Do I really need a combat style itinerary in early May?

[S. S. Columbia]

It really isn't about having an exact plan, it's more like general guidelines.

Doing many things in the morning frees up the rest of the day. :

FWIW, here's a list of some of the relaxing things for the middle of the day.

• the Disneyland Band (in Town Square or in front of the Castle, if they're on the schedule)
• Ride the Omnibus on Main Street (top level) Here's a short video ---------> LINK
• Circle Tour on DLRR
• Abe Lincoln (fine show, and the "Voices of Liberty" singers are coming this summer)
• Main Street Cinema (6 short cartoons, sometime they have documentaries, nice air-conditioning)
• Penny Arcade & Candy Palace (bring some pennies for the arcade)
• Snow White's Grotto & Wishing Well (cute)
• Pooh Corner (ever have a Tigger Tail?)
• Mark Twain Riverboat or Sailing Ship Columbia
• Enchanted Tiki Room (silly fun)
• Tarzan's Treehouse (nice views)
• Shootin' (Frontierland Shooting Gallery)
• Pirate's Lair on TSI
• Golden Horseshoe w/ Billy Hill and the Hillbillies (I usually arrive about 30 minutes before show time, nice place to cool down and it's a fun show)
• Hungry Bear (another nice spot to relax)
• Innoventions (ASIMO is interesting)
• Monorail
• Some shopping if you like (Disney Emporium, DTD)
• Check out the GCH Lobby
• Find a bench and "people watch"
• Musical Chairs show at 2:30pm at Coke Corner (Alice, Peter Pan, Mad Hatter)

 

[icecreamforbreakfast]

Thanks everyone for your helpful replies! I have been having fun trying to plan, but kind of didn't want a ridmax style itinerary for everyday with pee breaks only allowed during certain moments of the day! We hope to hit lots of rides (many several times) and take time to enjoy shows (especially Aladdin thanks to advice on here), but I was beginning to feel I needed a more complete agenda. Thank you for assuring me that if we get there at opening and hit the most popular rides then, we'll do fine.

The way I've read it Soarin' is the ride to start with in CA and Peter Pan on MM at DL, then the mountains on a non-MM or after MM is over. Is this right? How popular is IJ is that a first thing ride too?

Thanks again everyone!!!

 

[hlbtimes2]

Our plan is simple, and like the previous posters:

--go early
--get fastpasses
--head straight to PP on our MM

Other than this, anything goes!

This is how we do it. Oh, and I usually know which day we will watch fireworks, F! and WOC. But as far as rides go, we just go with the flow. Oh and if you have a smart phone, use one of the aps with wait times. That way you know before you walk across the park that the line for what ever is really long or really short!

 

[HappyHaunt]

Comments below.



Different strokes for different folks.

But I can't "relax & have fun" if I'm in a 55 min. line that i could have easily avoided. The first time visitor may indeed prefer to sleep in every day & not worry if they're standing in longer lines in the afternoon & evening. But perhaps they would like to know that there is an alternative to this.

I agree with SKI. Have a plan the first 3 hours of each day during crowded times (or the first 2 hours in May) & have that "plan" include picking up 3-5 FPs (not "rushing around"....just pick them up as you're touring) for evening use....even if you don't use them.



I agree with SKI.....& I'm not trying to disuade the OP....just adding my opinion for others (who may be DLR newbies) who are reading, that there is a 3rd way to tour. (not just 1) Commando for 14 hours or 2) No plan at all.)

Thankfully 90% of DLR visitors DON'T arrive early to tour & collect FPs the first 2-3 hours....if they did, this basic strategy wouldn't be so darn effective.

You make good points! Maybe our plan on how we do things has gotten down to such a science that I don't feel like were going commando anymore. Probably as you said, the 3rd option is more like what we do. So that way we don't stand in 55 minute lines. Making sure to get fast passes, and knowing what busy rides to hit first thing in the morning has pretty much gotten to be routine for us. So that the rest of the day can be pretty relaxing and choosing what we want to do. I guess you have to have some plans, I just don't prefer the whole ride max following it to a "T" type vacationing. I think most people probably don't either.

 

[S. S. Columbia]

Doing many things in the morning frees up the rest of the day. :

...

• Shootin' (Frontierland Shooting Exposition)

FYI, Shootin' is closed from April 30 to May 25 for refurbishment.

Shootin' Exposition is receiving amunition.

http://www.disneygeek.com/updates/disneyland_update.php?page_id=98&update_dir=2012_05_05