Best way to use ONE day in Disneyland.

[pirates are our joy]

I have a trip for school at the end of April and it includes one day in Disneyland/California Adventure. I know this is not possibly enough time to do everything that we would like to do, but I want to give it a good try. I have no idea where the crowds tend to build up in DL and CA, because normally am vactioning in WDW. If anyone has suggestions about a game plan that would cover all of the thrill rides and most of the big names for other rides, that would be great. Any suggestions would be helpful...thanks!

 

[HydroGuy]

If you want to squeeze a lot into one day at both DL and DCA, check out this link:

"Twelve Regular FastPasses In One Day - A Recent Experience" www.micechat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33224

FP at DLR has some differences from WDW. Review FP usage here:

"Getting the Most Out of FastPass During High Season" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885132

Once you figure out what you want to ride, you can get help putting together a schedule from RideMax www.ridemax.com.

 

[pirates are our joy]

Wow, that was so helpful! I had no idea there was so much to know about fast passes. I will use those to come up with a game plan for our day in DLR. Thanks for your help!

 

[bumbershoot]

There are some good guidebooks out there with plans to help with days like that. I go onto my library's website, look up Disney, then get the most recent editions of the guidebooks.

Although we haven't been to DCA, we've done day trips (what I call "blasts") through the park WITH a toddler! Interesting day, to say the least. Especially when you know Fast Pass (and if you have a smaller kid with you, getting to know the rider swap system) and general ideas of where to go first, you can really pack alot into one day.

 

[tinker&belle]

Is there a list somewhere of disconnected fastpasses?

 

[HydroGuy]

Is there a list somewhere of disconnected fastpasses?

The best list of all things FASTPASS is kept up-to-date here:

"The Joy of FASTPASS - details and secrets"
www.micechat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5720

Disconnected FP attractions have been stable now for two years. At DL is Roger Rabbit and at DCA is it GRR.

 

[mrs.beast]

Personally, if you do WDW instead of DL/CA, I would hit the rides that are not at WDW.

 

[casaazul]

And did almost every attraction we wanted, and it was a busy Friday!!

DL has some classic attractions that should not be missed: Pirates, Haunted, Matterhorn, Space, Splash, Big Thunder, Roger Rabbit, Buzz Lightyear.

Also, there are a number of attractions that are not at WDW, and I would try those too.

Have fun

 

[pirates are our joy]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I just got worried because we had the same situation last year with only one day and all we got to ride was Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion...and then were forced to wait in line for Mickey haha, never again. And at CA, ToT, Cali Screamin', It's Tough to Be a Bug. I have no idea how we managed to accomplish so little, but I'm thinking there was a certain amount of sleep deprivation that factored into it. We are going to do much better this year! I am going to have a game plan!!

 

[DLR29]

If it were me, I wouldn't even bother with DCA, with the exception of maybe ToT and Soarin. If you only have 1 day, start with Space, matterhorn, Peter Pan and grab an Indy FP. Then hop over to DCA and ride rides close to the entrance for a couple hours. Hop back to DL and ride Indy with your FP and tour the rest of DL until you have to leave. Assuming your doing the same thing that our band did last year, you'll also need to perform so make sure that you're not over at DCA when your performance time has almost started.

 

[casaazul]

AND we can't wait to see some green in WDW in 21 days!!! It has been a weird winter for us high desert dwellers in northern NM!!

DL can be done in one day, just remember to plan. With little kids, do Fantasyland first, Peter Pan especially. Get FastPass as much as you can. We went to Space Mountain right at opening and rode it twice in a row before the line got busy. If you see the lines a Matterhorn about 50 feet from the cover, then get in line. It goes pretty fast. We always ride on the Tomorrowland side, seems to go faster.

 

[pirates are our joy]

It's so exciting to find other NM DISers. We just keep talking about our trip trying to make it get here faster. It has been such a weird winter! I am happy to see it finally warming up. Florida will be a welcome change, however, as it always is.