Please help me help a friend (touring plan)

[rentayenta]

My friend will be visiting Disneyland for the first time in 20 years with her DH and 3 kids (they've never been). She asked me to help her with a touring plan of sorts. I love to help but......her DH expects a lot as far as nothing going wrong on vacation Clearly, he hasn't traveled much

Here are the specifics:

~ dates are October 18-20

~ staying off site in Anaheim in a timeshare condo. Will be eating breakfast in condo but other meals out. Looking to budget for sure on meals.

~ 3 day park Hoppers and will have 3 full days

~ wants to see Fantasmic and WoC but not sure she'll get to do both and not spend a lot of time waiting

~ not doing MNSSHP

~ wants one character meal, I said Goofy's Kitchen as she has 2 boys and 1 girl

~ not sure of any height restrictions



With the new LM ride, new Star Tours, and not staying on property, I'm a little lost with helping her. Not sure if her Hoppers come with any MM hours or perks.

 

[Sherry E]

I feel for you! At least your friends know where they are staying - that's a start! Mine are a different story!

I've also got a friend who has not been to DL in 20 years and is taking his kids for the first time this year - he is totally unprepared and unrealistic about even the simple fact that you need a hotel in Anaheim for a 3- or 4-day visit. He thought they could stay with me, even though I live in L.A. - 40 or 45 minutes away from DLR without traffic. That makes no sense at all, driving back and forth between L.A. and Anaheim for 4 days in a row. The concept of 'planning in advance' is lost on him because DL was not lilke that as much 20 years ago. Back then you could go for one day and then go home. Now it's a whole different ballgame!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

With the 3 day hopper, she will get one magic morning. She could use it either Tuesday or Thursday. I would recommend Tuesday. Tell her to get the WOC picnic lunches, that way she doesn't have to worry about getting fastpasses. There is no party scheduled while she's there, so she could do WOC any night. Depending on the characters her kids want to see, Storytellers has a nice character breakfast with Chip & Dale, Turk, Kenai, Koda and other woodland Disney characters.

 

[rentayenta]

I feel for you! At least your friends know where they are staying - that's a start! Mine are a different story!

I've also got a friend who has not been to DL in 20 years and is taking his kids for the first time this year - he is totally unprepared and unrealistic about even the simple fact that you need a hotel in Anaheim for a 3- or 4-day visit. He thought they could stay with me, even though I live in L.A. - 40 or 45 minutes away from DLR without traffic. That makes no sense at all, driving back and forth between L.A. and Anaheim for 4 days in a row. The concept of 'planning in advance' is lost on him because DL was not lilke that as much 20 years ago. Back then you could go for one day and then go home. Now it's a whole different ballgame!

It's crazy. Did he book a hotel in Anaheim?

If her hubby's expectations weren't so unrealistic, I'd feel better about this. And without LM and ST, a game plan would be semi-simple. Guess I need to read around and see how all of that is panning out. I've also never seen WoC without some sort of dining but she wants to do it the FP way.

 

[rentayenta]

With the 3 day hopper, she will get one magic morning. She could use it either Tuesday or Thursday. I would recommend Tuesday. Tell her to get the WOC picnic lunches, that way she doesn't have to worry about getting fastpasses. On the night of the party, she should plan to see WOC since DL closes early. Depending on the characters her kids want to see, Storytellers has a nice character breakfast with Chip & Dale, Turk, Kenai, Koda and other woodland Disney characters.

That's what I am talking about.

I was thinking of the WoC picnic as they have to eat anyway. I'm compiling a list and printing off your suggestions. I thought Storyteller's too but they are eating breakfast in the room everyday.

 

[cougarfan84]

~ dates are October 18-20

~ wants to see Fantasmic and WoC but not sure she'll get to do both and not spend a lot of time waiting

Well first off, considering the time of year she is going and that she will be going on a Tuesday - Thursday, I would be skeptical if they showed Fantasmic! at all while she was there. The predicted park hours that I see for the 2 parks are:

8:00-6:00 for DL
10:00-8:00 for DCA (w/ WOC showing at 8:15 after the park closes)


Based off of this, I would say she should pick a day to view WOC at the end of the day at DCA. She won't have to wait for Fantasmic! or Fireworks, because there probably won't be any to wait for since she is going off-season and not on the weekend.
looks like

~ staying off site in Anaheim in a timeshare condo. Will be eating breakfast in condo but other meals out. Looking to budget for sure on meals.

I assume she's not in walking distance? If that's the case she should be prepared to leave bright and early to get to the parks by opening.

As far as food is concerned, with the earlier closing times for the park, they may plan on eating a big lunch in the park, and then by packing their own snacks be able to hold off and eat dinner back at the condo. Another option would be to pack a lunch and then eat dinner in the park. Either option will save some money on food.

~ 3 day park Hoppers and will have 3 full days

~ not doing MNSSHP

3 days should be long enough to experience most things in the park. Last time I went to the park (it was April/May of 2007), we went for 3 days and it was more than enough time to see what we wanted.

~ wants one character meal, I said Goofy's Kitchen as she has 2 boys and 1 girl

Can't help you there as I've never been to a character meal, but Goofy's Kitchen looks like a good one. You may also consider Minnie and Friends as it's in the park and has a lot of the classic characters. Which meal is she wanting the meal for, though?

With the new LM ride, new Star Tours, and not staying on property, I'm a little lost with helping her. Not sure if her Hoppers come with any MM hours or perks.

As far as help with the LM ride, it seems that most of the early advice is to either ride it first thing after the park opens (ride LM followed by TSMM), or wait until closer to the end of the day to ride it.

Star Tours is a ride that either need to be ridden first thing, and I would highly recommend grabbing a FP for the ride ASAP upon entering the park if they are planning on riding it as it will easily be the longest line in the park.

If her hoppers DON'T come with MM hours, then I would recommend her getting ST FP's on the Wednesday (no MM that day). If she does have 1 MM day, then I would recommend using it to experience Fantasyland but make sure she grabs a ST FP right at 8:00 when the rest of the park opens and the FP machines are turned on.

 

[Sherry E]

It's crazy. Did he book a hotel in Anaheim?

If her hubby's expectations weren't so unrealistic, I'd feel better about this. And without LM and ST, a game plan would be semi-simple. Guess I need to read around and see how all of that is panning out. I've also never seen WoC without some sort of dining but she wants to do it the FP way.

Nope. My friend has not booked anything. He had the bright idea to go to DLR for a 3-4 days only 2 weeks before the time he wanted to go...in June. Surely any reasonably priced or reasonably close hotels would have been booked by then. It's peak season. So I got him to reschedule to a later date to allow more time to plan - and he chose the Thanksgiving break because the kids are out of school. So now he will have to get a hotel for that holiday break, even though he doesn't want to pay the money necessary. But let's face it - even the Good Neighbors are more expensive during that weekend.

You mentioned WoC for your friend and the fact that she wants to get FP - I still have not seen WoC yet, and I think I am getting VIP viewing of it with my reservation when I go to DLR for the holidays. But if I were not getting that, I would definitely choose to do the dining/picnic rather than deal with trying to get a FP in the morning. To me, it seems like a good value just to save some hassle.

Good luck with helping your friend - the foundation is laid out, so it will now just be a matter of coordinating what they do within their allotted time, I guess.

 

[ArchOwl]

Just wanted to say I am not sure it is possible to see WOC without at least some waiting. If you want a really good viewing spot, you do have to line up pretty early. Even if you only want a passable viewing spot, you still have to line up at least 45 minutes beforehand.

I wonder if there are any videos on youtube or something of the line for WOC? I know it sounds weird, but if he sees how many people are there it might make it more real for him. LOL.

 

[rentayenta]

Well first off, considering the time of year she is going and that she will be going on a Tuesday - Thursday, I would be skeptical if they showed Fantasmic! at all while she was there. The predicted park hours that I see for the 2 parks are:

8:00-6:00 for DL
10:00-8:00 for DCA (w/ WOC showing at 8:15 after the park closes)

I didn;t even think about it being off season.

Based off of this, I would say she should pick a day to view WOC at the end of the day at DCA. She won't have to wait for Fantasmic! or Fireworks, because there probably won't be any to wait for since she is going off-season and not on the weekend.

Good point. That might be better, less pressure for her to choose.

I assume she's not in walking distance? If that's the case she should be prepared to leave bright and early to get to the parks by opening.

Not within walking distance for sure. Think 45 minutes is enough to drive and park? They are just a few miles from Disneyland.

As far as food is concerned, with the earlier closing times for the park, they may plan on eating a big lunch in the park, and then by packing their own snacks be able to hold off and eat dinner back at the condo. Another option would be to pack a lunch and then eat dinner in the park. Either option will save some money on food.

Good idea. I'm sure she has no idea how early the parks will be closing.

3 days should be long enough to experience most things in the park. Last time I went to the park (it was April/May of 2007), we went for 3 days and it was more than enough time to see what we wanted.

She's hoping this will be enough to satisfy the kids not wanting to go back for a while. I told her good luck with that.

Can't help you there as I've never been to a character meal, but Goofy's Kitchen looks like a good one. You may also consider Minnie and Friends as it's in the park and has a lot of the classic characters. Which meal is she wanting the meal for, though?

Any but breakfast. Goofy's for dinner might be a good option since the parks close early- she could go after.

As far as help with the LM ride, it seems that most of the early advice is to either ride it first thing after the park opens (ride LM followed by TSMM), or wait until closer to the end of the day to ride it.

I will take this advice. I hate the TSMM doesn;t have a FP at Disneyland.

Star Tours is a ride that either need to be ridden first thing, and I would highly recommend grabbing a FP for the ride ASAP upon entering the park if they are planning on riding it as it will easily be the longest line in the park.

Is ST FP still unconnected to the others or am I mixing it up with another ride?

If her hoppers DON'T come with MM hours, then I would recommend her getting ST FP's on the Wednesday (no MM that day). If she does have 1 MM day, then I would recommend using it to experience Fantasyland but make sure she grabs a ST FP right at 8:00 when the rest of the park opens and the FP machines are turned on.

Thank you.

Nope. My friend has not booked anything. He had the bright idea to go to DLR for a 3-4 days only 2 weeks before the time he wanted to go...in June. Surely any reasonably priced or reasonably close hotels would have been booked by then. It's peak season. So I got him to reschedule to a later date to allow more time to plan - and he chose the Thanksgiving break because the kids are out of school. So now he will have to get a hotel for that holiday break, even though he doesn't want to pay the money necessary. But let's face it - even the Good Neighbors are more expensive during that weekend.

It's peak season. Maybe he'll get a PIN not that he would know what to do with it.

You mentioned WoC for your friend and the fact that she wants to get FP - I still have not seen WoC yet, and I think I am getting VIP viewing of it with my reservation when I go to DLR for the holidays. But if I were not getting that, I would definitely choose to do the dining/picnic rather than deal with trying to get a FP in the morning. To me, it seems like a good value just to save some hassle.

I agree. We'll do the picnic again in Nov/Dec. How far in advance can we book it?

Good luck with helping your friend - the foundation is laid out, so it will now just be a matter of coordinating what they do within their allotted time, I guess.

Just wanted to say I am not sure it is possible to see WOC without at least some waiting. If you want a really good viewing spot, you do have to line up pretty early. Even if you only want a passable viewing spot, you still have to line up at least 45 minutes beforehand.

I wonder if there are any videos on youtube or something of the line for WOC? I know it sounds weird, but if he sees how many people are there it might make it more real for him. LOL.

That is a fabulous idea! I've seen it twice but I'd like to check it out too.