Good afternoon everyone, below is my Disneyland touring plan and was hoping to get some advice, I received some great input a week or two ago on my DCA touring plan from the group.
Some background, it will be myself, my wife, and two daughters (age 10 and 7). We have been to WDW 3 times but this will be our first trip to California. We are doing DCA on Wed. April 17th and Disneyland on Thurs. April 18th and Friday April 19th. We have park hopper passes so the plan for the link below is to knock out most of Fantasyland/Tomorrowland/Toontown and then focus on the rest of the park on the 19th. Touring Plans currently has the 18th rated as a “4”, it was a “7” but it was recently moved down. Thank you!
That looks pretty good to me. My early entry plan also starts with Pan (TP gets that wait time so wrong and so does Disney. It was once posted 45 and was 75 and TP thought it would be 30). But every time I rope drop during EE it’s not long at all. I also focus on Alice and Mr Toad during that time if you are ahead of the game. These are all excellent early entry choices and since you’re getting G+ I’d start booking those immediately despite what TP is telling you. They are often wrong with those return times too so just adjust as you go. Use BG1 for a priority order for LL which I did in my plan (my Disneyland days also dropped from an 8 to a 4 and a 9 to a 6 which is inline with I experienced last Fourth of July weekend. Crowds lighter than expected). I’ll link my plan for you to peruse. I’ve been to Disneyland many times and I’m doing my days very similar to yours so great minds think alike.
I see that you are not planning on booking any LLs until 9.40?
One idea that I picked up here in the forum (and have used very effectively in WDW) is to grab a LL as soon as you enter the park for an attraction that you would like to ride but that also has a good chance of being down at RD (IJ seems to be the most common culprit, but MMRR might work as well). If the ride is down at RD, then it converts into a Multi-Experience Pass, which makes the rest of your day super easy as you can use it as a “golden ticket” (see Advanced G+ techniques in La Cava if you are not familiar with this) to just ride-and-book however you please, ignoring LL return times.
Especially with your current TP, it seems you me like you wouldn’t lose anything by trying that - if the ride is not down/you do not get a golden ticket, you can always modify to another time and then grab your next LL as planned around 9.40.
If things don’t go your way and you end up far from the rope, it would be good to have a backup plan. Most of the crowd is headed for Peter Pan. The line builds to about 15-20 minutes very quickly.
Suggestion if that happens - do as many of the other Fantasyland attractions as you can and then jump in the PP line just before regular opening. It will probably be 20 minutes then also, but you will have already walked on most of the other EE rides in the immediate vicinity - Alice, Dumbo, Toad, Snow White, Pinocchio, and maybe even Tea Cups. All of those rides are short and located in a very compact area, so it’s great to just hop from ride to ride.
If you’re using G+, I personally wouldn’t bother with any of the Tomorrowland rides you have listed in the morning. The only thing I would consider walking to TL for is the Nemo Subs, since it’s right next to Matterhorn and isn’t on G+. SM, ST, and Buzz… you can always use LL later. Or are you hoping to ride them twice?
And wait a second… where are Casey Jr and Storybook? For a first time DL visit, those are must do in my opinion. Just very charming and very Disneyland.
Thank you everyone for the feedback! I will add Casey Jr and Storybook to my plan! Looks like Matterhorn will be closed while I am there, kind of bummed about that. Hoping Incredicoaster is back but I’m not overly optimistic.
My ideal first morning at DL minimizes walking and maximizes early walk-ons. It focuses only on FL and TT, which to me is the best way to start a DLR trip. I believe this gets you to TT by 9:30 at the latest. That keeps you at least 30 minutes ahead of the crowd. TP optimizer won’t like it but I’m ok with that.
After tapping in - book MMRR LL
RD and veer to the right of the castle (toward Matterhorn) instead of through the castle.
Alice
Dumbo
Mr Toad
glance at Peter Pan, but likely walk past it to Snow White
Pinocchio (assuming it’s still EE)
Peter Pan by 7:59 (while waiting modify your LL to a ride that’s currently down, if none are then modify to a later window for MMRR)
Casey Jr
Storybook Land
Gadget coaster
Meet Mickey
Meet Minnie
Grab some mini donuts from Cafe Daisy if anyone is hungry (mobile order available)
** At this point you’re pretty much churning through LLs the rest of the day, with a few possible exceptions (Nemo Subs, Tea Cups, Astro Orbitor). You should also take a moment to relish in the adoration of your loving family for guiding them on such a flawless morning.
Use LL for MMRR, book LL for Roger Rabbit (should be immediate return)
Use LL for RR, book LL for iasw (another immediate return)
Use LL for iasw, book LL for SM (assuming Matterhorn is closed)
Consider Nemo Subs and/or Tea Cups if there’s time before lunch
Lunch at Plaza Inn, Little Red Wagon, or Jolly Holiday
18+. Run through TL with LLs
You’ve just described my most perfect morning in DLR. I LOVE a Fantasyland blitz with a side of ToonTown. My kids aren’t big on Toads and we usually choose between one of Storybook or Casey Jr so we always add in the carousel. And then after iasw, we’ll start looking at what characters/shows we want to do (i.e. Royal Hall to meet princesses, Royal Theater to watch one of their stories, wandering & meeting the roaming characters in Fantasyland, or my kids will just suck out every last minute of playtime in Toon Town that I let them before I force them to get in line for something else LOL).
Copying and pasting into my plan! Fantasyland and Toontown was my general idea for our first DL morning, but thanks for spelling it out step by step for me including genie plus tips–so helpful!
For a first time DL visit, those are must do in my opinion. Just very charming and very Disneyland.
