Plan of Attack?
- Thread starter Solomani
- Start date
Mickey Fliers
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2004
You know, good question. haha. The first time we went, in April, it wasn't busy at all and when my DD got measured at Indiana Jones and wasn't tall enough, they offered me a rider switch. It was kind of a hand written pass and they asked me for how many people.
When I went the next time on Memorial Day, it was extremely busy and when I asked for a pass at IJ again, I was told no.
I would just say it in English and they will most likely understand what you want.
When I went the next time on Memorial Day, it was extremely busy and when I asked for a pass at IJ again, I was told no.
I would just say it in English and they will most likely understand what you want.
tinibee
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2011
Yes, TDL does sell Star Tours merchandise, but I'm trying to remember exactly which store it was. I want to say Cosmic Encounter, but don't quote me on that. Lots of cute stuff, but definitely different from the US. Not nearly the same amount of Star Wars Toys like you see in Anaheim.
DAY ONE: TDL
First day at TDL today. Was better than I planned. Two youngest ones (family of 6 here) were still recovering from a cold so didn't join myself and older two until the lunch show at the Polynesian Terrace. So this is how it went:
At the gate by about 0830. Line wasn't terrible - smaller than a busy day at HKDL which is my frame of reference. At 0900 as the gates opened they announced that all Fastpasses for Haunted House were gone and Space Mountain was closed.
Many people ran and some groups were clearly organized. I had two kids and didn't want to stress myself out by trying to race people for Fastpasses on my holiday. Though I knew what I wanted to ride with kids and this was my guide.
We hit Splash Mountain First, got FP and then jumped on it to ride. Big hit with kids as expected. Moved onto Big Thunder Mountain which had a wait time of 50m so FP it and then went to the Haunted Mansion which was listed as a 25m wait. After Haunted Mansion headed to Star Tours which had a 50m wait. In reality it was about 30m. After exiting got an FP for it and it was almost time for the lunch show with the whole family. Hit the Tiki Room right before Lilo's Laua then headed home to get a well deserved rest.
Headed back to the park with the whole family to catch the Electric Parade (which is great btw) and then dinner at the Queen of Hearts. After which Mom and the older two used the Splash Mountain FP to ride (it's my wife's favorite ride) and I took the younger two to Small World. Then we switched kids and I took the older ones to Thunder Mountain and FP it. Younger two went on the carousel and Snow Whites Adventure (which terrified them).
We had 20m to closing time and one more FP for Star Tours while heading through Fantasyland to get to Star Tours we ran into each other and decided to use the last bit of time to ride Peter Pan together which had a 90m wait time all day and only 10m at 2145. We tried to squeeze in Honey Pots as well today but ran out of time.
All in all a very fun (and productive) day with minimal wait time. Pretty much hit all my high priority rides except for Honey Pots and Pirates. Plan was to collect FP for as many rides as possible for evening riding and just Standby the rest as needed with a mid-afternoon break to rest and let the little ones sleep to have the energy to go until closing time.
First day at TDL today. Was better than I planned. Two youngest ones (family of 6 here) were still recovering from a cold so didn't join myself and older two until the lunch show at the Polynesian Terrace. So this is how it went:
At the gate by about 0830. Line wasn't terrible - smaller than a busy day at HKDL which is my frame of reference. At 0900 as the gates opened they announced that all Fastpasses for Haunted House were gone and Space Mountain was closed.
Many people ran and some groups were clearly organized. I had two kids and didn't want to stress myself out by trying to race people for Fastpasses on my holiday. Though I knew what I wanted to ride with kids and this was my guide.
We hit Splash Mountain First, got FP and then jumped on it to ride. Big hit with kids as expected. Moved onto Big Thunder Mountain which had a wait time of 50m so FP it and then went to the Haunted Mansion which was listed as a 25m wait. After Haunted Mansion headed to Star Tours which had a 50m wait. In reality it was about 30m. After exiting got an FP for it and it was almost time for the lunch show with the whole family. Hit the Tiki Room right before Lilo's Laua then headed home to get a well deserved rest.
Headed back to the park with the whole family to catch the Electric Parade (which is great btw) and then dinner at the Queen of Hearts. After which Mom and the older two used the Splash Mountain FP to ride (it's my wife's favorite ride) and I took the younger two to Small World. Then we switched kids and I took the older ones to Thunder Mountain and FP it. Younger two went on the carousel and Snow Whites Adventure (which terrified them).
We had 20m to closing time and one more FP for Star Tours while heading through Fantasyland to get to Star Tours we ran into each other and decided to use the last bit of time to ride Peter Pan together which had a 90m wait time all day and only 10m at 2145. We tried to squeeze in Honey Pots as well today but ran out of time.
All in all a very fun (and productive) day with minimal wait time. Pretty much hit all my high priority rides except for Honey Pots and Pirates. Plan was to collect FP for as many rides as possible for evening riding and just Standby the rest as needed with a mid-afternoon break to rest and let the little ones sleep to have the energy to go until closing time.
DAY TWO: TDL
It was raining all day becoming heavy from about midday. Despite being soaked by the time we called it quits (about 1500) we had hit every high priority ride and many other attractions I considered optional.
We copied the previous days attack plan which has Dad and older two go first and grab Fastpasses where appropriate and Mom plus youngsters joined later.
Park was a lot emptier today due to storms but the popular rides were still occupied - for example Snowwhite was a walk on but plenty of people at the Honey Pots. Since the Honey Pot ride was the last main ride the youngsters wanted to go on we grabbed FP and then rode it. This is such a superior version to the HK one in both the queue area and actual ride its like two different rides.
Since we gave up a FP for the Honey Pots we lined up for Monsters Inc. Was about 90m from the time we lined up to walking off the ride. It's a fun ride but its not worth a 70m+ wait. The animatronics are great. Characters really come to life. But the queue area is very thematic but not as good, as say, Star Tours to entertain you while you wait.
While in the queue I jumped out and grabbed a FP for Star Tours. We also visited Roger Rabbits Spin which had a zero wait time. It's was just a bombardment of insanity and only made sense if you watched the film. Worth the queue time but unless your kids love (or at least know) Roger Rabbit I wouldn't say it would be high priority.
We had a bit of time before the lunch show so jumped on the Mark Twain Riverboat. This was a fun and relaxing ride. Since the older two are learning about US history it was luckily appropriate. Grabbed a FP to Splash Mountain as elder two love this ride.
Went to the Diamond Horseshoe lunch show with the whole family. When we came out it was pouring but the afternoon parade went on even in the black rain like conditions. Little ones went to Honey Pots while older kids went to Pirates. Another great ride with a 5m wait. However my kids were confused and I had to explain the ride. But if I am honest I only knew what was going on due to the movie - even though the movie post-dates the ride. I enjoyed this ride nonetheless.
We had one last priority attraction - Cinderella Fairy Tale Hall. I have 3 girls so that made it a priority
After the hall we still had an hour for the Star Tours FP and two hours for Splash Mountain FP. If it wasn't pouring I would have stayed but our socks and shoes were soaked and we were all in a good mood but we needed a break. So went back to the apartment for a break with the intention of coming back. But the rain got heavier and we couldn't motivate ourselves to return. Very happy we did the Electrical Parade last night.
It was raining all day becoming heavy from about midday. Despite being soaked by the time we called it quits (about 1500) we had hit every high priority ride and many other attractions I considered optional.
We copied the previous days attack plan which has Dad and older two go first and grab Fastpasses where appropriate and Mom plus youngsters joined later.
Park was a lot emptier today due to storms but the popular rides were still occupied - for example Snowwhite was a walk on but plenty of people at the Honey Pots. Since the Honey Pot ride was the last main ride the youngsters wanted to go on we grabbed FP and then rode it. This is such a superior version to the HK one in both the queue area and actual ride its like two different rides.
Since we gave up a FP for the Honey Pots we lined up for Monsters Inc. Was about 90m from the time we lined up to walking off the ride. It's a fun ride but its not worth a 70m+ wait. The animatronics are great. Characters really come to life. But the queue area is very thematic but not as good, as say, Star Tours to entertain you while you wait.
While in the queue I jumped out and grabbed a FP for Star Tours. We also visited Roger Rabbits Spin which had a zero wait time. It's was just a bombardment of insanity and only made sense if you watched the film. Worth the queue time but unless your kids love (or at least know) Roger Rabbit I wouldn't say it would be high priority.
We had a bit of time before the lunch show so jumped on the Mark Twain Riverboat. This was a fun and relaxing ride. Since the older two are learning about US history it was luckily appropriate. Grabbed a FP to Splash Mountain as elder two love this ride.
Went to the Diamond Horseshoe lunch show with the whole family. When we came out it was pouring but the afternoon parade went on even in the black rain like conditions. Little ones went to Honey Pots while older kids went to Pirates. Another great ride with a 5m wait. However my kids were confused and I had to explain the ride. But if I am honest I only knew what was going on due to the movie - even though the movie post-dates the ride. I enjoyed this ride nonetheless.
We had one last priority attraction - Cinderella Fairy Tale Hall. I have 3 girls so that made it a priority
After the hall we still had an hour for the Star Tours FP and two hours for Splash Mountain FP. If it wasn't pouring I would have stayed but our socks and shoes were soaked and we were all in a good mood but we needed a break. So went back to the apartment for a break with the intention of coming back. But the rain got heavier and we couldn't motivate ourselves to return. Very happy we did the Electrical Parade last night.housemartin
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 14, 2004
Thanks for the reporting - I'm headed to TDL in August with my family of 6. If you have a minute to answer some questions:
1. Did you try rider swap?
2. If you noticed, how were lines at some of the younger oriented attractions like Dumbo?
1. Did you try rider swap?
2. If you noticed, how were lines at some of the younger oriented attractions like Dumbo?
Hiya,
I did not try rider swap - not yet. My kids a are 9, 7, 4 and 2 so there has been little ride crossover. I take the older two and my wife takes the younger two. This may change at TDS tomorrow but I doubt it. The Japanese for rider swap is "rideru swapu" and I have been told its supported in Tokyo.
I have not paid attention to the younger rides apart from what I mentioned. I did notice that Dumbo had a much shorter line and wait time in TDL as opposed to HKDL which is my only point of reference.
Hope that helps.
I did not try rider swap - not yet. My kids a are 9, 7, 4 and 2 so there has been little ride crossover. I take the older two and my wife takes the younger two. This may change at TDS tomorrow but I doubt it. The Japanese for rider swap is "rideru swapu" and I have been told its supported in Tokyo.
I have not paid attention to the younger rides apart from what I mentioned. I did notice that Dumbo had a much shorter line and wait time in TDL as opposed to HKDL which is my only point of reference.
Hope that helps.
DreamSweetsLove
Loves Mickey
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2010
How much of the parade did they run today? The weather tomorrow should be better, yahoo is saying cloudy with rain in the evening but hope it stays clear! Will you go to Sea tomorrow?
DreamSweetsLove
Loves Mickey
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2010
Wow you are right! I checked on youtube and it looks like the run the whole parade! I'm so happy you guys had such spectacular weather today!
I almost went myself but had to catch up on some work. Tomorrow should be nice too!Wow you are right! I checked on youtube and it looks like the run the whole parade! I'm so happy you guys had such spectacular weather today!
Thanks for the well wishes. Just got home
DAY 3: TDS
Huge day today with lovely weather to boot! Sunny and dry with a cool wind all day. We kept to the same plan as it seems to work. It even worked better at TDS because of the huge popularity of Toy Story. This sucked in at least 90% of attendees allowing easy access to other rides for the first hour.
We did a ton of stuff so going to just list it in approximate order:
Took a break/nap and returned in the evening hitting some rides again (ones with x2). Only extra thing we did was Sinbad's Journey. Which I honestly only did because of my two little ones as I read it was a modernized Small World in many ways. However I really enjoyed it. Animatronics were great as was the style of the whole ride.
One thing I am a little disappointed about is there is little to no merchandise directly related to any if the Jules Verne rides. Was hoping for a scale model for example of the Nautilus or similar.
Huge day today with lovely weather to boot! Sunny and dry with a cool wind all day. We kept to the same plan as it seems to work. It even worked better at TDS because of the huge popularity of Toy Story. This sucked in at least 90% of attendees allowing easy access to other rides for the first hour.
We did a ton of stuff so going to just list it in approximate order:
- Indiana Jones (I think this ride has changed from when I rode it 10y ago. I recall the boulder following you and the jeep reversing backwards through the ride as the boulder followed) x2
- Tower of Terror (great themeing and thrill ride) x2
- Journey to the Centre of the Earth x2
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea x2
- Visited Tritons Kingdom and the little ones enjoyed the play area, rode the rides and watched the Little Mermaid show with alternate universe story. Can't recall the xact ride names here - Blowfish Race and Jellyfish Drop maybe? Plus Scuttlers Scooters x2
- Watched the Terra Mythica Parade.
Took a break/nap and returned in the evening hitting some rides again (ones with x2). Only extra thing we did was Sinbad's Journey. Which I honestly only did because of my two little ones as I read it was a modernized Small World in many ways. However I really enjoyed it. Animatronics were great as was the style of the whole ride.
One thing I am a little disappointed about is there is little to no merchandise directly related to any if the Jules Verne rides. Was hoping for a scale model for example of the Nautilus or similar.
DAY 4: TDL AND TDS
Decided to head back to TDL in the morning. The only rides the kids wanted to redo were all in TDL. Plan was to do TDL in the morning then have dinner and watch Fantasmic at TDS.
At TDL by 1300 we hit Splash Mountain, Big Thunder x2, Star Tours, Pirates and the Snow White ride. Also had lunch at the Kitchen below Splash Mountain and did some shopping as well as popping in to see the pizza machine at Intergalactic Pizza. At 1300 we grabbed a spot near the parade start line straddling Western Land and Fantasy Land. While waiting my wife took the two youngest on the Mark Twain while we held a spot.
Just an aside on parades. The parades in TDL and TDS are wonderful. I tend to think parades are cheesy but the Japanese parades changed my mind. They are technically impressive, performed enthusiastically and have a ton of characters involved. Very well done. In fact they put HKDL to shame.
I also love the system the Japanese use. Everyone sits down and no one gets in someone else's way. It's very civilized and polite. No fighting with people so your kids can see a parade (HKDL). Kudos to the Japanese.
At TDS we had a mix up with our SS Columbia dinner reservations and ended up skipping dinner entirely. Instead living on popcorn for the next couple hours
. We watched Fantasmic (another great show) and then visited the Explorers Fort and galleon before hitting the carousel and flying carpets as our final rides.
Decided to head back to TDL in the morning. The only rides the kids wanted to redo were all in TDL. Plan was to do TDL in the morning then have dinner and watch Fantasmic at TDS.
At TDL by 1300 we hit Splash Mountain, Big Thunder x2, Star Tours, Pirates and the Snow White ride. Also had lunch at the Kitchen below Splash Mountain and did some shopping as well as popping in to see the pizza machine at Intergalactic Pizza. At 1300 we grabbed a spot near the parade start line straddling Western Land and Fantasy Land. While waiting my wife took the two youngest on the Mark Twain while we held a spot.
Just an aside on parades. The parades in TDL and TDS are wonderful. I tend to think parades are cheesy but the Japanese parades changed my mind. They are technically impressive, performed enthusiastically and have a ton of characters involved. Very well done. In fact they put HKDL to shame.
I also love the system the Japanese use. Everyone sits down and no one gets in someone else's way. It's very civilized and polite. No fighting with people so your kids can see a parade (HKDL). Kudos to the Japanese.
At TDS we had a mix up with our SS Columbia dinner reservations and ended up skipping dinner entirely. Instead living on popcorn for the next couple hours
. We watched Fantasmic (another great show) and then visited the Explorers Fort and galleon before hitting the carousel and flying carpets as our final rides.Here are some lessons learned from our trip:
Will post some pics and vids once back home.
- HKDL was good prep for TDR but the parks are very different. One major advantage is that we skipped rides which were available in our home Disneyland. This was a time saver.
- Go early - the first hour the park is open is Golden. We accumulated many rides and Fastpasses during this time.
- Be strategic in your ride selection. For example try and stack Fastpasses by picking rides with short return times then jumping on the ride as well. Short return time means you can get a another Fastpass that much quicker.
- Related to this is to take advantage of the Japanese insanity when it comes to new rides. New rides will suck the initial park population in giving you plenty of time to hop on zero minute wait time rides.
- If you have kids under 10 go take a break/nap in the afternoon then return in the evening to ride some more and burn remaining Fastpasses.
- If you have older kids and younger you will need to split up. One parent taking the younger and one taking the older. Alternatively you need to only go on junior rides if you want to stick together or wait until your youngest is about 8.
- Seven or eight is the perfect age. Tall enough to go on all rides and robust enough to go most of the day before stopping. Though we still enforced an afternoon break on our older kids. Made the evening time much more pleasant.
- You really need 3 days for TDL and two days for TDS if you have kids. Kids will be much more drawn towards the TDL rides and will want to double up or more (see the number of times we rode Splash Mountain for example). You can do all the rides in TDS in one day BUT TDS has a ton more attractions worth spending time on, like Fort Exploration, that you don't want to rush though. So reserve one day just to do that if you can.
- The parades and shows are worth seeing but leave them for a separate day where you spend most of your time checking them out and leaving rides as a secondary priority. It's also worth sitting down and claiming a spot an hour before for a good view.
Will post some pics and vids once back home.
Hi all,
Here are some of the videos we took, maybe of interest:
Happiness is Here Parade
Electrical Parade
Mythica Parade
Polynesian Laua with Lilo and Stitch
Diamond Horseshoe
Here are some of the videos we took, maybe of interest:
Happiness is Here Parade
Electrical Parade
Mythica Parade
Polynesian Laua with Lilo and Stitch
Diamond Horseshoe
The other surprising thing about Tokyo was how family friendly it is. We found lots of activities for the kids to do outside of TDL and TDS. Here are some of the things we managed to squeeze in on non-Disney days:
There is more to do than this but we felt we didn't spend enough time in places like Legoland and Joypolis as we were pressed for time!
- Joypolis in Odaiba
- Legoland also in Odaiba
- Ghibili Musuem in Mitaka
- Pokemon Store (for fans only)
- Gundam Statue and Gundam Museum
- Round1 also in Odaiba. Unlimited arcade area below the Gundam Museum
- Also visited CharacterST in Tokyo Station
There is more to do than this but we felt we didn't spend enough time in places like Legoland and Joypolis as we were pressed for time!
Share this page
GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
