Tentative Day Itinerary at Disneyland

StarSpeckledSky

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 11, 2019
Thanks to the help of multiple people on DisBoards, I've come up with a tentative day itinerary for our one day at Disneyland:

6:30am Wake up, get ready, load car

7:10am: Arrive, park, wait for rope drop

8:00am: Rope drop! Head to Fronteirland

8:05am: Big Thunder Mountain, dad/sister go to Tarzan’s Treehouse, grab Space Mountain Fastpass

8:15am: Exit BTM, meet up with dad/sister, bathroom break if necessary

8:20am: Pirates of the Caribbean together

8:50am: Exit PotC, head to Critter County

9:00am: Winnie the Pooh together

9:05am: Exit Pooh

9:10am: Splash Mountain single rider, dad/sister explore the area

9:30am: Exit Splash, meet up with dad/sister, bathroom break if necessary. Grab Fastpass for Star Tours.

Sometime between 9:40am-10:40am: Head to Tomorrowland, use Space Mountain and Star Tours FP, Finding Nemo if time allows and wait is relatively short.

10:40am: Head to Fantasyland.

10:45am: Storytelling at the Royal Theatre

11:15am: Exit Royal Theatre, head to SWGE. Grab a dole whip on the way.

11:30am: Enter SWGE

~ a bathroom break or two while in the land ~

2:00pm: Exit SWGE

2:10pm: Dining break at Bengal BBQ

2:20pm: Exit Bengal, head to Fantasyland

2:30pm: Mad Tea Party (if wait is short enough)

2:50pm: Exit Tea Party

2:55pm: Storybook Canal Boats (if wait is short enough)

3:20pm: Exit Storybook

3:30pm: Parade, watch in front of small world

3:55pm: Dumbo the Flying Elephant

4:30pm: Exit Dumbo

4:35pm: If either Tea Party or Storybook was unable to be completed, do it, otherwise Alice In Wonderland

5:05pm: Matterhorn single rider, dad/sister go for a bathroom break

5:15pm: Exit Matterhorn, head to Main Street

5:30pm: Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln

5:50pm: Exit Lincoln, head back to Fantasyland

6:00pm: Grab it’s a small world FPs at kiosk (probably close return time?)

6:30pm: Pick up Hungry Bear F! dining package at Hungry Bear

6:35pm: Dining break at Hungry Bear, bathroom break

7:00pm: Exit Hungry Bear, head to Fantasyland

7:10pm: it’s a small world

7:30pm: Exit it’s a small world, head to Mickey’s Toontown

7:35pm-8:30pm: Explore Mickey’s Toontown

8:35pm: Exit Mickey’s Toontown

9:00pm: Fantasmic!

9:30pm: Fireworks (stay in F! viewing location)

9:45pm: Exit F! viewing location, head to Fantasyland

9:55pm: Peter Pan’s Flight

10:30pm: Exit PP

10:35pm: Get silhouette done

10:45pm: Exit silhouette studio

10:45pm-11:10pm: Shopping

11:15pm: Exit Disneyland

Any feedback/advice/changes on this itinerary would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! :)
 
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Start watching the app about a week or so before your visit (because you want to do this after SWGE opens) to compare your itinerary with what's going on in DL on a day by day, real time basis. You'll get a good idea after just a few days on how doable your list is or whether some adjustments will be needed.
 
A 15-minute wait for Peter Pan at 9:55 pm sounds a bit optimistic to me. We would usually RD PP, then Alice, then Dumbo if you want to do that.
We can't, it's an EMH day and we don't have EMH so there'd be a ton of crowds already in Fantasyland :confused3. But it's okay if it's over 15 minutes, that's why it's near the end of the day - we can wait as long as needed.
 


Start watching the app about a week or so before your visit (because you want to do this after SWGE opens) to compare your itinerary with what's going on in DL on a day by day, real time basis. You'll get a good idea after just a few days on how doable your list is or whether some adjustments will be needed.
Okay, sounds good, I'll do that.
 
We can't, it's an EMH day and we don't have EMH so there'd be a ton of crowds already in Fantasyland :confused3. But it's okay if it's over 15 minutes, that's why it's near the end of the day - we can wait as long as needed.
Even at that late, the line is around 45 minutes, just so you're expecting it.
 
Start watching the app about a week or so before your visit (because you want to do this after SWGE opens) to compare your itinerary with what's going on in DL on a day by day, real time basis. You'll get a good idea after just a few days on how doable your list is or whether some adjustments will be needed.
Unfortunately I probably won't be able to check in the morning until 8pm every day, so what would you suggest then?
 
We have had times when it was busy that the Storytelling at the Royal Theater was full before the start of the show, even 10 minutes before the show. I think you can stand outside and see the show, but if your kids are little, they may not be able to see. So I’m not sure (especially with SWGE crowds which are completely unpredictable right now) if you can walk up 5 minutes before the show and expect to get into the theater.
 
And I don’t see any food besides the Dole Whip between the 7am arrival and the 2:30pm exit from SWGE?? My family would not tolerate this at all!! They would be totally grumpy! And the worst of the their grumpiness would happen in SWGE due to the timing of it. Maybe you are planning to eat lunch or a snack in SWGE, but I feel that is risky because the food places could be mobbed, and then you won’t be able to leave SWGE to get something else since you can’t re-enter SWGE once you exit.
 
And 30 minutes total to wait in line for POTC and complete the ride may be ambitious, even that early, because the ride itself is around 10 minutes, I think, maybe longer. Sometimes that ride gets a CRAZY line and I don’t know why...
 
We have had times when it was busy that the Storytelling at the Royal Theater was full before the start of the show, even 10 minutes before the show. I think you can stand outside and see the show, but if your kids are little, they may not be able to see. So I’m not sure (especially with SWGE crowds which are completely unpredictable right now) if you can walk up 5 minutes before the show and expect to get into the theater.
Okay, we'll see how it looks and either give it a pass or stay.

And I don’t see any food besides the Dole Whip between the 7am arrival and the 2:30pm exit from SWGE?? My family would not tolerate this at all!! They would be totally grumpy! And the worst of the their grumpiness would happen in SWGE due to the timing of it. Maybe you are planning to eat lunch or a snack in SWGE, but I feel that is risky because the food places could be mobbed, and then you won’t be able to leave SWGE to get something else since you can’t re-enter SWGE once you exit.
We'll be bringing snacks ourselves. :) it should be alright, no one would get grumpy besides my sister (3 years old). My dad and I actually prefer a lunch at 2pm.

And 30 minutes total to wait in line for POTC and complete the ride may be ambitious, even that early, because the ride itself is around 10 minutes, I think, maybe longer. Sometimes that ride gets a CRAZY line and I don’t know why...
The ride is about 22 minutes I believe and I thought that wait times were fine in the morning...?
 
If I were you, I'd plan to get there earlier. It could take you an hour just to park (I saw someone today on social media post that it took her 2 hrs just to park and get to the security check). Try to be at the gates by 7 am. If the lines seem manageable, go to Starbucks or La Brea Bakery in DTD for coffee/food while waiting for the gates to open.

I definitely think you underestimated the lines. Plan for at least 20 min in each ride line unless you have a fast pass/single rider (and even then, it can take a while). I also think you underestimated how long it'll take to walk between places, especially if they're controlling the flow of people to SWGE and making you walk directions you don't want to go. For example, it could definitely take you more than 10 minutes to get from Hungry Bear to Small World.

Unless you have your heart set on specific food items, I'd play that part by ear. Bengal BBQ alone took like 30 minutes when I was there in March. There's TONS of great food all over the parks. It's not worth spending 30 min in line for food. Tropical Hideaway next to Jungle Cruise is a good substitute for Bengal BBQ because you can get food (I recommend the beef bao and the ramen shaker salad) AND three flavors of Dole Whip in the same place.

Like someone else said earlier, I'd get to the Royal Theater early, like 15 minutes, if you want to make sure you get in. Maurice's Treats (the cart next to the theater) has delicious snacks and my favorite icy beverage, the boysenapple freeze.

Are you getting Max Passes? Those will save you time and are worth every penny IMO, especially if you're trying to do everything in one day.

FWIW I think Alice in Wonderland is the best ride in Fantasyland. I'd prioritize that over Mad Tea Party and Peter Pan.
 

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