Can DL be done in a day?

[jarrdisney]

hello all. I am a DL newbie and will be in Socal late June. We plan on stopping by DL for a day (maybe 2 if you convince me). I am a WDW veteran that is really looking fwd to DL but time is a real issue. Is it possible to do both the parks in one day? I am not very concerned with parades, but would like to see fantasmic. There will be 3 of us in our 20's. I am, very interested in doing all the attractions wdw does NOT have, as well as some headliners. Does anyone have any advice? We plan on getting there for opening and staying the whole day. Is it impossible? Any info would be greatly appreciated. thanks

 

[BlueBayou]

I would not like to do it in one day. I would just feel like I am missing something. Prior to kids I would have considered it. Now that I have small children I feel like three days is too short.

If you are a WDW vet - focused on just what is not avail at WDW then you might be able to swing it. But you will be missing the feel of it all. Matterhorn might have long lines, Indiana Jones can be a bit of a wait, Splash, Pirates, BTMRR, Space and IASW are all slightly different at DL. Plus there is the little train Casey Jr. and Storybook Canal boats. The little train is short - but it is fun to me. I feel it is the most underrated ride a the park.

Also I think DCA is a fun little park. We always end up spending more time there than we expect to. The Aladdin show is great.

Bottom like for me - if I was child free in my 20s and I had a choice of Disneyland in a day or no Disneyland at all - I would go commando and do it in a day. However, if you can work in two days - I would opt for that.

 

[HydroGuy]

While one day is not the preferred option at DLR, you can see a lot on a summer day especially if it is a weekday and you get there early (30 minutes before the gates open). You will not be able to all of DLR, but you can still experience a lot - especially if you skip the shows. Last summer I went on a day trip with my DS13 and we hit 22 rides between DL and DCA and saw three shows. If you skip all the shows except for Fantasmic you can do a lot.

Consider using RideMax for all or part of your day - www.ridemax.com. Maybe this link will get you excited enough to decide on two days - "A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599. And here is one more "Getting The Most Out of a Summer Visit To DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319

 

[caribbound]

Being young without children you can go quicker, less time eating and bathroom breaks, etc. If you're not concerned about the rides you've already done in WDW, it cuts out a lot. I don't believe you can get a one day hopper unless it's a used one. I hear ppl sell leftover days when they don't use all of their pass and plan to do the same. It would be a lot of rushed walking because the few rides you will want to go on will be more spread out and probably popular ones so longer lines. Mostly it depends on when you're going, weekend is more busy, summer more busy, fall not so much.

Here is a very helpful thread for WDW vets:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

Personally I'll be spending 2 1/2 days, but that includes meeting new (DIS)friends, parades and fireworks, shows and maybe a couple hours back at the hotel pool mid day. Have fun and HTH!

 

[jarrdisney]

Thank you both so much for all the info. I would love to spend 5 days at DLR, and might do so in the future. Unfortunately, this trip it will not be possible. I believe we will be going on a monday. Typically, how long are the lines for a major attraction in late june on a weekday? I love the option of being able to get FP's at both parks without worrying about expiration/etc. I am going to try to convince the other 2 in my party to go for 2 days. We will be driving from LA so I guess traffic will be a major issue as well.

 

[HydroGuy]

Typically, how long are the lines for a major attraction in late june on a weekday?

We do not wait in the long lines mid-day, but at mid-day here is a guideline:

Splash Mtn - 90 minutes
Space Mtn - 90 minutes
Indiana Jones - 75 minutes
BTMRR - 45 minutes
POTC - 35 minutes
HM - 35 minutes
Matterhorn - 45 minutes
Buzz - 30 minutes
JC - 45 minutes

Soarin - 75 minutes
GRR - 60 minutes
CA Screamin - 60 minutes
ToT - 45 minutes

If you spend the $15 for RideMax it will tell you all of this plus more for all rides. Think about it.

 

[CableKC]

For me...DL itself..is a 1 day trip while Disney Cali could be a morning to dinnertime trip. If you do it all in one day.....you will be rushing through everything and won't enjoy it.

 

[LittleWoodenHead]

I don't have kids and do day trips to DL/DCA all the time. But, as a veteran, it's not as important to me that I hit all the headliners every time. I don't, for example, go on Soarin' or POTC every visit. (Blasphemy, I know...) And I'll take a pass on Grizzly Rapids if I don't feel like getting drenched.

Still, through expeditious use of FastPass and Single Rider, I usually get in one (or more!) rides on Space, Indy, HM, Splash, BTRR, Buzz, Roger Rabbit, CA Screamin', TOT. I then fill in my other time slots with anything I feel like. Last trip, for example, I did all of the above (except Splash), as well as all the Fantasyland dark rides (sans Pan), the Matterhorn (twice), Astro Orbiter, POTC & the Enchanted Tiki Room. PLUS I saw ASIMO in Innoventions, had lunch at the Blue Bayou, and watched both the evening Parade and Fireworks. (whew!)

Here's my 2 cents worth of advice to you: Get there at 8:00 AM opening. That is crucial, especially if you want to see the Nemo Subs. And really work the FastPasses and, if your party is amenable, use the Single Rider lines. (At DL, only Splash has Single Rider -- but that can easily save you a 1-2 hour wait, without needing to use up a FastPass slot.)

Pop over to DCA late morning/noon-ish for 3-4 hours. (Since Screamin' won't open until 1:00, Single Rider-ing there will probably be essential. Save your FP slots for Soarin' and TOT.) Head back into DL later in the afternoon. Use the evening parade time to hit some of the non-FP rides. (Parade time is usually a good time to be in Fantasyland, for example. POTC/HM are also good bets then.) Since waiting for Fantasmic! will eat up a chunk of time, plan on catching the second show. And, by all means, don't miss the Fireworks! They're worth the price of admission.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[hlbtimes2]

One day would be very rushed. If at all possible I would try to do a 2nd day. Even if its just a partial day, it would help a LOT. That would give you a full day at DL and a partial day at DCA.

 

[bumbershoot]

Well, we have done one-day blasts now twice. My brother lives in San Diego, and we visit him each year. He and his wife have no interest in a longer visit, so it's been one-day'ers for us.

And we have a little kid.

We haven't been able to get there before it opens yet (grr), but we've still had two really really good days! However, we go in more of an off season time, once in late Sept, once in early Oct. BUT that also means that the hours are shorter. So it's 6 of one and half a dozen of the other.

The Indy fast pass should be back by that time, which is good.

The books that I read solid for a month were the Unofficial Guide, and the, hmm, Birbaum book. The latest edition of each, be sure it's the latest edition (as with any guidebook). There might be another guidebook, read that too. Read it ALL. I found the library to be very good, I didn't buy any of those books, just checked them out and re-checked them as long as they let me.


In my case, I was the know-it-all, but the first trip I sort of hid that, and gently guided my fam, and it was GREAT. Second trip I was pushing them too hard to get there early, they knew I was stressed about our late arrival, and they resisted me more. So unless your friends easily give in to your knowledge, be gentle about it and they should go along with you easier. And at the end of the day, they'll be going on about what a good day you had, and what luck you had, and you can smile.

Oh wait, before I give you too much hope...we didn't even step foot in DCA. And because we went during the week after the summer, we haven't seen fireworks (and only part of the parade, accidentally).


But hey, if we can have two (one at a time) solidly good days at DL, on a shorter day, with four adults (brother sister combo making up two of them) and a toddler (first year he was just over 1, second year he was just over 2)...I bet you have a good chance to have a good, if rushed (and you won't see everything), time at both resorts.

Have fun!

 

[thedarksyde]

If you commit to it, plan it out, and execute perfectly, with fast passes, and are lucky with crowds you could be 80% satisfied I think.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

hello all. I am a DL newbie and will be in Socal late June. We plan on stopping by DL for a day (maybe 2 if you convince me). I am a WDW veteran that is really looking fwd to DL but time is a real issue. Is it possible to do both the parks in one day? I am not very concerned with parades, but would like to see fantasmic. There will be 3 of us in our 20's. I am, very interested in doing all the attractions wdw does NOT have, as well as some headliners. Does anyone have any advice? We plan on getting there for opening and staying the whole day. Is it impossible? Any info would be greatly appreciated. thanks

This isn't the way I would suggest doing it if at all possible. But considering you're short on time, a little Disneyland is better than none imo.
If you go with a mindset to hit just the things that are significantly better than at WDW or that WDW doesn't have at all, plus maybe a few of the other high points then yes it can be done. You won't have the tickets to do early entry so if you aren't spending time in a Disney resort, pick a day where there is no early entry at all, if you can, especially if you'd like to get the subs in.

 

[SorcererMickeyGirl]

Disneyland and DCA CAN be done in one day. I've done it. It's rushed, and you have to know WHERE to go in order to make it happen.

My BIGGEST tip of all is to go to the Matterhorn for your first thing to do in Disneyland (since DL is open a few hours before DCA). Matterhorn does not have a fast pass, and after the park has been open for an hour the lines become longer than an hour wait. There are TWO lines for the Matterhorn, they both wrap around each side of the Matterhorn, the most popular line is always the closest one which is part of Fantasyland. If that line is long, you can try the second line which is closest to Tomorrowland.

Second, go to Fantasyland if you feel like riding the classics of Walt Disney. Kids and parents are usually not all awake and the lines are the shortest they'll ever be except for after Fantasmic and to midnight.

If the kiddie classics don't float your boat, go to Adventureland and wait in line for Indiana Jones or Pirates of the Carribean (AS the lines are getting amazingly long because of the new addition of Captain Jack Sparrow). The lines in this area should be decent until the 45 minutes after opening has occurred. Get fastpasses for Space Mountain, the line never moves. Also, the Haunted Mansion line always moves quickly so don't waste a fastpass on that ride if the fastpass distributions are open.

Splash Mountain is closed until further notice, I'm not sure when you're planning on going, but don't make the mistake of going down to Critter Country when the only thing that is available is the Winnie the Pooh attraction.

In DCA

Make sure to get fastpasses at the Grizzly Run, the wait is not worth it for the ride. ALSO, the fastpass distributions are NOT connected with the other fastpass machines, thus, you can get a fastpass at the Grizzily Run and step over to Soarin' Over California and get a fastpass for that ride immediately. It's very convienient.

Hollywood Tower of Terror's line is not just the one outside, there is also a lower and upper division of waiting. Depending on the crowds, the wait can last up to an hour. Fastpassing would be a good idea unless you go right at DCA opening or at night when the crowds have moved back to DL, but Fantasmic is usally at 9:45 so planning is key.

Screamin' and Mailboomer lines move pretty quickly so fastpassing in my personal opinion isn't necessary. The Sunwheel lines NEVER moves, You'll be stuck there for a while if you choose to try the moving carts.

ALSO, Muhulland Madness DO NOT WAIT IN THE LINE. If there is only 3 of you and you want to try the ride ask for the Single Rider Line, you won't be in a group together but you'll be put on the ride with a group of 2 or 3 and fill up the seats. The ride is not worth waiting for, trust me. It's like the Animal Kingdom spin-round ride in the dinosaur ride, same basics.

All right, I think that's it hope the advice helps.

 

[jarrdisney]

Thank you everyone. We have decided to stay for 2 days! We're going to get a hotel offsite so we don't feel so rushed. I appreciate everyone's input and figured that it was not worth rushing the disney magic. I will ask one more favor. Does anyone know of a descent hotel that's walking distance to DL? Something under $100? Thanks again!

 

[HydroGuy]

Thank you everyone. We have decided to stay for 2 days! We're going to get a hotel offsite so we don't feel so rushed. I appreciate everyone's input and figured that it was not worth rushing the disney magic. I will ask one more favor. Does anyone know of a descent hotel that's walking distance to DL? Something under $100? Thanks again!

I know the hotel we are at in late June is booked solid. So you may have to call around. Checkj out the links below. Bret's link below has contact info for many of the local hotels.

Helpful Hotel Links

"How Far Is It?" (shows actual distances in feet from hotels to DLR entrance plaza) www.mouseplanet.com/articles.php?art=mm060329as

"Walking Distance Accommodations" (shows hotels within walking distance) http://www.mouseplanet.com/dtp/maps/...g_distance_map

"Bret's Disneyland Lodging Map" (shows hotel locations around DLR) www.geocities.com/ashpsyche/DisneylandLinkMap

 

[HydroGuy]

Disneyland and DCA CAN be done in one day. I've done it. It's rushed, and you have to know WHERE to go in order to make it happen.

And how many shows did you see?

If you decide to do only rides and no shows, you can hit all of the headliner rides at DL and DCA in a day. For some people this may be considered "doing it all". In a strict sense doing it all means riding every ride and seeing every show, and that would require at least three days. This summer especially with Nemo opening it will be harder to hit all the headliners (including Nemo) in one day because you are going to have to commit some time preferably in the morning to ride Nemo which will detract from one's ability to hit other rides with short morning lines.

I usually talk in terms of doing DLR "thoroughly", and that means (to me) doing most of the rides, seeing most of the shows, and riding most of the headliners at least twice. And that can be squeezed into two days but three days is better.

If you only have one day there is no way you can "do it all" at DLR. If you focus you can do a lot. I did a day trip last October where we went on 22 rides and saw three shows. I and my DS13 went on all the headliners at DL and DCA except ToT, but in no way did I think we came anywhere close to doing it all.

FWIW, here is a summary of what we did on a summer weekday day trip last year. FWIW, we used twelve FP sets on the 22 rides - yes, twelve:

Matterhorn
POTC
HM
Splash Mtn (twice)
Indy
Space Mtn (twice)
Buzz LY (twice)
BTMRR
CA Screamin (three times)
GRR (twice)
Soarin Over CA
plus a five other rides once each

Parade of Dreams
Block Party Bash
Remember Dreams Come True

By 10PM we were wiped out and left.

 

[caribbound]

Wow. OP specifically said he didn't plan to "do it all", and SMG specifically gave rides/places to avoid, never stating she did it ALL in the one day. Thanks to both of you for some good tips. I am traveling with a handicapped friend, so I wonder how much lines play into our factor, but I'll be there 2 1/2 days none-the-less.

Congrats jarrdisney on your extra day of fun. Entertainment Book price for HoJo was $54 and $69 depending on the view and ammenities if you can get the rate for your day. Ent books are only $15-20 now.

 

[vendell]

This is SO weird for me to read the original post. My DH just called and asked me if I wanted to fly to CA this weekend and do Disneyland for the day. I have never been and jumped at the chance. He has taken our DD5 twice now for father/daughter time and I've never been invited. I'm also a avid DW fan. We go down there many times during the year since it is only a 6 hour drive. Thank you everyone for sharing the advice.

 

[HydroGuy]

Wow. OP specifically said he didn't plan to "do it all", and SMG specifically gave rides/places to avoid, never stating she did it ALL in the one day. .

I wasn't responding to the OP who I understood was not trying to do it all. It is common to see posts to the effect "can I do DLR in a day?". What do they mean by "do DLR"? I was trying to clarify what they might or might not mean, and what SMG might or might not mean, by "doing DL and DCA" in a day.

As I posted, unless one defines "doing DL and DCA in a day" very narrowly I do not think it is possible.

 

[blackjackdelta]

By planning and skipping what you felt was unimportant you could possiblity get most of one park done in one week day. But you will not have timw to enjoy it. You better be fleet of foot and follow advice on how to use the DLR fastpass system if you are not familiar.

Jack