2 days at Disneyland or 1 at DL/CA?

[meldrick]

I just got back from Disneyland and CA Adventure last month. I'm a teen and my last time there was when I was 5, 12 years ago because of my parents. I'm never waiting that long ever again. I had 2 days at both parks, one day at Disneyland and another at CA Adventure. I missed out on the parade of dreams and lots of rides and food because my dad made us arrive 2 hrs late, took lots rests every 15 minutes or so, taking up/wasting time sitting around, and kept getting upset, grumpy. I just want to be prepared for my next visit in a few years. What is better and why? consider the CA Adventure being redone. 2 days at Disneyland or 1 day each at each park, (2 days total).

 

[JaneJetson]

2-day park hopper.

Hoppers are always the way to go. It's worth the extra money.

 

[Sherry E]

I just got back from Disneyland and CA Adventure last month. I'm a teen and my last time there was when I was 5, 12 years ago because of my parents. I'm never waiting that long ever again. I had 2 days at both parks, one day at Disneyland and another at CA Adventure. I missed out on the parade of dreams and lots of rides and food because my dad made us arrive 2 hrs late, took lots rests every 15 minutes or so, taking up/wasting time sitting around, and kept getting upset, grumpy. I just want to be prepared for my next visit in a few years. What is better and why? consider the CA Adventure being redone. 2 days at Disneyland or 1 day each at each park, (2 days total).

I am chuckling because that is what happens when our bodies start to get older - we need to 'rest' here and there during the day! You have a long way to go before you get to that point! When I was your age, I was go, go, go in the parks - getting my money's worth and rushing everyone along so as to not waste time. And I still have a bit of that mentality now, even though I am old enough to be your mom! I understand the need for 'rest breaks' (not every 15 minutes, though) but I also understand all too well how a trip to DLR needs to be planned wisely and every moment should be spent doing something productive, unless we have already gotten everything accomplished. Like even if you are sitting and resting, then plan where your next meal is going to be or what ride you are going on next. California Adventure is not as big as Disneyland, so technically, there is not as much to see, so you don't really need to devote a whole day to it. Just having the Park Hoppers allows you to go back and forth a lot. In another few years, there will be more stuff to see, and you may want to get a 3-Day Hopper, if possible.

Let me ask you - if I did my math correctly, you are 17, right? So are you planning on going with your dad/family again in a few years, or will you be going with friends? I remember how liberating it was for me to finally break away from the 'adults' who took me on all my childhood trips to DL - even though I was grateful to them for taking me - and finally begin to plan my own trips and make my own hotel reservations and go with my own friends!

Oh, and by the way, I HATE arriving late too! It is one of my biggest pet peeves, and will ruin the better part of my day!

 

[meldrick]

ok. What's the price difference between a 2-day park hopper and a 3-day parkhopper? Also, My aunt lives in Torrance, like a 30 min drive or so. Do you recommend we stay there again for the Disneyland visit or a hotel? I think I may be with my parents again. I don't know if I'll go with any friends yet. I may go with my cousin. I'm not sure yet, but my next visit might be with parents. I'm learning how to drive, so it could change. Yes you are correct, I am 17, going to be a high school senior.

 

[Sherry E]

ok. What's the price difference between a 2-day park hopper and a 3-day parkhopper? Also, My aunt lives in Torrance, like a 30 min drive or so. Do you recommend we stay there again for the Disneyland visit or a hotel?

Well, it is a BIG time saver if you can stay at one of the hotels either on the Disney property or one of the nearby Good Neighbor hotels. Driving to and from Torrance over a few days will be a pain. The 2-day hoppers are currently $132 (until January of next year). The 3-day Hoppers are $169. If you stay at a Disney hotel, you can get a package through the Walt disney travel company with the hotel and tickets included, but it is cheaper to book the hotel separately and buy the tickets separately. You need to make the most of your time there and staying close to the resort will be a good way to help you with that! Plus, you don't have to make the drive back to Torrance at night when everyone is tired and cranky! You just go back to your hotel, which is 2 minutes away.

 

[meldrick]

Well, it is a BIG time saver if you can stay at one of the hotels either on the Disney property or one of the nearby Good Neighbor hotels. Driving to and from Torrance over a few days will be a pain. The 2-day hoppers are currently $132 (until January of next year). The 3-day Hoppers are $169. If you stay at a Disney hotel, you can get a package through the Walt disney travel company with the hotel and tickets included, but it is cheaper to book the hotel separately and buy the tickets separately. You need to make the most of your time there and staying close to the resort will be a good way to help you with that! Plus, you don't have to make the drive back to Torrance at ngiht when everyone is tired and cranky! You just go back to your hotel, which is 2 minutes away.

Thanks for the info. yeah, it does make a big difference. I guess I was so excited and happy about going back and ending a 12 year drought, that I forgot to plan out the trip. I'm thinking of making a list of the good restaurants/snack shops that I should go to, so I remember. Is it a good idea?

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks for the info. yeah, it does make a big difference. I guess I was so excited and happy about going back and ending a 12 year drought, that I forgot to plan out the trip. I'm thinking of making a list of the good restaurants/snack shops that I should go to, so I remember. Is it a good idea?

It is a great idea. First of all, let me say, no matter what the age, if you do have a long period of time away from Disneyland, like you did and like I did (I was away from my beloved DLR for six years and it killed me!), when you finally get to go to the parks, you tend to either overplan or underplan. Plus, things change a lot in DLR in just a couple of years, let alone more than that. I kind of underplanned, too, when I made my big return last year in September. Then, when I went back in December, I was a little wiser. And I have another trip this coming October, so I will be even better prepared. You can never start planning or saving money too early - in fact, planning is half the fun. But do be aware that things like ticket/hopper prices and hotel rates will change between now and the next time you go. There will be more rides, more shows, even possibly a new hotel. So you have to constantly keep an eye on prices so you are not blindsided when it comes time to really start making your plans.

There are things you can do, or little steps you can take, to make the trip more cost-effective and a better use of time, and just make things easier and more conveneint for you. Here are some suggestions I would have that may or may not be helpful to you:

1. First of all, if it is at all possible, bring your cousin or a friend closer to your age on the trip so you can split up from your parents and go off and do your own thing. Chances are, in a few years, they will need to take even more rest breaks and you will want to be off riding things and seeing things!!

2. Create a My Disneyland account on the Disneyland website. Sign up to receive the online newsletter and to receive any special offers or promotions that occasionally get sent out. Also, request a vacation DVD. All of this will get your name on their mailing list, so you will have a better chance of receiving these discount hotel rates and things that go out from time to time.

3. Call the Walt Disney Travel Company directly and request one of their Disneyland Resort brochures (which is actually more like a magazine). Don't do this online. Call directly. This will get your name on their mailing list and again, make you more eligible for possible discount rates on hotels and things. And you can get a sense of the package rates (even though I still think it is more cost effective to book hotel separately from tickets). If you do book through WDTC, you will get little extras like a discount card for dining at Downtown Disney, and free pins and a free coin and a discount coupon for merchandise.

4. If you CAN afford it at any point, get an Annual Pass. That will give you discounts on food, merchandise, hotels and tickets in the park, and you will get special AP rates for things too.

5. When planning out your dining, make sure to utilize your Priority Seating options at the Disneyland Dining phone number. Call and make seating arrangements up to 60 days before your arrival, and that will save TONS of time waiting in line when you go back to the parks. That is one thing I did NOT do in the past and should have, so I am doing it for October. The wait to eat at some restaurants can be terrible, so you want to avoid that by calling the dining number closer to your trip.

6. There is a service called RideMax. You pay something like $15 for a three month period. You enter in all the rides and other things you want to do on what dates, and Ride Max will give you a customized schedule that maximizes your time so you can squeeze everything in. This eliminates that point in the day where everyone is wandering around going, "Where do we go next?" Some people don't think RideMax is worth it, but you may want to try one day with RM and one day without, just to see how things go. this will also tell you which rides to use Fast Passes for and what not to bother with a Fast pass for.

7. When in the parks, if you stay at a Disney property hotel, you can have any of your purchase sent back to the hotel so you don't have to lug them around all day or pay for an expensive locker. If you do NOT stay at a Disney hotel, you ca have your purchases sent to the Disney Newstand at the entrance to Main Street and pick up your bags there at the end of the day.

8. Use the PhotoPass option. Get your PhotoPass card free from a PP photographer and this will save you the trouble of lugging a camera around. They wil take your pictures at certain locations and you can purchase a CD with all the pics later on, after you get home. If you DO bring a camera, PP is still a good option in case your pictures don't come out great or you want an extra set of good, professional ones. You don't even have to buy all the photos on the CD. You can view them online and just buy one or two if you want.

9. Keep checking the DISboards! As you have probably seen, everyone here loves to discuss DLR and any question you could possibly have, someone will be able to answer. Take advantage of the good knowledge and experiences of everyone here and that will help you a lot. Make lists of everything you want to do, everywhere you want to eat, anything you want to buy, and special little details to look for, and the money needed for everything, and start organizing, and this will help you be very prepared for your trip in a few years! Your family or friends may look at you strangely for planning way in advance, but the worst thing is to get to DLR and forget something or miss something because the trip wasn't planned well enough.

Oh, and be sure to allow some time in the schedule as you are planning it for the parents' 'rest breaks' (even if you have to add on another day just to make sure you get everything in)! Us old people get various aches and pains as we age!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Honestly, Disneyland alone (not counting DCA) takes two days to visit. Right now DCA is a good half day park, but that's going to change dramatically in the next five years on account of the new attractions and shows(Wonderful World of Color) going in.

While it may be possible to hit every ride in one day, you'd have to be there from rope drop to close, take no breaks aside from eating, and you'd likely have very little to no time at all to do a ride more than once. And never mind trying to see the shows.

Right now, I recommend 3 days minimum at the DLR. That gives you plenty of time to see everything and experience the highlights again. Of course, the number of days may well change once DCA is redone.

 

[Sherry E]

Honestly, Disneyland alone (not counting DCA) takes two days to visit. Right now DCA is a good half day park, but that's going to change dramatically in the next five years on account of the new attractions and shows(Wonderful World of Color) going in.

While it may be possible to hit every ride in one day, you'd have to be there from rope drop to close, take no breaks aside from eating, and you'd likely have very little to no time at all to do a ride more than once. And never mind trying to see the shows.

Right now, I recommend 3 days minimum at the DLR. That gives you plenty of time to see everything and experience the highlights again. Of course, the number of days may well change once DCA is redone.

I tend to think that too. One day at the Parks is possible if you just want to get a taste of certain things in a limited time, but it is exhausting to cram everything in. Two days is better, but again, a hotel stay nearby is essential to maximizing the time. But you still cannot do everything. Even with three days, it is tough to really get all the riding, shopping and everything else in, but it is possible. And I do think that as more things are added in the next few years, it will make it less and less possible to get as much done in a short trip. But they can get a good bit done in 2 or 3 days, even if it is not every single thing. If that is going to be the only trip for several more years, then I would try to get in everything I could handle!

 

[pinktink83]

IME riding the best rides at DCA is possible in only half a day. As a teen, I doubt you'll be interested in Bugs Land and the maybe not a lot of the rides in the fair area.

I would also get park hopper tickets and plan DL one full day, DL in the morning the next day, DCA in the afternoon when the ride lines get long at DL, then hop back over to DL after DCA closes (it closes earlier than DL most nights).

 

[avalon451]

Read Hydroguy's Tips compilation. Best guide to doing the parks without killing yourselves! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483