Queues??

[kiradylan]

Hi,
I'm new to the whole disneyland thing and really don't know what to expect.

I got back from Alton Towers today after staying in the hotel - I feel like I spent the whole weekend queueing. We go to DLP in 2 1/2 weeks with my daughter for her 6th birthday - am I going to spend 3 days queueing for things that just aren't worth the wait?

Can anyone offer any advice? We have 3 day hopper passes - what are the must see/do things? What do I need to get there early for? And are there things that have huge queues that you really wouldn't waste your time for?

 

[Cyrano]

Hi kiradylan and welcome to DLP DIS board
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With your DD's age you'll probably spent a bit of time in Fantasyland. Aim to be at the park for opening and you'll be able to do the likes of Dumbo and Peter Pan before the crowds build up.
I'm sure you will have a great time

 

[Ware Bears]

Hi kiradylan and welcome to the DIS!

I'd also recommend getting to the parks early and to use Fastpass which is available at some of the most popular rides like Peter Pan, Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain. With fastpass you are given a half-hour time slot in which to come back and ride, which seriously cuts down on queuing. You can hold fastpasses for each ride at the same time but you can't collect a new fastpass for a ride until the time slot on your existing fastpass has started.
We always go at busy times of the year but I refuse to spend longer than 20 minutes queuing for a ride and by getting to the parks early and using fastpass we find it all manageable.

I am sure your DD will love Fantasyland, DLRP has the prettiest castle of all the Disney parks with its beatiful stained glass windows and its dragon underneath!

Most children like to collect character's autographs. You can buy autograph books there or take your own from home but have a thick pen, some of the characters have trouble holding a slim pen in their paws! There are official meet and greet places throughout the parks (shown in the park maps) where you can get the character's autographs and take a photo with them. Sometimes there are official photographers there but there is no obligation to buy the photo.

Have you thought about having a character meal? These are great fun and provide a great way to meet characters without having to queue.

 

[PrincessDanielle]

I would highly recommend doing a character breakfast/meal. We did a breakfast at Plaza Gardens, and it was definitely worth the money. The buffet was good and we got to meet a bunch of characters. And it's more relaxed; they come right to your table and spend a few minutes, so there's no frenzied shoving or disappointment. Plus you're in the park early, and get to the rides first. It's also good in case you don't get to meet more characters, you can always say "But sweetheart, we met .... at breakfast!".

I found the waiting times for many rides to be too much. We went early and managed to get on several rides with minimal waiting. Especially in Adventureland, it was dead early in the morning, people hadn't made their way over there yet. Pirates of the Caribbean was awesome, and we had no waiting in the morning.

Peter Pan's Flight ride is cool, but it's not worth a long wait. Definitely get a Fast Pass for that one. I don't understand why the lines for it are always so long, it wasn't THAT spectacular.

I personally thought the wait to meet a Princess was worth it. Long, but worth it. People start lining up almost an hour ahead of time, so get there early. Have someone stand in line, and you can take your daughter to see some other things.

For some downtime, Pocahontas village is nice. You can bring some sandwiches and sit down on a bench, and she can run around for a while and play.

The autograph book is really fun, I wish we had known about it our first day.