How long will it take to get through this list of rides?

[MommaMouseketeer]

I'm planning on a Dumbo or Die type schedule for our first day in the park, Monday May 21. The park opens at 9AM. I don't know what to expect for timeframes, especially considering that's a Toontown Madness morning.

1. How should I change-up the plan for the day?
2. Around what point in the list should I expect it to be around noon, around 4, and around 7PM? (I know it is a rough guess; I just would like an eyeballed estimate.)
3. Have I under or overplanned for a full day of go-go-go kids' rides?

Peter Pan
Dumbo
Casey Jr
Mad Tea Party cups
Alice in Wonderland
Roger Rabbit's car toon spin (or get FP)
Gadget's Go Coaster
Goofy's Playhouse
Mickey's House
Chip 'n' Dale's Treehouse
Minnie's House
Miss Daisy boat
Disney RR from Toontown to Main Street
City Hall
Lunch
Raft to Tom Sawyer Island
Mark Twain Riverboat
Tarzan's Treehouse
Enchanted Tiki Room
Get Autopia FPs
Monorail ride roundtrip
Autopia with FPs
Buzz Lightyear

 

[xXtowerOFterrorXx]

I looked at a map of Disneyland, are you planning on riding these rides in the order you have them listed? if so you will be doing a lot of criss crossing through the park to get to them and wasting time.

 

[MommaMouseketeer]

I looked at a map of Disneyland, are you planning on riding these rides in the order you have them listed? if so you will be doing a lot of criss crossing through the park to get to them and wasting time.

Yes, a lot of criss-crossing. I'm told, though, that it is time maximizing. I'd love input from others, though! I'm just reading the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2012 and there are a lot of people here with current, lived experience I hope to learn from.

 

[CrazyDuck]

I don't see a lot of criss crossing in that list... it looks pretty straight forward... A lot of time Autopia's FP distribution is closed or not needed... Also Monorail is not a round trip ride... they will make you get off, exit and go back through bag check and ticket gate if it is a busy day! Also... City Hall? What you plan on doing there?

 

[MommaMouseketeer]

I don't see a lot of criss crossing in that list... it looks pretty straight forward... A lot of time Autopia's FP distribution is closed or not needed... Also Monorail is not a round trip ride... they will make you get off, exit and go back through bag check and ticket gate if it is a busy day! Also... City Hall? What you plan on doing there?

Good to know about Autopia!

You wouldn't happen to have a gauge of time for me, would you?

I plan to go to City Hall to get a Guest Assistance Card and character appearance schedule.

 

[CrazyDuck]

Good to know about Autopia!

You wouldn't happen to have a gauge of time for me, would you?

I plan to go to City Hall to get a Guest Assistance Card and character appearance schedule.

I can't see anything taking too long on your list... You should be done by 4pm. Monday in May should be pretty slow.. get there at opening and you may wait 15 min for Peter Pan and another 15 for dumbo by the time you get off PP.. Casey JR maybe 10 min.. Carousel will be walk on, 5 min for teacups and 10 for Alice then you can get to Toon Town when it opens... If you do RR first then you will have a 20-30 min wait for Gadgets go coaster by the time you are off. If you can be the first on Gadgets then it'll be a lot faster. really depending on how long you spend on tom sawyers you could be done by 3pm...

 

[SeattleRedBear]

Mmmm, I don't see that much criss-crossing of park (nowhere near as much as a lot of RideMax itineraries). I am a little confused about Main Street/City Hall after ToonTown only because if your next thing is Tom Sawyer rafts, that is a schlep all the way up MS and through most of FL. Seems like it would make more sense to catch the train to Frontierland (which is relatively close to TS rafts), have lunch somewhere over in NOS or FL and work your way from FL to TL through AL (since you've got Tarzan's treehouse and Tiki on the list for AL).

As for timing, I'm not really sure. If you can't be part of Toontown Madness, I'm tempted to say you should Toontown as your last thing for the day. Because of TT Madness, the area will already be relatively filled by the time you would get there. Most of what you've mentioned are walk throughs, but Go-Gadget and Mickey's House can really back-up by late morning. Last year (week after easter, we were there on a weekday) we hit Mickey about 11 AM and were stuck in that gawd-awful house for nearly an hour. I don't remember off the top of my head what time TT generally closes, but you might plan to get there an hour or two before it closes rather than try to do in middle of day. Although most of the things you have listed there are walk-throughs and crowds really don't matter that much, Mickey's House can take FOREVER!

BTW, how old are the children? Young enough that a visit back to the hotel room for swim and a nap (or chill time) might make sense? Then you could return to the park and stay later (esp. on a weeknight). Just a thought. Good luck.

PS. I think CrazyDuck is right about times. Now having seen your getting a GAC, you might not have an issue with lines and waits. Because of TT Madness, I would still think about doing TT towards the end of the day rather than late morning.

 

[seagodess]

I can't see anything taking too long on your list... You should be done by 4pm. Monday in May should be pretty slow.. get there at opening and you may wait 15 min for Peter Pan and another 15 for dumbo by the time you get off PP.. Casey JR maybe 10 min.. Carousel will be walk on, 5 min for teacups and 10 for Alice then you can get to Toon Town when it opens... If you do RR first then you will have a 20-30 min wait for Gadgets go coaster by the time you are off. If you can be the first on Gadgets then it'll be a lot faster. really depending on how long you spend on tom sawyers you could be done by 3pm...

What about Tues and Wed? We will be there the same time. We have 3 day park hoppers. Plan on going Sun 20th, Maybe Mon, Tue for sure and Wed depends on if we go Mon or not. We are not sure if we want a break to just swim and hang out between days or just do it the last day we are there.

 

[MommaMouseketeer]

The kids are 10 and 2.

My rough outline for the week (which is completely open to critique and guidance) is
Sunday: Hollywood and the beach.
Monday: wear them out doing all the kids' rides at DLR. Constant action but nothing anxiety-inducing. Get guest assistance card, birthday pin, and other little details for the stay. (I'm planning to get the early morning rides in first then get the GAC which will be needed by then. I read that the City Hall visit can take 30 mins so I'm planning the rides we need to get first thing then to go get that.) Go to bed after the 7PM parade. If they're still wired, pool first.
Tuesday: wear them out doing the rides at DCA. More adventurous rides will probably be tolerated. Midday break w/ Aladdin and lunch. Go to bed after World of Color.
Wednesday: Focus on autographs and shows. Toontown Madness with Mickey and Minnie's sigs/houses, Jedi Training Academy, Ariel's Grotto character dining, Disney Jr Live, rides in DCA until dinner, swimming maybe, and bed.
Thursday: Magic Morning, anything not yet done, Daddy joins us for World of Color and rest of trip.
Friday: (Busy holiday weekend) Stereotypical family day. Rides in morning, FP rides in afternoon, Napa Rose early dinner, parade, castle pictures, Fantasmic, and fireworks.
Saturday: (Busy holiday weekend) Date morning for me and DH. Move quickly to get in as many adult rides as possible. Get kids, late lunch, light dinner, rides until close. It'll be a late night, but they'll have all the next day in the car to sleep!

What do you think? I'm using that outline to fill in daily details right now.

 

[sonnyjane]

I guess one thing that catches my eye now that I've seen your full itinerary is why are you going to try to do all of ToonTown on Monday when you have access to MTTMM on Wednesday morning?

 

[MommaMouseketeer]

I guess one thing that catches my eye now that I've seen your full itinerary is why are you going to try to do all of ToonTown on Monday when you have access to MTTMM on Wednesday morning?

I'm under the impression that there's some sort of little citizenship ceremony only during the Toontown Madness and that following that ceremony, Toontown is crazy overrun. I was thinking of doing the ceremony part with autographs and pics then moving on to the Princess Fantasy Faire. I didn't intend to do rides in Toontown then, based on what I'd read. Is this a good idea or a misguided one?

 

[sonnyjane]

I haven't personally gone to TTMM, but for that hour, only people with the special passes are allowed inside ToonTown so I'm not sure how "overrun" that gets.

 

[ArchOwl]

I have visited Disneyland with kids with special needs (which I am assuming is your situation) and I can tell you it is much better to just get the GAC first thing in the morning on your first day. No lines and since you have plenty of days in the parks, I would use Monday as your day to get the GAC, buttons, etc.

You have a Magic Morning on Thursday to hit Peter Pan and Dumbo. You also have a TTMM, which I would definitely take advantage of. You want to use TTMM to visit characters, ride Gadget Go Coaster, and either ride or pull a FP for RR. Think of TTMM like MM, you want to do both because they have much lower crowds. It is the people coming after you that are at a disadvantage, because you have already been there ahead of them.

On Monday I would stop at City Hall first thing and obtain the GAC, buttons, or whatever else you might need. If you are there at rope drop, you will have hardly any lines. And that is not a fun line to be in during busy times. It is slow moving and not interesting. I have actually park hopped over to DCA to avoid the City Hall in DL. The Guest Relations office in DCA almost never has a line and if they do, it is a small line.

After getting situated, you can still go to Fantasyland if you want. But I would skip ToonTown the first day and concentrate on other areas of the park. You could even let your kids lead the way this first day and let them discover the parks and ride what they want.

You will also find that park hopping is very easy and you might do it more than you think. Don't be afraid to park hop as needed, DCA has a great play area called Redwood Challenge Trail that can entertain for awhile. DCA also has Bug's Land that is fun to let kids explore and they have a little water play area when it is hot.

Anyway, with 6 days in the parks, you will have plenty of time to see and do everything. I would set yourself up the first day and then let the day unfold from there. Have fun!

 

[cmwade77]

Ok, there is a bit to mention here.

• If the GAC is truly necessary for you, then you would definitely want to get it first thing when you enter the park. In general, if you are entering for Magic Morning or at park opening, the wait should be no more than one or two people in front of you. The later that you wait in the day, the longer the wait will be. The exception is during parades or the fireworks, but if any of the parades, shows or fireworks are cancelled for any reason the lines will get to be insane at guest relations. That being said, please be aware that the GAC does NOT get you on attractions faster, it only provides accommodations for your needs, which is another reason that you should get it first thing, as if you have a need to be accommodated, then it should be accommodated the entire time you are there. Please note that it many cases using a GAC can make the wait LONGER, but can provide a more comfortable or safer waiting area when there are medical needs. I am sure that you would not abuse the system, but I do want you to know what to realistically expect and for those that try to abuse the system to know that it really doesn't help them and just hurts others that truly need the assistance.
• The only time that the monorail will be one way is a bit before the fireworks, otherwise it will be round trip.
• As for your plan, it is decent and will work; however, you did miss a lot of the attractions. My recommendation is to take the attractions as close to in order as possible starting with Peter Pan, Snow White, Pinochio(sp?), Carousel, Casey Jr., Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Alice in Wonderland, Teacups, Story Book Land Canal Boats, it's a small world, Princess Fantasy Faire (if you want to do this). Since you will be doing Toontown on another day, I would recommend waiting until then for those attractions; however, if you want to do Toontown, I would then get a FP for Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin, ride Gadget's Go Coaster, then go through Mickey's House, this is fun and will provide Air Conditioning and places to sit in many places throughout what amounts to the queue. If the line is long once you reach the screening room, you can duck back out, otherwise go to meet Mickey. Then go to meet Minnie, then explores Donald's House, Chip and Dales playhouse and Goofy's house, by this time it should be time to return for Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin. Now would be a good time for lunch and yes, you should be able to do all of that (even with taking the time at City Hall) in time for a late lunch at around 1:30, which is a good time as the crowds will be a bit lighter at the restaurants. My suggestions would be to takte the Railroad around to New Orleans Square and eat at Hungry Bear Restaurant, then ride Winnie the Pooh, then Haunted Mansion, Raft to Tom Sawyer's Island, Pirates (My suggestions is if the line is under 15 minutes, do not use your GAC here, unless there are needs that would require it, as the GAC line gets extremely long and can quite often be worse on those that need the assistance than just dealing with the line would), Mark Twain Riverboat, Jungle Cruise, Tiki Room, Astro Orbiter, Buzz Lightyear, Captain E-O, Innoventions (NOTE: Depending on your needs, you may need to exit through the wheelchair entrance, which is on the first floor), Get FP for Autopia, Finding Nemo (Depending on your needs for the GAC, you may want to ask for the alternative viewing area, as it is in a room and may be more comfortable for you), Roundtrip on Monorail, Return for Autopia, now it should be about Dinner time and then you can repeat any attractions that you might want to do. Now, if you want to add in shows and/or thrill rides, then I would recommend a slightly different order; however, this should cover it without the thrill rides.

Of course, feel free to skip any attractions that you don't want to do, but overall on a Monday in May, this should be more than doable if you want to try to do it all.

Also, this plan should be doable with or without a GAC, providing you hold up to it, as it is a lot to do in one day for those that have the need of a GAC.

 

[MommaMouseketeer]

Awesome help! I'm going to be revising my order! Here's the rest I'd planned.


Sunday
Leave early
Go to Hollywood
Pics on Rodeo Dr, sidewalk stars
Go to church
Beach
Drive to Anaheim and check in

Monday - Dumbo or Die DLR rides
Check out of off-property hotel
Check-in at PPH at 7AM and check bags. Get 1st visit and birthday pins.
Arrive early and wait in line for 9am opening
[This plan is under construction, incorporating advice from above.]

Tuesday - Dumbo or Die DCA with Aladdin
Arrive early for 8am Magic Morning and eat in line
Peter Pan
Dumbo
Pinnochio's Daring Journey
Mad Tea Party
Buzz's Astro Blasters
GO TO DCA
Get Soarin' Over California FP
Get World of Color FP
Toy Storia Midway Mania
Mickey's Fun Wheel
King Triton's Carrousel
12:40 Aladdin
Lunch
Monster, Inc
Soarin' over CA
Animation Academy and Turtle Talk
Heimlich's Chew Chew
Flik's Flyers
Francis' Ladybug Boogie
Tuck and Roll
It's Tough to Be a Bug!
Little Mermaid
Redwood Creek Challenge
Golden Zephyr
Jumpin' Jellyfish
Symphony Swings
Dinner
8:45 World of Color
Go to hotel/bed

Wednesday (a Grad Night) - Toontown Citizenship, Shows and Autographs
Eat breakfast at hotel
Arrive early to wait in line for 9am opening
Toontown Morning Madness Citizenship ceremony w/ pics & autographs 9-10ish
Princess Fantasy Faire for pics/autographs 10-11ish
11:35a or 12:40p Jedi training (Get chosen?)
1:30 Ariel's Grotto
3:15p or 4:15p Disney Jr Live
Rides until they crash

Thursday (a Grad Night)
Arrive early for 8am Magic Morning and eat in line
Do whatever we want/haven't done
WOC FP at 10
2:55p or 3:55p or 4:55p Phineas and Ferb
Do whatever we want/haven't done
Get to DCA by 8p closing
8:45 World of Color

Friday (a Grad Night)
Arrive early for 8AM opening & eat in line
(Runner gets Star Tours FP)
Finding Nemo Subs
(Runner gets Indiana Jones FP)
Pirates of the Caribbean
(Runner gets Indiana Jones or Big Thunder Mtn RR FP)
Mad Tea Party
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
Carrousel
(Runner gets Big Thunder Mtn RR FP if still needed)
Lunch
Return to Star Tours on FP
Return to Big Thunder Mtn RR on FP
Return to Indiana Jones on FP
It's a Small World
Tom Sawyer rafts
Explore Pirate's Lair
Jungle Cruise
Mickey's 1st Soundsational Parade (viewed from Toontown) 4:00p
Mickey and Minnie's houses
Napa Rose dinner 5:30-7:30
Take sunset pics at castle (sunset is 7:52p)
Tour/shop Main Street, get a fireworks spot
Fireworks 9:30
Fantasmic! 10:15p

Saturday
Arrive early for 8am Magic Morning
Do fastpass and big scary rides while kids have a sitter in the morning
Get kids and [this schedule will be made while we're at Disneyland, dependent on what we like and what we've missed.]