What could we accomplish in an hour?

[AshleyNE84]

Skip Peter Pan and come back to it much later in the day when you have done everything else. Focus the entire EMH at Fantasyland

8am-9am Visit Alice in Wonderland, then Dumbo, then Toad, Pinocchio, and Snow White.
9am-10am: When the park opens ride Autopia and then Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage (while in line for Nemo use MP and get FP for the Matterhorn).
945am-1040am: Head to Toontown and meet Mickey at his house, then ride Gadget Go Coaster, ride Roger Rabbit, use FP for the Matterhorn. Before you head to Breakfast go check out the Fantasmic FP machine and see what the return time is. If it's still for the first show ask how long until it is for the 2nd show.

If Toontown isn't something you want to do, use FP for Matterhorn at 945am, ride Jungle Cruise at 10am, then Pirates of the Caribbean after that. Followed by checking out the Fantasmic FP return time.

1040am: Breakfast. 15 minutes into your breakfast get FP for Star Tours. Next FP will be for Buzz, then Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder.

ME

I absolutely love your itinerary! But there is no EMH for this day and even if there were, we aren't staying on property and we only have a 2 day ticket.

 

[minnieralyks]

Wow, I'm in the minority but definitely do PP. Just make sure you book it over there as fast as you can right at rope drop. We were able to be one of the first 10 on one time, and were probably in and out within 10 minutes of park opening. It doesn't take that long and is such an adorable ride!

After, you could hurry over to Alice. You should be able to go on POTC, maybe Indy, and BTMRR if you move quickly within that hour and 30 minutes of park opening. Hope you have a magical birthday trip!

 

[chickapin parterre]

15 years ago and Peter Pan is your choice now.....that must have been one memorable ride........well, let me break it to you slowly.....Disneyland is crowded.....and crowded places have crowd control.....because crowding makes for some very non-disney folks.....you could very well lose your Peter pan magic on your very first ride. There will be a rope, holdng back the herds of folks, likely at Main Street, which creates a thick wall of folks, and when that rope drops....they run, yes a faster pace then the UPS delivery folks, and indeed some folks run....with a stroller in both hands. And guess where 33% of them are running to........yes....Peter Pan is no longer a kiddie ride but a cult classic of traditional , must do first ride , every morning, every day... so take to heart this tip, if you don't act manic getting to Peter Pan, your wait time will be in the 30-40 min range.

Why???
* you will go into shock at guest behavior...dumbfounded.
* you will walk and initially line up behind parents parking strollers, then realizing that is not a line, but a traffic jam unlike any other
* when you find the end of the line, it could very well be at the draw bridge or cluttered like a flock sheep waiting for the CMs to move the chains around. Not going to be pretty.

 

[minnieralyks]

15 years ago and Peter Pan is your choice now.....that must have been one memorable ride........well, let me break it to you slowly.....Disneyland is crowded.....and crowded places have crowd control.....because crowding makes for some very non-disney folks.....you could very well lose your Peter pan magic on your very first ride. There will be a rope, holdng back the herds of folks, likely at Main Street, which creates a thick wall of folks, and when that rope drops....they run, yes a faster pace then the UPS delivery folks, and indeed some folks run....with a stroller in both hands. And guess where 33% of them are running to........yes....Peter Pan is no longer a kiddie ride but a cult classic of traditional , must do first ride , every morning, every day... so take to heart this tip, if you don't act manic getting to Peter Pan, your wait time will be in the 30-40 min range.

Why???
* you will go into shock at guest behavior...dumbfounded.
* you will walk and initially line up behind parents parking strollers, then realizing that is not a line, but a traffic jam unlike any other
* when you find the end of the line, it could very well be at the draw bridge or cluttered like a flock sheep waiting for the CMs to move the chains around. Not going to be pretty.

I don't think they do rope drop at Main Street anymore. They do it at each individual land now (ex: at the entrance to Adventureland, Frontierland, near Tomorrowland and then in the hub for Fantasyland). I don't think I've seen them do Main Street in the last few years. Helps alleviate the congestion, for sure!

 

[chickapin parterre]

thank you....so now it is even worse....that whole castle line narrowing down to the moat.

 

[AshleyNE84]

15 years ago and Peter Pan is your choice now.....that must have been one memorable ride........well, let me break it to you slowly.....Disneyland is crowded.....and crowded places have crowd control.....because crowding makes for some very non-disney folks.....you could very well lose your Peter pan magic on your very first ride. There will be a rope, holdng back the herds of folks, likely at Main Street, which creates a thick wall of folks, and when that rope drops....they run, yes a faster pace then the UPS delivery folks, and indeed some folks run....with a stroller in both hands. And guess where 33% of them are running to........yes....Peter Pan is no longer a kiddie ride but a cult classic of traditional , must do first ride , every morning, every day... so take to heart this tip, if you don't act manic getting to Peter Pan, your wait time will be in the 30-40 min range.

Why???
* you will go into shock at guest behavior...dumbfounded.
* you will walk and initially line up behind parents parking strollers, then realizing that is not a line, but a traffic jam unlike any other
* when you find the end of the line, it could very well be at the draw bridge or cluttered like a flock sheep waiting for the CMs to move the chains around. Not going to be pretty.

PP would be my top ride in FL, not the entire park and it's not a ride I would be devastated to not go on. I've ridden it before in both DL and WDW. From reading these forums I just know that it can be a very long wait since there's no FP and if I'm able to knock it out first thing then that would be great! I'm absolutely expecting it to be crowded. I just wanted an idea of what we could accomplish before breakfast.

 

[22Tink]

Sorry! I was agreeing with you. I should have stated that I was seconding what you had said.

No worries I was just confused! Lol!

 

[DLRExpert]

I absolutely love your itinerary! But there is no EMH for this day and even if there were, we aren't staying on property and we only have a 2 day ticket.

Sorry post updated and fixed.

 

[DLRExpert]

PP would be my top ride in FL, not the entire park and it's not a ride I would be devastated to not go on. I've ridden it before in both DL and WDW. From reading these forums I just know that it can be a very long wait since there's no FP and if I'm able to knock it out first thing then that would be great! I'm absolutely expecting it to be crowded. I just wanted an idea of what we could accomplish before breakfast.

Wait for PP will be around 30-45 minutes all day. It's a great attraction to experience while you're waiting to use your next FP.

Use the app to check wait times throughout the day.

 

[ExcitedMama]

I'm confused, didn't the advice used to be do PP right away? Since the line can be so awful later?

I still think PP is fun and while I last went in 2013 and 2014 the line was manageable in the morning but crazy later for PP and Toad, which I also think is a fun ride. I think a lot will also depend on how late you're staying since things can calm down again at night. If it's you're only day to do DL you might want to plan on a break for your mom in the early afternoon/evening. Either a real rest at your hotel or take in some shows or take the train. POTC isn't a bad ride to wait for since it's inside and out of the sun and cool if you do decide to try it later on. Whereas It's A Small World can be brutal in the sun and a long wait. I'd try to do rides with those kind of lines earlier.

 

[Winnowill]

If you can be in the first 100 people in line for PP, do it. Otherwise, wait and keep an eye on the app. The line stays approximately the same length regardless of time of day, typically. Usually it's between 40 and 50 minutes.

10:40 is the perfect time for Minnie's Breakfast. As the restaurant starts to clear out of other diners, you get awesome character interactions - often with two or more at time. Every once in a while you'll lose one (Fairy Godmother often has her castle meet-and-greet to get to, for instance), but most stay in place. Plus you have the most rope-drop ride time then.

 

[chickapin parterre]

......100 people.....that many behind me when I am in the teens???...I thought it was thousands...... I will have to put that on my bucket list of things to do when I am an old man.....oh wait, I am an old man......I will count all the people in line when I can no longer sprint to Peter Pan and just watch the chaos and count.....Anyhow.....Winnowill coming in at 100% with that crowd number and advice

 

[AshleyNE84]

Thank you for all your great info! We'll just play it by ear. My mom is in better shape than I am! She does Camp Gladiator about 3 times a week so I'll have to keep up with her!!! We are planning to stay ALL day, and close the park at midnight. The last time we went I was just out of high school and it was summer and HOT! My dad and sister were with us and dad doesn't ride rides and sister was little. Mom's a real trooper and loves thrill rides like I do! I'm a flight attendant and she's traveled with me all around the world! We will do as much as we can since we only have the one day and plan to take breaks as often as we need to. We live in Texas and are very used to heat and humidity so I'm hoping the weather will be a pleasant surprise. Thanks again everyone! Y'all's advice will make our trip amazing!

 

[DLRExpert]

My basic rule is if you cannot be one of the first near the rope for rope drop then it is best to skip Peter Pan.
Once the rope drops, you better walk briskly through the castle and get in line (btw best to leave a stroller behind as they are not allowed in the line). The CM will then walk you through the queue. If you can get under that roof after the initial walk, you are good to go.

I would say about 50% of the guests at rope drop is heading to Peter Pan, 40% go to Space Mountain, and 10% Indiana Jones (recently that has been Fantasmic FP).
In most cases, it's better to skip Peter Pan and do the other Fantasyland rides first as you can probably finish 3-4 FL rides before you even get off of Peter Pan.

Dumbo would probably be the 2nd ride to go to if you do Peter Pan first, then Alice in Wonderland, followed by Toad, Casey Jr., Pinocchio, and Snow White.
I prefer skipping Peter Pan, take the path toward Matterhorn (right side of castle) and ride Alice first. Then Dumbo, Toad, Casey Jr., Pinocchio, then Snow White. You can probably finish all of these in about 30-40 minutes. Which will line up with the Matterhorn FP through MaxPass.

At an 8am or 9am opening, you want to try and be out of the castle area of Fantasyland by 930am.
The crowds coming into the park around 9am-10am will start coming into that area first.

ME

 

[AshleyNE84]

My basic rule is if you cannot be one of the first near the rope for rope drop then it is best to skip Peter Pan.
Once the rope drops, you better walk briskly through the castle and get in line (btw best to leave a stroller behind as they are not allowed in the line). The CM will then walk you through the queue. If you can get under that roof after the initial walk, you are good to go.

I would say about 50% of the guests at rope drop is heading to Peter Pan, 40% go to Space Mountain, and 10% Indiana Jones (recently that has been Fantasmic FP).
In most cases, it's better to skip Peter Pan and do the other Fantasyland rides first as you can probably finish 3-4 FL rides before you even get off of Peter Pan.

Dumbo would probably be the 2nd ride to go to if you do Peter Pan first, then Alice in Wonderland, followed by Toad, Casey Jr., Pinocchio, and Snow White.
I prefer skipping Peter Pan, take the path toward Matterhorn (right side of castle) and ride Alice first. Then Dumbo, Toad, Casey Jr., Pinocchio, then Snow White. You can probably finish all of these in about 30-40 minutes. Which will line up with the Matterhorn FP through MaxPass.

At an 8am or 9am opening, you want to try and be out of the castle area of Fantasyland by 930am.
The crowds coming into the park around 9am-10am will start coming into that area first.

ME

Space Mountain will be closed so I would imagine most everyone will be doing exactly what we plan on doing. I don't have a problem running to a ride! We also plan on being there about an hour before opening!

 

[chickapin parterre]

Thank you for all your great info! We'll just play it by ear. My mom is in better shape than I am! She does Camp Gladiator about 3 times a week so I'll have to keep up with her!!! We are planning to stay ALL day, and close the park at midnight. The last time we went I was just out of high school and it was summer and HOT! My dad and sister were with us and dad doesn't ride rides and sister was little. Mom's a real trooper and loves thrill rides like I do! I'm a flight attendant and she's traveled with me all around the world! We will do as much as we can since we only have the one day and plan to take breaks as often as we need to. We live in Texas and are very used to heat and humidity so I'm hoping the weather will be a pleasant surprise. Thanks again everyone! Y'all's advice will make our trip amazing!

isn't stereotyping great.....all we had was a dream of a land long gone Disneyland 15 years ago, a sit down breakfast and a mother.....

 

[Winnowill]

Space Mountain will be closed so I would imagine most everyone will be doing exactly what we plan on doing. I don't have a problem running to a ride! We also plan on being there about an hour before opening!

Cast Members DO have a problem with people running to the rides. Don't do that; a brisk walk (what Disney people call "walking with purpose") is the best they'll allow you to do.

 

[christieCA]

Space Mountain will be closed so I would imagine most everyone will be doing exactly what we plan on doing. I don't have a problem running to a ride! We also plan on being there about an hour before opening!

I think if you are there an hour before opening, you should be one of the first at the rope and therefore, first on PP. If you are one of the first, you will have time to do many rides before 10:40. As the others have suggested, I think it would be best to cover everything you want in Fantasyland during that time as it becomes a madhouse later in the day. If you finish Fantasyland, I would head over to Autopia if the line is still short and Astro Blasters.

All the while, make sure you are collecting fast passes as you can. I think you will be able to get Matterhorn and Star Tours during that time. Then you should get Indy before your breakfast and head over to that area afterwards.

Sounds like you are going to have a great celebration for your birthdays and I hope I'm still going to Disneyland with my daughters when they are in their 30s!