Please help

[carmel]

I could really use some different opinions. I have thought about this too much and my brain can't process it anymore!

Here's the deal, Lucille (as my 6yr old would say). The vast majority of the rides my girls want to go on are in Fantasyland. None of them are FP. Which means that the queues will get pretty deep with no chance of avoiding them. There are a few other rides in different lands that we are interested in: Indiana Jones, POC, Haunted Mansion, Many Adventures of WtP and Roger Rabbit. What should be our strategy? Do we head over to Indy Jones immediately and ride and pick up a FP for another ride before going to Fantasyland? I have a 2yr old and I don't want to start her day off with a big line on a ride she can't get on.

I'm so confused. DH says I'm thinking about it too much but we are going the week after Easter and I know the place will be packed. I just want to maximize our very shor stay (2 days - it is more of a side trip while our main goal is visiting DH's grandma).

Thanks!

 

[Disneyland_emily]

How many days will ya be there? If more than one- Do 2 Blitzs with Fantasyland one day and Westside one day- Fantasyland is pretty easy to hit early on (even busy days we get about 10 done before 10-11ish)

If one day then I would still hit Fantasyland first then get a FP for Indy, ride Jungle and surrounding things, then work over to HM and Pirates

Disneyland works a bit better if you dont backtrack (ie dont get Indy FP then do Fantasy then backtrack to Indy then ride Autopia then Roger Rabbit etc) because youll end up tired and loose time just walking

Usually what we do when going "commando" style is FP the area attraction first then ride all the non-fp things in the area, grab lunch in the area etc. Then use the FP and move to another area and do the same-

-em

 

[Amy&Dan]

I agree with Disneyland_emily. Do Fantasyland first. Namely, Peter Pan and Dumbo first. We usually ride those two rides two times each our first day. Our second day we usually do Matterhorn first. I never see any of these three with short lines after about the first hour or two depending on the time of year. We often do Matterhorn maybe 4 times in a row if we get there early even on a weekend. After we do the rest of Fantasyland, we take the Big Thunder trail (I think that is what it is called) and ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Then we fastpass either Indiana Jones or Splash Mountain. While we wait for that fastpass we ride Pirates and Haunted Mansion. Pay attention to your fastpass return time so that you can get another one as soon that time rolls around or its two hours after you got it, whichever comes first. By the time we have all of that done we can have an early lunch and then maybe do the Snow White show. Then depending on crowds we may ride other things or head over to DCA. The bottom line is that early mornings are the best time. Get those non fast pass things done first and then if you can ride them again later great, if not at least you got it done. We ride a whole lot, always see the shows and parades and I have never waited in any line longer than 30 minutes and even that is rare for us to do. Another thing to remember is that DCA usually opens later. So often on a Saturday we do Fantasyland and maybe a couple of other things and then head over to DCA while it is still newly opened to take advantage of their low crowds. Have a great time!

 

[disneychrista]

The only thing I have to add to the above is plan to get there BEFORE scheduled park opening. That way you are there when the gates open and can make the most of your time. If the little ones get tired, go back to the hotel and take a mid-afternoon nap. Then go back at Dinner time and enjoy the evening.

 

[Tink33]

Could you send your DH to pick up FP for Indy first thing while you head to Fantasyland? You could get in line for Dumbo and he would probably be there before your flight took off since the loading is slow.

 

[carmel]

Thank you all SO much for your help.

I think we will visit Fantasyland first. While we are in line, I'm gonna send DH to get a FP. Which do you think would be the smartest FP to get?

Indiana Jones
POC
Haunted Mansion
Splash Mountain
Winnie the Pooh
Roger Rabbit's Cartoon spin
Autotopia

I guess I am clueless to the FP system. I know that some of them are not tied to others and that you can't hold two FPs for the same time period. Can you hold two FP for different time periods?

I just don't know how to maximize our time. We are only going to be on this side of the park for 1 day. This vacation is about family obligations and the DL trip is a 'mental health day' for the kids (LOL - too much cheek pinching and relatives they have never met - they will need a break).

 

[disneychrista]

POC, Haunted Mansion & Pooh no longer have FP. I would get one for Indy, your time should be up by the time you finish Fantasyland. Then have DH run to get one for Splash while you take a restroom break or get in line for Pirates. Then finish NOS and Criter Country. Get your FP for Roger Rabbit on your way into toontown, visit mickey, etc then go back to RR on your way out.

 

[carmel]

Birnbaum's 2005 list those as having FPs. Thanks for the info!

 

[disneychrista]

Birnbaum's 2005 list those as having FPs. Thanks for the info!

So much for being the "inside source"

 

[karylrocks]

I have noticed that Birnbaums, even though revised every year, seems to have outdated information on a lot of things.

 

[disneychrista]

I have noticed that Birnbaums, even though revised every year, seems to have outdated information on a lot of things.

Unfortunetly with most guidebooks the information in them is 6 months old by the time they hit the shelves. That is why these boards are your BEST source for information

 

[bunninose]

You've received some great advice above . . .

Just a note to add about FP - you are NOT locked in to that timeframe. You just can't go earlier. If your FP is from 2:30 - 3:30, you can still use it at 5, just not at 2. Hope this eases your planning a bit.

Also, another thread tells us that we can have FP's to more than one ride - DCA and DL systems are not linked, so, for example, you can have a FP for Soarin' in DCA and Indy in DL concurrently.

Enjoy your trip to my great state!

 

[LucyKate]

Good advice above.

Fantasyland as early as possible lets you do a pile of rides. In our experience the only two with serious crowds were Dumbo and Peter Pan so do these first.
Snow White, Pinocchio had no crowds, and Mr Toad, Mad Hatter and Alice only moderate lines.

We also noticed that there were few queues just after lunch. Many parents of young kids seemed to take them out of the park for a nap or some downtime between lunch and 4PM, when crowds picked up again, so maybe consider this as time to these rides.

And the dad strategy worked well for us. While mum and the kids rested, or went on some rides, I was despatched to get coats, fastpasses etc which wore me out, but ensured the kids were not left to tired. It worked well.

 

[Amy&Dan]

You can hold mulitple fastpasses at once and here is an example. You get a fast pass at 1:00 p.m. for Splash Mountain. The return time says 7:00 p.m. Now that is 6 hours later and this could happen on a crowded day. So at 3:00 p.m., which is two hours after you got the Splash Mountain fastpass, you are free to get another fastpass. For example you might then get a fastpass for Indiana Jones and the return time for that one is 6:00. Now you have two fastpasses. Each attraction's fastpasses will have different return times which can mean that the second fastpass you get, might have an earlier return time. I know it sounds confusing because it is! The simple rule to remember is that you can get another fastpass either two hours after you got your previous one or as soon as the return time for the previous fastpass comes up, whichever happens first. On each fastpass their will be fine print on the bottome telling you when you can get your next fastpass. From the time you get a fastpass until you will actually use it can vary from less than hour to 8 hours later. Eventually rides will run out of fastpasses so if there is something you really want to ride, get the fastpass early on. As somebody else said, you can always return to ride after the time they give you, just not before. You do have to use the fastpass that same day. And yes, the fastpass systems at California Adventure and Disneyland are not linked. So if you go to Disneyland in the morning you could get a couple of fastpasses then head over to California Adventure, then return to Disneyland later in the day or that evening and ride your fastpass rides. This gets alot clearer after you have done it a couple of times I promise!