My friend and I (both WDW vets) are visiting friends in CA this summer and will be hitting up DL! My questions are.....
1. I noticed the fireworks are not every night. Is this true for summer? We will be there mid to late July, and probably staying 2 nights during the work week.
2. Splash Mountain has single seating... how many seats are in a log?
3. Will 2 days be enough? We will be there at opening and stay until close.
4. Strategies for getting the most rides in? Which rides have the longest wait times?
5. Must do restaurants? I'd like at least one nice, table service meal. Blue Bayou seems very neat.... cool atmosphere. Any others I should consider instead? How far out can I make a priority seating?
6. Any other basic DL knowledge I should know?
Thanks everyone!
1. Fireworks are typically every night during summer months.
2. Six seats per log, although the back seat is wider and can fit two people of average size.
3. 2 days will give you enough time to get a good taste of both parks. I would spend 1.5 days at
Disneyland, and a good full half day at California Adventure. There's no way you'll be able to see all the shows and such, so pick your priorities wisely. Aladdin is a great show if you can fit it in, but do make sure to see Fantasmic and the Fireworks. (Yes, I know they have Fantasmic at WDW, but you really should see the Disneyland version.)
4. Get there early! You'll get the most rides in during the early morning hours before the throngs of people show up mid-morning.
Use Fastpasses. You can collect them throughout the day to use later in the afternoon/evening when the parks are at their height of attendance for the day.
California Adventure's fastpass system is not connected to Disneyland's fastpass system.
Grizzly River Run's (at California Adventure) and Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin's (in Toontown at Disneyland) fastpass machines aren't connected to the rest of the fastpass system AT ALL.
So in theory, between the two parks, you could get four fastpasses at the same time. We've actually done this before. We'll enter California Adventure and grab a fastpass for Soarin' over California and then grab a fastpass for Grizzly River Run. (Both attractions are at the front of the park, so they're easy to get to without a lot of walking.)
Then we walk out of California Adventure, cross the esplanade, and enter Disneyland. We'll then get a fastpass for one of our favorites (either Space Mountain or Indiana Jones), and someone will run over to Toontown and pick up fastpasses for Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin.
So within 30 minutes we have 4 fastpasses to use later in the day. We'll then continue to collect fastpasses at Disneyland (when our window opens to get another fastpass) throughout the rest of the morning and afternoon.
When Disneyland starts getting really crowded mid-afternoon, we'll head over to California Adventure and use our fastpasses for Soarin' and Grizzly, ride whatever else we can for a few hours, then head back over to Disneyland for the evening and use our collection of fastpasses to bypass those long, evening lines.
Rides with longest lines:
Disneyland - Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, Peter Pan, Splash Mountain, Nemo Subs. (Of course rides with low capacity can get long lines as well, such as Dumbo and Astro Orbitor. Rides that can get longer lines, but the lines move fairly quickly are Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear, Matterhorn, and sometimes It's A Small World and Jungle Cruise.)
California Adventure - Toy Story Midway Mania, Soarin' Over California, California Screamin' rollercoaster, and sometimes Tower of Terror and Grizzly River Run. (A low capacity ride that can get long lines is Mulhulland Madness.)
5. Blue Bayou is probably your best bet. You can make reservations 60 days out. I also like The Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney for great food. The gumbo there is AWESOME!
6. Park hopping is easy. It'll take you five minutes to walk out of one park and into the other. If you want to go to Downtown Disney, not a problem. It's also right there.
The monorail stations are located in Tomorrowland and Downtown Disney (next to the Rainforest Cafe).
If you're flying, the closest airport is Orange County.
Rides that offer Fastpass in summer:
Disneyland:
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Indiana Jones
Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin
Autopia
California Adventure:
Soaring Over California
Grizzly River Run
Tower of Terror
California Screamin'
Mulholland Madness
