What to do first day at DL?

[hobbit]

We will be arriving from Western Australia straight to Anaheim, after 2 nights of flying, and will be tired, disorientated and probably overwhelmed as well. We have a 4 day Hopper Pass, which starts the day after we arrive. The Unofficial Guide to DL, and other people on the forums, seem to be saying that we need to get there early and then RUSH like mad to get on rides or we'll miss out. I just can't see us doing that the first day. We need time and space to take it all in, and being in a new country. But we do need some sort of a plan as we are travelling with our 9 year old son, who behaves better when he knows what is going to happen. So my question is:

What sort of itinerary should we have the first day we are there?

thanks!

 

[nunzia]

What we did to help orientate some of the grand kids their first time there..(one has Aspergers so it's important to go slow with new things) was hop on the train and take it around the park to get a nice overview. You could start the loop a second time, then get of at New Orleans Square, say, and do Haunted Mansion and Pirates, or get off further along for other things. I say take it easy and enjoy the park and take time to absorb it all. Don't rushrushrush and miss all the cool little things at DLR. It's supposed to fun, after all, not an invasion.

 

[PinkBudgie]

I would say you don't have to rush, but do get there at gate opening. If you are there before the gate opens, really you don't have to rush from ride to ride. It will be nice in the park so just go where you want to go. You don't have to be first in line or first at rope drop. But if you wait until 11am to wander in the parks, you miss out on the time when lines are short.

If you have a Magic Morning to get in early use that to do Fantasyland first. If you don't have MM then do Fantasyland first on a non MM day. Later in the day the lines for these rides get very long.

As far as getting your son ready- He is old enough to look at the Disneyland site and get an idea of what he would like to do. Get his imput and come up with a loose plan that you can always adapt when you get there.

Also, if DL has an earlier opening than DCA, go to DL first. Then later around lunch time, hop over to DCA.

You don't have to plan ride for ride what do to, but have a general idea. We usually get FPs for Space Mountain or Indy first thing. We might also ride it while the line is short at that time.

 

[hobbit]

Thanks Nunzia. Actually our son also has Aspergers syndrome The train trip sounds like a great introduction. I'd be happy to not even go on any rides the first day, but everything I read seems to be saying we have to DO as many rides as possible, or we miss out.

 

[Brady's Mom]

For a lot of people Disney IS about the rides. We feel no need to rush, though. We do like PinkBudgie suggested and get there early (about 20-30 minutes before DL opens) and then we go and ride whatever rides we've decided to do that morning.

If your son wants to do the train - by all means, do the train. The trip is all about what is great for YOUR family, not my family or anyone else's. Go with what you think will work for you and watch for signs from your son about what is working or not working for him.

One suggestion I have is to use earplugs if he can handle them. I have discovered over our several trips that I get overloaded with the noise/music on the rides. Some of them are VERY loud. Space Mtn is one that is super loud to me. My DS 13 and I discovered on our trip last May that when we wore earplugs we were much happier people. We weren't as tired and we didn't get grouchy or irritated. We just popped them in our ears as we queued up for the ride.

We also take things slow and easy, we don't rush from ride to ride in a mad dash. We try to really appreciate what is going on around us and take a look at all the details and theming that DLR is famous for. We point out hidden Mickey's and other details and give our kids a chance to take pictures. It works for us.

You could also consider Ridemax software (just google it) for about $15 USD and it helps plan your rides and you can build in breaks and meals and stuff. It saved us on our first trip to DLR - we got so much more done that trip than I thought we could - especially since it was so crowded that trip. It might be worth checking out. It has some good tips and tricks included in the info, too.

 

[goofycathy]

I think alot of what you do and how you "approach" DL depends on the crowds on the days your will be there. Off season with a 4 day park hopper should give you plenty of time to see everything at both California Adventure and Disneyland probably more than once! If your going during the week on off season you wont have to rush around like a madman. I didnt see any dates of when you will be there but I have never been there in all these years (because I dont do holidays or summers at Disneyland) when there were so many crowds that I have ever had to wait in lines for more than 30 minutes with the exception of Nemo and TSMM.
Good luck with your trip! Keep us posted!

 

[LavenderPeach]

I agree with PPs that there's no need to rush to all the rides if that doesn't fit your family. Do what you like to do. With such a long trip over here I can understand why you don't want to get up early the first day but I would encourage you to try getting there at opening on the other days. Again, you don't have to rush but the crowds are SO much lower the first few hours. I'm sure the shorter lines would also be much easier for you DS.

Taking the train the first day sounds like a good idea although I personally like walking down mainstreet and looking at all the stuff along there when I first get to DL. You can take a totally relaxed approach to DL and just wander around and do what looks like fun at that time. You don't need to have any big touring plan. It is helpful to have a general idea for the morning so you're not standing around wondering what to do but I'm sure you'll have a great time no matter what you decide to do.

 

[HydroGuy]

I would add that there is a difference in "rushing like mad" from ride to ride (which can be fun BTW depending on your group ) and "focusing" on rides and prioritizing your day. For the latter that means getting to the gates early and realizing that the first 2-3 hours are best spent on rides and mid-day is best spent resting or shopping. This does not require any rushing at all - just understanding where to focus.

 

[WonkaKid]

I say take it easy and enjoy the park and take time to absorb it all. Don't rushrushrush and miss all the cool little things at DLR. It's supposed to fun, after all, not an invasion.

I agree. My mother and I went to DW and we never got enough sleep because we were always up early trying to be the first into the park. I've learned that you don't always have to be first. Concentrating too much on seeing and doing everything detracts heavily from the overall experience.

So, my advice: spend at least a day acclimating yourselves and recovering from the flight. Then get to the park the next day as early as possible without compromising a good night's sleep. Remember: this is a wonderful place -- all the more so if you sit back and let the magic do it's ... well, *magic.* ;-).

Have a great time!

Rob

 

[HydroGuy]

I agree. My mother and I went to DW and we never got enough sleep because we were always up early trying to be the first into the park. I've learned that you don't always have to be first. Concentrating too much on seeing and doing everything detracts heavily from the overall experience.

For most of us, the idea behind getting there early is not to see and do everything but to be there when no one else is there so you can experience more and not be waiting is so many long lines.

Also, most folks including me would say to couple early arrivals with mid-day hotel breaks and a nap (except for off-season when the parks do not open until 10AM anyways). Coming at opening (8AM) and staying until closing is recipe for exhaustion and is not fun.

So, my advice: spend at least a day acclimating yourselves and recovering from the flight. Then get to the park the next day as early as possible without compromising a good night's sleep. Remember: this is a wonderful place -- all the more so if you sit back and let the magic do it's ... well, *magic.* ;-).

Good advice.

 

[Jrsy Boy]

On our last visit, we arrived mid-afternoon on Saturday with plans to not go into the parks until Sunday so we'd get a full day for each of the three on our hoppers. We spent Saturday in the area, wandering Downtown Disney, exploring the Anaheim Gardenwalk, and watched the fireworks from HoJos; it really built up the excitement for being inside the parks for the next three days. All that being said, we still had a leisurely breakfast at Mimi's on Sunday morning and went to City Hall to get DS his birthday button and giftcard and really just meandered around that first morning, appreciating that we were there and that the weather was so nice. I'm sure there were people who ran to be first on the Matterhorn or Space Mountain but maybe that is the memory that was most important to them where we wanted to remember and appreciate every minute and every little thing that we did.

 

[LavenderPeach]

For most of us, the idea behind getting there early is not to see and do everything but to be there when no one else is there so you can experience more and not be waiting is so many long lines.

Exactly.

 

[Dobie]

You might want to consider DCA for your first morning. . .it opens a bit later than DL.

 

[hobbit]

Thanks so much everyone. I just joined RideMax, so thanks for that recommendation as well

 

[PinkBudgie]

You might want to consider DCA for your first morning. . .it opens a bit later than DL.

That is a good suggestion. If you do get to the park later, you still could be at DCA at park opening.

 

[nunzia]

Thanks Nunzia. Actually our son also has Aspergers syndrome The train trip sounds like a great introduction. I'd be happy to not even go on any rides the first day, but everything I read seems to be saying we have to DO as many rides as possible, or we miss out.

All the rides are great fun and a magical part of the trip, but they are not the WHOLE trip IMO..you can get rides anywhere, but you can't get the Disney feel. Hopefully you will have time to do all the rides (and I bet you will) but the most important thing is having fun and making memories as a family. We spent way too much 'time' making wishes at the wishing well and listening to the voice and watching the cheesy fish jump in the water next to it, but it was what was fun right then for the kids. As for the Aspergers, we really had to go with the flow..My GS that has it had no problem riding Star Wars or Indy, since he is familiar with them, but totally freaked at Roger Rabbit because the 'eyes looked weird'...I think they are on the cars..anyway..just something to be aware of..