Plan of attack w/a First-time guest

[cooldude4000]

So I'm in kind of an odd position. I'm a WDW vet (and former cast member), but this will be my wife's first visit to any Disney park. I want to make sure she has a great experience, so I'm trying to balance going on a lot of rides with having time to take in the details and theming. I think if we start out running all over the place for fastpasses, she's going to miss a lot of the charm Disneyland offers.

My current plan is to get in at Extra Magic Hour, stop in at City Hall for a "first visit" button (and a honeymoon one if they have those), then walk down Main Street, through the castle and on to Peter Pan. I wouldn't mind picking up a Fastpass on the way, but like I said, I hate to drag her around too much and I think the lands are best experienced at a slower pace, but I also don't want to miss out. Any advice? If we do Peter Pan first, what's a good next step?

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

With EMH and her first visit, I would do the rest of Fantasyland after PP, several different rides that you will not find at WDW. I would do Matterhorn, Alice, Teacups, Snow White, Pinocchio, and then Its a Small World, so different than the WDW version. I would then walk over to Tomorrowland and grab either a FP for Space Mountain or Star Tours and get in the standby line for the ride you did not get the FP for. Buzz will still be a short wait, hit that. Then you have to decide if you want to spend time in line for the subs or not. Use you FP, then walk over to Adventureland and get a FP for Indiana Jones. While you wait for FP window, take her on Pirates and HM. Then Splash if that is your thing or head over to Frontierland for BTMRR.

 

[Drusilla99]

Sometimes they have those buttons at the entrance turnstiles...it's worth asking if it saves you the city hall line.

 

[julesann]

If rope drop is at the turnstiles (unless you can get your buttons there), I think you might want to skip the buttons until your lunch break. If rope drop is at the hub, and City Hall is open before EMH begins, then I think you could get your buttons and enjoy your walk down Main Street and get to rope drop for PP and follow Elk Grove Chris' plan. Unless you are one of the first group at PP, you'll get backed up for your FL waiting for PP. Congratulations and have a wonderful visit!

 

[Disney Lvr of Old]

you may be able to get the buttons at the front desk if you are staying onsite. We did the last time. Congrats and have fun!

 

[Becca1007]

So I'm in kind of an odd position. I'm a WDW vet (and former cast member), but this will be my wife's first visit to any Disney park. I want to make sure she has a great experience, so I'm trying to balance going on a lot of rides with having time to take in the details and theming. I think if we start out running all over the place for fastpasses, she's going to miss a lot of the charm Disneyland offers.

My current plan is to get in at Extra Magic Hour, stop in at City Hall for a "first visit" button (and a honeymoon one if they have those), then walk down Main Street, through the castle and on to Peter Pan. I wouldn't mind picking up a Fastpass on the way, but like I said, I hate to drag her around too much and I think the lands are best experienced at a slower pace, but I also don't want to miss out. Any advice? If we do Peter Pan first, what's a good next step?

Ask for the buttons at a store on Main Street... City Hall will be packed first thing in the morning and all the stores have buttons available. (Not all stores have all button options but generally most of them have First Visit ones).

After PP, the rest of Fantasy Land should be easy to walk on with minimal waits. Then I would head towards Indiana Jones, grab a fast pass then hit up Jungle Cruise and New Orleans Square/Pirates.

 

[WonkaKid]

For buttons, it seems that they have a small kiosk setup outside of CH for this express purpose (or at least they did yesterday -- my birthday). It's just before CH as you enter the park.

 

[ADLFAN]

If Peter Pan already has a long line by the time you make it there, Fantasyland can still be a good place to start. I know a lot of people head straight to PP and Alice in Wonderland so their lines get backed up quick. The rest of the Fantasyland rides are usually wide open and it can be easy to knock them all out. Don't miss Casey Jr's Circus Train, it's so cute!

I kind of like to head to the Frontierland / New Orleans Square area and enjoy the quiet morning there. My first FP is always for my favorite ride, Indiana Jones!

It's so hard to slow down, especially when you are experiencing everything with a first timer! You can always park your companion on a shady bench with a Dole float or in Starbucks while you run all over the place collecting Fastpasses! Bring good shoes!

 

[Nevada Jen]

I would probably skip the buttons first thing during your EMH. Why start with waiting in a line. I would also skip peter pan first thing on your EMH based on the same theory. Personally, I would meander down main street and then hit all the other FL rides your first day. Honestly, if you don't have an already built up attachment to the FL rides or disneyland and are not a little kid, they aren't that great and fantasyland is really overwhelming with everything being so close together and it being so crowded. People who are used to Disneyland tend to forget what it feels like to not know what you are looking at or where you are headed because you can't see past the people.

 

[The Lucky Bug]

Fantasyland obviously will have tons of kids and the ride queues are very tight and get super packed really quick. I have been to Disneyland many times and I even feel overwhelmed there. I would avoid that for your first thing.

I would also avoid Tomorrowland first since it is the least detailed of the lands imo.

If you are looking for charm I would go through Adventureland to New Orleans Square while it is still quiet. It gets so crowded in Adventureland so quickly you miss all the details later in the day. The details in the queue for Indy are awesome it is very immersive and a great place to start. Then you can quickly hit Jungle cruise then over to Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Winnie the Pooh, Splash (fp), etc.

For the buttons I would try the little shop at the pirates exit, that is where we got our "Happily ever after" ones for our honeymoon. The shop is usually pretty empty so there shouldn't be a line.

You can also grab some Mickey Beignets from the Mint Julep bar and sit in the French market close to the railing and people watch and take in the details or bring them over to the tables by the River Belle Terrace for an even better view.

I would then do Big Thunder and wander over to the castle checking out the new Fantasy Faire area and take a walk through Fantasyland over to the Matterhorn then get a space FP.

With the Train down and the back path from Frontierland to Fantasyland gone we have found it feels like we walk ALOT more. I think this is also because we lose the sitting breaks we had while on the train. Now if you ever want to sit you have to take time to do so. It can be very overwhelming without those breaks (for us at least) so make sure you take time to sit and people watch and rest your feet a little (not just at meal times). Also try to do lands at a time rather than just hitting the big rides and circling back. Jumping back and forth without the train can get old fast, especially for a first timer.

I took my husband for his first trip a few years ago and the first day was more of a slow looking to see what was there type of day, but by the second day he knew what he wanted to try and we were able to pick up the pace.

Have a blast and Congrats!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Fantasyland obviously will have tons of kids and the ride queues are very tight and get super packed really quick. I have been to Disneyland many times and I even feel overwhelmed there. I would avoid that for your first thing.

I would also avoid Tomorrowland first since it is the least detailed of the lands imo.

Since it sounds like they would be entering Disneyland for their first time during magic morning, these lands and Main Street are the only things available to them initially.

 

[Niltiac]

I think that waiting in a long and un-detailed line like Peter Pan sounds like a less-than-magical first experience, unless Peter Pan has special significance for your wife. If it has a short line when you get back there, then great, but it probably won't if you stop for buttons first. On my first trip we tried to get to that line first thing during MM for a shorter wait, but when that failed we just skipped it and spent MM jumping on whatever rides we felt like since the rest of the lines were short. My philosophy for both PP and the subs (they had just reopened after a very long refurb so it was packed) was that since we were going to have to wait through a long boring line anyway, we should do it when we're not missing out on anything else, so we rode them in the afternoon and ate snacks/lunch in line.

I also agree with a PP who said that New Orleans Square is magical in the morning. It doesn't have to be your first stop but on one of your mornings I would try to make it there within a couple of hours of opening just to enjoy how calm it is. And one good thing about F! being down is that the atmosphere is also great at night.

 

[VandVsmama]

My 2 cents:

1. don't waste ANY TIME during EMH standing in a big long line at City Hall for a First Visit button.
2. If this is your wife's first ever visit to Disneyland or ANY Disney park and since you are not only a WDW vet but a former CM (and, thus, you are a huge Disney lover & you want your wife to develop an appreciation of it, too), then you need to do whatever you can to MINIMIZE TIME SPENT WAITING IN LINE.
3. So if you are staying at DLH, GCH, or PPH, get a First Visit and/or Just Married button from them.
4. Or go to City Hall later in the day to get your buttons.
5. Also, you can spend time meandering down Main Street & 'taking it all in' in the afternoon...when all the rides have long lines and when those rides are more crowded.
6. You should TOTALLY go on Fantasyland or Tomorrowland rides during EMH. In fact, take her on Peter Pan or Mr Toad first. Peter Pan will have a 20-30 min line within 5 min of the park being opened, so if she doesn't want to wait 30 min for a 3.5 min long ride, then be at the main gate 45 min before the start of EMH.
7. Then go on Mr Toad, Alice, Dumbo, Snow White, the carousel, Pinocchio. When EMH is done, get on Storybook Land Canal Boats and then walk to Tomorrowland and get FP for either Space Mountain or Star Tours.
8. THEN while you wait for your FP return time, go on Autopia & Buzz Lightyear.
9. When the SM/ST FP return window opens, grab a FP for the other ride...If you got SM FP first, now grab a Star Tours FP. THEN go on Space Mountain.
10. When the Star Tours FP window opens up, park your wife in a spot where she can do some people watching and YOU run over to Indiana Jones for FP. For example, buy her a snack and sit her down in the hub to people watch. Then when you've returned with your IJ FP, go on Star Tours.
11. After Star Tours, go to Adventureland (while you're waiting for the IJ FP window to begin) & go to the Tiki Room and on the Jungle Cruise. These are both really cool because Walt Disney played a huge role in these attractions coming to fruition. Stop in the Adventureland Bazaar to shop/browse & have her get a 'prescription' from the Shrunken Ned machine. It's really funny.
12. If you're still waiting for the IJ FP window to open, next go on POTC or HM. When IJ FP opens, YOU run to get the next set of FP....and preferrably, you park your dear wife in the outdoor dining area of the French Market with some Mickey beinets so she can relax while you go run to get FP for Splash Mtn or BTMRR. Then you relax with her awhile, take a load off your feet, etc.
13. etc., etc.

Here's the thing....
If you WAIT TOO LONG in the morning to get FP & decide what you want to do, then you will LOSE THE ADVANTAGE of being there in Disneyland for the 1st 2-3 hours that it's open. EMH and the 1st two hours after park opening are GOLDEN and that is a time of day when you do NOT STOP TO SMELL THE ROSES! When do you take your time & soak in atmosphere & do less popular stuff (like the Great Moments with Mr Lincoln attraction, or see Mickey & The Magical Map)? IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AFTERNOON when all of the super popular rides are super duper busy. The middle of the afternoon would also be a great time to have late lunch/early dinner at the Blue Bayou, for example. Or at Carthay Circle.

Why should you do it this way?
Because you want it to be an enjoyable experience where she'd want to go back on repeat visits.
Because you want to have the best time possible together while you're there.
Because waiting in line for an hour for a 3-6 minute ride/attraction is a real bummer and fun-killer if you're not a theme park sort of person.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Sometimes they have those buttons at the entrance turnstiles...it's worth asking if it saves you the city hall line.

Definitely city hall as a later stop. Not standing in a boring line 1st thing. They have happily ever after buttons.

ETA should have read the comments. Lol

 

[theluckyrabbit]

WOD in DtD may have the buttons, too. I would take the first day, especially her first morning as she walks through the gate and sees the floral Mickey, at her pace. Let her feel the wonder and excitement. Take lots of photos of her facial expressions as she sees Walt's park for the first time. We go weekly, and DH still says that his favorite thing is watching my face and reactions in the parks.

 

[Keels]

I wouldn't go TOO commando or else you run the risk of turning her off to the wonderfulness that is Disney.

Are you only there one day? If so, I would hold off on the button until you pass someone handing them out on Main Street or at a restaurant. I would make a short-list of five things that would be MUST DO and then kind of let her lead the way. I would definitely try to hit four mountains in one day, but that's just me.

Are you only doing Disneyland and not DCA?

 

[cooldude4000]

Thanks, everyone! Lots of ideas to consider here, but the one constant seems to be either to secure buttons before we hit the park, or later on in the day.

Are you only doing Disneyland and not DCA?

Oh, no--we're doing three days in the park: Disneyland, then DCA, then Disneyland again. Between closures and attractions we're not interested in, I'm pretty confident we'll get to do almost everything on our list. My advice for WDW guests was always to come in prepared, so I'm trying to do the same for our Disneyland vacation! Just trying to get a sense of how things are different in Walt's original park.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... My advice for WDW guests was always to come in prepared, so I'm trying to do the same for our Disneyland vacation! Just trying to get a sense of how things are different in Walt's original park.

This thread will help a lot with that: A DLR Guide for WDW Vets.