I’ve been thinking about what our family’s touring strategy should be. One variable I can’t quite predict: My DH struggles with motion sickness. (He takes meds for it, but it’s still a problem.) We will have 3 day hoppers for our trip Dec 15-17. If we RD Space and he needs time to rest before we do another big ride, what’s a good way to do that? Some rides he can do, but then needs a short break. The ones he really can’t do are ones like Star Tours. The motion + screens really do him in. Most youtube videos don’t really account for something like this. I was thinking maybe we could work through some of the gentler rides in between, but does that create too much zig zagging? I’d love to hear your advice or experience.
Another thing is how early do we need to prioritize the rides that get special Christmas overlays? I saw that HMH gets bumped up the list of LL priorities, but what does that look like in real life?
I don’t do well with screens either! I am fine on roller coasters though.
What I would recommend is leaving the rides that are potentially problematic for later in the day so you can take a break if needed and not risk needing downtime during those critical morning hours.
But that said, there are plenty of gentler rides on the Disneyland side that you can retreat to in between more intense ones – basically everything in Fantasyland; MMRR in Toontown; Jungle Cruise and the treehouse in Adventureland; Haunted Mansion and Winnie the Pooh in New Orleans Square / Bayou; and Autopia and Buzz in Tomorrowland, etc.
Of course even those rides might be more than he can handle if he’s really not feeling well, in which case you could just find a seat in some air conditioning at a quick service restaurant.
Also this thread might be relevant – it is focused on WDW, but of course a lot of the rides at DL are the same.
When we rode Cosmic Rewind for the first time, he had to sit down for a good 45 minutes before he could walk again. This man is also talking about trying to RD RSR , which may or may not be worth it if we have to take a long break right after. He doesn’t mind sitting things out if he can’t ride it. He does like to try it once and then be done with it. So if we did Space first and he needed a break, we could do Star Tours without him while he rests, since he won’t be missing anything. I just realized this could make our strategy very different from the normal advice I’ve been researching. He did pretty well in WDW - there were just a handful that were either a one and done or he skipped completely. UOR was another story. He missed out on many rides there, and we skipped the biggest coasters as a family.
We do have LL for the whole trip, so that will help. I just know it will be a busier time of year, and my competitiveness to do as much as possible is activated. I probably just need to take a chill pill and remember to be really flexible with whatever plans I have in my head!
My DW get terrible motion sickness. I try to plan a show or QS after a big ride. Plus, like you, I know not to put her on certain rides, like Star Tours (no matter how awesome the ride is!)
As Jeff stated try to put these at times when a long break isn’t an issue. I don’t know if you take midday breaks or such..
IMHO - RSR really isn’t bad for motion sickness. It’s very smooth with no screens.
I’d avoid MF:SR and Incredicoaster. MF:SR is all screens and IC knocks you around a lot!
Yes this would work just fine. Star Tours rarely has a long wait, especially in the morning.
Agree – it’s very smooth but is just a hoot. The speed with the wind whipping your hair is very exhilarating, but it’s tame compared to most roller coasters.
I love Incredicoaster and it doesn’t make me sick at all, but for those who are affected by intense roller coasters, including inversions, it’s obviously one to avoid.
Good to know! We haven’t done mid-day breaks in the past. At WDW we would do TS for lunch so we could sit in the A/C for awhile. We skipped RnRC - is IC on the same level intensity-wise? There is something different about outdoor coasters, so I was considering trying it with any of our kids who want to.
I reread @Jeff_AZ 's Motion Sickness post, and two of my favorite rides are a 5 on his rating scale. It makes me sad for folks who are physically unable to ride Forbidden Journey and FoP. The only thing I don’t like personally are the super intense coasters like Hulk, Velocicoaster, etc.
He did fine on TT, so I assume he should be fine on RSR, too. It would be nice to RD a headliner and be able to keep knocking out rides, but if we do Guardians or Indy or Space, I don’t know that it sets us up very well to keep going. Now I’m wondering if it’s smarter to RD Fantasyland or Toon Town instead and work the big rides in with LL. It lowers the possibility of re-rides of favorites on the same day is all.
I feel like IC is smoother and easier (I’m 5’4"). You are out in the open, you can see where you are going, and you just have one big vertical loop. I thought it was more entertaining in terms of sights and sound - things that can help distract you from physical discomfort.
RSR is like riding in a fast convertible on a winding, hilly road. You can see things! Easier than Test Track with its dark, abrupt turns and stops.
In recent years, my DH can’t handle wild motion. I could persuade him to do just one ride ever on things at WDW like 7DMT or Alien SS, if it’s early morning and he’s had a granola bar and ginger chews. Mostly, he just steps aside and is only too happy to wait on a bench (he’ll buy a snack, too).
RnRC beats me up, but I find IC to be very smooth for the most part. The G-forces are intense and shouldn’t be ridden by anyone with the potential for joints and bones to get out of whack, but it is not as rough or jarring as RnRC. The worst part of IC is when it has a break check at the very end before the loading platform!
I actually think this can be a great strategy, assuming you plan to ride these rides at all. Some of the longest lines in Fantasyland do not accept LL so it’s good to knock them out early.
That said, if you want to repeat a ride, you will have to strategize in some way. However, I usually don’t have a chance to repeat rides often at Disneyland in the same day because there are so many rides across both parks. Instead I just repeat a ride the next day with a LL.
Now for my next question (I did put questionS plural in the title). I am trying to figure out what nighttime entertainment will look like, but I couldn’t find an old schedule anywhere when I tried to Google it (I can process it better if I can see it in a chart). It looks like there’s no PtN in December, which is sad because everyone says it’s great. How is the Holiday Parade if you have teens - will they enjoy or should we skip it for rides? I am considering the dessert party for WoC, undecided on F! dining package.
This site is a great resource for the holidays at Disneyland. It will be updated as we get closer with more details on timing, but for now it has placeholders based on their guesses from previous years.
Personally, I don’t like standing around watching parades, but I absolutely think World of Color and Fantasmic! are worth watching one way or another. The dessert party (WoC) / dining package (F!) are a great way to do those if it’s in the budget.
Thanks @Jeff_AZ . I’ll definitely check that out. I also already read Disney Tourist Blog’s guide to Christmas at Disneyland. I’m just imagining my 17 year old son being so bored standing there watching the parade. Maybe if we have time on the last day, we’ll catch it in a place where it’s easy to get back to touring quickly.
It’s been a while since my kids were teens, but I’m pretty sure they enjoyed the Christmas parade. I love it, but it does require some waiting and often standing in some crowds. Why not just get a glimpse of the first one while on your way to a ride, and see if your kids would be interested in seeing aside some time to see the whole thing on the second round based on the glimpse they got? If you are preparing a Touring Plan, maybe make one with the second parade, and one without; that way you can show them they won’t be missing much if they stop to watch the parade. It really does make a Christmas visit stand out from any other visit.
I can say I’ve never had a problem getting LL for HMH or IASWH, though I can’t recall how quickly they sell out. I usually guage that kind of thing by watching the Return Times at least a week ahead of time on the Disney App or, better yet, on BG1.
Or, if you don’t have time to do that during the time leading up to your trip, check the LLMP distribution history on the TP app for the same days last year. You can see that data on the web- based version of Touring Plans.
, which may or may not be worth it if we have to take a long break right after. He doesn’t mind sitting things out if he can’t ride it. He does like to try it once and then be done with it. So if we did Space first and he needed a break, we could do Star Tours without him while he rests, since he won’t be missing anything. I just realized this could make our strategy very different from the normal advice I’ve been researching. He did pretty well in WDW - there were just a handful that were either a one and done or he skipped completely. UOR was another story. He missed out on many rides there, and we skipped the biggest coasters as a family.
