Advice for 2 Day trip in Oct - Halloween Party or No?

[JayDubs]

Hey, everyone!

Two adults visiting Disneyland for the first time (Have been to WDW and DLP). We've got just two short days at the parks, Monday, Oct 2 and Tuesday, Oct 3. Of course we want to make the most of our two days, so I'm looking for some advice on itineraries:

OPTION 1:
Monday: Visit DCA for our First Day and spend the whole day there.
Tuesday: Visit Disneyland and spend whole day there.
No park hoppers--just a two day, one-park-per-day ticket. Visiting DCA on Monday since there is Halloween party at DL on Monday evening, so the park closes early. Worried this might make Disneyland more crowded on Tuesday, though, since other people might have similar thoughts of avoiding on Monday.

OPTION 2:
Monday: Come up with an outside-of-park plan for morning. Do the Halloween Party in the evening and enter 3 hrs. early at 3pm, getting to stay until 11.
Tuesday: DCA all day.
No park hoppers in this one. A one day Value ticket to DCA and a Disney Visa Discounted ticket to the Halloween Party. This works out to be slightly cheaper ticket option. Don't have a great interested in the Halloween Party as such, but have heard that the ride lines are shorter at the party since attendance is capped. Other than seeing the fireworks at the end, probably not going to worry about the meet & greets and definitely not trick-or-treating. Wondering if this would be a better or worse way to experience Disneyland for the first (and maybe only) time.

Other suggestions are welcome.


Thanks for your thoughts!
JayDubs

 

[theluckyrabbit]

If you really aren't into the party, then I would skip it and go with Option 1. MHP isn't worth it for your first, and maybe only, trip, unless you are super into Halloween. HM and SMGG will be available during the day, not just during the parties, so you will still get to ride them. Just be aware that DCA has EMH on Monday, so there will already be a good number of people in the park before rope drop. Also, it will get crowded there in the evening as people from DL park hop over once the party starts. As long as you do your research and make good use of FP and single rider lines, you should be able to get quite a bit done.
DL has MM/EMH on Tuesday, so again, there will be a good number of people in the park before rope drop. Again, use FP and single rider. Make sure you have downloaded the DLR app to keep track of wait times, FP times, and other info. For both parks, get there as early as you can to get the most out of your day.

 

[goooof1]

get park hoppers..... they give you much more flexibility.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Parkhoppers and spend Monday in Disneyland until they kick you out for the party. Then, go to DCA. You'll pretty much have seen both parks on Monday and can decide what you want to see specifically on Tuesday.