Ah! Help! Tomorrow visiting DL...clueless

[PrinceOfPeace]

Forgive me in advance (especially to the DL veterans)...but I'm seriously clueless and beginning to get overwhelmed how to do fast pass and planning. We are going tomorrow. Can anyone help me? Even an example of what you would do for tomorrow? I know I can search but with 3 kiddos...I won't have time to get ideas.

Must do: Hyperapace, Splash, Big Thunder, Racers, electrical parade (1st show)

Don't want back and forth too much in parks.

What would you do?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

#1: Breathe and don't panic. You're going to be fine. After all, you'll be with your kids at DLR -- ! No matter what happens, your day will be so fun if you focus on keeping positive.
I know you posted an earlier thread about the MSEP, but there wasn't a lot of info there, so here are some questions:
How old are your kids? Are they all tall enough to do the rides you've listed? Are you the only adult or will your husband or another adult be with you? Am I assuming correctly that you have 1 day park hoppers? For MSEP, must you all sit on the curb or can you and your kids stand in the 2nd or 3rd rows and still see?
Make sure you've downloaded the DLR app (free) and go over it tonight to get a feel for it. You'll be able to keep track of wait times and FP return times much better by using the app. It will save you lots of running around.
Keep breathing! More DISers will post here with great advice for you. But the answers to the above questions will help us help you much better.

 

[PrinceOfPeace]

#1: Breathe and don't panic. You're going to be fine. After all, you'll be with your kids at DLR -- ! No matter what happens, your day will be so fun if you focus on keeping positive.
I know you posted an earlier thread about the MSEP, but there wasn't a lot of info there, so here are some questions:
How old are your kids? Are they all tall enough to do the rides you've listed? Are you the only adult or will your husband or another adult be with you? Am I assuming correctly that you have 1 day park hoppers? For MSEP, must you all sit on the curb or can you and your kids stand in the 2nd or 3rd rows and still see?
Make sure you've downloaded the DLR app (free) and go over it tonight to get a feel for it. You'll be able to keep track of wait times and FP return times much better by using the app. It will save you lots of running around.
Keep breathing! More DISers will post here with great advice for you. But the answers to the above questions will help us help you much better.

Thank you so much. I'm use to DW planning and although I live close (1hr away I'm cluless). Kids are 4,6,9...and tall enough. Husband and I will be adults in party. Yes, we have hoppers. Don't mind standing at all for the show as long as we have a good view.ok app downloaded!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Good! Having your DH there will be a great help -- 2 adults means you'll have a FP runner. Choose which FP you want first, RSR or HSM. Enter that park, have one adult take the kids to a ride while the other gets the FPs, then send the FP runner to the other park to get FPs for the other ride. Designate a spot to meet up. That will take care of 2 rides on your list. Cannot emphasize enough -- get to the parks early! At opening if at all possible! That will help you get so much more done. When your first DL FP time is up (either by the return time or if 2 hours have passed since you got the FP), get the FPs for BTMRR or SM. Keep track of the FP return times and wait times by watching the app. With good planning, you should be able to do what you want to get done without much trouble. As for the parade, start watching the parade route (from IASW to TS for the first parade) from about 3pm onward as you walk by on the way to rides. When you see that the areas, like the curbs, are getting full, choose your spots. Have one parent sit with the kids while the other goes for dinner. You can eat dinner while you wait, then take turns taking kids to the restroom. Always have one adult watching the spots, don't leave blankets unattended to hold spots. Have a wonderful time! (Breathe! Laugh! Smile! Take tons of photos!)

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Make sure you're parking at least 45 minutes before rope drop to give yourself time for security and park entrance. Today took us an hour from parking to inside the park, but tomorrow will hopefully not be as crazy as today was.

Personally, I'd hit DL first. FP Hyperspace Mountain, hit Big Thunder, go on whatever else you want until your FP window, use your Hyperspace FP, head over to DCA and get RSR FP (hoping they're still available). You can hit Splash Mountain later; it's chilly enough that it's not super-popular.

That would be my strategy for the priorities you mentioned.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Make sure you're parking at least 45 minutes before rope drop to give yourself time for security and park entrance. Today took us an hour from parking to inside the park, but tomorrow will hopefully not be as crazy as today was.

Personally, I'd hit DL first. FP Hyperspace Mountain, hit Big Thunder, go on whatever else you want until your FP window, use your Hyperspace FP, head over to DCA and get RSR FP (hoping they're still available). You can hit Splash Mountain later; it's chilly enough that it's not super-popular.

That would be my strategy for the priorities you mentioned.

I didn't catch that you had another adult who can act as a FP runner over to the other park; in that case, I'd still enter DL and grab Hyperspace first, then send someone over to DCA for RSR.

 

[Nevada Jen]

The trick is going to be sending a runner to dca for rsr fast passes in the morning. I'd make dad run for fast passes measure you 4 year old and teach 4 year-old to stretch to hit the bar. Not shrink under it. Personally I would enter dl, ride big thunder as a family. While the family works their way back dad grabs space and goes over to dca and gets rsr. Maybe the rest of you can ride haunted mansion and/or pirates and then meet him in tomorrow land. Ride the rides there and head over to critter country. Get splash fp. Grab lunch there. Hit pooh. Should be time for your rsr fastpass. Honestly there are lots of ways it will work just fine. Don't stress.

 

[PrinceOfPeace]

Thank you this is soooo helpful. BIG virtual hug!!

 

[Laur0406]

The trick is going to be sending a runner to dca for rsr fast passes in the morning.

If you don't get a FP for RSR first thing in the morning, are you screwed for the rest of the day then? For example, looking at the app now, there is currently a 120 minute wait and no FastPasses available...we'll be at DCA next Wed/Thurs...

 

[Skyegirl1999]

If you don't get a FP for RSR first thing in the morning, are you screwed for the rest of the day then? For example, looking at the app now, there is currently a 120 minute wait and no FastPasses available...we'll be at DCA next Wed/Thurs...

It doesn't usually have to be "first thing," but you do want to grab them early. Obviously they go faster on more crowded days.

If everyone in your group is 7 or older, you can also use the single rider line. You probably won't sit together, but it's much faster.

 

[lcp9]

Watch the DL app for RSR return times. If the parade is at 7 (?), try to get FP for around 5:30/6 if you don't mind standing for the parade. I agree with going to DL first, get FP for space (or just ride it, depending on wait times and when you get there), and then watch RSR return times. Big thunder and splash shouldn't be a big deal.

 

[Laur0406]

It doesn't usually have to be "first thing," but you do want to grab them early. Obviously they go faster on more crowded days.

If everyone in your group is 7 or older, you can also use the single rider line. You probably won't sit together, but it's much faster.

Unfortunately, my son is only 4. I hope they release more fast passes towards the later part of the day...I really want to ride at night

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Unfortunately, my son is only 4. I hope they release more fast passes towards the later part of the day...I really want to ride at night

They don't release more once they're gone. People are already holding FPs for all the way until closing.

If you watch the app, you can see what time the current FP tickets are for, so when that gets close to dark, go and grab FP.

 

[SMD]

Unfortunately, my son is only 4. I hope they release more fast passes towards the later part of the day...I really want to ride at night

Once FPs are out, they're out for the day. The only reason you'd see a higher number of FPs distributed for later in the day is if times passed in the morning before those FPs were pulled. That's not going to happen with RSR.

 

[Nevada Jen]

They won't. If they are gone that means they have given them out for the night time slots also. Maybe you should be allowed to ride single rider while dad takes the kids on other rides at dca.

 

[Winnowill]

They don't release more once they're gone. People are already holding FPs for all the way until closing.

If you watch the app, you can see what time the current FP tickets are for, so when that gets close to dark, go and grab FP.

Make sure, though, that a) you have the ability to pull a FP when your time slot opens (i.e. you didn't just pull one for something else at DCA) and b) that you're not currently holding another RSR FP for which the return window hasn't opened when that happens.

 

[dshimel]

You're not going to get everything done in a day. Not even close. Don't try, and don't stress.

When you say "tomorrow" I'm assuming you mean Thurdays 2/23.

Parks open at 9am.
Get to the parking garage by 7:30. Wait to pay, get parked, walk, bag check, tram. Be at the gates at 8am, just as magic morning is starting. If there are not enough people using magic morning, they let non-magic morning people in. I have had some luck with this (like the last 2 times I was there right at the start of MM, they let me in for the extra hour early).


If you get in early, Peter Pan, Dumbo, Hyperspace Mt, head to DCA.

If not, you'll still be on the rope for rope drop. Husband runs and grabs hyperspace Mt FP and meets up in Fantasyland. Peter Pan, Dumbo, Indy, grab splash FP when the window opens (9:45?, will be 10:30-11:30 return time).

You are free to do whatever here. Use the hyperspace mt fp, fill in time until 11ish. to do Splash with Fp then head to DCA.

My one concern is trying to do RSR after dark (6pm+?), then getting into DL and getting a spot for first MSEP. It is a tight window so will have to get RSR FPs for as soon as possible after dark. If you get FPs for 7, that means you may not be back to DL until 7:30-7:45 which is very close to 8:30 parade. Viewing spots were full before that time the last 2 times I was at DL.

 

[Laur0406]

Are there usually lines at the fastpass machine?

 

[Snap Crackle Pop]

Are there usually lines at the fastpass machine?

Yes.

 

[Imdboss]

Are there usually lines at the fastpass machine?

This week the line for a Star Tours and/or Buzz FP has been really long. It's been all the way back to the churro cart area. It does move pretty quick though and later in the day the line was much shorter.