HELP 1 day itinerary planning

[karenwwu]

My family will be visiting my parents in Irvine Aug 7-16. We have a one day pass to go to DL. It would be me, DH, and two 4 year old twins. Never been to WDW or DL so it is all new to us. We can go any day of the week so I figured we would try for a Wednesday morning and leave the house around 7am and if we get stuck in rush hour traffic, we'll still get to DL kinda close to opening. The next big thing is to figure out the park. I am terrified at not having any idea of how to navigate the park, what rides to hit, in what order, etc. My daughter has autism and waiting in line isn't always the easiest. Luckily she is high functioning and it doesn't get too bad all the time. Any help or guidance would be most appreciated. Thank you.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Here's a link to our 1 day visit to DLR last mid July *a Wednesday *I suggest you visit on a non MM day ~ Mon Wed or Fri *Wed would be best I think. Get there early ~ 30 min. *at least* prior to park opening.

 

[karenwwu]

Wow, thank you for the link. You did both parks in one day and made it all the way to see Fantasmic!! That is a feat I cannot imagine we could do but we'll give it a try. Thank you again. What does "MM" mean?

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I would suggest leaving earlier than 7 AM. I know that Irvine is pretty close to Anaheim, but there will be traffic to contend with, parking to obtain, and the walk or tram from the parking area. You would do best to be in line for the park sometime between 7:30 and 7:40 AM for an 8 AM opening. The family can apply sunscreen and eat snacks while waiting for the gates to open to stave off the boredom of the wait. Then head straight down through Main Street and through the castle to Fantasyland. Start with Peter Pan and/or Dumbo and then work your way through whichever Fantasyland rides most interest your family. The Fantasyland ride lines really build up throughout the day, so this is the most efficient use of your first morning hour.

Keep browsing the Internet and perhaps pick up a copy of the book the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland to get a sense of what the park has to offer and what kinds of rides and shows your family will enjoy. There are some great stickies on this board too with all kinds of advice. Especially check the stuff by HydroGuy. And keep the questions coming, of course, as you need clarification or expansion on things you learn.

If you are concerned that your daughter's autism could create extra challenges for your day, you may want to learn about the guest assistance card (GAC). I'm thinking that this might help you bypass some of the waiting for some of the rides with longer lines. Never having used this though, I don't honestly know how this works, but I'm sure some people on this board do and might be able to explain or you could call Disney or even just google the term to get more information.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

What does "MM" mean?

MM ~ Magic Morning - the park *DL opens 1 hour early on S & T days. Only available to on site guests or any guest with a 3 day or more hopper *most*.

 

[karenwwu]

I would suggest leaving earlier than 7 AM. I know that Irvine is pretty close to Anaheim, but there will be traffic to contend with, parking to obtain, and the walk or tram from the parking area. You would do best to be in line for the park sometime between 7:30 and 7:40 AM for an 8 AM opening. The family can apply sunscreen and eat snacks while waiting for the gates to open to stave off the boredom of the wait. Then head straight down through Main Street and through the castle to Fantasyland. Start with Peter Pan and/or Dumbo and then work your way through whichever Fantasyland rides most interest your family. The Fantasyland ride lines really build up throughout the day, so this is the most efficient use of your first morning hour.

Keep browsing the Internet and perhaps pick up a copy of the book the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland to get a sense of what the park has to offer and what kinds of rides and shows your family will enjoy. There are some great stickies on this board too with all kinds of advice. Especially check the stuff by HydroGuy. And keep the questions coming, of course, as you need clarification or expansion on things you learn.

If you are concerned that your daughter's autism could create extra challenges for your day, you may want to learn about the guest assistance card (GAC). I'm thinking that this might help you bypass some of the waiting for some of the rides with longer lines. Never having used this though, I don't honestly know how this works, but I'm sure some people on this board do and might be able to explain or you could call Disney or even just google the term to get more information.

Great tip. I guess I'll try my best to keep the kids on east coast time so that leaving the house at 6:30 won't shock us. Actually that is what time they get us up now!! I will look up Hydro Guy for sure. It's funny, I've researched Tikiman Steve (famous for the WDW Poly Resort knowledge). I love the names people come up with...

 

[Hound 109]

I agree that you should leave much earlier than 7am. You need to be at the security tent at 7:30am. Maybe have DH drop you & the kids off at 7:15am while he parks the car (& you hold his place in line at the turnstile)?

I agree that you should select a NON MM day (with Wednesday being the first choice).

I agree that Fantasyland should be your first stop (before pictures or snacks or anything else). Follow the MM touring plan.

& I agree that you should peruse most of Hydroguy's tip threads. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483
Get a DL map out & start studying his tips, other's tips, some one day trip reports (mine is linked below) and it will start making sense.

Have a great time at Walt's Park.