Need Planning Help

Amanda8619

Earning My Ears
Joined
Mar 12, 2017
Messages
58
We are doing one day at only DL. We plan to get there when they open and stay until at least the fireworks/closing which is midnight the day we go if we have not done everything by the time fireworks start. They open at 8 the day we go. I do believe it is an EMH day as well. We are going on Tuesday Dec 4th. We do not plan to do Space Mountain, Star tours, Big Thunder mountain, Matterhorn, or Splash Mountain. We have two teenagers and our 11 year old. We will be taking a packed lunch with us, and eating dinner in the park. We do want to see the parade, and the castle light up, and the IASW light show as well. We would also like to be able to go to Trader Sams at some point during the day. I have no idea how to strategize our day in the best way to get everything done. Here are my questions.

What time should we plan to be parking the car?
Where should we go first to start with rides?
What is the best way to go about everything and be able to last until midnight lol?
Basically how would you schedule your whole day, what would you do when?
Any locals, If we are driving from Ontario to Anaheim on a Tuesday how much time should we allow for morning traffic?
 
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this is kinda what I do. I do 2 days in the main park, 1 day in California Adventures. I dont do Space Mountain, Matterhorn or Splash Mountain. I went on Big Thunder Mountain this year for the first time since 2012. I got to the security at Harbour Boulevard approx 8am and was walking through the entrance turnstiles at approx 8.30am on both mornings. I usually take some time out from 2pm to about 5pm, when I eat, people watch, shop or do indoors things. I dont use Maxpass but do use the free paper Fastpass. This is my park days from my most recent trip in June 2018

Day 1
  1. Coffee at Starbucks Main Street USA
  2. Pirates
  3. Peterpan
  4. SnowWhite
  5. Pinocchio
  6. Toads Wild Ride
  7. Alice Adventures
  8. Quick photo of Belle and Beast on the way into Toontown
  9. Cheese Pizza snack at Daisys Diner, eaten at one of the tables with an umbrella
  10. Train from Fantasyland to Main Street
  11. The Disney Gallery / Great Moments with Mr Lincoln, watched the video, and had a good look at all the photos, found THE bench :)
  12. Had a quick wander into Main Street Cinema
  13. Got the Mainstreet Vehicles - Omnibus from the top of Mainstreet down to The Castle / Hub
  14. Got an Indiana Jones Fastpass using the Fastpass machine
  15. Bought a doughnut from the snack cart
  16. Into Frontierland and over Mark Twain Riverboat
  17. Saw Tiana get off the boat
  18. Shops in New Orleans Square
  19. Sat for a while and listened to The Pirates singing group
  20. Saw RED walking by and took a photo
  21. Got a Haunted Mansion Fastpass using the Fastpass machine
  22. Blue Bayou Fantasmic Dining Package Meal, requested a waterside table
  23. Used Haunted Mansion Fastpass
  24. Used Indiana Jones Fastpass
  25. Winnie The Pooh
  26. Fantasmic first show and stayed to watch fireworks
  27. Jungle Cruise
  28. Shopping on the way back to Mainstreet
  29. ART bus back to my hotel at 11pm
Day 2
  1. Coffee at Starbucks Main Street USA
  2. Pirates
  3. Fruit and cheese snack at Tropical Imports
  4. Big Thunder Mountain
  5. Got Buzz Fastpass at Fastpass machine
  6. Used Buzz Fastpass
  7. Got Star Tours Fastpass at Fastpass machine
  8. Autopia
  9. Monorail round trip
  10. Star Wars Launch Bay
  11. The end of Jedi Training
  12. Chocolate Parfait Tomorrowland Terrace
  13. Found a table with a great view of Jedi Training and waited for next show
  14. Round Trip on Disneyland Train back to Tomorrowland
  15. Got Buzz Fastpass at Fastpass machine
  16. Used Buzz Fastpass
  17. Bread sticks and Marinara sauce dip at Pizza Port
  18. Used Star Tours Fastpass
  19. Got Star Tours Fastpass at Fastpass machine
  20. Citrus Fire Grilled Chicken with Rice and Beans at Rancho Del Zocalo
  21. Shopping in New Orleans Square
  22. Got Buzz Fastpass at Fastpass machine
  23. Used Buzz Fastpass
  24. Standby Star Tours
  25. Used Star Tours Fastpass
  26. Watched the end of the fireworks from Tomorrowland
  27. Shopping in Tomorrowland
  28. Shopping on Main Street
  29. ART Bus back to my hotel at 11pm
 
What are e-tickets? My two older boys will be off by themselves all day doing their own thing. My 11 year old,myself and my husband are not into the faster rides.

What is Disneyland daily's plans
 

What time should we plan to be parking the car?
approx 7 am you should be driving into Micky and Friends Parking Garage
20 minutes to walk from your car, go through security and walk to the tram pick up point
20 minutes to wait for tram and travel to drop off point in Downtown Disney
10 minutes to walk from tram drop off, through Downtown Disney and join the entrance lines at the turnstiles for 8am opening

Where should we go first to start with rides?
Fantasyland, as they are slow loading low capacity rides which dont have Fastpass

What is the best way to go about everything and be able to last until midnight lol?
take a break and have downtime between 2pm and 5pm. Many people go back to their hotels at this time but if you are just doing 1 day, then schedule a table service meal, and do things like Great Moments With Mr Lincoln or go to the lobby in Grand Californian and just take a break and chill with a book for a few hours
 
approx 7 am you should be driving into Micky and Friends Parking Garage
20 minutes to walk from your car, go through security and walk to the tram pick up point
20 minutes to wait for tram and travel to drop off point in Downtown Disney
10 minutes to walk from tram drop off, through Downtown Disney and join the entrance lines at the turnstiles for 8am opening


Fantasyland, as they are slow loading low capacity rides which dont have Fastpass


take a break and have downtime between 2pm and 5pm. Many people go back to their hotels at this time but if you are just doing 1 day, then schedule a table service meal, and do things like Great Moments With Mr Lincoln or go to the lobby in Grand Californian and just take a break and chill with a book for a few hours
Awesome, This is a big help. Thank you so much!!!
 
What are e-tickets? My two older boys will be off by themselves all day doing their own thing. My 11 year old,myself and my husband are not into the faster rides.

What is Disneyland daily's plans
"E-tickets" means two different things here. In the usage for this thread, "E-ticket" refers to the big rides (Splash, Space, Thunder, and Matterhorn for example). In the "old" days, there were ticket books; A-tickets were for the little rides, and they worked up to the E-tickets, which were for big rides, and had the fewest in the ticket books. Despite the ending of ticket books, the "E-ticket" designation stayed, and came to mean any thrill ride, essentially.

The other use of e-ticket that you would see here is in regards to entrance media (that is, your entry ticket). If you buy online, you can choose for them to email your ticket to you, which you can print out and take to the gates to get your regular ticket. Since they are sent electronically, they are often called "e-tickets."
 


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