Absolute Best Advice For A DL Newbie

[HydroGuy]

Does DL usually open at 8am in the summertime regularly? A 7am EMH would be right up our alley!

Yes all summer - usually from Memorial Day until late August.

 

[dshimel]

Arrive at least 1/2 hour before opening. At least a full hour is better.
Get ahead and stay ahead of the crowd on the first few thrill rides.
Afternoon break/nap. Lines are crazy long in the afternoon, and you can't open and close every day for multiple days.
Close the parks down. Fantasyland (except Pan) after 10PM, bugsland after 8PM are EMPTY.

FASTPASS!

 

[azdisneylover]

Lots of great suggestions have been posted. I will add bring plenty of sunscreen, including some in your chapstick and lots of water, a refillable bottle or lots of money to purchase beverages. Check out the food thread and see pics of menu items. It may help you decide if you want to try a place to eat. Many portions are large and easy to share.

 

[jhaig]

Will Max Pass eventually eliminate the paper FP's or wil paper FP's still be around for the near future? I am so used to doing magic bands I'm gonna have to get used to the paper FP's again.

 

[HydroGuy]

Will Max Pass eventually eliminate the paper FP's or wil paper FP's still be around for the near future? I am so used to doing magic bands I'm gonna have to get used to the paper FP's again.

Paper FPs will be available at least into the near future.

"See Disneyland to introduce MaxPass (New Fastpass & New Fastpass Attractions) - Now with Poll"
https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...w-fastpass-attractions-now-with-poll.3570886/

 

[jhaig]

I spent a lot of time with my WDW trips doing touring plans for each park. How much of that is necessary at DL? We plan on being at either park before opening and we always try to get a lot done in the first couple hours before it starts getting busier. If we stay at the GC, how much of a difference will it make having its own entrance to DCA?(still can't wrap my head around that one - not used to having a park so close without needing to get there by bus, boat, or monorail!)

 

[HydroGuy]

I spent a lot of time with my WDW trips doing touring plans for each park. How much of that is necessary at DL? We plan on being at either park before opening and we always try to get a lot done in the first couple hours before it starts getting busier. If we stay at the GC, how much of a difference will it make having its own entrance to DCA?(still can't wrap my head around that one - not used to having a park so close without needing to get there by bus, boat, or monorail!)

First, do not use the GCH entrance to DCA at rope drop. The main park gates are much faster. The GCH entrance is a bottleneck with too many people and too few gates. After RD the GCH entrance is really nice for the rest of the day.

As for touring plans, it really depends on the person. I would say it is definitely worth having a game plan before you enter the park of what you are going to focus on in the morning. Which FP to get first and when? Which rides to do first and in what order? Which shows (if any) you would like to fit in that day and especially the big ones in the evening. After the first few hours I think a touring plan can make some newbies feel more comfortable but many might just toss it after awhile. The nice thing about DLR, especially if you have park hoppers, is that if you can't fit that show or ride in that day, you can do it the next day (when visiting during peak season). So there is not the stress one might feel at WDW trying to fit in that special show because "this is our last day at this park". At DLR, your last day at the park is not until the last day of your trip. If you have PH tix.

 

[rstevens333]

Forgive my ignorance with regard to paper Fast Passes- Can you grab as many as you can manage to get your butt to in a day? (assuming they're not "sold out"?)

 

[Peter C]

Forgive my ignorance with regard to paper Fast Passes- Can you grab as many as you can manage to get your butt to in a day? (assuming they're not "sold out"?)

No. You have to wait either until the start window of the fastpass you already have or 2 hours since the last fastpass was issued.

Disneyland and CA are separate systems though so you can have one at both at the same time. EDIT: this is no longer the case anymore. I was informed they were connected.

 

[Xenorye]

No. You have to wait either until the start window of the fastpass you already have or 2 hours since the last fastpass was issued. Disneyland and CA are separate systems though so you can have one at both at the same time.

Not anymore -- the parks are connected now.

 

[Peter C]

Not anymore -- the parks are connected now.

Ooooh bummer

 

[jhaig]

This is all great info so far. Now to bother you all with my next silly question: characters. At WDW every meet and greet is regimented with a line and cast member, very assembly line-like. Is it the same at DL? Are there ever any surprises character-wise?

 

[Winnowill]

This is all great info so far. Now to bother you all with my next silly question: characters. At WDW every meet and greet is regimented with a line and cast member, very assembly line-like. Is it the same at DL? Are there ever any surprises character-wise?

Characters at DL are quite different from WDW. Well, some are. Some are regimented (Anna & Elsa, Princesses, Mickey and Minnie's houses, for example), but some are very spontaneous. When we were there in March, we ran into Gaston and Merida, just wandering around in Fantasyland, and another time spent about ten minutes playing with Peter Pan near the Pinocchio ride. Moana can sometimes be found wandering Adventureland, or she might be in a more regimented meet-and-greet. It varies from day to day. Keep an eye on the app, but be aware that the wandering characters don't appear on it.

 

[jhaig]

So in looking at some of the crowd calendars for the last 2 weeks of June the levels range from anywhere from 4 to 8. If we get to either park before opening and use the first two or three hours wisely (with FP's etc), will crowd level actually matter that much?

 

[HydroGuy]

So in looking at some of the crowd calendars for the last 2 weeks of June the levels range from anywhere from 4 to 8. If we get to either park before opening and use the first two or three hours wisely (with FP's etc), will crowd level actually matter that much?

No, but it depends on the person. You can get a whole lot of touring done in those hours if you arrive early and use FPs. Some people are happy with that. I usually am.

 

[Winnowill]

Because I decline to take my daughter out of school to visit Disneyland any more, we are necessarily visiting at times when expected crowds are 7 or higher. And yet we never wait longer than 20 minutes for anything but shows unless we choose to ("Meh - nothing else we need to get to right now, our next FP window isn't open yet...let's do Soarin' in standby for 40 minutes") and get to ride everything we want to, often several times. This is because we rope drop, walk with purpose to our first engagement, and use FPs judiciously. My daughter now eyes IaSW with a less than five minute wait suspiciously because she's so accustomed to doing everything with FPs or as early morning walk-ons.

 

[trishadono]

So our plan is to make our first trip to DL as part of my daughter's senior trip next June. We're going to hit Hollywood, the beach, do an LA and movie studio tour etc. and then finish with four nights at DL. We plan on going around June 20-21 after school is out. Having never been to CA or DL I have been doing a lot of reading up on the boards trying to get an idea of what to do.

We are also WDW veterans who usually go to Florida every September. Now we're kinda burnt out and want to experience DL for something new.

What is the best piece of advice you can give a DL first-timer when it comes to touring the parks, where to stay, and what would you say is the biggest mistake not to make?

As a WDW vet too I totally stressed last year planning for our first visit. It helped it was only dd and I for her 21st.

We did DLH and this summer I am trying GCH because I love Disney and the location is amazing,

We did cl lounge at 6;30am and still got into park emh at 7am . We rode until 11 with ease. Having to run for Fp's were a pain. Make sure to read locations of fp machine thread it really helped.

We skipped most of the rides that are at WDW until we rode the new to us ones. At dl our fav was single rider Matterhorn , Indy Jones and SM. I loved Carnation Cafe since it was on Main st and could people watch.

At DCA Carsland is so cute ! CS was so fun but a bit fast.( Similar to EE and RR speed and such.)

The hardest for me was the time change. I just was tired at all times. Relaxing at the pool or enjoying the view at night from the room was great for recharging.

Having the app was probably what helped the best for finding things and wait times. Luckily that is similar to WDW so we were comfortable with its use.

I also used google and Bing maps to get used to where things are. I am directionally impaired so it takes me longer than most. Dd on the other hand acted like she was born there lol.

We loved it. People kept saying we would be bored staying 5 days but we loved every minute. I can't believe I am going back and I can't wait!

Think of anything else, let me know.

 

[jhaig]

As a WDW vet too I totally stressed last year planning for our first visit. It helped it was only dd and I for her 21st.

We did DLH and this summer I am trying GCH because I love Disney and the location is amazing,

We did cl lounge at 6;30am and still got into park emh at 7am . We rode until 11 with ease. Having to run for Fp's were a pain. Make sure to read locations of fp machine thread it really helped.

We skipped most of the rides that are at WDW until we rode the new to us ones. At dl our fav was single rider Matterhorn , Indy Jones and SM. I loved Carnation Cafe since it was on Main st and could people watch.

At DCA Carsland is so cute ! CS was so fun but a bit fast.( Similar to EE and RR speed and such.)

The hardest for me was the time change. I just was tired at all times. Relaxing at the pool or enjoying the view at night from the room was great for recharging.

Having the app was probably what helped the best for finding things and wait times. Luckily that is similar to WDW so we were comfortable with its use.

I also used google and Bing maps to get used to where things are. I am directionally impaired so it takes me longer than most. Dd on the other hand acted like she was born there lol.

We loved it. People kept saying we would be bored staying 5 days but we loved every minute. I can't believe I am going back and I can't wait!

Think of anything else, let me know.

It seems like, in general, things are basically found in the same areas as they are at WDW. Pirates, HM, and Splash on the left, Fantasyland in the middle, Space and Buzz on the right. What I don't have is the sense of distance. Is DL noticeably smaller to MK or is it comparable? How long does it take to get from one side of the park to the other? How about with DCA?

 

[trishadono]

It seems like, in general, things are basically found in the same areas as they are at WDW. Pirates, HM, and Splash on the left, Fantasyland in the middle, Space and Buzz on the right. What I don't have is the sense of distance. Is DL noticeably smaller to MK or is it comparable? How long does it take to get from one side of the park to the other? How about with DCA?

That's a good question.

I think getting around dl would normally be similar except a shortcut by Thunder is closed while they have construction. For the most part yes, similar distances getting from ride to ride.

DCA is similar to HS yet the size of MK

Getting from park to park is amazing. The distance is shorter than leaving MK and going to the buses . The courtyard is wide open and you just cross back and forth at will. ( turnstiles in the way tho lol).

We def went back and forth several times a day. So easy! DTD right there too . Bring good shoes!

***LOL my phone died while typing and had to correct.***

 

[trishadono]

It seems like, in general, things are basically found in the same areas as they are at WDW. Pirates, HM, and Splash on the left, Fantasyland in the middle, Space and Buzz on the right. What I don't have is the sense of distance. Is DL noticeably smaller to MK or is it comparable? How long does it take to get from one side of the park to the other? How about with DCA?

double post