How to MAximise 3 days? No clue how to plan this

[Dionnemay]

So I’m taking my parents, brothers, and kids to Dl Oct 9-12.
This feels like a “First time” trip since my parents and one of my brothers haven’t been to Disney in 20 years, and my other younger brother hasn’t been at all (well, he was a baby when we went when I was in High school).
Myself and my 2 kids haven’t been to DL since 2010 and from what I’ve seen there have been an abundance of changes and additions. I also have never been to Disney during a Holiday season- always go during spring or Summer- the closest we came was the one time I took the kids during late August or early September and the Haunted Mansion was closed (to our great disappointment) for the Halloween overlay.

So after all the research I’ve done, I’m regretting only reserving 3 days  I feel like I should have planned for at least 4 but alas, I have already bought the tickets, made the reservations at the hotel, and everyone has cleared their calendar / taken days off of work for those dates . So I have to pack as much into these 3 days as I can.

Since I myself haven’t been in awhile, I’m not sure how to plan our days in order to maximize the trip. I don’t know what all is new in the parks and a “Must see”, what Halloween specific things to visit, what the park hours are (I know Friday the 10th is the Halloween Party so DL will close at 7 – Does DL close early on Thurs since it’s a weekday?), What Fast passes to get right away, if there are Fireworks on the Non- Halloween party nights for regular visitors, how to Split up (eventually us younger people will want break apart from mom and dad. My brothers and son will probably head one way, me and my daughter another, and mom and dad can have alone time) ,

I also have a minor dilemma because while I want to cram as much in as possible, and I know “we” (the kids and younger adults) can handle the fast pace, my parents are older (73 & 60) and though they are both extremely active people I worry about my dad doing a lot of speed walking and standing in long lines in the heat (He would kill me if he saw this lol).


Here’s the details and some questions:

We are checking into the hotel on the 9th. But since I have 3 day PH tix, I want to get there as early as possible to get the most hours out of the first day, so I’m going to leave TX on the night of the 8th and get to AZ probably around 3am , sleep, and hopefully get my family on the road by 8 or 9am. Not sure how long the trip is from Scottsdale, AZ to Anaheim so I’m wondering if anyone knows and can tell me what time to leave that will get us there with at least 6 hours left in the Parks (keep in mind what time the parks close on Thurs- not sure)

What things can/should we do on Thurs when we get there? (Since we won’t have a “full “ day)

What kind of crowds should I expect on Thurs, Fri, and Saturday?

I “Heard through the Grapevine” that there is no more Electrical Parade (crushed my mom when I told her, as that was always her fav) but is there another parade replacing it?
Of course the best part of Disney is the food- what are some good snack stops, seasonal treats, and “must tries” (I LOVE anything pumpkin! my parents are Coffee fiends. Also where do they have the soup in the bread bowls? That always looks so good but I can never find it))

I’m not even sure of the Park hours each of those days (it’s so confusing- most sites don’t have definite hours that far ahead) so I don’t know how long we’ll have or what to plan for.

What attractions should we FP right away or how would YOU plan your FP’s?
For my parents what kind of more relaxed agenda would you plan for them one of the days? They both would also probably appreciate visits to the more nostalgic attractions from when they first went (Hall of Presidents etc…)

One of the reasons I’d like to split up at least half of one day is so my two teenagers and brothers can run amuck but also so my parents can slow down and be all lovey-dovey (Their Honeymoon was at WDW 38 years ago- first time my mom had ever been) I want to have a reservation for them at a restaurant during this time. I don’t know DL restaurants too well – I know one restaurant I always wanted to go to myself was the Blue Bayou because it’s inside the POC ride and I always thought that was cool but every time I go to Dl the kids never allow enough time for that. So I thought maybe I’d send my parents and live vicariously through them lol! My other thought was, I keep reading how awesome WOC is and that it “shouldn’t be missed” –though I’ve never seen it myself. I did read that it requires a FP to view and that it gets crowded and the show is almost 30 mins long. So my other Idea was to maybe get my parents a dinner reservation at Arial’s Grotto or one of the other 2 restaurants that includes reserved viewing so at least THEY will have a good view of the show. I don’t know- I’m stuck between those two- or unless someone else has an idea they think they might like –just go easy on the price haha!

As you can see, I’m all over the map- I really need some help planning this so any ideas or day by day agenda suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[figment_jii]

What things can/should we do on Thurs when we get there? (Since we won’t have a “full “ day)

Thursday are usually fairly manageable, so I think you can still get a fair amount done, even if you arrive in the afternoon. I would get to the park and check out the times board to see what the lines look like. Then go grab a set of FPs and head out to do some rides.

What kind of crowds should I expect on Thurs, Fri, and Saturday?

I'll start with the "bad" news - I would expect to see large(ish) crowds in the park on the weekend (Sat) because it's Columbus Day weekend (so some folks get a three day weekend) and Sunday (October 12th) is the CHOC walk. CHOC walk Sunday is packed, but Saturday will probably be more like a normal Saturday. Thursday is likely to be the least busy; Saturday is likely to be very busy.

I “Heard through the Grapevine” that there is no more Electrical Parade (crushed my mom when I told her, as that was always her fav) but is there another parade replacing it?

That is correct. The Electric Parade (MSEP) ended it's run at DLR (in DCA) in 2010. They haven't replaced it with a similar style parade. There is Soundsational (over in DL) and Pixar Play Parade (over in DCA).

Of course the best part of Disney is the food- what are some good snack stops, seasonal treats, and “must tries” (I LOVE anything pumpkin! my parents are Coffee fiends. Also where do they have the soup in the bread bowls? That always looks so good but I can never find it))

They offer soup in bowls at Pacific Wharf (Boudin's Bakery) in DCA. They also have bread bowls in NOS (French Market, Harbour Galley, and Royal Street Veranda). Seasonal treats will be scattered throughout the park. We haven't seen a list for this year, but Sherry did compile a list of the historic goodies that have popped up for HalloweenTime for the last several years over on the HalloweenTime SuperThread. In terms of coffee...they have a Starbucks in both parks at DTD.

I’m not even sure of the Park hours each of those days (it’s so confusing- most sites don’t have definite hours that far ahead) so I don’t know how long we’ll have or what to plan for.

Disneyland.com has posted the hours through October 15. I'm a little skeptical of the Fantasmic on the 9th, but the hours are usually in the ballpark.
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/accessible-calendar/month/2014-10-01/

What attractions should we FP right away or how would YOU plan your FP’s?

In DCA, I would get an RSR FP first. Over in DLR, I would probably get either an Indy, BTMRR, or Space FP (with a slight lean towards Space).

I don’t know DL restaurants too well – I know one restaurant I always wanted to go to myself was the Blue Bayou because it’s inside the POC ride and I always thought that was cool but every time I go to Dl the kids never allow enough time for that. So I thought maybe I’d send my parents and live vicariously through them lol!

I really like Blue Bayou. I would recommend making a reservation for the first lunch seating (usually around 11:30 am) to have the best chance at a waterside table with the shortest wait.

My other thought was, I keep reading how awesome WOC is and that it “shouldn’t be missed” –though I’ve never seen it myself. I did read that it requires a FP to view and that it gets crowded and the show is almost 30 mins long. So my other Idea was to maybe get my parents a dinner reservation at Arial’s Grotto or one of the other 2 restaurants that includes reserved viewing so at least THEY will have a good view of the show. I don’t know- I’m stuck between those two- or unless someone else has an idea they think they might like –just go easy on the price haha!

I'm not a huge fan of WoC (it's kind of take or leave it for me), so I wouldn't spend big bucks on a dining package to see it. However, some folks do really love the show and would highly recommend seeing it. I do recommend, that if you plan to see it, plan to get there with enough time to get a front row view. If you can't see the water surface, you'll miss out on a lot of the show. If you're super tall, you have a better chance of the seeing the show. If you're shorter, plan on spending a lot of time waiting.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

In DCA, I would get an RSR FP first. Over in DLR, I would probably get either an Indy, BTMRR, or Space FP (with a slight lean towards Space).

I second the suggestion to pull FPs for Space over BTMRR or Indy. The BTMRR SB queue moves much more quickly than the Space or Indy SB queues, so there's less need for a FP, and the Indy FP queue joins the SB line a long way from the loading station, so there's less advantage to using FP. Space's FP queue, by contrast, can cut out a solid hour (or more) of waiting on a busy day.

 

[sunflare]

I’m going to leave TX on the night of the 8th and get to AZ probably around 3am , sleep, and hopefully get my family on the road by 8 or 9am. Not sure how long the trip is from Scottsdale, AZ to Anaheim so I’m wondering if anyone knows and can tell me what time to leave that will get us there with at least 6 hours left in the Parks (keep in mind what time the parks close on Thurs- not sure)

Oooo! This one I can answer! Depending on the makeup of your group, I'd budget 5.5h -6.5h to get to Anaheim from Scottsdale. I would use the Waze app as your navigation gps, because it will give you the best routes based on user reported traffic (and locations of police on the road *G*). This last weekend Waze routed us on a completely unfamiliar route on the way back from DL, but it ended up being a good thing since the freeway we would have chosen was backed up for MILES.

 

[Dionnemay]

Thursday are usually fairly manageable, so I think you can still get a fair amount done, even if you arrive in the afternoon. I would get to the park and check out the times board to see what the lines look like. Then go grab a set of FPs and head out to do some rides.


I'll start with the "bad" news - I would expect to see large(ish) crowds in the park on the weekend (Sat) because it's Columbus Day weekend (so some folks get a three day weekend) and Sunday (October 12th) is the CHOC walk. CHOC walk Sunday is packed, but Saturday will probably be more like a normal Saturday. Thursday is likely to be the least busy; Saturday is likely to be very busy.


That is correct. The Electric Parade (MSEP) ended it's run at DLR (in DCA) in 2010. They haven't replaced it with a similar style parade. There is Soundsational (over in DL) and Pixar Play Parade (over in DCA).


They offer soup in bowls at Pacific Wharf (Boudin's Bakery) in DCA. They also have bread bowls in NOS (French Market, Harbour Galley, and Royal Street Veranda). Seasonal treats will be scattered throughout the park. We haven't seen a list for this year, but Sherry did compile a list of the historic goodies that have popped up for HalloweenTime for the last several years over on the HalloweenTime SuperThread. In terms of coffee...they have a Starbucks in both parks at DTD.


Disneyland.com has posted the hours through October 15. I'm a little skeptical of the Fantasmic on the 9th, but the hours are usually in the ballpark.
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/accessible-calendar/month/2014-10-01/


In DCA, I would get an RSR FP first. Over in DLR, I would probably get either an Indy, BTMRR, or Space FP (with a slight lean towards Space).


I really like Blue Bayou. I would recommend making a reservation for the first lunch seating (usually around 11:30 am) to have the best chance at a waterside table with the shortest wait.


I'm not a huge fan of WoC (it's kind of take or leave it for me), so I wouldn't spend big bucks on a dining package to see it. However, some folks do really love the show and would highly recommend seeing it. I do recommend, that if you plan to see it, plan to get there with enough time to get a front row view. If you can't see the water surface, you'll miss out on a lot of the show. If you're super tall, you have a better chance of the seeing the show. If you're shorter, plan on spending a lot of time waiting.

DOH! I changed dates twice to avoid Gay Days and 2 nights of Halloween Party and I still manage to land on a busy day- forgot all about Columbus day grr! Oh well, Sunday we leave so hopefully Saturday will be the only really busy day, although you didn't mention what Fridays are like...?

Thanks so much for the links and especially the Blue Bayou tips. If I go with that, I want them to have a waterside table so thanks for the tip about an early lunch reservation.

 

[Dionnemay]

Oooo! This one I can answer! Depending on the makeup of your group, I'd budget 5.5h -6.5h to get to Anaheim from Scottsdale. I would use the Waze app as your navigation gps, because it will give you the best routes based on user reported traffic (and locations of police on the road *G*). This last weekend Waze routed us on a completely unfamiliar route on the way back from DL, but it ended up being a good thing since the freeway we would have chosen was backed up for MILES.

Never heard of Waze but I'll DL it and test it out this month. My plan is to get as much sleep as I can when I get to AZ - I'll be tired after driving 7 hours from TX but I want to do most of the driving...otherwise I'll be stuck using the "Dad" app lol. He's old school and doesn believe in using GPS- probably unmanly or something, and he probably still uses Rand McNally maps. Also he drives too slow for my lead foot...

 

[Kittyskyfish]

Thanks so much for the links and especially the Blue Bayou tips. If I go with that, I want them to have a waterside table so thanks for the tip about an early lunch reservation.

Would you mind a tip about the 11:30 reservation? If you choose to make the 11:30 reservation, which is the time the BB starts serving customers, you'll need to get to the hostess stand around 11:05 - 11:10 to get in the unofficial check-in line. We've been doing the first reservation time for years and people start hanging around to check in about 20 minutes early because seating is called in the order that guests were received by the hostess at check-in.

 

[figment_jii]

DOH! I changed dates twice to avoid Gay Days and 2 nights of Halloween Party and I still manage to land on a busy day- forgot all about Columbus day grr! Oh well, Sunday we leave so hopefully Saturday will be the only really busy day, although you didn't mention what Fridays are like...?

Friday was kind of a mixed bag. The morning and early afternoon were pretty good, so I would highly recommend getting there at rope drop. October 10th is a MHP, so crowds started to pick up at 4:00 pm in DL because that's when party goers to start entering DL. The overlap period (4:00 pm to 7:00 pm) is pretty busy with day guests and party guests overlapping. I didn't head to DCA (I was going to the party), but I've read that there is a spike in crowds when the party starts in DL because the day guests with hopper who are not going to MHP head to DCA. So be prepared to see crowds in DCA.

Thanks so much for the links and especially the Blue Bayou tips. If I go with that, I want them to have a waterside table so thanks for the tip about an early lunch reservation.

To expand a little on 11:30 reservation time, I highly recommend you go with 11:30 am. Whenever I've gone, they've always seated the 11:30 am guests along the waterside (so filling those tables first). I happened to overhear someone with an 11:45 am (or noon) reservation ask about a waterside table and the CM said it would be 45 minutes to an hour extra wait. Now, the CMs will usually say this whenever you ask, but in this case the reasoning makes me think the wait estimate is correct. The CM said they would have to wait for all of the guests they just seated to finish before a waterside table would come available. Assuming an average meal takes about 60 minutes, that fits with the timetable the CM gave the guest. So this is something to keep in mind.

 

[Dionnemay]

Would you mind a tip about the 11:30 reservation? If you choose to make the 11:30 reservation, which is the time the BB starts serving customers, you'll need to get to the hostess stand around 11:05 - 11:10 to get in the unofficial check-in line. We've been doing the first reservation time for years and people start hanging around to check in about 20 minutes early because seating is called in the order that guests were received by the hostess at check-in.

Thanks I'll make sure they are there at 11

 

[ClosetDisneyJunkie]

I agree with prioritizing a SM fastpass over Indy or BTMRR for the reasons noted above, even during normal days. I think this goes double for during Halloween with the overlay.

BTMRR and Indy also have more interesting standby queues than SM does.

If you don't feel strongly about riding together for every ride, single rider lines can save you a bunch of time. I'll comment on RSR, Splash Mountain and Indy as those are the ones I've used.

I like RSR's single rider line the best because you still get to see the beautiful queue area, and even if you don't sit with someone else in your group there is a halfway decent chance that you will race against them at the end of the ride, which can be fun.

Splash's single rider line can save massive amounts of time if the standby queue is long, in my experience. Of course it's kinda sad that you can't take a picture with your whole group at the big plunge.

You can save quite a bit of time with Indy's single rider option as well. I don't love it because you walk all the way in to the exit of the ride (which feels kinda weird with people coming out), and eventually you will come to an elevator that takes you up over the track, you cross over, then take another elevator down. You miss a lot of the really incredible theme in the regular queue and, for me at least, the elevator portion completely takes me out of moment/feel of it being a "temple". But it can save you significant time.

Just a few thoughts. Maybe not ideal if you are intent on riding all together, but they can be time savers in a pinch. The full list of single rider lines is below:

DCA:
California Screamin’
Goofy’s Sky School
Grizzly River Run
Radiator Springs Racers
Soarin’ Over California

DLP:
Splash Mountain
Matterhorn
Indiana Jones Adventure

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/#/single-rider-line/

 

[stayfos]

I will add my two cents on that weekend for crowds.... It is also Canadian Thanksgiving (seeing as I am Canadian) so lots of the western provinces may head down. The British Columbian teachers are also on strike and there is a possibility that they still may be at that point....so kids have not started school yet this year. There was a news story on the amount of extra Disneyland vacations that have been booked over the last couple of weeks because of the strike. US schools are in so it is an appealing last minute vacation for us!!

 

[Trisity]

There was a news story on the amount of extra Disneyland vacations that have been booked over the last couple of weeks because of the strike. US schools are in so it is an appealing last minute vacation for us!!

So the parks should be extra friendly, right?

 

[Eeee-va]

My top suggestion would be that if rides or meet-and-greets are a priority, it's most important to get to the parks at opening, because that's by far the lowest crowd time in the parks. (And I am a night owl!)

If you can run from open 'til close for multiple days, great! But if you find energy lagging and you fear you may not be able to make rope drop the next morning, I'd suggest trying to take a rest in the afternoon instead, even if it's just watching a show or two in the parks.

On the other hand, if I were going (and if I weren't so obsessed with DCA ) I would probably skip a mid-afternoon break on Friday and head back to the room between 7 and 9 PM, since DCA will probably be rather busy. I love that park so I can understand if you wanted to stay 'til close, but a midnight close one night and an 8 AM start the next morning is pretty tough. It sounds like your family could maybe manage it; I don't know that I could anymore.

But then on Saturday, it's the last day so it would be hard to make myself take a real rest too. D'oh!

Well, maybe your parents can take the mid-afternoon break advice.