Just One Day at DL-Help

[StantonHyde]

We have not been to DL in over 7 years. We are going to LA for Spring Break this year (last week of March/first bit of April). Yes, I know it is going to be crowded but that is the way the schedule worked..sigh... So we will be at Disney on Friday, April 1.

1. I am thinking that I should buy advance passes to save time--yes?? Best place to buy--online? Costco? They would just be one day passes so I don't think I would be scoring deals on these??

2. I am thinking that I should buy passes just for DL and not a hopper to CA too. (the kids are 13 and almost 11) I am just assuming that with lines and everything, we won't have enough time to do 2 parks in one day. Not to mention, we are not go all day people. My kids will be d.o.n.e. by 4:00 or so.

3. What is new in the last 7 years??? And what is closed?

4. What should we jump on for fast passes?

We are staying at a Residence Inn Anaheim/placentia/fullerton. It looks like we would get on 57 South or North State College Road and then get off on either Ball Road or Katella Avenue. What parking lot do we look for? It looks like the park opens at 8 am that day (or is that just for people staying on site?) I am trying to figure out what is our best strategy for getting there without getting stuck in gobs of traffic. It is 6 miles away and at 8:30 am on a Monday, map quest says it would take us 18 minutes. .

Any other tips?? Thank you!!!!!!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Get there a bit before it opens so you can get through parking, security, the ticket lines... And be ready to roll when the doors open. You'll get so much more done in the AM. Don't wait to drive at 8:30 for an 8am opening. If you truly can't be early them at least get there by 10 for less crowds (they'll just build).
You can buy and print tickets online. Check Costco but I don't think they have deals on one day.

For $100+/ person, I can't imagine walking out at 4pm! Everyone can rally for a day, especially at that age. Being there at night is fun too!

One of the times we were there was a busy summer day and it was nice to have park hoppers as we found CA to be less congested.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[StantonHyde]

Thanks Snuggle Bunnies. So the 8am opening is for everybody? If so, I can probably get them out the door by 7:30. I would rather go early when the crowds aren't as bad.

As for going all day--I think $100 is cheap in someways. Heck, we can pay that much to ski for a day! And dragging cranky kids around is not worth ANY amount of money. (or dragging a cranky mommy around either ) We'll see how we do.

[bisous]

I also agree to go early. Check the park opening time. Off season it sometimes doesn't open until 10 a.m. but I'm imagining April might still be part of Spring Break and busy so probably 8. But check.

Disney is magical about sucking you in to spend more time than you might otherwise think you will spend. If you are done by 4 you can still do a lot. But I'd be really surprised if your crowd does want to leave by 4. In fact, you must update us! But in all seriousness, we've done Legoland, Sea World and other theme parks and have been "done" before the 6 o'clock closing. But never Disneyland. My goal is always to get out by 7 (traffic gets better then) but we're always pulling my kids away kicking and screaming and I have a 2 and 4 year old!

As far as what to do, I have a hard time putting myself in the shoes of a one day, one time visitor, since we go all the time.

Here are a couple of thoughts to help you decide:

I have decided that Disneyland after 5 pm is too crazy and crowded for me. They start shutting things down around that time for fireworks and parades and main street and traveling around SUCKS. Maybe that will help you decide to leave by 4, lol. What *I* like to do around 5 pm is leave the park and go to DCA. Or you might like parades and fireworks and decide to stick around. Just not worth it in my opinion!

DCA has most of the "new" stuff from the last 7 years that you're wanting to see. Cars land really is cool looking. I like it even better at night actually. The ride there is really fun, but the fast pass helps a ton. I don't remember when they put in Toy Story Midway Mania but that's a super fun ride. No fast passes though! Soaring might be my favorite ride of all. It isn't new but it has pleased every single visitor to Disney that I've brought. Screamin' is the best roller coaster IMO. So there are reasons to go to DCA. My kids also love the Redwood Challenge Trail. It seems like a silly thing to go and do at Disney if you only have one day but it is a really nice counter point to standing in lines and riding rides. My kids run all over creation and bonus is that I get a great workout chasing after them. Also, I think World of Color is my favorite nighttime show/spectacle. We always go to the "you might get wet" viewing platforms because although you get misted it isn't like you get drenched a la Shamu and we always go home right after. April shouldn't be too cold either.

But the original Disneyland is the classic and still has that nostalgic, magical feel. Also, Tomorrowland has this whole Star Wars thing that my kids really like. Star Tours is a must ride for any fans. We recently went with a group of 16 people and all of them loved it.

So here's what *I* would do considering all my caveats.

I'd do a hopper. There's enough to do in both parks, especially if you want to do "new" stuff.

I'd rush Disneyland in the morning and do all the best rides. Use FP as much as you like. Don't skip Star Tours. They've redone it and it is awesome. That's a good FP ride. The coasters are good for FP as well. A good strategy is to ride rides in Fantasyland in the morning if that is what you like since they are busy all the rest of the day and don't have FP.

Then I'd run to DCA. The downside to this plan is that the line for Cars probably won't have any FP available and the line is long. But you could try. If you have to wait in the standby line consider doing it at night. During the day it is out in the sun. Make sure you do the stuff on the far side of the bay before it gets dark and they start getting set up for World of Color. Do ride Midway Mania. That is usually our longest line and there are no FP but it is really fun. We love it.

That's what I'd do.

[lkoala]

I agree with PP about getting park hoppers. DCA has a lot of fun rides and always seems less crowded than Disneyland to me.

Mornings are THE best time for Disneyland. Do you get the early morning access with a one day pass? If not, I would recommend going to the other park first. Either way, early is best.

I believe the Disneyland train is not running right now or Autopia. Disboards or the disney website will have info on what is not running on the day you go.

Redwood Challenge Trail is a good quiet place to get away if you need a break from the noise/people.

We're headed to Disneyland next week for spring break. It'll be fun to see what they're doing for the 60th anniversary celebrations!

[geochick]

ares is a great source for passes. Sign up for a monthly mousesavers e-newsletter. They send out an additional ares discount with their monthly email (about the 15th of each month).

My 9 and 12 year olds don't really love CA anymore. We're going to DLand on Monday. They don't even want to go to CA, but they have been on the fun stuff there recently. The Cars race ride is super fun, but the line is horrible. The soaring over CA is fun, once. The Tower is too scary for my kids.

They are building Star Wars up right now, so the island and river area are closed. Oh well.

The Indiana ride and splash mountain are our favorites.

Get a Touring Plans membership! Create a plan. You can message me with other questions. I have to run now.

[ckso]

If you're really leaving by 4, then I wouldn't bother with the hopper. But I would try to stay longer. Maybe do more low key stuff in the middle (catch some shows etc) to get a break

The 60th anniversary fireworks is pretty amazing I think so I would stay for that. Or maybe leave at 4, walking around/get dinner at downtown Disney and then go back in?




Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains mobile app