What do you wish you had the guts to do but can't because you don't get there enough?

[Jennafoo]

LOL, if I went solo, I would never get out of the single rider line on Matterhorn, and miss everything else!

Ugh..you can have Matterhorn. Or, as I described it to my boss: "Here, sit in this big tin can while we hit it with sticks..."

I had bruises for a week.

 

[SFMommy]

See fantasmic. Can't waste an entire day sitting on the road waiting. See a parade. Again can't waste hours sitting and waiting.

This. We've never seen Fantasmic, WOC or a parade. I just can't fathom spending 2-3 hours staking out a spot. We are always at EE/MM every day of the trip, which means waking up around 5:45 when EE/MM starts at 7:00. So regardless of our best intentions to see some of the night time entertainment, we are usually in bed by 9:00!

If I had lots of time, I guess we could sleep in and try to enjoy the parks at night. But we are morning people. We go hard from 7-11 and then relax, have lunch, enjoy the quieter attractions and shows. Rest at the hotel mid-afternoon. Dinner in DTD. And Good Night!

 

[bumbershoot]

See fantasmic. Can't waste an entire day sitting on the road waiting. See a parade. Again can't waste hours sitting and waiting.

I've seen Fantasmic and most of the parades (and fireworks), and I have never sat around all day or even hours.

Redwood Forest Trail Challenge: seems like it would be fun for the kids and we've always avoided it to do more rides.

Check the height requirements and limits, and go if the kids can go on things. If the kids are too little for the climbing wall, or too little OR BIG for the rope swing thing, it's not going to be terrific fun to go in there. Trust me.

 

[starjazz]

Its been since I was a kid since I did any of the boat rides around Rivers of America. I'd like to get the kiddos in the captain's quarters of the Mark Twain on our upcoming trip. And even try the canoes if they are running. Do they ever run in February?

 

[JandD75]

Go into the tiki waiting area and get your dole from that side. Shorter line. Then eat while watching the singing birds.

Ah! Thanks for the tip!

 

[GatorChris]

For us we don't go often, but when we do we go for an extended length of time, usually 2 weeks!

I can see spending this much time at WDW, but at DL? With just two parks, I can't see there being enough to do basically 7 full days at each park. We've done 9 full days at WDW and by the end of that trip, we were ready to head home. And that's with 4 parks and some waterparks. But DL for two weeks? Wow.

 

[Jerry Horne]

We did two weeks time before last and loved it! There was plenty to do and lots of time to do it! Our next visit is only 10 days, so we'll just have to manage somehow

 

[TheChapman6]

I have never gone on the finding nemo subs. They were closed for a few trips but even when they were open it seems the line is long? I also really want to do the canoes but they are often closed

 

[Midnightred]

I'm going to do this next time for sure, but we have never seen the fireworks from a good angle. I want to get a great spot and wait for them to start!

Midnightred

 

[disneyobsessed808]

Even though I generally have lots of time, as an AP, I rarely ever go on the carousel and almost never wait in lines to meet characters, even Pooh, who is my favorite.

 

[ehrawn]

This is such a good topic to discuss. After a lengthy hiatus from the DLR, I returned with this attitude, trying to squeeze as much value from my limited time there. It was a horrible experience. I vowed that taking my kids the next time would be magical. To use the OP's wording, I found the guts to do everything that would make the trip magical: I only planned the mornings, and even then, I only planned a handful of rides with mostly an idea of which areas of the Park we would go to. I reserved the evening for shows/parades and any rides chosen were the ones the group felt like doing. Without fail, every plan was thrown out when we got to the park do to crowds, ride closures, or some unexpected experience. I wasn't afraid to stop and enjoy Mickey leading the DL Band in front of the Castle, I let my son ride Autopia a second time in a row, and we skipped Peter Pan without any guilt.

 

[starjazz]

We're going in Feb, and will have 4 days in parks. Probably 2.5+ of those will be DL. I'm thinking that we'll do one bust-our-humps to make rope drop and do the morning madness so that my 4 & 6 yo girls can do the Anna/Elsa m&g, and PP etc. But leaning toward making the other day a "do the small things" kinda day. I'm trying to work up the courage.

I really wish DL did ADRs like WDW so that we could have a fun character breakfast and still make RD!

 

[bumbershoot]

We're going in Feb, and will have 4 days in parks. Probably 2.5+ of those will be DL. I'm thinking that we'll do one bust-our-humps to make rope drop and do the morning madness so that my 4 & 6 yo girls can do the Anna/Elsa m&g, and PP etc. But leaning toward making the other day a "do the small things" kinda day. I'm trying to work up the courage.

I really wish DL did ADRs like WDW so that we could have a fun character breakfast and still make RD!

What do you mean that you wish they did ADRs etc?

I can't tell if you don't know that they do do ADRs now...or if you want them to do early ADRs (which they do), or what?

Since DLR does the early entrance each day at one or the other park, it can make it tough to get an EARLY ADR, but you could choose a day when you're entering the park that doesn't have early entrance. Do it that way.

And just to be super-specific, "morning madness" refers to ToonTown Morning Madness, which was something different and doesn't exist anymore.

I have never gone on the finding nemo subs. They were closed for a few trips but even when they were open it seems the line is long? I also really want to do the canoes but they are often closed

The line, in my experience, looks longer than it is. For us it has been fast-moving.

DO THE CANOES. If they are open (and they are open during warmer times of the year) and you are there, do them. They are super-fun unless you truly despise exercise or the possibility of getting splashed.

Especially if you're a former rower (like me), do the canoes. It's my dream job, to be one of the CMs there.

 

[basketballmom]

I am not an AP holder, but I have been blessed to have been to Disneyland 9 out of the last 10 years. My daughters and I are willing to make sacrifices in other areas to be able to afford a Disneyland trip each year. Disneyland is our happy place! My husband chooses to stay home most years, but he knows how much we love it, so he never grumbles about our trips.
Having said that, we LOVE to ride things. We also LOVE the shows...and the food....and the shopping. There are still things we haven't done, but we aren't afraid to give up ride time to have a nice sit down lunch at Storytellers. That place makes us happy. None of us are big on parades, but we will wait for Fantasmic! and sometimes World of Color. I finally realized that I don't HAVE to ride Soarin over California just because my kids love it. And even though my girls are 23, 19 and 15, Winnie the Pooh is a MUST ride for us.
I see so many stressed out families and I just want to say, HEY! If you aren't having fun with this, don't be afraid to stop. Sit down for a while. Get a corndog. Look around at the magical place you are in! Some of the best memories come when you just slow down and absorb the magic around you!

 

[algae]

Go into the tiki waiting area and get your dole from that side. Shorter line. Then eat while watching the singing birds.

Yes, it usually has fewer people in line... but, the servers serve 2 customers on the outside per customer in the tiki waiting area. So, the tiki waiting area often ends up actually being slower. If you are waiting for the show anyways, go to the lounge area. Otherwise, stick to the outside line.

 

[corinne76]

Does that question make sense? I'm wondering what are the things you've heard others say they do, but you feel like you're too "scheduled" or "ride-oriented", etc. to do?

Usually, its the APs or folks who go several times per year that have some great ideas - but I just don't have the guts to miss that oh-so-valuable ride time.

Many of mine are morning-oriented:

Have breakfast in the park
Take the train full loop first thing in the morning
Ride something other than Peter Pan


Others are just things I feel like I can't "waste" time on:

Tiki Room
Dole Whip (line is always worse than most rides)
Character meals
Shop DTD

Looking forward to your input! This upcoming trip will be our third in three years, so we're starting to feel like we should do more stopping and smelling of roses!

While last year was our first trip since having kids, our list of things we didn't do was pretty spot on with what you have here.

I'd love to do a character breakfast in the park but I'm still debating if it's worth it. My kids will be 7 and 4 our next trip. not sure if I'd rather spend the time on rides.

The train is a must for our son, so we must do this again next trip.

Dole whip. meh. I live in Hawaii where the Dole plantation is. I stay away from that craziness in DL.
Never did the Tiki room even as a child.

We hit DTD our last day but only had limited time because we had to head to the airport. I'd like to spend more time next trip.

I've never done the canoes or the riverboat but maybe one day

 

[TheChapman6]

What do you mean that you wish they did ADRs etc? I can't tell if you don't know that they do do ADRs now...or if you want them to do early ADRs (which they do), or what? Since DLR does the early entrance each day at one or the other park, it can make it tough to get an EARLY ADR, but you could choose a day when you're entering the park that doesn't have early entrance. Do it that way. And just to be super-specific, "morning madness" refers to ToonTown Morning Madness, which was something different and doesn't exist anymore. The line, in my experience, looks longer than it is. For us it has been fast-moving. DO THE CANOES. If they are open (and they are open during warmer times of the year) and you are there, do them. They are super-fun unless you truly despise exercise or the possibility of getting splashed. Especially if you're a former rower (like me), do the canoes. It's my dream job, to be one of the CMs there.

Yeah I wanted to do them but never got the chance we try to go mid week but maybe late this summer!

 

[rentayenta]

This is a great question and I have been trying to think of what we wish we did but don't feel we have the time for and I can't think of anything. We don't have APs and our last few trips have been only 1-2 days long.

I guess we always know we'll be back some point so that pressure is off. The one thing I wish we would do more of is take character photos. We use to a lot when the kids were little but now they just don't want to pose. There can be literally no line.

We like our pool time and DH and I love our Hearthstone Lounge cocktail time. Even with two days we manage to get in some of each. Of course we don't see a ton in two days but it doesn't feel like we are missing out either. Each trip is wonderfully familiar and excitingly different at the same time if that makes sense.

Our next trip is 6 nights with 5 DLR days and staying at the GCV. In an odd way I look forward to days 3-4 when everyone is a little more chill and we can stroll a little more slowly down Main St.

Breakfast in the parks is a must-do for us specifically The River Belle Terrace. We take a good 45 minutes and it's worth every second. We also like to spend time in DTD so staying on property solves that issue.

 

[Spacepest]

I'm probably going to get flamed for this, but...

...having time to get smashed at the Mad T Party.

 

[starjazz]

What do you mean that you wish they did ADRs etc?

I can't tell if you don't know that they do do ADRs now...or if you want them to do early ADRs (which they do), or what?

Since DLR does the early entrance each day at one or the other park, it can make it tough to get an EARLY ADR, but you could choose a day when you're entering the park that doesn't have early entrance. Do it that way.

And just to be super-specific, "morning madness" refers to ToonTown Morning Madness, which was something different and doesn't exist anymore.

Regarding morning madness, I had no idea about the Toon Town thing - just a coincidence. I just meant the hussle and bustle.

Regarding ADRs - a very magical moment for my family at WDW was the early ADR at Crystal Palace. We were able to eat, meet all of the Pooh characters and then be first in line at the castle RD. Do they do anything like that at DLR? I was told it doesn't really work the same at DLR, but I haven't tried, so I'm open to hearing thoughts on that. I like that kind of magic because I don't feel like I'm using valuable morning ride time to eat breakfast then!