Too Ambitious? Our Three Day DL/DCA Touring Plan

[idle]

PP, Alice, Toad, Pinnochio, Snow - this plan is doable but depends on 2 things. 1 - getting to PP straight away after rope drop. Cannot emphasize this enough. 2 - both PP and Alice open on time and don't break down. Nothing you can do if they're not running, I'd put the odds at 75% they will be open/functioning but that's still a significant margin that they won't. Be prepared to jump ship if either of these goes down if you want to save the rest of your day's plan, work the dropped ride in later. There's Dumbo (if you're jumping ship straight away from PP, put it after Alice) or the tea cups and carousel to fill the void or go over to TL and ride Buzz, or possibly Astro (only if there is almost no line which could happen so early.)

1. Absolutely, everything I've read says PP is a must - so I'll definitely go there first. Then again so will everyone else! What amount of wait is too much in your opinion given the fact that I do want to ride the other rides in FL that I mentioned?

2. Fingers crossed that they don't break down. I think the tea cups might be a good filler if either of them break down. But hopefully not.

RideMax is wrong if they are telling you to ride Buzz before ST. ST will get a line early. Pull an unconnected FP for Buzz right after you grab your Space FP to be safe (to use after your first Space ride) but it's unlikely Buzz will have a line so early. Regardless, ride ST then Buzz.

I like this suggestion a lot - and it makes sense if Buzz is unlikely to have a line with it's disconnected FP.

Also, I would be at Space at 9 for that first FP so I can pull my second earlier. If your FL plan goes well, you can pull Space at 9, then your second at 9:40 (when you also use your first FP to ride,) riding ST then Buzz in between. Honestly, since you plan to be back in FL during your trip, I'd even drop Snow and/or Pinnochio if FL time is getting short (can ride these anytime, especially Snow, with little wait) if it meant being at Space at 9 for a FP pull.

Your plan, imo, is depending on rushing to PP at open and pulling Space FP at 9. You do these two things and you'll be building in a more relaxing experience the rest of your day as your schedule now has more buffer. Frankly you are now waaaay ahead of schedule as your third FP can be pulled at 11:40ish.

9am - pull Space
9:05 - pull Buzz
Ride ST
Possibly ride Buzz (if time allows and you can still get to Space for your second FP pull at 9:40, may not be doable depending on ST wait)
9:40 - pull Space
9:40 - ride Space
Ride Buzz (w/ FP if you didn't get it in earlier)
Ride ST
It's now 11am max and you probably have some time before your Space FP is up. If so, personally I'd go ride Jungle, then be in that area to pull my Indy FP at 11:40ish.
Ride Space

This pushes your lunch to noon with nothing in your plan until 4 except use your Indy FP within its window. If you need an earlier lunch, then I'd skip Jungle but that messes with your plan to ride it twice.

These are some excellent suggestions and exactly the kind of criticism to RideMax's plans as I was hoping to see in order to find a balance, and have an idea of what to do if and when the schedule goes differently.

Thank you a ton!

I think you can definitely get everything done. I have just a few comments. Plaza Inn doesn't open for lunch until noon. Before then it's the Minnie and Friends character breakfast. Also, the app does not indicate which shows they are distributing FPs for or if FPs are even still available. It simply says "Fast Pass Service" when you click on it. From what I've read, it also seem like you will want to get there earlier than 3:30 for the 4pm show. You may want to keep checking on the package availability as your trip gets closer, you may luck out and get a cancelled spot.

Woah, totally didn't realize Plaza Inn isn't open for lunch until noon. Is it on the dot? I'll may have to re-think this or be a bit behind schedule as I don't think we could get in and out in 30 minutes.

As for Frozen, I've been checking daily for the package. I've got my fingers crossed. Thanks for the heads-up about wanting to get there sooner, too. That's probably a good idea and I'll adjust the plan to give us more time.

Thanks!!

 

[Angrose]

Woah, totally didn't realize Plaza Inn isn't open for lunch until noon. Is it on the dot? I'll may have to re-think this or be a bit behind schedule as I don't think we could get in and out in 30 minutes.

I think it is on the dot. I also like an early lunch and tried to go there at 11:30 one time and they told me it opens at noon.

 

[smartlabelprint]

1. Absolutely, everything I've read says PP is a must - so I'll definitely go there first. Then again so will everyone else! What amount of wait is too much in your opinion given the fact that I do want to ride the other rides in FL that I mentioned?

2. Fingers crossed that they don't break down. I think the tea cups might be a good filler if either of them break down. But hopefully not.



I like this suggestion a lot - and it makes sense if Buzz is unlikely to have a line with it's disconnected FP.



These are some excellent suggestions and exactly the kind of criticism to RideMax's plans as I was hoping to see in order to find a balance, and have an idea of what to do if and when the schedule goes differently.

Thank you a ton!



Woah, totally didn't realize Plaza Inn isn't open for lunch until noon. Is it on the dot? I'll may have to re-think this or be a bit behind schedule as I don't think we could get in and out in 30 minutes.

As for Frozen, I've been checking daily for the package. I've got my fingers crossed. Thanks for the heads-up about wanting to get there sooner, too. That's probably a good idea and I'll adjust the plan to give us more time.

Thanks!!

You might want to try to pull a FP for frozen on one of your first 2 days. Since you have park hoppers take advantage of them!

 

[Boku41]

A couple of years ago we had annual passes. On our last 3 day visit, we got out a list of rides and everyone voted which rides they wanted to ride and how many times each. We capped it at 4 times max. Our youngest was 11, so Toon Town (except for Roger Rabbit) and a few other young kid rides were out. Our goal was 95 rides plus shows. We ended up hitting 108 by the end, so what you have planned out is easily doable. We always hit the rides at Disneyland clockwise one day, and then counterclockwise the next. For example, we hit Tomorrowland first one day, and then go the opposite direction and hit Indy, etc., the next day. Peter Pan is a must for the early morning, but I would skip Mr. Toad and do as someone else suggested and hit Peter Pan, then Alice, then Matterhorn. Anything after that is a bonus.

If we start out going to Tomorrowland, you should have your fastest walker grab Fast Passes for Star Tours on the way to ride Space Mountain without passes. Then you can come back and get another FP later to ride Space Mountain again and get a 2 for 1. The Buzz ride used to have Fast Passes that were separate from the other fast passes, so you could get those all day long and not effect any other fast pass. (Check on that before you do it.)

Just be flexible. Save the long or slow moving line rides (Finding Nemo or Peter Pan if you happen to miss it first thing in the morning) for just before closing. They will let you ride it no matter the time as long as you were in line before park closing time. Just make sure to make rope drop every morning. You can ride 3-4 times as many rides the first two hours as you can all afternoon long when it gets busy.

 

[grnflash]

Hi again. Glad I could give you some ideas. I like Ridemax's plan on Day 2 even less than Day 1 lol. Too much needless running around.

I don't get AT ALL why they have you pulling a Space FP since you only want to ride it once this day. Get ST and Buzz FP's on your way to Space, first thing on a non-MM morning it's a walk on.

9am - pull ST & Buzz FP's
Ride Space
Ride Matterhorn
Ride Toad
Use Buzz FP
Use ST FP
Get Indy FP

Have lunch and enjoy the rest of your day

 

[Boku41]

As far as California Adventure goes, our plan is to always have the fastest walker grab Fast Passes for Cars on the way to Toy Story Mania. Toy Story has the longest lines of any ride without a fast pass. Do that first thing in the morning or you may want to skip it later. Also, ride it first before Screamin because the lines at Screamin will stay short for the first couple of hours. This is where we ride Screamin a couple of times in a row. Little Mermaid is the fastest line, so never go directly to ride it. That is in the middle of the park, so ride it when you have a few minutes before a show or fast pass.

 

[Snap Crackle Pop]

I like this suggestion a lot - and it makes sense if Buzz is unlikely to have a line with it's disconnected

While Buzz doesn't have much of a line in the beginning of your day, once it hits afternoon I have seen it get to 25-30 minutes and honestly Buzz is not worth a wait more than 15, and personally I don't think the ride is worth a fastpass.

 

[Becca1007]

• 
  
  For your day at DCA I would try for the following plan...
  Pull Soarin' Fast Pass
  Ride Toy Story Mania
  Ride California Screamin'
  Pull Radiator Springs Racers Fast Pass
  Use Soarin' Fast Pass
  Pull Frozen FP
  Ride Tower of Terror
  Pull Radiator Springs Racers Fast Pass (Aiming for a nighttime FastPass)
  Lunch at Ariel's Grotto and Free Period
  Ride Little Mermaid
  Ride Radiator Springs Racers - Single Rider/or Fastpass (1)
  Ride Monster's Inc.
  See Frozen at Hyperion
  Ride Radiator Springs Racers - Fastpass (2/nighttime fastpass)
  Dinner (Location TBA) (7:00 PM)
  Watch World of Color (WoC Dessert Party) (8:00 PM
• TSMM has a consistent 45-60 minute line later in the day, there is no fastpass option and the queue is ridiculously hot, no airflow and little shade, so I would start there. RSR has huge lines starting at opening and the single rider option doesn't usually open until 30-60 minutes after the park opens, so unless you employ the wide right strategy at rope drop and are among the first group on you are going to be waiting quite a while anyways.
  
• My plan emphasizes riding RSR at least twice, once during daylight and once in the dark. The lighting and effects are just way better at night in my opinion. Also, the single rider line is awesome and often as a party of two you may end up in the same car (sitting one behind the other) or in cars that will end up racing; obviously it is not guaranteed.
  
• As ToT is going away soon we may see a surge in wait times, but if all elevators are running it is not unheard of to see 13 minute (the minimum ever listed) wait times for the standby line, so you might be able to squeeze in an extra ride.
  
• When leaving DCA after WOC you need to be ready to walk as fast as possible if you plan to head into DL. EVERYONE else is trying to do the same thing at the same time and it is gridlock. Either be ready to move quickly together and make a plan for a meeting place inside DL in case you get separated at some point.
  
• The Frozen FP was not linked originally, double check to make sure it is still off the system and then you can get another FP right away.

 

[Boku41]

While Buzz doesn't have much of a line in the beginning of your day, once it hits afternoon I have seen it get to 25-30 minutes and honestly Buzz is not worth a wait more than 15, and personally I don't think the ride is worth a fastpass.

Unless they have changed in the last 6 months, the Buzz fastpass was not linked to other fastpasses. You can get a Star Tours fastpass and a Buzz fastpass right next to each other at the same time.