Overwhelmed by planning

[JulieMB]

We were planning a trip to WDW in December and then my Dad had a wonderful idea to go to DLR in April to celebrate my son's 12th birthday. He and my Mom went for the 50th celebration, so he decided we should all go for the 60th.

I think this came about 3 weeks ago and I changed gears to learn all I could about DL. I've been to WDW a handful of times, but only DL once as a child.

I am a researcher by nature and I have read SO many blogs and websites on tricks, tips, do's and dont's! I have changed a number of reservations from where/when we are eating to when we get my daughter's hair done to meet Anna, Elsa and other princesses.

I feel like I need to join an addiction group at this point.

I just want my babies (at 8 and almost 12 they aren't technically babies anymore) to have the BEST time. I just want my parents to feel like it was worth the cost of taking 7 people on a spur of the moment trip. I just want my husband to finally see why I spent countless hours researching.

I just want...it to be perfect.

Thanks for reading this!

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

Check out the sticky threads at the top of this page, especially the WDW vets guide to DL. Planning for DL is not nearly as intense as for WDW, you will be fine. You are already way ahead of the curve of the average guest, so you will have a good idea of what to do next if plans need to be changed. Check out the ride closures and show times.

 

[sheetz]

You don't say how many day's you're going, but if you have at least 4 days in the parks you should be able to do everything you want at a leisurely pace. BTW, don't shoot for perfection because you'll be setting yourself up for failure and disappointment.

 

[JulieMB]

Oh, sorry, I should have stated. We fly into LAX at 9 am on Thursday, April 21, so I think we can get into the parks by noon. We fly out around 11 am on Sunday, April 24th.

That gives us about 2.5 days in the parks.

I've read the WDW vet page and it does help with the sudden anxiety I've developed!

I've also joined ridemax and touringplans to get help with planning and wait times. I've been stalking Casey on DLRprep as to tips/tricks/etc.

I'm a mess, I know. Thanks for letting me vent! ;-)

 

[cedricandsophie]

I can only say...relax. I'm not a planner at all. I read about a country, a city, a place we are going to when I'm on the plane. In my ecperience when I do try to over plan, that's when things go awry. And then you can't enjoy what was because you're still hoping for what you didn't get. Dl And DWD are best enjoyed when you are relaxed, not rushing from ride to ride becsuse you are a time schedule, but strolling, taking in all the sights and colors , stopping for ice cream, just standing and staring statue castle for a few minutes, laughing a lot and enjoying watching others in your party enjoy the wonder of it all. The more stressed you are the less the kids will enjoy it because they will see and feel your disappointmrnt if things don't go the way you want. Anyway sorry for the platitudes. Your family will have a great time if you do. Sometimes what you consider a mistake or going off the rails makes the greatest memories of all.

 

[Indiana Scott]

You really don't need to do a ton of planning to enjoy DLR. We plan nothing and simply stroll through the parks and take them in. When we're hungry we stop by a restaurant that sounds good or head across the resort to a destination eatery.
We've learned to take it very low-key and tour the park in a relaxed manner rather than having to be here or there at a certain time and plan every detail - which take the fun out of it for us.

 

[VandVsmama]

Elk Grove Chris is right. You should check out the sticky threads. They are REALLY helpful. Some additional suggestions to consider (this is a bit of a long list, so keep your arms & legs inside the ride vehicle at all times!):

• DL is a magical place and you'll have a wonderful time. Give yourself some time on your trip so you can take it all in and savor it, if it's just for a few minutes.
• Hair - there are 2 options - Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique inside Fantasyland or Anna & Elsa's salon in DTD. I think the prices at the DTD location are slightly less than the Fantasyland one, but check the DL website to make sure.
• Follow Hydroguy's DL rule of having each person in your group pick the #1 attraction that they want to see at DL above all else. You can just pick 1. Then on day 1, make it your mission to get them on that attraction/ride/show/etc. The reason you do this is in case 1 of the "must do's" is Indiana Jones and Indy is closed that day because of ride problems, then you still have the rest of your trip in order to go on it. Or if seeing the fireworks is a must do, just remember that fireworks can often be cancelled because of high winds. So if you've waited until the last night to see fireworks, you could end up missing out entirely.
• DL dining reservations are open 60 days beforehand. There is not the crazy mad dash to call in the middle of the night like there is at WDW. All of the menus & prices are online at allears.net and that's where I go to figure out where we want to dine for a TS restaurant.
• The CS options at DL are pretty good. It's not just a repeat of hamburgers and hot dogs at every location. There is a really nice variety and even quite a lot of vegetarian choices throughout both parks.
• EMH/Magic Morning is @ DL on Tues, Thurs, & Sat. EMH @ DCA is the other days of the week. People staying on site get EMH, which is ONLY the first hour before park opening. There are no evening EMH options. People NOT staying on site also can get a Magic Morning entry if they have a 3-day or more ticket.
• A vast majority of DL visitors are locals to the So Cal area. And they will rarely show up before 10am. This is why using EMH/MM, if you have the option of using it, is so valuable...which is why you should...
• Follow Hydroguy's other big DL rule of getting up early & being there for rope drop! Get to the main gate 30 min before park opening. But if you are absolutely NOT morning people, then don't try to fit a square peg into a round hol
• There are no FP for meet & greets.
• Peter Pan has no FP either. The line is always long, unless you get there right when the park opens. That's why you should take advantage of rope drop.
• Download the Disneyland app to your smart phone before your arrival & familiarize yourself with it. It has ride wait times, the entertainment schedule, and it also tells you locations & times of meet & greets.
• RSR at Carsland is an awesome ride. Seriously. Don't miss it. FP for this ride run out usually within 2 hr of regular park opening.
• At dusk every evening, Carsland will play the "Sh-boom" song while all of the neon lights are lit up. You should make a point of seeing it. It's only a couple of minutes long, but it's really neat. Your whole family will get a kick out of it.
• There are no FP for Toy Story. I'd consider a wait time of 20-30 min to be pretty decent. Go on this in the first hour to minimize wait times.
• At DCA, if the wait for Ariel's ride is >15 min, then that's when you know it's a busy day. It's a high rider capacity ride.
• Don't miss the Tiki Room! The line for a Dole whip is shorter inside the attraction waiting area.
• Winnie the Pooh rarely has a line >15 min long. No FP for this, but you don't need it.
• DL uses regular paper FP. No FP reservations ahead of time. You will find that this is actually a positive thing.
• I believe that the FP for Buzz are still disconnected from the other FP machines, so this will mean that you can have FP for Buzz and FP for another DL ride at the same time.
• Paint the Night parade is totally amazing and you shouldn't miss it.
• Every afternoon at Coke Corner on Main Street, the Mad Hatter & Alice play musical chairs with kids. A lot of people don't know about this. Ask at Coke Corner earlier in the day re: what time. it's often 2-3pm-ish.
• Every day, the Disneyland band will do a cool 10 min "show" with a couple (or sometimes several) characters in front of the castle. They do something similar in front of Main Street station, too. Ask at City Hall for times.
• City Hall at the beginning of the day usually has a line that goes out the door.
• You can get buttons from City Hall or from the CM at the ride wait times board on Main Street. Ticket booths also usually have buttons like "First Visit" or "I'm celebrating!"
• There's a walk-through attraction at Sleeping Beauty castle.
• Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Mad Hatter, and Alice are often just wandering around FL in the first 2 hours that DL is open.
• Character meet & greets are very interactive at DLR.
• Best way to meet Mickey with zero wait - Be at the gates to Toontown 5 minutes before Toontown opens. Toontown opens an hour AFTER the regular DL park opening time. So if regular DL opening is 8am, Toontown opens at 9am. Walk straight to Mickey's house and you'll have no wait time! The other main characters will also be in Toontown at that same time doing meet & greets.

On travelling with grandparents:
I'm not sure how often you vacation with your parents, but sometimes on a multigenerational trip like this, expectations can be high but reality sets in, leading sometimes to frustrations & disappointment. Your parents may or may not have the same level of energy as you & your family does. Or it might be 1 of those things where the heart is willing but the body is unable to keep up. Or your parents might not be used to your & DH's parenting style. Or maybe they're morning people and your family isn't. Etc., etc. When frustrations start to rise, just recognize that it isn't personal and give you & your parents the opportunity to take a breather from each other for a few minutes. Having separate hotel rooms is very helpful with this, btw.

 

[sheetz]

The only thing you'll really need to plan is if you are hoping to see World of Color, the Parade, and fireworks since those can be tricky. For attractions just do what Ridemax says. You can make a couple of restaurants reservation if you must, but I never bother.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Oh man, that's a lot of pressure on you! Planning wise all I can think that might be left for you is to familiarize yourself with the ride closure/refurbishment list before you go. That way you don't waste time going to something that is closed or get your hopes up for a ride that won't be running.

You do sound so prepared! There might be one last thing though- get ready to go with the flow. There is something about DL where it never works out exactly as I have planned, never and that is many trips over the years. The ride breaks, there is a parade blocking the path, the wind kicks up when the fireworks were supposed to go off. While I hope you have a perfect no hitch trip, don't be afraid to deviate from your perfect schedule! It will still be a fun trip!

 

[VandVsmama]

Other stuff to consider:
At DL, people don't decorate their hotel room windows like a lot of people do at WDW.

Save $$ on the evening "gimme's" by bringing some Dollar Store glow sticks/glow necklaces if your kids are into that. Bring a couple of extra to hand out to other children as a cool way to spread some Disney magic.

Don't waste time in the mornings on shows. Save the shows for the afternoon when it's more crowded.

Not sure if you're staying within walking distance but if you are, consider taking a mid-afternoon break at the hotel room in order to prevent theme park fatigue. This is an excellent way to keep grandparents from getting extra cranky.

The character meal at Ariel's is overrated, in my opinion. You'll get far better character interaction at Princess Fantasy Faire in Fantasyland. Really.

If your 8 yr old is into princesses, then don't miss the shows at the Royal Theater in FL. Adults find them entertaining, too...they usually have some very witty jokes that only the adults understand.

Good value for a character meal - the breakfast at the Plaza Inn. We saw 6-7 characters when we were there. Totally worth it.


Here's one possible ride plan for a morning at DL:
This assumes that you're using your MM entry, so you're there on a Tues, Thurs, or Saturday.

• Get to main gate 30 min beforehand. 40-45 min before MM opening time if you want to be 1 of the first ones on Peter Pan.
• Walk with purpose (don't run!) to FL. Go on Peter Pan first.
• Then, in this approximate order, go on: Matterhorn, Dumbo, Alice, Mr Toad, Snow White, King Arthur's Carousel, Pinocchio. Then go on Casey Jr train if you want to or skip it if not interested.
• BEFORE the day begins, decide what your first FP ride will be. When MM ends, send 1 adult to that ride with everybody's tickets to grab FP. Let's say it's Space Mountain. Send rest of the group to the bathrooms in Tomorrowland, then everybody meets up outside Autopia (if it's open, right now I think it's being refurbished).
• Go on Autopia.
• Then go on Buzz.
• If FP window is now available, don't go on Space Mtn yet. Send adult to ANOTHER ride to get FP. Go get Star Tours FP for everyone. THEN go on Space Mountain.
• After Space Mountain, go to Adventureland. Do Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise if it's open. Also while in Adventureland, go into the Bazaar shops and find the Shrunken Ned machine. Get a 'prescription card' for your kids from Shrunken Ned. It's corny and really funny.
• Now go on Haunted Mansion. Then Pirates if your Star Tours FP window hasn't opened up yet.
• Once Star Tours FP window opens, next send an adult to get Indiana Jones FP. THEN go on Star Tours.
• Now you're probably ready for lunch. Eat lunch at counter service or have a reservation ahead of time at the restaurant of your choice.

 

[VandVsmama]

Possible ride plan for a morning at DCA:
This assumes you're not staying on site, so you don't get EMH.

• Go on a non-EMH day (Tues, Thurs, or Sat). Get to DCA main gate 30 min beforehand.
• Walk to Carsland and stay as far to the right as possible while walking down the Carsland "street"
• Go on RSR.
• Then go on Luigi's & Mater's. Don't forget to take pictures in front of the Carsland sign!
• Now get RSR FP. The line moves quickly.
• Next go to TSMM. Then CA Screamin' if you are roller coaster fans.
• Otherwise, go to Tower of Terror or Soarin' next. These both have FP, as does CA Screamin' & Grizzly River Rapids.
• Now go on Ariel's or other Paradise Pier rides that float your boat! Pay attention to the start time for your RSR FP. When that window begins, get a FP for another ride BEFORE going on RSR.
• RSR can often have ride problems. If this happens during your FP window, the CM will honor your RSR FP for any time later in the day.
• After you go on RSR, head to the Animation building. Take DD to the Anna & Elsa meet & greet. Others in your group who aren't interested can do Animation Academy or Turtle Talk with Crush. Animation Academy is a good time filler and you can do it over and over again and draw a different character every time.
• Now go on Monsters, Inc. If Olaf is still doing a M&G and the wait isn't too bad, go and do that.
• If you're there when the Frozen Sing along is still going on, go and see that. It's a huge theater and you won't have any problem finding a seat.
• Now your FP window for the 2nd FP ride is probably open. Go and get FP #3. Go on ride for FP #2.
• Have lunch.

 

[JulieMB]

I just changed our flight reservation to fly in Wednesday evening instead of Thursday morning. We can't get into the parks until my parents get into town Thursday morning since we are using their military passes. If they arrive at SNA around 9a, what is a good time to expect them at the park?

We are going to have a nice easy morning Thursday while we wait. My son's favorite character is Goofy, so I think we will do Goofy's kitchen.

I decided I would rather pay an extra night at the hotel and have happy kids and husband on Thursday. Otherwise, we'd be leaving the house at 4 am...

(Oh, and I used points for the hotel so an extra night was only about $35)

Shameless Momma brag insert here:

My kids are SUPER travelers, and we usually take the crazy red eye flight when we travel since they are the cheapest. My (almost) 12 year old, though, is starting to sleep later and since this is HIS celebration, I thought to accommodate him as much as we can.

 

[luulu1999]

Depending on when you will get there Wed you can do Goofy's for dinner that evening, SNA is not that far from DL so if your parents take a taxi or uber or something that could pick them up quickly I would say they should be there by about 10:30ish maybe even sooner, make the most of early mornings in the park if possible if you can get there at opening you can get a ton done in the first couple hours esp if they open early start you day at the park that DOES NOT have early entry also!

 

[VandVsmama]

Do Goofy's Kitchen for dinner Wed evening!

 

[ADLFAN]

I'd guess they'd show up by 10:30 or so. I like the idea of staying an extra night to avoid waking everyone up at 4 a.m. and expecting the magic of DL to carry them through til bedtime! We've done it both ways, and it's definitely better to arrive the night before and wake up at a normal time, well rested and ready to go! I love all the suggestions so far, and the only one I would add is always be watching the app for wait times and always have a 'next thing' in mind, and maybe a back up. That will help when everyone is kinda standing around asking 'what next?', and looking to you for the answer!

Have fun!!

 

[mgd]

Like others said, don't stress too much or nobody will enjoy it but that's easier for passholders or multi-trippers to say than if you only have one trip. Make some things priorities and be flexible.
If you plan to souvenir shop, a majority of the park merch can be bought in the downtown Disney disneystore so you can save some park time by doing that the night before or morning before you leave.

 

[avalon451]

Just a side note... every trip I've planned, I hit a wall where I overwhelmed myself with planning, usually close to the time we were going. I usually love my planning, but I'd o.d. on it, and just get kind of sick of it all and frustrated. Then I'd walk away from it for 2 days, and then come back, usually ready to tackle those itineraries again! Give yourself a break from it for a day or two, maybe?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Agree with the advice to have dinner at Goofy's Kitchen on Wednesday evening, if possible. Then on Thursday morning, have breakfast at Surfs Up at the PPH. Surfs Up is the only character breakfast with Mickey and the room is smaller, so the character interaction can be really good. Make sure your son wears a birthday button (you can get this at the podium when you check in for your character meal or at the DLH or PPH front desk) for your whole trip. He'll get lots of nice greetings from CMs and other guests.
For character meals and anything special (Blue Bayou?), make reservations online or using the Dine Line. Try both if you can't get the time you want.
Agree with the tip to download the DLR app. It's free and very helpful. You can even manage PhotoPass from the app.
Make sure that you know where First Aid is in both parks. Even for something as minor as a bandaid, it sure makes things less stressful if you know exactly where to go. Also, know where City Hall (DL) and Chamber of Commerce (DCA) are located. Make sure everyone in the group knows these locations and what to do in case you get separated. We have our family members go to City Hall or Chamber of Commerce to wait for us. If the lost person doesn't have a cell phone, a CM will make the call for them. (Designate one person, probably you!, to be in charge of lost sheep and make sure everyone has the shepherd's cell phone number.)
Lastly, as many other people have already said, do the best planning you can do, then relax and go with the flow. A big part of making the magic happen is our attitudes. We tell ourselves that things don't "go wrong." Instead, things open up detours to something special. If a CM makes something special happen (and this happens a lot), wonderful! If I make something special happen ("Hey gang, Indy's down so let's go get Dole Whips!"), the magic can still be there. "Perfect" isn't a static thing. It means letting go and letting the magic happen! Have a fabulous trip!
Just to add, with kids it can be so funny what they remember as perfect at DLR. Our oldest still remembers the time fireworks got cancelled after we had waited a while in a good spot (so NOT perfect from my POV), and we ended up getting ice cream sundaes instead. He still talks about how fun it was ending the day with a big sundae all to himself. I don't think he even remembers why we ended up getting the sundaes in the first place!

 

[JulieMB]

Hi all!

Thank you all SO much for taking the time to comment! I actually took Gail's advice and stepped away for a couple of days. I've got my head back in the game and apologize if I sounded whiny or ungrateful. I blame my temporary insanity on the fact we had to administer standardized testing this week! ;-)

Onto more news...yesterday was actually my son's birthday so he got to open up his present. The present was a set of clues about the trip. He squealed with excitement and my 8 year old was so excited that she was crying! It was priceless! They knew we were planning a trip to WDW in December, but had no idea we leave in 12 days for DLR! My son's only concern was that he hadn't saved enough money up! We told them for our December trip that we would match however much they'd saved up. He did rack up with birthday money, so he will be in good shape!

Their excitement was contagious and I am super excited to get back to planning.

We don't get into LAX until 8:15pm, so we won't have a chance to have dinner at Goofy's on Wednesday night. We can't get into the parks until my parents arrive since we are using their military passes. The military member has to be with you the first time you enter the park to activate the passes. That is why I was thinking a character breakfast while we wait for them? Is Surf's Up a better choice than Goofy's? They should be to the parks by 10:30 and then we will hit the ground running!

Now that the babies know, I'm going to get their help on planning. We have decided the guys will head to all the "thrill" rides as soon as we can get into the park. The girls are going to go at a slower pace and get my daughter's hair done at Anna/Elsa and then head towards the princesses. I know Ariel's Grotto has gotten mixed reviews, but we have a 4:30 late lunch reservation. My daughter is more about "experiences" than rides. I told my guys to take care of themselves for lunch and dinner!

Friday, we plan to be all together at the DLR 30 minutes before rope drop. I'd love to get a family picture and then we spend some time together before everybody breaking off to do their own thing.

Saturday will be CAP and I plan to let my husband take the kids on some rides while I check out the wine/food festival with my parents.

We fly out around 11 on Sunday, so we won't have a day in the park, but might do another breakfast before we leave!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

If you want to see Mickey (and Stitch!) at a character breakfast, then do Surfs Up. We like SU because the room is smaller and we get better character interaction. But we've done Goofy's, too, and had a good time. Make sure to get PhotoPass for your trip so you can get as many family photos as possible. Ask CMs to use your phone/camera, too, so that you have backups. Glad to hear that the surprise announcement went well. : )