Need suggestions -- both parks opening at 9 AM

[pixarmom]

Svenson, you have a very good handle on how the crowd patterns will likely be. Your thoughts on how "effieceint" an early morning Fantasyland tour is exactly how many frequent posters here also think.

Many of us shake our heads at the 45-60 min. mid afternoon lines at Peter Pan, Dumbo, Alice & Matterhorn when "those in the know" would ride all four of those attractions the first 25-30 min. of park opening (& also during MM).

Hydroguy & I have long bit our tongue on Nemo. (not knocking it, but kind of not recommending it). Yeah, it's worth riding (maybe once)....but it takes 8-10 min. to load & 10 min. to ride...then another 5 min. to unload. It drives me crazy to be sitting there on this fairly lame ride when there are cooler attractions to ride & FPs to pick up during the important first hour of park opening.

I frankly find Storybookland, Alice & Pinocchio (& of course the Matterhorn) more of a "must do" for the WDW vet than Nemo. I suspect that you would too. (Heck...I think IASW is more of a must do than Nemo...& I LOVE the Nemo movie & cringe a little at the IASW song .)

If you visit when BOTH parks open at 9am, report back your thoughts on which park was best to tour between 9am & 10am. (But as others have said, absolutely DO MM each day it's offered (assuming you have the privilidges....& get to the turnstile 30 min. before MM opens.....it's easy to get up early when you're traveling from the Eastern or Central time zone.)

Perfect! Thank you for this post. We're WDW vets going for only 3 days in August (one blackout day, one partial blackout day, one with no blackout.) Our youngest loves Nemo and our two older boys think it would be cool to ride a submarine ride that's not available at WDW. After all my reading here, I thought it just can't be worth all we would miss at rope drop. Not only am I the mom, but I haven't been to DL since childhood, so I am not the voice of authority here. Now I can show them this post.

 

[tlovesdis]

OP, remember that you will also be there at a slower time of the year so there won't be huge crowds. With 5 days and low crowds you will be able to do everything more than once!!! All of the Spring Breaks are over, it's before Mother's Day as well, so you should be just fine!

Have a grea time on your first visit to the Happiest Place on Earth! I'll be there at the end of your week and can't wait!!!

 

[iheartdisney]

Hydroguy, thanks so much for pointing out the time involved with Nemo. Having never experienced that one, I would have never expected it . . . until I was sitting looking at my watch and not truly enjoying it as I watched the valuable first half hour of the day tick by. Now I will be prepared mentally and we will choose one morning as "Nemo Morning," maybe even a non-MM day.

Fantasyland is so efficient first thing in the morning. In past years, we've covered virtually every attraction in Fantasyland at WDW within the first 70 minutes of the day, and then snickered as we passed thru later in the afternoon and saw the 50 minute wait times at several rides. It is SO worth waking up early!

Thanks so much for all the advice. I feel much better now!

DL Fantasyland operates in the same fashion, even on the busiest of days. We went last year on July 17th (Disneyland's birthday) and we had fantasyland in our rearview mirrors within the hour. We started at Peter Pan and went Counter clockwise until we ended back at Snow White and then cut over to Storybookland and followed the line down to the Matterhorn.

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

The toughest part will be convincing the kids to try something new (Storybookland, Alice, Pinocchio, Matterhorn) when they will be SO excited to see their old favorites (Space Mtn, Buzz Lightyear, Mad Tea Party - ugh!).

Well, please don't miss Alice!! It is one of my favorite rides in all of DL!

 

[Huff]

Huff, I think I'll skip one (or two) of the Fantasyland attractions during the Magic Morning hour and dash over to Space Mtn for Fastpasses.

Oh well, as long as I have a Dole Whip (or two) each day, I'll be happy/QUOTE]

Not sure what time they open the FP machines on magic mornings. Space mountain FP's go quick and line can get bad. We have gone on slow days when it's been walk on but thats rare. Space is FAR better at Disneyland than WDW!!

Adventureland has Dole Whips next to the Tiki room, maybe other places as well.

 

[meg8182000]

Hey there - I'm pretty new to posting but have been lurking for a while so thought I might as well jump on in here and start chatting.

I am on the east coast so WDW has been my disney home - I even got married there back in 2000. I had been to DL twice as day trips (2001 & 2003) but then finally last year actually stayed at the GC for 4 nights with my mom. It really changed everything for me. I originally thought that I might get bored with just 2 parks but actually found that I loved the pace and the convenience of everything that I didn't want to leave. LOL We were there from Sept. 23rd - 27th so we got to be there for the opening of the Nightmare before Christmas HM and the newly revised SM for the Holloween holidays. Loved it!

OK - as someone who has done both parks just a little advise. Don't be fooled into thinking that SM or Pirates are the same ride as in WDW - they really aren't. They are better in my opinion in DL. I love that DL still have Mr. Toad's ride. In my opinion - Peter Pan is better in WDW - it's over too quick in DL so definitely ride it when the lines aren't that long as I personally don't think it's worth a 40 minute wait.

I see that you are staying at the GCH - I really liked this hotel. Make time for the pool and just relax. The great thing is that it won't take you long to realize that you can go to DCA in the morning and then hop over to DL for lunch and then back to the hotel for some pool time and not waste anytime at all. In WDW you have to add a lot of time in for transportation and such. Not in DL - the hotel, DTD, DL and DCA are all w/in a few minutes walk. :

You'll have a great time.

Mary

 

[Feistygirl916]

Another HUGE difference between WDW and DLR is Space Mtn.

Ours (DLR) rocks! We have music in there and I swear it's faster!

There are quite a few differences, it's also quite nice to walk where Walt did... Very magical

 

[HydroGuy]

Another HUGE difference between WDW and DLR is Space Mtn.

Ours (DLR) rocks! We have music in there and I swear it's faster!

There are quite a few differences, it's also quite nice to walk where Walt did... Very magical

As I like to say, the DL Space Mtn is light years better than MK's.

 

[DLR29]

As I like to say, the DL Space Mtn is light years better than MK's.

That was worse than a bad JC skipper!

 

[S. S. Columbia]

... as long as I have a Dole Whip (or two) each day, I'll be happy.

Here's a tip about the Tiki Juice Bar that's worth repeating:

The Tiki Juice Bar has two lines.

And the line from the inside of the Enchanted Tiki Room courtyard is always shorter than the line from the main (Adventureland) walkway. Sometimes much shorter.

(The Tiki Room "courtyard" is the pre-show area, where you wait before entering the Tiki Room.)

HTH

 

[Svenson]

The Tiki Juice Bar has two lines.

And the line from the inside of the Enchanted Tiki Room courtyard is always shorter than the line from the main (Adventureland) walkway. Sometimes much shorter.

Wow, thanks Columbia! Now I have to admit, I've waited in some VERY long lines for a Dole Whip at WDW -- usually the family just gives up and moves on without me. Not to mention that usually it has melted down my hand in the Florida sun by the time I catch up with the family! Now that I actually have a "Dole Whip Line Strategy", I just may learn to love DLR more than WDW!

All of these tips are so great! I am organizing all of my DIS-tips documents today. Thank you everyone!

 

[Dizneydaz]

Here's a tip about the Tiki Juice Bar that's worth repeating:

The Tiki Juice Bar has two lines.

And the line from the inside of the Enchanted Tiki Room courtyard is always shorter than the line from the main (Adventureland) walkway. Sometimes much shorter.

HTH

This is the line we always use. I am always surprised at the length of the line outside the Tiki Room area when compared to the inside line. But, be aware, the CMs aren't particularly fast. Even a few people in line inf front of you can take longer than you expect. Especially if there is only 1 CM handling both sides.

Some people worry that they can't enter the waiting area unless they are seeing the show. Not true. Once you get your Dole Whip you can enter through the same gate you entered, or you can sit there and enjoy the pre-show (if your timing is right!)

 

[Hound 109]

I remember reading a person's "one day trip report" a couple of weeks back..... & they described getting their Dole Whip from the Tiki Room side....as doing a "Dole Whip Fast Pass".

Honestly.... once prior to entering the Tiki Room waiting area, i saw a LONG (15-18 person line) outside the Tiki Room under the JungleLand entrance. So we went thru the Tiki Room entrance, bought a dole whip (no line on the Tiki side), sat for 5 minutes (listening to the Tiki outdoor music schtick & slurped up our Dole Whip Float), exited back out.....& saw the same people standing there 10th-12th in line.

It's the only way to buy a Dole Whip if you're a cool Dis'er.

 

[lorasmom]

I grew up in FL and going to WDW, so I can tell you - there's really no comparison. Don't walk into DLand like I did and be SHOCKED. . It's not good or bad, it's just a DIFFERENT type of experience.

Very cool! Thanks, GrandBob! I loved the Wiki map! I've never tried the ruler tool.

So I guess it's kinda like going from Epcot's World Showcase to Future World.

Exactly! It's literally that close!

I frankly find Storybookland, Alice & Pinocchio (& of course the Matterhorn) more of a "must do" for the WDW vet than Nemo. I suspect that you would too. (Heck...I think IASW is more of a must do than Nemo...& I LOVE the Nemo movie & cringe a little at the IASW song .)

I would agree.

SM, Pirates, BTMRR - all are better at DL.

 

[LavenderPeach]

To be more specific, the DCA Soarin came first so it is Epcot that is the same as DCA.

Sorry, a little off topic but.....Really? Did they have a different movie playing in the Epcot Soarin' theater before that? We've only been to WDW once and it was in 2000 (before DCA opened) and I remember riding/watching something similar to Soarin' (can't remember which park though). When DCA first opened i remember thinking that it seemed like they took a bunch of stuff from the different parks at WDW and put it all into one park and I remember Soarin' seemed like one of the "copies". I did think it was a different movie though which is why i was surprised to hear that it's the same at Epcot and DCA.

 

[HydroGuy]

Sorry, a little off topic but.....Really? Did they have a different movie playing in the Epcot Soarin' theater before that? We've only been to WDW once and it was in 2000 (before DCA opened) and I remember riding/watching something similar to Soarin' (can't remember which park though). When DCA first opened i remember thinking that it seemed like they took a bunch of stuff from the different parks at WDW and put it all into one park and I remember Soarin' seemed like one of the "copies". I did think it was a different movie though which is why i was surprised to hear that it's the same at Epcot and DCA.

This was based on a documentary I saw on DCA several years ago. They talked about the development of the Soarin ride system for DCA.

Soarin at DCA opened in 2001 with the park. Soarin at Epcot opened a few years later. I thought it was 2004 or 2005 so googled it. Wikipedia says it was 2005 which sounds right:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epcot

May 5, 2005: Soarin' opens at The Land

 

[DLR29]

Sorry, a little off topic but.....Really? Did they have a different movie playing in the Epcot Soarin' theater before that? We've only been to WDW once and it was in 2000 (before DCA opened) and I remember riding/watching something similar to Soarin' (can't remember which park though). When DCA first opened i remember thinking that it seemed like they took a bunch of stuff from the different parks at WDW and put it all into one park and I remember Soarin' seemed like one of the "copies". I did think it was a different movie though which is why i was surprised to hear that it's the same at Epcot and DCA.

Perhaps you are thinking of one of the Circle Vision films at Epcot, either the China one or the Canada one. DCA opened in 2001 with only a couple things from WDW: It's Tough to be a Bug, MuppetVision, and the Animation Building (which is/was better at DCA). DCA just didn't open with very many things to begin with. Soarin is one of those many examples (as will the Little Mermaid ride be unfortunately) of a DLR ride that went to WDW.

 

[LavenderPeach]

This was based on a documentary I saw on DCA several years ago. They talked about the development of the Soarin ride system for DCA.

Soarin at DCA opened in 2001 with the park. Soarin at Epcot opened a few years later. I thought it was 2004 or 2005 so googled it. Wikipedia says it was 2005 which sounds right:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epcot

Perhaps you are thinking of one of the Circle Vision films at Epcot, either the China one or the Canada one. DCA opened in 2001 with only a couple things from WDW: It's Tough to be a Bug, MuppetVision, and the Animation Building (which is/was better at DCA). DCA just didn't open with very many things to begin with. Soarin is one of those many examples (as will the Little Mermaid ride be unfortunately) of a DLR ride that went to WDW.

Okay, now I'm really confused. I'll have to ask DH when he gets home but I'm sure we saw a movie that was like Soarin' at WDW - with the same type of seats. It didn't have a California theme but it was the same type of thing. Was I just dreaming this? It wasn't circle vision because i remember that well from the 80s at DL. We were at WDW in November 2000 and our first trip to DCA was September 10, 2001 (easy to remember that date). So there was less than a year between trips so i was comparing. I know there wasn't a lot of things from WDW at DCA but having just seen Muppet Vision and it's tough to be a bug, and whatever this other thing is that i think I saw at WDW, we thought there seemed like several similarities when we first went to DCA. We also thought CA screamin' was similar (sort of) to Rockin' Roller Coaster - at least with the fast start. Anyway, I'll have to find out what DH remembers and see if I'm going crazy.

 

[lorasmom]

Okay, now I'm really confused. I'll have to ask DH when he gets home but I'm sure we saw a movie that was like Soarin' at WDW - with the same type of seats. It didn't have a California theme but it was the same type of thing. Was I just dreaming this? It wasn't circle vision because i remember that well from the 80s at DL. We were at WDW in November 2000 and our first trip to DCA was September 10, 2001 (easy to remember that date). So there was less than a year between trips so i was comparing. I know there wasn't a lot of things from WDW at DCA but having just seen Muppet Vision and it's tough to be a bug, and whatever this other thing is that i think I saw at WDW, we thought there seemed like several similarities when we first went to DCA. We also thought CA screamin' was similar (sort of) to Rockin' Roller Coaster - at least with the fast start. Anyway, I'll have to find out what DH remembers and see if I'm going crazy.

Epcot didn't have anything like that prior to Soarin'.

 

[LavenderPeach]

Epcot didn't have anything like that prior to Soarin'.

There wasn't anything even remotely similar at any of the WDW parks before that? I'm either losing my mind or the movie I saw was less similar to Soarin' than i thought. lol.