Too Ambitious? Our Three Day DL/DCA Touring Plan

[idle]

Hey all, I've been reading all your tips and tricks and plans and getting ideas for our own trip for the past several months. I've been playing with Touring Plans and RideMax in order to optimize our visit to get the most of our time. I was hoping some of you more recently experienced pros could weigh in on the plans we've come up with with the help of those programs for our trip scheduled for the 16th, 17th, and 17th of August (Tues., Wed., Thur.).

Some background:
Me: 30 y/o and my fiancée is 25 and we're both in good health and eager for plenty of walking.

I last visited Disneyland in 2002, and have never been to DCA. The fiancée has never done DLR (or WDW for that matter).

We'll be traveling from Houston, TX so bring on your 95 degree heat, it likely won't phase us much and plan to keep hydrated. We've been practicing this summer by visiting Sea World and Six Flags in San Antonio - talk about brutal heat and humidity!

So here's our plans:

Tuesday, 16th August (Magic Morning) at Disneyland
DL Hours: 9 AM to 11 PM

We are staying at the new HIE off S. Manchester Ave., and I've read the walk into the entry plaza is about 10-15 minutes which is great!

The goal is to arrive at 7 AM to ensure we're one of the firsts in line for when they begin to allow those with MM into the park. We plan to use the extra early hour in the park to knock out some of Fantasyland's attractions:

• Peter Pan's Flight
• Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
• Alice in Wonderland
• Pinocchio's Daring Journey

I am hoping that we can ride each of those once in the first hour, and then move on with our touring plan.

Here's where it gets ambitious and where I'm relying on RideMax to guide us around the park:
(For instances where I'm supposed to pull a fast pass, I'll denote the time.)

• Pull Space Mountain Fast Pass (9:07 AM)
• Ride Buzz Lightyear
• Ride Star Tours
• Use Space Mountain Fast Pass
• Pull Space Mountain Fast Pass (10:18 AM)
• Ride Star Tours
• Lunch at Plaza Inn and Free Period (11:20 AM - 12:30 PM)
• Use Space Mountain Fast Pass
• Pull Indiana Jones Fast Pass (1:00 PM)
• Free Period (Plan to use this to slow the pace, browse, take photos) - (1:00 PM to 4:00 PM)
• Pull Splash Mountain Fast Pass (Plan says to do this, but how can I hold 2 fast passes at once?) (4:00 PM)
• Ride Pirates of the Caribbean
• Use Indiana Jones Fast Pass
• Ride Jungle Cruise
• Ride Pirates of the Caribbean
• Pull Big Thunder Mountain Fast Pass (Again, holding hold 2 fast passes - not sure about this) (6:00 PM)
• Ride Jungle Cruise
• Ride Big Thunder Mountain Fast Pass
• Dinner at Blue Bayou & Free Time (7:00 PM to 8:40 PM)
• Ride Haunted Mansion
• Ride Haunted Mansion
• Use Splash Mountain Fast Pass
• Watch Paint the Night Parade (Pirates PtN Dinner Package FP) (10:00 PM)

That's a wrap for day 1! I feel like the Ridemax plan relies heavily on FP and the return times being accurate. If one ride is off, then it could throw a spanner in the works. Also, very concerned about the instances where it has me pulling a 2nd fast pass before using the 1st. Anyway, onward to day 2!

Still with me?

Wednesday, 17th August (Regular Hours) at Disneyland
DL Hours: 9 AM to 11 PM

If we aren't incapacitated from the day before, we plan to make rope drop. So we plan to arrive at 8:15 AM at the latest.

Here we go again:

• Pull Space Mountain Fast Pass (9:07 AM)
• Ride Star Tours
• Ride Buzz Lightyear
• Use Space Mountain Fast Pass
• Ride It's A Small World
• Pull Indiana Jones Fast Pass (11:00 AM)
• Lunch at Carnation Cafe & Free Period (11:15 AM - 12:40 PM)
• Use Indiana Jones Fast Pass
• Pull Indiana Jones Fast Pass (1:00 PM)
• Free Period (Plan to use this to slow the pace, browse, take photos) - (1:00 PM to 3:40 PM)
• Ride Pirates of the Caribbean
• Pull Splash Mountain Fast Pass (4:30 PM)
• Use Indiana Jones Fast Pass
• Watch Tiki Room Show
• Ride Matterhorn Bobsleds (the wait time shows 50 min. May axe this.)
• Ride Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
• Dinner at Cafe Orleans (7:00 PM to 8:00 PM)
• Ride Jungle Cruise
• Ride Pirates of The Caribbean
• Ride Haunted Mansion
• Use Splash Mountain Fast Pass

According to the plan, that'll take us to approximately 10 PM and with an hour left in the park, our last full day in Disneyland, we'll likely take night photos, browse shops, and purchase gifts, catch the fireworks maybe...then head back to the room - likely exhausted!

Thursday, 18th August (Regular Hours) at Disneyland California Adventure (+DL ?)
DCA Hours: 9 AM to 10 PM
DL Hours: 9 AM to 11 PM

This will be our inaugural visit to DCA - so hoping to ride all the goodies! Another Rope Drop with the same plan to arrive at 8:15 AM. Let's go!!

• Ride Radiator Springs Racers
• Pull Soarin' Fast Pass (9:40 AM)
• Ride Tower of Terror
• Use Soarin' Fast Pass
• Pull Radiator Springs Racers Fast Pass (11:00 AM)
• Free Period (Plan to use this to slow the pace, browse, take photos) - (11:00 AM to 12:30 PM)
• Ride Little Mermaid
• Lunch at Ariel's Grotto and Free Period (12:50 PM to 2:10 PM)
• Pull California Screamin' Fast Pass (2:10 PM)
• Ride Toy Story Mania
• Use California Screamin' Fast Pass
• See Frozen at Hyperion (Plan to pull a FP during a free period, hoping to time right) (4:00 PM)
• Ride Monster's Inc.
• Use Radiator Springs Racers Fast Pass
• Dinner (Location TBA) (7:00 PM)
• Watch World of Color (WoC Dessert Party) (8:00 PM)

That's a wrap for DCA!!

Now, can we go back to Disneyland? I imagine everyone else would also be trying the same. If doable, we'd try to ride Haunted Mansion, Pirates, and Indy at least once each before concluding our magical vacation.

So - everyone - thoughts? Too ambitious? Will our feet revolt? Let's hear it! I've got about 2 weeks to tweak this plan!

TIA!!

 

[BriannaRuth]

You can have two FPs at once. You can pull the second EITHER as soon as the window on your first opens (ie if you have an 11:10-12:10 FP you can get another at 11:11), OR two hours after you pull the first (ie pull your first FP at 10 and you're eligible for your next at 12). Whichever is earlier.

The main thing that sticks out to me is Frozen. I've not been there since it opened but waiting until 11 to pull that FP may be problematic. Get the DL app and keep an eye on it.

Another thing that has the possibility of throwing a wrench in the plans is TSMM. Planning on riding that around 2 means there will most likely be a pretty good wait and may result in having difficulty getting to the Hyperion in time. You may just have to see how that goes.

Yes, you can definitely head to DL after DCA closes. We do it all the time. HM and Pirates should be fairly easy to do; not so sure about Indy. You can always do a separate RideMax plan for that evening just to see what it says about potential wait times.

We use RideMax alot -- you just need to be flexible with it and if something is off, skip it, get ahead of the schedule, and try to come back to it later.

You probably already know this, but be sure you have reservations for your TS restaurants.

 

[BriannaRuth]

One more thing -- you have Mr. Toad in your schedule twice and are thinking of skipping Matterhorn. If you get to PP early enough on your MM day, look at the Matterhorn wait and consider riding it after PP, then Alice. It will really depend how early you're able to get on PP for this to work. Personally I'd save Toad and Pinocchio for the evening. And you realize you don't have Snow White, right?

 

[idle]

You can have two FPs at once. You can pull the second EITHER as soon as the window on your first opens (ie if you have an 11:10-12:10 FP you can get another at 11:11), OR two hours after you pull the first (ie pull your first FP at 10 and you're eligible for your next at 12). Whichever is earlier.

The main thing that sticks out to me is Frozen. I've not been there since it opened but waiting until 11 to pull that FP may be problematic. Get the DL app and keep an eye on it.

Another thing that has the possibility of throwing a wrench in the plans is TSMM. Planning on riding that around 2 means there will most likely be a pretty good wait and may result in having difficulty getting to the Hyperion in time. You may just have to see how that goes.

Yes, you can definitely head to DL after DCA closes. We do it all the time. HM and Pirates should be fairly easy to do; not so sure about Indy. You can always do a separate RideMax plan for that evening just to see what it says about potential wait times.

We use RideMax alot -- you just need to be flexible with it and if something is off, skip it, get ahead of the schedule, and try to come back to it later.

You probably already know this, but be sure you have reservations for your TS restaurants.

Thanks for the lesson on the fast passes - I'll keep that in mind.

On the Frozen issue, I was hoping to get one of the pre-show passes, but it seems to be sold out. Bummer. On this date, the entertainment schedule shows performances at 11:30 AM, 1:35 PM, 4:00 PM, and 5:50 PM. I'm hoping that it's not all gone by 11, but I'll keep an eye with the app. I'll keep reading peoples experiences in the Frozen thread as well as the date gets nearer.

TSMM is showing a 35 min wait on RideMax - hope that's inline with reality. Then riding California Screaming just before 3 with a FP. RideMax has us scheduled to head to Hyperion at 3:25. Tbh, I could do without TSMM. I'll highlight that one in our plan to be aware of on the day of.

As for running a separate plan for DL after DCA closes, I've done just that and here's what it spit out to me.

Note: I scheduled the first ride at 9:50 PM. Giving us from the end of WoC to exit the park, head to DL, and head straight to HM. This is what RideMax gave me:

9:50pm Haunted Mansion
10:11pm Pirates of the Caribbean
10:31pm Pirates of the Caribbean
10:50pm Indiana Jones

I hope I can make it to Indy before they stop letting people in line, as Indy is definitely one of my favorites. Might have to sacrifice one of the Pirates runs (one of my other favs).

The TS reservations were made when they first opened up! The Frozen pre-show thing was sort of an afterthought and I missed out.

Many thanks for the tips!

 

[BriannaRuth]

TSMM can really be hit or miss. It goes down alot, so if it was down earlier in the day there may be more of a line for it by afternoon. But hopefully you'll be ok!

Heading to Hyperion at 3:35 for a 4:00 show sounds late to me, but as I said, I haven't done that show since it opened. Maybe someone else will chime in.

Have fun!!

 

[VandVsmama]

I don't think that your plans are ambitious. They are quite achievable. We've used RideMax a few times with great success and I've found their time estimates to be pretty spot on. Occasionally, we have opted to skip something in order to take an unscheduled break or go on something different and we just skip ahead to the next attraction on the list. We've used Ridemax during summer and October trips and it was such a life saver for our trips. My DH hates to wait in really long lines plus we had kids with us and Ridemax made our Disneyland visits really enjoyable.

 

[Geemo]

I hope I can make it to Indy before they stop letting people in line, as Indy is definitely one of my favorites. Might have to sacrifice one of the Pirates runs (one of my other favs).


Many thanks for the tips!

The CM stop the line right at park closing. With DL closing at 11pm, you'd have until 10:59:59pm to join the line for Indy.

Enjoy your trip.
Geemo

 

[idle]

TSMM can really be hit or miss. It goes down alot, so if it was down earlier in the day there may be more of a line for it by afternoon. But hopefully you'll be ok!

Heading to Hyperion at 3:35 for a 4:00 show sounds late to me, but as I said, I haven't done that show since it opened. Maybe someone else will chime in.

Have fun!!

Late even if I do manage to snag a FP? Thanks!!!

I don't think that your plans are ambitious. They are quite achievable. We've used RideMax a few times with great success and I've found their time estimates to be pretty spot on. Occasionally, we have opted to skip something in order to take an unscheduled break or go on something different and we just skip ahead to the next attraction on the list. We've used Ridemax during summer and October trips and it was such a life saver for our trips. My DH hates to wait in really long lines plus we had kids with us and Ridemax made our Disneyland visits really enjoyable.

Good tips for the skipping ahead! Also glad to hear another person give a positive review of Ridemax. I figured that if it ended up being a disaster, then I'd scrap it for days 2 and 3 and just wing it.

The CM stop the line right at park closing. With DL closing at 11pm, you'd have until 10:59:59pm to join the line for Indy.

Enjoy your trip.
Geemo

This is excellent - on the final night I plan to squeeze every minute possible!

 

[idle]

One more thing -- you have Mr. Toad in your schedule twice and are thinking of skipping Matterhorn. If you get to PP early enough on your MM day, look at the Matterhorn wait and consider riding it after PP, then Alice. It will really depend how early you're able to get on PP for this to work. Personally I'd save Toad and Pinocchio for the evening. And you realize you don't have Snow White, right?

Just skipping Matterhorn on day 1. That said, growing up in DL (used to go every summer min. 3 - 5 days) in the 90s, it was one of my least favorite rides, so I'm not too worried. I always thought it was so jerky and unenjoyable and the lines were always crazy long (we never did rope drop). I do love Mr. Toad - my fiancée had some shirts made and I made sure to let her know that I needed a Mr. Toad shirt. Ha! Also, yes - I need to add Snow White.

So, do you think it's feasible to ride all these in the first hour and in what order?

• Peter Pan's Flight
• Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
• Alice in Wonderland
• Pinocchio's Daring Journey
• Snow White

PP > Toad > Alice > Pinocchio > Snow White ??

 

[VandVsmama]

That order is good. Alice & Mr Toad are slow loader like Peter Pan, so it's good to get those out of the way first.

 

[tarheelalum]

In the first 2 hours of the park you can get a lot rides in. Around 8 if you hustle but around 11 or 12pm everything gets crowded and the wait times start backing up. You might be able to pull off your schedule if the stars line up together but it is going to take a lot of work and stress. I recommend reevaluation of your planned activities after 12pm. Also if you are going to plan things out you'll need back up plans because things break down. Daily. Indiana Jones constantly breaks down regularly. Splash, BTMRR and Space Mountain break down occasionally. At DCA, RSR breaks down a lot. And you can't plan for those things. They just happen.

It's good to have plans but you need to also relax and enjoy things. Just sitting down and listening to the background music and having a dole whip is like a ride itself. Having rough plans are good but yours look pretty stressful.

 

[grnflash]

So, do you think it's feasible to ride all these in the first hour and in what order?

• Peter Pan's Flight
• Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
• Alice in Wonderland
• Pinocchio's Daring Journey
• Snow White

PP > Toad > Alice > Pinocchio > Snow White ??

Flip Toad and Alice. Alice's line will build much faster so better to do that before Toad, especially since you will be doubling back anyway.

 

[BriannaRuth]

I agree on Matterhorn! I know alot of people love it, including everyone in my family, but I personally don't ride it! I usually go ride Alice a second time or wander around and take pictures while the family is on Matterhorn.

I'd also do Alice before Toad if it's running. Although it may or may not make much of a difference during MM as far as time goes, it's been my experience that Alice breaks down more often than Toad, so we always ride it right after PP if we can ... just in case.

You may have already done this, but on Ridemax, choose a non-MM day and enter all your Fantasyland rides from the minute the park opens through however long you want to be there (say from 9 to 10 so you can get to your 10:07 FP in Tomorrowland) to get an idea of whether or not it can be done. It may not be exactly the same on a MM day but it gives you an idea.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

I think your plans are completely reasonable. Last August, we actually got all that you've listed in on only 2 days somehow, leaving us our final day to just relax. Peter Pan would be the one thing I'd really try to gauge. Sometimes even at MM it's still packed right away, so if the line is already super long when you get there, try to decide if it's worth it to you. You can sometimes end up wasting your whole MM on it depending on the crowds and while it's amazing, is it worth giving up all that time when the park is virtually empty? I personally don't think so, but many do.

If you fall in love with RSR and want to do it multiple times, consider single rider. The 2 of you would be in separate cars, but it's a great way to avoid long lines without having to pull a bunch of FP for the same ride. Single rider is also great for Matterhorn because it's not like you sit next to each other anyway. Also, you may find the lines for things like BTMRR are not as long as you'd expect. Sometimes, it's faster to just go on the ride than to worry about FP.

Anyway, have a great time!

 

[SplashMo]

Make sure you have a park hopper ticket to go between the parks. You may have time during your first day's slow period to make up schedule if you lost some or to get ahead. FP are not available during MM (You likely know this and are not planning on it). Only one person has to run for FP as long as you have both tickets and both of you have entered one of the parks that day. FP can be held in both parks simultaneously.

 

[idle]

In the first 2 hours of the park you can get a lot rides in. Around 8 if you hustle but around 11 or 12pm everything gets crowded and the wait times start backing up. You might be able to pull off your schedule if the stars line up together but it is going to take a lot of work and stress. I recommend reevaluation of your planned activities after 12pm. Also if you are going to plan things out you'll need back up plans because things break down. Daily. Indiana Jones constantly breaks down regularly. Splash, BTMRR and Space Mountain break down occasionally. At DCA, RSR breaks down a lot. And you can't plan for those things. They just happen.

It's good to have plans but you need to also relax and enjoy things. Just sitting down and listening to the background music and having a dole whip is like a ride itself. Having rough plans are good but yours look pretty stressful.

Back when I was younger and going to the park every summer in the 90s, it always seemed like we could get everything done and more. I can remember riding Indy, for example, multiple times a day plus everything else back in '96. Everything I've been reading has said that attendance has exploded and the crowds can be crushing which is what has lead me to using RideMax. In a perfect situation (low crowds), I'd absolutely prefer an organic tour to the rigid schedule. As this is a once in a decade trip for us (probably), I definitely want to maximize our ride time. I'll be sure to have some backup plan just in case, or like BriannaRuth suggested and skip ahead to the next scheduled activity, and take in the sights, etc. while waiting for the times to line up again.

Flip Toad and Alice. Alice's line will build much faster so better to do that before Toad, especially since you will be doubling back anyway.

Thank's - I'll def. do this!

You may have already done this, but on Ridemax, choose a non-MM day and enter all your Fantasyland rides from the minute the park opens through however long you want to be there (say from 9 to 10 so you can get to your 10:07 FP in Tomorrowland) to get an idea of whether or not it can be done. It may not be exactly the same on a MM day but it gives you an idea.

I haven't done that, yet. That's a great idea - I shall give that a go today and see what it spits out at me.

I think your plans are completely reasonable. Last August, we actually got all that you've listed in on only 2 days somehow, leaving us our final day to just relax. Peter Pan would be the one thing I'd really try to gauge. Sometimes even at MM it's still packed right away, so if the line is already super long when you get there, try to decide if it's worth it to you. You can sometimes end up wasting your whole MM on it depending on the crowds and while it's amazing, is it worth giving up all that time when the park is virtually empty? I personally don't think so, but many do.

If you fall in love with RSR and want to do it multiple times, consider single rider. The 2 of you would be in separate cars, but it's a great way to avoid long lines without having to pull a bunch of FP for the same ride. Single rider is also great for Matterhorn because it's not like you sit next to each other anyway. Also, you may find the lines for things like BTMRR are not as long as you'd expect. Sometimes, it's faster to just go on the ride than to worry about FP.

Anyway, have a great time!

So long as the rides don't break down on us, I hope things can go *mostly* to plan! Haha

We are going to hustle to try and be as early as possible to avoid Peter Pan's line at MM. I hear it's not to be missed, but so long as I can ride Mr. Toad and Alice (my top 2 in Fantasyland), I'll take it as a win.

I hadn't considered single rider lines, but that may be a good idea for something like Matterhorn. The fiancée doesn't really care for coasters all that much, and while the Matterhorn is child's play compared to some of the things I've made her come with me on...haha..she may even want to skip it all together.

Make sure you have a park hopper ticket to go between the parks. You may have time during your first day's slow period to make up schedule if you lost some or to get ahead. FP are not available during MM (You likely know this and are not planning on it). Only one person has to run for FP as long as you have both tickets and both of you have entered one of the parks that day. FP can be held in both parks simultaneously.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that we do have park hopper tickets. Thank you for the tips!

 

[grnflash]

Detailed response to your plan in red if you expand your quoted text.

Tuesday, 16th August (Magic Morning) at Disneyland
DL Hours: 9 AM to 11 PM

We are staying at the new HIE off S. Manchester Ave., and I've read the walk into the entry plaza is about 10-15 minutes which is great!

The goal is to arrive at 7 AM to ensure we're one of the firsts in line for when they begin to allow those with MM into the park. We plan to use the extra early hour in the park to knock out some of Fantasyland's attractions:

• Peter Pan's Flight
• Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
• Alice in Wonderland
• Pinocchio's Daring Journey

I am hoping that we can ride each of those once in the first hour, and then move on with our touring plan.

PP, Alice, Toad, Pinnochio, Snow - this plan is doable but depends on 2 things. 1 - getting to PP straight away after rope drop. Cannot emphasize this enough. 2 - both PP and Alice open on time and don't break down. Nothing you can do if they're not running, I'd put the odds at 75% they will be open/functioning but that's still a significant margin that they won't. Be prepared to jump ship if either of these goes down if you want to save the rest of your day's plan, work the dropped ride in later. There's Dumbo (if you're jumping ship straight away from PP, put it after Alice) or the tea cups and carousel to fill the void or go over to TL and ride Buzz, or possibly Astro (only if there is almost no line which could happen so early.)

Here's where it gets ambitious and where I'm relying on RideMax to guide us around the park:
(For instances where I'm supposed to pull a fast pass, I'll denote the time.)

• Pull Space Mountain Fast Pass (9:07 AM)
• Ride Buzz Lightyear
• Ride Star Tours
• Use Space Mountain Fast Pass
• Pull Space Mountain Fast Pass (10:18 AM)
• Ride Star Tours
• Lunch at Plaza Inn and Free Period (11:20 AM - 12:30 PM)
• Use Space Mountain Fast Pass
• Pull Indiana Jones Fast Pass (1:00 PM)

RideMax is wrong if they are telling you to ride Buzz before ST. ST will get a line early. Pull an unconnected FP for Buzz right after you grab your Space FP to be safe (to use after your first Space ride) but it's unlikely Buzz will have a line so early. Regardless, ride ST then Buzz.

Also, I would be at Space at 9 for that first FP so I can pull my second earlier. If your FL plan goes well, you can pull Space at 9, then your second at 9:40 (when you also use your first FP to ride,) riding ST then Buzz in between. Honestly, since you plan to be back in FL during your trip, I'd even drop Snow and/or Pinnochio if FL time is getting short (can ride these anytime, especially Snow, with little wait) if it meant being at Space at 9 for a FP pull.

Your plan, imo, is depending on rushing to PP at open and pulling Space FP at 9. You do these two things and you'll be building in a more relaxing experience the rest of your day as your schedule now has more buffer. Frankly you are now waaaay ahead of schedule as your third FP can be pulled at 11:40ish.

9am - pull Space
9:05 - pull Buzz
Ride ST
Possibly ride Buzz (if time allows and you can still get to Space for your second FP pull at 9:40, may not be doable depending on ST wait)
9:40 - pull Space
9:40 - ride Space
Ride Buzz (w/ FP if you didn't get it in earlier)
Ride ST
It's now 11am max and you probably have some time before your Space FP is up. If so, personally I'd go ride Jungle, then be in that area to pull my Indy FP at 11:40ish.
Ride Space

This pushes your lunch to noon with nothing in your plan until 4 except use your Indy FP within its window. If you need an earlier lunch, then I'd skip Jungle but that messes with your plan to ride it twice.

• Free Period (Plan to use this to slow the pace, browse, take photos) - (1:00 PM to 4:00 PM)
• Pull Splash Mountain Fast Pass (Plan says to do this, but how can I hold 2 fast passes at once?) (4:00 PM)
• Ride Pirates of the Caribbean
• Use Indiana Jones Fast Pass
• Ride Jungle Cruise
• Ride Pirates of the Caribbean
• Pull Big Thunder Mountain Fast Pass (Again, holding hold 2 fast passes - not sure about this) (6:00 PM)
• Ride Jungle Cruise
• Ride Big Thunder Mountain Fast Pass
• Dinner at Blue Bayou & Free Time (7:00 PM to 8:40 PM)
• Ride Haunted Mansion
• Ride Haunted Mansion
• Use Splash Mountain Fast Pass
• Watch Paint the Night Parade (Pirates PtN Dinner Package FP) (10:00 PM)

Seems like you plan to be on Main Street/West side of the park exclusively after noon. Good plan!

In your Noon - 4 lunch/free time window, you'll need to use your Indy FP. I'd be grabbing my 4th FP by 2pm also, my 5th at 4pm.

Regardless, Ridemax is steering you wrong again with the Splash FP pull. It has you using it very late, after 9, probably close 9:30 per the plan above. For one thing I doubt the return will be that late (5+ hours after pull) so the actual return time will screw with your plans. Also that's a long ride a long way to the parade - too much to do possibly in the plan above from 8:40 - 10. But even if the return is that late and you can get it all in, it's still wasting a FP pull. Riding Splash after 9pm on a Califonia-AP's-blocked, LA-school-night, vacation-season-over night does not need a FP. Your standby wait should be short. So riding Splash 9ish is still a good plan - but use your FP pull for something that will be maintaining a line.

Noon - 4pm - pull BTMRR FP at 2, ride Indy in its window, pull HM FP at 4 (pull Haunted again at 6.)

4pm - pull HM, your BTMRR will probably be open followed by a Pirates ride. If the BTMRR return window is not open, ride Pirates first.

5 - 7 - use HM FP, re-ride Jungle, re-ride Pirates, pull another HM FP - order is not particular, depends on the HM return time, just pull Haunted FP again at 6 (very unlikely your first HM FP return is not before 6 but on the off chance it is, you'll have to wait until the first window opens to pull the second FP since while you can have two FP's at once, you can't have two for the same ride until the first window opens.)

8:30 - 9 - use second HM FP, get in Splash stand-by

Parade after 10 near IASW, ride SW after parade and remove from Wednesday's schedule.

Ok, that's what I would do and while it's not foolproof I believe it's better and more flexible than Ridemax's plan. FP return times are not entirely predictable as the day goes on, but the above afternoon plan allows enough flexibility to move things around (i.e. ride Pirates or Jungle before or after something, etc.) Your afternoon/evening is not packed anyway. Ride breakdowns as well can always occur, especially Indy. If that happens, you'll be able to use your FP anytime the rest of the day. And use the DL wait time app as you go - it will be a better friend to you than Ridemax (imo.)

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Detailed response to your plan in red if you expand your quoted text.

Wow, I thought I knew what I was doing at DL. [Mike Meyers "we are not worthy" bowing GIF ] https://gifcrap.com/index.php?category=TV&image=Wayne_s World - We_re not worthy.gif Amazing analysis and advice!

 

[Angrose]

I think you can definitely get everything done. I have just a few comments. Plaza Inn doesn't open for lunch until noon. Before then it's the Minnie and Friends character breakfast. Also, the app does not indicate which shows they are distributing FPs for or if FPs are even still available. It simply says "Fast Pass Service" when you click on it. From what I've read, it also seem like you will want to get there earlier than 3:30 for the 4pm show. You may want to keep checking on the package availability as your trip gets closer, you may luck out and get a cancelled spot.

 

[twilightsparkle]

I love Ridemax we be used it on multiple trips and as long as we staying on time with out plan it all went smooth.