Some advice needed for upcoming May trip

[Choirmom]

Hi all! Everyone here is so great at giving advice. I have some questions (advice needed) for our upcoming May (3-11) trip. The trip will be me, DS (32) and DD (28). I have been to WDW a few times, DD 1 time, DS first visit.

We are staying at Saratoga Springs 4 nights and AKL 4 nights. We have never stayed at Saratoga Springs so any advice there will be appreciated.

We will be flying in on a red-eye from Seattle, probably arriving at SS between 7:30 and 8am on Saturday, May 3. I plan on checking in, dropping bags and getting breakfast. We will most likely visit Disney Springs that day. Any advice on other things to do (besides hanging out at the pool) from anyone that has taken a red-eye? Not sure how tired we will be. Will definitely be an early night which will help us adjust to the time zone.

Lightning Lane. Do we even need it? I'm not thrilled with the need to purchase and book ahead of time. I was at WDW with my sister last July. We didn't purchase it and didn't really miss out on what we wanted to do. We plan on taking advantage of Extended Evening Hours if and when available. We are planning 2 days MK, 2 days Epcot, 1 day each in MK and HS, with one day off. My DD and I agree that HS is our least favorite park. None of us will be doing Tower of Terror, all of us have experienced Galaxy's Edge in either WDW and DL. Not really any charm or "streetmosphere" in that park. To us, its really quite boring outside of a few rides.

Dining. I plan on booking a few TS restaurants. Most likely Boma when we are at AKL. Possibly Hollywood Brown Derby at HS. Something at Disney Springs (I'll let my kids decide). Any resort TS restaurants that you would recommend? Also, I have Celiac disease. I know WDW always has something available, but any gluten free people out there have a particularly good GF meal at a specific restaurant?

Weather. We will be prepared for whatever, but how much does it rain in the beginning of May? Just curious.

Anything other advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[elvispursley]

We fly in from Seattle as well and usually always take the red eye. Since you get free water
Park admission on check-in, why not go to the water park after breakfast for a bit. We usually take a nap in the afternoon and then head out for dinner (sometimes a park or DS). You could also play a round of mini golf, check out other resorts (maybe have dinner at one).

 

[Best Aunt]

You didn't ask for GF snack advice, but here is mine:

If you are in a hotel gift shop or quick service place and you see one big GF brownie in a clear clamshell container (meaning it looks like it was made on property), do not get it. They taste awful.

Some places have the pre-packed gluten free brownies that you can get at Barnes & Noble. Those are good. Sweet Street Gluten Free Manifesto chocolate brownie.

The GF pre-packaged snack selection varies from one hotel gift shop to another. One place might have a lot, another place might have nothing.

If you want snacks for the room, don't forget about the Mara at AKL Jambo House. It's a quick service restaurant, but it has a large grab-and-go refrigerated section.

 

[emilyann704]

When in May are you going? I've gone the first full week of May the last 2 years (2025's dates would be 5/7 - 5/11) and haven't needed lightening lane. I'm always solo through and find it's quicker but crowds have been very manageable. With a couple days in each park that also gives you some wiggle room in case a ride is down or lines are randomly long.

The water park suggestion - or hotel pool if you'd rather stay close - is a great idea - keep in mind your room likely won't be ready at 8am so you can drop your bags at Bell Services and change into your swim attire in the lobby bathroom (that's what I do) before heading out.

If no water park I'd head to Disney Springs for food and to kill time while obsessively checking to see if my room was ready for a nap.

 

[Shellyred8]

If you are at HS on May 4th, it will probably be a bit busier. However, you will be treated to some great costuming that a lot of guests put together for that day. We have found it's a great day for people watching at HS.

Free waterpark day on your arrival day: you will get two of these since you are doing a split stay. One when you arrive at SSR and one on the day you transfer to AKL.

GF items: two of my favorites are the GF Mickey Waffles at the resort quick serve and TS restaurants and then the GF Chicken tenders at most (but probably not all) places that have regular Chicken Tenders. I also like the GF Grilled Cheese at Woody's Lunchbox in HS. I try to stick to snacks that are just naturally GF (fruit, etc...) because I've had some pretty bad 'fails' with some of their attempts at GF snacks/treats.

 

[R&RsMom]

More gluten-free: Regal Eagle Smokehouse in Epcot and Flame Tree barbecue both had great choices for my celiac daughter. Table service: Steakhouse 71 in the Contemporary for breakfast - my daughter said she could have made a whole meal on the cheesy grits. 50s Prime Time has gluten-fried chicken, but you need to tell the. In advance. skipper Canteen in MK has several options. She had a salad and the falafel. I had the pork, which is gluten free. We also ate at Ale and Compass at Yacht. Burger bun was not the best, but at the time, they had a gluten free 12-layer chocolate cake on the menu, and it was to die for.

 

[We’reAllMadHere]

Early May was my favorite trip to Disney for weather. I would go again in a heartbeat if not for having to pull my kid out of school. Crowds and temperatures were great and it only rained a little.

If you have that many days and not many “must-dos” it seems like LL would not be worth the money for you, especially if you have EEH.

I’m also not a huge fan of LLMP and having to book 7 days out. I liked the flexibility of choosing different parks the day of based on how the trip goes. I know people didn’t like booking at 7 am but VQ is still at 7 am and the parks open at 7:30-8:30 anyway so even with LLMP, early risers still benefit the most. Seems like the worst of both scenarios.

 

[_19disnA]

We went to Disney a few years ago in early May. I think Disney is always crowded and you can't really ever be sure from one day to the next how busy it might be. I can recall one day in the middle of the week that AK was wall-to-wall people and those narrow paths didn't help making it nearly impossible to move around. We left to go to a different park.

I would always recommend bringing a sweater/jacket/long pants since many of the indoor restaurants were way too cold and seemed to have the AC going full blast. Even if it is hot outside, it's no fun being chilled in a restaurant that is too cold. Seemed to recall it rained a bit but not any type of all-day washout. Can be sunny and then have a sudden storm appear, you just never know.

I am opposed to paying extra for rides when you already bought an entry ticket. If you are the go-go-go type of family who races from one ride to the next, then probably paying extra would be worth it to you. The most popular rides have the longest lines and it is reasonable to have to wait in line for those.

Overnight flights/jet lag depends on the person. Sometimes you may not have a choice due to where you are traveling from and available flight options. Personally, I do not like overnight flights and it can take a day or two to adjust to the time change once you arrive.

 

[Headless]

Wife and I have done red eyes from Seattle several time- I did it three times last year alone- and love going that way. Who are you flying in May because when I went to book our august flights Alaska has NO red eyes available anywhere around our trip. I'm flying us in a day earlier then planned so we don't miss out with time with my nephews who we are meeting down there.

I've done it a couple different ways on arrival. First time we went into MK for a couple hours, then we resort hopped for lunch before the room became available and we took a nap before grabbing dinner. In December we did the monorail resort for gingerbread before going over to Disney Springs and ending at French quarter for beignets before working our way back to our resort. With this years water park deal we would have gone that route if Red eye was an option but I will say using that time as a low key slow pace way of seeing other resorts is a great way to spend the time and not burn out.

 

[Choirmom]

Wife and I have done red eyes from Seattle several time- I did it three times last year alone- and love going that way. Who are you flying in May because when I went to book our august flights Alaska has NO red eyes available anywhere around our trip. I'm flying us in a day earlier then planned so we don't miss out with time with my nephews who we are meeting down there.

I've done it a couple different ways on arrival. First time we went into MK for a couple hours, then we resort hopped for lunch before the room became available and we took a nap before grabbing dinner. In December we did the monorail resort for gingerbread before going over to Disney Springs and ending at French quarter for beignets before working our way back to our resort. With this years water park deal we would have gone that route if Red eye was an option but I will say using that time as a low key slow pace way of seeing other resorts is a great way to spend the time and not burn out.

Hi! We are flying Alaska. Flying out of Seattle on Friday, May 2nd.

Thanks for the tips on arrival. I'm trying to decide if we want to visit a park that day, or if we'll just be too tired! I'm not sure if we're water park people. I'll let my adult kids decide. I hope they can agree!

 

[rojo]

Hi all! Everyone here is so great at giving advice. I have some questions (advice needed) for our upcoming May (3-11) trip. The trip will be me, DS (32) and DD (28). I have been to WDW a few times, DD 1 time, DS first visit.

We are staying at Saratoga Springs 4 nights and AKL 4 nights. We have never stayed at Saratoga Springs so any advice there will be appreciated.

We will be flying in on a red-eye from Seattle, probably arriving at SS between 7:30 and 8am on Saturday, May 3. I plan on checking in, dropping bags and getting breakfast. We will most likely visit Disney Springs that day. Any advice on other things to do (besides hanging out at the pool) from anyone that has taken a red-eye? Not sure how tired we will be. Will definitely be an early night which will help us adjust to the time zone.

Lightning Lane. Do we even need it? I'm not thrilled with the need to purchase and book ahead of time. I was at WDW with my sister last July. We didn't purchase it and didn't really miss out on what we wanted to do. We plan on taking advantage of Extended Evening Hours if and when available. We are planning 2 days MK, 2 days Epcot, 1 day each in MK and HS, with one day off. My DD and I agree that HS is our least favorite park. None of us will be doing Tower of Terror, all of us have experienced Galaxy's Edge in either WDW and DL. Not really any charm or "streetmosphere" in that park. To us, its really quite boring outside of a few rides.

Dining. I plan on booking a few TS restaurants. Most likely Boma when we are at AKL. Possibly Hollywood Brown Derby at HS. Something at Disney Springs (I'll let my kids decide). Any resort TS restaurants that you would recommend? Also, I have Celiac disease. I know WDW always has something available, but any gluten free people out there have a particularly good GF meal at a specific restaurant?

Weather. We will be prepared for whatever, but how much does it rain in the beginning of May? Just curious.

Anything other advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

You could use the free water park pass for day of check in. You could also head over to MK, jump on the monorail, and do snacking or bar hopping going to the monorail resorts.
You could also stroll around the boardwalk, have some lunch there, even play putt putt golf by the boardwalk. And have a kitchen sink at beaches and cream!!