Help me calibrate my reasonableness meter

[EmJ]

Left to my own devices, I am a commando park tourer and want to See And Do All The Things. However, we will be traveling to Disneyland next March (park days are Tuesday, March 3 through Friday, March 6) with our five-year-old, and I just cannot ask or expect commando touring from him. So I'm trying to dial it waaaaaaay back and come up with a reasonable plan that hits the highlights. Problem is, I don't know what "reasonable" is in Disneyland. So please, help me calibrate. Assuming I do my research on the proper order to tour attractions and use MaxPass, is this reasonable:

8:15 am - be in line for rope drop, which looks like 9:00 am based on historic calendars
9:00 am - 11:00: Four attractions
11:00 am - 11:45 am: Lunch
11:45 am - 1:00 pm: Two attractions
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Go back to the hotel (BWPPI) for a nap
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm: Two attractions
5:00 pm - 5:45 pm: Dinner
5:45 pm - 7:00 pm: Two attractions

If this looks reasonable, then what I can do is pick out our top 10 attractions we would like to see per day, plus a few alternates if something is closed/too crowded, or to have as extras if we have time. If this is not reasonable, can someone give suggestions as to what would be? He needs to be in bed, lights out by 8:30, so we regretfully will have to pass on WOC and Fantasmic!

 

[PHXscuba]

I think that is reasonable for the time of year and hitting attractions with MaxPass. As long as you hit some of the non-MP rides like Pirates or Fantasyland rides early before the crowds build, I think you can do four or five before lunch easily.

The only thing I might do different is extending the nap break block. It will take a half-hour travel in either direction, leaving you only an hour for sleep. The good news is you can continue to acquire MP during your break so you can come back to some shorter lines and probably still do two before dinner.

And you probably won't be able to maintain that pace all four days. After 2 structured days you'll probably have to completely rewrite any previous plan based on how things are going. I'd consider taking half of day 3 and doing something different out of the parks for variety. Day 4 is good for hitting anything you missed, and letting him pick a couple of favorites to re-ride. You never know what the hit will be and it has often surprised me what they want to repeat.

PHXscuba

 

[EmJ]

I think that is reasonable for the time of year and hitting attractions with MaxPass. As long as you hit some of the non-MP rides like Pirates or Fantasyland rides early before the crowds build, I think you can do four or five before lunch easily.

The only thing I might do different is extending the nap break block. It will take a half-hour travel in either direction, leaving you only an hour for sleep. The good news is you can continue to acquire MP during your break so you can come back to some shorter lines and probably still do two before dinner.

And you probably won't be able to maintain that pace all four days. After 2 structured days you'll probably have to completely rewrite any previous plan based on how things are going. I'd consider taking half of day 3 and doing something different out of the parks for variety. Day 4 is good for hitting anything you missed, and letting him pick a couple of favorites to re-ride. You never know what the hit will be and it has often surprised me what they want to repeat.

PHXscuba

Thank you! That is great feedback regarding the naptime. I didn't realize it would take that long to get back and forth from the hotel. Okay, new revised plan:

8:15 am - be in line for rope drop (9:00 am)
9:00 am - 11:00: Four attractions
11:00 am - 11:45 am: Lunch
11:45 am - 12:30 pm: One attraction
12:30 pm - 3:30 pm: Go back to the hotel (BWPPI) for a nap
3:30 pm - 5:00 pm: One or two attractions, depending on whether I snagged a MaxPass
5:00 pm - 5:45 pm: Dinner
5:45 pm - 7:00 pm: One or two attractions, depending on fatigue and whether we need to call it a day

This puts us at 7-9 attractions per day, so I can plan for that and be ready to drop the plan and go with the flow at a moment's notice. One of the four days is already planned to be a short day, with nothing on the calendar except SWGE and Jedi Training. SWGE is for my DH, and if my son just can't hang, I will take him back to the hotel or to a playground or something so that DH can enjoy Star Wars kid-free.

 

[azdisneylover]

Find out what your 5 year old really wants to ride/see. etc and make sure you get those in daily. With Maxpass, you will be able to ride more in the morning (I feel, especially with rope drop). Have fun planning!

 

[EmJ]

Find out what your 5 year old really wants to ride/see. etc and make sure you get those in daily. With Maxpass, you will be able to ride more in the morning (I feel, especially with rope drop). Have fun planning!

Thank you! I’m having lots of fun but have so many questions, haha. Our son has no concept of “Disney”, so I don’t know if that makes planning easier or harder. I tried to explain, and so far he wants to go on the Trolley because Daniel Tiger has a trolley, haha (hopefully it’s open by then). He has been to Legoland twice and Great Wolf Lodge, and so far has never declined to go on anything he was tall enough for. He even went on the Coastersaurus at age 3, when DH was hemming and hawing. DH finally agreed to go after our preschooler’s successful run!

 

[Megster67]

I thought I had seen that they stopped doing Jedi Training. Of course there may be something new like it in the SWGE that I haven't heard about yet.

 

[MrsD.Duck]

We took our boys when thery each 4 years old. They rode on all the big rides, but there were lots of breaks to stop and watch the little shows that pop up around the park. A stop to watch the baby ducks by the matterhorn and trips back to the motel to nap or play around the pool. We found that we couldn't make a plan and just went with the flow. That age really makes you slow down and experience the park thru their eyes. Also take a couple of disposable cameras for them, my two are now adults but looking at the pictures they took are so fun because it is from their perspective, where else will I ever see a picture of the door and floor of our motel on that first trip!

 

[EmJ]

I thought I had seen that they stopped doing Jedi Training. Of course there may be something new like it in the SWGE that I haven't heard about yet.

That is very possible. It is still listed in the 2019 Unofficial Guide, but I think it's already out of date and I'm going to have to read the 2020 version after SWGE opens anyway.

 

[tarheelalum]

I'd change the 4 attractions after 5pm to 2 attractions and then I'd call it reasonable. You could probably bump up the early morning attractions by 2 though. The first hour or two after rope drop is when you get to ride the attractions at Disneyland. Also the 45 minute lunch and dinner might be rough depending on where you plan on eating. More like and hour, at least depending on how the lines are at the quick service restaurant or how long you have to wait to get a table at a sit down restaurant. Even if you have a reservation at Disneyland you may still have to wait a while for a table. Especially at a few places.

 

[EmJ]

I'd change the 4 attractions after 5pm to 2 attractions and then I'd call it reasonable. You could probably bump up the early morning attractions by 2 though. The first hour or two after rope drop is when you get to ride the attractions at Disneyland. Also the 45 minute lunch and dinner might be rough depending on where you plan on eating. More like and hour, at least depending on how the lines are at the quick service restaurant or how long you have to wait to get a table at a sit down restaurant. Even if you have a reservation at Disneyland you may still have to wait a while for a table. Especially at a few places.

So, after 5:00 pm there is only dinner and then 1-2 attractions. Do you mean change the 3:30-7:00 to two attractions total and dinner?

Regarding dinner, I'm not planning on making reservations at any sit down restaurant. I recognize that my planning may be in vain, and I want maximum flexibility if we need to go off script. We will do Goofy's Kitchen the night of our arrival, which is a nonpark day, and then I'm planning quickservice for lunch and dinner after that. Do the quickservice lines already start getting long at 5:00?

 

[avalon451]

Thank you! I’m having lots of fun but have so many questions, haha. Our son has no concept of “Disney”, so I don’t know if that makes planning easier or harder. I tried to explain, and so far he wants to go on the Trolley because Daniel Tiger has a trolley, haha (hopefully it’s open by then). He has been to Legoland twice and Great Wolf Lodge, and so far has never declined to go on anything he was tall enough for. He even went on the Coastersaurus at age 3, when DH was hemming and hawing. DH finally agreed to go after our preschooler’s successful run!

So, after 5:00 pm there is only dinner and then 1-2 attractions. Do you mean change the 3:30-7:00 to two attractions total and dinner?

Regarding dinner, I'm not planning on making reservations at any sit down restaurant. I recognize that my planning may be in vain, and I want maximum flexibility if we need to go off script. We will do Goofy's Kitchen the night of our arrival, which is a nonpark day, and then I'm planning quickservice for lunch and dinner after that. Do the quickservice lines already start getting long at 5:00?

So, I do think you might be over thinking this. With a 5 year old (been there, done that) you really have to roll with the punches. If you have a production mentality, like "We have to get through two more rides before we can take a break," then it might not be so fun for the little guy if he overloads and needs a break, or if that one thing, like playing in the water fountain, looks a lot more fun than riding Space Mountain right now. Or he sees a character he really wants to meet. It's good to have a plan, and in my experience lots of kids are okay with being led around by an adult who has an idea of the next fun thing to do, but be prepared to ditch it if he's ready for a change or a rest. Also, if you have 4 days, that is plenty of time to see a ton at a fairly leisurely pace, as long as you don't feel you need to ride everything, multiple times, every day.

First of all, you may want to acquire a set of park maps (maybe from WonkaKid, after SWGE opens so it's current), and look over it with the kiddo. Talk about the different rides and shows in each land. Go on YouTube and watch videos of the rides, so he can get an idea of what they look like, and if he might want to try them.

Next, figure out if you want to see any shows. Parades surprised me by being really pretty awesome and how much the kids loved them. What about Frozen, or Mickey and the Magic Map, or the Sword in the Stone ceremony, etc? Figure out what days you might like to catch those shows and then plan around them.

Think about which rides the kiddo might want to do multiple times or at least more than once in the trip. (Radiator Springs? Star Tours? Big Thunder Mountain?) And, which ones are going to be one-and-done? Figure out your tentative touring plan by maybe deciding what park to start at each day, reading the tips threads here (Skyegirl's are awesome for touring plans), and planning accordingly.

When my 3 kids were little, I figured out pretty quickly that the first hour, it was worth it to get there early enough be near the front of the turnstile lines-- then we could do multiple fun things in the first hour, with little to no wait times, and collecting FPs for later. Then I realized that after that, what with snacks, bathroom breaks, etc., we were really only doing ONE thing (maybe 2) every hour. And I was okay with that!

Regarding meals at counter service, you might want to read up on mobile ordering, so you don't have to wait long for your food. Also, it works nicely to sort of do everything early-- lunch at 11, dinner at 4 or so-- before the biggest rush.

Hope that helps! You clearly have a great handle on the planning already. You're going to have an amazing time with your son!

 

[EmJ]

So, I do think you might be over thinking this. With a 5 year old (been there, done that) you really have to roll with the punches. If you have a production mentality, like "We have to get through two more rides before we can take a break," then it might not be so fun for the little guy if he overloads and needs a break, or if that one thing, like playing in the water fountain, looks a lot more fun than riding Space Mountain right now. Or he sees a character he really wants to meet. It's good to have a plan, and in my experience lots of kids are okay with being led around by an adult who has an idea of the next fun thing to do, but be prepared to ditch it if he's ready for a change or a rest. Also, if you have 4 days, that is plenty of time to see a ton at a fairly leisurely pace, as long as you don't feel you need to ride everything, multiple times, every day.

First of all, you may want to acquire a set of park maps (maybe from WonkaKid, after SWGE opens so it's current), and look over it with the kiddo. Talk about the different rides and shows in each land. Go on YouTube and watch videos of the rides, so he can get an idea of what they look like, and if he might want to try them.

Next, figure out if you want to see any shows. Parades surprised me by being really pretty awesome and how much the kids loved them. What about Frozen, or Mickey and the Magic Map, or the Sword in the Stone ceremony, etc? Figure out what days you might like to catch those shows and then plan around them.

Think about which rides the kiddo might want to do multiple times or at least more than once in the trip. (Radiator Springs? Star Tours? Big Thunder Mountain?) And, which ones are going to be one-and-done? Figure out your tentative touring plan by maybe deciding what park to start at each day, reading the tips threads here (Skyegirl's are awesome for touring plans), and planning accordingly.

When my 3 kids were little, I figured out pretty quickly that the first hour, it was worth it to get there early enough be near the front of the turnstile lines-- then we could do multiple fun things in the first hour, with little to no wait times, and collecting FPs for later. Then I realized that after that, what with snacks, bathroom breaks, etc., we were really only doing ONE thing (maybe 2) every hour. And I was okay with that!

Regarding meals at counter service, you might want to read up on mobile ordering, so you don't have to wait long for your food. Also, it works nicely to sort of do everything early-- lunch at 11, dinner at 4 or so-- before the biggest rush.

Hope that helps! You clearly have a great handle on the planning already. You're going to have an amazing time with your son!

This is all great advice, thank you!

Admittedly, I live with a production mentality (my personality is a cross between Hermione Granger and Monica Geller, if that helps), but having a child has forced me to learn how to abandon the plan and go with the flow. I'm totally prepared to do that on this trip.

I guess what I'm trying to figure out is that I'm reading a lot of "figure out what you really want to do/see/experience, plan carefully, and let the rest go". I also see that there is a lot of strategy to choosing the order in which attractions are experienced so that you don't spend your whole day in line. However, I have no good barometer of how many things are doable in a day, and therefore, how many things can be prioritized. Like, if it's realistic to do 5 things in a day, then I should know that and plan accordingly for the BEST five. But if it's realistic to do 15 things in a day, I don't want to have planned for 5 and then have a bunch of wasted time because I didn't plan effectively for a full day. And, none of us have ever been to Disneyland except for DH 24 years ago, so we don't really know what we might like the most. DH wants to see Star Wars for sure, and I quite liked Big Thunder Mountain in Disney World when I was 13. My son wants to ride the trolley Beyond that, it's all new to us.

Sigh. I'm not a free spirit by any stretch of the imagination. I would much rather have a plan that gets tossed than no plan at all... so I will keep at it. How annoyed would this board be if I posted my final tentative plan when it's ready?

 

[avalon451]

Sigh. I'm not a free spirit by any stretch of the imagination. I would much rather have a plan that gets tossed than no plan at all... so I will keep at it. How annoyed would this board be if I posted my final tentative plan when it's ready?

Nobody will be annoyed at all. Lots of people here happy to give an opinion on when/ how to tweak your plan. I like the idea of "plan for the best scenario, then go with the flow."

I can totally relate on the production mentality. I am the one in my family who overthinks and over plans everything. And given free rein, I go totally commando! The hardest trip for me was a solo I did in 2015: finally, I thought, I can go, go, go, see what I want, when I want, as many times as I want! Oh, man. I ran myself ragged, got blisters, went to exhaustion. And didn't actually enjoy it that much because I missed seeing the response on the faces of my family when I'd planned a magical time for them. I mean, I had a good time and I'm glad I went, but I found I'm a slave driver, and I like sharing the experience.

I'm not the free spirit type, either-- I have difficulty understanding those who say, "We don't like plans, and we don't like to get up early. We don't care if we don't ride much. We just want to sleep in, show up at 11 a.m. (yikes! crowded and hot!) and wander as the spirit moves us!" I'm like... okaaayyy... to each his own!

 

[tarheelalum]

So, after 5:00 pm there is only dinner and then 1-2 attractions. Do you mean change the 3:30-7:00 to two attractions total and dinner?

Regarding dinner, I'm not planning on making reservations at any sit down restaurant. I recognize that my planning may be in vain, and I want maximum flexibility if we need to go off script. We will do Goofy's Kitchen the night of our arrival, which is a nonpark day, and then I'm planning quickservice for lunch and dinner after that. Do the quickservice lines already start getting long at 5:00?

I mean one between 3-5 and then one more between 5:45 and 7. I'd book max passes for those. Afternoon into evenings is the most crowded time at Disneyland. Especially after 5pm when people get off work and go to the parks.

 

[Jperiod]

I find it easier to plan the order of things, not the times. Because 5 year olds happen. There's potty breaks, a random character encounter, mickey pretzel time, exciting gift shops to look at at the end of a ride, a line that's short "so let's do it again," etc.

So we start with a land we have a MP for and do what we wanna do there (while getting a MP for the next land we'll be in), then proceed to the next. When it's time to eat lunch, or head back for a nap, we do. Then we pick up where we left off if crowds are still reasonable in that area or head to the next land if we have a MP for that.

Make time for the shows and parades. Your kid will love them and they're a great way to build in breaks or snack time. When looking for the next MP, I keep in mind show times near that ride.

I am also a Monica/Hermione type, and I channel my inner Hermione by reading up on everything and then use my inner Monica to steer the rest of the family toward what to do next or what to skip. I'm surrounded by Phoebes though, so my success varies!

 

[Jperiod]

I also want to add, much of your touring will be dictated by the MP ride you have. If it's morning and you have the choice between BTMM in 30 minutes vs space mountain in 2 hours, you might choose to do Frontier/new orleans next and keep an eye on space mountain return times (perhap grap it when you might be done with lunch, or after dinner). You'll loose a lot of time and tire out if you're crossing the park constantly.

 

[agamble]

10 rides a day is definitely doable. With 4 days there is no reason you shouldn't be able to ride most if not all approximately 55 (or 57 with SWGE) rides at DLR. And even see some shows and meet characters. Some rides last longer and others have longer waits so that will impact how many rides you can do in a given period of time.

We generally start with Alice and Dumbo when Disneyland opens and then ride the remaing rides in the main Fanatsyland area, except Peter Pan (long wait) and maybe the carousel (always short wait) in the first hour. So in the first hour you could ride 6 to 7 rides that do not have FP. These rides are all short and are basically walk ons the first hour. Head to Toon Town next (opens an hour after the park) and meet Mickey at his door and then ride the 3 rides over there. If you grab a FP for Matterhorn and get a ride on Small World then you may get 10 rides done in just the first 3 hours. Then slow down a bit and enjoy as the park begins getting busy.

Your next morning at DL head to the left and hit the rides on the Adventureland side of the park. You could do most if not all of those in a morning too. We have 3 kids and they tend to be more energetic in the mornings. This type of ride strategy is totally doable for kids so long as you slow down after those initial 2 to 3 hours.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

10 rides a day is definitely doable. With 4 days there is no reason you shouldn't be able to ride most if not all approximately 55 (or 57 with SWGE) rides at DLR. And even see some shows and meet characters. Some rides last longer and others have longer waits so that will impact how many rides you can do in a given period of time.

We generally start with Alice and Dumbo when Disneyland opens and then ride the remaing rides in the main Fanatsyland area, except Peter Pan (long wait) and maybe the carousel (always short wait) in the first hour. So in the first hour you could ride 6 to 7 rides that do not have FP. These rides are all short and are basically walk ons the first hour. Head to Toon Town next (opens an hour after the park) and meet Mickey at his door and then ride the 3 rides over there. If you grab a FP for Matterhorn and get a ride on Small World then you may get 10 rides done in just the first 3 hours. Then slow down a bit and enjoy as the park begins getting busy.

Your next morning at DL head to the left and hit the rides on the Adventureland side of the park. You could do most if not all of those in a morning too. We have 3 kids and they tend to be more energetic in the mornings. This type of ride strategy is totally doable for kids so long as you slow down after those initial 2 to 3 hours.

I have a 4 year old and I totally agree with this strategy. The mornings are frequently gloriously uncrowded and you can do soooooo much without feeling like you’re doing so much. In Fantasyland, skip the Casey Junior train and Storybookland Canal Boats or leave them to the end (after Alice, Dumbo, Mr. Toad, Pinocchio and Snow White) because sometimes the train and boats area running right away in the morning and those can be a total time suck of waiting and waiting. They are both cute rides and I enjoy them but I’ve unknowingly gotten stuck in a 30-minute line for the canal boats and it was a real bummer on the morning.

If you find yourself near Toontown or It’s a Small World when it’s time for a snack/meal/break, the stage show Mickey and the Magical Map takes place in the theater across from the Toontown entrance and IASW. It only shows Friday through Monday I believe, with four or five showtimes throughout the day. It’s a cute show and my son loves it! Bonus, it’s shaded and you can eat in the outdoor theater. We often bring our lunch to this show and have a meal and rest while enjoying the show. There is a little quick service stand there called Troubadour Tavern.

 

[EmJ]

10 rides a day is definitely doable. With 4 days there is no reason you shouldn't be able to ride most if not all approximately 55 (or 57 with SWGE) rides at DLR. And even see some shows and meet characters. Some rides last longer and others have longer waits so that will impact how many rides you can do in a given period of time.

We generally start with Alice and Dumbo when Disneyland opens and then ride the remaing rides in the main Fanatsyland area, except Peter Pan (long wait) and maybe the carousel (always short wait) in the first hour. So in the first hour you could ride 6 to 7 rides that do not have FP. These rides are all short and are basically walk ons the first hour. Head to Toon Town next (opens an hour after the park) and meet Mickey at his door and then ride the 3 rides over there. If you grab a FP for Matterhorn and get a ride on Small World then you may get 10 rides done in just the first 3 hours. Then slow down a bit and enjoy as the park begins getting busy.

Your next morning at DL head to the left and hit the rides on the Adventureland side of the park. You could do most if not all of those in a morning too. We have 3 kids and they tend to be more energetic in the mornings. This type of ride strategy is totally doable for kids so long as you slow down after those initial 2 to 3 hours.

This is really helpful, thank you! Do you just skip Peter Pan altogether?

 

[avalon451]

This is really helpful, thank you! Do you just skip Peter Pan altogether?

There's whole threads about that. It used to be "do PP first!" at rope drop, but lately the crowds racing for it, despite all the CMS saying, "Don't run, please" mean the wait can be 30 minutes or more within 5 minutes of opening. It all depends. If you get there on a day you have early entry, and you can get to the front of the turnstiles and/or front of rope drop, you might be able to be very close to the front (I was able to do this a couple years ago, and got on within 10 minutes). If you don't make it, just leave it for later in the day. Skyegirl has a whole strategy about it in her touring plans on Disneyland Daily (which I highly recommend, anyway-- great touring plans!).