What does your plan/itinerary look like?

[cooniez]

As I try to plan out our 5-day trip to DL this June, I'm curious about how everyone plans out their trip? The last time we went with my folks we only had a day or 2 as my dad was on R&R from a tour in Iraq. This time I'll be with DH and our 2 daughters and we've got a bit more time luckily. Anyhow, do you all make a list of the main attractions/rides you want to do/see? Or do you have a calendar that lists what you plan to do daily?

 

[rentayenta]

I have an itinerary in the works for our 6 days this June. See pg. 31 in my trip report, link below in siggy. Lack of WoC info as well as Ridemax having to drag their heels has stalled any further planning.

 

[PinkBudgie]

Normally, we get to DL before gate opening. First ride may be Peter Pan if not a MM. Our first FP is Space or IJ. IASW is a morning ride, but not first. When all the other FPs are gone, we keep getting FPs for Buzz. We never have to wait longer than 5 min for that ride because there are often still a lot of FPs for it.

We also normally hop over to DCA around lunch time and at that point may even hop back and forth a few times. We go to TSMM late afternoon.

Each day we are there goes similar but we plan in the Aladdin show and other shows we want to see. We also try to plan in the rides that we only want to do once a visit like the river boats.

However, WOC may completely turn our normal touring plans upside down. Not only do we want to see it, but on days we don't, it may change the wait times for various rides, both in DCA and DL. So I will be watching the boards to figure out what our new plan will be in Aug.

 

[kkmcan]

Here's our plan for next month- June 5-8

June 5
Arrive in afternoon, check in, head for DL
Grab quick dinner- mickey pretzels and corndogs
Hit any ride that doesn't have a line- Pirates, HM, Pooh, Tiki Room, IASW etc
Back to hotel early for bed

June 6-
MM bright and early- at gate 6:30
Fantasyland rides (skip Peter Pan seen it so many times that I can do without the wait)
Space, Matterhorn, Buzz, maybe Nemo??
Grabbing Fastpasses as we go.
Big Thunder, Splash, HM and Pirates
Indy Fastpass
Hop to DCA for early lunch and a few rides-Soarin, Moholland, Monsters
Aladdin in early afternoon, Grizzly River Run
Head back to hotel for rest
5:30 Back to DL
Dinner- Golden Horseshoe/Rancho Zocalo
use fastpasses
6:30 Parade
Use fastpasses
Fantasmic

June 7
DL- Capt EO, Toontown, Tom Sawyer/Pirates Island, any other rides we haven't done or do our favorites again
Hop to DCA at 10:00
Soarin, TSMM, Screamin, Monsters, TOT,
Lunch at Whitewater Snacks
Grizzly River Run
Silly Symphony Swings
Golden Zephyr
Back to room for rest
Dinner near hotel room- Subway??
DL- 5:30
Shopping, more rides, Sleeping Beauty Walkthrough
Maybe fireworks. (We've staked out our spot all of our previous trips, don't feel we need to do that this time)
Would like to stay until close since it's our last night.

This is just a rough outline. It's not set in stone as we might change our minds as we go. Also my kids like to pin trade through out the day so we always stop to do that when we see a CM with a lanyard.

 

[Porturican]

Not sure if this is what you are looking for but this is my itinerary for my upcoming trip May 30 - June 6.

5/30 - Driving in and doing LA stuff... Griffith Obsv and Santa Monica Pier(avoiding DL due to the Holiday and expect the crowd to be crazy)
Dinner at House Of Blues in DTD

5/31 - Knotts Berry Farm, Dinner at Naples in DTD then head into DL for a few hours to look in shops and catch a few rides esp Indiana Jones since it will be down for refurb for 2 of the other days I plan to be in the parks.

6/01 - Disneyland! I really dont have a plan other that I probably will head over to Space Mountain for fast passes and I may take advantage of MM since I have never done that before. Otherwise we will get fast passes when we can and just ride what we like and want to as we come to it. Then we will head over to DCA and basically do the same plan.
Lunch at 2:10pm at Ariels Grotto in DCA. Spend the rest of the time in DCA until I need to leave and pick up Husband from the airport. I may let my kids stay in the parks while i do this since they are 15 & 16. Then later we are going to Gardenwalk to bowl at 300.

6/2 - DL/DCA Basically the same plan as above minus the bowling and lunch at Ariels. We will eat breakfast at Carnation Cafe and ride/fastpass what we want and hop between both parks. Take a break and head back to Gardenwalk for Lunch at Fire n Ice then head back to the parks.

6/3 - Going to Magic Mountain

6/4 - Venice Beach, Hollywood Blvd etc... Basically site seeing, eating at some LA food spots and resting

6/5 - Disneyland/DCA

6/6 - maybe go to DL for a few hours before we hit the road back home

I think my biggest key to my trips and works for me is... I like to get the park maps and cross off the rides we got to ride and then try to hit the ones we missed and want to ride on one of our other days in the park plus re-ride the ones we want. Basically I go to DL with intentions to ride certain rides and then filter in everything else. Dont get me wrong we have our frantic it's 12:10 we can another fast pass someone run over to this ride and grab the FP's. And every trip my 15 year old son has to ride Autotopia or else his trip is not complete.
Does this make sense? In my mind it does


I also recently visited WDW and I have to say it has made me want to appreciate DL a little more.

I hope you have a great trip! Enjoy yourself!

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

We don't usually go when it is busy, but it may still help you to see our general plan of attack for this October (which I understand may be nuts), which of course is in flux thanks to WOC:

Day 1 (Wed) is a 10:30 am arrival or so, our first couple trips we went to DL first because I couldn't bear not to, but now, we'll go to DCA 1st. FP Soarin', go ride Monster's, Ariel's lunch, Soarin', cross to DL, Celebrate Parade?, swing through FL! do anything that is short (dd loves Snow and Pinocchio!), Pirates, HM & BTMRR, Pooh, Bengal BBQ, fireworks @ 8 pm if they are the same time as last year, back to hotel to sleep!

Day 2 (Thu) is a MM day, probably an 8 am MM opening, our usual order is: Peter Pan, Alice, Matterhorn, Dumbo, Toad, Snow, Pinnochio, Tea Cups. Then probably over to IASW, and then around to Buzz, FPing Space on the way, head over to Pooh and grab Splash FPs when we can. Lunch @ Carnation Cafe, then nap time--we often swing into DCA and by Soarin to get FPs for it before nap. After nap, go through DCA to ride Soarin, and then cross and do Space, and whatever till dinner. Hoping for F! this night--since it looks like the trick or treat party will be Friday, so planning on BB for dinner, and then F! dessert seating.

Day 3 (Fri) doing DCA this morning, Soarin 1st, then TSMM, Bug's land, Monster's again, lunch @ Rainforest Cafe, nap, pool time, and dinner at PPH Grill before ToTP @ DL that night. During the ToTP we'll just ride whatever we feel like (hopefully ToonTown will be open too, so we can swing through there), if it is anything like when it was at DCA ride lines will be nice and short. There is a chance that Disney will do fireworks and F! for the ToTP I guess, if so that would be super cool!

Day 4 (Sat) doing DCA all day, going to try and take it easy since it will probably be slammed--not sure if we'll need to get WOC showpasses or if I will be able to book WOC seating for the 1st show, ride Soarin 1st then TSMM, pick up a FP for TOT (going to try and talk dd into trying TOT and Grizzly this year) then probably over to the Animation building for Turtle Talk and everything else there... FP for Grizzly, and ride TOT and Grizzly when we can. Lunch in DCA, and maybe see Aladdin if they will still have it running... Play Parade in late afternoon... then WOC seating for dinner?? This day is really up in the air, and I am afraid to leave for naps this day, because the weekend we are going is Columbus weekend, and I am worried about the park reaching capacity.

Day 5 (Sun): early breakfast at Minnies, then ride whatever we feel like until lunch time... then DTD for souvies (we save this for very last), and car to airport at 3 pm.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

well
dec 12get there
check in hojos an take a stroll around down town disney spend money an then go to dinner (goffys kitchen)

dec 13th monday 1st day in the park open i belive 9 maybe 10.
we may not want to wait at the gates for park opening with my mom an dad there we wouldnt want to stand there for couple hours an my son may not have a stroler not sure lol

so we may do storytellers breakfast that morning.
go in after breakfast
have a nice fun first day.
Lunch at BB maybe late lunch (forgot the late lunch time seatting any one know?)

tuesday (ee i think)
eat in the hotle room.
have a fun morning at disney land.
after noon go to lunch at princess meal if they are open.
then go back after lunch for few hours rest
then back for night time fun.
(maybe the fantasmic)

Last day dec 15 we would do
breakfast at plaza inn (my hubbys fav)
then we will hit all our favs an maybe the christmas tour.

not much of a plan but its gona be a slow relaxing trip (yes we like the meal plan an we like the time spent together. )

 

[cooniez]

Thanks everyone & please keep 'em coming! It seems like the majority of you list the main attractions to be done each day vs. approx. times, etc. (as is the case with the itinerary from the Unofficial Guide to DL). Do you find that you stick to your plan or do you diverge from it a little/a lot when you are actually at DL?

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

Do you find that you stick to your plan or do you diverge from it a little/a lot when you are actually at DL?

We stick really closely... but that is just from practice! The 1st year we went we did way more than we planned to in a day, the next few visits I tweaked the plans a little more each time, and I think I have it pretty dialed down now. For me its nice to know what areas we are hitting each day, so I am not stressing that we are going to miss something. And I always leave the last day to re-ride our favorites or pick up what we missed.

 

[letthembelittle]

Thanks everyone & please keep 'em coming! It seems like the majority of you list the main attractions to be done each day vs. approx. times, etc. (as is the case with the itinerary from the Unofficial Guide to DL). Do you find that you stick to your plan or do you diverge from it a little/a lot when you are actually at DL?

We too use the Unoffical Guide to a certain extent. Each day I make a list of what I want us to get done, laying out the rides in a manner that doesnt involve too much backtracking but leaving time for characters or doing the same ride over and over if the kids want. When we went in the fall, we kinda did the parks land by land, on our April trip since we knew what we liked best we focused more on that and things that we hadnt done last time. When we go this fall (because the trip is much shorter) we will be totally focused on our favorites. I felt like we stuck to the plan pretty much, but of course it never all gets done!

 

[seadd67]

All we do Is plan for the frist park we goto, and while waiting In line we paln wich ride we are going to. Our Dinning resvp will tell us alot where we will be during the day,most of the time.

 

[94bruin]

How old are you daughters? If they are young like mine, there are a lot of diversions that can make a good plan go awry.

Anyways, I started a trip report. We were just there last week for 5 days<sigh>.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2466892

Anyways, it might be of interest to see what could be accomplished, although I'm certain that you'll probably have longer hours than we did.

 

[cooniez]

Thanks again to those who posted their plans and/or links to their trip reports! We have a pre-teen and a toddler, so it will be tough trying to cater to both of their needs...but I think it's possible. We took advantage of the Buy3Get2 PH tickets promo, so we will have more time than when we went with my Dad during his R&R. I just want to get as much done as possible since I don't know when we will get to go again

 

[PFopma]

Just booked this July trip this week so have a loose itinerary:

Thurs: arrive LAX noon - drive to hotel near Universal check in and spend rest of the day at Universal. Dinner at Citywalk
Fri: morning - Warner Bros studio tour, afternoon - Hollywood & Highland, Mann's Chinese. Hoping for evening TV taping tickets.
Sat: Free day to do whatever interests us. Possible Venice Beach or Santa Monica Pier
Sun: Afternoon - John Williams & Friends concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Dinner at Dukes Malibu
Mon: Back to Universal for 2nd Day
Tues: Drive to Anaheim early - Park Vue Inn - Balance of day at DL, Dinner Blue Bayou, Fantasmic
Wed: DCA - attempt World of Color in evening or back to DL
Thurs: morning - DL, Walk In Walt's Footsteps tour. Afternoon - DL or DCA
Fri: DL, evening Angels Baseball game
Sat: Fly home

I like to have a lose schedule with some flexibility. On our last trip while visiting Mann's Chinese we were approached by some people from Disney who were trying to fill seats in the El Capitan Theater for a press preview of Princess Diaries 2 on Sat night. We had no firm plans so were able to attend. We got free tickets as well as coupons for free refreshments. It was a wonderful & inexpensive evening in Hollywood!

 

[mvf-m11c]

I always like to get to the park first thing in the morning. I mostly like to do all the best rides first thing in the morning and later during the day and get ready for the night shows like F! and the fireworks. First I do the rides that don't have FP like FNSV, PP, and Matterhorn. Some of the rides that have FP I like to go on first thing in the morning like Space and Indy. Then I do the big rides later during the day that has FP. Then I take a break around 1pm and get ready for dinner. Then I get myself ready and get great viewing areas for the fireworks and F!

Its going to be very ugly during Summer Nightastic opening day and the debut of WoC. (June 10 - 13)