We are most likely going September 30-October 1, or if DH has his way, just October 1. (boo!) So, we are looking at mid-week. I didnt even think about fireworks shows not being done during the week.
Gay Days, one of the largest unofficial conventions at DLR, starts on Friday October 2, so you might see a slight uptick in attendance on October 1 as guests arrive for the weekend. I don't think it's going to make a huge impact on the crowds, but it's something to note. As mentioned, DLR does do a hard-ticket Halloween Party (Mickey's Halloween Party), but my guess is that you probably will miss that. There are rumors that they will be changing the parties (i.e., more dates, earlier start, have it in DCA), but it generally starts on the last Friday in September and then happens a couple times each week. If this year is anything like last year, there would probably be a party on Tuesday (2/29) and Friday (10/2), but not on Wednesday or Thursday. We probably won't know the dates for MHP until sometimes in or after July.
Yes, unfortunately because DLR is located in a residential area, they cannot present fireworks nightly. They are limited in the number of nights when they can present fireworks by an agreement with the City of Anaheim. So it usually means that in the non-peak seasons, they only have fireworks on Fri, Sat, and Sun night (as any MHP nights).
DD has met just about every princess, as well as the Fab 5, so meet and greets are most likely not going to slow us down. I know we will probably want to spend a majority of our time at DLR, rather than CA, just cuz, you know, Classic attractions.
That will then help, but it is worth noting that DLR does have some character meet and greets that you may not yet experienced at WDW. Olaf meets in DCA (assuming he's still meeting guests in Sep/Oct), the Cars bunch (McQueen, Mater, and Red) meet in Carsland (they drive out, talk, etc.), the Fab 5 will probably (maybe) still be in their 60th Anniversary attire in DL and their 30s outfits in DCA (on Buena Vista Street), along with some other characters (I'm not as familiar with the WDW characters anymore).
He does want to see the World of Color show though, cuz it was still being built the last time we were there and they showed a little preview of it on AFV a couple weeks ago and I saw his eyes light up (he would emphatically deny that!).
I wouldn't tackle WoC unless you have at least two days to do in the park. In order to really see WoC, you really have to devote somewhere between 1.5 and 2 hours (1 hour in the viewing area and another hour to get into the viewing area). The viewing area is poorly designed, so unless you're in the very front row or as tall as a professional basketball player, you're going to have a limited view of the show. If you can only see the mist screens, you're only really seeing half of the show and at that point, it's not really worth the time. Check out the
World of Color SuperThread for more information on the WoC viewing area and strategies.
So, even with the Matterhorn updates, the ride is still rough? I remember my knees aching after riding it cuz there were slamming back and forth in the car.
Yes, it's still just as rough as it was before the most recent closure.
So, will I need to wait another month or so to see what may be under refurbishment for the end of Sept/beg of Oct?? As well as Park Hours?
The Disneyland Resort operating calendar is generally released about 45-days in advance, but it is often not complete until much closer to the actual days. We probably won't really know what is happening in late September until mid-to-late August. In terms of the refurbishments, those can happen with very little notice, so until you're in the park, it's hard to say what will or won't be closed.
