Disneyworld "vets" but Disneyland "newbies"

[pschro1]

I would like to consider ourselves Disneyworld "veterans," but are going to Disneyland for the first time, for three days, at the end of June. We are staying at the Hilton convention center and will have Genie + with park hopper. I know Disneyland is a different park, so I am trying to not plan it like a Disneyworld trip. It is my wife and I and our two boys (6 and 10) I have a couple questions:

• My family are "rope droppers" and enjoy getting to the parks as soon as they open. What time should we arrive at the gates. Typically we arrive at least 30 minutes before the "rope drops" at DW. Is that still a good rule of thumb for Disneyland?
• What is the best way to get to the park from the convention center. We have no problem walking it. Is it best to walk up Disneyland Drive and go through Downtown Disney? Or is it better to walk up Harbor Blvd and come in that way?
• With Genie +. Since we wont have Magic Bands (assuming the new bands aren't out yet), how will it work when it comes to "check in" for the Lightning Lane. Will I just need to scan my phone once for the four of us? Or will I need to scan it four times? My other three family members wont be able to scan themselves in with their tickets right?

Any other suggestions on how to plan a Disneyland versus Disneyworld trip would be greatly appreciated!

 

[prestoncaldwell]

To the second question, it's an easy walk to the plaza from the convention center, or you can cross the street to the Toy Story Lot and take the free shuttle in.

I assume you're staying at Hilton, Marriott or Sheraton and not actually camping in the corner of a meeting room

 

[Ross Kratter]

As far as how to get to the park, you can either walk to the Harbor Blvd entrance (about a mile; the Downtown Disney entrance is further) or take the Anaheim Resort Transportation bus. You can buy a day pass for $6 per person, or they have 3-day ($16), 5-day ($25), and 15-day ($51) options; you do so through an app called Token Transit.

 

[BrianL]

Hey, you're gonna love Disneyland Resort. It's a little different, but charming in it's own way. It is certainly a lot easier to get around!

I recommend getting there about an hour early, maybe more if it's busy. The lines at the gate can get long, but they go quickly.

I stay at that Hilton* all the time, and I find that Harbor is the easiest walk. I tend to go up the little street by the parking structure, but there is no sidewalk for part of it, so you may not want to. You can cross over and walk through the parking lot. Anyway, it's six-of-one to walk straight to Harbor. It's not a long walk. You can cross to the Toy Story Lot and use the shuttle too, but honestly, walking it is just as easy. If you go the Downtown Disney way, you have to navigate a maze a little.

For your tickets, you will have a carboard card witha barcode on it that you will scan for everything like that. You can also pull up the barcode on yoru phone, but the paper cards are a little easier. If you have printed or digital tickets only, they will give you a card upon your first entrance. They also take you picture and do not use the fingerpring scanners like WDW does.

Have fun!

*I do work for Hilton and have to state that since I am discussing one of our properties.

 

[pschro1]

Thank you all. Yes we are actually staying at the Hilton , not hiding out in the convention center. It sounds like going up Harbor is probably the better route. I am glad that the "paper" tickets can be used for the lightning lanes. That will make it easier on us.

I am sure we will have more questions as it gets closer.

 

[gelatoni fan]

30 minutes before opening is fine for every ride except Rise.

To get to the park, I recommend two options. The first is walking which is a bit over a mile. It's easy to walk down Harbor. But if you don't want to walk, I recommend taking the ART bus. It departs from right in front of the Hilton and drops you off right in front of the park. It can save a bit of time if the bus arrives quickly but you mostly save energy. This is great if you want to go to/from the park in the morning and evening. It's not quite as good if you're trying to return to the hotel in afternoon for a break. Walking to the Toy Story Lot to wait for a free shuttle isn't worth it.

You just scan the ticket in your app. If everybody's ticket is linked to the same app, one person can just scan them all. You'll swipe to each ticket once they're scanned.

 

[prestoncaldwell]

Walking to the Toy Story Lot to wait for a free shuttle isn't worth it.

Works for us, and we walk around from Dolphin's Cove on Orangewood, not this quarter mile, just past the sheraton and then a crosswalk for one staying in the Hilton.

 

[gelatoni fan]

View attachment 642148

Works for us, and we walk around from Dolphin's Cove on Orangewood, not this quarter mile, just past the sheraton and then a crosswalk for one staying in the Hilton.

I found that walking the entire way is a little faster for me when I stay at the Anaheim Marriott or the Convention Center Courtyard than going to the Toy Story Lot. Given that the walk from the Hilton is shorter and the ART bus stop is literally right in front of the Hilton, it's possible to save time by walking the entire distance or save the effort of walking entirely by taking the ART bus. I guess the Toy Story Lot is sort of the medium where you walk part of the way but don't have to spend any money on buses. There's just a bit of a risk in terms of potential lines for the bus which is why I don't really think it's worth it.

I have a stay at the Hyatt Place next month and may try it just to see if my opinion's changed.

 

[Jason2015]

The walk over to the Toy Story Lot is pretty quick. Its less than 1/2 a mile vs the mile to the park-in the morning this might not matter, but after a long day the saved steps are great. So it saves steps but possibly not time. A nice bonus is in the morning you go through security at the lot before boarding the shuttle busses. So its straight to the park entrance when you arrive at the Esplanade. The ART bus is nice but you have to wait for it to arrive and pay a fare so it will save on steps but not on time and will cost you $24 a day.

You could also Uber. It cost $12 to Uber from the drop off lot to the Convention Center when my daughter developed a good blister and didn't want to walk back.

 

[pschro1]

ooooo...... I like the idea of being able to go through security before getting on the bus. Thanks!

 

[brenda1966]

Planning any Disney trip is just not the same now with covid. In the past I would have told you to think of Disneyland and California Adventure as one big park and hop back and forth throughout the day, but that's not true any more.

I hope you will find the charm of Disneyland, even though you will be alarmed at how crowded it feels because things are packed into such a small footprint. There is more to Do in Disneyland! Enjoy the New Orleans area. Make sure you do the castle walkthrough ( I hope it's open). Make sure you ride Space Mountain -- it is FAR superior to WDW. Make sure you see Car's Land both in the day and at night. And it's okay to laugh at the size of the castle. I've been to Disneyland more than WDW and it still makes me smile every time with how tiny it is. This is Walt's park. Marvel that he worked here and walked through here.

 

[pschro1]

Planning any Disney trip is just not the same now with covid. In the past I would have told you to think of Disneyland and California Adventure as one big park and hop back and forth throughout the day, but that's not true any more.

I hope you will find the charm of Disneyland, even though you will be alarmed at how crowded it feels because things are packed into such a small footprint. There is more to Do in Disneyland! Enjoy the New Orleans area. Make sure you do the castle walkthrough ( I hope it's open). Make sure you ride Space Mountain -- it is FAR superior to WDW. Make sure you see Car's Land both in the day and at night. And it's okay to laugh at the size of the castle. I've been to Disneyland more than WDW and it still makes me smile every time with how tiny it is. This is Walt's park. Marvel that he worked here and walked through here.

Brenda,

Thanks! I can't wait to hear my boys reactions when they make that turn down Main Street. We plan on doing it all so Space, Cars Land, and the castle are definitely on the list. Both my wife and I appreciate the fact that this is "Walt's Park" and I hope my oldest does too. I fully expect to get goose bumps when we see Walts apartments for the first time. Tears will also be shed when we say "goodnight" to Walt for the last time.

 

[prestoncaldwell]

The walk over to the Toy Story Lot is pretty quick. Its less than 1/2 a mile vs the mile to the park-in the morning this might not matter, but after a long day the saved steps are great. So it saves steps but possibly not time. A nice bonus is in the morning you go through security at the lot before boarding the shuttle busses. So its straight to the park entrance when you arrive at the Esplanade. The ART bus is nice but you have to wait for it to arrive and pay a fare so it will save on steps but not on time and will cost you $24 a day.

You could also Uber. It cost $12 to Uber from the drop off lot to the Convention Center when my daughter developed a good blister and didn't want to walk back.

The security thing would be new and sounds great!

 

[LSUmiss]

The walk over to the Toy Story Lot is pretty quick. Its less than 1/2 a mile vs the mile to the park-in the morning this might not matter, but after a long day the saved steps are great. So it saves steps but possibly not time. A nice bonus is in the morning you go through security at the lot before boarding the shuttle busses. So its straight to the park entrance when you arrive at the Esplanade. The ART bus is nice but you have to wait for it to arrive and pay a fare so it will save on steps but not on time and will cost you $24 a day.

You could also Uber. It cost $12 to Uber from the drop off lot to the Convention Center when my daughter developed a good blister and didn't want to walk back.

Where does the ART bus stop you off? Does it run park open to park close?

 

[aymiewilson]

I used that ART bus back in August 2015, and it worked like a DREAM. We used it to rope drop, to come back for afternoon nap, and to close out the park. They drop you off right where all the other buses drop you, right by security. Our pick up (At the Hilton Anaheim where the Convention Center is) was out the front door of the hotel and maybe... half a block to a little drive way/turnaround area for the buses. I think there may have been 1 other stop? It was such a fast ride, and I remember thinking it was WAY better run than Walt Disney World's buses.

Granted... that was pre COVID. I'm not sure if their service times have adjusted or the bus frequency has adjusted now.

 

[aymiewilson]

As far as additional tips go for touring, 3 days with Park Hoppers is my favorite way to do it, so kudos to you! I grew up going to WDW every other summer and thus became a veteran. But moved out west 10 years ago and have now become a Disneyland veteran! (although I haven't been to Disneyland yet post-COVID. My trip is 10 days away!!!) Anyway, from that perspective, my top 10 tips are:

1. Rope drop! Sounds like you're planning to do that. I always aim to get there 60 mins before park opening, knowing it gives me some grace to be running a little late.
2. Take a nap in the middle of the afternoon. Lines will be long. It'll be hot. You'll need it. And this will let you stay up through the fireworks/nighttime shows. Getting to/from your hotel (esp since you have one so close) does NOT take all the extra time it does at WDW. For you it'll be about 30-40 minutes round trip. And since you can use the ART bus or the Toy Story Lot shuttle bus as mentioned here, DO IT.
3. When I'm back at my hotel for a nap, first I run cold water in the bath tub and soak my feet for about five minutes. Helps with swelling or any potential blisters.
4. Park hopping takes almost no time. The distance from turnstile to turnstile across the esplanade is... half a football field? You can walk from the very back of Disneyland all the way to the very back of California Adventure in like... 30 minutes. So expect to park hop!
5. Disneyland has only 2 parks, but between the two of them, they have almost as many attractions as all 4 WDW parks. They are just smaller, more compact. So there's a lot to do, but less walking. Keep that in mind for touring.
6. I plan my days: Day 1 - rope drop Disneyland (make this your park reservation.) Day 2 - rope drop DCA (make this your park reservation). Day 3 - I guess I would make a reservation for Disneyland to start because it has so many more attractions, but I'd leave this day loose plan-wise and use it to get to things you haven't already ridden or to re-ride favorites.
7. I DO use a touring plan for Disneyland, but I plan out each day from rope drop to late lunch. After that, I'm busy redeeming Lightening Lanes I already made or doing some light shopping, getting pictures, enjoying the atmosphere before naptime. Then when I come back to the parks, I'm re-riding things I love.
8. In June, you will have THREE nighttime spectaculars to enjoy: World of Color, Disneyland Forever and Fantasmic. I'm SO jealous of you, because these are 3 of my favorite nighttimes shows EVER from Disneyland or WDW. It is REALLY hard to do Disneyland Forever fireworks and Fantasmic in the same night because of crowding and congestion in those 2 areas. Since you have 3 nights, I would plan to see one spectacular per night.
9. I have done dining packages for Fantasmic twice - we did the Blue Bayou dining package at lunch time (lower cost) and had front and center seating, reserved, for Fantasmic, PLUS souvenir cushions. I'd strongly recommend a dining package for Fantasmic, especially because Blue Bayou is such a quintessential, unique Disneyland dining experience. It's inside the show building for Pirates, and you watch the boats float by as you dine. Kind of like the mexico pavilion at EPCOT, but muuuuch better food. I don't think dining package for Disneyland Forever fireworks is worth it (if they offer one), and for World of Color, I used to always FASTPASS that.
10. Getting advanced dining reservations at Disneyland is reallllly not a big deal like it is at WDW. Disneyland has such better food than WDW, and their quick service dining is so much better than WDW. If all you do is quick service meals, you're still going to get fun, unique, delicious food.