Back again, but feeling like a newb

[B3rlingirl]

Hello everyone!

I am so happy to be finally back on the DIS boards and planning my next trip to Disneyland this summer (with my parents).
Actually, it will be kind of a redemption trip, as our last big family trip ended up being a solo one for me… (I try to plan it pretty much the same way... just in the summertime instead of thanksgiving). Anyways, I was almost a “pro” before Covid hit… and now I feel like DL is a completely different world and that everything has changed. So I need help…

1. I already bought 5-day park hopper tickets… I tried to research it but didn’t quite understand it. Can I make a reservation for each day on its own once the 120-day limit is reached, or do I have to reserve all 5 days in one go and wait till the last of our planned days hits the limit…?

2. The way I understand it, you can change the park you wanna start your day as long as the other one is available. So if I am unsure about starting a day in DCA, booking DL for all days sounds like a good idea in my opinion…?

3. Transportation. We fly in and out of LAX (from Germany and to Hawaii, so I can’t change the airport). We used to use the Disneyland express, so now we need another solution. Shouldn’t be too expensive, so Lansky is out, I guess, and renting a car is also out. We are 3 adults with big suitcases and big carry-on bags… (at least after shopping in DL and outlets of orange…) I've never used an Uber or anything like it, and I don’t even know if we even fit in an Uber? My primary idea right now would be a shared shuttle. To my knowledge, only Karmel is left operating… but I don’t know. I am a little worried about missing our flight to Hawaii because I remember lots of bad reviews about shared shuttles from pre-Covid… So any suggestions? I am a little lost…

4. Disney genie… I have read a bit about it but I know I still need lots of information… Thanks to the DIS I was a max pass pro even before setting foot into DL… So any good threads I can read to get to know Genie+? (I can use the search myself for the obvious ones, but sometimes "the really good ones" are hard to find) (Depending on my research, I guess we might use Genie+ for 2-4 days, but I really need to learn about its pros and cons and what can be done without it)

Thanks for the help!
I really look forward to being active here on DIS again...

 

[Howry]

1. You can make reservations each day on their own as they become available.

2. You can cancel your reservation and re reserve at the other park as long as it has availability.

3. There are multiple shuttle services that still run from LAX to Disney. They arent cheap. Think $150-200. There also multiple levels of Uber. Uber XL are typically Vans or SUVs that should be able to have the room your group needs. I am unsure on the pricing.

4. Pretty much everything can be done without Genie + but it will mean you have to wait in standby lines for all rides.

 

[LKing]

Depending on how busy the resort is, it is safer to make reservations assuming that you won't be changing them. Park hopping starts at 11 am which still gives you plenty of time to start at one park and then hop over to the other.

 

[DizMe]

Welcome back! I know it seems daunting, but you'll quickly get the hang of (most) of it. There are things that are still unclear to me but I haven't needed to use, such as Genie+. I don't think it's difficult, I just haven't had the need to try it yet. It does scare me a bit to read all of the tips about how and when to get them and how to take advantage of ride breakdowns to score extra rides etc, but I think you'll quickly get the hang of it.

I generally use ride share for airport-hotel transportation, but lots of people use shuttles and love them. I think that's the best option if you need car seats or have more than 3 passengers. Otherwise, they just tend to be pricey so rideshare is my go-to.

I hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[laura&fam]

Let me start by saying I'm basically in the same spot as you. I felt like I knew what I was doing pre-COVID but I'm currently trying to plan my first trip in years.
From what I have read on park hopping, the reservation guarantees you admission into whichever park you specify. You can hop over to the other park starting at 11:00 am if the other park isn't full. If it is full it will say so on the Disneyland app and you stay in the park you started in unless/until crowd levels go down.
Again, that is all from reading and not from actual experience.
DIS has been a great source of information for me in the past and I'm hoping I can get up to speed on new stuff before my trip.

 

[B3rlingirl]

Thanks to everyone,
that helps me and most of it has time to figure out anyway (besides the reservation for the parks they are coming up in a couple of days...so that was my most pressing question...)

I guess I also need to check LAX a bit. I know that you have to take a shuttle in order to get to the UBER area but if I remember correctly curbside pick-up right at the airport terminals is still a thing for other means of transportation...
After about 18 hours of traveling it should be as easy as possible (that's why I liked the Disneyland express). Might actually book a shared van for the way to Anaheim and splurge for Lansky or something similar for the way back to the airport...
I don't know but right now I just feel a little uncomfortable trying out Uber (or I guess in this case Uber XL) for the first time in a big city on a different continent...

Good thing I still have time...

 

[ottawamom]

I was in the same boat as you re travel from LAX to Disneyland. I've not used Uber before and what people were telling me about checking out the driver and tipping before hand... made it sound like things were getting too complicated. I decided on a shuttle service (private car although the do have vans as well). We're not going until the end of April so I can't personally comment on them yet but they do have great reviews online. Midwilshuttle. Check them out and see what you think. They ended up being a little more expensive than an Uber but they pick us up curbside so the added expense was worth it for me.

 

[LiDa]

I was in the same boat as you re travel from LAX to Disneyland. I've not used Uber before and what people were telling me about checking out the driver and tipping before hand... made it sound like things were getting too complicated. I decided on a shuttle service (private car although the do have vans as well). We're not going until the end of April so I can't personally comment on them yet but they do have great reviews online. Midwilshuttle. Check them out and see what you think. They ended up being a little more expensive than an Uber but they pick us up curbside so the added expense was worth it for me.

Oh, thank goodness -- I thought it was just me! lol What ever happened to sticking your hand in the air & a yellow car pulls up??

 

[LiDa]

1. You can make reservations each day on their own as they become available.

2. You can cancel your reservation and re reserve at the other park as long as it has availability.

3. There are multiple shuttle services that still run from LAX to Disney. They arent cheap. Think $150-200. There also multiple levels of Uber. Uber XL are typically Vans or SUVs that should be able to have the room your group needs. I am unsure on the pricing.

4. Pretty much everything can be done without Genie + but it will mean you have to wait in standby lines for all rides.

Can I just walk up to the window & buy a ticket? I know - how 20th-centry of me! lol I need to eat up some PTO at work & am taking off Monday & Tuesday - figure they're good days to visit DL because it's going to rain. But I want to decide when I wake up that day, not in advance. Can one just walk up to a ticketing window & purchase a ticket? Or does that just make me hopelessly out of touch?

 

[Lisa24jks]

Can I just walk up to the window & buy a ticket? I know - how 20th-centry of me! lol I need to eat up some PTO at work & am taking off Monday & Tuesday - figure they're good days to visit DL because it's going to rain. But I want to decide when I wake up that day, not in advance. Can one just walk up to a ticketing window & purchase a ticket? Or does that just make me hopelessly out of touch?

I would not count on it. Yes, sometimes there are same day reservations and if it's a lower crowds day, you probably could do that. But if you want to guarantee yourself entry, I wouldn't take the risk. If you're cool with showing up and possibly being turned away, then go for it.

If you still want to decide the day of, you can always buy the ticket and make the reservation in advance, and then just cancel the reservation the morning of if you decide not to go or no-show and the reservation will fall off your Disneyland app at the end of the day. There's no penalty for people using regular tickets to cancel or no-show. You would just have to use the ticket before the expiration date.

 

[disneydreamgirl]

I generally use ride share for airport-hotel transportation, but lots of people use shuttles and love them. I think that's the best option if you need car seats or have more than 3 passengers. Otherwise, they just tend to be pricey so rideshare is my go-to.

For ride share, is that done on the spot through Uber/Lyft or arranged for ahead of time? Just need a wee clue-in.

 

[irlandaise]

For ride share, is that done on the spot through Uber/Lyft or arranged for ahead of time? Just need a wee clue-in.

Either. Lyft allows scheduling up to 30 days in advance. I don't use Uber so I don't know their scheduling policy.

I was playing around with Lyft scheduling last night and a pre-arranged ride was about 50% more than the real-time pricing I saw for the same trip ($30 vs. $20). I guess it's a gamble on whether when the actual time comes you might be hit with surge pricing that's even higher than the scheduled pricing.

 

[disneydreamgirl]

Thanks @irlandaise, I will do a little investigating. I am traveling on my own and so a private car seems a little pricey when I’m used to traveling as a party of 2-4. I just need it to be reliable and safe.

 

[B3rlingirl]

I was in the same boat as you re travel from LAX to Disneyland. I've not used Uber before and what people were telling me about checking out the driver and tipping before hand... made it sound like things were getting too complicated. I decided on a shuttle service (private car although the do have vans as well). We're not going until the end of April so I can't personally comment on them yet but they do have great reviews online. Midwilshuttle. Check them out and see what you think. They ended up being a little more expensive than an Uber but they pick us up curbside so the added expense was worth it for me.

Yes, Midwilshuttle sounds interesting for sure. Never heard of them before but read about them in some other threads here already… curbside pick-up definitely sounds convenient.

An added difficulty for me: I can hardly estimate how much fits in the trunk of an American car and don't want to book a car that to small...

 

[pindecisive]

Hello everyone!

I am so happy to be finally back on the DIS boards and planning my next trip to Disneyland this summer (with my parents).
Actually, it will be kind of a redemption trip, as our last big family trip ended up being a solo one for me… (I try to plan it pretty much the same way... just in the summertime instead of thanksgiving). Anyways, I was almost a “pro” before Covid hit… and now I feel like DL is a completely different world and that everything has changed. So I need help…

1. I already bought 5-day park hopper tickets… I tried to research it but didn’t quite understand it. Can I make a reservation for each day on its own once the 120-day limit is reached, or do I have to reserve all 5 days in one go and wait till the last of our planned days hits the limit…?

2. The way I understand it, you can change the park you wanna start your day as long as the other one is available. So if I am unsure about starting a day in DCA, booking DL for all days sounds like a good idea in my opinion…?

3. Transportation. We fly in and out of LAX (from Germany and to Hawaii, so I can’t change the airport). We used to use the Disneyland express, so now we need another solution. Shouldn’t be too expensive, so Lansky is out, I guess, and renting a car is also out. We are 3 adults with big suitcases and big carry-on bags… (at least after shopping in DL and outlets of orange…) I've never used an Uber or anything like it, and I don’t even know if we even fit in an Uber? My primary idea right now would be a shared shuttle. To my knowledge, only Karmel is left operating… but I don’t know. I am a little worried about missing our flight to Hawaii because I remember lots of bad reviews about shared shuttles from pre-Covid… So any suggestions? I am a little lost…

4. Disney genie… I have read a bit about it but I know I still need lots of information… Thanks to the DIS I was a max pass pro even before setting foot into DL… So any good threads I can read to get to know Genie+? (I can use the search myself for the obvious ones, but sometimes "the really good ones" are hard to find) (Depending on my research, I guess we might use Genie+ for 2-4 days, but I really need to learn about its pros and cons and what can be done without it)

Thanks for the help!
I really look forward to being active here on DIS again...

Uber/Lyft has XL options which can fit 6 people. We just used Midwilshuttle and we won't again, IMO the experience had nothing whatsoever over Lyft/Uber and was definitely pricier.

Genie+ to me had no cons for our DL time and was well worth the $25 ticket price. We found it fairly un-needed at DCA.

I love the app as it made certain things so much easier:
You're able to search for bathrooms in the vicinity and it updates your location in real time like Google Maps.
If you want a particular food item you can search for it and the restaurants it is offered at will pop up.
You can chat with a cast member with questions while you're in the park.

Yes, Midwilshuttle sounds interesting for sure. Never heard of them before but read about them in some other threads here already… curbside pick-up definitely sounds convenient.

An added difficulty for me: I can hardly estimate how much fits in the trunk of an American car and don't want to book a car that to small...

If you go with one large rolling bag and one duffel you should be fine. For two people, two medium rolling bags and two duffels should fit the smallest trunk in the US they would rent to you.