DL veterans: Please help me schedule my days:)

[averysmom]

My family is going on the MR cruise and we are adding on three days at DL after the cruise.

We'll be there from April 3-6. We'll have 3 day hoppers. All three days DL is open 8-12 and CA is open 10-10. Fantastmic and fireworks and WOC are all three nights. We'll have one magic morning (although I don't know what time this lets us in? 7:00???) and the only day we can use it is Tuesday, so I'm assuming that Tuesday am we'll for sure start off at DL.

The crowd level predictions are 8/9/8.

I'm guestimating that we should be at the parks by noon on Sunday - by the time we disembark and check in at our hotel, drop off our stuff, etc. (We are staying at Park Vue).

My kids have no problems getting up early (we're WDW vets and this is our schedule there) so we can be at the park at opening. We can do late evenings too. My kids ride everything.

So I have some info. - but don't know what to do with it! Where should we start? Help!!!

TIA!

 

[Halloweenqueen]

That's my dates!

The difficult thing about our dates is it's Spring Break for many of the area schools. My best advice is get to the parks early. It is amazing what can be done before eleven. Locals just don't like to get up early.

I've watched the Touring Plan numbers go up and down almost daily. We were at 10s, but they recently reduced them.

People don't use the FP system like they do at WDW...take advantage of this. I've seen long waits in the standby lines of some attractions while the FP times are 15 minutes ahead of the current time. Plus FP between the two parks are not connected, so grab some before you leave one park for later. This will not interfer with getting some at the other park.

Sunday is going to be busy all day. I don't think we will see the usually Sunday evening exodus because the kids are off the next day. We are coming to the parks around the same time as you. We decided to grab some fP for the evening and just go to DCA and see Aladdin, Animation Academy, etc. We are going to ease into things and not try to fight the masses. We have an evening ressie at Napa Rose, then we are going to catch the last performance of WOC.

Monday we will be there at Rope Drop. The park is dead for those precious couple of hours. Have your must-do list handy and hit those rides. We always go to the rides that do not have FP.....Peter Pan, Matterhorn, and Nemo Subs. This is after my husband makes a SM FP dash. We stay on that side of the park until the crowd starts to grow. Then we head to NOS, Frontierland, and Adventureland. We get a Indian FP first then hit, Pirates, BTMRR, HM, etc. We then have lunch at BB and plan to hit MS before taking a afternoon rest at the hotel. We will then return for dinner, our FP rides, and Fantasmic/Fireworks. We are doing the dessert seating that night.

Tuesday is the day I think we are going to have the best crowds. We will be there for MM and stay in DL riding rides and gathering fastpasses until DCA opens at ten. Then off for Soarin FP and that long wait for Toy Story. More FP runs for Screamin and TOT. Lunch at Pacific Wharf and another hotel afternoon rest. We then have dinner ressies at Steakhouse 55, strolling along Downtown Disney, then back to the park to use our FPs and more rides of our favorites.

We never have gone on an adults only trip, so it will be nice to ride OUR favorites.

Unlike WDW the their is no "best park day" advice. Both parks will be very busy. DCA always has less crowds than DL. Plus DCA is going through a major refurb, so a lot of the park is hidden behind ugly barriers and whole sections are cut off. Splash and Star Tours will still be closed during our days.

Best advice is to come early. Take an afternoon break to recharge. The post fireworks time is good for getting in those Fantasyland rides. With the kids off I doubt the evenings will be as quiet as usual though.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[Kelsers!]

The best time to fit in a second ride on Space Mtn or Thunder Mtn is right before close. Get in line before 11:59 and you'll have a great "last ride of the day". Plus it is always fun to walk out of the park after close when it is deserted. All the rollercoasters are more fun at night. The general consensus is after a full day of the trains running, the tracks are looser so the trains move faster.

Adventureland is best done anytime other than midday. From 12-4 that road gets HOT. Indy has the steamiest queue in the park and can be stifling when its hot out.

Main Street is open for shopping an hour after close and almost all merchandise is also available at DTD which is open till 2, so don't feel you need to spend time shopping.

You can see Fantasmic and fireworks in the same night. If you have a good viewing spot for Fantasmic near Rivers of America, stay there. The fireworks will start shortly after and you'll be able to see everything above the castle.

You don't need FP seating to see WoC. There is viewing available from the other side of the Pier, in front of Screamin, but it isn't nearly as good. Just another option. Be sure you see all you want to on Paradise Pier before WoC, since it all closes during the show.

Even without planning the days out, you're sure to have a blast.

 

[DLR29]

The best time to fit in a second ride on Space Mtn or Thunder Mtn is right before close. Get in line before 11:59 and you'll have a great "last ride of the day". Plus it is always fun to walk out of the park after close when it is deserted. All the rollercoasters are more fun at night. The general consensus is after a full day of the trains running, the tracks are looser so the trains move faster.

Adventureland is best done anytime other than midday. From 12-4 that road gets HOT. Indy has the steamiest queue in the park and can be stifling when its hot out.

Main Street is open for shopping an hour after close and almost all merchandise is also available at DTD which is open till 2, so don't feel you need to spend time shopping.

You can see Fantasmic and fireworks in the same night. If you have a good viewing spot for Fantasmic near Rivers of America, stay there. The fireworks will start shortly after and you'll be able to see everything above the castle.

You don't need FP seating to see WoC. There is viewing available from the other side of the Pier, in front of Screamin, but it isn't nearly as good. Just another option. Be sure you see all you want to on Paradise Pier before WoC, since it all closes during the show.

Even without planning the days out, you're sure to have a blast.

Just a quick clarification: Watching WoC from the backside is simply not the same experience. You don't get to see any of the projections clearly and you don't get a sense of the show the way it was designed to be seen. The worst views in the Paradise Park viewing area are leaps and bounds better than the views from the pier.

 

[M&C]

World of Color is a must see. There are usually 2 showings. If you eat at Ariel's grotto, your meal comes with a fast pass to the preferred viewing area at the earlier showing. If you online order the picnic, you will get a fast pass for the other reserved viewing area. If you just walk in to get the picnic, you will get a fast pass for the other reserved viewing area at the later showing.

I sugget Ariel's Grotto. They changed the food for World of Color and it's actually pretty good. Plus the preferred viewing is pretty good because it is the least crowded.

If you decide on the regular viewing areas, I suggest you get a spot on the bridge. You get a very good view from there.

For Fantasmic, you can reserve a dessert viewing. I thought you can call Disney Dining for this.

Your trip is pretty early in April. Most schools here have the two weeks flanking Easter for break so you should be fine.

Have fun!

 

[skiingfast]

Plus FP between the two parks are not connected, so grab some before you leave one park for later. This will not interfer with getting some at the other park.

I would to the above.

You don't need FP seating to see WoC. There is viewing available from the other side of the Pier, in front of Screamin, but it isn't nearly as good. Just another option.

I would never do this though since DLR is a rare opportunity.


OP as you noted DL opens before DCA and DCA close before DL. So I would try to see the opening and closing of each. Grabbing FPs for each when they open.

Also know that in DL, Indy and Space are the highest demand rides so FP can run out. In DCA Screemin then Soarin or ToT have the most FP demand and longest lines. But TSM will have a possible longer line and no FP so make that ride a priority.