Only One Day - Will My Plan Succeed?

[theluckyrabbit]

...Anyway, priorities are good, loose plan is good, complete understanding and usage of Maxpass is KEY, and then you'll have a great time! But minute-by-minute plans are just going to frustrate you, most likely.

Completely agree with this. Rigid plans + stress mode = miserable day at DLR. Have Plan A; have back up Plan B; then RELAX and go with the flow. Let the magic happen whenever and wherever it happens, and you'll have a great time!

 

[Katiebird]

Also realize that you have 20 rides listed out in your post, and that doesn’t includes any re-rides. Depending on crowds and your energy levels, that may not be possible.

DD and I rode 15 rides (several rerides) today, in 8 hours. That was a lot, and we were exhausted.

The most I have ever done was 31 rides (many rerides and 7am early entry at DCA, 8 of those were in the first 90 minutes) in 12 hours. Again, we were exhausted.

If you are there rope drop to close on a day they’re open 8am-midnight, you can obviously get a lot done. But does your family have the stamina to go at that pace for that long?

 

[Doingitagain]

If you want to ride fantasyland rides, I would do that first thing in the morning (except for Peter Pan). Those will be very light first thing, but the lines get significantly longer later. If those are important, you're better off spending the first hour on those.

Space mountain usually has a single rider line through the exit, use that if it's available. My daughter and I rode it seven times today, less than a 10 minute wait each time (except for the last time when someone had a medical emergency and we got stuck in a hallway for a while but that was clearly an anomaly).

Buzz rarely seems to have a return time more than 10-20 minutes out. There is no reason to ride that one early.

Why wouldn’t you do Peter Pan first thing with the other Fantasyland Rides?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Why wouldn’t you do Peter Pan first thing with the other Fantasyland Rides?

If the line for PP is already 15-20+ minutes by the time you get there, it is better to skip it in favor of the other FL rides. The PP line gets long quickly and stays long all day, so you will waste most of your MM waiting in line for one ride or most of your precious early morning time on a non-MM day waiting for one ride when you could be riding several other rides during that same time. Unless you are one of the first few people in line for PP in the morning or you magically hit a time when the line is very short, wait until you have more time to invest in that line later in the day. If you waste a precious morning hour on PP's line, by the time you exit that ride, the other FL lines will be long, too, when you could have ridden those rides when the lines were shorter. Does this make sense? Nemo is another ride like this. That line is a time hog and the ride is a slow loader and a longer ride in itself. By the time you exit, many of the other ride lines will be long. Better to save Nemo for later in the day when you have the time to invest, after you've ridden other rides while their lines were shorter.

 

[Doingitagain]

If the line for PP is already 15-20+ minutes by the time you get there, it is better to skip it in favor of the other FL rides. The PP line gets long quickly and stays long all day, so you will waste most of your MM waiting in line for one ride or most of your precious early morning time on a non-MM day waiting for one ride when you could be riding several other rides during that same time. Unless you are one of the first few people in line for PP in the morning or you magically hit a time when the line is very short, wait until you have more time to invest in that line later in the day. If you waste a precious morning hour on PP's line, by the time you exit that ride, the other FL lines will be long, too, when you could have ridden those rides when the lines were shorter. Does this make sense? Nemo is another ride like this. That line is a time hog and the ride is a slow loader and a longer ride in itself. By the time you exit, many of the other ride lines will be long. Better to save Nemo for later in the day when you have the time to invest, after you've ridden other rides while their lines were shorter.

That makes a ton of sense, thank you so much for the very thorough reply! Since PP is not a FP, being their first or waiting is a good idea.

 

[mamapenguin]

I plan on using single rider for Indy and the Incredicoaster for sure.

I would fast pass Indy. I have never had very good luck with single rider on Indy, it can be really slow like Gringott's single Rider at Universal Orlando. Assuming since you normally WDW, you probably know what I mean.

 

[Jaina]

Completely agree with this. Rigid plans + stress mode = miserable day at DLR. Have Plan A, have back up Plan B, then RELAX and go with the flow, Let the magic happen whenever and wherever it happens, and you'll have a great time!

This is what I love about Disneyland. (And why thinking about planning for WDW intimidates me a bit and sounds less magical)

And, you can totally do it. I recently-ish (in October and in December) did 2 different 1-day park hopper guerilla Disney days, and it was exhausting, but awesome. I have trip reports for each in my signature if you want to get some ideas of how it went for us.

 

[Katiebird]

I would fast pass Indy. I have never had very good luck with single rider on Indy, it can be really slow like Gringott's single Rider at Universal Orlando. Assuming since you normally WDW, you probably know what I mean.

I’ve found the opposite with Indy, fastpass is slow & single rider quick. It’s a long walk in though.

 

[jhaig]

Why wouldn’t you do Peter Pan first thing with the other Fantasyland Rides?

Actually Peter Pan is not high on our list. I hear it’s not much different than WDW’s version. Since we’ve done that one a hundred times, we want to focus on other things. However, seems like doing Fantasyland first might be a better option either way.

 

[jhaig]

This is what I love about Disneyland. (And why thinking about planning for WDW intimidates me a bit and sounds less magical)

And, you can totally do it. I recently-ish (in October and in December) did 2 different 1-day park hopper guerilla Disney days, and it was exhausting, but awesome. I have trip reports for each in my signature if you want to get some ideas of how it went for us.

I will check them out. We will definitely have a plan A but be very flexible. A guerilla day is fine with us, but adding stress to it won’t help. I’m so used to planning for WDW that not doing as much planning for DL is throwing me off!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Actually Peter Pan is not high on our list...

PP at DL is, in my opinion, absolutely worth doing because it is one of the original was-there-on-opening-day rides. Just don't waste your morning on it. It is very fun for closing out the park, though!

 

[disneymum58]

Since your girls aren't willing to ride Incredicoaster, Indy or Guardians, you could use their MaxPass to get FP for YOU to use on those rides.

 

[DLRExpert]

#1 Always expect Disneyland and Disney California Adventure to be busy.
#2 Always visit Disneyland on the non-Extra Magic Hour/Magic Morning day if you do not have access to the event.
#3 Get to the park entrance 30 minutes before it officially opens. Remember it can take 30-45 minutes to get from parking or hotel areas and through security to the entrance.

730am: Arrive at the entrance to Disneyland. They will start to let you in 30-10 minutes before official park opening. However, they will hold you near Hub via a rope. You want to be in the middle or right areas of the rope and as close as you can get. While waiting you can purchase your MaxPass and make your first FP for the Matterhorn

8am-9am: Head to Fantasyland when the park opens but DO NOT go through the main castle gates. Instead, head towards the Matterhorn and veer left to Alice in Wonderland and ride it. Then ride Mr. Toad, Casey Jr., Pinocchio, and Snow White. Now use FP to ride Matterhorn and use MP to get FP for Indiana Jones. Your goal is to be out of Fantasyland by 9am.
*** Note that you can use your FP 5 minutes before or 15 minutes after the FP Return time you are given

9am-10am: Now ride Big Thunder Mountain, then Pirates of the Caribbean, use MP and get FP for Space Moutain, use FP for Indiana Jones. Your goal is to be at Splash Mountain as close to 10am as you can.

10am-11am: Splash Mountain, ride Haunted Mansion, use MP and grab FP for Radiator Springs Racers.

11am-2pm: Now you will need to waste some time before you can use that FP for Space Mountain. Ride something like the Jungle Cruise, walkthrough Tarzan's Treehouse or Sleeping Beauty's Castle, ride the Disneyland Railroad or have lunch. The next FP you want to get is for Guardians of the Galaxy, then Incredicoaster (use single rider if needed), Toy Story Midway Mania, Grizzly River Run (use single rider if needed), and Goofy's Sky School (use single rider if needed)

You basically want to mix in FP attractions with Non-FP attractions at this point (Symphony Swings, Mermaid, etc.).
Go back to Disneyland at night and then grab FP for Roger Rabit Cartoon Spin (remember Toontown closes early for the fireworks) and Small World. The Finding Nemo Submarines and Autopia do not offer FP but is best to ride after the fireworks.

ME

 

[Cinderella94]

#1 Always expect Disneyland and Disney California Adventure to be busy.
#2 Always visit Disneyland on the non-Extra Magic Hour/Magic Morning day if you do not have access to the event.
#3 Get to the park entrance 30 minutes before it officially opens. Remember it can take 30-45 minutes to get from parking or hotel areas and through security to the entrance.

730am: Arrive at the entrance to Disneyland. They will start to let you in 30-10 minutes before official park opening. However, they will hold you near Hub via a rope. You want to be in the middle or right areas of the rope and as close as you can get. While waiting you can purchase your MaxPass and make your first FP for the Matterhorn

8am-9am: Head to Fantasyland when the park opens but DO NOT go through the main castle gates. Instead, head towards the Matterhorn and veer left to Alice in Wonderland and ride it. Then ride Mr. Toad, Casey Jr., Pinocchio, and Snow White. Now use FP to ride Matterhorn and use MP to get FP for Indiana Jones. Your goal is to be out of Fantasyland by 9am.
*** Note that you can use your FP 5 minutes before or 15 minutes after the FP Return time you are given

9am-10am: Now ride Big Thunder Mountain, then Pirates of the Caribbean, use MP and get FP for Space Moutain, use FP for Indiana Jones. Your goal is to be at Splash Mountain as close to 10am as you can.

10am-11am: Splash Mountain, ride Haunted Mansion, use MP and grab FP for Radiator Springs Racers.

11am-2pm: Now you will need to waste some time before you can use that FP for Space Mountain. Ride something like the Jungle Cruise, walkthrough Tarzan's Treehouse or Sleeping Beauty's Castle, ride the Disneyland Railroad or have lunch. The next FP you want to get is for Guardians of the Galaxy, then Incredicoaster (use single rider if needed), Toy Story Midway Mania, Grizzly River Run (use single rider if needed), and Goofy's Sky School (use single rider if needed)

You basically want to mix in FP attractions with Non-FP attractions at this point (Symphony Swings, Mermaid, etc.).
Go back to Disneyland at night and then grab FP for Roger Rabit Cartoon Spin (remember Toontown closes early for the fireworks) and Small World. The Finding Nemo Submarines and Autopia do not offer FP but is best to ride after the fireworks.

ME

Thank you so much for this!! We're planning our first trip to DL for January and will only have one day, so this thread is very helpful.

 

[jhaig]

#1 Always expect Disneyland and Disney California Adventure to be busy.
#2 Always visit Disneyland on the non-Extra Magic Hour/Magic Morning day if you do not have access to the event.
#3 Get to the park entrance 30 minutes before it officially opens. Remember it can take 30-45 minutes to get from parking or hotel areas and through security to the entrance.

730am: Arrive at the entrance to Disneyland. They will start to let you in 30-10 minutes before official park opening. However, they will hold you near Hub via a rope. You want to be in the middle or right areas of the rope and as close as you can get. While waiting you can purchase your MaxPass and make your first FP for the Matterhorn

8am-9am: Head to Fantasyland when the park opens but DO NOT go through the main castle gates. Instead, head towards the Matterhorn and veer left to Alice in Wonderland and ride it. Then ride Mr. Toad, Casey Jr., Pinocchio, and Snow White. Now use FP to ride Matterhorn and use MP to get FP for Indiana Jones. Your goal is to be out of Fantasyland by 9am.
*** Note that you can use your FP 5 minutes before or 15 minutes after the FP Return time you are given

9am-10am: Now ride Big Thunder Mountain, then Pirates of the Caribbean, use MP and get FP for Space Moutain, use FP for Indiana Jones. Your goal is to be at Splash Mountain as close to 10am as you can.

10am-11am: Splash Mountain, ride Haunted Mansion, use MP and grab FP for Radiator Springs Racers.

11am-2pm: Now you will need to waste some time before you can use that FP for Space Mountain. Ride something like the Jungle Cruise, walkthrough Tarzan's Treehouse or Sleeping Beauty's Castle, ride the Disneyland Railroad or have lunch. The next FP you want to get is for Guardians of the Galaxy, then Incredicoaster (use single rider if needed), Toy Story Midway Mania, Grizzly River Run (use single rider if needed), and Goofy's Sky School (use single rider if needed)

You basically want to mix in FP attractions with Non-FP attractions at this point (Symphony Swings, Mermaid, etc.).
Go back to Disneyland at night and then grab FP for Roger Rabit Cartoon Spin (remember Toontown closes early for the fireworks) and Small World. The Finding Nemo Submarines and Autopia do not offer FP but is best to ride after the fireworks.

ME

Love this!

 

[bethwc101]

I plan on using single rider for Indy and the Incredicoaster for sure.

Delete

 

[DLRExpert]

Thank you so much for this!! We're planning our first trip to DL for January and will only have one day, so this thread is very helpful.

Just be aware if the park opens at 9am you should still do as much as you can in Fantasyland in regards to dark rides for 30 minutes. Just skip the Matterhorn and do it later when you get to the Tomorrowland area.

ME

 

[OneTrackMind]

Just be aware if the park opens at 9am you should still do as much as you can in Fantasyland in regards to dark rides for 30 minutes. Just skip the Matterhorn and do it later when you get to the Tomorrowland area.

ME

Personally, I would skip the Matterhorn altogether! It was my favourite as a kid but I can’t handle the rough ride now.

OP, if at all possible with your timing, I highly recommend trying to ride Radiator Springs after dark. It’s okay during the day but spectacular at night! If that doesn’t work with your timing then I guess you’ll just have to come back for a longer trip another time!

 

[jhaig]

Personally, I would skip the Matterhorn altogether! It was my favourite as a kid but I can’t handle the rough ride now.

OP, if at all possible with your timing, I highly recommend trying to ride Radiator Springs after dark. It’s okay during the day but spectacular at night! If that doesn’t work with your timing then I guess you’ll just have to come back for a longer trip another time!

Couldn’t I hop in the standby line right before closing to be sure to ride it at night?

 

[DLRExpert]

Couldn’t I hop in the standby line right before closing to be sure to ride it at night?

Stand By will still be about an hour.
RSR FP tends to sell out around 11-12.
With my plan the return time will be around 7-9ish

It might line up with a night ride but due to your request to see two parks in one day, I wouldn't be picky as it could have an effect on other FP attractions.

ME