Disneyland During spring break

[DisneyMomOfJG]

Hi, I'm new here, but have a few questions and hoping to get some help from all you Disney experts.

I will be going to DL during spring break I usually go once a year with my DD(5) and DS(7) and we usually avoid spring break. This year we will be going with my BF and his two kids,(7 and 4)

We have 4-day PH and I have all dining reservations done.

My questions are, what should I expect going during spring break? What rides and shows are a must with 4 kids and which ones can I skip? We plan on using our Magic Morning, which rides should we go to first? Being as it will my BF and his kid's 1st time, I'm sure they will want to see everything.

We are also doing dinner at Ariel's Grotto for world of color tickets, this year I plan on going straight to the front to watch the show so the kid's will have a great view, with the new world of color show, will we get drenched since we will be in the splash zone? so should I get us all ponchos?

Sorry for so many questions and Thank You for all your help

 

[figment_jii]

My questions are, what should I expect going during spring break? What rides and shows are a must with 4 kids and which ones can I skip? We plan on using our Magic Morning, which rides should we go to first? Being as it will my BF and his kid's 1st time, I'm sure they will want to see everything.

It depends a little on when you are specifically going...the peak of Spring Break is likely to be the week before and after Easter, but Spring Break season tends to start in mid-March and extend through early-April. Regardless of when you're going...expect crowds. The parks have been busy in general, so I would go expecting to see large crowds, especially on the weekends.

In terms of the attractions, it really depends on the group and their interests. I would look through the list of attractions and shows on Disneyland.com and priority which ones sound the most interesting to your group.

 

[MikeRx]

I'd plan to do the non FastPass rides in DL each MM that you can. Alice, Peter Pan and Dumbo have the greatest wait times if you don't go early. Hyper-Space Mountain is also seeing exaggerated waits due to the popularity of Star Wars, but if all else fails you can get a FP. Toy Story is the key in DCA as it doesn't have FP. on our EE/MM days we typically do TSMM (2 times), Screamin, pull a FP for RSR and then off to Soarin. After lunch we pull a FP for GRR and catch the attractions/rides with less of a wait (LM, MI, Goofy's, Maters). We aren't ToT fans so that makes less back tracking for us. In DL we will likely statrt with HSM one day and Peter/Alice the other day.

7 & 4 year olds can do many of the rides together and as previously posted, check the descriptions before you go as different rides appeal to different ages.
I hope this helps.
Mike

 

[cagirl4life]

We are also doing dinner at Ariel's Grotto for world of color tickets, this year I plan on going straight to the front to watch the show so the kid's will have a great view, with the new world of color show, will we get drenched since we will be in the splash zone? so should I get us all ponchos?

The boardwalk which is the "wet zone" is more of a heavy mist most of the time. There is one spot in yellow that gets a fountain on them for a second. All of this is also depending on the wind. If the wind is going towards you the more wet you will get.

That being said for Ariel's the better view is in the upper tier which is the circle part, in my opinion. Get there early to be on the fence and the right side (closer to where you enter). You are above the boardwalk and a little back so you can see more of it. Up close to me is like being in the front rows of a movie theater. Sure the show is still pretty, but its hard to see the whole picture going on.

 

[Angrose]

Yes, it will be very busy during spring break, so early mornings and FPs will be your best friends. Keep in mind that only Fantasyland and Tomorrowland are open during MM. What are the group's priorities? If they are a trill seeking group then definitely head to Tomorrowland first, if not then do Fantasyland first. You can still send a runner to pick up FPs for Hyperspace or Star Tours while doing FL rides. You have 4 days so that will be plenty of time to do everything you want.
For the first timers, I would also suggest looking at the ride lists on the DL website, then watch some POV ride videos on YouTube to get a feel for what the ride will be like.
Are there any Star Wars fans in the group? Will they want to do Jedi Academy? If so, they will need to sign up in the mornings for that.
Use the busy afternoons for taking breaks either at the hotel/pool or go see some shows like Mickey and the Magical Map or the shows at the Royal Theatre in DL. In DCA, go see Turtle Talk with Crush or the Disney Jr. show. The little ones will like that. The older kids could do the animation academy.
Oh, and I have heard that this is WOC is wetter than the others, so I would definitely recommend ponchos if you will be in the wet zone!
Have fun!

 

[DisneyMomOfJG]

I'd plan to do the non FastPass rides in DL each MM that you can. Alice, Peter Pan and Dumbo have the greatest wait times if you don't go early. Hyper-Space Mountain is also seeing exaggerated waits due to the popularity of Star Wars, but if all else fails you can get a FP. Toy Story is the key in DCA as it doesn't have FP. on our EE/MM days we typically do TSMM (2 times), Screamin, pull a FP for RSR and then off to Soarin. After lunch we pull a FP for GRR and catch the attractions/rides with less of a wait (LM, MI, Goofy's, Maters). We aren't ToT fans so that makes less back tracking for us. In DL we will likely statrt with HSM one day and Peter/Alice the other day.

7 & 4 year olds can do many of the rides together and as previously posted, check the descriptions before you go as different rides appeal to different ages.
I hope this helps.
Mike

Thank you, yes, Peter Pan will be one of our musts, and I'm hoping we can all ride Hyper-Space Mountain with our 4 year old, if not, try and do the rider swap.

 

[DisneyMomOfJG]

The boardwalk which is the "wet zone" is more of a heavy mist most of the time. There is one spot in yellow that gets a fountain on them for a second. All of this is also depending on the wind. If the wind is going towards you the more wet you will get.

That being said for Ariel's the better view is in the upper tier which is the circle part, in my opinion. Get there early to be on the fence and the right side (closer to where you enter). You are above the boardwalk and a little back so you can see more of it. Up close to me is like being in the front rows of a movie theater. Sure the show is still pretty, but its hard to see the whole picture going on.

Thank You, I can see what you're saying about being right up front. I usually watch it from higher up, but thought I'd give the front a try, but I believe that the first timers will probably enjoy it more if they can watch it from farther up rather than up close.

 

[DisneyMomOfJG]

Yes, it will be very busy during spring break, so early mornings and FPs will be your best friends. Keep in mind that only Fantasyland and Tomorrowland are open during MM. What are the group's priorities? If they are a trill seeking group then definitely head to Tomorrowland first, if not then do Fantasyland first. You can still send a runner to pick up FPs for Hyperspace or Star Tours while doing FL rides. You have 4 days so that will be plenty of time to do everything you want.
For the first timers, I would also suggest looking at the ride lists on the DL website, then watch some POV ride videos on YouTube to get a feel for what the ride will be like.
Are there any Star Wars fans in the group? Will they want to do Jedi Academy? If so, they will need to sign up in the mornings for that.
Use the busy afternoons for taking breaks either at the hotel/pool or go see some shows like Mickey and the Magical Map or the shows at the Royal Theatre in DL. In DCA, go see Turtle Talk with Crush or the Disney Jr. show. The little ones will like that. The older kids could do the animation academy.
Oh, and I have heard that this is WOC is wetter than the others, so I would definitely recommend ponchos if you will be in the wet zone!
Have fun!

Hi, thank you for the tips, yes we are all star wars fans and were hoping to do as many star wars rides and activities as we possibly could. I hadn't done the Jedi academy in past years that we've gone and was planning to do it this year, so it's really helpful to know that I need to sign up in the morning because I didn't know about that.