*August 2019 check in*

Generally between 1 & 2pm, though today they were gone earlier (betw noon & 1). I’m only checking Tue through Fri, since those are our travel days, so I don’t know about Mon & weekends.
Thank You. Just figuring out some options for our first day. We land at sna around 1030. I hope to Be in then parks by noon and since we have a woc dessert package I am
Hoping to get a radiator springs fast pass for the evening before out check in time. NOt a biggie if we don’t not but I want a few options in my head haha.

My daughter wants to goto the cantina first day so hoping to get a reservation during our layover for 2 ish.
 
I thought Disneyland was lighter then WDW in terms of planning but I see that a detailed plan for FP can make a big difference. I was thinking of rope dropping on Morning Magic at Star Wars on our first day (Thursday the 15) and using MaxPass to book our next attraction. Does it make sense? We also have Park Hopper and will be there for 3 full days.
 
I thought Disneyland was lighter than WDW in terms of planning but I see that a detailed plan for FP can make a big difference. I was thinking of rope dropping on Morning Magic at Star Wars on our first day (Thursday the 15) and using MaxPass to book our next attraction. Does it make sense? We also have Park Hopper and will be there for 3 full days.
It’s probably true that Disneyworld REQUIRES more planning than Disneyland. I am such an excessive planner, not out of necessity but because I have fun doing it and take it as personal challenge to figure out the patterns of each year’s summer crowd, so that my family and I can “swim against the stream” and minimize waiting.

If you use Maxpass, don’t mind getting up early, and make sure to do your “must do” rides in the morning, before the lines build, you can have a pretty stress free day visit, even with minimal planning. I just enjoy the planning part (and my kids appreciate my elegant touring plans), that’s why I’m going crazy with it...

Not sure if using Magic Morning for lining up for Galaxy’s Edge is the best use of that precious first hour. Galaxy’s Edge is NOT open during Magic Morning, and once they do open, you risk ending up spending the next hour in line for the Millennium Falcon ride (unless you are willing to stampede with a no-holds-barred/take-no-Prisoners attitude upon opening of Galaxy’s Edge to end up being one of the first ones at the ride). The better strategy may be to take advantage of the short lines in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland and then visit SWGE and the MFSR ride towards the evening, watching the app while touring the land for dips in wait time—I noticed when looking at the current waits that there is a small window of opportunity for a bit shorter line around 9:30, the time of the fireworks. Also, once Main Street’s Electrical Parade is back temporarily (August 2, currently scheduled for 8:45 & 10:45), I bet you that’ll have an effect, too. Given that you’ll be there three days, watch the parade once and otherwise focus on SWGE around those times. At least that's what I‘d do.
:)

In general, most lines start short & then build over the course of the day. However, the Millennium Falcon ride has so far NOT followed this pattern but has had a rapidly building line immediately upon opening, which then stays around 60 mins throughout most of the day. It’s of course possible for those patterns to shift and change—another reason why I find it helpful to monitor its patterns on the Disneyland wait times app in the 2-3 weeks before we go.

Of course, if the fireworks matter to you, don’t wait for the last day in your planning to watch them, since wind conditions in Anaheim can be unpredictable, and it’s always possible for the fireworks to be canceled at the last moment.
 
Last time we were down there we passed on the fireworks on the first day we had the chance and on the last day we were there they had cancelled the fireworks. Never saw the 60th fireworks.....
 


I thought Disneyland was lighter then WDW in terms of planning but I see that a detailed plan for FP can make a big difference. I was thinking of rope dropping on Morning Magic at Star Wars on our first day (Thursday the 15) and using MaxPass to book our next attraction. Does it make sense? We also have Park Hopper and will be there for 3 full days.

Like NothernCalMom said, WDW trips require more planning where DL trips benefit from it. You can still have a wonderful DL visit without a lot of forethought.

We used Maxpass on our last trip and it was really helpful, although we didn't make any sort of detailed plan for FP...we tended to just check the FP availability as soon as we were able to and pick from there. We typically do 4 or 5 day parkhoppers so we always have plenty of time to do everything we want.

I would not waste your one MM on waiting for SW:GE to open, you can get so much done in that first hour that it would more than make up for potentially waiting a bit longer for MF:SR. My logic is that you will be waiting 60 minutes in a line for SW:GE to open, plus however long the wait is for the ride after the land opens which will probably be at least 30 minutes unless you are one of the first in the ride line. That means you will be waiting a total of approximately 90 minutes for the ride. Alternatively, you could go on a bunch of things during MM, keep an eye on wait times and pop over to ride when the wait is a bit less.
 


Well. So much for my plans to keep my solo trip on the cheap side. I now have reservations for Cafe Orleans, Fantasmic Dining at Hungry Bear and the Dessert Party for WOC.
I told myself this year we would limit our table service options to places we hadn't tried yet with the exception of Cafe Orleans on arrival day as that is now our tradition. But we have that and Lamplighter, Carthay Circle and just added Blue Bayou Fantasmic dining for the day after the Haunted Mansion party. Hoping we will sleep after the party on Thursday and then wake up in time to hit some rides in the afternoon before dinner, some after dinner and then Fantasmic.
 
I just purchased our tickets for the Void for our arrival day at DLR. We are doing the Star Wars one, but if we get crazy we might just add the Wreck it Ralph one...does anyone know off hand if the Void gets very busy? We are going on a Sunday afternoon.
 
I told myself this year we would limit our table service options to places we hadn't tried yet with the exception of Cafe Orleans on arrival day as that is now our tradition. But we have that and Lamplighter, Carthay Circle and just added Blue Bayou Fantasmic dining for the day after the Haunted Mansion party. Hoping we will sleep after the party on Thursday and then wake up in time to hit some rides in the afternoon before dinner, some after dinner and then Fantasmic.
I am so happy to see all of us are the same.... That was one of my things, I seem to always repeat my favorites but there are so many other options.

So I have booked 2 new to us table service Lamplight and Carthay. Then I booked WOC dessert, I say it is for my daughter because she has never seen it but really it is for me haha. Then the other day I seen something about Fantasmic and really wanted to do blue bayou again, soooo Yup I booked it!! Now I am second guessing myself. My daughter has never been to blue bayou but has seen fantasmic a few times. I told her this weekend she can make the final decisions on where we are going, hopefully she will be the one to keep me in check :rolleyes1
 
Hmmm. now I'm second guessing, too. Wondering about adding WoC dessert party and/or Carthay Circle to our plans. My trip is 20 days out. I wonder when it's too late to decide?

Too many choices! Wish I had infinite money, and infinite time!
 
I am still debating on the WOC dessert party. I have sort of seen WOC twice from the side when I have stayed at the GCH in a theme park view so I don't really count that. I really want to sit and watch it but at the same time I don't want to lose the dark hours roaming around DCA and enjoying Carsland all lit up. SOOOOOOOO many choices!
 
I am still debating on the WOC dessert party. I have sort of seen WOC twice from the side when I have stayed at the GCH in a theme park view so I don't really count that. I really want to sit and watch it but at the same time I don't want to lose the dark hours roaming around DCA and enjoying Carsland all lit up. SOOOOOOOO many choices!
I love cars land when it is just getting dark... so pretty. Looks like the sun set early August will be just before 8pm so you might luck out!! My favorite time to ride Radiator Racers is just as the sun is going down. Trying to get that fast pass for the right time can be hard.

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/orange?month=8&year=2019
 
Hmmm. now I'm second guessing, too. Wondering about adding WoC dessert party and/or Carthay Circle to our plans. My trip is 20 days out. I wonder when it's too late to decide?

Too many choices! Wish I had infinite money, and infinite time!

I reserved my WOC just last week for the 9th.. But I am a party of 1, so that might have made a difference. It did make me think that maybe it was a sign of lower crowds cause I hear that one fills up fast.
 
I cannot make a decision on what to do what during our trip. I've got like 4 different character meal reservations. No wait, it's at least 5. We are only doing 2. lol. I'm still debating between WOC dessert, Fantasmic on the go package and basically any dinner reservations. Being solo with kids I am not sure what we will want to eat or when. I really really want to do WOC but I'm hesitating due to the high cost. We've never seen it before and the dessert party really seems to be the way to go with small kids. Ack.
 
I haven't wanted to make reservations for anything, although I have been debating over the WOC dessert party. But I did just make a reservation for a late breakfast at Plaza Inn. My son is 17, but the first trip we ever made to DL, we went there on his birthday and it was such a fun experience. This will be the last trip to DL with him where he's not officially an adult yet, and I thought it would be fun to go there again. It shows you can get reservations as late as 11:00 and I wanted that to make it an early lunch, but was only able to get 10:30. Since the park opens at 8:00 that day, I guess it's not too bad for a 10:30. We'll have had a few hours to work up an appetite.
 

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