Last Minute Trip Thanks, Irma!

[moogiepet]

we cancelled our WDW trip last night and dh is determined o do Disney, so we're going to CA! We haven't been to DL since 2011 & I've done absolutely no planning! I never heard of a Maxpass until this morning!

We are driving, leaving Saturday morning, our first park day will be the 11th.

We are staying off site. If we book online today, When we get there the first day, do we go to a counter to get our tickets?

I seriously have no clue how DL works at all & am stressing out pretty bad!

 

[mom2rtk]

DLR is awesome for a last minute trip! All FPs are still available, and I bet most ADRs are as well.

Have a great time!

 

[Zooey]

Yes, just show up, go straight to a ticket counter before heading to the park gate, and you'll be fine.
It's much different from WDW. You can probably get same day reservations at most of the restaurants.
Go and have fun. The Halloween decor is going up and it looks fantastic.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

You will be absolutely fine. It's very different to WDW in that you can often get reservations on the day. You can start to look for dining reservations now if you know where you want to eat. Have fun!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Don't stress! DL is laid-back! Not sure how your trip is but Halloween time starts next Friday 9/15!

 

[GeneralTso]

Now you get to feel the REAL magic

 

[Elima2015]

I think you will have a blast. If you arrive early enough the day before your first park day, I'd head to the ticket booth that evening to get your tickets. Then you don't have to worry about it the first morning. Would also be a nice time to walk through DTD, grab dinner, and turn in early. MaxPass is awesome. You don't have time to read the massive thread on it, but the very short of it is you can use it to book your fast passes through the Disneyland App (be sure you have already downloaded the app, loaded a payment method to your account, and remember your password). It is very easy to use and learn on the fly. Then you can decide each morning whether you think it is worth purchasing depending on your plans for that day.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Also if you try making meal reservations or special shows like World of Color and don't see availability online, try calling direct!

 

[moogiepet]

Thank you all so much for your replies. I do love Disneyland!! I'm pretty excited, but just nervous since it has been so long since I've been there and I was afraid they may have made changes that I wasn't aware of and that I would have missed the boat by now. I'm glad to hear that is not the case. I like the idea of being able to have a great experience even on the fly. WDW is getting to the point that you have to plan so much of it so far in advance, it almost makes it more work than a vacation

 

[DLgal]

Don't buy your tickets ahead of time online. Just download the Disneyland app, and you can buy the tickets right through the app! No waiting in lines (the ticket booth lines can be VERY LONG and move slowly). You just purchase via the app, and go straight to the turnstiles. They will scan your phone and issue you hard tickets right there. I highly recommend MaxPass. It is $10 per person, per day, but allows you to make FP via the app, rather than having to walk to each ride FP machine. There are some other benefits as well, such as a 90 min window rather than 120 min to obtain your next Fastpass.

Next week should be SLOW. So, good timing there! I would suggest buying MaxPass on a day to day basis, rather than paying for it for all days upfront. You may find that crowds are so low that you don't need it.

Step 1 is download the Disneyland app, though. You can do SO much with it. View wait times, FP return times, down attractions, entertainment schedule, make ADRs and view menus, etc. It's great!

Don't stress...Disneyland is easy peasy! Enjoy your trip and the nice weather we will be having next week.

Just be prepared that there are a few major rides closed next week for refurbishments. Haunted Mansion is closed until Friday the 15h for the Halloween overlay. Space Mountain is down (not sure when that one comes online, maybe Friday also). Goofy's Sky School is closed over at DCA. There may be others, but those are the major ones.

 

[moogiepet]

I just downloaded the app! Hubby is going to buy tickets on his lunch break today. I forwarded your reply to him to read so I think he's going to buy through the app.

Do you know if the price is the same online vs. the app?

 

[gottalovepluto]

I just downloaded the app! Hubby is going to buy tickets on his lunch break today. I forwarded your reply to him to read so I think he's going to buy through the app.

Do you know if the price is the same online vs. the app?

Yep. A couple things to know:
-make ADRs you think you might want now, or at least as soon as you can, can do so from the app. You can cancel up to 24hours prior to the reservation Blue Bayou & Carthay Restaurant -Napa Rose & Steakhouse 55 if you want fine dining- are the hardest to get imho. Other general favorites are Cafe Orleans, Carnations Cafe & Wine Country Trattoria.
-MaxPass is getting good reviews, I look forward to trying it on my next trip!
- YOU'VE GOT THIS! (I just booked FP+ for my Nov WDW trip- Y'all be crazy back there!! Planning out a park day when you're not there? Ugh- Disneyland is SO much better in that aspect! A last minute trip is totally possible to have lots of fun on! Anyone can get a couple poplar FPs day of if you're at the park early enough (can you tell I didn't snag 7DMT or FoP FPs?) Just book some dining reservations in advance (if interested in TS dining) and that's basically all the planning you have to do!)

 

[gottalovepluto]

Thank you all so much for your replies. I do love Disneyland!! I'm pretty excited, but just nervous since it has been so long since I've been there and I was afraid they may have made changes that I wasn't aware of and that I would have missed the boat by now. I'm glad to hear that is not the case. I like the idea of being able to have a great experience even on the fly. WDW is getting to the point that you have to plan so much of it so far in advance, it almost makes it more work than a vacation

Also if you have sudden, last minute questions don't be afraid to post it to our little forum here We tend to be a pretty helpful, chill group of Mouselovers!

 

[dbecker]

hey! we did the same thing, we canceled last night our trip to Disneyworld (09/08-09/16) and scheduled Disneyland next week. Never been to Disneyland before, but happy to be away from the stress of looking at the hurricane tracks and hoping it goes east.

 

[deetman]

hey! we did the same thing, we canceled last night our trip to Disneyworld (09/08-09/16) and scheduled Disneyland next week. Never been to Disneyland before, but happy to be away from the stress of looking at the hurricane tracks and hoping it goes east.

Now imagine living 30 min from WDW...

 

[Sergio S]

Now imagine living 30 min from WDW...

Praying for your safety! Best of luck to all of you down there!

 

[Margie Campbell]

You will have a great time. I'm hoping you will be there until the 14th. Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain are closed until then. I am always amazed with how they transform the Haunted Mansion!

 

[Linkura]

You will have a great time. I'm hoping you will be there until the 14th. Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain are closed until then. I am always amazed with how they transform the Haunted Mansion!

It's the 15th that they reopen, not the 14th.