DL Vets answer some ?s please...1 day trip soon.

[GraceLuvsWDW]

Ok, I just found out I'm going to be in San Diego in August (next Month!)

We go to WDW A LOT. I read Hydroguy's tips for WDW vets but I have some questions:

What time does DL open on a Wednesday in August? Do we need to be there right at opening to see as much as possible? How much time should we allot for parking/getting to the parks? We'll be driving from SD that am.

Our day is a non blackout day (one of the few before school gets back in session). Is this going to be horrifically crowded? And if so, is there strategy to be used like at WDW?

If we're only going to have 1 day does it make sense to just get a one day base (non hopper) and focus on DL not CA?

We have 4 adults and 2 kids ages 4 & 6. It will be my brother's birthday. I've had him register on Disney site for birthday admission, is that going to slow us down to get into the park?

Do I need to make ADR for lunch/dinner?

We usually get a GAC at WDW for my dd as she has developmental disabilities and they let her stay in her stroller at WDW in queues, does DL have a similar policy?

I haven't been to DL since 1977 so I really have no clue where to start!

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Pomlover2586]

As far as GAC goes yes Disneyland has a similar pass/policy. Just go to City Hall [next to firehouse] on main street and you can get one.

With only one day I'd say forget DCA and focus on DLR....and for maximum ride experience etc I would suggest being thee for park opening.

I've never driven/parked in the parking structure before- we stay in a nearby Hotel and either walk or take a shuttle so I can't help you there.

As far as ADR goes- if you want to eat at Blue Bayou, Carnation Cafe, Cafe Orleans, or Breakfast w/ Minnie and Friends i would suggest getting one- otherwise I'd just wing it

Park hours should be 8 am to 12 AM

 

[Sherry E]

Ok, I just found out I'm going to be in San Diego in August (next Month!)

We go to WDW A LOT. I read Hydroguy's tips for WDW vets but I have some questions:

What time does DL open on a Wednesday in August? Do we need to be there right at opening to see as much as possible? How much time should we allot for parking/getting to the parks? We'll be driving from SD that am.

Our day is a non blackout day (one of the few before school gets back in session). Is this going to be horrifically crowded? And if so, is there strategy to be used like at WDW?

If we're only going to have 1 day does it make sense to just get a one day base (non hopper) and focus on DL not CA?

We have 4 adults and 2 kids ages 4 & 6. It will be my brother's birthday. I've had him register on Disney site for birthday admission, is that going to slow us down to get into the park?

Do I need to make ADR for lunch/dinner?

We usually get a GAC at WDW for my dd as she has developmental disabilities and they let her stay in her stroller at WDW in queues, does DL have a similar policy?

I haven't been to DL since 1977 so I really have no clue where to start!

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I will answer one of the questions - since you do go to WDW a lot, I would say definitely get a one-day Park Hopper, especially if you have a FULL day and evening to spare. Most people will say just focus on Disneyland and skip DCA but I am a strong proponent of the Park Hopper, even for one day. You can get a lot done in one day, albeit not everything (you will have to skip many things), but you can have a really full 'highlight tour' of both parks with that Hopper and some proper planning and time-maximization techniques. First of all, since you go to WDW a lot, you can skip a lot of things in DL. Second, if DL gets too crowded, DCA is a good place to escape to where the crowds are not so heavy. Third, DCA is unique to CA. Fourth, much of what is in DCA now (like the whole entryway and other sites) will be gone or totally different in the next 2-3 years, so you should see what is there now while it is still there, before the overall 'theme' of the park changes to a 1920's era Los Angeles thing.

One DIS-er just returned from DCA, and she had planned to initially get a one-day Hopper but wanted to really do the park that was most unlike WDW. She ended up skipping the Hopper and did DCA only and was very pleased. Now I do think you should visit DL as well, but I think a Park Hopper is necessary.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

To be honest, I think that WDW vets who have visited WDW since Toy Story Midway Mania opened should skip DCA if they only have one day. IMO, the only spectacularly unique attraction to DCA with no counterpart whatsoever in WDW is Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular. Otherwise, every other major attraction is either a clone or very similar to something found at WDW.

I think that San Diego is around 90 minutes from Anaheim. You may be better off staying in a hotel in Anaheim than trying to leave early enough to be at Disneyland for park opening.

 

[mybestieismickey]

If you're driving from San Diego, I would give yourself more than 90 minutes to get to Disneyland. I've never done it to Anaheim, but it's not that much further to LA and I have driven it in anywhere from 2 hours to 4 hours. A drive like that is really at the mercy of traffic. That's a really early morning to be followed by a full day at the parks and then a drive back to San Diego. I too think you should come up the night before and stay in Anaheim.

As far as whether or not you should get a park hopper, look at the attractions at both parks and decide what must do's are for you. Personally, I love both parks and hate to miss the Aladdin show and I love the smaller crowds at DCA, but my parents usually only do day trips and just go to Disneyland.

 

[rowan1813]

Hey!! I hope you have a great time at DLR even if you only get to have one day.

As far as the driving time issue, as someone who lives in SD for about 10 months out of the year, I would allow at least 2 hours driving time if you are planning on leaving early in the morning in order to make it at the opening. I don't know if you're at all used to SoCal drivers and the freeways but they can be kinda crazy (I'm a SoCal driver and I still get scared driving through LA ) So I would allow at least a couple of hours for the morning rush out of SD (almost as bad as LA in some areas) and for parking at the Mickey & Friends structure (which I have heard can get very crowded, though I don't have any personal experience with).

As for your other questions, like Pomlover2586 said earlier, unless you're going to eating at any of those places, I wouldn't worry about PS's, you should be fine.
I would personally get a park hopper because there are some jewels to DCA such as 'it's a bug's life' and even Soarin' is different from the one in WDW. Oh and if you have the time to catch it, watch the Electrical Parade. It isn't the same status as what it used to be when it was the Main Street Electrical Parade but it is still very cute.

Hope this helps!!!

 

[bumbershoot]

How long it takes from San Diego is heavily dependent on WHERE in SD you're staying. My brother says he lives there, but he actually is in Chula Vista, and it takes OVER 2 hours to get from door to Harbor Blvd. Just getting to "the 5" as they say there (I just say I-5) takes half an hour.

So give yourself a solid 2 hours, at least.

And YES be there when the structure opens, so you can be there as early early as possible. Since your'e only there a day, you won't have multiple day tickets, so the "only" thing your brother will get is free admission (nothing to sneeze at!), and he'll have to get in line at a ticket booth.

Honestly, I'd consider swinging by to drop at least two people off on the Harbor side (I do not know where the drop-off is, but it's there)...your brother so he can get in the shorter ticket booth lines on the Harbor side of the esplanade to get his b'day ticket (and if no one else has tickets, he can buy the rest of the tix as well, even), and another person who can go get in line for DL.

Then the rest of the group can go park and take the tram, and your brother can meet the person in line. Everyone else can then join in.

I know you want to have family togetherness, oh I know! But the parking structure doesn't always open with enough time to get the ticket stuff taken care of, you'll be tempted to stand in line on the DTD side (longer longer longer ticket lines!), there will be child-dawdling, etc, and having a person get in line while your brother does his ticket stuff (and maybe tickets for everyone) will save you so much time and hassle for family togetherness for the rest of the day; it will be very worth it.

Since my brother lives in SD, and since I have a SIL who loves sleeping on her days off, I know very well what it's like to enter the parks a couple hours after it opens. It's not as fun as you might think! We were VERY lucky on our first visit, because the skies opened up as we pulled off the highway, and everyone ran away to their hotels. Considering how many people came into the parks after the rain went away, it would have been a bad morning if it hadn't rained.

You really want to be there well before opening. That even goes for DCA, if you're planning on Soarin' and Toy Story, especially Toy Story as there is no Fast Pass for it at DCA.

My family actually is close to preferring DCA over DL (we definitely prefer bug's land, with the exception of "it's tough to be a bug", over Fantasyland for small children), so we might not be the more objective, but if you're not going to do *just* DCA I would still think about hopping. Note: your brother will have to pay to make his free ticket a hopper!

Since getting up early enough from San Diego is hard, I highly highly recommend at least floating the idea of going up the evening before and staying over. It's worth *thinking* about. It's a long drive, it's a boring drive (as my 5 year old can attest to), and it's hard to keep the excitement. Even with no traffic, it's just long enough that people start to get sleepy just as you're approaching the exits, and that's annoying. It's also just the right length that you start to need the bathroom, especially if you had coffee, but it's such a relatively short ride that you don't WANT to stop for a break, which then leads to a painful walk to the parks, LOL. Trust me on that.


All that said, even if you get there 2+ hours after it opens, as long as you have a really open mind and basic ideas on where things are and what rides have FP etc, you can have a good day. Our second trip, another day trip, did not get the benefit of getting there early or a nice downpour, and it was a good day. Both of those day trips were spent only in DL. Once we got over to DCA the following year, we were SO sad we'd missed it on those visits, but it's OK that we didn't see it until then, b/c it was still there when we were ready for it. So your day should be good...it's just...staying overnight, or making sure you get there bright and early, dropping people off before parking, etc etc can make it even better.

 

[rowan1813]

bumbershoot you are very correct. I live in La Jolla so I manage to bypass most of the SD traffic but you are quite right; it all depends on where you are staying. GraceLuvsWDW, maybe if you could tell me where you are planning on staying in SD (Hotel Circle, etc.) I could give you a more accurate time estimate and what would be the best way for you to get out of the city.
The 5 can be a little boring but you could always go along the coastal highway for part of it; it makes for some nice scenery and a little bit better drive than just the 5, though there are some beautiful parts along the San Onofre stretch. FYI though, if you decide to go along the coastal highway, be aware that it doesn't take you all the way up to Orange County. You will have to get back on the 5 around Oceanside due to the obstructions of Camp Pendelton and San Onofre.

 

[bumbershoot]

Oh Rowan, how lucky are you to live in lovely La Jolla??!!!

 

[Eeee-va]

I think you could have fun doing just one park, but two parks can be fun too. I think it would be up to how much running you are willing to do. If you do not want to go commando-style, then I'd definitely stick with one park.

Aladdin is a fabulous show, but I don't think it will be running (I believe it runs Thursday - Sunday only). At least, that's how it was during a fairly busy time in mid-to-late June.

So without Aladdin, the MAJOR things I can think of that DCA has that you wouldn't have really seen in WDW are:

*Mickey's Fun Wheel (clone of the Wonder Wheel on Coney Island; if you like thrills, they have cars that roll down the track and stationary cars)
*California Screamin' (giant/long roller coaster that has music most of the time--some will think it's like Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, but I found RNRC fun, while California Screamin' is evil --a lot of folks here love it, though )
*Monsters Inc. ride - it's effectively a slightly-fancier-than-average dark ride, but I thought it was really cute. Love the movie, though.
*It's a Bug's Land - if you're going for the sake of the little ones it's a great place

Of course there will be a lot of smaller things as well, and restaurants/etc., but without the Aladdin show running while you're there, I would suggest you definitely look at the lists of rides and figure out if DCA is worth the money for you, or if you'd rather stay in DL. I know when I went to WDW for the first time I did Epcot and most of Hollywood Studios in one day, but spent a full day in the Magic Kingdom, even though the Magic Kingdom has fewer rides than DL's. But, hopping at the Disneyland Resort is MUCH easier--if you walk quickly it takes maybe 15 minutes, which is quicker than the wait for some of the buses to go between parks at WDW. So if you think it would be fun, you can definitely do it.

(Since time is of the essence, by the way, I would NOT personally go to Wine Country Trattoria. I thought the food was delicious but the service was slow. On such a short trip, I actually would personally just eat on the run. Bengal Barbecue has delicious meat skewers. )

I didn't find the Electrical Light Parade to be any better than Spectromagic--I would try to stake out seats for the 10:30 Fantasmic show in DL, if possible. Most people prefer it to WDW's. I would tell you to get a good spot for the fireworks to see Dumbo, but there's no guarantee that Dumbo will actually fly (and given the winds, there's not even a guarantee that fireworks will run at all--we waited for the fireworks for probably an hour or more and after wind warnings, they cut off in the middle). So if I just had one day, I would satisfy myself with seeing the fireworks from the Fantasmic area. Not sure you can make it through the whole day from opening through close, though?

 

[rowan1813]

It is nice, bumbershoot, living in La Jolla near the beach but I'm not entirely sure the cost of my rent is entirely worth it.

 

[Donald_Quackers]

I'll be in San Diego in less than a couple of weeks for the Comic Con, but I alotted 2 days at DL, spending the night at the DLH. Driving up on a Tuesday morning, and driving back Wednesday night.

I'll be posting a TR and let you know my experience with traffic, etc.

That's too bad on Aladdin. I was hoping to get to see that show.

 

[Sherry E]

You can easily do two parks in one day without doing it commando style. You just won't see everything there is to see, but that may not be necessary to everyone anyway. What is important to me to see may not be important to others, and vice versa. We all have our priorities. It is not really possible to even see all of Disneyland in one day, either, so may as well get a good 'highlight tour' of both parks in one full day. My friend did it just last year, with my guidance. She wasn't running around a lot (she had a young boy and an elderly mom in tow). She had one full day and part of an evening, and she almost skipped DCA, but she took my advice and included DCA in the mix and she was glad she did, because it was a good place to escape to when the crowds in DL got really heavy. They had a blast in DCA. In fact, if my friend and her son & mom had stayed until midnight, they could have gotten much more done, but they left at around 8:45 p.m., and from what she described to me, they got a lot accomplished in that one day, and even worked in a character meal at Goofy's. Also, they had just recently been to WDW, so she knew that there were certain things they didn't need to bother with in DL.

I think that anyone who has the chance to see DCA now, before it really begins to transform, should take it. It is not going to be the exactly same park - either in theming or in crowd level - in 2 - 3 years. The merchandise will be different, the landscape will be different, there will be different restaurants...I just think it shouldn't be missed right now, before it undergoes all the changes.

I agree with Bumbershoot - we can't miss DCA now on a trip. We spent an entire day in DCA last year without ever venturing over into DL at all, except to eat at Carnation. And then we were rght back to DCA again after eating! I grew up with DL, but I am going to DLR for about 1/2 a day in two weeks to get my Fun Card - we are not even staying until early evening - and we are doing both parks. We cannot miss DCA now because we love Monsters Inc., we love Soarin', we love A Bug's Land and we LOVE LOVE LOVE Toy Story (which apparently is slightly different from the version in WDW from what some recent reports have stated). We love Aladdin too. We don't do the commando-style of DLR trip (my friend would kill me), but we do enough of the things we like in both parks to get a really rewarding highlight tour.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I will answer one of the questions - since you do go to WDW a lot, I would say definitely get a one-day Park Hopper, especially if you have a FULL day and evening to spare. Most people will say just focus on Disneyland and skip DCA but I am a strong proponent of the Park Hopper, even for one day. You can get a lot done in one day, albeit not everything (you will have to skip many things), but you can have a really full 'highlight tour' of both parks with that Hopper and some proper planning and time-maximization techniques. First of all, since you go to WDW a lot, you can skip a lot of things in DL. Second, if DL gets too crowded, DCA is a good place to escape to where the crowds are not so heavy. Third, DCA is unique to CA. Fourth, much of what is in DCA now (like the whole entryway and other sites) will be gone or totally different in the next 2-3 years, so you should see what is there now while it is still there, before the overall 'theme' of the park changes to a 1920's era Los Angeles thing.

One DIS-er just returned from DCA, and she had planned to initially get a one-day Hopper but wanted to really do the park that was most unlike WDW. She ended up skipping the Hopper and did DCA only and was very pleased. Now I do think you should visit DL as well, but I think a Park Hopper is necessary.

I agree very much with the bolded statement above! I am a WDW regular as well. DCA is one of my favorite parks Disney has. I could never not go there. Be sure and do:

California Screamin
Grizzly River Run
Alladin show
Monsters Inc.
Bugs Land (the age of your kids is perfect for this area).

Those are all DCA "onlies" and very much worth doing. And of course Soarin is wonderful too. The ride itself is identical to Epcot's but the ride que is very different. And since you can hold fastpasses at DL and DCA at the same time, that's a nice perk too.

I'll also say to be sure and do the Fantasyland rides in DL that are only in DL. Casey's train, Storybookland Canal Boats, Pinnochio, Mr. Toad, Alice in Wonderland, Nemos Subs and Matterhorn.

Space Mountain is incredible at DL and a must do and Buzz is better at DL imho since the guns can be aimed out of the holders.

And I would also recommend you go to the Golden Horshoe for lunch and the show if you can fit in. That show is hilarious, kind of a cousin to the HDDR at Ft. Wildnerness in style. But actually funnier.

It will be a big day. Honestly, I wouldn't do a ps for anything. The Blue Bayou is very cool but very pricey and time consuming. Given your one day, I'd just stick with cs and focus on the parks. But that's just me! I do very much enjoy Goofy's Kitchen for a character meal and you can ride the monorail from inside DL right near to the DLH as a time saver. But to me, even though I love a lot of the dining at DL, for a one day trip, I wouldn't want to waste the time.

Have a great trip and let us know how it goes!

 

[Sherry E]

I like you more and more all the time, Amy&Dan!!! Naples, Goofy's Kitchen, the harmless walk from PPH, the pros of park hopping even in one day - I found my DISboard soulmate!!!

 

[Amy&Dan]

I like you more and more all the time, Amy&Dan!!! Naples, Goofy's Kitchen, the harmless walk from PPH, the pros of park hopping even in one day - I found my DISboard soulmate!!!

Its so true that great minds think alike! Congrats on becoming a moderator btw!!

 

[Golfing Goofy]

Well, here is my 2 cents... If you could swing it, I would also suggest staying in Anaheim the night before. You can spend the evening in DTD and if you want to do a character dining experience, you can go to Goofy's for dinner that night. It gets everyone into a Disney state of mind....And, as suggested already, you can skip doing any dining on your DL day and just do cs.


Also, I agree that being at the gates before opening makes a big difference when you have a limited time. We take many short trips through out the year and it is amazing how much you can accomplish ahead of crowd. The parking garage just doesn't open early enough for us.

HTH. Have a wonderful trip!!!

 

[Sherry E]

Its so true that great minds think alike! Congrats on becoming a moderator btw!!

So true! Thank you! All of my yapping in posts finally paid off, I guess!

Well, here is my 2 cents... If you could swing it, I would also suggest staying in Anaheim the night before. You can spend the evening in DTD and if you want to do a character dining experience, you can go to Goofy's for dinner that night. It gets everyone into a Disney state of mind....And, as suggested already, you can skip doing any dining on your DL day and just do cs.


Also, I agree that being at the gates before opening makes a big difference when you have a limited time. We take many short trips through out the year and it is amazing how much you can accomplish ahead of crowd. The parking garage just doesn't open early enough for us.

HTH. Have a wonderful trip!!!

OT, but Golfing Goofy, what time does the Mickey and Friend sparking structure open, by the way? Do you know off hand? My quickie trip in 2 weeks will actually be my first foray into the M&F parking structure for free AP parking (we usually stay at one of the DLR hotels and use that parking), and I was wondering how early to get there.

 

[bumbershoot]

It is nice, bumbershoot, living in La Jolla near the beach but I'm not entirely sure the cost of my rent is entirely worth it.

Oh I can only imagine.



Grizzly was mentioned...I want to make sure that the OP knows that the height req for that is 42". I know people think it's just like Kali, but Kali has a req that's something like 4 inches shorter than Grizzly. If the younger kiddo is a munchkin who has been on Kali, it's worth knowing ahead of time.

 

[Albort]

So true! Thank you! All of my yapping in posts finally paid off, I guess!



OT, but Golfing Goofy, what time does the Mickey and Friend sparking structure open, by the way? Do you know off hand? My quickie trip in 2 weeks will actually be my first foray into the M&F parking structure for free AP parking (we usually stay at one of the DLR hotels and use that parking), and I was wondering how early to get there.

i think only like an hour before park opens, or 2 hours. :| I remember going to parking at 7:30 but they wouldnt let us through just yet. i think park opened at 9 that day too.