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MIKAILANI
06-08-2007, 04:08 PM
Hello,

We (fiancé, 3yo DTR & brother) are heading down to DLR (from Bay Area) on 6/15 for a nice fathers day weekend. . . and from all the reading I've done here, everyone is an expert :D This will be our second time visiting DLR and this time we'll be staying @ the Disneyland Hotel.

Can anyone share what the best execution of a day in Disneyland? I know there's fast passes, but I guess I'm just not to savvy creating an itinerary.

Any suggestions would be GREAT!

And . . . how do they verify a child's age? Do they have an AGE meter at the gates?? Silly question =)

Malcon10t
06-08-2007, 05:11 PM
And . . . how do they verify a child's age? Do they have an AGE meter at the gates?? Silly question =)Children over 3 require a ticket. If they suspect the child is older, they can ask for a birth certificate. We carried one for a nephew who was 2 because he looked older. Unless brother is under 3, you don't need to worry about age verification.

10-97
06-09-2007, 10:09 AM
MIKAILANI,

I recommend checking in as early as possible at the DLH, to have a better chance of getting the tower and view you prefer.

When my two kids were 3 and 5 years old, we had a great time at DL. What worked for us was to be in the park right when it opened, while the temperature was cool and the rides weren't crowded. I believe Sat is an Early Entry day. If you can get the kids out of bed, you can get in the park at 7 am. And even if you're a little late at the EE gate, you can still avoid the longs lines at the regular gates.

We usually started in Fantasyland at Peter Pan's Flight or Dumbo, since they get crowded fast. On this trip you might consider getting in line early for Finding Nemo, and always keeping one set of FastPasses available for one of your other favorites. We also liked to go over to New Orleans square before the lines were long for POTC and HM. My kids also liked to visit Toontown early, to get photos with Mickey and Minnie.

But we've also had just as much fun on a day when we didn't have a planned itinerary. We just did whatever sounded like fun, while doing what we could to avoid long lines.

Part of our day depended on how much energy the kids had. Sometimes we went back to the DLH in the afternoon for a swim and a nap. I seem to remember that, no matter what, my kids would get tired right after the fireworks. So we usually went to bed around 10:30 pm, intending to be back at DL early the next morning.

I know you'll have fun.

Leap for Joy
06-09-2007, 11:05 AM
If you want an itinerary, and/or help learning how to maximize your fastpass use, I recommend Ridemax (http://ridemax.com/). Have a great trip!

dehnehsu
06-09-2007, 08:34 PM
The most important tip as mentioned earlier. Get there early! Before the gates open with your pre purchased tickets in hand. I had a friend who went with his friends. I told him many times to get there early! He ends up getting to the park around 11:00am loosing the most important time to get the "E" ticket rides done! He had to wait for his friends. I told him next time if they don't get up early, meet them in the park!

julbright
06-14-2007, 06:55 PM
get there early - there is nothing like being able to walk onto the rides - esp when you see how bad it gets by midday. but - esp with a 3yo - please plan to take a break midday. just got back and saw SO many little kids who were just miserable by dinner time becuz they'd been drug around the park since opening with no break. do dumbo and the rest of fantasyland first and move on. if you want to include the bigger rides, get FP for Indiana or Space first. as soon as you are able to get another fast pass, even if you haven't yet used the one you have, get another. as of my trip ending 6/10/07 they still let you onto a ride in the fast pass line even if your assigned time has passed, as long as it is the same date. there is no fastpass of mattehorn so do that early if you plan to. and of course, nemo should be on the early side too. the very best plan is to have 2 mornings in the park to be able to do it all early divided between the 2 days. good luck - and focus on having fun not doing it all. it's impossible.