How's my touring plan?

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

Hi all you DL experts! My friend and I are going to Disneyland the end of May (the week before Memorial Day weekend). I would like opinions about my touring plan. We are going without the kids!

Tuesday
arrive to DL before gates open
Tomorrowland
Fantasyland
Toontown (meet Mickey and Minnie)
head over to DCA for Block Party Bash at 5:15
Dinner at WIne Country

Wednesday
arrive before gates open
Frontierland
Adventureland
50th Anniversary tour 3:30-7:00 with parade
Main Street

Thursday
arrive before gates open
arrive to DCA
Soarin
Tower of Terror
Monsters
Golden Dreams
lunch at Taste Pilots
Aladdin
Grizzly River Run
back to Disneyland at night
with dinner at Plaza Inn

Thanks for all your opinions!

 

[hlbtimes2]

I would do fantasyland before tomorrow land. I would fast pass the rides in tomorrow land, and work them into the day. Maybe get a space mt. fp, then hit fantasyland. After fantasyland, hit tomorrow land. You space fp will be good, and you'll be able to get one for buzz or autopia. Star tours doesnt usually get to long of a line.

You might want to consider doing GRR earlier in the day that you do DCA, so that you'll have a chance to dry in the sun. Otherwise its going to be a cold evening! Oh, and consider getting 75 cent rain ponchos at Walmart to wear on GRR.

Dont forget about Critter country! I dont see that on there.

 

[CalGal]

If you have an EE, you should be able to whip out most of Fantasyland before the normal park opening. With EE and good use of FP, you should have time to repeat some of your favorite rides. I agree, FL before Tomorrowland (but get you FP for Space early). You'll also want grab a FP or ride Splash Mtn early (Wed?); And don't forget NOS as well as Critter Country. Pirates may be closed, but you can still do HM and stroll the shops.

 

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

Okay- so grab some FPs in Tomorrowland and then head over to Fantasyland. Also, I do have plans to to go back to the hotel after GRR for a break- that's why I put it there. I got soaked the last time!

What is EE?

 

[hlbtimes2]

EE= early entry. More then likely, if you have 3+ days on a park hopper you have one day of EE. Its currently offered Mon, Tues, Thur and Saturday. It allows you in to the park one hour before the scheduled opening time. Fantasyland is open during that time. There are usually a few tomorrowland rides open as well.

 

[azgal81]

I agree with the others I would do fantasyland first. Mainly peter pan that ride will have the longest wait throughout the day. We normally head to the park ride that ride first, then matterhorn, then get a fast pass for space then go back to the rest of the fantasyland rides.

I also think you should be able to do more then the 2 lands at DL before your tour at 3 especially with the park opening at nine. The same for your first day you would probably be able to knock out most of the park before you head over to DCA unless you want to head over way earlier then 5 for the bash.

Normally when I go we are able to knock out most of the rides in the morning then concentrate on the shows in the afternoon when the park is busier. You can also go back to a hotel to take a break then depending if that's something you are interested in.

Also as others explained if you have EE that will really help with get through fantasyland quicker.

 

[HydroGuy]

Another vote for FantasyLand first, but would check day of the week. If you go on an EE day and you do not have EE, getting to FantasyLand first will not make much difference. The OP said Tuesday for first day, and this is an EE day. This is a bad day for FantasyLand period.

Unless the OP is going to use EE on Tuesday - in which case FantasyLand should be done during EE - it is really a no-brainer to hold off FantasyLand until Wed, a non-EE day, and do it first - especially PP and Dumbo.

 

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

Hi- OP here. I think I will have an EE tix as I am buying a three day park hopper pass, but I don't think that I am going to use it. Getting to the park by 8:15ish is early enough. If the park opens at 8 on an EE then I'll have to get to the gates by 7:15 Just don't think I can do it. I have a week away from the kids and I do want to relax. This is not a commando-type vacation for me.

Anyway, here's my revised schedule based on your suggestions.....

Tuesday
Tomorrowland rides
Adventureland rides
DCA for Block Party
Dinner at Wine Country---do you like this restaurant?

Wednesday
Fantasyland rides
Frontierland rides
50th Anniversary Tour with parade (starts at 3)

Thursday
DCA with lunch at Taste Pilot's Grill (good choice?)
Grizzly River Run after lunch- back to hotel for dry clothes and a break
Evening to stroll Main Street, dinner at Plaza Inn

Thanks for all your advice and input- made sense not to do Fantasyland on an EE day unless I was going in early.

 

[HydroGuy]

Hi- OP here. I think I will have an EE tix as I am buying a three day park hopper pass, but I don't think that I am going to use it. Getting to the park by 8:15ish is early enough. If the park opens at 8 on an EE then I'll have to get to the gates by 7:15 Just don't think I can do it. I have a week away from the kids and I do want to relax. This is not a commando-type vacation for me.

Anyway, here's my revised schedule based on your suggestions.....

Tuesday
Tomorrowland rides
Adventureland rides
DCA for Block Party
Dinner at Wine Country---do you like this restaurant?

Wednesday
Fantasyland rides
Frontierland rides
50th Anniversary Tour with parade (starts at 3)

Thursday
DCA with lunch at Taste Pilot's Grill (good choice?)
Grizzly River Run after lunch- back to hotel for dry clothes and a break
Evening to stroll Main Street, dinner at Plaza Inn

Thanks for all your advice and input- made sense not to do Fantasyland on an EE day unless I was going in early.

I like this better. When you say TomorrowLand on Tue, realize that on an EE day both Space Mtn and Buzz Lightyear are open during EE too. You should FastPass both of these. Get Space FP first, right away - I know you don't want to go commando, but suck it up and act like one for a little while and get your FP. Then ride Astro Orbiters right away (if you want) and Autopia next. By that time it might be time to get your Buzz FP. DLR has a policy of accepting FP any time that day after the window opens, so do not worry about using them during the window. In fact, it is most efficient to save FPs for the afternoon and use them when other lines are long. Use your morning time on rides without FP. Autopia is a little different, IMO, because it takes so long to get on with your FP if you have one (I have waited 25 minutes) so I usually do not FP Autopia.

At DCA, ride Soarin over CA if you haven't before. Get a FP for this right away, and Grizzley River Run too.

Have fun. The plan looks good.

 

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

Okay. Okay. I'll be commando but just for you HydroGuy!

Thanks for the tips, too. I think this will be better, too. And I'll use those FPs if I can just firgure out how it works. WDW seems so much simpler- one FP at a time. DL just seems soooooooo complicated.

 

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

okay- one last question........

What time do the gates open on EE days? From what I understand, on non-EE days, the gates open around 8:30 (when official time is 9am).

Thanks again all.

 

[HydroGuy]

Okay. Okay. I'll be commando but just for you HydroGuy!

Thanks for the tips, too. I think this will be better, too. And I'll use those FPs if I can just firgure out how it works. WDW seems so much simpler- one FP at a time. DL just seems soooooooo complicated.

LOL, but I am not recommending commando as a general touring strategy. Just make sure to pick up a few FastPasses in the morning - starting right away when you get into the park - and you will save yourself many hours in line later in the day. Other than that, relax and have a good time, as I am sure you will!

If you have the patience to read them, everything you need to know about FastPass is in these two links:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885132
http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=43193

 

[HydroGuy]

okay- one last question........

What time do the gates open on EE days? From what I understand, on non-EE days, the gates open around 8:30 (when official time is 9am).

Thanks again all.

EE is only at DL (no EE for DCA) and is always one hour before official park opening time. If you want to avoid waiting in lines later in the day, get to the DL gates at least 15 minutes before EE starts - 30 minutes is better. Why? Because if you get there right when EE starts you will wait in a long line of folks going thru the turnstiles one at a time. It is not so much to "be the first one in", but to be ahead of the crowds. Everyone and his brother will head to Peter Pan and Dumbo. If you are there before them and do these first (you will walk on or have at most a two minute line rather than 60 minute lines a few hours later), then you will always be one step ahead of the crowds. We did seven rides during EE, including Matterhorn. Trying to do these same seven rides after 11AM would take at least four hours. We did not run or commando our way thru, but we did have a general morning plan which we followed and it worked out great - limited line waits.

FYI, DCA has a policy of opening its gates every day 30 minutes early. They will only have one ride open - Soarin Over Calif.

 

[CalGal]

I urge you to consider making use of your EE! If the park is scheduled to open at 9AM, gates will open at precisely 8 AM for the EE guests. I usually get to the gates around 15-20 minutes before EE opening, and generally head straight for Peter Pan. My DS and I were the first through the castle one day. Many guests will head over to Space Mountain for EE, but I don't recommend it; riding Space takes up too much of the valuable EE time. Get a FP for Space after 9 (no FPs are available until after normal park opening). You will be able to ride most of the Fantasyland rides including Matterhorn and a couple of Tomorrowland rides including Buzz Lightyear before 9 AM. The same number of rides will take you several hours to ride any other time. At 9AM you can grab a SM FP and head to another part of the park. Early morning hours at Disneyland are the most pleasurable IMO.

Since we were on-sight guests our last visit, we got EE 3 times during the busy holiday season. Our last day, my DS and I rode Buzz over and over and over. We had 8 of the top 10 scores at one point. We could ride in separate cars, even skipping cars between us so that we didn't interfere with each other's shooting (getting the lit up targets, for example). We had such a blast!

 

[sammons70]

Your plan looks pretty good and seems reasonable. The crowds shouldn't be too unmanageable when your going. If you are AAA members, definatley follow the Early Entry advice from the other posters. You can easily get the matterhorn and Peter Pan done before the official opening which are huge crowd drawers. Since you are leaving the kids behind, you may want to consider skipping toon town since it will likely be crawling with kids and require a huge amount of time. If waiting just as long as it would take to do Space Mountain and Buzz Light Year is worth it to you to see Mickey, go for it.
Have a great time.

 

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

Thanks Hydro! Your info is great. If my friend wants to do EE, I'll be up for it.

Sammons- I can't go to Disneyland and NOT meet Mickey. It'll be worth the wait.

 

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

OP here--again with another question-----mainly for you HydroGuy but everyone's opinion is welcome!

On Tuesday morning, if I DO NOT do EE, my first destination is Tomorrowland- should I grap FPs for Space Mountain or Buzz.

And, at DCA, I am going to ride Soarin first (because I will be there at 9:30!). Then I am heading over to TofT and Monsters. On my way, should I pick up FPs for Aladdin or GRR (both which we will do after lunch)?

Thanks again. And I did read your post- I think I am understand FPs a little better now.

 

[HydroGuy]

OP here--again with another question-----mainly for you HydroGuy but everyone's opinion is welcome!

On Tuesday morning, if I DO NOT do EE, my first destination is Tomorrowland- should I grap FPs for Space Mountain or Buzz.

And, at DCA, I am going to ride Soarin first (because I will be there at 9:30!). Then I am heading over to TofT and Monsters. On my way, should I pick up FPs for Aladdin or GRR (both which we will do after lunch)?

Thanks again. And I did read your post- I think I am understand FPs a little better now.

Get Space Mtn FP first. The FP machines will not work until park opening, even if there are EE people there. If you get to the park close to opening, and go directly to Space Mtn and get your FP, the delay until you can get your next one (Buzz, if that is what you want, will be 45-60 minutes later). If you only want to ride Space Mtn and Buzz once each, and are staying in TomorrowLand and AdventureLand, then you will have all the FP's you need for the day for TLand. The next time you could get a FP would be 45 after you got your Buzz FP (assuming it is still early morning - this is not true in the PM). I would use this one for Indy. You will have to decide how much backtracking you want to do. If you want to be most efficient with FP, and you are just doing TLand and ALand, you should get Space Mtn first, then send someone over to ALand to get Indy FP, then get Buzz. If you are not planning to stay the day at DL then it may be best to get Space Mtn FP first and Indy second, and skip getting a Buzz FP - in which case you will want to ride Buzz thru the regular standby line the first hour the park opens - lines will not be that long, but the EE crowd will build them up some before you can even get there. This could involve some park crisscrossing between TLand and ALand.

Hold onto your FastPasses and use them after you have ridden the other rides without FP like Astro Orb/Autopia/Monorail etc. As I said, it is DLR policy to accept a FP any time that day after the FP window.

Aladdin does not have FP. GRR has a disconnected one so you can get one any time you want and it will not conflict with other DCA FPs. GRR is close to Soarin, so I would get the GRR after Soarin. Then get them for ToT if you are heading that way. Note that ToT is just not very popular at DCA. FP helps at ToT, but you can easily get FPs until late in the day and I would not make a special trip to ToT to get a FP in the early morning. If you happen to be going that way to see Monsters Inc, then get your ToT FP then. Otherwise, get it when you see Aladdin - assuming you are seeing an early Aladdin show. E.g., we got in line for 12:30PM Aladdin show at noon. While my family held our spot in line, I went over to ToT (it is very close to the Aladdin line) and got ToT FPs. Then I jumped in line with my family. The ToT FP return time was 45 minutes later, or 12:45PM. By the time we were finished with Aladdin, it was time for ToT.