SplashMtn40inches
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2014
- Messages
- 124
Coming back from DLR last week, rather than do a trip report, I figure to give you some tips which may or may not have been covered in the DIS Boards, to make your next trip more enjoyable. All of these tips I learned while on my trip. Mind you, it was a Father/Son trip, so I didn’t have a FP runner or anyone to hold spots.
Toy Story Midway Mania at Rope Drop
If your plan is to head to TSMM at Rope Drop, make sure you enter the park by Condor Flats, rather than stay with the main crowd waiting on Buena Vista Street. Basically, when you pass through the ticket gate, at the water fountain, make a right towards Soarin’. There you’ll be at another rope. As the majority of the people waiting at Buena Vista Street are going to Cars Land or getting a FP for RSR, they will just hold you up on your way to TSMM (Remember, you’re only as fast as the person in front of you). I estimate that at rope drop for Buena Vista Street, it is about 20 people deep, as wide as the rope. At the Condor Flats rope drop, there was about 25 people.
I walk fast and I made it to TSMM in 5 minutes, on the ride immediately and rode twice with basically no wait before heading to RSR FP.
Jedi Training
What everyone says is true: To improve your child’s chances, any Star Wars clothing is very helpful in getting picked. A sign is helpful too (the Jedi Master stands on the stage when picking so he cannot read what most signs say, but the sign itself shows effort).
What I will say is that when waiting and positioning for a spot, when facing the stage, it’s better to sit on the right side of the viewing area than the left. The viewing area is split by a walkway. The right side is only about 5-7 feet deep and lengthwise is about 40% of the total viewing area. The left side is much deeper and longer so it fits more people. More people tend to go to the left side as there is shade so be warned that you’ll cook for a bit if you follow my advice.
When it comes time to picking, the Jedi Master seems to pick evenly from both sides. Less kids on your side improves your child’s chances! Selfishly, we went 4 times (once each day) and my son was picked each time.
EDIT: Here's a video of my son fighting Vader (taken from the right side). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bANo_eKPmA&feature=youtu.be
Peter Pan – skip entirely?
Like most people, I read that you should hit the PP ride first right at rope drop. I did that….just like everyone else. I found myself in a line that was estimated to be already 30 minutes long. Surrounded by so many rides in Fantasyland with little to no waits, we opted to skip PP and we rode 7 rides in the time that a guy behind me in the PP line up (wearing a goofy hat, so I could see him) was just about to get on PP.
Now, if PP is on your “must do” list, then ignore me, but for us, we were okay missing it given that we could enjoy other rides and maximize our first hour.
Zoom Lens
Bring one. When packing, I forgot to swap the portrait lens for my zoom and my photos weren’t the best (I ended up using my phone more than my DSLR). The bulky zoom lens in your carry on is a necessary evil for good photos. Your opportunities for a good unblocked photo of Walt or the castle are rare, so when you have it, it’s best to be able to zoom rather than have to physically position yourself because by then, the opportunity is gone.
Water/ Wide Mouth Water Bottle
Get in the habit of asking for ice water with every meal. It’s so common that cups of water are prepared in advance (so don’t feel bad). It’s also in Disney’s interest to keep everyone hydrated (so don’t feel bad).
Even if we weren’t thirsty, we would ask for water. What we didn’t drink, we dumped into our wide mouth water bottle. If you have a smaller water bottle, you won’t be able to fit in the ice or you’ll spill water trying to dump it.
Look Behind You
Look behind you before you consider coming to a random and completely abrupt stop for no reason whatsoever. The people behind you will appreciate it. And maybe move to the side too
Stroller
Bring one if you’re on the fence about bringing one. My son is 4 and on our first full day, I walked 11+ hours and covered a lot of ground. There is no way he could have done that.
If you’re worried about lugging it around, you can always park it in one spot then move to the attractions in the area before getting back to it. Fantasyland is a great example. Just park it, hit all the rides in the area before picking up your stroller.
Finally, they’re great for accidentally clipping people’s ankles who cut you off then come to an abrupt stop for no reason whatsoever with no regard or consideration for anyone around them (see previous advice).
Fantasmic Dessert – Not on last day
We did the F! Dessert package on our last night. I suggest you do not wait until the last day. We basically left an entire dessert tray in our hotel room as we did not have time to finish it the next morning.
Of course, ignore this if you feel you can consume 7000 calories of pure sugar in one evening.
Fantasmic Dessert – Do it or not?
This question is asked a lot and the answer is always subjective. Did I enjoy myself? Yes. Did I have a great view? Yes. Was I given delicious box of diabetes? Yes. Would I do it again? Probably not. Why?
You have to pick up your tickets at City Hall on the day of the show. My wait for City Hall was 30 minutes. “Check In” is at 8pm but those who know, know to get there earlier. So at 7pm I’m by the churro cart by HM. There are a few people ahead of me already. Oh well. I get my tickets looked at, then I wait in the special area behind the churro cart until 8pm when they finally do seat selections. Now, during my one hour wait, I overlook the F! stage area. There are people in the “free” seated areas ahead of me. There is space in the seated areas still. The seated areas did not fill up til around 7:30pm. So someone could have arrived in the seated area for 7:30pm, waited 90 minutes to show time, and would have had basically the same view as me (less a chair and a dessert box). Perhaps this was an off day.
Regardless, at 8pm when I selected my seats, I was told to come back around 8:30pm when the seats would be up. In the 30 minutes, we did not have enough time to ride any rides as the waits were too long. So from 7pm to 9pm it was basically waiting for Fantasmic. Same as the people in the seated spots. Add the 30min wait at City Hall, I waited for 2.5 hours.
While I enjoyed the show immensely, I feel that one can wait the SAME 2.5 hours (or less), get a great spot with same view and not have to pay for the package.
That’s just my opinion so don’t roast me.
Lego
Lego is significantly cheaper at the Lego Store in DTD over anything you can find inside DLR proper. And if you can find it in DLR, you can find it at the Lego Store.
Radiator Springs Racer - 40"
If you’re going with your child who is just over 40”, ask the CM when he asks you “how many in your party” if you can have the front seats. My son was unable to see anything in front of him when sitting in the back so his view was restricted to the sides only. There is so much to see in such a short period of time.
Given that you’re likely waiting 90+ minutes in stand-by or will only get one FP per day, waiting an extra minute to optimize your child’s experience is well worth it.
Radiator Springs Fast Pass
If you’re able to pull a FP for early in the day (for example from 9:30am to 10:30am), check out the FP machines again at 9:30am (the start of your first FP) before heading to the ride itself. If they still are distributing FP’s, grab another one.
We did this and got a 2nd FP for 8:35pm to 9:35pm. The ride is awesome at night.
Final advice
Have fun but don't stop in front of me!!!
Toy Story Midway Mania at Rope Drop
If your plan is to head to TSMM at Rope Drop, make sure you enter the park by Condor Flats, rather than stay with the main crowd waiting on Buena Vista Street. Basically, when you pass through the ticket gate, at the water fountain, make a right towards Soarin’. There you’ll be at another rope. As the majority of the people waiting at Buena Vista Street are going to Cars Land or getting a FP for RSR, they will just hold you up on your way to TSMM (Remember, you’re only as fast as the person in front of you). I estimate that at rope drop for Buena Vista Street, it is about 20 people deep, as wide as the rope. At the Condor Flats rope drop, there was about 25 people.
I walk fast and I made it to TSMM in 5 minutes, on the ride immediately and rode twice with basically no wait before heading to RSR FP.
Jedi Training
What everyone says is true: To improve your child’s chances, any Star Wars clothing is very helpful in getting picked. A sign is helpful too (the Jedi Master stands on the stage when picking so he cannot read what most signs say, but the sign itself shows effort).
What I will say is that when waiting and positioning for a spot, when facing the stage, it’s better to sit on the right side of the viewing area than the left. The viewing area is split by a walkway. The right side is only about 5-7 feet deep and lengthwise is about 40% of the total viewing area. The left side is much deeper and longer so it fits more people. More people tend to go to the left side as there is shade so be warned that you’ll cook for a bit if you follow my advice.
When it comes time to picking, the Jedi Master seems to pick evenly from both sides. Less kids on your side improves your child’s chances! Selfishly, we went 4 times (once each day) and my son was picked each time.
EDIT: Here's a video of my son fighting Vader (taken from the right side). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bANo_eKPmA&feature=youtu.be
Peter Pan – skip entirely?
Like most people, I read that you should hit the PP ride first right at rope drop. I did that….just like everyone else. I found myself in a line that was estimated to be already 30 minutes long. Surrounded by so many rides in Fantasyland with little to no waits, we opted to skip PP and we rode 7 rides in the time that a guy behind me in the PP line up (wearing a goofy hat, so I could see him) was just about to get on PP.
Now, if PP is on your “must do” list, then ignore me, but for us, we were okay missing it given that we could enjoy other rides and maximize our first hour.
Zoom Lens
Bring one. When packing, I forgot to swap the portrait lens for my zoom and my photos weren’t the best (I ended up using my phone more than my DSLR). The bulky zoom lens in your carry on is a necessary evil for good photos. Your opportunities for a good unblocked photo of Walt or the castle are rare, so when you have it, it’s best to be able to zoom rather than have to physically position yourself because by then, the opportunity is gone.
Water/ Wide Mouth Water Bottle
Get in the habit of asking for ice water with every meal. It’s so common that cups of water are prepared in advance (so don’t feel bad). It’s also in Disney’s interest to keep everyone hydrated (so don’t feel bad).
Even if we weren’t thirsty, we would ask for water. What we didn’t drink, we dumped into our wide mouth water bottle. If you have a smaller water bottle, you won’t be able to fit in the ice or you’ll spill water trying to dump it.
Look Behind You
Look behind you before you consider coming to a random and completely abrupt stop for no reason whatsoever. The people behind you will appreciate it. And maybe move to the side too
Stroller
Bring one if you’re on the fence about bringing one. My son is 4 and on our first full day, I walked 11+ hours and covered a lot of ground. There is no way he could have done that.
If you’re worried about lugging it around, you can always park it in one spot then move to the attractions in the area before getting back to it. Fantasyland is a great example. Just park it, hit all the rides in the area before picking up your stroller.
Finally, they’re great for accidentally clipping people’s ankles who cut you off then come to an abrupt stop for no reason whatsoever with no regard or consideration for anyone around them (see previous advice).
Fantasmic Dessert – Not on last day
We did the F! Dessert package on our last night. I suggest you do not wait until the last day. We basically left an entire dessert tray in our hotel room as we did not have time to finish it the next morning.
Of course, ignore this if you feel you can consume 7000 calories of pure sugar in one evening.
Fantasmic Dessert – Do it or not?
This question is asked a lot and the answer is always subjective. Did I enjoy myself? Yes. Did I have a great view? Yes. Was I given delicious box of diabetes? Yes. Would I do it again? Probably not. Why?
You have to pick up your tickets at City Hall on the day of the show. My wait for City Hall was 30 minutes. “Check In” is at 8pm but those who know, know to get there earlier. So at 7pm I’m by the churro cart by HM. There are a few people ahead of me already. Oh well. I get my tickets looked at, then I wait in the special area behind the churro cart until 8pm when they finally do seat selections. Now, during my one hour wait, I overlook the F! stage area. There are people in the “free” seated areas ahead of me. There is space in the seated areas still. The seated areas did not fill up til around 7:30pm. So someone could have arrived in the seated area for 7:30pm, waited 90 minutes to show time, and would have had basically the same view as me (less a chair and a dessert box). Perhaps this was an off day.
Regardless, at 8pm when I selected my seats, I was told to come back around 8:30pm when the seats would be up. In the 30 minutes, we did not have enough time to ride any rides as the waits were too long. So from 7pm to 9pm it was basically waiting for Fantasmic. Same as the people in the seated spots. Add the 30min wait at City Hall, I waited for 2.5 hours.
While I enjoyed the show immensely, I feel that one can wait the SAME 2.5 hours (or less), get a great spot with same view and not have to pay for the package.
That’s just my opinion so don’t roast me.
Lego
Lego is significantly cheaper at the Lego Store in DTD over anything you can find inside DLR proper. And if you can find it in DLR, you can find it at the Lego Store.
Radiator Springs Racer - 40"
If you’re going with your child who is just over 40”, ask the CM when he asks you “how many in your party” if you can have the front seats. My son was unable to see anything in front of him when sitting in the back so his view was restricted to the sides only. There is so much to see in such a short period of time.
Given that you’re likely waiting 90+ minutes in stand-by or will only get one FP per day, waiting an extra minute to optimize your child’s experience is well worth it.
Radiator Springs Fast Pass
If you’re able to pull a FP for early in the day (for example from 9:30am to 10:30am), check out the FP machines again at 9:30am (the start of your first FP) before heading to the ride itself. If they still are distributing FP’s, grab another one.
We did this and got a 2nd FP for 8:35pm to 9:35pm. The ride is awesome at night.
Final advice
Have fun but don't stop in front of me!!!
I try my best not to hit anyone, even if they look right at me and stop in front of me. So frustrating! 
