Do you really think I should follow a plan?

[kiwitinkerbell]

We will be visiting DLR October 3-8. I don't want to ride any of the big roller coaster type rides (will ride BTMR and Splash but that's about as daring as I get). Do you think we should still plan out our days or just take it as it comes. i.e head to Fantasyland first at DL then onto other parts of the park as we feel like it? If you guys tell me to plan then I will plan because I trust your experience so don't hold back

I was hoping that early October wont be too busy?

 

[tksbaskets]

If you'd like to experience the attractions you want without fighting the crowds I would plan. We modified the Unofficial Guide to Disney Land's touring plan by simply skipping the attractions we didn't care to do.

Just my 2 cents worth...of course I am an obsessive planner

 

[goldies 5]

I personally feel that it is much more enjoyable when you don't have to go comando style. You will be there enough days to really enjoy yourself at a slower pace, in my opinion. It is always good to do magic morning when available. Just look at the schedule so you are aware of things you may want to do and plan accordingly. Disneyland is much more enjoyable when you are not stressed and running around like a chicken with your head cut off. Believe me I know!

 

[skiingfast]

First, you might think that you only want to do BTMRR and Splash but after these you'll want to do the rest of the thrill rides too.

Second, that should be a slow week except for the Friday that is a minor holiday weekend.

Third, only go to Fantasyland first if you have little kids 3-7 year olds. You have all those weekdays when almost every American kid will be in school.

Fourth, taking the rest into account, don't kill youself making a step by step plan. If you think of just a few strategies, like eating at off hours, using fastpass... It should go pretty good.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

We don't plan out our days ride for ride. I think that takes some of the fun out of it. We do plan where we're going to start each day because mornings are the best time for shorter lines. For example, if we're going to be at DL for 3 days, we would start in Tomorrowland one day to hit Space, Buzz and Nemo and get Fastpasses for later. Another day we would start with Indy and then head over to Pirates, Thunder, Mansion and Splash, again gathering Fastpasses for later. Then we would start a day in Fantasyland and hit Peter Pan and Dumbo early since they get so crowded later in the day. After taking our afternoon break at our hotel, we go back and use the Fastpasses we gathered earlier in the day.

We do the same thing at DCA. We hop over there when it opens and head to Soarin first one day and ToT first another day. I think this approach helps us maximize our time without feeling like we have to follow a strict plan.

 

[DisneyFairytale]

Nooo don't plan. Making a plan will cause you stress because you will have this set idea in your mind and you'll constantly be trying to follow it causing some stress. The things that require planning are budget related things such as what you will plan out for food, or transportation etc.

Go out, have fun and follow what your heart desires when you first wake up!

 

[Eeee-va]

OK, first to answer your question, I think having an overall plan is very smart, but I don't think you need to plan your every ride or anything. I would do as LuvBunnies says and figure out where to start the day. Other than that, I'd just say to make sure to plan out things that are priorities. For instance, if Fantasmic! is running and you want to do it, you may need to plan for it (especially if it's only running on "weekends", which would include Friday). In short, I find that if I don't make an active plan to see something, it often doesn't actually get seen.

If you want to see Peter Pan's Flight without waiting 20 minutes or more, then you will want to do it first thing on one day. If you have a Magic Morning with your ticket, then do it first thing on your Magic Morning. If not, or if you want to see it more than once, do it first thing on a non-Magic Morning day (which I believe would be Monday, Wednesday, or Friday). Dumbo is another thing you need to do ASAP, and doing the Matterhorn early is a good idea. The rest of Fantasyland should be much more flexible.

Without SOME sort of plan it's easy to miss out on some things you want to do. So I'd personally plan out the first couple hours of each day (even if it's just a simple plan, like, on Friday we'll do Peter Pan's Flight, Dumbo (if you want), and the rest of Fantasyland. I'd also plan which days you were figuring to do which shows--at least, I find it easy to miss daytime shows if we don't plan to see them, and if you do nighttime shows, much of your evening revolves around them.

And for unsolicited advice, if I were you, I'd consider trying the other thrill rides in Disneyland. Since I hate drops, I find Splash Mountain to be the scariest ride in Disneyland! I can't say what you WILL want to do, but I find Space Mountain no more intense than BTMRR (though if you think the dark will bother you you might stay away). If motion simulators don't bother you, Indy will probably be appealing--my friend was terrified of coasters but she enjoyed Indy. The Matterhorn is really bumpy but otherwise tame. (Gadget's Go-Coaster is a kiddie coaster but tame.)

(Others may disagree but I think California Screamin' is terrifying, Mulholland Madness is a touch scary, and Tower of Terror, I wouldn't even touch, since I hate drops. )

 

[kiwitinkerbell]

Thank you so much for your replies ! It will just be my friend and I, both 40 something (no children) so we wont have to worry about kids. The last time I was in WDW I rode TOT and I swear I will never ride it again - I was terrified! I rode Space one and swore I would never ride that again (I know, I know I'm not the most adventurous ).

I think I will work out a basic plan such as we will do Fantasy Land in the morning and then see what happens etc. We will be away (coming from New Zealand) for just over 3 weeks (visiting Las Vegas for 5 nights and doing a cruise) so we will have already done our shopping etc. and will be concentrating just on Disney .

Thanks again.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I will go so far as to plan where we are going to eat everyday, but I don't use a plan for the order of rides. We know what gets crowded early and will ride those rides first, but I don't have a set plan. KWIM?

 

[dmked]

I always make a plan - to me it takes the stress out of the day, having an order to follow. I know a lot of people think it takes the fun out of the trip but I think it makes the day flow more smoothly and I get everything done that I want to get done. I don't plan so far as to the minute or even hour, just an order I want to do the rides in mostly and what places I would like to eat.

 

[HydroGuy]

Planning is not the same thing as creating an itinerary. It can be, but it does not have to be. I think having absolutely no plan at all is worse than following an itinerary.

Many of us do what Eeeva does and get a starting point for the day, arrive early to the gates, plan out which FPs to get (not that hard, if you are doing thrill rides it is usually best to get Space, then Splash then Indy) and try to hit the slow loaders early and save the fast loaders for later. And also know which rides are afternoon fillers that you can do anytime of day with a short line (e.g., Tiki Room). Having a rough plan for the first couple hours can make the whole day much better.

 

[kiwitinkerbell]

Planning is not the same thing as creating an itinerary. It can be, but it does not have to be. I think having absolutely no plan at all is worse than following an itinerary.

Many of us do what Eeeva does and get a starting point for the day, arrive early to the gates, plan out which FPs to get (not that hard, if you are doing thrill rides it is usually best to get Space, then Splash then Indy) and try to hit the slow loaders early and save the fast loaders for later. And also know which rides are afternoon fillers that you can do anytime of day with a short line (e.g., Tiki Room). Having a rough plan for the first couple hours can make the whole day much better.

Ummmm....... Is there somewhere I can go to find out the information on the rides? i.e. which ones I can leave for the afternoon etc? I realise basically that Fantasyland is best to do first thing and then maybe onto HM and BTMR, Splash, Indy. Would that be right?

 

[mystic_path]

So you have five days in the park? Your gonna have plenty of time as adults to see everything while not being rushed or slowed down by kids. Its always nice starting your day off with a plan of attack ex: Do I want to see Aladdin musical today? Do I want to take in the fireworks or Fantasmic? How about seeing the Future house at Innovations or using a Magic Morning. Do I go to DTD for dinner, stay in the park or go elsewhere?

But once you get to the park to start your day, just play it by ear and take it leisurely. Even if you do try a few rides and end up trying a few more, your gonna have time to do everything you want to do.

 

[HydroGuy]

Ummmm....... Is there somewhere I can go to find out the information on the rides? i.e. which ones I can leave for the afternoon etc? I realise basically that Fantasyland is best to do first thing and then maybe onto HM and BTMR, Splash, Indy. Would that be right?

There is the list in my head!

In general RideMax can help you figure this out. Also the Unofficial Guide to DLR.

 

[kiwitinkerbell]

Thanks everyone for your help and advice. I think I will go and buy the unofficial guide. I have no idea what Ridemax is, but I think it sounds like I need the unofficial guide anyway!

Thanks again.

 

[HydroGuy]

Thanks everyone for your help and advice. I think I will go and buy the unofficial guide. I have no idea what Ridemax is, but I think it sounds like I need the unofficial guide anyway!

Thanks again.

Ridemax - see www.ridemax.com

As for needing UG, be aware of The Perils of Printed Guidebooks: Outdated Info in the Unofficial Guide to DLR

 

[lugnut33]

Me and my two girls just got back home from a 5 day Disneyland vacation. I used the Unofficial Guide touring plans (MK two day plan A) not so much because we needed to (the crowds were really reallly light when we were there) but simply to structure the day. The days we used the plans we finished them up by 1pm and had the rest of the day to go do whatever we felt like.

 

[jacs1234]

We had a loose plan to follow but on our magic morning we followed the unofficial guide plan and we didn't have to wait for anything.

 

[farmfresh]

Hi there fellow kiwi!

Sounds to me like you don't really need a blow by blow ride plan, but I think you will get more out of your trip if you do a little planning. The Unofficial guide will give you some pointers, but stay tuned here because its itineraries will be affected by the changes at DCA.

For example, I'm not sure that the parks will be quiet when you are there. It will be the first week of the mickey's trick or treat parties in DL for Halloween.That means that DL in particular will be busier in the afternoons and evenings, and it will close earlier. None of that is a problem (you might even want to go!) But you will need to think about the impact that might have on your plans.

In the case of thrill rides, if you can manage splash then there are perhaps only three or four you won't want to ride...TOT, maybe Space mountain, maybe California screamin", maybe Indy. (i'd at least give them one try!)

On the other hand, there are plenty of popular rides that you will want to try, that do need a plan. peter pan's flight, Soarin, TSM. the subs, even autopia(because that queue is just horrible), Grizzly River run Buzz, etc. Plus you might want to work in some show, like Billy Hill or Aladdin, Fantasmic or WOC. It may also be worth making some advance meal plans for the evenings.

So, I would sketch out a rough plan of the things which need a booking in advance (say seats at F!and WOC), and schedule of opening/closing times,and the rides you would like to take. Then you can factor in your MMs.

Part of this depends on your personality. I don't like waiting in lines when I don't have to, but others don't mind. The real point of the blow by blow plan is to reduce the standing around time (or at least, put as much of it as possible into pre park time, standing at the gates!)

The purpose of the general plan is to make sure you don't miss out on popular events that can be hard to get access to.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Having a plan is always a good idea. I have literally seen people go on 3 rides in 2 hours when the park was virtually empty because their "plan" was to go with the flow. Now, having a plan doesn't mean that you have mapped out every minute of the day, but rather that you know what rides you want to experience and the best times to do them.

5 days is plenty of time to properly experience (and re-experience) the DLR. So, if you discover that two of your must experience rides should both be ridden first thing after the park opens, then plan accordingly.

Even though many guests go to Fantasyland first, you're still ahead of the game as far as the "average" guest who is still sleeping. You can get most of Fantasyland done in that first hour. Furthermore, with the exception of Peter Pan and Mr. Toad, the rest of Fantasyland has virtually no wait after 11:00pm if the park closes at midnight. I'm not afraid to take naps when the park is crowded in the mid to late afternoon in order to enjoy it when it's much less crowded at the end of the day (assuming a midnight close).