First time-3 night 2 parks

[petunia]

WDW obsessed but first time in land..2 adults and 2 teens, what order should we do the 2 parks? And any other info I may need? Is genie+ the same as wdw? Thanks..its been a dream to go during the holidays)))

 

[SpaceMan5]

I guess I am lucky to be the first to offer some advice and trust me, you will gets lots of advice from the veteran Disneyland DISers.

IMO, you gotta start with Disneyland. For me its where it all began with Walt. The history, nostalgia etc. Walking down Main Street is the best!

We always get the Park Hoppers since the parks are so close and I like the freedom of jumping to the other on a whim.

No matter what, you will have an awesome time!

Cheers

 

[petunia]

Thanks, ok makes sense, kinda how I start WDW with MK I guess? We wont hop as we'll just do each park once for our quick trip

Any advice for end of Nov weather/clothes?

 

[irlandaise]

We wont hop as we'll just do each park once for our quick trip

Just to make sure, you do know that the two parks are literally a one-minute walk apart, right? If you don't want to pay extra for hoppers because you're sure you want to spend an entire day in each park, that's absolutely fine. I just want to make sure you aren't thinking in WDW terms where hopping is very time consuming.

 

[starkweatherink]

Thanks, ok makes sense, kinda how I start WDW with MK I guess? We wont hop as we'll just do each park once for our quick trip

Any advice for end of Nov weather/clothes?

You'll want to hop once you realize how close it is. Make sure to utilize the Monorail if you want to take a shopping break. It goes from Nemo's ride right into the heart of downtown Disney. November weather is cool for California, 70-80s during the day, around the 50s at night but not anywhere near as humid as WDW. I am not able to give Genie + advice as of yet but from friends visiting it's essentially the same, and you can now use the Magicband + in the parks which I have yet to try. Do not eat at the Ihop across the street...go to Dennys. Ihop is insanely expensive for some reason, 13 bucks for an egg and 2 pieces of bacon expensive. (Learned that the hard way)

 

[kmill99]

Hi. We just had our 1st trip there over the 1st weekend in October. Lots of thoughts, especially if 1st trip and only 2 days... Key ones:
1) park hoppers are a must
2) genie+ is clutch to get thru as much as you can
3) but it is much more janky than at DW, as in how they staff it, how the public uses it - seemed much more clueless to me
4) DM me if you want, I have some special tips that could be especially helpful if your going soon. Too much to get into here.
5) prioritize Haunted Mansion over all else for genie+... it was by far the thing that went first. And our whole family loved the ride with the overlay.
6) Radiator Springs racers at night is a must... and single rider is crazy fast. I saw people go that route and beat us using ILL. Same for Incredicoaster.
7) Grizzly river run absolutely crushes Kali River Rapids
8) don't miss World of Color... use the virtual queue to score special viewing. Super helpful.
9) we actually liked starting at DCA rope dropping, able to do Radiator, GOTG, and others walk on and quickly in the morning. The fantasy land rides in DL are not genie +, so you can do them super fast at rope drop... but also not bad late at night.
10) order a dole whip ahead via app and enjoy it inside The Tiki Room. Classic!

 

[starkweatherink]

don't miss World of Color... use the virtual queue to score special viewing. Super helpful.

This is super helpful; probably the one thing I'll use for Genie + ...is it the same 7 AM rule?

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

This is super helpful; probably the one thing I'll use for Genie + ...is it the same 7 AM rule?

No Genie + at Disneyland California is different. You can only start booking Lightning Lanes or Buying Individual Attraction Lightning Lanes once you are scanned into the park and the park is officially opened for all at 8.00am.

There is no onsite advantage for Genie +

Virtual Queue for World of Color is separate to Genie+ You dont need Genie+ to get Virtual Queue for World of Color.

• Guests with a valid ticket and theme park reservation for the same day may be able to join the virtual queue in the Disneyland app beginning at 12:00 PM (noon), subject to availability.
• To access the virtual queue, Guests must have entered Disney California Adventure Park with a one-park ticket or Park Hopper ticket, or Disneyland Park with a Park Hopper ticket.
• If the virtual queue reaches capacity, please visit the Paradise Bay viewing area 30 to 45 minutes before showtime to check in with a Cast Member for walk-up viewing options.
• Guests with a virtual queue selection will receive a notification through the Disneyland app to enter the viewing area via one of the 2 marked entrance points (Blue or Yellow), approximately 45 minutes before the show begins.

 

[petunia]

Just to make sure, you do know that the two parks are literally a one-minute walk apart, right? If you don't want to pay extra for hoppers because you're sure you want to spend an entire day in each park, that's absolutely fine. I just want to make sure you aren't thinking in WDW terms where hopping is very time consuming.

Ya I knew they were close, just given its our first time and we're literally only there for 3 days (2 park days) I figure we will want to explore each park for one full day

 

[petunia]

You'll want to hop once you realize how close it is. Make sure to utilize the Monorail if you want to take a shopping break. It goes from Nemo's ride right into the heart of downtown Disney. November weather is cool for California, 70-80s during the day, around the 50s at night but not anywhere near as humid as WDW. I am not able to give Genie + advice as of yet but from friends visiting it's essentially the same, and you can now use the Magicband + in the parks which I have yet to try. Do not eat at the Ihop across the street...go to Dennys. Ihop is insanely expensive for some reason, 13 bucks for an egg and 2 pieces of bacon expensive. (Learned that the hard way)

Oh sweet! I never even thought about brining our magic bands!! Is that even if we're only staying at a good neighbor hotel?

 

[petunia]

Hi. We just had our 1st trip there over the 1st weekend in October. Lots of thoughts, especially if 1st trip and only 2 days... Key ones:
1) park hoppers are a must
2) genie+ is clutch to get thru as much as you can
3) but it is much more janky than at DW, as in how they staff it, how the public uses it - seemed much more clueless to me
4) DM me if you want, I have some special tips that could be especially helpful if your going soon. Too much to get into here.
5) prioritize Haunted Mansion over all else for genie+... it was by far the thing that went first. And our whole family loved the ride with the overlay.
6) Radiator Springs racers at night is a must... and single rider is crazy fast. I saw people go that route and beat us using ILL. Same for Incredicoaster.
7) Grizzly river run absolutely crushes Kali River Rapids
8) don't miss World of Color... use the virtual queue to score special viewing. Super helpful.
9) we actually liked starting at DCA rope dropping, able to do Radiator, GOTG, and others walk on and quickly in the morning. The fantasy land rides in DL are not genie +, so you can do them super fast at rope drop... but also not bad late at night.
10) order a dole whip ahead via app and enjoy it inside The Tiki Room. Classic!

Sweet thanks! Was wondering what I should prioritize for genie!

 

[petunia]

This is super helpful; probably the one thing I'll use for Genie + ...is it the same 7 AM rule?

Sadly I dont think world of color is playing on our dates..

 

[petunia]

No Genie + at Disneyland California is different. You can only start booking Lightning Lanes or Buying Individual Attraction Lightning Lanes once you are scanned into the park and the park is officially opened for all at 8.00am.

There is no onsite advantage for Genie +

Virtual Queue for World of Color is separate to Genie+ You dont need Genie+ to get Virtual Queue for World of Color.

• Guests with a valid ticket and theme park reservation for the same day may be able to join the virtual queue in the Disneyland app beginning at 12:00 PM (noon), subject to availability.
• To access the virtual queue, Guests must have entered Disney California Adventure Park with a one-park ticket or Park Hopper ticket, or Disneyland Park with a Park Hopper ticket.
• If the virtual queue reaches capacity, please visit the Paradise Bay viewing area 30 to 45 minutes before showtime to check in with a Cast Member for walk-up viewing options.
• Guests with a virtual queue selection will receive a notification through the Disneyland app to enter the viewing area via one of the 2 marked entrance points (Blue or Yellow), approximately 45 minutes before the show begins.

What time can you make your first g+?

 

[BrianL]

Oh sweet! I never even thought about brining our magic bands!! Is that even if we're only staying at a good neighbor hotel?

The MagicBand+ does not work for the hotels at DLR at all, so it would just be for your tickets/Lightning Lanes. It doesn't matter where you are staying. Only the MB+ will work at DLR, so no regular MB or 2.0 versions.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

What time can you make your first g+?

at 8am when the parks open.

At Disneyland the onsite guests have early opening. Everyone goes through bag check and security from 7am. Everyone then lines up at the entrance turnsyles in the esplanade. At 7.15am they open the gates and everyone gets scanned in.

Everyone can go onto Main Street and up to The Hub. There is a roped off entrance in from of The Plaza restaurant for onsite guests to access early opening from 7.30am.

All other guests are held at the hub.

At 8am there is a welcome announcement, all the ropes are dropped and all the lands are open and Genie + becomes active.

 

[woodys_girl]

Ya I knew they were close, just given its our first time and we're literally only there for 3 days (2 park days) I figure we will want to explore each park for one full day

I just wanted to offer you some reassurance that you'll be fine without hoppers. We are infrequent visitors and while I don't think we'd dislike hoppers necessarily, we find plenty to fill a full day at each park.

 

[kmill99]

Park hopping is worth it. So worth it. Especially with less time. Rides have been going down A LOT.
Prioritize rides that are unique, then rides that are different...
Space mtn was down sadly for our visit... but cool to see small world, pirates, Grizzly, Guardians, extended Runaway railway etc.
I never expected to use park hoppers like we did... but quickly spoiled by it, even my 9 yr old daughter was good with the back and forth. The ability to stack rides and increase odds to score get an MEP go up too - which is such a game changer for churning thru the genie+ rides.

 

[ktlm]

Genie+ includes your Photopass pictures at DLR. That is an added bonus. You can get a lot done with it.

On the hopping--- the parks are separated by a plaza and it is about the length of a football field to walk between them. It takes less than 5 minutes to hop-- we have been from the back of DL to the back of CA in less than 10 minutes. You do not have to go through security again to go between parks. Security is on the outskirts of the park and DTD, so you can easily and quickly move through the three areas. You don't necessarily need the hoppers--- BUT if the lines are really long in one park and shorter in the other at that time, it is very nice to be able to move to the other park and take advantage of that. Also since Genie + works in both parks, it gives you flexibility.

For Radiator Springs Racers, the single rider line works great if you want to avoid a long standby line or the cost of the individual lightening lane.

 

[Pluto468]

You will have a great time! The holidays are beautiful at Disneyland. I agree that park hopping is worth it. DCA is great, but you won't necessarily need a whole day there. Hoppers also give you more flexibility for ADRs etc. Genie+ will be very helpful and I'd do ILLs for some rides, especially Rise.

 

[DizMe]

I'm going to chime in with everyone else and highly recommend hoppers. I don't buy Genie+, but I ALWAYS want to park hop. For me, DCA is fun but nothing compared to DL, and there aren't enough things I love there to make me want to stay all day. Another consideration is that DCA often closes earlier than DL.

DCA is fun for a more extended trip when you have time to explore places like Redwood Creek and the back areas of the park. Most of the rides there are less immersive. GOTG, Incredicoaster, RSR, Grizzly, and Soarin' are the main draws. Many of the rides are more or less mild carnival-type rides with some Disney slapped on.

There are cool things to see that aren't ride related, but I still don't like staying there a whole day. However, I've been there many times.