1st Trip to DL is a few weeks away - & I'm completely freaking out... HELP!

[nu2dvc]

Hi guys,

Thanks you so much for reading. Here is the scoop... we are avid WDW-go'ers and decided to visit the original for the year of the Diamond Celebration. We will be visiting over Thanksgiving (11/21-11/28). It's my hubby and 3 kids (8,12,14). Staying at DL Hotel with a 5-day PH ticket and planning to drive down to Sea World for one day.

I have had months to plan this trip. Got a guidebook (Go West! Young Mouse...) and read it. Know all the things I *need* to see (everything, lol) and do (all of it!).

But I can't seem to come up with a plan. Between the confusion of EMH, Magic Mornings, the WOC, Paint the Night and Fantasmic! schedule, coupled with the fact that I'm hearing conflicting info regarding crowd levels so I really don't know what days to do what. For example, Touring plans said that Monday & Tuesday preceding Thanksgiving would be the busiest days of the week, b/c the AP's are on blackout for Wed. & Thursday, therefore reducing the population of locals....but then my friend said that Thanksgiving would likely fill to capacity and that would be the Most-crowded day of the week. I'm trying to figure out which two days out of the 7 NOT to do the Disney parks, which day to visit Sea World (taking possible traffic into consideration?) and which days would be best for WOC vs. Fantasmic.

I just can't seem to come up with a plan! Coupled with the fact that I missed the 60-day window for booking our dining reservations and wound up just taking what was left, I'm feeling really lost and upset that I'm screwing this up and my family is going to be let down.

Can anybody advise me on any of this? I would literally even pay somebody to help me come up with an itinerary at this point, I'm so desperate. Help?! TIA

 

[5forMickey]

I can't really help you with planning days because we just go when we want.....I haven't ever even looked at touring plans. Relax a little and you will really enjoy it. If you are concerned about crowds the best advice I can give you is to USE YOUR EARLY ENTRY. You will have it every day at one of the parks. Typically (even during the week between Christmas and New Years) we can get all the rides we want in during the morning hours -- usually starts to get crowded around 10:30/11:00. It will be busy no matter which days you go but you know that going in so take it in stride. 5 days will give you enough time to see and do everything.

If you haven't got reservations for someplace you were interested in maybe contact Vacation Planning and see if they can help. They were great to get me BB Fantasmic! reservations before the windows opened up for our upcoming trip so it's worth a try.

Have fun and enjoy your trip!

 

[figment_jii]

Here is the scoop... we are avid WDW-go'ers and decided to visit the original for the year of the Diamond Celebration.

If you haven't already done so, I highly suggest looking at HydroGuy's A DLR Guide for WDW Vets. It will help you get a sense of the similarities and differences between the two resorts.

You are going during one of the busier times during the year, so just be prepared for crowds. You'll have five days in the parks, so that should be enough time to do a lot of things. I think as long as you accept that you won't be able to do everything and see everything, you'll be okay. Normally, 5-days might be enough to do and see almost everything, given the crowds level that I'd expect during that time of the year, you're going to have to accept that some things will probably have to fall by the wayside this time around.

Between the confusion of EMH, Magic Mornings, the WOC, Paint the Night and Fantasmic! schedule, coupled with the fact that I'm hearing conflicting info regarding crowd levels so I really don't know what days to do what.

Well, here's the good news regarding EMH and Magic Mornings...they're happening every morning during your days (11/21-11/28). The bad news is that it means DLR is bracing for very large crowds throughout that week. Given that you're staying onsite, I would take advantage of EMH as much as possible. Remember that only onsite guest have access to EMH in DCA, whereas there will be a mix of onsite guests and day guests in DL (because EMH and MM are the same in DL). So in that way, I would strongly consider going to DCA for EMH as much as possible (especially if things like RSR, TSMM, and Soarin' are on your priority list).

DLR has been experiencing increased crowds since the start of the 60th Anniversary Celebration in May. So, crowd calendars and predictors are having a tough time because this year (after May) hasn't really been like the past years, so their calendars tend to be under-predicting crowds. Overall, I would expect to see large crowds that entire time period because some schools are on break, families are traveling, and crowds have been (in general) high in the parks. Basically, I would expect crowds to be 9 and 10 throughout the week, and I'm not really sure there is a noticeable difference between 9 and 10 (both just feel very crowded). So given that, I don't know if there is going to be a major difference from one day to the next at DLR, so I would look at the Seaworld schedule and see if there is a day that has better hours, more entertainment, etc. and go with that.

F! and WoC are less likely to be cancelled than fireworks, so it probably doesn't really matter which days you plan to see which show, unless there is rain in the forecast. F! if more likely to be impacted by the rain, so I would plan to see F! on a day when there is no rain in the forecast (they can either reduce the show if the stage is wet or cancel it outright, depending on how wet things are). WoC can be cancelled due to wind, but that doesn't happen very often. There really hasn't been that many rain storms yet, so I don't think we have a good sense of what will happen to PtN on rainy nights. Fireworks can be cancelled at any time, and it's not uncommon for it to happen (mostly likely due to wind in the upper elevations).

If you plan to see fireworks, I would slate those for the first night so that if they are cancelled, you have other nights to try and see them. I would plan to see the fireworks at 9:30 pm from wherever you wanted to see PtN and then as soon as the fireworks end, move to your PtN spot. You'll have to wait about an hour for PtN (maybe more depending on where you are on the route), but it's better than waiting 2 to 3 hours. (In October, it was not uncommon to see guests waiting for PtN as soon as Soundsational finished and the curb/front row spots were usually all taken at least 2 hours before the parade started.) If you aren't interested in the fireworks, I would still probably opt to see the later of the two PtN parades because the wait is likely to be shorter.

 

[mom2rtk]

I have no idea what that week will be like, for the reasons you state (holiday and AP blackout dates).

One thing I definitely recommend though is to take full advantage of the daily early entry you get with staying onsite. Even if parks busy up later in the day, that first hour or two is golden.

I would make a plan for seeing the night shows (Fireworks one night, PTN that night or another, WOC another night, Fantasmic another night). The rest really does not have to be planned ahead of time. You can just make your choices as you go.

Download the DL Parks app and use the wait times and FP return times posted there to decide how to do the rides.

Take full advantage of single rider where you can. It's pretty awesome on the Matterhorn, RSR, Splash and I think a couple others.

We were there last week and hit some very crowded days. Doing a lot of rides early, then taking a break and seeing shows in the afternoon when lines were at their longest really helped.

I would really avoid the Rivers of America/Frontierland area when crowds are at their highest. It does turn into gridlock over there sometimes.

More than anything, don't feel bad about not doing much planning. It's just not as big a deal at DLR. They have great counter service restaurants.

 

[jrsharp21]

Also, remember that at DL it is much easier to do things on the fly as opposed to WDW. Sometimes at DL you just have to go with the flow. The other park is just a walk across the esplanade, so a spur of the moment hop to the other park and back is never out of the question.

 

[mom2rtk]

Also, remember that at DL it is much easier to do things on the fly as opposed to WDW. Sometimes at DL you just have to go with the flow. The other park is just a walk across the esplanade, so a spur of the moment hop to the other park and back is never out of the question.

And every day is a clean slate at DLR. What you learn on your first day can help you structure your second day, and so on. 100% of every day's standby and FP ride capacity is available every day. You don't have to worry about things being booked up before you get there (other than some restaurants).

They do have a CC hold on ADRs, so if you missed out on getting something, keep checking right through the night before. People do cancel things all the time.

 

[SMD]

AP blockouts are kind of a non-factor for Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Years. Many people who have the higher level APs have them because they like to go on holidays. Also, my out of town family likes to go that weekend, and if anyone else has a higher level AP we happily go along.

As far as San Diego traffic, we no longer celebrate Thanksgiving with our family down there because the traffic is bad in both directions for most of the weekend. I'd do that trip on the Monday or Tuesday. If possible you could do it on the first or last night of the trip and spend the night to avoid having to drive down and back, because traffic will probably still be heavier the whole week before.

 

[califlorican]

Suggestion too, if you plan on doing any table service restaurants (Blue Bayou, Big Thunder Ranch, whatever) I would try to make reservations a little in advance. If you're trying to watch World of Color and are wanting to eat at Carthay Circle, Wine Country Trattoria, or Ariel's Grotto anyway- I would definitely just do it with the dining package.

 

[sheetz]

I don't think it really matters which days you go as long as you get there early. Most likely they will all be very busy so it's not like one day will be at capacity and the next empty.

 

[ArchOwl]

Well, I don't think you've even come close to screwing this up. You can totally still come up with a workable plan! The only real issue I see at the moment is perhaps a Thanksgiving day reservation. There is really not much left that I see for dinner, but perhaps you could go to Downtown Disney or eat a turkey leg, lol. You could also keep an eye out for cancellations, they do happen.

I don't think you should stress about which days to do what. It is going to be extremely busy everyday you are there. I would base my decision on which day to go to Sea World on traffic. I personally would not drive on the day before Thanksgiving. It will be extremely busy. I have had to do this drive in the past to get to my in laws and it took FOREVER. So I would avoid that day. I would pick another day to drive and avoid the rush hours if possible.

I agree with what everyone else is saying, use your early entry! Don't worry about EMH or Magic Morning, just know that you get to go in early everyday. Yay! Use it and get a jump on the crowds for the day. I recommend using the early entry at Disneyland at least once on Fantasyland, since those lines do not have FP and get LONG during the day. I recommend using early entry at DCA at least once to get in a couple good rides at Toy Story Midway Mania since it does not have FP and it is consistently a longer line. You can also use an early entry to get on Radiator Springs Racers, but this is less important as it has FP.

Do you have a dining package for WOC or Fantasmic? That might be something to look into. There are many times available for your dates, excluding Thanksgiving. If you were planning on eating at any of the package restaurants it is a nice little bonus. And the packages are nice for busier times. Plus it gives you a sit down dining experience in the middle of a busy day. There is nothing like relaxing after a busy afternoon when lots of people are standing in long lines for food and you are chilling in Blue Bayou. I highly recommend it!

No matter if you have a dining package for WOC or Fantasmic, I would pick a day to see the show and then base my evenings around my choice. That should let you know which park you will be in on which night and which FPs you need to grab during the day. So that helps you start making decisions.

DL still uses legacy FP, so you should be fairly familiar with it. No FPs to book ahead of time, no tiers, or any crazy stuff. Just show up and decide the day of.

As far as PTN and fireworks go, you will be going when they are sort of experimenting with something new. They will have PTN at 5:45, fireworks at 6:30, then another fireworks at 9:30, and then PTN at 10:45. This is supposed to help with crowds, so we will see.

You can totally have a great time! Don't stress too much, DL is pretty easy compared to WDW.

 

[Astylla]

There's some great advice here and also Catal in DTD opened up Thanksgiving reservations today so if nothing else might be a good option https://www.patinagroup.com/Thanksg...U&hq_e=el&hq_m=3174227&hq_l=3&hq_v=04c73312a0.

Definitely read all you can and there's great threads open recently on this.

 

[nu2dvc]

Thank you everybody for the excellent advice.

I definitely see a trend in the suggestion that we make sure to utilize EMH. I sure hope we can do it! 7:00 am can be a bit tricky with 12 & 14 yr.-old daughters. My oldest is a night owl and likes to sleep late, so mornings on vacation are a constant battle and I wind up getting so frustrated with her. She is almost 15 and used to navigating NYC so I might actually wind up just leaving her and telling her to meet up with us when she can get it together! We'll see how it goes.

I appreciate the honesty in pointing out the I am likely getting hit with a "crowd-storm" due to my peak travel dates. I guess the Diamond Celebration has definitely done what it was intended to do! Touring plans is usually pretty accurate (with WDW anyway!) and they have the 21st & 26th predicted as "4's" and Friday as a "5". I really did think that was too good to be true, but I guess I was just hoping. And it seems like all AP's are on blockout on the 26th & 27th, even the highest tier. The lowest ones were blocked out that entire week!

Archowl, I do have a Thanksgiving Res, thank goodness... I had originally made WOC Dinner Pkg. reservations on that day, basically b/c Ariel's Grotto was the only location serving a T-giving meal that still had availability when I initially called, which was about 40 days out. I was shocked, b/c everything I'd ever read said that you didn't need to call at 6:00 am on the 60-day window, that timing was not as critical w/ with DL. Well I suppose that bet is off during Holidays! LOL, whoops When Astylla posted earlier about the Catal buffet I went ahead and booked that (& thank you!!! the menu looks a lot better than Ariel's Grotto, although the WOC priority viewing would be awesome. I'm re-considering going into the park on Thanksgiving since it might be super-crowded, although I know it would be special to be there on the Holiday, so I'm kinda torn. The problem is we are going to need to take two full days off of Disney (in addition to our arrival day) so I'm trying to figure out what other day should be cut.

Suggestions welcome!

 

[ArchOwl]

Yeah, 7am early entries are tough. I am not a morning person normally, but I suck it up at DL because I hate lines more.

I understand that sometimes those battles are not worth fighting. If you can, I highly recommend it, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. Maybe just showing some pictures of early morning at DL vs. afternoon at DL might help? I know when I am snuggled up in my bed, the thought of an hour plus line gets me up!

Touring Plans is not that great for DL. There is no way that those days will be 4s or 5s. I am fully confident saying that. They haven't nailed down DL crowd patterns at all and the 60th has only thrown a monkey wrench in their numbers. Just by looking at the hours Disney is going to be open, the early entry everyday, and twice daily fireworks, tells you everything you need to know. It is going to be packed. And remember there are tons of Premium passholders that are not blocked out at this time. The calendar may not show them anymore, but there are lots of them who have unexpired passes and will be using them. So I wouldn't put much stock in the blockout calendar. It may come into play next year, but probably not this year.

Thank goodness you have some Thanksgiving options, yay! I was feeling kinda bummed for you. Most of the time there is no need to book 60 days out, but holidays are an exception. We should probably emphasize that more. I was online the day NYE reservations were available. But normally I don't even bother until a couple weeks beforehand. The holidays are really a different animal at DL.

So you have 5 day hoppers and is the 21st your arrival date or a park day? And the 28th? Park day or departure day?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Adding to what ArchOwl said about the APs at DLR, the top level passes (premium, signature, signature plus, and premier) are all good for Thanksgiving. Plenty of us will be there to celebrate the holiday in the parks. That said, don't let the idea of the crowds throw you. As others have said, you can still have a great time with some basic organization and flexibility. And definitely take advantage of Disney Vacation Planning, since you'll be staying on site. They can help take a lot of pressure off your shoulders with Priority Seating and show packages.

 

[nu2dvc]

Archowl: we figured we would not do parks on arrival (21st) or departure (28th) day since they would really only be half-days.
Also, planning to drive down to San Diego Monday, b/c I know the traffic will be worse later in the week. So we will be in the parks on Sunday and then Tues-Friday. Hoping this plan works out!

 

[VandVsmama]

My thoughts in no particular order:

1. I agree with everybody else. USE YOUR EMH! If your ODD can navigate around NYC, then she'll be just fine. Let her sleep in while you and the rest of your crew go to EMH. Trust me...it's TOTALLY WORTH IT! My DH is a night owl, but when we are at Disneyland, he gets up early for EMH with the rest of us!
2. One idea to consider is that you, DW, and your 2 younger kids could hit EMH and spend a couple of hours going on rides together. And then your ODD could meet you in whichever park you're in that morning and you all have breakfast together. At that point, you'll probably be ready for a little break anyway.
3. Something to consider re: FPs if your ODD sleeps in - you will be able to get FPs for everyone who has already entered the parks that day. But if ODD hasn't entered the parks yet, then you will not be able to use her ticket to get a FP for her. This is important when getting a FP for something like RSR...RSR FP typically run out within 2 hours of regular park opening.
4. If you have used your park hopper ticket at Disneyland, you can get FP at Disneyland AND at DCA. Same thing goes vice versa...enter DCA first and you can get FP in both parks. But you do have to go to the FP distribution locations for your selected ride. Unlike at WDW, you can't reserve it ahead of time and it's not an electronic FP. DL still uses regular paper FP. If you don't have your paper FP, then you don't get to go in the FP line.
5. Leave the parks every afternoon when things get really busy and unmanageable. Have everyone rest back at the hotel. Return to the parks later in the afternoon.
6. If you are used to doing lots of ADRs at WDW and want a similar experience at DL, I would recommend to pick just ONE dining reservation per day.
7. Since you're going at a really busy time of year (Thanksgiving week), make your reservations now. If you can't find the reservation time slot online that you want, call the dining phone number directly instead. Menus are available at the Disneyland website. Menus and prices are at www.allears.net.
8. Disneyland's version of Memory Maker is called PhotoPass Plus. It's $69.95 if you purchase it ahead of time, $99.95 if you buy it at the parks. If you purchase ahead of time, you have to allot a full 2 weeks before your departure date for the voucher to be mailed to your home...allow for more time if you live outside the US. It's totally worth the $$. There appear to be more PhotoPass photographers at DCA than at DL. But both DL and DCA have additional 60th anniversary PP locations that are really fun and cool. Since you'll be there for 5 days, it's a steal.
9. Have each person in your family pick THE #1 attraction that they want to see at DL and make sure that you try to get on all of those on your first day.
10. Out of the evening entertainment options, pick which one is the most important for your family to see and make that one a priority on evening #1. That way, if weather prevents that evening entertainment from happening, you still have other options on the other days to see it. For example, if it rained in the afternoon, the Paint The Night parade will likely be cancelled. If it's currently raining or if the winds don't cooperate, fireworks are cancelled.
11. For evening entertainment dining packages, you do not get a refund or a voucher for a different day if the entertainment is cancelled. So if you do the Blue Bayou Fantasmic! dining package and Fantasmic! is cancelled because of weather, you are still out that $$. So buyer beware. I'm not writing this in order to talk you out of the dining packages...just want you to have all the info ahead of time!
12. If it rains, the Southern California locals tend to stay away. This is a GOOD thing! Bring umbrellas and ponchos. Be prepared with proper footwear for everyone. This is where staying nearby will be helpful because when you take your afternoon break, you can change clothes and get dry if it's raining.
13. Every afternoon at Coke Corner on Main Street, the Mad Hatter and Alice play musical chairs with guests. Ask a CM at Coke Corner earlier in the day to confirm what time they'll be there.
14. Another reason to use EMH and be at the parks early...every morning within the first couple of hours after park opening, in Fantasyland, characters like Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Alice, and the Mad Hatter are wandering around. YOU DON'T NEED A FP TO MEET THEM AND TAKE PICTURES WITH THEM! It's very spontaneous and casual. The Mad Hatter is really funny.
15. Speaking of characters, if you are into character meals, the best value on character meals is the breakfast with Minnie And Friends at the Plaza Inn inside Disneyland. On average, you can meet about 7 characters there. We did this early in October and it was really great and the character interaction was awesome.

 

[5forMickey]

I sure hope we can do it! 7:00 am can be a bit tricky with 12 & 14 yr.-old daughters. My oldest is a night owl and likes to sleep late, so mornings on vacation are a constant battle and I wind up getting so frustrated with her.

I can relate to this as my kidos (well young adults now ) are not normally early risers by choice. It just takes getting them there one day early for them to see the benefits. Even when we have brought their friends, after seeing how easy it is to do things during the first few hours of the day they never grumble about getting up early. They do usually take a pretty good nap in the afternoon but they learn quickly how valuable that time in the park is.

 

[Bud Ice]

The fun part is being spontaneous and scoring while in the park. Too often people are stressed from
"Sticking to the Plan". It's a vacay, treat it like one. Be adventuresome, come out of the shell.

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

 

[sheetz]

i think if you can't make EMH the next best thing is to make rope drop at the opposing park (the one without EMH).

 

[celiacla]

I appreciate the honesty in pointing out the I am likely getting hit with a "crowd-storm" due to my peak travel dates. I guess the Diamond Celebration has definitely done what it was intended to do! Touring plans is usually pretty accurate (with WDW anyway!) and they have the 21st & 26th predicted as "4's" and Friday as a "5". I really did think that was too good to be true, but I guess I was just hoping. And it seems like all AP's are on blockout on the 26th & 27th, even the highest tier. The lowest ones were blocked out that entire week!

Touring plans seems to be totally unreliable for Thanksgiving. If you look at their historical data, they saw 8/9 all week last year. The APs are not blocked. Deluxe is only blocked on Fri/Sat and the So Cal passes are blocked the 26-29th. All APs can come to the park the 22nd-25th, so that may have an impact.

Archowl, I do have a Thanksgiving Res, thank goodness... I had originally made WOC Dinner Pkg. reservations on that day, basically b/c Ariel's Grotto was the only location serving a T-giving meal that still had availability when I initially called, which was about 40 days out. I was shocked, b/c everything I'd ever read said that you didn't need to call at 6:00 am on the 60-day window, that timing was not as critical w/ with DL. Well I suppose that bet is off during Holidays! LOL, whoops When Astylla posted earlier about the Catal buffet I went ahead and booked that (& thank you!!! the menu looks a lot better than Ariel's Grotto, although the WOC priority viewing would be awesome. I'm re-considering going into the park on Thanksgiving since it might be super-crowded, although I know it would be special to be there on the Holiday, so I'm kinda torn. The problem is we are going to need to take two full days off of Disney (in addition to our arrival day) so I'm trying to figure out what other day should be cut.

Suggestions welcome!

Last year it looks like the busiest days were Black Friday and that Saturday. Who knows if the pattern will hold though. We will also be at Disneyland 26-30th so I'm also anxious about the crowds. I'm just planning on getting there early every day and hoping for the best....