What's your typical day?

[Mimi2Cam]

In anticipation of our August trip, I have been reading everything I can to prepare. But I am curious about how all of you experts plan for YOUR days.

Do you get up early and stay until the parks close? Or do you get an early start and take a break? Do you generally park hop or find that one park a day works best?

Thanks!

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

In anticipation of our August trip, I have been reading everything I can to prepare. But I am curious about how all of you experts plan for YOUR days.

Do you get up early and stay until the parks close? Or do you get an early start and take a break? Do you generally park hop or find that one park a day works best?

Thanks!

I love to hit rope drop (if I have to leave my other half in bed to make it!), take a midday break at the hotel OR hopping to the other park (since it's so easy at DLR), then follow my nose with judicious use of Fastpass for the rest of the day. We usually only do one table service ADR per trip, so usually I/we decide in advance each day what our top 5 or so rides and shows are for the day, eat at our nearest favorite counter service restaurants depending on where we are in the parks when we're hungry, and then relax and go with the flow in between those top 5 things. I also use a line-wait app which helps a lot (I prefer Mousewait.) Since there's so much to do at DLR, there are always really good options to fill up your time. Have a great trip!!!

 

[peterpanandwendy]

When it was just DH and I we would be ready for rope drop, and grab a fast pass for something like Space Mountain right away. Then we would get a coffee on main street and a cinnamon roll and stroll around until we found something else we wanted to ride and just play the day super relaxed. We had no ride strategy at all, and no plan for the day. If we felt hungry we ate. If we felt tired we would head onto a long rest full ride like the Mark Twain or Columbia, or go over to Pirate Island for a quiet walk, or hit up a show. We would never, ever, go back to the hotel for a rest, ever. We would stay until close every night. We would park hop occasionally, but often we did one park/day… although I find I still tire of DCA after a few hours and like to go "home" to Disneyland

Now that we are bringing the kids my plan has changed. This time we will have a 1 and 3 year old with us, so we plan on hitting rope drop for sure (my kids are early risers) having lunch around 11:30, heading back to the hotel for a nap around 1-3 and then hitting the park again from 3-8 and then back to the hotel to be asleep by 9. We probably won't park hop too much this time, as I want to let my 3 year old lead, and just go with his flow. So if he wants to ride a certain ride 6 times in a row, than that is what we will do.

 

[superme80]

DH and I are super lazy. We get up and get to the park when we feel like it. We don't rush. The only thing that is a must do for me is Alice in Wonderland. Once I go on that ride all is right with the world. DH doesn't care what we do, as long as he has a blended chai at least once during the day he is fine. Last time we went we let our boys lead. We did what they wanted and ate where they wanted. We don't like to rush. We are not early morning people, so we will not be at rope drop.

My parents on the other hand are at rope drop. They are very scheduled and have a budget for everything. Souvenirs were purchased as we were leaving the park and we were limited to 1. We did not buy snacks except a funnel cake for all of us to share. We got all fast passes and worked our schedule around that. As you can see vacationing with my DH has been quite an education for me.

 

[Rubygoose]

In anticipation of our August trip, I have been reading everything I can to prepare. But I am curious about how all of you experts plan for YOUR days.

Do you get up early and stay until the parks close? Or do you get an early start and take a break? Do you generally park hop or find that one park a day works best?

Thanks!

We have little kids (6 and 4) so we usually get up early and don't stay late. We'll plan for one late night show during the trip, usually in the middle of the trip, and then we'll have a sleep in day the next day. If DS falls asleep in the stroller or at dinner, then we'll often be able to stay in the parks a bit later than we had planned. Last year we stayed at DLH in July and we made good use of the EMH each day. We would work in the 'big' rides during the morning and then grab a FP (usually for Splash) right before taking a break for lunch or an afternoon ice cream snack. We'd use the afternoons and evenings for shows/parades, since we had done most of the rides in the morning when the lines were shorter. When we went in July and stayed onsite, we'd go back to the hotel in the afternoon for a swim. But when we went in September the two years before and stayed offsite, the parks often closed at 8pm, so we'd stay at the parks until around 7pm and then we'd go for a swim before bed. For our first trip, I tried to plan down to every last minute, but now I just make dinning reservations and plan roughly around those and EMH. So, on the day that we're doing BB for lunch, I plan for us to be at that side of the park in the hour or so before our reservation.

Have you taken a look at the trip report forum? I'd suggest browsing through a few of the TRs and see if you can find a group similar in age and interests to your group so that you can get ideas of how to plan your days.

 

[Mimi2Cam]

I knew I could count on you guys!!!

 

[Dot2Vegas]

We go for one day visits a few times per year. This is a typical base plan for us:

Arrive before rope drop or as early as possible. We drive from Vegas and usually leave early enough to make rope drop. If not we are in the parks by 9am at the latest.
Hit one major ride and collect FP for something else. Then we usually do POTC and HM. We usually meet a character or two and then stop for lunch around 11.
After lunch it is rides rides rides until about 2 or 3. We usually catch Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln for a rest or sit on a bench and grab a snack. Then more rides.
We usually eat dinner around 5 or 6, usually at the Hungry Bear. We take our time eating and people watching, resting our feet and enjoying the view. After that its rides rides rides all night! If we have accomplished all the rides that we want (and we often do) then we will watch fireworks. If we have rides left that we want to do then we skip fireworks.
We stay until close. Right at the closing announcement we head to Gibson Girl for ice cream. We grab a bench in front of the castle or on Main Street and we sit and people watch until we are close to the last people in the park. We snap tons of pics while its empty and then head to the hotel

 

[Pastalady]

We were usually up in time to catch the last 30 minutes of early entry. We eat granola bars on the way to the gates, then ride, ride, ride! At about 11 we would have an early lunch in the park. Take our time, then head back to the hotel. Noon to 3 relax, pool time, veg out. Then freshen up and be back in the parks by 4. We would ride a bit, see a show maybe, have a quick dinner at counter service somewhere. Then watch the parade while having dessert. Then ride as many as we could until the fireworks!

 

[hyperminimalism]

I usually get there around 9:00-9:30 a.m., so depending on the park hours, about an hour or so after opening in the summer time. This time, we're going in August, too, and the hours are 9-11, so we may get there for opening this time.

After that, we head straight to DCA to get RSR FPs since we love the ride and we barely got to go on in the first two years it was open. 2013 was the first time we got to ride it twice, so since it's a relatively newer popular ride, we go there first. After that, we go to DL to get Indy or Space Mountain FPs. If we don't get Indy FPs, which we usually do, we'll just get into line to ride it then and get Indy FPs 2 hours in or vice versa.

Next, we'll go on PotC and HM since they're nearby and relatively short waits. Once done with those, depending on wait times, we'll go on the Matterhorn and then kind of whatever we feel. At this point, it's typically time to eat something, be it a snack or lunch depending on how long it's taken us to do these things. We wing it until our FP return times, and then wing it after those as well!

Since we don't stay on-site, we can't easily go back to the hotel for a break, so we try to fit in breaks here and there either eating, relaxing on the benches, or browsing through the shops for some downtime. On the last day, we go mid-day to shop for souvenirs and come back before we leave to pick them up. It all works out since we usually get 3-day PHs. That way we're not rushing around to do everything in one day. We'll plan it over the three days and if something is not working, we'll go elsewhere to the lesser crowded rides/shows/attractions and kill time that way.

 

[minniecarousel]

We stay on-site and use early entry for whichever Park has it. In Disneyland, we ride the Fantasyland rides, then Star Tours and grab a FP for Star Tours. We do Buzz Lightyear. We'll head over to Pirates & HM. Then we get breakfast at Riverbelle Terrace. Ride what we can until FP Time. Get a FP for Splash. Once it gets crowded, we head back to the hotel for a nap.

If we start EE at California Adventure, we head right to Radiator Springs, ride that and then over to Toy Story Midway Madness. If I'm up to it, we'll ride Screamin'. Over to ToT, Monsters Inc & Muppets. We'd like to time a RSR FP for an evening return.

Our afternoons are "wing-its"! We don't have an exact time for return to a Park. I'd like to stay late, but I usually poop out right after fireworks. This plan is just for DH & me: it changes with different companions.

 

[Eclectic Goddess]

DF and I get to the gates before rope-drop. At DL, we go straight to PP and then rotate through the other Fantasyland rides. Then we hop over and to Pirates and HM. At DCA, we start with RSR and Mater's, then go over to TSMM, then Soarin'. After that, we play it by ear for the rest of the morning.

Late morning or early afternoon, we usually take a break. For us, that means back to the hotel for pool time, or a nice lunch, or a nap. (Or all three.) Later in the afternoon, we usually head back into the park to use any fastpasses we may have gathered, ride the things that don't ever have a long wait, and soak up some Disney magic. We usually have a sit-down dinner somewhere in the park, and what happens after that depends on fireworks, Fantasmic!, or WOC. More often than not, we end our evening with a nightcap at CC, and get to bed at a reasonable hour. (After all, we probably have rope-drop the next morning.)

 

[awinangie]

I've used essentially the same plan for 20 years, as an auntie, and now as a mom. Actually, the same plan whether or not we've got kids in tow.

We leave our Harbor Blvd hotel about an hour before opening wandering toward the gates with no stress and lots of excitement. We like to be near the front of the entrance line, but again, no stress.

If it's the first day of my visit, no matter the time of day, I head FIRST to the Jungle ride. Simply because once, YEARS ago, I realized that was my pattern and it became an important tradition. Very rarely someone will try to talk me out of this plan as it's more "efficient" to go somewhere else. But, it's my tradition... And efficiency isn't necessarily the goal. Low stress and high fun surely is!! It's now not only my tradition, as I got an email recently... "Will you please explain to my husband that a trip to Disneyland MUST start out with the Jungle ride??"

Other than that, we think about our top priorities for the day usually plan our first ride or two, then we go as the wind blows us... Living the moment is top priority here. I find that I have the worst time when I try to fuss to much over which lines are long or short. I'm there with people I love, so generally standing in line shouldn't be a big deal. I enjoy the people I'm with. (Except Storybook Land Canal Boats' line. I HATE that line!)

As we get hungry for lunch we head back to the hotel and eat in the room. (Save tons of money this way!!) We then have a mandatory rest period. (Mandatory for those under 18, those over 18 don't need encouragement!) My 11-year old niece once balked at the idea, so I told her she didn't have to nap, but she had to lay down and be quiet so she didn't disturb the rest of us... Guess who was asleep first??

After our lunch/rest break (length depends on how tired we are and if we want to go swimming) we head back to the parks and stay until closing or until someone turns into a pumpkin.

One main thing we always do is to bring plenty of healthy snacks, so that behavior/stress levels aren't thrown off by blood sugar crashes. Disneyland's often a high-sugar day, so a snack of jerky, nuts, etc. can help a LOT.

Another important thing is general behavior. I've always told kids that there's no easier place to behave than at Disneyland. You're there to have fun. Sometimes you have to wait for someone else to have their fun, but you'll always get your shot. Otherwise, you wouldn't be there. So, bad behavior simply means that you're overtired and need a nap. No worries. You can just go back to the hotel for a nap. Never had a kid need to head to the hotel for an unscheduled nap, but it's always on the table.

I LOVE staying late in the parks... It's a different, wonderful experience. So we always stay as late as we can. My daughter was able to stay until park close most nights in February, but it was 10:00. Not sure if we'll be able to stay up until midnight every night during our upcoming trip. We'll see.

 

[Mimi2Cam]

First, thanks SO much for all of your input! It is really pretty cool to read all of your strategies. The detail is AMAZING!!!

Our trip will be only our second. EVER. We visited for a couple of days in 2005 on a trip to the west coast to go to Monterey. My three young adult daughters, one of whom is now Cam's mother, came with us. It was a fun-by-the-seat-of-our pants trip-- no itinerary, schedule or plan but it was fun.

Fast forward to now and we wanted to take our grandson to Disney. Florida in August was not the slightest bit appealing though obviously, closer. But having been to DL (and never to FL), I felt comfortable making the decision to make the very long trek back to CA. But I want to make sure that our five days in the parks will be ones that we always remember- hence, the request for advice. What's more, Cars Land is too special to miss!

Oh, and the five year old guest of honor does not have a clue that we're going and that only adds to the excitement! We are waiting to tell him until the day we're leaving! It's going to be great and I can't wait!!!

Thanks again for taking the time to detail all of your strategies!

 

[8lovesmickey]

Fun thread to read! We're going in a month and I'm SO excited!

We tend to go for several days at a time because we're big fans and we live in Colorado so we can't go as often as we like. I use a book called The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland to start my plan - it has a website that goes with it also and it has a crowd calendar and touring plans.

We tend to go half hour before opening (early entry if possible), then start with one of the touring plans from the book. Around noon we head back to the hotel for a rest or a swim or sometimes just lunch away from the crowds and some shopping (Downtown Disney or the hotel itself). Then we head back to the less crowded of the two parks around dinner time for the night -- parades, fireworks, shows.

This will be the first time we've gone since they've started enforcing fast pass times -- in the past we would get a FP to our favorite ride on our way out of the park at lunch time knowing we could use it late that night if needed. With the new rules we'll have to see how that goes.

Have fun! Maybe we'll see you there (Aug 6-10 for us).

 

[llump41]

We have APs so our day may not work for you. I can't tell you how important rope drop is. We can usually ride all of the mountains, POTC and HM by 11. Being empty nesters now we aren't worried about tugging along a little one. Some days we can even squeeze in the Fantasyland dark rides except Peter Pan. That always has a long line.

I'm not a big fan of park hopping unless you have multi day hopper tix. Just too much to do in any one park without trying to squeeze the other one in.

 

[Kristina4109]

I'm very lucky - I've been living in L.A. since 1995 so I've done DL every which way you can imagine. I've done the Southern California Select Annual Passport thing, where I would pack up my pre-schooler to make a 10:00am rope drop and leave at 3:00. I've done multi day extravaganza trips where we would stay on site, use early entry to be in both parks at 7:00am, and stay until we thought we would fall over. (A common statement: We are like sharks. If we stop moving, we die.) And we've done everything in between.

I guess it depends on what we decide to focus on for each trip. For example, our last trip was one evening at the Paradise Pier and Downtown Disney and then the next day Disneyland Park, to celebrate my daughter's birthday. Our priority was to get her to Build a Bear and have a Tinker Bell basket delivered to the room for her birthday.

This year we're going for her birthday again, and this time the priority is Fantasmic! (We went to WDW in June and had the dining package and were rained out.) We'll drive from our house, probably not making rope drop, and will eat at quick service only. We'll check into the Best Western Park Place Inn and Mini Suites mid day and probably rest there a bit. Then we'll head back to the park and will spend a ridiculous amount of money on the Fantasmic! Dessert Package.

So each trip is a little different depending on that ONE THING we want to do.

 

[wvnative]

Our days vary. Day one is usually a Friday and we arrive just in time for lunch. That means we stop by the corn dog cart for lunch and discuss the first ride once we check the wait times from Mousewait.

Saturday we always do EE and have breakfast at 8 am on Main Street.

Sunday is our last day and usually begins with a Character breakfast. Hit any rides we missed or want to do again and we do our shopping this day.

We hop as we feel it's necessary and try to do one land at a time if possible. I have a bad foot so walking too much is painful.

Our goal is to have fun and not go home in pain. lol We usually go back to the hotel in the afternoon to rest a bit before heading back. If we take a break, we usually stay til around closing. If not, we're generally spent by about 10 pm.