Help! Going crazy overthinking our trip itinerary!

[LeilahandAidanMom]

Our family of four, myself, DH, DS 5 and DD 8 months are arriving on a Wednesday (probably around 2pm) and departing on the Monday following. We have never been to DLR with kids and the last time were there was in 1999. I am going insane trying to figure out the best way to enjoy our five days. Here are my questions:

1. Should we try and do both parks every day or split our 4 full days between the two parks. I was thinking of the following itinerary:

Wednesday Aft/Eve - DTD or DLR? We need to pick up our Park Passes anyways, so I thought this would be a good time to head to the gates to get them rather than wait until Thursday morning, especially if we want to utilize Early Entry on Thurs. If we do this, should we go into DLR or just go to DTD?
Thursday - Early Entry and spend entire day at DLR (with likely afternoon break back at Hojo)
Friday - DLR during the day, Goofy's Dinner Buffet?, then back to the park for Fantasmic/Fireworks.
Saturday - DCA (Is one day enough at DCA?)
Sunday - DLR and/or DCA?
Monday - Home

2. From Wednesday to Sunday are there any days that would be better to head to DCA vs DLR?

3. Is Goofy's Kitchen worth it? And if so, what is the best day, Wed - Sun, to go?

4. Because we have an 8mo old I'm sure we won't be able to make a mad dash to be the first in line for any ride. However, if there was one or two rides that we SHOULD briskly walk to as soon as the gates open, what should we aim to get on right away? I read somewhere that Peter Pan is a must first thing - why is that?

5. Do most of the "Adult/Big Kid" rides have a single rider line? Which rides don't have them?

I hope I'm not asking for too much information in one thread. I have so many more ?s, but don't want to ask too many at once

 

[avalon451]

Hi, welcome!

Many of your questions are answered in Hydroguy's tips compilation, a sticky thread at the top of these forums: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483

If you'd like a guide that has a lot of good tips for families with small children, I found a lot of useful information in the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland, available at bookstores.

Just on a couple of your questions: I'd definitely go to DL if you get there around 2 p.m. That's lots of time to enjoy a leisurely first day of exploring, without rushing to get on rides. You can save that for subsequent days when you get there right at opening with a plan for which rides first.

Peter Pan first, always first! That's because it's a favorite for kids, and it builds up a line very quickly and usually stays busy all day. If you walk briskly to it first thing when you get in the gates, you can get on it within a few minutes. If you are even 15 minutes behind the opening crowd, you'll find lines of 30-60 minutes the rest of the day. And it doesn't have FastPass, like at WDW.

Read the tips threads, then come back and ask as many questions as you want!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Our family of four, myself, DH, DS 5 and DD 8 months are arriving on a Wednesday (probably around 2pm) and departing on the Monday following. We have never been to DLR with kids and the last time were there was in 1999. I am going insane trying to figure out the best way to enjoy our five days. Here are my questions:

1. Should we try and do both parks every day or split our 4 full days between the two parks. I was thinking of the following itinerary:

Wednesday Aft/Eve - DTD or DLR? We need to pick up our Park Passes anyways, so I thought this would be a good time to head to the gates to get them rather than wait until Thursday morning, especially if we want to utilize Early Entry on Thurs. If we do this, should we go into DLR or just go to DTD?
Thursday - Early Entry and spend entire day at DLR (with likely afternoon break back at Hojo)
Friday - DLR during the day, Goofy's Dinner Buffet?, then back to the park for Fantasmic/Fireworks.
Saturday - DCA (Is one day enough at DCA?)
Sunday - DLR and/or DCA?
Monday - Home

2. From Wednesday to Sunday are there any days that would be better to head to DCA vs DLR?

3. Is Goofy's Kitchen worth it? And if so, what is the best day, Wed - Sun, to go?

4. Because we have an 8mo old I'm sure we won't be able to make a mad dash to be the first in line for any ride. However, if there was one or two rides that we SHOULD briskly walk to as soon as the gates open, what should we aim to get on right away? I read somewhere that Peter Pan is a must first thing - why is that?

5. Do most of the "Adult/Big Kid" rides have a single rider line? Which rides don't have them?

I hope I'm not asking for too much information in one thread. I have so many more ?s, but don't want to ask too many at once

1. You don't need to do both parks each day. We tend to do one day at DCA & then go back there for specific rides on the other days.

2. We've always found Thursdays to be a bit slower at DL & the weekends are always busy, so DCA is a nice break from that.

3. Goofy's Kitchen (IMO) is totally worth it. We love this character meal. It really doesn't matter what day you go...it's always good!

4. Peter Pan is definately worth heading to first. It's a beautifully done ride & the lines never get smaller thru out the day....just longer. IASW was just opened up after an extensive refurbishment & they also will have long lines. Try to get there early. Nemo subs had a pretty steady line when we were there last March, but I hear the lines aren't near as long as they were then (2-3hrs last year). Take advantage of getting FP for some of the bigger rides.
Over at DCA, you'll need to head quickly to Paradise Pier to ride the new Toy Story Mania....I hear very long lines for this.

5. I'm not much help on this one.....my teens took advantage of it where it was available.

Hope that helps a little. Have fun planning!!

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

Relax - you'll be fine... You may be overthinking a bit. One of the things you don't want to do is overplan yourself and with younger kids, you can't (I have 2 - I know). You have so many days in your itinerary that you will be able to see everything more than once. What you want to do is go through DL at a crawl. if you do anything else, what's going to happen is the kids will feel dragged and you will get hectic and then it can go sour. You'll also end up missing some of the sweetest experiences there.

Don't look at the parks for just the rides. Kids that age are nuts about the shows, the music groups, and all of that stuff. Always read the times guide to see what is playing. Also, get acquainted with the ladies in Baby Care. They are true gems that will help you perfect rider switch (where one of you can go on things with the older child and then swap out parents and ride again (or just have each one of you go by yourself ).

Going back and forth between the parks is something we do all the time. If we feel DL is going to be crazy, we'll bug out and go do DCA - well worth more than one day. There are a lot of fun leisurely things to pass the time there. The Animation building is one of those - that Zoetrope fascinates everyone!!!! (If you do the Aladdin show, get there early so you are on the main floor of the theater and not having to drag the kids up the steps to the balconies.) When we feel done with DCA, we go back to DL again. It's only a few hundred feet to get from one to the other!

Hope this helps. I just want you to realize that I've found that the best DL visits we've had with our kids haven't been focused on attractions - they are focused on just being there. You have enough days to do that strategy. Let your oldest child help guide you to the things that interest them the most. Sometimes visits where they point the way contain the most discovery!

 

[S. S. Columbia]

Our family of four, myself, DH, DS 5 and DD 8 months are arriving on a Wednesday (probably around 2pm) and departing on the Monday following. We have never been to DLR with kids and the last time were there was in 1999. I am going insane trying to figure out the best way to enjoy our five days. Here are my questions:

1. Should we try and do both parks every day or split our 4 full days between the two parks. I was thinking of the following itinerary:

Wednesday Aft/Eve - DTD or DLR? We need to pick up our Park Passes anyways, so I thought this would be a good time to head to the gates to get them rather than wait until Thursday morning, especially if we want to utilize Early Entry on Thurs. If we do this, should we go into DLR or just go to DTD?
Thursday - Early Entry and spend entire day at DLR (with likely afternoon break back at Hojo)
Friday - DLR during the day, Goofy's Dinner Buffet?, then back to the park for Fantasmic/Fireworks.
Saturday - DCA (Is one day enough at DCA?)
Sunday - DLR and/or DCA?
Monday - Home

2. From Wednesday to Sunday are there any days that would be better to head to DCA vs DLR?

3. Is Goofy's Kitchen worth it? And if so, what is the best day, Wed - Sun, to go?

4. Because we have an 8mo old I'm sure we won't be able to make a mad dash to be the first in line for any ride. However, if there was one or two rides that we SHOULD briskly walk to as soon as the gates open, what should we aim to get on right away? I read somewhere that Peter Pan is a must first thing - why is that?

5. Do most of the "Adult/Big Kid" rides have a single rider line? Which rides don't have them?

I hope I'm not asking for too much information in one thread. I have so many more ?s, but don't want to ask too many at once

You have 4 1/2 days, so you have plenty of time.

Be flexible and play it by ear. I recommend starting every morning in DL, and depending on how things are going, you can hop to DCA, or not. You really don't have to make all these decisions ahead of time.

Here's a good thread about ParkHopping:
"Why I ParkHop at DLR" by Hound 109
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1491961

On Thursday, I recommend Fantasyland for your Magic Morning, and I recommend getting to the DL entrance area 30 minutes before MM starts.

Here is a link to the "Magic Morning (Early Entry) Super Thread" by DLR29
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1675403

On Thursday, after the Magic Morning, you could stay in Fantasyland for the Casey Jr. Circus Train, Storybook Land Canal Boats, and It's A Small World. On Thursdays Mickey's Toontown opens 1 hour after DL's regular opening time, so it would be a great time to go to Mickey's Toontown; get a FP for Roger Rabbit (RRCTS), ride Gadget's Go Coaster, visit Mickey, etc. Goofy usually hangs out in Toontown.

Friday morning would be a good morning to go to Finding Nemo first, and then see the rest of Tomorrowland. DS5 might like the Jedi Training Academy.

Here's some info about Single Rider:

Single Rider Option

... Disneyland also offers ‘single rider’ lines. If you’re willing to split up your party, you will be seated in any open seats on the ride.

The below attractions currently offer the ‘Single Rider’ option. If you can’t locate the single rider line, see the Cast Member at the entrance and they will direct you. This is great if you have teenagers who tend to ride the same rider over and over again.

Disneyland Park

Splash Mountain
Indiana Jones Adventure

Disney's California Adventure Park

Toy Story Midway Mania!
California Screamin
Grizzly River Run
Maliboomer
Mulholland Madness
Soarin’ Over California

HTH

 

[Pir8girl]

One of my favorite things to do with the kids when we need a pick me up, is to get a Dole Whip, sit on a bench and people watch. It's interesting and usually highly entertaining.

Another thing we've always done is build in pool time as well as nap time if needed. There's nothing better than swimming in the afternoon, taking a little siesta and then everyone's ready for the everning. This is especially important for my family as my kids are early risers and tend to go to bed too early for Disney fun sometimes.

 

[LeilahandAidanMom]

Wow! Thank you for all of the great tips, advice, and links to other threads. I really appreciate the DISboards and how everyone is so nice!

I definitely get the sense that I'm worrying too much about the small details. This trip is mostly about our 5 yr old son (although hubby and I are quite giddy about the trip too) so I think we're going to just let him lead the way!

Thanks again! I feel so much better about our trip! I can't wait!!!!!

 

[LeilahandAidanMom]

One of my favorite things to do with the kids when we need a pick me up, is to get a Dole Whip, sit on a bench and people watch. It's interesting and usually highly entertaining.QUOTE]

Ooh, I love to people watch - that should be fun!

 

[LuvEeyore]

We went to both parks each day. As a previous poster said, we left Disneyland when things got hectic and went to DCA. The fast pass systems in the two parks are not connected, so someone went with all the tickets to get fast passses in the other park. If you get into Toontowns magic morning with kids of your children's ages, go.
We loved Goofy's kitchen. We were next to the door where the character's came in. We were away from the entrance and the buffet line. We got to see lots of characters and they came more than once. Keep the paper that they have on the table as the character's sign it so they know they've been to your table. If you miss autographs, you have them.

 

[mommyof2boys1girl]

The thing to remember is to have a plan, but remain flexible. I am such an anal planner that I had recipe cards written out with what to ride, what to order at which CS and what times to go where for each day of our trip! I hadn't counted on my ds (5) being an adrenaline junkie and riding all the "scary big kid" rides, or on my ds (3) being completely addicted to the PPP! We ended up riding rides that were NEVER on my list, and hopping to DCA every (and i do mean every) afternoon to catch the parade!
So having a plan is good, but a "set in stone" plan will never work with kids.

FWIW, we hopped a lot during our trip - at least once a day, sometimes twice. We'd start out at DL, head over to DCA around lunchtime, play for an hour our two, head back to the hotel for naps, return to DCA till closing, then head back to DL since it was open later. It really was very simple, and added only a few minutes and some extra steps.
For me, it would be hard NOT to go into the parks on our first day, but you will have to guage it against how tired you and the kids are from the trip, etc...If you have the days on your PH, I would say go for it - even just to soak up the atmosphere while you munch on a Churro, drink a Dole Whip float and watch a parade or something.
We did Goofy's for bfast, and it was great. We did ours on a "non-park" day, so not sure which day would be best.
Another thing to remember is the "Character greets", which, if your kids are nuts about characters, could eat up some time as well. Our oldest ds had no use for the characters, but the 2 youngest loved them, so we had to make time in our schedule to line up and meet the characters. Some of the most popular have "greet times" which will be outlined in the Times Guide you can pick up at the gate.
And never be afraid to ask lots of questions on the Board! There's all my advice...