FL /Tomorrowland/Toontown/Nemo

[cari12]

We are in DLR for 3 days: Mon,Tue,Wed. On our EE day, is it best to do FL (using the EE superthread order of rides) then use remaining time/just after to do Tomorrowland?
Approx. how long will it take to do Tomorrowland?
Or should we do Toontown right after FL? Kids are 4 and 6 so we are concentrating on the little kid stuff.
Also, when is a good time to fit Nemo in as I have heard it is best to do first thing in the morning but if we do EE in FL then we cannot do it first. Would we go there first on a non-EE day and then continue to other things? But would this be a lot of extraneous walking to go to Tomorrowland just for the one ride and then head somewhere else?
I need help from you DIS experts!

 

[JustAKid]

I have not been to Disneyland in my adult life, nor am I an expert like the self-proclaimed "Hydroguy dude" BUT! I HAVE done a lot of research and here's what I've come up with...

Nemo, Peter Pan, and Dumbo are the three rides that get the longest wait times as the day progresses (in Disneyland, California Adventure has a different set), in this order, and do not have FP to help cut down the wait time.

My plan of attack is to do Nemo (and then head to Crittertown and work my way down the left half of the park but that's just my family as we're all obsessed with anything Winnie The Pooh and we're itchin' to have as much personalized attention as possible) on a non-MM, cut through the back of the stores (thanks for the tip, DISers!), and hope for the best. Then, I'll do Fantasyland and Toontown on a MM because they're so close. If I remember correctly, Toontown opens an hour after the rest of the park opens! So you have about 2 hours to do FL, with an hour head-start on the rest of the folks.

No matter how you work it I would FOR SURE suggest that you do Nemo first thing in the morning, be it MM or non-MM because when using Ridemax I've seen wait times as long as 90 minutes for Nemo throughout the day!

Also mentioned on the boards is that the earlier your MM, the less busy it'll be. Furthermore, if you get a 7am MM you can do as many rides as possible before 9:15 then hop over to DCA and get in line for Toy Story Mania! That way you have a lot of busy rides out of the way. You would have to save Toontown for later in the day if you were to go this route, though. HTH!

 

[DLR29]

On your MM day, if you do Fantasyland, with little kids, it might take up 30-45 min of that hour, depending on which attractions you ride and such. After that you can tour Tomorrowland (minus Nemo because it will probably have a decent sized line by then), seeing Buzz and Autopia (maybe picking up FPs for Space for you?). Then continue to Toontown, which opens an hour after official park opening (which is 2 hours after MM begins).

If you do Toontown on the other days, you might enter to some crowds who have a special thing called Mickey's Toontown Morning Madness. It's basically early entry for just Toontown that you can only get if you buy a package. While it probably doesn't affect Toontown crowds that much, it's still probably better to have an equal opportunity on Tuesday. Mickey's Toontown Morning Madness is Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

As for Nemo, yes, you should probably go there first thing on a non-MM day even if it involves some extra walking/backtracking. In my opinion, a little extra walking is ok for a much shorter line. Try doing this first thing on Monday when your feet aren't as tired. The extra walking shouldn't be as bad on your first day compared to the last day.

And definitely designate at least one of your non-MM days to hopping over to DCA between 9:30 and 10 (actually I don't know when you are going so I don't know when the parks are opening), so you can get a head start on the line for Toy Story Midway Mania, which develops decent sized lines and you will want to ride it. Also, getting to DCA early means that A Bug's Land should be less crowded and your kids will love that area.

 

[cari12]

Thank you for your tips - that was the last piece of the puzzle to complete my touring plan. I couldn't figure out how to fit it all in. I now have my plan and have made my PS for Ariel's Grotto. Can't wait to be there!