DLRExpert
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UPDATED 7/29
Parking
It is much easier to park when the park is opening at 8am. I am sure that parking across the board is better, but I decided on parking at the Gardenwalk as reports have been quite good when coming in from the Harbor side for the 8am opening.
Note: Toy Story Parking Lot is NOT the same as coming in from Harbor. Buses did not start to arrive until I was almost through security.
Arrived at the Harbor entrance 705am, they start to let us in by 718am. They opened the entrance gate at 730am.
Harbor still seems like the fastest way get to the entrance gates, besides Grand California Hotel. Not many people coming from M&F or DTD.
SPECIAL NOTE: The fastest ticket booth entry is usually turnstiles 13 and 14. They usually start as one line and splits into two.
ROPE DROP
Once you get through the turnstile, they will still hold you back, However, on this day they held us back at the end of Main Street instead of the Partners Statue. Not sure what determines the Rope location, maybe the number of staff needed?
With the Rope Drop I notice that there are now 4 different paths that people tend to take. You got the people that will go to Fantasyland (Peter Pan and Snow White), Tomorrowland (Space Mountain), Adventureland (Indiana Jones), and now Galaxy's Edge. Which makes going to Fantasyland a bit easier, ESPECIALLY when they use the rope drop closest to the end of Main Street.
Based on how fast the Main Street area filled up at the rope drop, I would say if you don't get to the rope by 740am, you would want to avoid the Peter Pan or Snow White attraction as your first stop in Fantasyland.
Update from 7/29
This time arrived in the park at 755am, park opened as I was walking down Main Street.
I didn't even attempt Peter Pan or Snow White, went straight to Alice first (2min wait). then went Matterhorn (10min wait), because the Dumbo line was longer than usual (probably due to Toad being offline). then Storybook Land (2min wait), and ended with Pinocchio (5 min wait), was going to ride Casey Jr at 835am but the ride went down. So headed to Adventureland early for the Jungle Cruise.
Jungle Cruise line said 25 minute wait, was more like 15 minutes.
After Jungle Cruise, went on Pirates (it was down while in line for JC), App said 5 minutes for Pirates but queue sign said, 20 minutes, we waited 10 minutes.
Got the notification for Rise to be there by 955am. We rode Splash Mountain at 930am and arrived at Rise at 1005am and was allowed in with no problem. Mansion was down.
Had an early 1040am Lunch at Ronto, finished around 1140am, and rode the canoes.
After canoes, rode the Autopia (15min wait), Buzz (15min wait), and Star Tours (15min wait). Note that Buzz and Star Tours on the app said 20-25 minutes. On the way to enjoy a churro and ride any attraction that is 30minutes or less.
Typical Day for a 8am opening at Disneyland
7am: Get the Rise of the Resistance Boarding Pass
745am: If the the rope drop is near the Partner Statue, you want to stay on the right side of the hub and get as close to the rope as you can.
8am-9am: When the park opens, briskly walk through the castle and ride either Peter Pan or Snow White first.
Then Ride Alice, then Dumbo, Toad, Pinocchio, and Casey Jr. Your goal is to be out of Fantasyland by 9am
Note: Ride Casey Jr. when you notice that the train is away from station or about to arrive at the station. For example, you are off of Dumbo and you see the train is not boarding, but on the track, do Casey Jr. first and then Toad after that. On 7/3 this is exactly what I did.
SPECIAL NOTE on 7/3: Peter Pan did not operate immediately at opening, but they were cycling PP vehicles, I stayed in the make shift queue near the ride entrance and was on the ride in 10 minutes. When this happens they are usually late with getting their checklist signed off. The Cast Member at PP was telling people it may be up to 30 minutes, but we could still wait in the actual queue line. If it was that late they would never let you line up in the actual attraction queue. I had to tell nearby family who were about to get out of the line it would be much earlier than that. They were happy they listened to me.
Note: Was out of FL by 850am, had a bathroom break, and got a churro.
9am-920am: Ride Pirates of the Caribbean
Note: Don't forget to make your lunch reservations. With more restaurants and seating open, availability may be easier.
920am-940am: Ride Haunted Mansion
940am-10am: Splash Mountain. You want to be in the line for Splash Mountain before 10am (940am-950am is perfect)
What to do after Splash Mountain?
I would choose either the Falcon, or Big Thunder Mountain. Both should have about the same wait time. Winnie the Pooh is also a great option and will be a walk on.
SPECIAL NOTE on 7/3: POC was down, so changed it up to Big Thunder Mountain, but Pirates is the correct play here. Then did Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain and then BG for Rise. I saved Pirates for a night ride, around 830pm. It was a walk on and got a boat all to myself)
I usually try to schedule a early lunch around 1130am-1145am
After Lunch (1230pm) I go to Space Mountain, app usually show a long wait time than what it really is. For example, 45 minutes may be 35 minutes.
Be aware of the 130pm rush as DCA park hoppers start to move over to Disneyland
Just just keep an eye on the Mobile App wait times. Anything 30 minutes or less is worth waiting for.
SPECIAL NOTES about visit on 7/3:
I took a mid-day break after lunch at 1230pm (I live nearby). Took a nap since I have been up since 530am and swam in my pool.
Leaving this early made parking at Gardenwalk $18. When I came back I parked at M&F. Not ideal for paying for parking, but the break was worth it. If you are staying at a nearby hotel, try to take a break to avoid when the park is busiest and to recharge your batteries.
Came back to the parks at 530pm as my Web Slingers BG was almost called, problem was the line was SUPER LONG and I rather spend that time at Disneyland. Ended up giving my BGs to another family.
So I had dinner at Avengers Campus, the Chicken Sandwich was surprisingly good, the Giant Pretzel was awesome, especially with the cheese sauce. LOVE the Honey Buzz and tried the Fizz. I would recommend that you request that the bartender makes these drinks when you are there as they may pull the drink from an already made table and you do not know how long it was sitting there. Also make sure you mix the drinks before consuming. Yes this is a lot of work for having a drink, but you are paying $17 each, you better get the best possible version of the drink. FYI they are out of the Pym Beakers, bummer there as the beaker makes the price easier to swallow as you are getting a souvenir cup to take home.
Ended back up at Disneyland by 7pm. Went to It's a Small World, then Snow White (longest wait of the day at 25 minutes), Pirates, Indiana Jones, Matterhorn, and closed with Space Mountain.
So was at the Disneyland park for 8 hours. My attraction end total was 17.
In this order...
8am-1130am
1) Peter Pan (10min)
2) Alice (5min)
3) Dumbo (5min)
4) Casey Jr. (5min)
5) Toad (5min)
6) Pinocchio (5min)
7) Thunder (10min)
8) Mansion (5min)
9) Splash (5min)
10) Rise (10min)
11) Disneyland Train (5min)
7pm-10pm
12) Small World (5min)
13) Snow White (25min)
14) Pirates (0min)
15) Indiana (15min)
16) Matterhorn (10min)
17) Space Mountain (20min)
Here are my No Fantasyland strats with all attractions opened and no fastpass availability, at park opening.
9am Opening
9am-915am: Matterhorn... Note: Matterhorn tends to be down quite a bit at opening. If this is the case go to Thunder Mountain or Indiana Jones instead.
915am-940am: Pirates
940am-10am: Splash Mountain
10am: Haunted Mansion
Reason for this pattern is that most people will hit the E Ticket Bigger attractions as soon as they arrived. However, Thunder, Space, Indiana Jones, and the Star Wars attractions are big people eaters without Fastpass. Lines shouldn't be too bad as time goes on. As the day goes on Jungle Cruise will lose its line as well.
8am Opening
With an earlier opening you have more time to do more attractions
8am-815am: Space Mountain
815am-830am: Matterhorn
830am-840am: Big Thunder Mountain
840am-9am: Jungle Cruise
9am-920am: Pirates
920am-945am: Haunted Mansion
945am-10am: Splash Mountain
ME
Parking
It is much easier to park when the park is opening at 8am. I am sure that parking across the board is better, but I decided on parking at the Gardenwalk as reports have been quite good when coming in from the Harbor side for the 8am opening.
Note: Toy Story Parking Lot is NOT the same as coming in from Harbor. Buses did not start to arrive until I was almost through security.
Arrived at the Harbor entrance 705am, they start to let us in by 718am. They opened the entrance gate at 730am.
Harbor still seems like the fastest way get to the entrance gates, besides Grand California Hotel. Not many people coming from M&F or DTD.
SPECIAL NOTE: The fastest ticket booth entry is usually turnstiles 13 and 14. They usually start as one line and splits into two.
ROPE DROP
Once you get through the turnstile, they will still hold you back, However, on this day they held us back at the end of Main Street instead of the Partners Statue. Not sure what determines the Rope location, maybe the number of staff needed?
With the Rope Drop I notice that there are now 4 different paths that people tend to take. You got the people that will go to Fantasyland (Peter Pan and Snow White), Tomorrowland (Space Mountain), Adventureland (Indiana Jones), and now Galaxy's Edge. Which makes going to Fantasyland a bit easier, ESPECIALLY when they use the rope drop closest to the end of Main Street.
Based on how fast the Main Street area filled up at the rope drop, I would say if you don't get to the rope by 740am, you would want to avoid the Peter Pan or Snow White attraction as your first stop in Fantasyland.
Update from 7/29
This time arrived in the park at 755am, park opened as I was walking down Main Street.
I didn't even attempt Peter Pan or Snow White, went straight to Alice first (2min wait). then went Matterhorn (10min wait), because the Dumbo line was longer than usual (probably due to Toad being offline). then Storybook Land (2min wait), and ended with Pinocchio (5 min wait), was going to ride Casey Jr at 835am but the ride went down. So headed to Adventureland early for the Jungle Cruise.
Jungle Cruise line said 25 minute wait, was more like 15 minutes.
After Jungle Cruise, went on Pirates (it was down while in line for JC), App said 5 minutes for Pirates but queue sign said, 20 minutes, we waited 10 minutes.
Got the notification for Rise to be there by 955am. We rode Splash Mountain at 930am and arrived at Rise at 1005am and was allowed in with no problem. Mansion was down.
Had an early 1040am Lunch at Ronto, finished around 1140am, and rode the canoes.
After canoes, rode the Autopia (15min wait), Buzz (15min wait), and Star Tours (15min wait). Note that Buzz and Star Tours on the app said 20-25 minutes. On the way to enjoy a churro and ride any attraction that is 30minutes or less.
Typical Day for a 8am opening at Disneyland
7am: Get the Rise of the Resistance Boarding Pass
745am: If the the rope drop is near the Partner Statue, you want to stay on the right side of the hub and get as close to the rope as you can.
8am-9am: When the park opens, briskly walk through the castle and ride either Peter Pan or Snow White first.
Then Ride Alice, then Dumbo, Toad, Pinocchio, and Casey Jr. Your goal is to be out of Fantasyland by 9am
Note: Ride Casey Jr. when you notice that the train is away from station or about to arrive at the station. For example, you are off of Dumbo and you see the train is not boarding, but on the track, do Casey Jr. first and then Toad after that. On 7/3 this is exactly what I did.
SPECIAL NOTE on 7/3: Peter Pan did not operate immediately at opening, but they were cycling PP vehicles, I stayed in the make shift queue near the ride entrance and was on the ride in 10 minutes. When this happens they are usually late with getting their checklist signed off. The Cast Member at PP was telling people it may be up to 30 minutes, but we could still wait in the actual queue line. If it was that late they would never let you line up in the actual attraction queue. I had to tell nearby family who were about to get out of the line it would be much earlier than that. They were happy they listened to me.
Note: Was out of FL by 850am, had a bathroom break, and got a churro.
9am-920am: Ride Pirates of the Caribbean
Note: Don't forget to make your lunch reservations. With more restaurants and seating open, availability may be easier.
920am-940am: Ride Haunted Mansion
940am-10am: Splash Mountain. You want to be in the line for Splash Mountain before 10am (940am-950am is perfect)
What to do after Splash Mountain?
I would choose either the Falcon, or Big Thunder Mountain. Both should have about the same wait time. Winnie the Pooh is also a great option and will be a walk on.
SPECIAL NOTE on 7/3: POC was down, so changed it up to Big Thunder Mountain, but Pirates is the correct play here. Then did Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain and then BG for Rise. I saved Pirates for a night ride, around 830pm. It was a walk on and got a boat all to myself)
I usually try to schedule a early lunch around 1130am-1145am
After Lunch (1230pm) I go to Space Mountain, app usually show a long wait time than what it really is. For example, 45 minutes may be 35 minutes.
Be aware of the 130pm rush as DCA park hoppers start to move over to Disneyland
Just just keep an eye on the Mobile App wait times. Anything 30 minutes or less is worth waiting for.
SPECIAL NOTES about visit on 7/3:
I took a mid-day break after lunch at 1230pm (I live nearby). Took a nap since I have been up since 530am and swam in my pool.
Leaving this early made parking at Gardenwalk $18. When I came back I parked at M&F. Not ideal for paying for parking, but the break was worth it. If you are staying at a nearby hotel, try to take a break to avoid when the park is busiest and to recharge your batteries.
Came back to the parks at 530pm as my Web Slingers BG was almost called, problem was the line was SUPER LONG and I rather spend that time at Disneyland. Ended up giving my BGs to another family.
So I had dinner at Avengers Campus, the Chicken Sandwich was surprisingly good, the Giant Pretzel was awesome, especially with the cheese sauce. LOVE the Honey Buzz and tried the Fizz. I would recommend that you request that the bartender makes these drinks when you are there as they may pull the drink from an already made table and you do not know how long it was sitting there. Also make sure you mix the drinks before consuming. Yes this is a lot of work for having a drink, but you are paying $17 each, you better get the best possible version of the drink. FYI they are out of the Pym Beakers, bummer there as the beaker makes the price easier to swallow as you are getting a souvenir cup to take home.
Ended back up at Disneyland by 7pm. Went to It's a Small World, then Snow White (longest wait of the day at 25 minutes), Pirates, Indiana Jones, Matterhorn, and closed with Space Mountain.
So was at the Disneyland park for 8 hours. My attraction end total was 17.
In this order...
8am-1130am
1) Peter Pan (10min)
2) Alice (5min)
3) Dumbo (5min)
4) Casey Jr. (5min)
5) Toad (5min)
6) Pinocchio (5min)
7) Thunder (10min)
8) Mansion (5min)
9) Splash (5min)
10) Rise (10min)
11) Disneyland Train (5min)
7pm-10pm
12) Small World (5min)
13) Snow White (25min)
14) Pirates (0min)
15) Indiana (15min)
16) Matterhorn (10min)
17) Space Mountain (20min)
Here are my No Fantasyland strats with all attractions opened and no fastpass availability, at park opening.
9am Opening
9am-915am: Matterhorn... Note: Matterhorn tends to be down quite a bit at opening. If this is the case go to Thunder Mountain or Indiana Jones instead.
915am-940am: Pirates
940am-10am: Splash Mountain
10am: Haunted Mansion
Reason for this pattern is that most people will hit the E Ticket Bigger attractions as soon as they arrived. However, Thunder, Space, Indiana Jones, and the Star Wars attractions are big people eaters without Fastpass. Lines shouldn't be too bad as time goes on. As the day goes on Jungle Cruise will lose its line as well.
8am Opening
With an earlier opening you have more time to do more attractions
8am-815am: Space Mountain
815am-830am: Matterhorn
830am-840am: Big Thunder Mountain
840am-9am: Jungle Cruise
9am-920am: Pirates
920am-945am: Haunted Mansion
945am-10am: Splash Mountain
ME
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