March '15 trip--to plan or not to plan?

Heading to DLR in Mar 16-20 for a family trip–wife and I, 4 boys, 1 girl + her fiance, and my parents. (3 day park hoppers) Last time we went was mid-February, and I couldn’t believe how great it was to walk on almost anything with no wait. That was the kids’ first trip, and I’m worried about the predicted crowd level of 8 all week. I’m torn between using a commando plan and trucking everyone through the park at warp speed or taking our time to enjoy the park since we only get there once every couple of years and possibly spending an eternity in line. Help?

Haven’t been to DL but would suggest a either picking a few must do things for each day and planning around that. Or what we do is tp for first 3 /4 hours each day then after that we are flexible.

Maybe ask those you are going with? Do they want to see it all? Or do they want to take it easy. If it were me…I also would suggest asking each family member to pick their top 2 must dos. Then put together a personalized plan around those. Make sure to get there before rope drop. Grab a couple FP First thing in the morning. In DL you can get Fantasmic, Frozen play in FF Theater and another FP since the first two are disconnected. Then you would know for sure you can get those things in. Then work the TP from there. Maybe spend each of the three mornings doing those. Follow a TP for the morning and then take it easy. When it gets busy in the afternoons do some things that are less busy like Lincoln or Golden Horse Shoe show and Mark Twain or do a dining reservation. I love the TP because they help get more done, but sometimes its nice to take a step back and manage your expectations so that IF you don’t get EVERYTHING done, you can still be happy with what you were able to see.

I would always have at least a rudimentary plan; the headliners you’re going to head to at RD and in the first couple of hours, reservations for TSs that you might want, etc. DLR still uses the “old” paper FL system, so there is a bit more flexibility than the rigid FPP system. If you are staying at a resort that gives you Early Entry (EE) privelages, ABSOLUTELY use them; they are a much “better deal” than WDW EMH because a much smaller number of people qualify for them.

Also, prioritize what you want to see. 3 full days is, in my opinion, the bare minimum that is needed to do “most” of the attractions (that’s what I had on my last trip) - but there will still be some you just won’t have time for. You may want to do a detailed TP from opening to lunch, and try to get as many “must-dos” into those hours as possible, and then take a more relaxed, FP-driven afternoon and evening; that’s kind of the approach I take at DLR…

Thanks for all the advice, everyone…I knew I could count on you :slight_smile: My other concern that I forgot to mention is my 8yo is not hip on roller coasters yet, so we thought we’d break him in by hitting Gadget’s Coaster first to see what he thinks and go from there. That presents the problem of where to go first thing, since we’ll have an hour before Toon Town opens; all the plans I’ve been able to create so far have us doing Space Mountain, Indy, Big Thunder, etc. right in a row, and I don’t think he’ll go for that. Might try Pirates, Star Tours, and maybe Indy first and go from there.

On a side note, I’ve been tooling around with making plans for our dates since Christmas, and I’m a little confused at the fact that most of the time only 1 FP comes up, yet we spend lots of time waiting for some ride (30 min plus, or even 75 for RSR). Anyone know a work around? Seems to me that using FP during busy times is the only way to go, and that’s what got me thinking about whether or not to use a plan at all.

We are also going from the 15-21. There is a Starwars convention at the Anaheim Convention Center those days so I’m thinking evenings may be busy after the con is done. Fingers crossed I get some good mornings in before the con!