RotR has surprisingly short lines throughout the day. The worst lines are usually from just after rope drop till like 11am. Keep in mind that they tend to inflate the wait time and in my experience it seems to equate to the entire queue + interrogation + ride. Since the three ride segments and interrogation queue take about 30 minutes, I mentally subtract 30 minutes off the wait time and that is usually about the amount of time I’ll wait until the preshow. So if it is 60 minutes or less, go ahead and give it a try.
That said, if there is a significant queue outdoors, you may want to come back later.
RSR has a similar profile – highest waits are right after rope drop – except that the wait is typically an hour or more all day after that, and I hate waiting in that line. My advice would be 1) single rider line, 2) after dusk when it’s cooler, or 3) at park close. But if you’re going to get one ILL, this would be my recommendation.
For MMRR, try riding right when they reopen Toontown after fireworks.
The software is still buggy with LLs so I would just ignore its advice. That said, Monsters, Inc. has a surprisingly long line most of the day and it is insufferably hot and long compared to the satisfaction of the ride. So it’s not a bad option for LL. I wouldn’t get it first though - it’s usually immediate return time.
Love & echo all of @Jeff_AZ’s advice. The only thing I would add is that to remember that ROTR in DL closes earlier than the park most days. So check what time it’s scheduled to run until. It used to always be 9 or 10pm even if DL was open until midnight but lately it’s been 11pm with a midnight close. Also, if it has a tough operating day with lots of downtime, expect that the evening will be backed up and not get below 60 min. But if it’s run reliably through the day, that evening time is fantastic.
I’ve watched just the projection show of Wondrous Journeys from both Main Street (just past the Penny Arcade) and the hub. I loved it in Main Street, but it would be harder to focus on the fireworks. It doesn’t feel quite so crowded there, and the projections on Main Street really immerse you in the story. Plus you can look at the castle and see Baymax and the Blue Fairy pretty easily (but they are small). I am so excited to hopefully see it with fireworks in August! It’s such a good show. DD20 agreed it is better than HEA after finally seeing HEA in person on Sunday. DD23 was reminiscing about the DL fireworks with Julie Andrews called Remember, Dreams Come True on Sunday. I haven’t seen that one in a while, but it’s been my favorite for a long time. Wondrous Journey might edge it out though!
For RSR, SR line is your friend if you are okay not riding together.
I went and looked & found it! It’s hidden a bit. You have to click on Edit at the top. That will pull up a window “Edit Basic Plan Info.” Scroll past the start/end times and it’s a checkbox just under that.
After playing around with TP’s I have decided we will buy G+ on our last 2 full days.
So for our EE day at DL I’m thinking it’s a good idea to knock out FL first thing. (Toad, Alice, Snow White and Pinocchio)
Is that still a good idea?
Will I be able to sort of start stacking LL’s like I used to with MP?
I plan on using Jeff’s order of priority (minus HM and Splash since they are closed) * DL: IJ > Space > HM * > MFSR > Splash * > Matterhorn > ST > BTMRR > iasw * > other
Check La Cava for DLR LL drops. Note: Autopia, RR, TSMM, Goofy, & MU don’t have drops. IC only has drops sporadically, not dependable.
If do DL for EE I suggest PP at around 7:50-7:59. Most EE guests have already done it and are lining up in FL to RD RotR. Your wait should be less than 12 min. I can do Alice, Dumbo, Snow, Toad’s and line up for PP during EE. If don’t want to do MMRR after FW, going there about 8:15 is also a good time.
That’s my favorite! It’s been so long since they showed it. I think it’s because the Hub is by far the BEST (maybe only) place to watch it, and Disney seems to be wanting to spread out the guests more for FW and focus on projections that they can show from multiple locations.
DH & I are partial to Magical because it has so much music from so many of our favorites plus Dumbo flies across to Baby Mine. And it’s the show that was playing when we first took our kids. And we watched it nearly every night & it was our favorite thing to end the day. So we credit it to our becoming Annual Passholders.
I do also LOOOVE DL Forever. Because of the Peter Pan intro & outro (I mean, how can I not tear up when one of my favorite characters is telling me “Just think! All of this [DL] is yours…forever!” ).
But Remember is really, really, really good too. I love the Mark Twain bit and of course Julie Andrews. My kids love this one the most. DH & I always call it “Remember, Fireworks Don’t Run” because after the 60th where DL Forever was able to run all but 1 night of the 30 some-odd nights we were there to see it, they brought back Remember for a limited time and of the 10 nights we tried to see it I think we actually only got to see it 3 and one of those times it stopped mid-run because of the winds.
Wondrous Journeys now is up there with Magical and even as much as I loved DL Forever, I think it does edge out DL Forever. It’s so great. All of it. The double duet/blend of some of the best Disney ‘I want’ songs AND Immortals with BAYMAX flying AND the tender Grandma Tala moment running into Dos Oruguitas AND the song for it is pretty catchy/wonderful.
So thanks for coming to my TED Talk on a history of the last decade of DL fireworks.
if we haven’t managed to ride by the last day I’ll buy the ILL.
I’ll probably just give them all my login and they can look at it themselves!
I was just coming to say “I found it!!”
But otherwise I think that’s about right still.