How to do Disneyland on a busy day?

[merela]

We have been to Disneyland before (we live in SoCal) and due to scheduling conflicts, the only day we can visit Disneyland during the Spring Break is this Saturday 4/10. I am expecting huge crowds to be there. I have a 8YO boy and a 10YO girl. They can do rollercoaster rides, but not the serious ones. I want to plan out our day so we don't end up just doing 3 rides for the entire day (because of long line-ups).

I need advice from those of you who knows the rides and Disneyland. Which fast passes to hit first and which restaurant to go to for lunch and dinner? Any shows we should see?

Any advice or suggestions you may have for me will be great! Thanks all in advance.

 

[PinkBudgie]

Most important- get there early, before the gate opens. Second most important- collect FPs every time the time window opens for you get them. We like to get a FP for Space Mountian first, but that's just us. If Space Mountain was shut down at opening, we then went over to Indy to get a FP there instead. Splash is another good one to get maybe second.

You can save POTC for later because it is a pretty fast loader. Hit some other non FP rides first thing in the morning. I believe that will be a MM day so Fantasyland rides maybe rather full already but if you do want to do them anyway, morning should still be better. Save your FPs for the afternoon and evening. On very crowded days, we were always able to pick up Buzz FPs after all the other FPs were gone. So we started picking those up every chance at that point and got in some good practice.

At DCA, we always go there at lunch and pick up FPs for Soarin first thing.

For lunch, I suggest a counter service. Just browse through the places online and see what sounds good. You can ask if you have a question about them. We love the Whitewater Snacks in the GCH, right near the DCA exit. It is pretty quiet and relaxing even on crazy days.

 

[bumbershoot]

Get there EARLY. My brother and SIL live in San Diego and never want to get up early enough. So we waltz in an hour or more after park opening, just when the first real wave of people are coming in...meanwhile, you see the people who got up EARLY, and they are going off to have food b/c they've ridden 10 rides already. (having been one of those people, I know the look, LOL)

Yep, if Sat is a MM day, you probably don't want to try for Fantasyland straight away. On the other hand, maybe you should, b/c the lines will only build through the day (until dark).

Eat when other people aren't eating. Zig when they zag, LOL. Go left whenever you have a choice of a way to go (that's an old one from the guidebooks and for me it works...while everyone else heads to Tomorrowland, I head to Indy).

Speaking of Indy, if the kids want to ride that, take advantage of NOT having Magic Morning, and be among the first to get to Adventureland and ride it! Or just get Fast Passes and move on to another ride if you wish.

Get a basic plan of attack, don't let the group stop to look at the map to decide what to do next; have something in mind when people start getting confused about what to do... Stopping to look at the map is a huge time-waster, and people are generally just wanting to know what other people want to do anyway, so have something in mind. (it's how I led my brother and sis in law without them making too much fun of me...)

Have fun!

 

[HydroGuy]

For FP see - "Getting the Most Out of FastPass During High Season" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885132

Also consider getting RideMax.

 

[jimreuter]

For great fun, when you're not standing in line for BTMRR or Indy, come and visit Farley the Fiddler on the front porch of the Davy Crockett Pioneer Mercantile at the entrance to Frontierland. 11:00, 12:00, 1:00, 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, and 5:30.

 

[iheartdisney]

our family's plan of attack for a busy day is prioritize. We'll pick one favorite each, and anything over that is a bonus. And most imporant, go with the attitude that you KNOW it will be a busy day, and can deal. Nothing worse than going Grumpy because there are too many people!