Taking someone on their first trip to DLR

[AZpharmacist]

I'm taking my cousin, her husband and their 3 year old to DLR for their first ever trip. My husband and 2 year old daughter will also be with me.

What are must do/see activities at both parks? We will be arriving mid afternoon on Labor Day and staying until closing on Thursday.

My plan was to enter the parks on Labor Day, walk around, maybe do the train all the way around, see Mickey and the Magical Map and Fantasmic. I think we may have time for a ride or 2. What would you suggest?

Second day is MM at DL so we will probably try to make rope drop and then hit up fantasyland. Then head over to DCA for some Frozen fun (m&g, sing along).

My must dos are Peter Pan, Dumbo, Indy, Pirates, BTMRR, Matterhorn, meeting Mickey and Minnie in their houses in Toontown, all the parades. At DCA, Disney Jr, the Pixar parade, all the Frozen stuff, RSR and Soarin'

I've never done ToT or Goofy's Sky School so I would like to do those. Sadly, space mountain and HM are closed during our visit.

Any suggestions on order? Was there anything I left out? Since we have 2 toddlers, we will use FP and rider swap

 

[Butterfly123]

The littles ones may enjoy Small World, Storybook Canal boats, Casey Jr, Winnie the Pooh, Alice, Jungle Cruise, Tiki Room. Some of those rides like Pooh and IASW usually have short lines.

Monsters Inc, Little Mermaid have short lines at DCA and would be fun for the kids. Toy Story and Screamin' are fun, too.

 

[AZpharmacist]

We will definitely do small world and Casey jr/ storybook canals (they were closed during our last trip). Probably skip Tiki Room as that scared my toddler in December. I forgot about Jungle Cruise but I think they may enjoy that.

I completely forgot about Monsters Inc. Sadly, Screamin will be closed during our trip and we didn't get to ride it in December either bc it kept going down due to the rain

 

[figment_jii]

What time do you think you'll be arriving in the parks on Labor Day? F! will be presented at 9:00 pm and 10:45 pm, so you'll have to get a FP for it and by mid-afternoon, they may be distributing FPs for the second showing. Depending on your children, F! might be a little scary in parts. I went to DLR with an almost 3 year old and a 5 year old and we opted to skip F! because we knew that the dragon at the end would probably scare both children. So it's something to keep in mind.

Given their ages, I would highly recommend seeing the Paint the Night parade, especially if they are fans of the Pixar characters.

Other attractions to consider (for the kids at any rate) are the Nemo Subs (long slow moving line), Autopia (depending on the height), monorail, Tom Sawyers Island, and Winnie the Pooh. Most of Bug's Life Land could also be fun for the kids (it was for the kids I went with), along with Ariel's Undersea Adventure, and TSMM over in DCA.

Second day is MM at DL so we will probably try to make rope drop and then hit up fantasyland. Then head over to DCA for some Frozen fun (m&g, sing along).

I find the MM are kind of hit-or-miss and depend a lot on what you want to do. Peter Pan is where most guests head, so that line can easily build to 45 minutes within the first 10 minutes of MM. I'd be tempted to say that you should gauge the crowd when you get to Peter Pan. If the line is already long, I would go do the other FL attractions and save Peter Pan for later in the day. That's what my group decided we'd do next time (we got there and PP already had a 30+ minute wait, so some of the group spent over half of the MM waiting in line for Peter Pan).

Don't forget that Anna & Elsa use a FP (disconnected). So be sure to get one of those when you get to DCA. Olaf also meets guests in DCA (don't know if you're just interested in A&E). There is also Frozen at Princess Fantasy Faire (comic re-telling of the story). They use FP for this show (disconnected).

My must dos are Peter Pan, Dumbo, Indy, Pirates, BTMRR, Matterhorn, meeting Mickey and Minnie in their houses in Toontown, all the parades. At DCA, Disney Jr, the Pixar parade, all the Frozen stuff, RSR and Soarin'

You can also often meet Mickey and Minnie in Town Square during the day (especially in the morning). They'll be in the 60th attire (most likely).

I've never done ToT or Goofy's Sky School so I would like to do those. Sadly, space mountain and HM are closed during our visit.

Goofy's Sky School is fun...and surprisingly "intense" for a smaller roller coaster. It's a lot faster, with a lot more sharp turns, than Gadget's Go Coaster.

Any suggestions on order? Was there anything I left out? Since we have 2 toddlers, we will use FP and rider swap

You have three full days and one partial day, so I think you have time to do most things without having to run around. Also, remember there are the baby centers, which have a training potty. That can be helpful if you're potty training either of the kids. There is one baby center in each park.

 

[AZpharmacist]

What time do you think you'll be arriving in the parks on Labor Day? F! will be presented at 9:00 pm and 10:45 pm, so you'll have to get a FP for it and by mid-afternoon, they may be distributing FPs for the second showing. Depending on your children, F! might be a little scary in parts. I went to DLR with an almost 3 year old and a 5 year old and we opted to skip F! because we knew that the dragon at the end would probably scare both children. So it's something to keep in mind.

We will probably arrive around 3:30 after we check into our room. My daughter will most likely already be asleep before Fantasmic starts but maybe the dragon will be scary for the 3 year old. I totally forgot about the dragon. Thanks for reminding me. I wouldn't mind skipping it. I'm only going on Labor Day because my daughter loves the Magical Map show.

Paint the Night is a must do as the Main Street Electrical parade was my absolute favorite thing at DL growing up.

Good suggestions on Peter Pan. If the line is busy, we will do the rest of Fantasyland. I know we should skip Mr toads wild ride and Snow White but is there anything else too scary for the kids?

 

[figment_jii]

I think it varies by the child, but all of the FL dark rides have the potential to be scary. I would probably hesitate on Pinocchio as well because of Stromboli, just after the Pleasure Island sequence, and Monstro. Alice seemed okay (there are some dark moments, but not as much of the attraction is focused on the darker elements of the show). The Castle Walkthrough was mostly okay, just be careful around the door the growls (I don't remember exactly where it is - but somewhere in the Maleficient tower area). In FL, Dumbo, Carousel, Peter Pan, Storybook Canal, Casey Jr., and Mad Tea Party all were fine for the kids I went with.

 

[AZpharmacist]

Thank you! We'll avoid Pinocchio as well. I knew there was another scary one but couldn't remember. Maybe I'll get to ride then without the baby of the lines aren't too long

 

[Fujithedog]

Make sure to eat Dole Pineapple Whip when you go to Tiki Room. You can only get it at a few places on this Earth.
Last time we went to DL, we did Peter Pan first and it was Magic Morning. As long as you hit it first thing in the morning, the wait would be only 15 min.
Nimo's underwater ride is fun for kids. At DCA, Bug's life area has tons of toddler friendly ride/activities.

Do you have mousewait or something of app to gauge the wait time?

 

[figment_jii]

Make sure to eat Dole Pineapple Whip when you go to Tiki Room. You can only get it at a few places on this Earth.

You know it's funny, but it seems like Pineapple Dole Whip is showing up and more and more frozen yogurt places around the country. While not all places have it, it might be worth checking out your local frozen yogurt shop and seeing if they carry it (or can get it).

 

[AZpharmacist]

I actually don't care for the dole whip although I'm sure it's nice on a hot day. I will however be getting a Matterhorn Macaroon. Those things are amazing.

I'll definitely try to hit up Peter Pan first. Might be hard to maneuver with two strollers. I'm really looking forward to seeing it after the refurb

 

[Sherry E]

I actually don't care for the dole whip although I'm sure it's nice on a hot day. I will however be getting a Matterhorn Macaroon. Those things are amazing.

I'll definitely try to hit up Peter Pan first. Might be hard to maneuver with two strollers. I'm really looking forward to seeing it after the refurb

I'm definitely in the minority, but I am not a huge fan of the Dole Whip either -- though it is very refreshing. I love pineapple spears and pineapple juice, but for some reason the Whip just isn't at the top of my list. As figment_jii mentioned, the Dole Whip is certainly beginning to pop up outside of Disney parks.