Please help - trip this week and I've lost my planning mojo

[Cera1234]

I need some advice! We are arriving this week and I've lost my will to plan (children waking at the crack of dawn has sucked the life out of me)

2 adults, one 2 year old. Staying at GCH. Will be breaking for nap in the afternoon. We have hoppers and one adult will stay in the parks during nap and at after the toddler goes to bed.

Wednesday - DCA with early entry

1) go through main gates or hotel entry?
2) what time do we line up? We will have a stroller and kid stuff with us.
3) can we bring in bottled water?
4) Do the Disney Jr show and Frozen sing song have long lines / what time should we arrive?
5) The adults want to ride RSR, ToT and Soarin
6) we all want to ride TSMM
7) we have to meet Anna and Elsa

Thursday - DL with early entry

1). Priority one is meeting Minnie at her house. What time does that start?
2). If number one happens, the day is a success

 

[theluckyrabbit]

DCA
1. Main gates. The GCH entrance to DCA can back up and have a long line in the mornings.
3. Yes. But it is easier to only bring a refillable bottle (wide mouth for ice) and keep refilling it throughout the day. All CS locations will give you a free cup of ice water. And First Aid will let you refill a bottle from their nice, cold drinking fountain.
5. Use rider swap.

DL
Just in case there is a problem with meeting Minnie in TT, she is also found throughout the day in Town Square. There are also character breakfasts where you can meet Minnie (we like Surfs Up at PPH).

Have a fun trip!

 

[farmfresh]

DCA
1.Main gates
2. 30 -40 mins before
3. yes
4. I think there is an Fp for Frozen...or there was... someone else may fill that in.
5/6. Ride TSMM first, then Soarin... then TOT.Get an FP for RSR when park opens. Also a good time to ride Mater.

DL
1. Toon town opens a hour later I think. So do Peter pan etc first, right on entry. I would take the OP's advice and do a meal to be certain.

 

[realrellim]

Toon Town does open an hour later, so you can do some of the Fantasyland stuff first and then be at the gate to Toon Town when they open the gates even. That's what we did last time we were there, and it was especially fun because some of the characters accompany CMs to the gates when they unlock them. When we were there it was Minnie and Goofy, and then we more or less followed Minnie back to her house. I think there were maybe two families in front of us and it was a super-short wait.

 

[Whistlebee]

Your daughter will love Minnie's House, definitely visit her there! Toon Town 1 hour after the park opens is a great plan. That is what we usually do.

Unless it has changed, you can also meet Minnnie in DCA near Soarin'. If Minnie is a fav I'd try and meet her here too. Check the Entertainment Guide for times.

Well one of the adults rides TOT the other one can hang out in Bugs Land with the 2 year old. They are very close to each other and then the adults can switch off.

SR is your friend! With only 2 of you I wouldn't worry about FP's on rides that have SR (except maybe Soarin).

Have fun!!!

 

[VandVsmama]

Wed:
1. Go through the main gates each day
2. Line up 20-30 min before the start of EMH
3. You can definitely bring in bottled beverages, as long as they are not in glass containers. No alcohol, though
4. Haven't ever seen the Disney Jr show, but Frozen sing-along is in a huge theater and you won't have a problem finding a good seat at all.
5. For riding RSR, ToT, and Soarin' at DCA, don't go Single Rider line. Get FP for each and combine it with a baby/child swap pass.
6. Guests of any height can ride TSMM.
7. Anna & Elsa's royal welcome no longer appears to have FP, but be sure to download the Disneyland app to your smart phone ahead of time because it will show wait times.

Thurs:
1. Toontown opens an hour after regular park opening. Here's what I would recommend for your Disneyland morning:

• Plan on arriving at DL main gates 30 min before the start of EMH. Sometimes with a 2 yr old, life gets in the way of being on time, so if you plan for 30 min ahead of time but end up 20 min beforehand, you're still in great shape. If you're going to be there Thurs of this week, EMH starts at 7am, so get to the main gate by 6:40-6:45 am.
• Head straight to Fantasyland. If you have time before your trip, show your 2 yr old some ride through videos on YouTube of Snow White, Pinocchio, and Mr Toad's rides. If your child is afraid, then skip those.
• Go on FL rides in about this order: Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland, Mr Toad's Wild Ride, Snow White, King Arthur's Carousel, Pinocchio, Casey Jr Circus Train
• Keep an eye out for Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Alice, & the Mad Hatter because they are often roaming around Fantasyland during the first couple of hours.
• Storybook Land Canal Boats opens up to riders at regular park opening (at 8:00 am). So when you hit the end of your EMH hour, go on that ride.
• Take a break. Do a diaper check. Feed toddler a snack. While 1 parent does this, send other parent to a FP ride to grab FPs in case you'd like to go on it (i.e., Indiana Jones, Star Tours, Space Mountain, etc.).
• Go on It's A Small World next.
• Repeat any favorites in Fantasyland if you like. Or go visit some princesses at Princess Fantasy Faire. Or visit Tinkerbell & her friends at Pixie Hollow.
• About 5 min before the opening of Toontown (so this will be an hour AFTER regular park opening, which will be 9am since reg park opening is at 8am), be at the gate to Toontown. A couple of characters will walk with some CM to the gate to open it. Follow Minnie to her house and visit & meet her. Then you can meet Mickey in his house.
• I'd recommend to skip Roger Rabbit's ride for a toddler because it can be pretty scary for a young child. Instead, let your 2 yr old run around Toontown seeing & playing in all of the other characters' houses.
• Expect some melt downs because: (a) you have a toddler; and (b) Disneyland can be a little bit overstimulating for little kids and even though they are so excited they can't stand it, it's a little bit of an overload sometimes.

At this point, you & your child will probably be ready for a another break. It'll probably be around 10:00 am. You have a couple of options at this point...
- schedule a character breakfast at the Plaza Inn so your child can meet a ton more characters
- go on a relaxing ride like Pirates of the Caribbean
- go on Winnie the Pooh (rarely has a line longer than 15 min)
- go to the 1st show at the Fantasyland Royal Theater for Storytelling (at 10:15 am, so get there a bit beforehand). There's an area right up front for little kids to sit either by themselves or with a parent. I'd say get there 10-15 min beforehand
- if you do the Fantasyland show rather than a character breakfast, THEN go on Winnie the Pooh and/or Pirates.
- Then have lunch somewhere. Kid will probably be worn out at this point. Head to your room for a nap.

 

[VandVsmama]

If you want to see the Soundsational Parade, in Fantasyland on 1 side of the Matterhorn (I think it's the Matterhorn anyway), there's the Alice in Wonderland bathrooms. These are the bathrooms with playing cards on the stall doors. Just outside those bathrooms is a long line of concrete benches.

Go and sit on the benches about 30 min before the parade starts. It's convenient because if your toddler needs a diaper change or if he/she is potty training, there's a bathroom RIGHT THERE. And at this parade viewing spot, there's no parade viewing on the other side of the "street."

 

[Nevada Jen]

Just a little tip on DCA, avoid bugs land until you are ready to actually do the rides. It is one of those areas that sucks toddlers in and you can spend half a day waiting in lines to ride rides that are little more than kiddy carnival rides. Little Mermaid usually has a quick line and it is airconditioned in there VandV'smom definately has a good DCA plan. At Rope drop head directly to Toy Story. You might even be able to get in two rides because everyone else will be trying to get RSR. After that go hit ToT without fastpasses and do rider swap. Ride Monsters Inc. (If she has seen the movie, I don't think it will be scary to her.) Personally, I would keep an eye on the app with the fast pass return time so that you can get a night time RSR return time. They have been going fast again lately so expect night time fast passes to be given out about an hour after regular park opening. After the early morning entry you can use the GCH entrance to enter and exit with little to no wait. Don't believe them at the hotel when they try to talk you into using it for morning entry. If she is tall enough for the log ride, I love to hit that ride on my way out of the park and use the GCH exit because they are so close. Also, I would grab soarin fast passes on your way out to take a nap. (Exit using the GCH exit).

On your DL day, if space mountain is important to you, keep an eye on the fast pass return times and send one adult to get fastpasses for that. Make sure you take her on buzz lightyear if she liked toy story.

 

[Epek]

Arrive at both the Frozen sing along and Disney Jr show 20 min before show starts and you should be fine. We saw the two back to back, if you're up for that. Ask the cm's about timing.

 

[Cera1234]

Thanks everyone! She's pretty fearless when it comes to rides (we have a local amusement park) and we've been watching all the "relevant" ride movies to get her ready. Definitely planning on a nice long break at the hotel in the afternoon for swimming and resting. We've been to DL and WDW several times without the kids so we're looking forward to going at toddler pace and seeing it all through her eyes.

We are having a late breakfast at Ariels Grotto and also Surfs up breakfast the day we go home.