subtchr
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2005
- Messages
- 3,851
Hi, all,
I love this board for all the helpful and friendly advice you give to us infrequent DLR visitors. I'd be grateful if you could take a look at our basic plan for a short visit in a few weeks, and let me know what you think, especially if you see any glaring trouble spots!
Since we are only there a few days and the crowds will be high, I know we will not be able to see everything, so I want to ensure we do see what is important to us!
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20 - no grad night, SoCal APs blocked
11:00 - Arrive LAX, pick up rental, quick grocery stop for drinks & breakfast items
1:00 - Check in at GCH, pick up F! dessert package tickets
1:30 - DL - Exchange military ticket vouchers for 3-day hopper passes at the turnstile. We also have a voucher for my SIL, who will be joining us the following day, so we plan to get her ticket, too.
We'll play it by ear here this afternoon, as normally we would never be entering a park for the first time in the afternoon!
I'm thinking of heading back to pick up a Splash FP, grabbing a light lunch or snack somewhere, riding BTMRR, catching a Billy Hill show and/or the parade, and riding Pirates, HM, etc., depending on lines/crowds. Using FP whenever possible, of course! We got very good at FP strategy at WDW (at least before they started enforcing the end time!), so hopefully we can apply that tactical thinking at DL, too.
7:00ish - CS dinner - suggestions for favorites?
7:45 - I will take our 3 F! Dessert package tickets to check in and reserve seats, DH and DD20 can continue riding, etc.
8:45 - All meet at F! for dessert package and show
9:30 - Stay in our F! seats to watch Fireworks
9:50 - Make our way (through Frontierland) to try to catch the MM&Y show on IASW at 10:15. This is not a deal-breaker, if the crowds make it too hard to get through or see the show, but we'll give it a try.
11:00 - GCH. Pass out, as we will have been awake since 2 am PDT!
THURSDAY, JUNE 21 - Grad Night, SoCal APs blocked
6:30 - MM to DL - Since we are coming from eastern time and are early risers anyway, making this will not be a problem!
Our "order of attack": PP, Matterhorn, possibly another FL ride or two if we are so inclined, then Space, Star Tours, Buzz. Depending on the time at that point we may ride a few others. My understanding is that FPs are available beginning at 8:00, right?
9:00ish - DH departs to pick up his sister in Torrance. I will head to the GCH shortly after to meet the Deckert Medical rep who is dropping off my SIL's ECV. DD20 will most likely stay in the park for a while, although we do have another job for her - take our passes and go to DCA to grab some FPs! I was considering having her use SILs ticket to enter DCA, to activate it to be able to get a FP. But then I realized that SIL would not have a hand stamp, so she might have trouble entering the park when she arrives, using a ticket that had already been activated that day. (And in so doing I reminded myself that its just not worth trying to skirt the rules!)
11:30ish - All meet up at GCH, to check in SIL and have her drop off her stuff and pick up the ECV. She has a bad knee (is waiting for replacement surgery), so while she CAN walk and will be able to do so when its more convenient, shed be miserable if she had to walk the parks for two days.
12:00 - Enter DCA, grab a set of FPs - probably Soarin, but well decide at the time, depending on which ones are still available and how the crowd seems, as well as which ride we decided to have my DD grab 3 FPs for earlier in the morning.
12:30 - WOC Lunch reservation at Carthay Circle
2:00 - Pixar Parade
3:20 - Aladdin Show
4:00 - 8:00 - ToT, Turtle Talk, Soarin, California Screamin, TSM - all dependent on lines/FP availability. We dont usually choose to wait longer than 20-30 min, so well see how it goes. If its hot well probably do GRR in the early evening, then pop back into the GCH to change if (when?) we get soaked. The reason I have not mentioned Cars Land is that we will be doing that with EMH the following morning. Im not sure we will be able to resist at least checking it out on this afternoon, though!
Dinner will be CS or just snacks, after a big lunch at Carthay
If lines are crazy long everywhere and we get hot or tired, we might just take a pool break at GCH at some point, too.
8:00 - Line up for WOC preferred viewing area (HC, with SILs ECV) with passes from lunch at Carthay.
9:00 - WOC
10:00 - Mad T Party (at least for DD - well see if the rest of us are up for it or just want to crash or hit the hot tub back at the hotel!
FRIDAY, JUNE 22 - Grad Night, SoCal APs blocked
6:45 - DCA EMH
7:00 - Cars Land! RSR, Luigis, take pics and soak it in! Grab a FP for RSR at 8:00, then ride/do anything we did not get to the day before (TSM, other Paradise Pier rides, etc.)
CS Lunch, probably at Flos, well see how the crowds are
Early to mid-afternoon - DL, to do things we missed earlier. How long we stay will depend on how we feel, how quickly the grad night crowd builds, etc.
Late afternoon/early evening - Depart for a few days in Santa Barbara
So its a short visit, but Im sure well still have a blast.
Any thoughts or advice?
thanks!!
I love this board for all the helpful and friendly advice you give to us infrequent DLR visitors. I'd be grateful if you could take a look at our basic plan for a short visit in a few weeks, and let me know what you think, especially if you see any glaring trouble spots!
Since we are only there a few days and the crowds will be high, I know we will not be able to see everything, so I want to ensure we do see what is important to us!
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20 - no grad night, SoCal APs blocked
11:00 - Arrive LAX, pick up rental, quick grocery stop for drinks & breakfast items
1:00 - Check in at GCH, pick up F! dessert package tickets
1:30 - DL - Exchange military ticket vouchers for 3-day hopper passes at the turnstile. We also have a voucher for my SIL, who will be joining us the following day, so we plan to get her ticket, too.
We'll play it by ear here this afternoon, as normally we would never be entering a park for the first time in the afternoon!

7:00ish - CS dinner - suggestions for favorites?
7:45 - I will take our 3 F! Dessert package tickets to check in and reserve seats, DH and DD20 can continue riding, etc.
8:45 - All meet at F! for dessert package and show
9:30 - Stay in our F! seats to watch Fireworks
9:50 - Make our way (through Frontierland) to try to catch the MM&Y show on IASW at 10:15. This is not a deal-breaker, if the crowds make it too hard to get through or see the show, but we'll give it a try.
11:00 - GCH. Pass out, as we will have been awake since 2 am PDT!

THURSDAY, JUNE 21 - Grad Night, SoCal APs blocked
6:30 - MM to DL - Since we are coming from eastern time and are early risers anyway, making this will not be a problem!

9:00ish - DH departs to pick up his sister in Torrance. I will head to the GCH shortly after to meet the Deckert Medical rep who is dropping off my SIL's ECV. DD20 will most likely stay in the park for a while, although we do have another job for her - take our passes and go to DCA to grab some FPs! I was considering having her use SILs ticket to enter DCA, to activate it to be able to get a FP. But then I realized that SIL would not have a hand stamp, so she might have trouble entering the park when she arrives, using a ticket that had already been activated that day. (And in so doing I reminded myself that its just not worth trying to skirt the rules!)
11:30ish - All meet up at GCH, to check in SIL and have her drop off her stuff and pick up the ECV. She has a bad knee (is waiting for replacement surgery), so while she CAN walk and will be able to do so when its more convenient, shed be miserable if she had to walk the parks for two days.
12:00 - Enter DCA, grab a set of FPs - probably Soarin, but well decide at the time, depending on which ones are still available and how the crowd seems, as well as which ride we decided to have my DD grab 3 FPs for earlier in the morning.
12:30 - WOC Lunch reservation at Carthay Circle
2:00 - Pixar Parade
3:20 - Aladdin Show
4:00 - 8:00 - ToT, Turtle Talk, Soarin, California Screamin, TSM - all dependent on lines/FP availability. We dont usually choose to wait longer than 20-30 min, so well see how it goes. If its hot well probably do GRR in the early evening, then pop back into the GCH to change if (when?) we get soaked. The reason I have not mentioned Cars Land is that we will be doing that with EMH the following morning. Im not sure we will be able to resist at least checking it out on this afternoon, though!
Dinner will be CS or just snacks, after a big lunch at Carthay
If lines are crazy long everywhere and we get hot or tired, we might just take a pool break at GCH at some point, too.
8:00 - Line up for WOC preferred viewing area (HC, with SILs ECV) with passes from lunch at Carthay.
9:00 - WOC
10:00 - Mad T Party (at least for DD - well see if the rest of us are up for it or just want to crash or hit the hot tub back at the hotel!
FRIDAY, JUNE 22 - Grad Night, SoCal APs blocked
6:45 - DCA EMH
7:00 - Cars Land! RSR, Luigis, take pics and soak it in! Grab a FP for RSR at 8:00, then ride/do anything we did not get to the day before (TSM, other Paradise Pier rides, etc.)
CS Lunch, probably at Flos, well see how the crowds are
Early to mid-afternoon - DL, to do things we missed earlier. How long we stay will depend on how we feel, how quickly the grad night crowd builds, etc.
Late afternoon/early evening - Depart for a few days in Santa Barbara
So its a short visit, but Im sure well still have a blast.
Any thoughts or advice?
thanks!!