Please help me get excited

[carmel]

What days of the week are you visiting?

Remember HydroGuy’s “Rule #5”:

“Do not go to DLR on weekends."

JMHO, if I were spending four days in DLR in August, I would go Monday through Thursday.

HTH

Sorry, I just saw this. Didn't mean to ignore your question....Yes, we are going Monday - Thursday. So at least, we will avoid the weekend!

 

[LisainCalifornia]

We have been to Disneyland 2-3 times a year since our first child was born 14 years ago. We have never used Ridemax, but I have read the unofficial guide. We always have a great time--but there have been some difficult trips. The only two trips that can catagorize as "difficult" were:

1. April 2006. That was spring break--and it was crowded beyond all reason! They even stopped letting people in after a certain point on the days we were there). It wasn't just the waiting for the rides--it was trying to walk from point a to point b, watch the fireworks and parade. It was just too packed. Lesson learned--never go for spring break again.

2. August 2007. Heat wave--major heat wave. It was like 107 the whole time we were there. You just can't control the weather--it happens. We did the best we could with that one.

We don't go with a "plan", necessarily, but we always have our dining reservations set up in advance (including one character meal). This gives us a basic template of what we are going to do. We also pick our evening experience--for example:
1st night: 6:30 parade, 9:25 fireworks. (Always shot for fireworks your first night, as they may be cancelled).
2nd night: Electrical Parade, followed by 10:00 Fantasmic
3rd night: Fireworks, make sure to catch a showing of "Aladdin".


This trip we leave on Sunday--and will be there for four days. Since Sunday is Father's day, we will be having dinner at the Napa Rose at 6:00, so we won't see the parade that night, but will definitely see the the fireworks that night, wind gods willing.

If you didn't get to see "Aladdin" in California Adventure the last time you were there, make sure you see it. It is beyond amazing--broadway quality. To me, if you are able to see Aladdin, the fireworks and fantasmic--it is hard to go have a "bad" time or not feel like you got your money's worth. If you splurge and eat at Ariel's Grotto with your girls--you will have so much relaxed character interaction--and lots of photo ops. Disneyland is so much more than the rides--so there is much you can do if the lines are long.

Take care,
Lisa

 

[LisainCalifornia]

I just thought of something else--Peter's Pan's Flight. It doesn't have a fast pass, and the line is very slow moving. Because of this, we avoided this ride for the first years we went there. Now we always do it first thing on our early entry morning---and it is the favorite ride of both mine and my middle daughter. The last time we went, the CM let us ride it three times in a row without getting off because the line was small and it was our early entry day.

So that is the general kind of planning we do--dining reservations, shows planed, and ride priority planning. Other than that we are very open and don't follow a schedule. This leaves enough wiggle room for changes, if need be.

I find I get more into our trips by reading trip reports, not from watching the planning DVD. I love it when people post pictures, too.

Have fun,
Lisa

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of getting to the parks early. Be there as close to the opening as possible. This enables you to get a whole lot done before the crowds really start to pour in. You can nab quite a few fastpasses in the early hours before the fastpass returns (and windows to get your next one) start to stretch out.

By using the prime touring hours of the early morning, you can get a lot done before the crowds start to really pick up. If you need a break and/or sleep, head back to the hotel in the afternoon for a nap/swim/et all. If that's not feasible, use the afternoon to experience shows that are located inside air conditioned theaters and beat the heat that way. The DLR has plenty of them and the sheer proximity of the parks makes hopping extremely easy.

I observed on my most recent visit that the left side of Main Street(facing Sleeping Beauty Castle) gets shade before the right hand side. So, if you want to see the 3:30 parade, keep that in mind if you want the shade. Conversely, the heat causes the right side of Main Street to stay fairly empty up 10-15 minutes before the start of the parade itself so if you can take the heat, you can get more rides in without feel like you're losing ride time to camp out for the parade.

I'd also save California Adventure touring for those crowded moments in Disneyland. On Saturday, I saw huge lines to get fastpasses for Indiana Jones and huge fastpass return lines for Indy, but in DCA, I walked right onto Tower of Terror.

In terms of Fantasyland, except for Peter Pan and Mr. Toad, Fantasyland becomes extremely quiet at night. You can walk right on to just about any ride after 11:00pm. It's a great way to experience those rides without the crowds.