My Dumbo Strategy Failed

[trez3]

Like most DISboarders, I did tons of research before our recent WDW trip. Since I have young kids, I decided to do Fantasyland first as soon as the park opened. When we finally reached the first ride I had planned (Dumbo), the line looked like a 15 minute wait. We got to Fantasyland about 9:18 a.m., which I thought was pretty reasonable after taking time to rent a stroller and walk with grandparents at the quickest pace they could manage.

Anyway, I started to see lines form at Pooh and Peter Pan and so I panicked and told the kids we'd do Dumbo later. We never got around to doing Dumbo this last trip (we did do the Magic Carpet ride so they weren't too upset).

My question is: are more and more people figuring out the park strategy of going to Dumbo first and therefore that strategy is no longer valid? Or is getting to Fantasyland at 9:18 a.m. too late?

We went to Disney in July 2002 with the same strategy and it worked great, not sure why this time it backfired. Curious if others have had to readjust their touring plan unexpectedly.

Thanks in advance! We still had a wonderful time!

 

[kilee]

It wasn't EMH day at MK was it??? That would of course effected everything. However, I have found that during busier times--- lines for the more popular rides can build quickly in the a.m. On our last trip the standby line to TOT within 10 minutes of opening was up to 30 minutes.

I think many people start in Fantasyland as it gets so busy by late morning.

 

[seashoreCM]

Better strategy.

You got to Dumbo and the line looked like a 15 minute wait. You could have put the kids and also the grandparents in line while you took all the park tickets over to Peter Pan and got fast passes. YOu would probably get back before the kids got on the Dumbo ride. (If the grandparents wanted to skip Peter Pan, their park tickets would not be inserted at Peter Pan but instead be used to get fast passes for different rides for other family members instead).

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[floridagirrl2]

JMO--I have been reading that business is booming at Disney this year. Remember, the last time you went was not that long after 9-11! Business was way down at Disney then.

Also, the time of year AND the time of week you go makes a huge difference. DH and I will go to MK on weekends, but without the expectation of going on rides. We will not wait in long lines, so if we want to ride, we go to the MK on weekdays.

 

[georgina]

We got lucky last week...it had rained so hard all the outdoor rides had stopped running. We were walking through Fantasyland and noticed them starting Dumbo up. The line was only 5 minutes long, so we jumped in! My new dumbo strategy is to go just after it rains.

 

[rykdad]

We tried a new strategy this year, primarily because the kids are older and only Mom really wanted to ride. We went at 8pm, an hour before the Wishes fireworks. Total wait time was about 10 minutes. We also had time to ride the Cinderella's Carousel before staking out a spot for Wishes.

 

[tar heel]

To have no line, 9:18 would be late I would think. I don't really think 15 minutes is much of a line for that ride at any time of the day. To not have a line, you've got to be at the rope drop closest to Fantasyland well before 9 so you zip through when the park opens. I don't do strollers, so I don't know whether you can rent them early. If you can't, then I don't see any way you could get there by 9 a.m.

 

[trez3]

We went to the Magic Kingdom on Monday June 7th (which based on reading Debbie's website is not an EMH day for onsite Disney resort guests). In general the park was packed everywhere that day. My MIL overheard someone else in the Dumbo line saying that they had to do Dumbo first because it was slow-loading. Which is why I'm thinking the UG strategy (which is what I used this trip and last) may be becoming too popular when it comes to Fantasyland. I did readjust my plan and we were able to get several rides in without much of a wait and by using the FASTPASS.

I agree 15 minutes isn't too bad of a wait, I was just surprised to see that long of a wait for the first ride of the morning. I was also afraid that if we did wait in that line then we would have a significantly longer wait for the other FL attractions. Plus, my twins are really whiny when they wait for a long time, which I wanted to avoid as much as possible to save my sanity.

All in all, for a planner like myself I thought it was fun to readjust the plan on the fly...made things much more challenging in a good way. Cheers!

 

[JonHM]

is to get in line with DS, and have one of us get in line about 30 people later - then we get to hand him off from one parent to another, and DS gets two rides instead of one. Doesn't shorten the wait, but at least it extends the experience!

 

[prncess674]

next time have the grandparents get the stroller and meet you at Dumbo. Have other adults walk with kids to Dumbo as fast as possible. whoever gets the stroller will miss out on riding Dumbo but they should make it there in time to see the kiddies ride on Dumbo.

 

[jcemom]

We were there in early February at park opening (very low crowds), we got to Fantasyland around 9:05 (we had our own stroller). We were able to ride Dumbo twice with no line, then moved on to Pooh and Peter Pan. By the time we finished Peter Pan, around 9:30 or so, the line for Dumbo was 30 minutes long. So...for the line to be 15 minutes at 9:18 in June, I think that wasn't too bad!

I don't think everyone reads the UG and that's why the line was long. I think the UG recommends going there straightaway BECAUSE the line gets long so quickly. It's such a slow loading ride that seats very few people that a long and quickly growing line is inevitable, IMO.

 

[a |PiX!e |)uSt]

sorry it didn't work out

 

[EToo]

Hello, Just back from a great week. My DD and I got to MK around 8:50 Saturday. When we got in we rode the tea cups then Dumbo with little wait. We then rode Pooh and were in line at the rope for Toontown at 9:45. We were front of the line at Toontown. Mickey and friends opened toontown at 10:00. We followed the characters in and my DD was the first into Minnies house. She got a tour of Minnie's house from Minnie herself. We then went into the Toontown fair and got autographs from Minnie, chip and dale, Cindy and her mice ... We were sitting at Crystal Palace at 10:30 that morning with a happy little girl.

Emily

 

[Ecdubfan]

The only time we suffered the Dumbo line was right before the start of the parade / fireworks and everyone else was too busy seeking out spots to watch. The (looked-like) short wait still took nearly 30 minutes.