Which ride to hit first? No early entry

[Calidisneyfam]

I will be going to DLP the first week of April, most likely April 6, with my teenage daughter. We are staying in Paris and will take the train to DLP for one day, park hopper passes. We will not have access to early entry.

What ride should we go to first? I plan to buy some premier access passes, but would like to hit whatever we can do with a reasonable line (less than 45 minutes), if at all possible. Some rides we definitely want to do: Indiana Jones, Hyperspace Mountain, Phantom Manor, Avengers, Tower of Terror.

Also, what time should we arrive, with 9:30am open? I was thinking 9:00? Or should we do 8:30? We've done Disney before so are used to early rope drop, but never done DLP.

Any and all help is appreciated!

 

[Karin1984]

Be there somewhere between 8:30 and 9:00. You will be ushered into a line for day guests.

I would start in the Studios and do Crush first. This because Flight Force has a high bar for how tall you have to be, Spider Webs has a single rider's line. Crush, Tower, Flight, Spider (single), is what I would do. Unless you plan to buy Premier Access, best use is Crush coaster. Crush is a unique ride and has to be on your list ;-)

In the park, Big Thunder Mountain has to be on your list as well (it's the best version out of all Disney parks in the world), it would be beneficial to buy Premier Access as well. If not do it during parade / show times or short before closing. If you do go into the normal line: Use the left lane.

Space Mountain also rules out little ones and therefore has shorter lines than Big Thunder Mountain. If the single rider line is open, use it.

Indiana Jones has usually shorter lines than other coasters due to the remote corner. Put this lower on the list. If open, use the single rider line.

Phantom Manor doesn't get that busy because t's a continuous loop. 45 minutes or more only happens when it gets very busy or with large refurbishments.

Crowds should be ok on this weekday. the only thing that can happen: April 7th is a national holiday in many European countries, and crowds could be slightly higher than a normal Thursday, due to people making it a weekend.

 

[Calidisneyfam]

Be there somewhere between 8:30 and 9:00. You will be ushered into a line for day guests.

I would start in the Studios and do Crush first. This because Flight Force has a high bar for how tall you have to be, Spider Webs has a single rider's line. Crush, Tower, Flight, Spider (single), is what I would do. Unless you plan to buy Premier Access, best use is Crush coaster. Crush is a unique ride and has to be on your list ;-)

In the park, Big Thunder Mountain has to be on your list as well (it's the best version out of all Disney parks in the world), it would be beneficial to buy Premier Access as well. If not do it during parade / show times or short before closing. If you do go into the normal line: Use the left lane.

Space Mountain also rules out little ones and therefore has shorter lines than Big Thunder Mountain. If the single rider line is open, use it.

Indiana Jones has usually shorter lines than other coasters due to the remote corner. Put this lower on the list. If open, use the single rider line.

Phantom Manor doesn't get that busy because t's a continuous loop. 45 minutes or more only happens when it gets very busy or with large refurbishments.

Crowds should be ok on this weekday. the only thing that can happen: April 7th is a national holiday in many European countries, and crowds could be slightly higher than a normal Thursday, due to people making it a weekend.

Thank you so much for the tips! I consider myself an expert in California and Orlando, but definitely a newbie when it comes to Paris.

I'm looking forward to our trip! I was there summer of 1993 as a teenager, and barely remember it.

 

[Brandonius]

I went for 1 day with hoppers, no EE as well. Got on every E ticket at least twice, only bought 1 premier access. And had time to stop for food twice lol. It was moderately busy. We arrived at 7:45 AM for a 9 AM opening. WAY overkill. Try to be off the train around 8:15-8:20 (for 9 AM opening. 8:30-45 for a 9:30 is probably fine). They let us in 15 minutes before the park was posted to open. I'm NOT a local or expert, but here's what makes sense to me:

Start at Studios:
Rope Drop: Tower of Terror

Next: Crush via Premier Access. Single Rider and Standby will be... horrendously long. The ride is fine, it's a stock spinning coaster if you've done one before, but it's in the dark with a cool little nemo segment before. The capacity is just absolute garbage, and it's at a Disney park, so the line gets super long.

Next: Single Rider RC Racer, Single Rider Rattitoullie

Next: Single rider Spider-Man, Single Rider Flight Force

Studios Done.
(Studios empties out like crazy the last hour of the night - you can get through everything but crush at the end using single rider in an hour. If you wanted to hop back from like 6:30-8 PM you can probably pick up rerides on your faves.)

Then hop to DL. Pirates + Phantom manor lines will move super fast, don't bother premier accessing those. You gotta make sure you do Thunder Mountain - their space mountain isn't very good - very rattly - and the Indiana Jones coaster is... bad. They're still fun but nothing to write home about. But Thunder Mountain... its amazing. No other BTMR comes close.

The most painful lines in DL will be Peter Pan, Buzz Light Year, Star Tours moves slow but won't take forever, and Thunder Mountain. BTMR will empty out end of the night. If you are willing to spend for more premier access, Buzz is probably your most efficient one to skip (in my limited experience). It almost never dropped below an hour when we were there.

Be aware of staggered closings since you'll only be there for a day. The rides all close at different times - it makes planning your last 2 hours a bit of a pain.

Also know that literally, nobody uses mobile order. It's a cultural thing. The process is strange - you order in app, then get an email, then click a link in email to prepare the order. But it literally saved us 30-40 minutes.

My favorite ride was Phantom Manor. (I'm not at all a haunted mansion guy) It was just a really well-done ride. Pirates and Thunder Mountain tied for #2, and #3 Rattitoulie was pretty fun actually! It's not groundbreaking but fits well for what it is.

Have Fun!!

P.S. - At some point poke around and find the walkthrough under the castle. You won't be disappointed

 

[Calidisneyfam]

I went for 1 day with hoppers, no EE as well. Got on every E ticket at least twice, only bought 1 premier access. And had time to stop for food twice lol. It was moderately busy. We arrived at 7:45 AM for a 9 AM opening. WAY overkill. Try to be off the train around 8:15-8:20 (for 9 AM opening. 8:30-45 for a 9:30 is probably fine). They let us in 15 minutes before the park was posted to open. I'm NOT a local or expert, but here's what makes sense to me:

Start at Studios:
Rope Drop: Tower of Terror

Next: Crush via Premier Access. Single Rider and Standby will be... horrendously long. The ride is fine, it's a stock spinning coaster if you've done one before, but it's in the dark with a cool little nemo segment before. The capacity is just absolute garbage, and it's at a Disney park, so the line gets super long.

Next: Single Rider RC Racer, Single Rider Rattitoullie

Next: Single rider Spider-Man, Single Rider Flight Force

Studios Done.
(Studios empties out like crazy the last hour of the night - you can get through everything but crush at the end using single rider in an hour. If you wanted to hop back from like 6:30-8 PM you can probably pick up rerides on your faves.)

Then hop to DL. Pirates + Phantom manor lines will move super fast, don't bother premier accessing those. You gotta make sure you do Thunder Mountain - their space mountain isn't very good - very rattly - and the Indiana Jones coaster is... bad. They're still fun but nothing to write home about. But Thunder Mountain... its amazing. No other BTMR comes close.

The most painful lines in DL will be Peter Pan, Buzz Light Year, Star Tours moves slow but won't take forever, and Thunder Mountain. BTMR will empty out end of the night. If you are willing to spend for more premier access, Buzz is probably your most efficient one to skip (in my limited experience). It almost never dropped below an hour when we were there.

Be aware of staggered closings since you'll only be there for a day. The rides all close at different times - it makes planning your last 2 hours a bit of a pain.

Also know that literally, nobody uses mobile order. It's a cultural thing. The process is strange - you order in app, then get an email, then click a link in email to prepare the order. But it literally saved us 30-40 minutes.

My favorite ride was Phantom Manor. (I'm not at all a haunted mansion guy) It was just a really well-done ride. Pirates and Thunder Mountain tied for #2, and #3 Rattitoulie was pretty fun actually! It's not groundbreaking but fits well for what it is.

Have Fun!!

P.S. - At some point poke around and find the walkthrough under the castle. You won't be disappointed

Thank you so much for the recommendations!

 

[SuperMuscleMan]

Please be aware mobile order can play up with foreign cards, try it but don't rely on it. (I have would order from a que). I would say mobile ordering is now normal in Europe but Disneyland app is like any Disney app... Awkward and poor. Also I have to disagree with space mountain! It's the best! Have a great time, skip Peter Pan. Longest Ques and it's over in 50 seconds!

 

[Scootin'By]

I was in DLP last July an had an awesome day. We only did the main side of the park, not Studios, and the most helpful piece of advice I had was to watch the line queues. DLP is a lot more walkable than WDW so even though it looks like MK, its all closer together. We rope dropped Big Thunder Mountain, walked across the park and did Buzz Lightyear, Astro Orbiter, AND Space Mountain, all within 60 minutes of park opening.

The DLP app will even give you walking directions and how long it will take. So definitely be checking the app to watch for your must ride attractions.

Don't forget to explore too though. DLP has so many unique things to see (like the Dragon's Lair). Make sure to take time for them too. It's well worth it!