To the OP - the last time our family went to DLR during July was in 2010. When reading my thoughts, keep in mind that we were a group of ten (we brought along my husband's parents and our 2 nieces, so we had 4 people more than we usually do...). Additionally, keep in mind that one of those people was in a wheelchair, and there were times when that slowed us down, but not much.
Ok, that said...we went for 5 days on that particular visit. My thoughts and observations:
*We were not taking midday breaks, due to the wheelchair rental (busier July days meant that a wheelchair may not have been available if we'd left and returned later). On most days however, we left the parks by 8pm. WE ALSO ARRIVED IN LINE AT THE SECURITY TABLES A FULL HOUR BEFORE OPENING EVERY SINGLE DAY.
*I created a detailed itinerary for each day of our trip, so that we would not be wasting any time standing around "trying to decide" what to do next. I scheduled time - and routes - for bathroom breaks everywhere I possibly could in that itinerary so that we could skip them if nobody needed that particular break, but very likely wouldn't need to ADD any. We didn't end up needing to add any, so that worked out nicely.
*We wanted to ride our "favorites" several times during our stay. Examples: we rode Pirates about 10 times, Big Thunder 6 times, Screamin' about 6 times, Soarin' about 6 times...you get the picture. Other favorites, we had to settle for fewer rides...We were able to ride Peter Pan about 3 times, Splash and Space twice each, and Grizzly only once. That's spread out over the 5 days. WE USED FAST PASSES FOR EVERYTHING WE COULD USE THEM FOR.
*We watched fireworks only once (and didn't have a great spot - because we'd rushed over after a showing of Fantasmic..which we also saw only once). We saw no parades. We did not see Alladin. We did not see World of Color. We did not spend time shopping (except for half an hour on our last night), and we did quick meals - no leisurely table service meals. We did no "people-watching", no Billy Hill show, no Downtown Disney, no Monorail rides, no Autopia. No ToonTown. Oh, and NO Toy Story Mania, either.
I would think that if you wanted to "fit in everything"....meaning, truly, *everything*...every show, parade, ride, etc (even things like It's Tough to Be a Bug and the Lincoln thing - which, IMHO, the latter is totally worth skipping after the most recent changes)....that it can be done over 5 days in July...but it's very possible that you'll have to settle for
A)doing most (if not all) things only once,
B)dragging yourselves out of bed at the crack of dawn to get in line way before opening,
C)being willing to criss-cross
Disneyland park (we utilized the train for this purpose and that helped save a lot of aching feet!) and even park hop more than once per day to maximize fast pass,
D)and not eating every meal at a place that's going to take an unusually long time.
And also keep in mind that all of this makes it sound more complicated and difficult than it is. My personal suggestion would be to cut out anything you think you'd be willing to cut out without experiencing any disappointment (riding the monorail? the Lincoln presentation?), and then plan from there.
Our family probably couldn't do "everything" in 3 days in July....especially not when you factor in CarsLand.
