Relaxed touring plan--folly or not?

[ktlm]

Hmm...maybe only 1 day for DCA? We went to LEGOLAND last summer where they have a play area similar to the Grizzly one (?) in DCA and we spent 2 hours there. And there was a ride similar to Jumpin Jellyfish that our two youngest boys rode 14 times. Seriously. I am preparing myself to be surprised by what they fall in love with and be prepared to do it many times : )

We went to Legoland once when DD (12) was 4 or 5 and never felt the need to return again. It is not remotely anything like Disney.

Is this your first Disney trip, or have you all been to Disneyworld?

Are hoppers an option? At DLR we have gotten from the back corner of DL to the back corner of CA in 10 minutes. Unlike at Disneyworld, hopping takes very little time. There is many a time that DD has wanted to hop to go over and ride Radiator Springs Racers. We have hopped many times just because she really wanted another ride on something. We also hop if one park seems crowded and the app shows shorter lines at the other park. We also hop for extra hours if one park is open later, or one earlier than the other. DH also has been known to leave DD and I if she wants another ride on Small World and he has already done it once, and to hop to the Wharf in CA to visit the beer truck. He is usually walking back into DL about the time we are getting off Small World.

Hard to say without knowing what your boys like-- but I would guess that Radiator Springs Racers is going to be a big hit. If the older one is the thrill seeker and a Marvel fan the Guardian of the Galaxy Ride will probably be a big hit. Also, if your boys like Marvel, all the characters over there to meet may be a huge hit. My DD is Marvel obsessed and we spent a lot of time at CA last year when Marvel was big- between meeting characters, the GOTG dance party etc. Not sure what all Marvel they have this summer- but I know there is a significant amount.

Don't stress about planning. What we really like about DLR is how much easier it is than WDW. Outside of having a general plan for the absolute most popular rides- and a plan for night time shows or parades, we never have anything planned for DLR. Max Pass started the day we were leaving last year so we haven't tried it, but I expect things are likely even easier since you are using Max Pass. We usually know the first ride we are heading to in the morning-- the first fast pass we want to get--- and if we are heading for the most popular characters, we research and know when they are coming out and when the best time to see them is. DD is a character nut- so that is always really important to her. Outside of that, we just go wherever the day takes us. We try to do whole areas at a time unless we need to leave for a FP, or a line for something is too long, and we decide to try it later or come back on a different day.

 

[blackjackdelta]

We live about 1300 miles away, try to make it twice a year for 5 days, stay on site for location and enjoy what walt built. The whole family(6) are Disney freaks maybe my enthusiasm and early association with Walt and Lil and family,who knows.

Jack

 

[BriannaRuth]

Without doing the uber-planning and rushing down Main Street in the morning, the main things to keep in mind will be --

Don't plan on getting on Peter Pan without a long wait. Alice can also build quickly, so if you skip PP in the morning, consider doing Alice first instead.

You don't have to rush down Main Street in the morning, but DO plan to get to the gates 30 minutes ahead of opening to take full advantage of the morning hours when there are fewer people in the park if you possibly can. If you stroll up to the entrance plaza 20 minutes after park opening, you'll be waiting in a long entrance line and will miss that first hour in the park when it's less crowded.

Try to take full advantage of MaxPass if you get it. Some rides are out of FPs by early afternoon, so keep an eye on that.

Actually I think with MaxPass, the need to uber-plan has dropped significantly. I've always been an uber-planner, but this year I'm backing off that a little with MP.

Have fun!

 

[smartlabelprint]

Yes, you can see everything in 5 days. With a nice afternoon nap.

Personally I can’t go without the park hopper. Disneyland gets really crowded after morning. So we usually spend our mornings there. After nap go to dca. After dinner go to Disneyland. It gives so much more flexibility. But if it won’t allow you to afford maxoass I’d stick with one park and maxpass.

 

[goooof1]

5 days is great! enjoy all of the little details and things going on around the parks. Take note of the characters walking around and interacting with guests casually. Plenty to do at a nice relaxed pace. And I HIGHLY recommend park hoppers! You will want the flexibility it affords. It is just so easy to go back and forth to the parks (just cross the "esplanade" and go in!) I cannot imagine not being able to park hop! The 2 parks are essentially like 1 big park. It also makes maxpass better, to get a fast pass in the other park and go at leisure to ride a favorite, whenever you are in the mood!
Yes, on the park hoppers, you will not regret it!

 

[Bluewild79]

Thank you for asking this question! I've been wondering how much I need to plan for our 5 day trip in late August. We have been to Disneyland once - last year for a 3-day, 1 park per day trip and we hardly got anything done at Disneyland because it was a)spring break, b)no MaxPass yet, c)there was a power outage and we ended up going back to the hotel at 5 pm to go swimming and didn't go back to the parks. Our second two days we spent at DCA. I've been wavering between wanting to make sure we see EVERYTHING at Disneyland this time since we barely did anything last time. Honestly, this is like the first time at Disneyland, version 2.0. My kids are 10, 8, and 2. Every time is the first time for the baby, ha. We are getting Park Hoppers this time and bringing my parents for their first time at Disneyland too. Yay! WHY IS TIME GOING SO SLOW?? lol.

 

[tarheelalum]

The first hour or two of everyday (at rope drop) is when you need to hustle to do things. After that the place is packed so you have no need to run around because its not going to do you any good. In fact its counter productive because it will stress you out big time. After those first two hours, do everything via fast passes and just stroll around and have a good time. If you see something that has a short wait in between your fast passes. Like if Indy had been broken down for two hours and it just came back up with a 15 minute wait and you are right there, then jump on it. But running around after the first two hours of the day is like raking leaves on a windy day. And when it gets hot and you are at DCA, go to Animation Academy and learn to draw something. Super AC there and even someone with no talent can make a great picture. It is fun for the whole family and your feet get a break. Its usually never too crowded because people don't go there for some crazy reason. And at Disneyland go see a show at the Tiki Room for a break and great AC. Have a great time and take it easy on vacation.

 

[Iceman93]

RELAX. Enjoy your Disneyland vacation. Your husband is right--this isn't a death march, it's supposed to be a fun and relaxing time with your family. In fact, part of the magic of Disneyland is in the details that you will miss if you're on a mission to hit every possible attraction in the shortest amount of time.

There are a few things that require advance planning. If you really want to eat in a particular restaurant at a particular time, then by all means make a reservation in advance and plan around it. If you really want to see a particular parade or nighttime spectacular, either plan to be there early to get a good spot or purchase one of the dining or special reserved options (in advance).

Just like at WDW, a *little* advance planning can make a major impact on your enjoyment. You should indeed be generally familiar with the layouts of the parks, and know which attractions are must-do's, want-to-do's, and do-if-there's-time's. You can make a plan for the must-do's, whether it is hitting something at rope drop (or at least early in the day), using the single rider line, or making sure you get FPs. But remember that plans can change--just as an example, if you're on your way to a must-do attraction but you randomly run into some characters you'd love to have your picture taken with, then take advantage of the unexpected magic and remember that the attraction will still be there. I say the same about food and merchandise--if you're planning a Mexican meal at Rancho del Zocalo but the smell from a hot dog cart is irresistable... don't resist! The memories of "going with the flow" and enjoying your overall experience together as family will outweigh any "but we rode everything" artificial badge of honor.

 

[PirateRedhead]

You'll have a beautiful time. The parks are so special. I grew up down in SoCal and when I went to the park as a kid (it was just DL then) it was with a mission to ride all the rides! But the things I remember best are the moments in between - talking to CMs, giggling in line with my sister, eating at the Blue Bayou, getting my silhouette cut. Recently, I've taken my kids (7 and 2) on two trips to the parks. Both times, I planned the living daylights out of the trip because it gave me joy to think about the parks in detail and imagine every tiny thing. On our first trip, I tried to stick to that plan. Yikes. No good. Stressed out and "behind" is a terrible way to feel at Disneyland. The second time we went was like a do-over. We had Maxpass but we didn't fling ourselves madly around. When my little daughter wanted to just run around Cars Land doing nothing, I followed her lead. When she wanted to spin the big ball outside Space Mountain, I sat there with her for an hour. When my son wanted to ride RSR and SM again and again, forsaking all else: so be it. When he wanted to do the rock climbing wall over and over at the challenge trail, I cheered him on. I took the time to stop at the Chamber of Commerce and pay compliments to superb CMs - something I've always thought about doing but never took the time. It was the best, most joyful trip. Now we're planning another trip for the holiday season, and you can bet I'll plan it to the teeth, because I just want to think about and read about and talk about DLR (that's normal, right?). But once we arrive, that plan will mostly vanish. It's good to square away your dining and other special reservations, it's good to know in advance how Maxpass operates so that you can use it responsively, and it's always good to get to the parks early. Other than that? Just enjoy.

 

[BlondeAlligator]

Same question, same time of year, but only one evening and three full days there. We are serious WDW veterans so what rides can we put on the back burner and what rides should we prioritize? It’s been 20years since I’ve been to DL, never been to DCA. I also looked at Touring Plans but we will be coming off of a 7 day guided tour of San Fran/Yosemite/Monterey (planned by my in laws and it our typical kind of vacay) and I’m not feeling warm and fuzzy about a strict itinerary once we get to DLR.

 

[blackjackdelta]

I would never do a strict schedule. Lots of folk appear to get bummed when they have to be somewhere and can’t make it. Good luck

Jack

 

[Calivalley1]

Yes, you can see everything in 5 days. With a nice afternoon nap.

Personally I can’t go without the park hopper. Disneyland gets really crowded after morning. So we usually spend our mornings there. After nap go to dca. After dinner go to Disneyland. It gives so much more flexibility. But if it won’t allow you to afford maxoass I’d stick with one park and maxpass.

Yeah, I was really torn on this one. We didn't have the budget for hoppers AND MaxPass, so I opted for MaxPass. Hopefully that isn't a mistake?

 

[Calivalley1]

You'll have a beautiful time. The parks are so special. I grew up down in SoCal and when I went to the park as a kid (it was just DL then) it was with a mission to ride all the rides! But the things I remember best are the moments in between - talking to CMs, giggling in line with my sister, eating at the Blue Bayou, getting my silhouette cut. Recently, I've taken my kids (7 and 2) on two trips to the parks. Both times, I planned the living daylights out of the trip because it gave me joy to think about the parks in detail and imagine every tiny thing. On our first trip, I tried to stick to that plan. Yikes. No good. Stressed out and "behind" is a terrible way to feel at Disneyland. The second time we went was like a do-over. We had Maxpass but we didn't fling ourselves madly around. When my little daughter wanted to just run around Cars Land doing nothing, I followed her lead. When she wanted to spin the big ball outside Space Mountain, I sat there with her for an hour. When my son wanted to ride RSR and SM again and again, forsaking all else: so be it. When he wanted to do the rock climbing wall over and over at the challenge trail, I cheered him on. I took the time to stop at the Chamber of Commerce and pay compliments to superb CMs - something I've always thought about doing but never took the time. It was the best, most joyful trip. Now we're planning another trip for the holiday season, and you can bet I'll plan it to the teeth, because I just want to think about and read about and talk about DLR (that's normal, right?). But once we arrive, that plan will mostly vanish. It's good to square away your dining and other special reservations, it's good to know in advance how Maxpass operates so that you can use it responsively, and it's always good to get to the parks early. Other than that? Just enjoy.

That sounds so lovely, and about on pace with how my boys like to vacation. Thank you for the thoughtful response. I'd like to make our first trip like your second trip : )

 

[Calivalley1]

RELAX. Enjoy your Disneyland vacation. Your husband is right--this isn't a death march, it's supposed to be a fun and relaxing time with your family. In fact, part of the magic of Disneyland is in the details that you will miss if you're on a mission to hit every possible attraction in the shortest amount of time.

There are a few things that require advance planning. If you really want to eat in a particular restaurant at a particular time, then by all means make a reservation in advance and plan around it. If you really want to see a particular parade or nighttime spectacular, either plan to be there early to get a good spot or purchase one of the dining or special reserved options (in advance).

Just like at WDW, a *little* advance planning can make a major impact on your enjoyment. You should indeed be generally familiar with the layouts of the parks, and know which attractions are must-do's, want-to-do's, and do-if-there's-time's. You can make a plan for the must-do's, whether it is hitting something at rope drop (or at least early in the day), using the single rider line, or making sure you get FPs. But remember that plans can change--just as an example, if you're on your way to a must-do attraction but you randomly run into some characters you'd love to have your picture taken with, then take advantage of the unexpected magic and remember that the attraction will still be there. I say the same about food and merchandise--if you're planning a Mexican meal at Rancho del Zocalo but the smell from a hot dog cart is irresistable... don't resist! The memories of "going with the flow" and enjoying your overall experience together as family will outweigh any "but we rode everything" artificial badge of honor.

You folks know how to perk a person right up : ) Thank you for this. You bring up some really good points--we have autograph books and the boys are very excited about character meets--detailed plans don't really account for that, do they?

 

[Skyegirl1999]

You folks know how to perk a person right up : ) Thank you for this. You bring up some really good points--we have autograph books and the boys are very excited about character meets--detailed plans don't really account for that, do they?

You can sink a LOT of time into meeting the superheroes at DCA. They're all outstanding meet and greets, though - they will really take time to chat with your kids, do cool poses, etc... but since they're doing that for everyone, they are long waits. We love the more relaxed vibe at DCA and often spend more of our day there than at DL!

I saw you mention that you can't swing parkhoppers AND Maxpass - is there any chance of doing parkhoppers and just doing Maxpass on 2-3 of the days? If that doesn't work out financially, I'm sure you'll be totally fine, but for me, the time you can really make the most of Maxpass is when you have parkhoppers (and like PP, I find that DCA is much more pleasant in the afternoons when DL can get packed). Definitely don't stress if parkhoppers aren't in the cards, though; you'll have a great time either way!

 

[DizneyMommy]

Hey folks. My family is headed to Disneyland for 5 days, July 6th-July 11th. First trip for the 3 boys (14, 7, and 5) and first trip for the hubby since his grad night 20 years ago : ) We have 5 day, 1 park-per-day tickets and will be using MaxPass 4 of those days.

I have been diligently reading/researching/planning/going crazy for many months now. I subscribed to TouringPlans and have plans that require a whole lot of running around the parks. I've filled my husband in on rope-drop, and MaxPass strategies, and parade-seating strategies and he commented with a very grim look on his face "It feels like we're going to war." I looked at my plan for our first day in DL and it has us walking-with-intention to the rope drop for Tomorrowland and I'm feeling really conflicted about that--Disneyland is so special and so magical and do I really want to make my kids walk/run down Main Street on their first time there?

So here's my question--is it possible to ride all the rides, and see/experience those little things that make Disneyland so special, in a relaxed way with 5 day tickets? (I figured 3 for DL and 2 for DCA) Without detailed touring plans? Or is it just too busy now to allow for that? Could we scale back our plans to say on one day we're doing Adventureland in the morning and Fantasyland in the evening, with a parade at 6:00? Is that too old-school and unrealistic?

Not only possible, but wth 5 days I would highly suggest it! If you go park commando forn5 days you’re going to get bored, ride things over and over, and miss the details that make DL amazing. We are AP’s and honestly rarely pull more than 1 or 2 FP because we aren’t stressed about fitting it all in. 5 days is a TON of time for 2 parks!! Slow down and enjoy it!

Skip MaxPass and get hoppers. You don’t NEED MaxPass, you can still get FP the old fashioned way. We rarely buy MaxPass!

 

[Priory]

Yeah, I was really torn on this one. We didn't have the budget for hoppers AND MaxPass, so I opted for MaxPass. Hopefully that isn't a mistake?

For what it’s worth I’ve had an annual pass for 6 years and usually visit 16 days a year and I’ve park hopped exactly 3 times (and once was only cause we saw on twitter that the walls around Carthay had just come down and we ran over to see it). I find I prefer staying in one park. Many might prefer to hop but I definitely think that given the choice between hopping and max pass, maxpass was the right choice. Just my personal preference though.

 

[blackjackdelta]

We are the opposite of @Priory, we use park hoppers, max pass, stay at the GCH twice a year and always have a blast and lots of time to do what we wish without rush and the anxiety other people have. Our way of having fun.

Good luck,

Jack

 

[ExcitedMama]

FWIW I think it depends on how much you and the kids have on your must do list. My DH is the same way and far more laid back than me. Unfortunately the parks seem more and more crowded every time we go. We went last fall for 5 days and still didn’t get everything in the kids wanted to do. If everyone is fine going with the flow it doesn’t matter but if there are must dos and if they are hard to do things you might want to plan to do them early, especially if you want to do them again. You never know when a ride will go down. My son loved Screamin’ but it kept going down and it was really hard to get to GTG because the lines were awful and MP kept malfunctioning. If you are a planner I don’t think it ever hurts to have a plan. Especially if you are trying to get in the night shows which require you to plan ahead. If your kids have different priorities or preferences it can also help to plan around those if you might want to split up for certain rides. If you get in the important rides and/or shows you might feel more relaxed at the end instead of feeling rushed to get it in. I have no problem staking out a spot a little early so the kids can see so I usually do that and send my DH to go on rides with the kids and he comes back with dinner when it’s almost time so everyone is happy. MP gets pricey but can be worth it. It’s something you can use in the beginning to get on those important rides or at the end if you want to get them in.

 

[ChrissyLou]

I have been told I plan our trips like a military attack, but that is because I don't like to be rushed. We are always in line before the park opens and find we get so much done early in the day. Later when we see that Splash and other rides have 60-90 minute standby times we just smile because chances are we have already ridden these rides 2 or 3 times (sometimes without even getting out of the log) and go find something else to do while soaking up the sights, smells and sounds that make up Disneyland. I think too many people miss out on this aspect because they have tunnel vision for the rides. My partner says he has seen and done things with me in two trips that he hadn't done in all his previous trips combined and that is because of good general planning, however we throw any "plan" out the window if we see a character that is rare (to us anyway) or one we have not yet seen on a particular trip -- we get in line for them. We typically take a mid-day break for lunch and pool time and go back to close out the park. I can't imagine not having a general plan or idea of the day, but we have flexibility built in and that is how do and see so much even at peak capacity times. That being said with 5 days you should do just fine. Since you don't have Hoppers (we don't get them anymore either) just make sure to look at each parks hours and events for the time frame you are there so that you can plan which park to enter on which day based on park hours, EE or Magic Morning offerings, parades, shows (Fantasmic, World of Color), Fireworks, etc. - you don't want to plan on doing California Adventure on a day that World of Color is not being shown.