, check out the calenders on TUDLP, this should give you an idea of what to expect during your vacation.
What are the early entry days?
What is E-Ride and what are the E-Ride nights for the month of _____?
The attractions which are open during E-ticket are:
E-Ride nights have tradionally been held on Tuesdays and Fridays, but they are not available every Tuesday and Friday. Future dates will be included as soon as they are announced by Disney.
Dates for October: 5, 8, 12, 15, 19, 22
What are the crowds like during the month of ______?
- Slow:January until mid-February, September after Labor Day, until week before Thanksgiving, Week after Thanksgiving until week before Christmas.
- Medium:Week after Easter until mid-June, mid-August until Labor Day.
- Busy:Mid-February through week before Easter (spring break),mid-June through mid-August(summer break.
- Insane: Easter week, Thanksgiving weekend, Christmas to New Year's.
What are the crowds in _____like on _____?
- Animal Kingdom:Saturday or Sunday are best, Monday and Tuesday are worst.
- Disney/MGM Studios: Monday is best
- Epcot: Wednesday is best
- Magic Kingdom:Friday is best, Saturday is worst
What attractions will be closed during the month of _____?
But with all other things Disney, all information is subject to change without notice, and there have been occasions that attractions have closed, without the official site being updated prior to their closure.
What is the baby swap and when can I use it?
These are the attractions which the baby swap is most common:
- Alien Encounter, Body Wars, Countdown to Extinction, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Star Tours, Tower of Terror.
How it works is that one person stays behind with the non-riders, while the rest of the party rides. Then the person who stayed behind is allowed to ride after the rest of the party disembarks, without having to wait in the entire queue.
If you want to use the baby swap, tell the Cast Member at the entrance of the ride that you want to do the baby swap. The CM should direct you on where to wait, or give you a card to present to the CM at loading; basically how the swap works on that particular ride. In general the non-riders head to the exit, while the riding party waits in the line, like normal. When they emerge at the exit, the other rider goes back through the exit up to the loading CM's where they will load you into the car.
What are soft openings and how can I participate in one?
Soft openings aren't announced to the public, so it is a matter of being in the right place at the right time. If you strike up a friendly conversation with a Cast Member, they may hint to you when there "might" be one. Basically you need to keep checking by the attraction, a couple weeks before the scheduled opening date, watch for any activity and if you people start lining up, ask the CM if it is a soft opening, and ask if you can get in line too.
During soft openings, remember the ride isn't fully operational. The ride may stop when it isn't supposed to, you may have to wait for long periods, etc. So if you are lucky enough to participate in a soft opening, the ride you experience may not be the same as after it is officially opened.
