Park open-to-close: Tips for pacing yourself?

[VandVsmama]

We're going to DL in early March with some friends. The friends are on a budget and live about a 45-50 min drive from DL. Originally we were all going to stay at a hotel on Harbor Blvd, but those plans have changed. I'd love to do 3 days in the parks, but DH totally has Disney theme park fatigue now, so I am placating him by agreeing to 2 days instead of 3.

Right now, the tentative plan is for us to do this:

• Sat - drive to friends' house. Chill out, prep for next day, everybody to bed early
• Sun - get to Toy Story lot ~ 7:30-8 am. Stay until closing. Drive to friends' house, everybody hits the hay.
• Mon - sleep in, veg out, watch movies, basically do nothing. Recuperate. Go to bed early.
• Tues - same routine as Sun. Yeah, we'll hit rush hour, but we'll use the car pool lanes for the drive into Anaheim (so we're NOT going to use the 91 freeway!). Side note - the friends live in Fontana. Google Maps says that the recommended routes are either 10-->57 or Hwy 60-->Hwy 57. Stay until close
• Wed - sleep in, veg, basically do nothing. Drive home that day or the next day.

If you've been at DL all day and have stayed until closing, how did you manage the day? The reason I'm asking is because usually, we end up taking about a 3-4 hour break in our hotel room. So this time around, we won't be doing that.

I've already planned on us doing a character meal late morning/mid-day on one of the days. And parking my DH in the lounge for awhile at the GCH.

 

[clb79]

When have family about the same distance away and have stayed with them and done all day (open to close in the parks). I guess my Sister-in-law loves to tell everyone about her crazy family that come to stay with them for Disneyland trips that she never sees. We are up and out the door just as they are waking up and we get back in the middle of the night...

I'd consider changing the character meal to a mid afternoon time. Take advantage of all the time you can in the morning before the rest of crowds show up and do your character meal (and add a table service meal the other day) as a late lunch/early dinner when it is busier. Get breakfast in a drive-thru before getting on the freeway and then just bring a snack (or grab something quick) to tide everyone over late morning. Then you can do something similar in the evening, late snack in the park (and even a late night drive thru run on the way back to your friends).

Replace the rest of the time you would spend on a hotel break with a show, ride the Riverboats, even IASW is a nice break off of your feet. We enjoy finding a shaded bench and will just people watch for a while too.

 

[Lm3js]

We do park open (sometimes even MM) to close with little kids (not so little anymore) but here are our tips:
1. Get MaxPass/FP for the must do rides; rides that don't have FP use single rider and/or offhours -- Peter Pan after fireworks or almost to close; don't wait for more than 25 - 30 min on any ride and move on to some other attraction, you'll have time late night (if on a night that park is open late). If closes earlier, than you may have to adjust.
2. Go to shows - Great Moments with Lincoln, Mickey and the Magic Map, Frozen, etc.
3. Ride the Train around instead of walking
4. Stop for snack/churro whenever the mood hits -- sit down to eat (both at snacks and lunch/dinner).
5. Slow down and take in the scenery. Go to the shooting gallery, sit at the edge of Rivers of America and wave to the boats and canoes, etc.
6. If you have park hoppers, mid-day go to DCA and grab an adult beverage while people watching or listening to music. Our kids would nap at the tables while we enjoyed our beers win/win
7. Do not wear the same shoes both days. And if you are going on water rides, pack a pair of flip flops to slip on. We carry a small backpack or have gotten an all-day locker on main street that we periodically go to. In this, bring a few phone chargers, empty water bottles to fill, jackets/layers. It may be warm in the day and cool at night so prepare for that so you don't have to leave to grab clothes
8. Hydrate and make sure you get electrolytes like nuun. That will help with energy levels. If it is warm, go inside places that have A/C - Great Moments w/Lincoln, Star Wars Launch Bay, Shops, etc.

 

[Plip]

I find that what I eat -- especially in the morning -- makes a huge difference in my stamina throughout the day. For me, that means a bowl of oatmeal, but I realize that most people aren't going to go for that.

If you can get everyone to eat a decent breakfast of protein and complex carbs, it will make a big difference. Eggs, yogurt, whole grain bagels. Avoid sugary cereals and pastries -- they'll give you short-term energy, but you'll crash. And then put off the sugary treats in the park till later in the day.

I know this can be a hard-sell because people want to eat what they like on vacation. And kids in particular can't really fathom that they're going to feel a lot different in a few hours depending on what they eat now. So I'm always willing to compromise -- maybe let them have the doughnut they want after they finish their eggs. But it really does make a huge difference during a long day.

 

[VandVsmama]

These are great suggestions! You guys are awesome! We will definitely fill up at our friends' house early in the morning on a good protein-filled breakfast.

I like the suggestion of moving the character meal to the afternoon. Maybe we'll do Goofy's Kitchen or Storytellers for brunch. Our friends are big omelette people. Plus 1 of them has celiac disease.

On our prior DL trips, I always bring a park bag that has:

• water bottle (kids carry their own now) - we fill it up at quick serve locations
• grab & go non-perishable snacks - nuts, granola bars, stuff like that. Helps when somebody is hungry in line
• couple of ponchos for Splash Mtn
• sunscreen & other odds & ends

We will definitely have park hoppers because our friends love RSR as much as we do, so we always spend time in Carsland. We've all seen the Frozen musical a couple of times now, so I think we'll skip that as a rest option. If the Aladdin show was still playing, we'd go to that for sure.

We've been to DL before at that time of year. So my plan is to rent a locker for the day so we can stash our jackets/sweatshirts if we get hot, and then retrieve them when we get cold in the evening. We've learned that layers at that time of year tend to help!

 

[wowsmom]

Lots of good suggestions here. We sometimes will take a break at White Water Snacks (GCH Craftsman Grill) or Hearthstone because it's usually quiet and nicely air conditioned.

Also be aware that the 57 freeway can get pretty clogged up during rush hour...and wave as you drive by my house!

 

[BadPinkTink]

I do open close end of June, start of July every year. This year I did rope drop, so my day was

6.30am arrive at Harbour Boulevard Security
11.pm get the ART back to my hotel
= 16 hours 30 minutes park time

I agree with @Plip with the oatmeal, slow release carbs will really make a difference compared to high sugar carbs like pastries. For me I get Starbucks first thing, coffee and the breakfast pot of yogurt and granola and fruit. This year I did a mobile order for Downtown Disney and ate my breakfast while I waited in line for the gates to open.

I always start with Fantasyland and then either Adventureland or Tomorrowland or Toontownuntil about 12.30pm. I go go go and do ride after ride after ride, taking advantage of early morning low crowds.
At about 10.30am I will stop for a snack, usually a pineapple spear or Babybel from in Topical Imports in Adventureland.

I schedule a TS meal for around 1pm.

After the TS meal I have downtime for a few hours until about 5pm. Some things I have done between lunch and 5pm
Mickey and The Magical Lamp show Fantasyland Theatre
Great Moments with Mr Lincoln and sat and watched the video in the lobby, and had a good look at all the exhibits
Sat for a while in the lobby of Grand California Hotel
A round trip on the Monorail, riding in the front with the driver
Main Street Cinema
Slow walked through the shops on Main Street, up one side and down the other
Find a shady bench in New Orleans Square and listen to the Pirate musicians
Ride The Mark Twain and sit on a bench

At about 5pm I get going again and Im go go, but not as much as in the morning. I usually avoid crossing the hub from about 8.30pm, so I pick a side of the park to do when the Fireworks are on. One night I will do Fantasmic.

I usually try to hit one of the headliners during the Fireworks or Fantasmic as there is a sweet spot time when rides are walk ons.

The park clears out after The Fireworks so I do one final area, and then at about 10.45pm I strt making a move for the 11pm ART bus back to my hotel.

 

[Mike_M]

I’m assuming no kids on this trip. Hoping I didn’t miss something in the middle of the thread. Lol

Nearly every trip I’ve done has been open (or within an hour or two of opening) until close every day. The only exception was when my kids were younger and needed the breaks. Otherwise, I like to close the park every night.

I typically am not in a hurry to get anywhere when I’m there. I’d say I usually take a casual pace in the parks. I think this helps my energy throughout the day. I also snack a lot while I’m there. Need to keep up the energy for walking around 10 miles a day.

I do usually crash hard at the end of the day once I’ve made it back to the hotel. Perhaps it’s just not letting myself slowdown while I’m in the park, even with my casual pace.

Aside from the obvious suggestion of wear the most comfortable shoes you have, im not sure what else to offer.

 

[starry_solo]

Take a break in a cool area. Either table service meal, down Main Street into the theatre? OR tiki Room

 

[Sunclytie]

I am a big believer in a leeeeisurely lunch. Like, a two hour lunch. This is where I usually put the Fantasmic lunch package or a table service meal — it's a great chance to relax, cool down, and decompress. Usually this happens around 12:30 or 1 o clock (after we've been going since rope drop). I never schedule anything after lunch. We just go where the day takes us.

 

[VandVsmama]

Kids will be going on this trip. Our 11 and 13 yr old DDs, who are Disney veterans and have powered through until closing before.

 

[hopemax]

When we do full days, we do attractions hard until lunch. Then take our time to eat lunch. Then do things where you can sit, preferably with A/C. Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, Enchanted Tiki Room, the Theater shows, ride the train, etc or even things like Pirates or Small World if the line isn't onerous or we can get a Fastpass. Sometimes we'll get a snack and find a place to hang out for awhile, usually to take stock of what Hidden Mickey pins we've traded for so everyone has updated lists of what we still need (we need to collect 3 sets, so it can get complicated) The outsideish tables at Pizza Port by the SM queue have come in handy, as have the tables on the old Motor Boat dock. Dinner comes along at some point and then hit the attractions hard once the sun goes down.

 

[Wikker24]

Another vote for the long lunch. I love to lunch somewhere in downtown Disney if it suits our touring style on the day. We like to grab a booth at Tortilla jo’s and enjoy a leisurely lunch, then we browse through some of the stores, freshen up, cruise through Starbucks and grab a coffee, etc. Love getting off our feet and then slowly making our way back into the parks for our next fast pass. If it’s super hot out we always do the animation academy and whatever else is going on in there, but if I didn’t have 3 plus park days that probably wouldn’t happen. We generally stop for a cocktail/snack in the evening as well and get off our feet. When I’m questioning my sanity,
tigger tails always help with the late day rally.

 

[AprilOrMay]

Google Maps says that the recommended routes are either 10-->57 or Hwy 60-->Hwy 57

I'm sure your hosts will help choose the route, but make sure to check again that morning before leaving the house which looks more efficient - it varies by day which is better due to the possibility of incidents (construction, crashes, etc.). Or consider the possibility of one hotel night (Monday night to Tuesday) even if you can't do several days because the traffic that direction is quite so bad.

Regarding food: When we travel, I try to pack veggies for snacks to offset some of the junk food. If there's a Sprouts or Trader Joe's near where you're staying, you can look for things like beet chips or dried broccoli.

 

[Sunclytie]

Ifthere's a Sprouts or Trader Joe's near where you're staying, you can look for things like beet chips or dried broccoli.

Trader Joe’s kale chips are delicious.

 

[DizMe]

Another good place to hang out when you're tired is upstairs at The Golden Horseshoe.

 

[VandVsmama]

You guys have such wonderful ideas. Thank you! We'll **likely** be getting park hopper tickets with a primary goal each day of going on the Millennium Falcon ride in SWGE. We also definitely want to eat a meal at Docking Bay 7 on 1 of those days.

I'm sure your hosts will help choose the route, but make sure to check again that morning before leaving the house which looks more efficient - it varies by day which is better due to the possibility of incidents (construction, crashes, etc.). Or consider the possibility of one hotel night (Monday night to Tuesday) even if you can't do several days because the traffic that direction is quite so bad.

Regarding food: When we travel, I try to pack veggies for snacks to offset some of the junk food. If there's a Sprouts or Trader Joe's near where you're staying, you can look for things like beet chips or dried broccoli.

Good suggestions! Our friends use Waze when traveling on LA freeways, so we'll probably use that, too, to help us decide which route to take. Am definitely going to avoid the 91 freeway since it's only 2 lanes in each direction and there's a stretch through some hills where people drive way too fast...I could see that being a mecca for accidents.

 

[VandVsmama]

Trader Joe’s kale chips are delicious.

We will definitely stock up on some!

 

[VandVsmama]

Another good place to hang out when you're tired is upstairs at The Golden Horseshoe.

Oh I totally forgot about that as an option! From what I recall, it's sometimes easier to find a table upstairs, right?

 

[NannyBeBe]

When we're ready for a break, we head to Starbucks in DCA for a coffee and a snack. It's comfortable and you can sit as long as you like. My husband usually takes a power nap while we're there.