I need a plan of attack

[Jager_mom]

Ok so We've never been to DL, so I have no clue where to go when we get in, What rides do we go to first thing? Do I start with one land do all of it and then move to the next?

When are good times to stop for Lunch and Dinner?

I think I made my Ps at The Rainforrest Cafe for 6:30 and our lilo and stitch Breakfast/Lunch at 11 are these good times?

 

[dizzyami]

Are you there just one day and planning on doing DL only??

My main recommendation is to hit Fantasy Land as soon as the park opens, and hit the kiddie rides - these do not have fast passes, and the lines will get quite long if you don't hit these first. Other then that, it all really depends on your time frame.

 

[littlelambie]

We have taken ds twice, and are headed back Sept 24. The first year we took him he was only 2.5 yrs. What we have found works best for us is not eating the skimpy breakfast the hotel offers, but going to the Ihop or Denny's for a big breakfast. Then we kind of snack our way through the park as needed for most of the afternoon. Then we head back to the hotel for a nap, then have another big meal before we head back to the parks. We find this so much cheaper then eating in the park. For some reason, when we were there last year, Splash Mountain was extremly quiet 1st thing in the morning. We could head over there and just keep riding!!

HTH!!

 

[tigger0215]

i agree, DO FANTASY LAND early or 1st! ... especially Peter Pan's Flight. that ride is always THE LONGEST in my opinion.. of all the times ive been to dl. i think i have only been on peter pan like 2 times.. lol also, if you have an early entry, id reccommend going to fantasyland 1st.. get your Fastpasses to space mtn earky in the day, and remember it may say for example "come back between 1 and 2" but just pretend that is says "Come back anytime after 1 today"... That applies to all fastpasses. even at California adventures! have fun on your trip!

 

[ItaliaDisneyFan!]

yes do fantasyland as soon as the park opens.. then get a fastpass for a "must do" ride... we find that going to adventureland during the parades or at night is very good cause its almost deserted!! the best tip = take advantage of "fastpass"

 

[ItaliaDisneyFan!]

for breakfast, if your hotel offers comp. breakfast, take a small something (like a muffin) and then go to the park. then at 11-ish go out of the parks and head over to IHOP or Denny's for a breakfast lunch. also, take a couple of things (muffins, bagels etc. ) from cont. breakfast and snack on them throughout the park to hold you over to dinner


asfor times? lunch = at 11-11:30.. or like 2-3.... dinner = at 4-5ish (that works best for us!

 

[ScooterL]

How old are your kids? Are they going to be interested in the Fantasyland rides, or are they old enough to prefer Indy, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Pirates, etc.? If the latter...I would recommend getting a Fastpass for Indy first, then riding Pirates, then getting another Fastpass (either for Space or Splash) and riding Indy, then Haunted Mansion, etc. Otherwise, as others have said, hit Fantasyland first. The Pooh ride in Critter Country is popular with kids, but that doesn't have too much of a wait, so you can do that whenever.

I would hop around between lands to do the rides you want to, rather than trying to see everything in one land - prioritize a list of what's the most important to you, so you don't get bogged down waiting in line for something you don't really care about, and miss out on something else!

When are you going to be there? If it's mid-week during the off-season, then timing your lunch isn't as crucial, but if it's during a busy time, then try to eat at 11:00 or wait until after 2:00. For dinner, if you have a late lunch you won't want to eat early...but it you eat at 11:00 you'll be ready by 5:00 for some dinner!

 

[ZoZo]

I would recommend getting a guide book like the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland to help you "plan your attack." They have detailed touring plans that will help you a lot, especially if you've never been there before. They also have great recommendations about things like when to eat (to avoid busy times), etc.

 

[DLR29]

I'd go to Fantsyland first rides to get done early are: Dumbo, Peter Pan, Casey Jr. Matterhorn, Mad Tea party, Alice. Then head over to Tommorowland and get a Space FP. Do whatever you want in Tomorrowland. Ride Space. Head across the park and get a FP for Splash, ride MAoWtP, any Rivers of America, and Haunted Mansion. Then grab a FP for either Indy or BTMRR and ride the other along with Pirates and Jungle Cruise. Get a FP for any ride you want to ride again(Space's will have probably run out by then). By then you can probably go back to Fantasyland and ride anything else you didn't ride before (Mr. Toad, Snow White, Pinocchio). Then grab a Roger Rabbit FP and ride Gadget's Go Coaster and IASW. Then ride Roger Rabbit. Ride the train to the closest station where your last FP attraction was and ride that to end your day.

That's going to take a lot of stamina and getting there early. I'm not sure if it'll work but I have gotten in these in one day:

Indy x 2
Jungle Cruise
Enchanted Tiki Room
PotC
Haunted Mansion
Splash
MAoWtP
BTMRR x 2
BLAB x 4
Star Tours
Autopia
Monorail
Dumbo
Matterhorn x 2
Peter pan
Mr. Toad
Pinocchio
Snow White
Alice
IASW
Roger Rabbit
Gadget's Go Coaster

And that was during the summer. But we got there early and stayed late. Overall it was a very tiring day.

 

[HydroGuy]

You might want to let RideMax help you decide - www.ridemax.com

See my "RideMax Critique Plus Conventional and Unconventional Usage on August 1-4 Trip" - www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885134

Your 11AM lunch will beat the lunch crowds, but whether it is a good idea depends on when the park opens. If it opens at 8AM that day, it will be good. If at 10AM, it will be too soon IMO. If at 9AM, it might still be a little early but will work.

Also, you will get on a lot more rides if you learn how to use FastPass. There are a lot of subtleties at DLR.

Check out these links:

"Getting the Most Out of FastPass During High Season" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885132

"FastPass for Dummies and Smarties - A Photographic Explanation" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1186052