3 or 4 day ticket?

[onelilspark]

Here's the plan: we arrive around noon Pacific time on a Wednesday. The original plan was to take it easy and grab an early dinner...basically hold out as long as we can for dinner and stay up as late as we can to try and adjust. This meant that we would stay out of the parks. We'd probably be up super early the next morning, so I thought it would be a perfect morning to do a big character breakfast and then hit the parks full & ready for the day. We'd then have 3 full days of park hopping, our flight leaves around 9am on Sunday morning.

Then Disney had to go and release the special ticket deal and now we can buy a 4 day park hopper for less than what we would have paid for a 3 day. So, do we go to the parks on the first day? Knowing that we will probably only spend a few hours, or do we pocket the extra savings?

Is 3 days enough between the 2 parks or will we benefit from the extra few hours on the first day?

Also, we were thinking of the Jazz Kitchen for dinner that first night, good choice? Bad choice? Opinions?

 

[bumbershoot]

With that short of a trip, you don't want to adjust!

You want to have it feel like 10am when it's only 7. That gets you up and at 'em early early, and feeling more chipper than us west coast people.

Arriving at the DLR area at noon (or even by 2, if the flight lands at noon), you could not keep me out of the parks if you tried. Unless it was a blockout day for APs, but then again, my AP just expired so that doesn't count for me right now! Arriving 8pm, I'd stay out, but noon? I'd go.


Thursday, unless it's a funky day where they switch things, is a Magic Morning day. So Fantasyland and Tomorrowland will be open an hour before opening time, for those who have MM. With a 3+ day ticket, you'll have one MM available to you. And you might as well do that your first full day, while your'e still totally on east coast time! Similar to how I would do an evening EMH at WDW on our first night, because it would feel early to us even if it was midnight FL time.

And because of that MM, if you take part in that, a character breakfast probably won't be a good use of the time, depending on what time the MM starts.

That said, Saturday will also be an MM. If you're staying ONsite, you'll have access to both MMs. If staying offsite, you'll only have one MM with your ticket.

 

[Sherry E]

I agree with everything Bumbershoot said. If I were arriving at DLR even as late as 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. on Wednesday, I would still go into the parks, even just to stroll and get the lay of the land, maybe look in some shops and eat dinner inside one of the parks (Carnation Cafe in DL or Wine Country Trattoria in DCA would be nice choices). It is not that you wouldn't have "enough" time to see DL and DCA in 3 full days - you would do fine with that - but with a little extra 'half-day' in there to play, you will be able to see more or leisurely stretch out your activities more. Plus, that Park Hopper deal is a good one, so you should take advantage of that while it is offered.

I also think that, depending on what time the MM hour begins on your designated day, I would not schedule a character meal. Well, if MM hour starts at 7:00 a.m., definitely don't plan a character meal for that morning. If you have a later-starting MM hour, then a character meal may be okay but kind of a tight squeeze. Most folks don't need the full 90 minutes allotted to them for character dining (though we pretty much took advantage of our full 90 minutes the last 2 character meals we did), and are ok with an hour, so that may be fine for you.

 

[Homemom]

I'll take the other point of view here and say 3 day. We always arrive on Tues, go to parks Wed, Thurs, Fri, and leave Sat. We spend arrival day shopping in Downtown Disney, spending time at the pool, and we have a character dinner at Goofy's Kitchen. Then we "focus" the rest of our attention on the parks over the next three days.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

As an AP holder, I've started many a visit around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Unless the park closes super early (5:00pm or 6:00pm), you can get a lot done especially if it's a weekday during the non summer/holiday periods.

That extra time might also help you get the lay of Disneyland. I'm guessing your well versed with WDW, and those extra hours may help you adjust to Disneyland's layout, which is similar enough and different enough from the MK to throw one off.

More than anything, have fun visiting Walt's park.

 

[onelilspark]

On our most recent trip to WDW, our first day we got in around 11, but had tickets for the Halloween party, so couldn't get into the MK until 4. I went a little stir crazy..."you mean I came alllllll this way and I can't even get into a park?!" I didn't want to skew anyone, so I left that out!

My boyfriend on the otherhand, is worried that I'll run us all over creation if I have an extra day to play with, I think it'll help calm me down...

And I didn't even consider MM! Hmmm, I need to go back to the drawing board... I think Thursday would be the better day for MM really. I think we'll be up ridiculously early. ...or maybe I should just wait for park hours to be released! (We're not going until March!)

Thanks!

 

[pixiewings71]

I'd go with 4 over 3 anytime!! In fact, we adjusted both of our upcoming trips to add a day because we just love it!
And the Jazz Kitchen is very very good!! One of our favorites while we are there, in fact I just booked us at the Jazz Kitchen on Tgiving Day!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

FWIW, I think you need 3 days to experience Disneyland. 1/2 to a full day for DCA depending on what you want to do in DCA and 2 full days for Disneyland itself.

In my mind, that extra half day on your arrival will give you a chance to leisurely wander around Disneyland and familiarize yourself with it. I also recommend taking time to pay attention to Disneyland's little details that many guests gloss over. Maybe you could even do the Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour during your visit (maybe best for a full day instead of your arrival day just in case).

 

[onelilspark]

We're excited to try Jazz Kitchen. Funny enough, Napa Rose & Steakhouse 55 didn't do anything for us, didn't excite us, but we really liked the look & menu at Jazz Kitchen!

I heard about the tour, but nixed the idea because of time. You're right, we might be able to do it!

 

[Tink91]

I would suggest a 4 day, Mum and I had a 5 day pass and we got Disneyland done in 2 days, DCA in 1 and we had 1 whole day of just shopping then 1 day to play and that was more than enough time.

I think the 4 day will give you some more options and I know I wouldn't be able to wait to !!

 

[onelilspark]

Can anyone point me in the right direction for more information about the tour? Found this on the Disney website, but I'd like to see more, really about times and that kind of stuff http://disneyland.disney.go.com/dis...ours/detail?name=WalkInWaltsFootstepsTourPage

Thanks!

 

[tinksdreamwishes]

I agree with the 4 day too- I also agree with Bumbershoot and Sherry E. Everything they said is true!

 

[wvnative]

Although we're only coming from AZ, we always arrive at about noon on a Thurs and hit the park as soon as we're checked in and changed.

One more vote for the 4 day tickets. Besides, the cost difference is what, $8 an adult? It's still at least $20 cheaper per person than the cost of a non promo, prepurchased, 4 day hopper. lol

We're also going in March and I was thrilled to see this promo come out again for Spring. Depending on when in March you are going, you may really need that extra day.

 

[onelilspark]

We've decided to go for the 4 day ticket

As to wvnative's point: it's a $12 difference for each of us from the 3 day, but it's still saving us $23 each from the cost of a 3 day non-promo. And I think that $12 might save his sanity when I'm sitting in the hotel room going, "man, we're so close yet so farrrrr." Even if we just go in and stroll!

 

[momtoccc]

Where is the info on the 4 day ticket? I am in the same boat.. was not going to go in the parks the first day and just get a 3 day pass.... but now I may reconsider..

 

[momtoccc]

Never mind - I found the info on Disney site. Good deal! It is cheaper than the tickets I was going to buy through Work program. Thanks for the heads up!

BTW - We are getting in later than I thought so I just went with 3 day passes.

 

[rmom]

Can anyone point me in the right direction for more information about the tour? Found this on the Disney website, but I'd like to see more, really about times and that kind of stuff http://disneyland.disney.go.com/dis...ours/detail?name=WalkInWaltsFootstepsTourPage

Thanks!

Here is a link to mouseplanets: www.mouseplanet.com/sue/sk021113.htm

We did the tour a couple of years ago and had a good time.