Disney World and Disney Land in the same trip

[MoltenTesseract]

Hi Guys,

Travelling over from Australia, so making my best of my time over in the US. The booked plan for October is:

• WDW - 9th-18th. With a day of Universal Studios in there.
• NYC - 19th-23rd. With 3x Disney Broadway shows...
  
• Down Town LA - 24th-26th.
• DL - 27th-29th.

Due to travel I only get 8 days in WDW; on the 9th we arrive in Orlando at 11PM. But I get almost a full 3 days in DL.

As I'm doing WDW and DL in the same trip with only 3 days in DL. What do you all recommend I do/avoid? Is there anything I should avoid in DL because WDW does it better?

How about merchandise? I plan on shipping most of my purchases home at WDW, so DL will just be DL only merch that I can lug around with me and back to Australia. Is there any DL specific merchandise I should be on the look out for?

Ben

 

[VandVsmama]

Spend 5 days at DL. You have about 2 weeks alloted for downtown LA. I imagine that you probably mean all of Los Angeles, right? Or spring for the 10 day Disneyland tickets that you Aussies can get (so jealous!) and spend mornings at DL and afternoons doing other things in LA.

You will need to rent a car if you're staying in LA for that long. The public transportation in southern CA is not great.

What are your plans for accommodations when you're in LA? Are you staying at one place the whole time it will you be relocating a couple of times based on the spots you'll be visiting?

 

[TeresaR]

I would make time for one day at Knott's Berry Farm. Then make a list for basically the hightlights of LA. Yow won't get to see everything in the amount of time you have allotted hence the suggestion for just getting in the highlights. Since you will be travelling west from Orlando you won't have the jetlag that you will have when you arrive in Orlando from Australia. The Disneyland Edition podcasts have some great suggestions to do for LA so listen to those to helo you decide what to see.

 

[limace]

I think he has two days in LA-24th through the 6th

 

[MoltenTesseract]

Honestly, we've only got time for 3 days at DL. The others have stuff planned in DTLA(Down Town LA) for the first few days. So 3 days is my limit unfortunately. I'm more into planning the WDW/DL side of things and they're planning the rest haha.

We're planning on doing a lot of DTLA stuff in the districts and just plan on walking around the districts. I'll definitely check out the podcasts to get an idea of what to do! None of us are willing to drive on the wrong side of the road.

For the first 3 days we're staying in DTLA, The Sheraton was going cheap so we picked that. Then we're travelling to Anaheim to change hotels to the Best Western right across from DL.

I'll see if I can slot in Knott's but its already a tight squeeze with time and money. Stupid weak Australian Dollar!

 

[MoltenTesseract]

I think he has two days in LA-24th through the 6th

Haha yes. Didn't realise I had a typeo. Fixed up now. Dates are inclusive too. So its actually 3 days.

 

[22Tink]

I have to say that looks like an amazing trip!! DLR has a lot of really cool 60th anniversary merchandise this year so keep an eye out for that!! If you don't have time for Knott's, I wouldn't worry too much. It's ok, but definitely not near the caliber of Disney or Universal Orlando. Have an amazing trip!!

 

[pamcarey]

Sounds like a great trip! What Broadway shows are you seeing? Aladdin, Lion King, and ??

 

[MoltenTesseract]

Sounds like a great trip! What Broadway shows are you seeing? Aladdin, Lion King, and ??

Aladdin, Lion King, Finding Neverland, Allegiance and Phantom Of the Opera. WATCH ALL THE BROADWAY! ;-)

 

[disneyfor3]

We just saw Wicked on broadway. It was amazing! I wasn't sure I was going to like it but ended up loving it.

 

[Lord Fantasius]

Sounds like an incredible trip...though being from the States, LA is definitely overrated...particularly "Hollywood" which is all just a commercialized tourist trap anymore. Also, do you have parkhopper passes at WDW and DL? And where are you staying @ WDW...on property or off? Makes a little bit of difference in the planning.

As for rides, unless you're a purist or have been to either of the Parks numerous times before, the difference between the rides that are offered at both coasts probably won't be that material to you. Get the ride lists out and compare...there are number of e-ticket rides that are only offered on one coast or the other, though DL/CA seems to have more of the "unique" rides than at MK. Eight days at WDW is going to be hard because there's so much to do NOT in the Parks themselves, and it's almost a shame not to enjoy that time as well. You'll need 2 1/2+ days @ Magic Kingdom, 2 days @ EPCOT, 1 day @ Hollywood Studios, and 1 day at Animal Kingdom...though I'm being generous with HS and AK; even though there's probably more than a day's worth of stuff to do at either of those parks, there's only about half a day's worth of stuff to do for any particular genre - shows, rides, etc.

 

[AussieNSW]

We have completed a similar trip flew into NY then down to Orlando then Disneyland before flying home from LAX. Something you might like to look into is the Halloween parties at WDW. Having not experienced Halloween before we loved it. They also have Halloween events at Universal studios on select nights. Universal studios also the Harry potter areas which we enjoyed.

 

[courtneybeth]

Look at your costs and see if purchasing the Premier annual pass is worth it for the discounts to be used at both parks. You will get dining and merchandise discounts. If you do have an annual pass, you'll want to do all of your purchases at Disneyland, as you'll get a better discount.

Special merchandise to be on the look out for: anything 60th at Disneyland.

For the 8 days at WDW, spend most of your time at MK and EPCOT - animal kingdom and hollywood studios can probably be half days each. You should also compare fantasmics if possible.

 

[texasgingerbread]

kids or no kids?

 

[wdwfan22]

Just so you know, DL has only a couple fewer attractions in 2 parks than DW has in 4. So just be aware that you may not be able to get everything done in DL, although you should have plenty of time to see everything in DW. There are very few rides that are identical duplicates from DW to DL and even those have unique queues. Have a game plan ready for the mornings and be sure to get there before rope drop to see as much of the parks as you can.

 

[HydroGuy]

As I'm doing WDW and DL in the same trip with only 3 days in DL. What do you all recommend I do/avoid? Is there anything I should avoid in DL because WDW does it better?

Wow, that sounds like an awesome trip!

IMO there is very little that WDW and DLR both do that WDW does better. Where WDW excels are in the things that only WDW does.

With three days at DLR you should be fine. There are some things you may want to skip. If I recall there are five rides that are absolutely identical:

Soarin Over CA (although the DLR version had a recent upgrade of its cameras)
Its Tough To Be a Bug
Toy Story Midway Mania
Little Mermaid
Star Tours

I would say it is safe to skip these at DLR if you are tight on time. Although especially Soarin and TSMM typically have much shorter lines at DLR than at WDW.

Do NOT skip Fantasmic at DLR if you have seen it at WDW. The DLR version is significantly better (and the original ).

Do spend some time seeing DLR's excellent shows. You will be hard pressed to see them all in three days: Fantasmic, Disneyland Forever fireworks, Paint the Night parade, World of Color and Aladdin should all be high on your list.

I hope that helps!

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Hi Guys,

Travelling over from Australia, so making my best of my time over in the US. The booked plan for October is:

• WDW - 9th-18th. With a day of Universal Studios in there.
• NYC - 19th-23rd. With 3x Disney Broadway shows...
  
• Down Town LA - 24th-26th.
• DL - 27th-29th.

Due to travel I only get 8 days in WDW; on the 9th we arrive in Orlando at 11PM. But I get almost a full 3 days in DL.

As I'm doing WDW and DL in the same trip with only 3 days in DL. What do you all recommend I do/avoid? Is there anything I should avoid in DL because WDW does it better?

How about merchandise? I plan on shipping most of my purchases home at WDW, so DL will just be DL only merch that I can lug around with me and back to Australia. Is there any DL specific merchandise I should be on the look out for?

Ben

I'm doing disneyland and Disney world both in August with two weeks at home in between. I don't think you should avoid anything. Even the same rides are a bit different at each.

 

[dsny1mom]

Hi Guys,

Travelling over from Australia, so making my best of my time over in the US. The booked plan for October is:

• WDW - 9th-18th. With a day of Universal Studios in there.
• NYC - 19th-23rd. With 3x Disney Broadway shows...
  
• Down Town LA - 24th-26th.
• DL - 27th-29th.

Due to travel I only get 8 days in WDW; on the 9th we arrive in Orlando at 11PM. But I get almost a full 3 days in DL.

As I'm doing WDW and DL in the same trip with only 3 days in DL. What do you all recommend I do/avoid? Is there anything I should avoid in DL because WDW does it better?

How about merchandise? I plan on shipping most of my purchases home at WDW, so DL will just be DL only merch that I can lug around with me and back to Australia. Is there any DL specific merchandise I should be on the look out for?

Ben

Hi Ben

In case you don't already know Oct 29 is a separate ticket Halloween party at DL so you might want to either buy tickets to the party or plan on spending your last night at DLR in DCA!

dsny1mom

 

[pamcarey]

Aladdin, Lion King, Finding Neverland, Allegiance and Phantom Of the Opera. WATCH ALL THE BROADWAY! ;-)

Awesome! I'm obsessed with Finding Neverland, it's so good! Aladdin was great, too. The genie is amazing!

 

[MoltenTesseract]

Wow. So many responses and no notification... Thanks for the responses everyone!

Not that i've thought about it at all... but here's the plan.

And yes, hopper pass for DLR and WDW. Just in case ;-)

-------
Friday - 9th October
Check In 3PM - Arrive at about 10-12PM
Badges to get
1st visit badge
Birthday Badge for me / I'm Celebrating badge for everyone else
Honorary Citizen Badge - Might be hard to get

Saturday - 10th October
Universal! - or Sleep.

Sunday - 11th October
Hollywood Studio's (9AM - 9PM)
Fastpass:
○ Tower of Terror
○ Rockin Roller Coaster
○ Toy Story Midway Mania

Monday - 12th October
Kennedy Space Centre
Halloween Party - NEED TO BOOK
Go to the 2nd Parade - Less people, kids have left by then.
○ Watch Hallowishes(Fireworks) from Tomorrowland.
○ Look for rare Character Experiences:
§ All 7 dwarfs at once
§ Jack and Sally together (Photo Op!)
○ Limited edition Pins.


Tuesday - 13th October
Epcot - Future World (8AM - 9AM)
Epcot - World Showcase (9AM - 9PM)
Dinner - Le Cellier Steakhouse - 8:20PM - Ellen, Simon, Kat, Adam, Ben

Fastpass:
○ Test Track
○ Mission Space
○ Soaring over California

Wednesday - 14th October
Magic Kingdom (9AM - 12AM)
Breakfast - 9-9:30 - Be Our Guest - NEED TO BOOK 90 DAYS

Dinner - 7:40PM - The Crystal Palace - Adam, Ben
Dinner - Be Our Guest - Ellen, Simon, Adam, Ben, Kat - Jay searching for

Thursday - 15th October
Epcot - Future World (9AM - 11AM)
Epcot - World Showcase (11AM - 9PM)
Food and Wine Festival
○ Get food/beer pass and get to them as soon you can.
○ Limited edition Pins.

Friday - 16th October
Animal Kingdom (8AM - 6PM)
8AM - Head to back of park for Safari Tour.
Breakfast - Tuskers - 9-9:30 - Ellen, Simon, Adam, Ben - Jay searching for

• When you arrive make your way to Kilimanjaro Safari straight away. Animals are at their best and most active and tend to stick to closer to the trail for their breakfast.

More than likely leave at about 3-4 as we'll be done and dead.
Fastpass:
Expedition Everest
DINOSAUR
Kali River Rapids??

Saturday - 17th October
Downtown Disney (10AM-12AM)
"Day of rest"
Breakfast - Ohana - Ellen, Simon, Kat, Adam, Ben - Jay is searching for
Dinner - Aloha - Adam, Ben

Sunday - 18th October (BIRTHDAY!)
Magic Kingdom (9AM - 7PM)
Hollywood Studios (7PM - 9PM)

Leave Magic Kingdom at 5PM.
Meet Sorcerer Mickey!
7:30PM - Fantasmic
8:00PM - Make way to Disney Boardwalk for Dinner + Cupcakes
9:00PM - Dinner reservation at Trattoria al Forno

Monday - 19th October
Check Out 11AM - Flight to NYC at 8am. be at airport by 7am.
------

kids or no kids?

Well. I'm 25 and I'm going with a 30 and 31 year old... so yes, I'll be supervising the 30 year olds. ;-)

Wow, that sounds like an awesome trip!
If I recall there are five rides that are absolutely identical:

Soarin Over CA (although the DLR version had a recent upgrade of its cameras)
Its Tough To Be a Bug
Toy Story Midway Mania
Little Mermaid
Star Tours

Do NOT skip Fantasmic at DLR if you have seen it at WDW. The DLR version is significantly better (and the original ).

Do spend some time seeing DLR's excellent shows. You will be hard pressed to see them all in three days: Fantasmic, Disneyland Forever fireworks, Paint the Night parade, World of Color and Aladdin should all be high on your list.

Wow. Thanks for the info! I've added those to the "Do not do at DLR" list, as they're all on my WDW list somewhere.

Paint the night is on the top of my list, it looks so amazing. And I'm tottaly gonna get one of those paintbrushes... cause I'm adult and stuff.