My Thanksgiving week plan - advice/critique?

[WendyWhy]

Inspired by previous post asking for a plan critique - hope this is OK!

We are going the Sunday-Tuesday before Thanksgiving, it will be heavy, heavy crowds as I had chosen these dates before educating myself on these boards! We will be travelling with another family - so 4 adults, and 4 kids (from ages 1-5). Not planning on doing F! or WOC because kiddos cannot tolerate the wait involved or the late hour...And though I am not opposed to hitting up counter service - given how crowded it will be, we will have PS reservations in my back pocket for every meal.

Day 1: Sunday, Nov. 20 - We check-in at GCH around 9 and plan to hit DCA. Get Soarin' FPs, - likely ride Soarin' and LM before heading to TSMM. How much do you think we can realistically get done before our lunch at 11:30? Hoping to ride GSS (grab FPs if line is longer than 15 min?), MFW, Turtle talk and animation academy if there is time before lunch at Wine Country Trattoria at 11:30. After lunch, go to 12:40 Aladdin show - then back to hotel for a rest while DH goes to pick up FPs for HMH and BMTRR.

Enter DL after naps around 3 or 4pm, if we have time - try to catch the last JTA show, if not - have DH grab FPs for IJ, enjoy Main Street - buy some ears, silhouettes, take lots of pictures, use our FPs BMTRR, dinner at Cafe Orleans at 5:30, use our HMH FPs. Critter County after? Need to get baby in bed by 8...

Day 2: Monday, Nov 21 - Get to DL for rope drop - have DH get FP for Star Tours, and while we hit up FL and PP first, then Dumbo, tea cups, IASW are my main priorities. After FL, explore Tomorrowland. Lunch at 12:30 at Storyteller's, then midday break.

After naps, explore TT, FP for Roger Rabbit. Dinner at Carnation Cafe at 5:30.
The Christmas parade is scheduled for this time - we don't plan on staking a spot, and don't need to see everything - just being parade adjacent is good enough.

Day 3: Tuesday, Nov 22- our only Magic Morning, hit up FL/Tomorrowland rides and back to any favorites at either DL or DCA. No specific plan for this day - depends on what the kiddos want to do.

Any ideas on the best (least time in line) place to get a picture with a Santa? No Santa at GCH during our dates - he will be there on/after Thanksgiving

Decent plan? Feel free to give criticisms/suggestions!

 

[Briarrose1306]

Just a note on your first day. If you're having lunch at 11:30 and Aladdin starts at 12:40 it's highly unlikely that you'll get a good seat or one at all. The line for Aladdin fills up pretty quickly. I would recommend getting in line for it at least 20-30minutes before show time.

 

[WendyWhy]

If we eat lunch at 11 or 11:15 at WCT will be able to make it to the line for Aladdin by 12:20?

 

[WorldofColor]

To be honest highly doubt it. It's Sunday and Aladdin is high demand and people line up pretty quick. Wine Country Trattoria is a sit down restaurant and will take a while for you to order, get food, and eat.

Plus, the two are pretty far apart. Construction going on too. Might have to go to the next show.

 

[WendyWhy]

Recommendations for a quick lunch - preferably with pasta options (not just mac n' cheese) so we can make the Aladdin line by 12:20? The baby's nap eliminates the 2:20 show, but we could always try to make the 4:45 - the afternoon schedule is unpredictable because of the naps...

 

[skiingfast]

Recommendations for a quick lunch - preferably with pasta options (not just mac n' cheese) so we can make the Aladdin line by 12:20? The baby's nap eliminates the 2:20 show, but we could always try to make the 4:45 - the afternoon schedule is unpredictable because of the naps...

DL http://allears.net/dlr/din/menu/men_red.htm
DCA http://allears.net/dlr/din/menu/men_pasta.htm

 

[WorldofColor]

Yeah, Red Rocket has delicious pastas, but you'd probably want to stay in CA. Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta is pretty good. If not GCH's Storyteller's Cafe has good Spaghetti and Ravioli as well.

 

[DizFan13]

Another note about the first day; it looks like you have your DH picking up FPs for BTMRR and HMH while the rest of you head to the hotel. If you are leaving from DCA, you'd have to all go into DL in order to activate your passes before he could do that, I think.

 

[WorldofColor]

Very true. You need to bring every member of your party into Disneyland to activate your pass as you'd only be active for CA. That way he can go get the fastpasses otherwise you won't be able to.

 

[WendyWhy]

Another note about the first day; it looks like you have your DH picking up FPs for BTMRR and HMH while the rest of you head to the hotel. If you are leaving from DCA, you'd have to all go into DL in order to activate your passes before he could do that, I think.

GOOD to know!!! Hmm...I wanted to cram so much in that first morning and I do not think it will work.

Thank goodness for the generosity of DIS experts - sharing the knowledge!!

The wild card is my 14 month old - if she is happy, then we are all happy - even if we are in line, hungry, tired...but if she is not happy, we are all frantic.

I will make a few different plans depending on whether she is melting down or not!

Thanks again!

 

[sonnyjane]

Another note about the first day; it looks like you have your DH picking up FPs for BTMRR and HMH while the rest of you head to the hotel. If you are leaving from DCA, you'd have to all go into DL in order to activate your passes before he could do that, I think.

GOOD to know!!! Hmm...I wanted to cram so much in that first morning and I do not think it will work.

Actually as long as the tickets have been activated for entry at EITHER park (DCA or DL), you can use them to get FP's in the other park without everyone having to enter, so for example if you all went to DCA together, then you left and gave all the tickets to your DH and he walked to DL to get FP's, that is a-o-kay.

 

[disneyfanbecky]

Since you don't have plans for Tuesday why don't you just leave Aladdin for that day? It will set your vacation off on a bad foot if you are too stressed to do everything that first morning. The first few hours are a great time to go a little slower and soak it all in.

 

[DizFan13]

Actually as long as the tickets have been activated for entry at EITHER park (DCA or DL), you can use them to get FP's in the other park without everyone having to enter, so for example if you all went to DCA together, then you left and gave all the tickets to your DH and he walked to DL to get FP's, that is a-o-kay.

This is interesting and great to know. I was sure I had heard the opposite, and I have always limited our FP collection to the park we are in...it looks like DH will be doing lots of running back and forth this week!!!

 

[scanmom]

staying in a Disney hotel, and it looks like you are, I believe you get MM every day that it's offered. I would use it, since the little kids will probably be up early anyway... mine always were!!!

 

[scanmom]

I would get to TSMM asap in the AM, since it has terribly long wait times, and no FP. When DS and I were there in July, LM was newly opened, and we only saw a line longer than 5 minutes once... and that was only a 20 min. wait.

 

[DLR29]

Another note about the first day; it looks like you have your DH picking up FPs for BTMRR and HMH while the rest of you head to the hotel. If you are leaving from DCA, you'd have to all go into DL in order to activate your passes before he could do that, I think.

Very true. You need to bring every member of your party into Disneyland to activate your pass as you'd only be active for CA. That way he can go get the fastpasses otherwise you won't be able to.

Just getting a confirmation that the above two comments are incorrect, and sonnyjane's advice (and your original plan) will work.

Actually as long as the tickets have been activated for entry at EITHER park (DCA or DL), you can use them to get FP's in the other park without everyone having to enter, so for example if you all went to DCA together, then you left and gave all the tickets to your DH and he walked to DL to get FP's, that is a-o-kay.

 

[DizFan13]

Just getting a confirmation that the above two comments are incorrect, and sonnyjane's advice (and your original plan) will work.

I have to confess that when I passed this info on to my family, I lost a little rank as the DLR trip planner! I'll never know how I missed this. We have always trooped in to each park as a group to collect FPs...knowing that we don't have to do that will be interesting for our upcoming trip.

 

[WendyWhy]

Just getting a confirmation that the above two comments are incorrect, and sonnyjane's advice (and your original plan) will work.

thanks for the confirmation!

 

[WendyWhy]

Since you don't have plans for Tuesday why don't you just leave Aladdin for that day? It will set your vacation off on a bad foot if you are too stressed to do everything that first morning. The first few hours are a great time to go a little slower and soak it all in.

I think we will do this - I think I am biased against DCA, it didn't exist the last time I was there! I was thinking we could cram t all in a half day and just leave the rest of the time for DL!

 

[WendyWhy]

I would get to TSMM asap in the AM, since it has terribly long wait times, and no FP. When DS and I were there in July, LM was newly opened, and we only saw a line longer than 5 minutes once... and that was only a 20 min. wait.

Another poster mentioned that it didn't really matter what time you get there
either way you would wait 30 min...

Scenario 1: you get to rope drop at 9:30, and wait 30 min to run to ride TSMM first...

Scenario 2: you ride LM and/or Soarin' then Make your way to TSMM -and there is a 30 min wait...


Which way is better?