Tips from my recent trip

[Malcon10t]

Again, thanks for your info; you're kind to take the time to share. I'm assuming a 10 yr old would be placed with the 'big' kids and fight Darth Maul. Would it be hard to take pictures since it takes place on the floor?

Definitely. Generally, the 4-7 year olds fight Vader, the older ones fight Maul. But it is pretty much done by height. I think they take 30 or so. The shorter 1/2 fights Vader, taller ones fight Maul.

 

[SplashMtn40inches]

Again, thanks for your info; you're kind to take the time to share. I'm assuming a 10 yr old would be placed with the 'big' kids and fight Darth Maul. Would it be hard to take pictures since it takes place on the floor?

Would it be harder to take pics of your child on the floor versus the stage? Yes and no.

Yes it's harder because your child is not on an elevated stage, so your angle won't be the best.

No, it's not harder because if your child is on the stage, the kids fighting Darth Maul on the floor may intermittently get in your way. With your child on the floor, you likely won't get anyone in between your child and your camera.

As you can see by my youtube video, the kids have about 10-15 seconds fighting, so getting it all may be difficult.

If it helps, most of the Darth Maul fighting occurs on the left side of the floor (from my experiences)...so if you're on the left side, you can probably get a good view. This, however, goes against my right side recommendation

 

[SplashMtn40inches]

We also stood at the Condor Flats rope to get to TSMM at a 9 am open and by 9:37 we had ridden twice. It is a longer walk than Buena Vista, but no crazy crowd.

I should preface that when I went in late May/early June, Grizzly River Run was down for refurbishment. I can only assume that gave more reason for people to not line up at the Condor Flats rope drop or be in that area of the park at all.

So when the rope finally dropped, there was no attractions between the rope and Paradise Pier. Then you haul butt over the walkway (passing Ariel's Grotto). You should be at TSMM within 5-10 minutes depending on your walking speed.

It's a great feeling to come off your first ride of TSMM, just to see the wave of people who had lined up on Buena Vista finally make their way down to the ride.

 

[SplashMtn40inches]

I think there are situations where the Fantasmic Desert package would be a good value. Someone who can't sit on concrete for many hours like a senior citizen or a disability is a good value because they get a comfortable seat. The real solution is to have Fastpass and a WOC style setup of zones. Hopefully, the new head of DL will try that by next year.

I think the general consensus of how the F! dessert package can be improved is to simply have seats allocated at the time of the booking. If that is the case, I would consider doing the dessert package every trip. It's not a difficult process from my perspective. You can still do things over the phone but add a seating chart online to help facilitate the process.

As it currently is, you're waiting about the same time as others in the seated area. You get a chair, drinks, dessert package but at a cost of $60 per person. They sit on the ground. You both have the same view.

I agree that some people, for personal reasons, cannot sit on concrete for a few hours. While I waited for my seating allocation, I sat on the concrete I definitely think that this aspect of the package needs to change.

Totally agree with your advice. We did PP and honestly feel like we missed out on so much more in Fantasyland for PP. Kids liked it but didn't love it. And agree on F! dessert. Glad I did it, don't feel like I need to do it again. And I'd also say it is LOUD. I'd forgotten how loud it is.

Yes! I didn't realize how loud it would be. My son was covering his ears. I completely understand their need to project the sound to the masses, but yes! Loud from where you sit. I'd consider bringing ear plugs or jam some cheesecake in your ears.

 

[HollyL]

LOVE love love love the "look behind you" advice. That is our biggest pet peeve, whether it be at DL or the local mall, or anywhere. People can be SO clueless. It's also really annoying when groups walk side by side when there are 5 or more of them, then they don't move when there are people coming the opposite direction. That is so obnoxious!

Great advice, thanks!!

 

[HollyL]

I would also like to add, that a CM will take tons of pictures at the Jedi training academy. I was so bummed because of all the times to freeze up, my camera did, just as my son was fighting Darth Maul. When the training session was over, a CM handed me one of those cards to access the photos on line, and they got many better photos than I could have taken. It was a lifesaver. The only thing is that you have to scroll through a bunch of photos of other kids to find yours.

We went to the Jedi training one time, and my son was picked. The kids who were the most enthusiastic and seemed to want it the most, were the ones that were selected. Thank goodness because I didn't want to keep on going until he was picked!

 

[luulu1999]

Thanks for all the tips!! I also considered F! dessert but I have a 5&6 yr old so we are going to do dinner at Café Orleans and get us a spot after that and munch on beignets

I still am debating on the stroller, it was so handy to store our stuff in but I would also have to pay to rent one since we no longer have our double stroller and my 5 yr old is a bit on the lazy side so I am not sure she will be able to keep up

 

[SplashMtn40inches]

Thanks for all the tips!! I also considered F! dessert but I have a 5&6 yr old so we are going to do dinner at Café Orleans and get us a spot after that and munch on beignets

I still am debating on the stroller, it was so handy to store our stuff in but I would also have to pay to rent one since we no longer have our double stroller and my 5 yr old is a bit on the lazy side so I am not sure she will be able to keep up

I know it's harder with two, but when I took my 4 year old son, I bought a cheap but decent umbrella stroller for $10 off craigslist.

It's a pain to bring on the plane (or if you live on an island like me, bring on the ferry, bus and train as well...) but once you have it there, it's great. I was able to walk 10+ hours in our first full day there and there is no way he would have been able to do that on his own. When it was time to go home, I passed the stroller along to another family.

I suggest this if possible. Good strollers cost so much and I read about fears of your stroller getting stolen while in the park. With a temporary stroller, you save on time waiting per day for the rental, save on rental costs ($15 per day if I recall) and if your stroller is stolen, oh well. To be honest, no one would steal my stroller over all the others

It is a pain to bring with you but I think the trade off is worth it.

 

[coaches24]

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!!!

About PP, I make sure I am at the gates early enough to be on of the first hand full of people in if PP is on my to do list that day. I learned the hard way (like you) that it lines up very quickly in the mornings. If the line is out of the que area already by the time I get to it then I skip it, but usually I am one of the first 10 people in a line and get to PP fast enough to walk right on or wait a couple minutes at the worst. And usually by the time I am coming out of the ride the line is long.

 

[jerseygal]

Would you say that the parks are more crowded during the months of May into mid June for GRAD NIGHTS?

Thinking of doing a California vaca next May, but a "little" intimidated as I have read that the parks are generally more crowded during May and June when grad nights are offered!

Did Disneyland in 2009, August and LOVED IT!
Yearning to go back! FUN!

THANKS for any input on crowds from 3rd week of May into first week of June!!! Would shoot for 5 nights, Sun-Thurs! Would not be in the parks on a Friday or Saturday.

 

[coaches24]

Would you say that the parks are more crowded during the months of May into mid June for GRAD NIGHTS?

Thinking of doing a California vaca next May, but a "little" intimidated as I have read that the parks are generally more crowded during May and June when grad nights are offered!

Did Disneyland in 2009, August and LOVED IT!
Yearning to go back! FUN!

THANKS for any input on crowds from 3rd week of May into first week of June!!! Would shoot for 5 nights, Sun-Thurs! Would not be in the parks on a Friday or Saturday.

Went Memorial day week (Mon-Fri) in 2012 and it wasnt bad at all. However that was also a couple weeks before Carsland opened so it is likely very different now.

 

[mikana876]

About PP, I make sure I am at the gates early enough to be on of the first hand full of people in if PP is on my to do list that day. I learned the hard way (like you) that it lines up very quickly in the mornings. If the line is out of the que area already by the time I get to it then I skip it, but usually I am one of the first 10 people in a line and get to PP fast enough to walk right on or wait a couple minutes at the worst. And usually by the time I am coming out of the ride the line is long.

So what are your tips to make that happen?

 

[SplashMtn40inches]

So what are your tips to make that happen?

Get up early enough.

Be (one of) the first through the turnstiles.

Be close enough to touch the rope at rope drop.

Walk fast and directly to Peter Pan.

 

[mikana876]

Get up early enough.

Be (one of) the first through the turnstiles.

Be close enough to touch the rope at rope drop.

Walk fast and directly to Peter Pan.

We are rope drop people. Last time we were the second family in line at park opening. Yet somehow by the time we reached the ropes, we were not the first family. And by the time we reached PP it was about 25 minute wait.

Is there a certain turnstile we should aim for? Just walk faster lol?

 

[agamble]

How are they setting up the rope drop now? We've been there when they've done one long rope across Main Street. But last May they had ropes at the various lands and we stood behind a rope near the partner's statue on the Tomorrowland side. There was one on the other side too. So as we rushed towards PP, people on the other side of the statue did too. Also, despite the yells not to run, many people do. So, when we follow the rules, we get outpaced. However, that was a time we did make it in time to ride PP with little wait. When we had the rope across Main Street we've had trouble making it to PP without traffic problems and a longer wait. Also I do NOT understand why they do not have the queue open all the way in the morning. They know the line is going to get long, just have the queue ready so people are not going through the castle bridge. SERIOUSLY!

 

[Blue32]

We are rope drop people. Last time we were the second family in line at park opening. Yet somehow by the time we reached the ropes, we were not the first family. And by the time we reached PP it was about 25 minute wait.

Is there a certain turnstile we should aim for? Just walk faster lol?

Walk faster.

We were first at our turnstile on Sunday and then at the Rope on the TL side. Do NOT line up at the rope in the middle behind the Partners statue. It's a little further back and you have to go around the statue. We did get passed by a few people but we also speed walked/jogged. We had a less than 5 min. wait. You need to really hustle to be one of the first ones on and you need to be right at the rope.

 

[jina]

PP:
Agreed you need to seriously speed walk to avoid the wait at rope drop. We did that and ended up with a 2 minute wait and within seconds the line backed up to the castle - easily 25 min wait. Then we got on the ride and it broke down so we spent 20 min of our MM sitting high in the air waiting to be let off the ride. We won't be riding it again. I'll save it for whenever we go back to WDW (probably 4 yrs from now) and get a FP+ for it.

Strollers:
Since DD4 turned 3 we have only used her stroller (Bob revolution) at amusement parks. She has no problem sitting in the stroller if it gets us to the next ride faster and I love using it for storage. For any Disney Parks + Legoland we have never had an issue with the stroller although we have accidentally bumped a few ankles of folks who spontaneously stopped in front of us - they were always ok with it as we really did our best to stop and they realized they should not be suddenly stopping when walking in a big crowd (like during rope drop!). We decorated it with a few colored bandanas around the handlebars and have never had an issue with it being stolen. The first time we took it to DL we also put a huge sign taped to the back with our last name in bold text just to make it stand out. The only park we've ever taken a bike lock and locked it to stuff is Six Flags Vallejo because it just did not seem well organized and secure for strollers. Bike locks don't work well at Disney resorts because CM-ers are always moving them around/re-organizing the stroller parking areas. We bought a stroller bag and check it on the plane for free so it's really not a big deal for us to take it as we pack very light otherwise. We've never had an umbrella stroller- it just doesn't look very comfortable for the kids and it doesn't have all the different storage options that we so love on our Bob.

MM Question:
W've done MM twice at DL - both were Thursdays (one in Feb 2013, and then March 2014). Both times the Matterhorn was closed at rope drop and by the time we got there (30 min into a MM) the line stretched around the mountain as folks waited for it to open. Is Matterhorn typically not open during MM, or is it typically not open on Thursdays for MM? Our next trip we'll be doing rope drop on a non-MM Sunday as well as MM on a Tuesday. Just trying to figure out which of the two days to try to do that ride.

 

[SplashMtn40inches]

MM Question:
W've done MM twice at DL - both were Thursdays (one in Feb 2013, and then March 2014). Both times the Matterhorn was closed at rope drop and by the time we got there (30 min into a MM) the line stretched around the mountain as folks waited for it to open. Is Matterhorn typically not open during MM, or is it typically not open on Thursdays for MM? Our next trip we'll be doing rope drop on a non-MM Sunday as well as MM on a Tuesday. Just trying to figure out which of the two days to try to do that ride.

Matterhorn was open for MM when I was there. It's hit and miss, unfortunately.

 

[FryingPansWhoKnew]

LOVE love love love the "look behind you" advice. That is our biggest pet peeve, whether it be at DL or the local mall, or anywhere. People can be SO clueless. It's also really annoying when groups walk side by side when there are 5 or more of them, then they don't move when there are people coming the opposite direction. That is so obnoxious!

Great advice, thanks!!

When I'm driving the stroller, I pretty much try to leave enough room in front of me to be able to stop if the person in front of me suddenly stops (just like when I'm driving). Basically if I rear end someone, it's my fault. Now if that person suddenly changes direction or cuts me off in a way I can't avoid it, well, I can't really do anything about that.

If someone does have to stop though, I think it's polite to move to the side of traffic. I have trouble believing that there are so many emergency stops required that a move to the side isn't possible.

I like to walk fast. I move at about 4 mph. Pretty much, any faster and I would consider it running. This makes me the FP runner.

This Sunday, I was grabbing one FP at Indy and two at Star Tours. In between Indy and Star Tours, right around the Tiki Room, I swung out to the middle in between traffic going my way and traffic going the other way. I'm moving fast and I just pass on my right someone in a wheelchair going my direction. Just then, a kid, maybe 4 years old going the opposite direction steps right in front of me. I'm going so fast I can't stop my momentum. Instead of plowing over the poor kid, I opt to go airborne back to the right, essentially jumping over and in front of the wheel chair. I felt bad because I think the wheelchair person was furious at me even though no contact was made. Sometimes you can't prevent accidents though.

 

[vakamalua]

To OP (SplashMTn40Inches): Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I used all your Jedi Academy tips last week with my 10 yr old Star Wars fan nephew and he got picked the first time. He was thrilled; I think it was the highlight of his trip, along with riding Star Tours.

I only wish that they would limit attendance to the number of kids they are going to pick. It was so sad to see the disappointed and deflated kids who didn't get picked (and their adults who knew that they'd be coming back to try again).