HELP on planning our days at DL and DCA

[dizzi]

Would any one be willing to help me plan a day or 2 for our visit at these 2 parks.

I am used to planning an itenerary and following it pretty closely.

i usally have 15 minute to 1/2 hour intervals marked with what we will do.........

Like
9:30 Arrive at park
10:00 Fp for Soarin
10:15 Grizzly

or

9:30 arrive at park
10:00 Fp for Soarin
10:15 Monsters inc

But after that iget a little bit confused as to where to go from here
I can do an itenerary with what we want to see at WDW so easily after doing it so often...........

But I get stuck with making it to Alladin and the Parade and with the times and being over there where it seems there is less stuff close to TOT almost the same set up as in WDW where TOT seems almost exclded from the rest of the park except for The Belle show and RNR.

i also want to Eat at the best place to eat in DCA but dont knwo where,

So what is my best way to go here?????

I have not even gotten to DL

 

[Jagdcarcajou]

Heya,

Not sure I can be too much help putting together a complete itinerary (btw, have you grabbed the show/parade schedule for the days of your trip yet?).

But for the food, the only real "sit down" restaurant in DCA is The Vineyard Room, and sadly I have actually never had a meal here. Reviews tend to be consistently good though.

We usually only eat quicker meals while in DCA, so I have been to Taste Pilot's Grill several times, and my whole family always finds the food here tasty, but that is a fairly relative term. Think "Red Robin", so better than MacDonalds, but not fine dining either.

Other than that, consider eating at DTD since it is right outside the entrance. There are a number of restaurants to choose from, and it won't cut into your day too badly to hop out and grab a bite then return to the park.

 

[disney-inspired]

Would any one be willing to help me plan a day or 2 for our visit at these 2 parks.

I am used to planning an itinerary and following it pretty closely.

i usally have 15 minute to 1/2 hour intervals marked with what we will do.........

Like
9:30 Arrive at park
10:00 Fp for Soarin
10:15 Grizzly

or

9:30 arrive at park
10:00 Fp for Soarin
10:15 Monsters inc

But after that iget a little bit confused as to where to go from here
I can do an itenerary with what we want to see at WDW so easily after doing it so often...........

But I get stuck with making it to Aladdin and the Parade and with the times and being over there where it seems there is less stuff close to TOT almost the same set up as in WDW where TOT seems almost exclded from the rest of the park except for The Belle show and RNR.

I also want to eat at the best place to eat in DCA but dont know where,

So what is my best way to go here?????

I have not even gotten to DL

I think the time slots can be a bit of a restriction so what we usually do is decide which direction we want to go, clockwise or counter clockwise. This works best for Disneyland because all the lands connect. Then we decided OK, which ride do we want to get to first? Usually if you have little ones you may want to head to fantasyland first. If you want to estimate time, it's helpful to know which land you'll be in around lunch and dinner time, that way you will know what food is available.

have a good time!

 

[DLR29]

Well first of all I wouldn't start the day at DCA unless DL and DCA start at the same time and you were rushing over to Toy Story Midway Mania. But if you must sleep in one day I wouldn't do either of those plans. I would combine them:

1) Get Soarin FP
2) Get GRR FP (disconnected from the system, it'll work)
3) Ride California Screamin or Tower of Terror.

Save Monster's Inc. for later because it never has a long line. Never.

 

[dizzi]

yes i know.....
not to discount your answer maybe i should have asked more specific questions.

we always do the time slots nd it is never a restriction for us. It actually really helps us get through our day quite nicely. With no what do we do now or what shoudlwe decide to do next prolems.

we dont have little onesso this isnt a problem.

I just dontknowthe park what so ever anddontknwohow long it isgoign to take to get from one place to another.

I will start a new itenerary and ask more specific questions.

 

[dizzi]

DLR

Thnk you Nowthat is what i amlookign for those great tips that will help tremndously!!!!!!!

So i can have a soarin and a grizzly Fp at the same time ......

 

[DLR29]

Yes, you can have a GRR and any DCA FP attraction FP at the same time. Same goes for Roger Rabbit at DL.

 

[S. S. Columbia]

DCA usually opens at 9:30, and at that time they open Soarin'. You might be able to ride Soarin' before the rest of the park opens. Last October Soarin' was a "walk on."

Here is a list of the FastPass rides in DCA, most popular first:

1. Soaring over Ca
2. California Screamin
3. Tower of Terror
4. Mulholland Madness

As mentioned by DLR29, GRR (Grrrrrr) is disconnected and you can get that FP any time you want.

Here is the similar list for DL:

1. Space Mtn
2. Splash Mtn
3. Indiana Jones
4. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
5. Big Thunder Mtn Railroad
6. Autopia

And Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin is the disconnected FP.

HTH

 

[allimaree]

I would suggest buying Ridemax (at ridemax.com). I think it is worth every penny and it will do your itinerary for you (with the shortest wait times possible). Good luck and have fun!

 

[avalon451]

I was just gonna say... Ridemax... it only costs $15 fora 3 month subscription, and it's lots of fun to play around with. They have an excellent "tips and tricks" section that is kind of like Hyroguy's tips, I learned a lot from them. It really gives you a good idea of how things work, what gets busy when... and then you can kind of figure it out for yourself, using Ridemax as a rough guide, if you don't want to stick to it religiously.

 

[MaiynaMouse]

Is ridemax Mac compatible? It looked like it was onlay available for a PC running windows but I thought I'd ask just in case you all know something I don't!
~mm

 

[S. S. Columbia]

Is ridemax Mac compatible? It looked like it was onlay available for a PC running windows but I thought I'd ask just in case you all know something I don't!
~mm

Nope.

From the RideMax web-site:

Is there a Mac version of RideMax?
While we do hope to offer a Mac version of RideMax at some point in the future, the current version of RideMax does require Windows.

 

[fairycat]

Heya,

But for the food, the only real "sit down" restaurant in DCA is The Vineyard Room, and sadly I have actually never had a meal here. Reviews tend to be consistently good though.

Actually DCA has three table service restaurants.

Ariel's Grotto- on the top of the Pier, it is a Price Per Person (not ala cart) Character meal. I believe they have brought back the family style breakfast to go along with their lunch and dinner menu. I remember it being good, but it has been awhile since I have been back there.

Wine Country Tratoria- Is the downstairs restaurant on the wine country balcony. It is simple but good fare, think light pasta, sandwiches and salads. I eat here a lot because the prices are really good, the food is really good and the view is great to people watch and to watch some of the parades (only the outside seating). You can also enjoy a nice glass of wine.

The Vineyard Room- Is upstairs above the WCT. It is not opened everyday and only serves dinner. This is a more upscale dining restaurant. They offer a coursed menu as well as ala cart. I have not been back since they switched out of the all coursed menu but really enjoyed it when we went. You can see the ELP but you have to arrange yourself to look over the balcony edge to see the parade. It can be done though since I did it one trip

There are also lots of CS eateries. Also since there is an entrance to GCH from DCA you can also skip off to check out Storyteller's, Napa Rose, Whitewater snacks or DTD. You can also reenter the park from this point as well.

 

[Jagdcarcajou]

Aha,

Thanks Fairycat. I didn't realize the Wine Country/Vineyard connection, never having stepped inside.

As for Ariel's that is a personal hangup with me. I never count the character meal locations as restaurants. Just doesn't register with me. My kids are teens now, and none of those hold any attraction for us. I always consider them a kid's attraction first, that just happens to have some food. LOL.

Kids are great everywhere else at Disney, but I like my sit down meals a little less rambunctious.