Which attractions to hit first?

[toefungus]

Hey everyone - I'm going to be making my first trip to DL at the end of June after going to WDW for many years.

What is the best strategy for hitting attractions right as the park opens? Space mountain first? Indy first? Hours are 8am to 12am, we'll try to get there right at opening. I want to have a game plan for the morning on what to see first then just see where things take up the rest of the day.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

How many days do you have in Disneyland and what are your must do attracctions?

 

[toefungus]

How many days do you have in Disneyland and what are your must do attracctions?

Just one day during the week of June 24th - July 2nd.

I'd like to hit all of the big attractions, especially ones that are unique or different from WDW to Disneyland (Space Mountain, Indy, Nemo, Matterhorn, ect..)

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I would suggest that you take a look at this thread. There are a lot of good tips for first timers at DL who are WDW veterans.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483

 

[avalon451]

You'll have a great time!

I would read Hydroguy's sticky thread at the top of the forum page. Lots of invaluable advice on how to best do the parks.

Indy, Space, etc. are all FP rides, so best strategy is just to grab FPs for all those headliner FP rides, and ride the non-FP rides early in the a.m. before the lines build. Then later when all the standby waits are 60-90 minutes, use the FPs you've accumulated and sail past those lines!

 

[Me40Diz50]

Indiana Jones was so long Monday Jun 9th even the fast pass line was long to get a fast pass, I think it is because of the movie. At 9:30pm it was 75 mins. Hit that first then have someone go get fast passes for another ride like space mountain while your in line, then they get back find you in line and now you have 2 rides out of the way. Keep it up all morning it will tell you when you are aloud to get another fast pass at the bottom of fast pass ticket, keep it going with the time, then ride the rides at your time. They do not expire, you just can not get on early. We always have a pocket full of fast passes and go when we want. You just have to be on top of it, get them right when you can.Most of the time we have them all, so we start again on the rides the kids want to ride twice. Or go across to DCA and start with that park doing all those rides.
Even if the last Disneyland fast pass says come back at this time, it does not matter for Cal Adventures that's a different park and you start over there.

If you get the fast pass system down, you can have a calm go with the flow day. EASY. If you ride Toy Story it opens 17th, have someone get a fast passes while your stuck in line anyway like Soarin over Calif, Tower of Terror, or Calif Screamin Rollercoaster. Then meet up in line. No one says anything about meeting back up in line, gee some people have to leave to get drinks, go to the bathroom. Might as well get fast passes.

I just thought of something, Matterhorn does not have fast pass and you said you wanted to ride that too, maybe you should go on that first and have someone get fast pass for Indy, ect ect..

 

[Sleepless Knight]

If you can fit another day or even two in there, I would do it. One day is not even close to enough for Disneyland. You need, especially in the crowds to properly experience Disneyland itself, nevermind DCA.

That said, here's what to do. Be inside the park as close to the right side on the end of Main Street as you can at rope drop for Nemo. Head there first thing in the morning and resist the temptation to do anything else. If you do something else before Nemo, you're likely looking at least a 1 hour wait for Nemo. After Nemo, do Matterhorn and Space. From there I would head over to Indy and pick up a fastpass(note that if you fastpass Space, you may have a longer window to get the Indy fastpass, so if the standby for Space is under 30 minutes, I wouldn't use fastpass).

Now, whatever you do, do not skip POTC. Disneyland's (the original POTC) is nearly twice as long and far superior to the one in the MK.

I also recommend doing Fantasyland after about 10:30pm. Fantasyland in Disneyland has a radically different feel from the one in WDW. The show buildings are beautifully themed both to Sleeping Beauty Castle and the location of the story itself. The lines are much shorter and you can experience the unique Fantasyland attractions that MK does not have(Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, Storybookland & Mr. Toad) with much shorter lines than in the middle of the day. If possible, do Peter Pan as well since the Disneyland version is a little bit better.

It's also fun to walk around ToonTown. Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin is worth doing with either a fastpass or a short wait, and ToonTown in Disneyland is much better themed than the Fair in Florida. You don't need to spend a lot of time there, but it's fun.

As for DCA, it's a tough call. Aladdin is a great show, especially to beat the afternoon heat, but with only one day I hesitate to recommend spending time in DCA especially since WDW features Tower of Terror, Soarin' and a similar roller coaster albeit with a vastly superior theme(Rock N Roller Coaster over Screamin'). Monsters, Inc. is also a fun little ride.

As for Toy Story Midway Mania, the question becomes when your next trip to WDW is since the ride itself is virtually identical. The theme is better in DCA since the ride was themed for a midway and then cloned for DHS.

I also think the fireworks at Disneyland are a must see, from somewhere in the hub.

 

[honeymom]

Is Nemo a must do? If it is a must do, be prepared to do the Nemo Dash at rope drop. If you get there any later in the day, you will be forced to wait on a really, really, really long line.

 

[DLR29]

For one day I would not recommend Nemo. It's fun, but the line will take a up a huge chunk of your day unless you get there 60min before in the morning.

Instead I recommend getting a Space FP first and then heading over to Fantasyland where there are a lot of rides that are not at WDW (Matterhorn, Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, Mr. Toad, Storybookland Canal Boats, Casey Jr.) and have long lines. Then go from there. Make sure to get a FP for Indy and Splash after Space because those two will have very long lines (especially Splash on hot summer days).

 

[Hound 109]

For one day I would not recommend Nemo. It's fun, but the line will take a up a huge chunk of your day unless you get there 60min before in the morning.

Instead I recommend getting a Space FP first and then heading over to Fantasyland where there are a lot of rides that are not at WDW (Matterhorn, Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, Mr. Toad, Storybookland Canal Boats, Casey Jr.) and have long lines. Then go from there. Make sure to get a FP for Indy and Splash after Space because those two will have very long lines (especially Splash on hot summer days).

As usual, i agree with DLR 29.

- SM FP.
- Fantasyland (including Matterhorn, Alice, Toadie, Pinocchio, SnowWhite & possibly Storybookland)
- Indy FP
- Left side of park (BTMRR, pirates, HM maybe Splash)
- Splash or BTMRR FP.
- Pick up 2 more FPs before noon & you're set for the evening touring.
- Fill in the rest of the rides in the afternoon.

(pass on Nemo unless at closing)

Have a great time at Walt's Park & consider an extra day or two.

 

[Disneylvrforever]

My suggestion would be to pick which ride you'd want to go on first, Indy or SM. Let's say if you want to go on SM first, I would dash to Indy, get a FP & then dash over to SM. The line should still be short enough that you won't go crazy. Depending on the time, when you get off of SM, it's possible that you can get another FP to SM so that you can ride it again later if you want.

As for Nemo, sure, you can make a mad dash when the ropes drop, BUT if you get in the line at least 5 min before the park closes (lines will be major short), even though it would be past closing hours, you WILL get on the ride. Trust me!

If you are a Peter Pan fan, then you'd want to do that early in the morning, but of course, there's on in WDW as well. Other than that Fantasyland rides have short lines @ night as well as for Matterhorn and the JC.

If the weather is blazin' hot, check out 50 Magical Years on MS, Honey I Shrunk the Audience in Tomorrowland (even though there's 1 in WDW), Billy Hill & the Hillbillies in Frontierland or Innoventions in Tomorrowland. Or you can go on Splash Mt. early so your clothes can dry off during the day or just get a FP for it.

Don't forget to check out the new Indy show in Adventureland!
Hope my suggestions help!