Having only one day is stressing me out!

[AustinTink]

We have never been for more than one day over the last 6 summers. This year was especially frustrating, crowds were the largest we'd seen. Mom had a midday meltdown.

From your list, this is what we were able to do in one day:

My Disneyland must-dos include:

* fireworks- yes
* IASW- no
* HMH Love the overlay so much more than the original- yes
* POTC- yes
* BTMRR- yes
* Splash- no
* Tiki Room- no
* Matterhorn- no
* PP- no
* Indy- yes, twice
* Buzz- out of order
* Space for DH and the kids- I could care less- yes
* castle walk thru- no
* JC- no
* holiday parade if we can swing it- no parades


For DCA:

* Soarin'- no
* ToT- again for DH and the kids, I can take it or leave it- no
* Screamin'- for DH and the kids- yes, twice
* Bug's Land- no
* TSMM- no, very disappointed
* GRR if weather permits as we won't be able to hop into the GCV to change clothes- no

Add to our list Mullholland Madness a couple of times and a long lunch at the Blue Bayou and Fantasmic. We really didn't accomplish much this year, and it was quite a let down. This was by far the least amount of attractions we had ever done in one day. Hence, my meltdown.

We'll give it another shot next year.

 

[Sherry E]

We have never been for more than one day over the last 6 summers. This year was especially frustrating, crowds were the largest we'd seen. Mom had a midday meltdown.

From your list, this is what we were able to do in one day:

My Disneyland must-dos include:

* fireworks- yes
* IASW- no
* HMH Love the overlay so much more than the original- yes
* POTC- yes
* BTMRR- yes
* Splash- no
* Tiki Room- no
* Matterhorn- no
* PP- no
* Indy- yes, twice
* Buzz- out of order
* Space for DH and the kids- I could care less- yes
* castle walk thru- no
* JC- no
* holiday parade if we can swing it- no parades


For DCA:

* Soarin'- no
* ToT- again for DH and the kids, I can take it or leave it- no
* Screamin'- for DH and the kids- yes, twice
* Bug's Land- no
* TSMM- no, very disappointed
* GRR if weather permits as we won't be able to hop into the GCV to change clothes- no

Add to our list Mullholland Madness a couple of times and a long lunch at the Blue Bayou and Fantasmic. We really didn't accomplish much this year, and it was quite a let down. This was by far the least amount of attractions we had ever done in one day. Hence, my meltdown.

We'll give it another shot next year.

You put IASW as a "no." Ordinarily - if it were regular old IASW, I would agree with you. However, this is the exquisite and breathtakingly gorgeous IASW Holiday that will be up when rentayenta goes, so I fully support the decision for her to have that on the Must Do list!! Or did you just not get around to making it on IASW (not enough time)?

Wow - I can't believe you don't like TSMM!! That's in my top 2 favorite rides of all the rides in DLR!! Oh well - we all like different things!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

You put IASW as a "no." Ordinarily - if it were regular old IASW, I would agree with you. However, this is the exquisite and breathtakingly gorgeous IASW Holiday that will be up when rentayenta goes, so I fully support the decision for her to have that on the Must Do list!! Or did you just not get around to making it on IASW (not enough time)?

Wow - I can't believe you don't like TSMM!! That's in my top 2 favorite rides of all the rides in DLR!! Oh well - we all like different things!

I think the point of AustinTink's post was that she was taking rentayenta's must-do list and reporting how much of it she and her family were able to accomplish on their one day summer trip this year. I understood her TSMM comment to mean that they weren't able to fit it in the day and were very disappointed about this.

Since rentayenta is going at a less busy time of year, I expect she will have more success with her list, but she is still wise to strategize the best she can, plan for the worst, and hope for the best.

 

[Sherry E]

I think the point of AustinTink's post was that she was taking rentayenta's must-do list and reporting how much of it she and her family were able to accomplish on their one day summer trip this year. I understood her TSMM comment to mean that they weren't able to fit it in the day and were very disappointed about this.

Since rentayenta is going at a less busy time of year, I expect she will have more success with her list, but she is still wise to strategize the best she can, plan for the worst, and hope for the best.

Thank for stepping in to clarify! It wasn't really a big deal, but yes, now that I re-read it, I see what you mean. That makes sense (about what AustinTink was saying).

I wouldn't exactly classify the holiday season as a "less busy time." Last year's holiday season - the whole season, not just December - was the busiest holiday season at DLR in 10 years!! It's just that going on a Wednesday is the lesser of two of three evils.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I wouldn't exactly classify the holiday season as a "less busy time". Last year's holiday season - the whole season, not just December - was the busiest holiday season at DLR in 10 years!! It's just that going on a Wednesday is the lesser of two of three evils.

Not trying to say it won't be busy, but middle of the week the week after Thanksgiving should be a whole lot less busy than the few days leading up to Thanksgiving or the Christmas and New Year's weeks or possibly (hopefully?) less busy than a full-on 8 AM-midnight summer day.

I should remember what a subjective term busy is. I think I've only ever been to the park a couple times when it was not busy, a March trip one year and a couple days in November before the Christmas season officially began. Our first ever trip to Disneyland was the Wed-Fri before Easter the year of the 50th. After that and a bunch of spring breaks and a couple Thanksgiving days and even a New Year's Eve trip, I should probably realize that my definition of not too busy might not match everyone else's.

 

[Sherry E]

Not trying to say it won't be busy, but middle of the week the week after Thanksgiving should be a whole lot less busy than the few days leading up to Thanksgiving or the Christmas and New Year's weeks or possibly (hopefully?) less busy than a full-on 8 AM-midnight summer day.

I should remember what a subjective term busy is. I think I've only ever been to the park a couple times when it was not busy, a March trip one year and a couple days in November before the Christmas season officially began. Our first ever trip to Disneyland was the Wed-Fri before Easter the year of the 50th. After that and a bunch of spring breaks and a couple Thanksgiving days and even a New Year's Eve trip, I should probably realize that my definition of not too busy might not match everyone else's.

Very true. I've come to realize by reading so many different posts on this board that it definitely appears as though certain crowd levels would be perceived as ridiculously busy to some - and totally intolerable - while other people wouldn't be bothered by them. People have literally come back and reported on the same exact time frames, where one person said it was ridiculously busy and another person said it seemed rather quiet! It's hard to tell where that 'line' is - where the crowds get to a point where one group might deem it unmanageable while other people think it's not bad at all, but there is a line, somewhere!!

Oh, New Year's Eve is crazy busy! That's the peak of the peak season, for sure!! It gets claustrophobic on Main Street - yikes - and yet, there are people who have been and said they didn't find it too bad. Brave souls, they are!

 

[DorkyDisneyMom]

Ok because I thought this would be fun I searched my old TR and another one that I did for friends to see how much stuff we got done in one day.

First trip our first day was a half day:
Indy
Pirates
Tarzan Treehouse
Splash
Pooh
HMH
Jungle Cruise
Star Tours
Astro Obitors
Buzz
Space
Autopia
IASW (at dusk)
Toad
BTMRR
Parade
Fireworks

Second trip full day:

TSMM x2
California Screamin X2
Mickey's Fun Wheel (of Death)
Mailboomer
GRR (SOAKED)
Soarin' x2
Turtle Talk
Muppet Vision 3D
Monsters Inc.
TOT
(park hopped)
Indy
Jungle Cruise
BTMRR
HMH
Pooh
Splash
Space
Star Tours
(park hopped)
Pixar Play Parade
Bugsland
IASW (after dark, I like it better)
Fireworks

So see you can totally do most of the stuff you are planning. We started out our second trip in DCA because I was trying to go with the flow and do what the kids wanted to do. But if I only had one day I would start at DL and do Fantasyland etc; and then hop. But even with the switcharoo we got a bunch of stuff done.

 

[Sherry E]

Ok because I thought this would be fun I searched my old TR and another one that I did for friends to see how much stuff we got done in one day.

First trip our first day was a half day:
Indy
Pirates
Tarzan Treehouse
Splash
Pooh
HMH
Jungle Cruise
Star Tours
Astro Obitors
Buzz
Space
Autopia
IASW (at dusk)
Toad
BTMRR
Parade
Fireworks

Second trip full day:

TSMM x2
California Screamin X2
Mickey's Fun Wheel (of Death)
Mailboomer
GRR (SOAKED)
Soarin' x2
Turtle Talk
Muppet Vision 3D
Monsters Inc.
TOT
(park hopped)
Indy
Jungle Cruise
BTMRR
HMH
Pooh
Splash
Space
Star Tours
(park hopped)
Pixar Play Parade
Bugsland
IASW (after dark, I like it better)
Fireworks

So see you can totally do most of the stuff you are planning. We started out our second trip in DCA because I was trying to go with the flow and do what the kids wanted to do. But if I only had one day I would start at DL and do Fantasyland etc; and then hop. But even with the switcharoo we got a bunch of stuff done.

That's a full day!! In fact, that's a full half-day!!

 

[rentayenta]

We have never been for more than one day over the last 6 summers. This year was especially frustrating, crowds were the largest we'd seen. Mom had a midday meltdown.

From your list, this is what we were able to do in one day:

My Disneyland must-dos include:

* fireworks- yes
* IASW- no
* HMH Love the overlay so much more than the original- yes
* POTC- yes
* BTMRR- yes
* Splash- no
* Tiki Room- no
* Matterhorn- no
* PP- no
* Indy- yes, twice
* Buzz- out of order
* Space for DH and the kids- I could care less- yes
* castle walk thru- no
* JC- no
* holiday parade if we can swing it- no parades


For DCA:

* Soarin'- no
* ToT- again for DH and the kids, I can take it or leave it- no
* Screamin'- for DH and the kids- yes, twice
* Bug's Land- no
* TSMM- no, very disappointed
* GRR if weather permits as we won't be able to hop into the GCV to change clothes- no

Add to our list Mullholland Madness a couple of times and a long lunch at the Blue Bayou and Fantasmic. We really didn't accomplish much this year, and it was quite a let down. This was by far the least amount of attractions we had ever done in one day. Hence, my meltdown.

We'll give it another shot next year.

You did a ton! I could NEVER go to Disneyland and not go on IASW, holiday edition or not. I am a total IASW junkie. TSMM is my 2nd favorite at DCA. Funny and cool how we are all so different. And the castle walk-thru................

You put IASW as a "no." Ordinarily - if it were regular old IASW, I would agree with you. However, this is the exquisite and breathtakingly gorgeous IASW Holiday that will be up when rentayenta goes, so I fully support the decision for her to have that on the Must Do list!! Or did you just not get around to making it on IASW (not enough time)?

Wow - I can't believe you don't like TSMM!! That's in my top 2 favorite rides of all the rides in DLR!! Oh well - we all like different things!

for the support! Seriously though, it's pure Disney during the holidays. I still have mixed feelings over the new characters being added.

I think the point of AustinTink's post was that she was taking rentayenta's must-do list and reporting how much of it she and her family were able to accomplish on their one day summer trip this year. I understood her TSMM comment to mean that they weren't able to fit it in the day and were very disappointed about this.

Since rentayenta is going at a less busy time of year, I expect she will have more success with her list, but she is still wise to strategize the best she can, plan for the worst, and hope for the best.

Good idea; plan for the worst and hope for the best. Really, if I didn't have my pesky demanding family, I could drink mochas all day and go from IASW to HMH and back.

Thank for stepping in to clarify! It wasn't really a big deal, but yes, now that I re-read it, I see what you mean. That makes sense (about what AustinTink was saying).

I wouldn't exactly classify the holiday season as a "less busy time." Last year's holiday season - the whole season, not just December - was the busiest holiday season at DLR in 10 years!! It's just that going on a Wednesday is the lesser of two of three evils.

I agree, I think the holidays are busy, even the days leading up.

Ok because I thought this would be fun I searched my old TR and another one that I did for friends to see how much stuff we got done in one day.

First trip our first day was a half day:
Indy
Pirates
Tarzan Treehouse
Splash
Pooh
HMH
Jungle Cruise
Star Tours
Astro Obitors
Buzz
Space
Autopia
IASW (at dusk)
Toad
BTMRR
Parade
Fireworks

Second trip full day:

TSMM x2
California Screamin X2
Mickey's Fun Wheel (of Death)
Mailboomer
GRR (SOAKED)
Soarin' x2
Turtle Talk
Muppet Vision 3D
Monsters Inc.
TOT
(park hopped)
Indy
Jungle Cruise
BTMRR
HMH
Pooh
Splash
Space
Star Tours
(park hopped)
Pixar Play Parade
Bugsland
IASW (after dark, I like it better)
Fireworks

So see you can totally do most of the stuff you are planning. We started out our second trip in DCA because I was trying to go with the flow and do what the kids wanted to do. But if I only had one day I would start at DL and do Fantasyland etc; and then hop. But even with the switcharoo we got a bunch of stuff done.

Wow! You got a lot accomplished! I also like IASW better during the night. And all Christmassy? Fagettaboutit! UNREAL! The part in Soarin' when you see IASW in the back is my favorite!



You all have me so excited to be able to even spend one day during the most magical time of the year and for that, I am grateful!

 

[AustinTink]

I think the point of AustinTink's post was that she was taking rentayenta's must-do list and reporting how much of it she and her family were able to accomplish on their one day summer trip this year. I understood her TSMM comment to mean that they weren't able to fit it in the day and were very disappointed about this.

Since rentayenta is going at a less busy time of year, I expect she will have more success with her list, but she is still wise to strategize the best she can, plan for the worst, and hope for the best.

Yes, that was my point. Sorry, if it was not clear everyone. I was being lazy, not wanting to type all the ride names by hand.

 

[AustinTink]

You did a ton! I could NEVER go to Disneyland and not go on IASW, holiday edition or not. I am a total IASW junkie. TSMM is my 2nd favorite at DCA. Funny and cool how we are all so different. And the castle walk-thru................




for the support! Seriously though, it's pure Disney during the holidays. I still have mixed feelings over the new characters being added.

I love those, too. The lines were insane. That why we didn't ride. Actually there is not a single ride at Disney I don't love. We were especially disappointed that we couldn't do Toy Story. Sorry my post was so confusing. I was just saying yes and no to the ones we were able to do on our one day there. Not yes or no to liking them. I'm still confusing myself....

 

[Sherry E]

Yes, that was my point. Sorry, if it was not clear everyone. I was being lazy, not wanting to type all the ride names by hand.

I think it was clear. The only thing that had thrown me off initially was one simple sentence, which was "My Disneyland must-dos include." I guess that was in rentayenta's original post, and you copied it into yours above the list of rides, so I glanced at it quickly and thought you were saying that IASW was not a must-do for you, that TSMM was disappointing to you, etc., as opposed to saying what you got accomplished in the one day. It was only that one sentence that threw me off, but it was no big deal. Honestly, I had forgotten about it immediately after I posted - until longtimedisneylurker replied to explain. Then I went back to re-read it and I saw where I had gotten thrown off!

 

[Rachael Q]

We've been for less than a day. We live in Canada, my family lives in Australia.
Every 2-3 years we go home for Christmas. The flight from LAX to Sydney is at 10:50pm. So we get the first flight from Vancouver to LAX in the morning, then the shuttle out to Disneyland.

We are usually there by 11am, then we leave around 6:30 to get back to the airport. With only 7 hours or so we skip the parades, the shows and the fireworks.

When we went in 2008 we went to CA first and rode (I remember the rides, just not the order):
Golden Zephyr
Grizzly River Run
It's Tough to be a Bug (I know it's not a ride, but I love it, so it's a must do)
Mickey's Fun Wheel
Soarin
Tower of Terror
Tortilla Factory
Monster's Inc
Bakery Tour

Then we headed over to Disneyland. 6 of us were able to walk into Blue Bayou for lunch with a priority seating booking! After lunch we hit:
Splash Mountain
Space Mountain
Big Thunder Moutain
Pirates of the Caribbean
Indiana Jones
It's a Small World
Haunted Mansion
Buzz Lightyear
The last ride we did was Finding Nemo Submarines (it was the longest line up we stood in)
Storybookland Canal boats

We used fastpasses, and there was a lot of one person running to get 6 fastpasses, while everyone else lined up for a ride.

It was definitely a busy day, but we all enjoyed it. And we will do it again on our next trip home. Then we are exhausted and sleep for most of the long flight to Sydney.

It's not for everyone, I wouldn't recommend a single day if it's your first time, or a once in a lifetime trip, but as it's a bonus trip enjoy it!

Just make a note of the must dos, nice to dos and doesn't matter. We also said no waits longer than 20 minutes - we broke this for space mountain and nemo!

 

[rentayenta]

We've been for less than a day. We live in Canada, my family lives in Australia.
Every 2-3 years we go home for Christmas. The flight from LAX to Sydney is at 10:50pm. So we get the first flight from Vancouver to LAX in the morning, then the shuttle out to Disneyland.

We are usually there by 11am, then we leave around 6:30 to get back to the airport. With only 7 hours or so we skip the parades, the shows and the fireworks.

When we went in 2008 we went to CA first and rode (I remember the rides, just not the order):
Golden Zephyr
Grizzly River Run
It's Tough to be a Bug (I know it's not a ride, but I love it, so it's a must do)
Mickey's Fun Wheel
Soarin
Tower of Terror
Tortilla Factory
Monster's Inc
Bakery Tour

Then we headed over to Disneyland. 6 of us were able to walk into Blue Bayou for lunch with a priority seating booking! After lunch we hit:
Splash Mountain
Space Mountain
Big Thunder Moutain
Pirates of the Caribbean
Indiana Jones
It's a Small World
Haunted Mansion
Buzz Lightyear
The last ride we did was Finding Nemo Submarines (it was the longest line up we stood in)
Storybookland Canal boats

We used fastpasses, and there was a lot of one person running to get 6 fastpasses, while everyone else lined up for a ride.

It was definitely a busy day, but we all enjoyed it. And we will do it again on our next trip home. Then we are exhausted and sleep for most of the long flight to Sydney.

It's not for everyone, I wouldn't recommend a single day if it's your first time, or a once in a lifetime trip, but as it's a bonus trip enjoy it!

Just make a note of the must dos, nice to dos and doesn't matter. We also said no waits longer than 20 minutes - we broke this for space mountain and nemo!

Very productive! That is a ton for 7 hours. I like your idea of it being a bonus trip and making a list with must-do's, nice to do, and doesn't matter.

I think it was clear. The only thing that had thrown me off initially was one simple sentence, which was "My Disneyland must-dos include." I guess that was in rentayenta's original post, and you copied it into yours above the list of rides, so I glanced at it quickly and thought you were saying that IASW was not a must-do for you, that TSMM was disappointing to you, etc., as opposed to saying what you got accomplished in the one day. It was only that one sentence that threw me off, but it was no big deal. Honestly, I had forgotten about it immediately after I posted - until longtimedisneylurker replied to explain. Then I went back to re-read it and I saw where I had gotten thrown off!

That was how I read it too.

I love those, too. The lines were insane. That why we didn't ride. Actually there is not a single ride at Disney I don't love. We were especially disappointed that we couldn't do Toy Story. Sorry my post was so confusing. I was just saying yes and no to the ones we were able to do on our one day there. Not yes or no to liking them. I'm still confusing myself....

Gotcha! You did a ton!

 

[S. S. Columbia]

My Disneyland must-dos include:

• HMH Love the overlay so much more than the original

HMH usually has FastPass. IIRC the merge-point is really good and it takes you really close to the entrance.

My Disneyland must-dos include:

• holiday parade if we can swing it

I would really try to see the holiday parade! It’s nicely done, and IMO you should take advantage of the opportunity.

My Disneyland must-dos include:

• IASWH

Someone might have mentioned this, but I would try to see IASWH at night.