Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A multigenerational family wonders how to know if you are on track or not, writ-
ing:
It seems like the touring plans were very time dependent, yet there were no specific
timesattachedtotheplanoutsideoftheearlymorning.Onmorethanoneday,Ioften
hadtoguessastowhetherwewereontrack.Havingsmallchildrenandagrandpar-
ent in our group, we couldn't move at a fast pace.
There is no objective measurement for being on track. Each group's experience
will differ to some degree. Regardless of whether your group is large or small, fast
or slow, the sequence of attractions in the touring plans will allow you to enjoy the
greatest number of attractions in the least possible time. Two quickly moving adults
will probably take in more attractions in a specific time period than will a large group
comprised of children, parents, and grandparents. However, given the characterist-
ics of the respective groups, each will maximize their touring time and experience as
many attractions as possible.
Finally, if you have young children in your party, be prepared for character en-
counters. The appearance of a Disney character is usually sufficient to stop a tour-
ing plan dead in its tracks. What's more, while some characters continue to stroll the
parks, it is becoming more the rule to assemble characters in some specific venue
(such as at Mickey's Toontown), where families must queue up for photos of and
autographs from Mickey. Meeting characters, posing for photos, and collecting auto-
graphs can burn hours of touring time. If your kids are into character-autograph col-
lecting, you will need to anticipate these interruptions to the touring plan and negoti-
ate some understanding with your children about when you will follow the plan and
when you will collect autographs. Our advice is to either go with the flow or altern-
atively set aside a certain morning or afternoon for photos and autographs. Be aware,
however, that queues for autographs, especially in Fantasy Faire and Pixie Hollow at
Disneyland Park, are every bit as long as the queues for major attractions. The only
time-efficient way to collect autographs is to line up at the character-greeting areas
first thing in the morning. Because this is also the best time to experience the more
popular attractions, you may have some tough decisions to make.
Whilewerealizethatfollowingthetouringplansisnotalwayseasy,weneverthe-
less recommend continuous, expeditious touring until around noon. After that hour,
breaks and diversions won't affect the plans significantly.
Some variables that can profoundly affect the touring plans are beyond your con-
trol. Chief among these is the manner and timing of bringing a particular ride to ca-
pacity. For example, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a roller coaster in Disneyland
Park, has five trains. On a given morning it may begin operation with two of the five,
and then add the other three if and when they are needed. If the waiting line builds
