What can you do in a day?

[Rainfully]

I will be visiting DLR for the very first time this summer with a couple of friends. However, due to time and budget contraints, we might only be able to spend one day at Disneyland. Keep in mind that it will be in July, peak season, and on top of that, it will be really close to *THE* anniversary.

My question is this... if we really are only going to be there one day... how much can we REALLY get done... considering the park will surely be near capacity? I'd like to focus on Disneyland Park of course, and do all of the things that Magic Kingdom doesn't have. Plus, I would really like to do Pirates and Haunted Mansion to note the differences.

I really would love to add another day, but I'm not sure if this will happen. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

[Fantasmic_Freak]

I will be visiting DLR for the very first time this summer with a couple of friends. However, due to time and budget contraints, we might only be able to spend one day at Disneyland. Keep in mind that it will be in July, peak season, and on top of that, it will be really close to *THE* anniversary.

My question is this... if we really are only going to be there one day... how much can we REALLY get done... considering the park will surely be near capacity? I'd like to focus on Disneyland Park of course, and do all of the things that Magic Kingdom doesn't have. Plus, I would really like to do Pirates and Haunted Mansion to note the differences.

I really would love to add another day, but I'm not sure if this will happen. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Go thru Adventureland and Frontierland first because the crowds go thru Tomorrowland because its on the right and people just like to go to the right so start out left and get fastpasses for some attractions for later and go on attractions by the fastpass attraction and go pretty much through land to land and do everything you want to in that land ..that way you could do the whole park and not waste time backtracking. Also make sure you get an up to date schedual for the day and make sure to keep in track with the referbishment attractions and make a big meal to an ODV snack, more food for your money than spending 2.75 for a churro. So put on your walking shoes and shin guards for those strollers and head to Disneyland and run around!

[Orcatime]

Make an Itinerary. Also, check out the DL website to see if they have suggestions or times for their parades and shows. If they have multiple shows you can plan on watching one of them and then one of the major attractions during the next one. You can also plan to go on rides around noon- 2pm or 5-7 pm when everyone else is eating.

[Soulquarian]

You can do everything in the park minus the more obscure things like Moments with Mr. Lincoln if you get there early enough and use the fastpass. It's all about having a plan and not getting distracted by things like Tom Sawyer island lol. Also, people who have to stop and eat all the time help to deterioate time.

[mamabot]

Since you are already familiar with WDW, you should see which attractions in Florida would be out right repeats. Then prioritize the attractions you want to see according to location. If you plan out your morning right, you can be done with all the Fantasyland rides in a couple of hours. Don't forget to eat breakfast before you go into the park to optimize your time.

With POTC, HM and now Star Tours losing their FastPass machines, there are only a handful of attractions that have working machines. On your way to FL, pick up FPs for Indy. That is worth spending the extra time to get the FPs. On a busy summer day, FastPasses are depleted quickly.

[Jspider]

Go thru Adventureland and Frontierland first because the crowds go thru Tomorrowland because its on the right and people just like to go to the right so start out left and get fastpasses for some attractions for later and go on attractions by the fastpass attraction and go pretty much through land to land and do everything you want to in that land ..that way you could do the whole park and not waste time backtracking. Also make sure you get an up to date schedual for the day and make sure to keep in track with the referbishment attractions and make a big meal to an ODV snack, more food for your money than spending 2.75 for a churro. So put on your walking shoes and shin guards for those strollers and head to Disneyland and run around!

weirdest theory I've heard

I thought people tended to go the same direction the train goes meaning they go the opposite way around the park especialy considering most of the big attractions are on that side these days (Tomorrowland is pretty empty)

of course if Space Mountain is open expect a mountain of AP's to be stuck in Tomorrowland the entire day

[Importance]

An itinerary and fast walking are key. I would start out with Indiana Jones Adventure, one of the rides with the longest waits later in the day (also one of the most likely to go 101). Fast Pass helps very little, but not much, on this ride so I would get it out of the way early. Next, Splash Mountain which, during the summer, will have tremendous lines. After that, PotC and HM, since they are convenient. Matterhorn next.

By this time, everything will have not insignificant lines. The Fantasyland darkrides can suck up a lot of time, but if you wait until the very end of the day (last couple of hours), the lines substantially decrease. Casey Jr. and/or Storybookland should be separated so that you take one during the day and the other at night (or do one twice). Storybookland is good to see both day and night. Roger Rabbit's is also a good one to get out of the way early ... feel free to take a little time in the interior queue, if you can.

The early afternoon is a good time to catch any shows you are interested in.

If you have a park hopper, after hitting the big DL rides you can head on over to DCA just as it opens, hit ToT and Soarin. If you're warm, Grizzly Rapids will get you much wetter than Splash Mt.

[E-ticket]

In my experience, Splash Mtn tends to be one of the longer waits, and the Fastpasses run out super-fast, especially on hot summer days. You might want to make a break for the back of the park and get the FP for that right away. Go hop in line for the 'Mansion and POTC, and once you get out, your time for Splash Mtn should be close. Once you can get the next FP, head over to Indy and get it.

A few things to keep in mind when using the Fastpass... you can technically only get 1 at a time, but there are some loopholes that will let you work the system. There are 2 times on each fastpass. As soon as the first time rolls around, you're eligible for your next fastpass, so even if you haven't used your 1st one yet, feel free to go grab the next one as soon as possible. Also, you don't necessarily have to ride the ride during the time on the pass. That same pass is good for the rest of the day, so if you can't make it to that specific ride between 3:10 pm and 4:10 pm, you can always use the pass later.

[The Mad Hatter]

Get there right when DL opens...walk strait pass main street not stopping for anything (everyone seems to lollygag on main street) this leaves virtually no lines for the rides. hit Indy, POTC, HM, SM (or BTMRR if you don't want to get wet early) then over to the matterhorn. by that time the crowds will be getting thicker and you've already done alot of the major rides. just my personal strategy.

[Subgoon]

I disagree with what has been said above. The way I have found to navigate the park on a busy day is to head straight for 'day rides' first. Splash Mountain, Big Thunder, Rivers of America, Space Mountain(If its open) and Matterhorn. Get those out of the way ASAP, then go back to the kiddie rides at night, when the kids have gone back to the hotels. Hit Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, or Pirates when Fantasmic is going on. Other than that, its up to personal preferance. Having read reviews on the latest offerings when it comes to parades, Id say skip those and the shows all together and concentrate on rides and atmosphere.

[The Mad Hatter]

Hit Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, or Pirates when Fantasmic is going on.

This could be a hit or miss situtaion. this area of the park is horrible to navigate through while fantasmic is going on. with what you said about fantasyland, i would go with fantasyland while fantasmic is going on and hit BTMRR, HM, and POTC after fantasmic.

[Bacon]

The one attraction that is guaranteed to have a long line and no FP is Peter Pan. Hit that early. It will be an hour + until closing, guaranteed.

Other than that, use Fastpass. Before you go, find out which Fastpasse attractions are "disconnected" (i.e., you can hold one FPs for one "connected" attraction PLUS FPs for any disconnected attractions at the same time). Remember that once your FP window opens for a FP you're holding, you can then get a FP for another attraction. And, unilke Florida, they do not enforce the 1 hour time window. As long as you are past the beginning of your time window, they will accept the Fastpass, no matter how late it is.

Also, take advantage of single rider where you can. I believe Splash Mountain is the only one left in Disneyland with single rider. That can save you a lot of time.

[innerSpaceman]

The one attraction that is guaranteed to have a long line and no FP is Peter Pan. Hit that early. It will be an hour + until closing, guaranteed.

Bacon sizzles wisely. If you want to go on Peter Pan's Flight (and it's a MUST), you have to ride it within 10 minutes of Park opening or you can absolutely fogetabowtid. In my opinion, you might as well hit some of the other Fantasyland dark rides right then that will otherwise be crowded all day. You'll certainly want to hit Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, since the very different version was removed from WDW years ago, and you'll want to hit Alice in Wonderland because it's also great and WDW never had it. (Waiting till late in the day might work for some of these rides, but NOT for Peter Pan.)

Snow White and Pinocchio are also fun, and attract far fewer crowds. You could always hit those later, but you could also take 10 minutes and do them right now while you're there. Storybookland is also a delightful attraction that WDW does not have. The Canal boats usually have long lines throughout the day, but the very fun Casey Jr. Circus Train which also goes through Storybookland is usually an easy board.

Good advice was given above about collecting fastpasses. But you should not do that at the expense of riding the Fantasyland dark rides (especially the three ultra-popular ones) first thing, very very very early in the morning. You can get fastpasses after that ... they will not run out within the first few hours of operation. You'll want them for Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Indiana Jones and Big Thunder Mountain. You can get a new round of fast passes for a new attraction as soon as the last one you got "matures." And you don't have to use any of them by the end-time printed on them, but rather can use them any time before the Park closes that day. If you'd like, you can casually collect fastpasses throughout the day as you go on non-FP attractions, and then later go on a spree of all the FastPass rides while the Park is still crowded.

Other than using fastpasses, though, you should plan on hitting the popular attractions either early in the morning or late at night. These are the most pleasant times to be in Disneyland, and the most productive for getting in attractions without long, long waits.

Certain rides are way better at night. Some of the "coasters" not only have better visual qualities after dark, but the rails actually heat up from the accumulated friction of the cars and the rides are noticeably faster late at night. These would include the Matterhorn Bobsleds, Space Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.


Are you having advice overload yet??

[Rainfully]

Are you having advice overload yet??

Actually, no... even though a bit of the advice has been a tad.. ehh.. contradictory? I'm not too worried about hitting up Splash Mountain and Big Thunder... since they're pretty much the same in Florida, and I've ridden those many times. In your opinion, is Pan that much better at Disneyland that it would be worth checking out?

My main concerns that I really want to see are:
Indy
Matterhorn
Pirates
Haunted Mansion
Alice
Pinocchio
Roger Rabbit
Space Mountain (if open)
Mr. Toad
Tiki

As long as I can for sure fit those in I will be a very happy camper. Anything else would be just icing on the cake!

Thank you all so much for your input! I didn't know that Disneyland was so loose witht their FP policy... are they really good for the whole day after your hour window has expired? If that's true, does it affect the FP lines at all? I'm really learing alot by being on these forums.

[Rainfully]

Before you go, find out which Fastpasse attractions are "disconnected" (i.e., you can hold one FPs for one "connected" attraction PLUS FPs for any disconnected attractions at the same time).

Where do you find out this information? This sounds like it could be very helpful!

[mistyisjafo]

I will be visiting DLR for the very first time this summer with a couple of friends. However, due to time and budget contraints, we might only be able to spend one day at Disneyland. Keep in mind that it will be in July, peak season, and on top of that, it will be really close to *THE* anniversary.

My question is this... if we really are only going to be there one day... how much can we REALLY get done... considering the park will surely be near capacity? I'd like to focus on Disneyland Park of course, and do all of the things that Magic Kingdom doesn't have. Plus, I would really like to do Pirates and Haunted Mansion to note the differences.

I really would love to add another day, but I'm not sure if this will happen. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Wow, that couldn't be the worst time of the year to go!

Get fast passes first
Do the big and new rides first such as Space Mountain, Splash, the new Toy Story adventure ride (name escapes me but you see it here in the boards)
Haunted, Small World & Pirates will have long lines but they always move. If you can, get the FP for Haunted. Otherwise do the wait
Do only the "main rides" Skip stuff like the Fantasyland rides, the train, and Toontown
If you must see a show see Fantasmic. I'd skip the Main Street parade. Either way you'll miss a lot of ride time if you see either.
Ignore the stores - very important! You can go to World of Disney at Downtown Disney. It'll have everything your heart desires


Good luck!

[Alchimedes]

Actually, no... even though a bit of the advice has been a tad.. ehh.. contradictory? I'm not too worried about hitting up Splash Mountain and Big Thunder... since they're pretty much the same in Florida, and I've ridden those many times. In your opinion, is Pan that much better at Disneyland that it would be worth checking out?

My main concerns that I really want to see are:
Indy
Matterhorn
Pirates
Haunted Mansion
Alice
Pinocchio
Roger Rabbit
Space Mountain (if open)
Mr. Toad
Tiki

As long as I can for sure fit those in I will be a very happy camper. Anything else would be just icing on the cake!

Thank you all so much for your input! I didn't know that Disneyland was so loose witht their FP policy... are they really good for the whole day after your hour window has expired? If that's true, does it affect the FP lines at all? I'm really learing alot by being on these forums.

I agree with what is said, but in my experiences and (I went for the heck of it in August of all times ) But I did find that if I hit Indy first, then Splash, then Pirates, the lines would be filling up by 10am, either my luck was good those days, it just seemed consistent. But everytime I have gone it works, being at the rope drop helps too. The previous A.L. AND F.L. advise was great also.