DLR First timer, WDW vet here - need some planning help...

[telecomguy]

So we're going to be in California from 7/28 through 8/4, staying at Hyatt Orange County. We're from the east coast, so we'll be flying on 7/28 and 8/4. We have 5 day park hopper tickets, so we're going to be at the parks 7/29 - 8/1, taking a break on 8/2 (Sunday), and then back to the parks on 8/3. It's me, DW, DS (12), DD (10), and DD (5).

So I have a couple of questions:

• Based on the AP blackout calendar, I figured Saturday 8/1 would be a better day for the parks because more of the AP's are blacked out on Saturday than Sunday. I remember reading on another site (can't remember which) that you should visit on Sundays normally, and Saturdays during the summer. Is this still true?
  
  
• In doing my reading on here, I know I should use my MM at DL early in my trip. The first day we can do that is 7/30, but that's also a day that DCA doesn't have an EMH. Would it be better to do rope drop at DCA on Thursday morning and save the MM for DL until Saturday? Or use the MM on Thursday and do rope drop at DCA on Saturday?
  
  
• I've got my touring at WDW dow; I know that at MK and Epcot you tour one side of the park one day and the other side of the park another day, but what about DL and DCA? I have an Unofficial Guide from 2014, and it's got it's touring plans in there. I also signed up for RideMax the other night, but I don't know how I should really be picking rides to make a RideMax plan. Should I just try to make sure we ride all of the stuff we really want to ride in a touring plan, and then if we have extra time, hit the other stuff? Are there really any tips like "ride these one day, and these another day"?

Thanks in advance for any help. Hopefully I'm not overthinking things here.

-Matt

 

[ADLFAN]

On our first trip I tried A Touring Plan, but pretty much the moment I got there, it went out the window in favor of doing that awesome looking ride, or that ride with the super short line right now, and we sort of let the Plan die.

It is super easy to go and hop between the two parks, and you can hold Fast passes for both simultaneously.

I recommend ignoring the Fast pass machines for the first hour or two, and go on rides without Fastpass like the Matterhorn and Nemo's Submarines which have shorter lines first thing that grow and stay steady all day, then using them to start collection of Fast passes for the big rides which you'll cover in the early afternoon. I had no issues going from Tomorrowland to Adventureland to grab Fastpasses for later that evening, I think Disneyland is pretty compact.

For our upcoming trip, I plan to write down the show times for a few things: the Frozen Singalong, Mickey and the Magical Map, the Pixar Play Parade, Aladdin, and all of the new night time shows. Hopefully we can agree on one show per day to commit to, preferably in the hot afternoon.

Beyond that, I find that even I want to deviate from my own plan so often, it just isn't worth it.

 

[telecomguy]

Beyond that, I find that even I want to deviate from my own plan so often, it just isn't worth it.

I usually find that we stick to the plan pretty well at WDW. Although the last two years at WDW, we used the EasyWDW plans, which is following a plan in the morning and doing whatever you want after lunch. We rode 20+ rides in a day on the Tomorrowland/Fantasyland side of MK, so I know how to stay ahead of the crowds.

We're also planning on taking an afternoon break and going back to the hotel and resting so we're good to go for the evening. But if it's better that I don't stick to a plan, I'm alright with that. I've got the MouseWait app on my phone, so I guess I should watch it for the next couple of weeks and see how the crowds build during the day so I can get an idea. But we're also going in the summer, and it's around the 60th, so are the crowds going to be worse than usual?

 

[hpfan100]

You don't need a strict plan at the land. You just need to decide what rides to hit early on after that just do shows and whatever strikes your fancy. For your magic morning I recommend using it Thursday. Saturday will be busy even without pass holders.

These are the plans my hubs and I use in the mornings.
Disneyland focus on fantasyland- ride Peter pan, dumbo, Alice, tea cups, Matterhorn both sides, mr. Toad, Pinocchio, Snow White...then we head to big thunder, Pirates, haunted mansion, splash and pooh...after all that we just wing it from there.---- this would work great for your magic morning day...you might want to add canal boats, Casey train and nemo subs before heading to thunder

Disneyland focus on thrills--- space usually two times, buzz, jungle cruise, Indy, Pirates, mansion, splash usually twice, pooh...then after that whatever we want

California adventure--- toy story usually twice, screamin usually twice, silly swings, little mermaid, get fast pass for racers, mater usually twice, then whatever we feel like

Option 2 for California--- racers, mater, grab fastpass for later, toy story, screamin, silly swings, little mermaid...then whatever we feel like


Usually we take break mid day as well and during it plan our evening choices...we like the shows, thunder, splash, railroad, dumbo, racers and screamin at night.

 

[HydroGuy]

So we're going to be in California from 7/28 through 8/4, staying at Hyatt Orange County. We're from the east coast, so we'll be flying on 7/28 and 8/4. We have 5 day park hopper tickets, so we're going to be at the parks 7/29 - 8/1, taking a break on 8/2 (Sunday), and then back to the parks on 8/3. It's me, DW, DS (12), DD (10), and DD (5).

So I have a couple of questions:

• Based on the AP blackout calendar, I figured Saturday 8/1 would be a better day for the parks because more of the AP's are blacked out on Saturday than Sunday. I remember reading on another site (can't remember which) that you should visit on Sundays normally, and Saturdays during the summer. Is this still true?

No one seems to know this for sure anymore around here but if it were me I would skip the Sunday just like you planned for the same reason you give.

However, there are other things only you know that might weigh more heavily. For example, I would think a rest day after three park days which leaves two more park days after would be better than four straight days then a rest day then a final day at the parks. That would mean Saturday could be a better day off than Sunday. To hedge I would make dining reservations for Saturday AND Sunday then play it by ear and cancel those on the day you decide to rest. Other than dining reservations I don't see a problem with you just deciding on Saturday vs. Sunday at the last minute (say Friday evening) based on how everyone feels.

• In doing my reading on here, I know I should use my MM at DL early in my trip. The first day we can do that is 7/30, but that's also a day that DCA doesn't have an EMH. Would it be better to do rope drop at DCA on Thursday morning and save the MM for DL until Saturday? Or use the MM on Thursday and do rope drop at DCA on Saturday?

You have five park days. So I would not sweat it as you will have time for everything. With that said, I would shoot for using MM on Thursday the 30th. I would tend to do DL on the 29th, do DL MM on the 30th then hop to DCA early, and go from there. If things do not work out that way (like say you are too tired to do MM on the 30th after a DL day the day before) just let it slide. You will be fine with five days.

• I've got my touring at WDW dow; I know that at MK and Epcot you tour one side of the park one day and the other side of the park another day, but what about DL and DCA? I have an Unofficial Guide from 2014, and it's got it's touring plans in there. I also signed up for RideMax the other night, but I don't know how I should really be picking rides to make a RideMax plan. Should I just try to make sure we ride all of the stuff we really want to ride in a touring plan, and then if we have extra time, hit the other stuff? Are there really any tips like "ride these one day, and these another day"?

Hmmm, that is kind of hard to answer. First I would repeat what I said earlier - you have five days and it will all work out. With that said, here is how I would approach things:

1. Make your best decision on night time shows - WOC, Fantasmic, Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever. Do you want to see them all? I think you should if you were to ask me. It will be a bit tough for DD5 and the mutliple late nights. But, again, you have five days. You should be able to do PTN and DL on the same night. But that still would take three nights unless you tried to really cram and do do F! on the same night as PTN and DF. OK with that said, if Saturday is your off day then Friday would be a good night to stay out late with the chance to sleep in the next day. Personally I would plan PTN and DF for that night. Then do WOC or F! before the break and the other after the break.

Once you have a game plan for night time shows, and you have an idea which parks on which days (avoid the EMH park when possible), then work your plans using UOG and/or RM from there.

Also, since you are from Eastern time then doing a late night on the 29th will be tough. So I would not do a night time show that night.


2. Mornings are critical at DLR like WDW - maybe more so. I am not sure exactly where the Hyatt is but if you have the chance to do afternoon breaks try and do them.


3. When you have an idea which days will be later nights, which day will be the day off, and whether you can do an afternoon breaks, then start looking at ride planning. There are few rides at DLR that really must be done first thing in the morning. A list of those would be:

Peter Pan (no FP at DL)
TSMM (unless you can handle a 40 minute wait later in the day - not as bad as DHS but still...)

and maybe to some degree...

Matterhorn
Alice in Wonderland
Mr. Toad
StorybookLand Canal Boats
Nemo Subs
Mickey's Fun Wheel
Jungle Cruise

Pretty much everything else you can FP or do at various times of the day without an excessive wait.

So, plan those for the mornings and/or get your FPs. And plan some for the evenings that have a different experience day vs. night.

Hope that gives you a better starting point.

 

[GatorChris]

The secret to DL is to "take it easy". It's very hard for a WDW vet to do that....I know. It took me several trips before I could chill. But if you can figure this out early, you'll really love the feeling of DL.

 

[telecomguy]

No one seems to know this for sure anymore around here but if it were me I would skip the Sunday just like you planned for the same reason you give.

However, there are other things only you know that might weigh more heavily. For example, I would think a rest day after three park days which leaves two more park days after would be better than four straight days then a rest day then a final day at the parks. That would mean Saturday could be a better day off than Sunday. To hedge I would make dining reservations for Saturday AND Sunday then play it by ear and cancel those on the day you decide to rest. Other than dining reservations I don't see a problem with you just deciding on Saturday vs. Sunday at the last minute (say Friday evening) based on how everyone feels.

We only have one dining reservation, since we're paying for dining out of pocket (always had free dining during our WDW trips), we're trying to minimize the amount of money we're spending. We had a reservation for Goofy's Kitchen on Sunday morning (10:10am), I just made one for Saturday morning (10:30am). So we've got our options now. One question that is now added, it says I need to cancel 1 day before the reservation, is that 24 hours, or can I cancel up to 11:59pm the day before? Can't seem to find anything specific in a Google search from recently. Someone on Disney Food Blog said they were able to cancel up to 11:59pm the day before, but that was 2 years ago, and it was also WDW.

You have five park days. So I would not sweat it as you will have time for everything. With that said, I would shoot for using MM on Thursday the 30th. I would tend to do DL on the 29th, do DL MM on the 30th then hop to DCA early, and go from there. If things do not work out that way (like say you are too tired to do MM on the 30th after a DL day the day before) just let it slide. You will be fine with five days.

You think that will still be the case with the 60th stuff going on? Am I just worrying too much about that? I know it's summer and it's going to be a littler busier, but from what I understand, not like WDW levels. I'm wondering if it's going to be similar to what we see in the fall when we go to WDW.

Hmmm, that is kind of hard to answer. First I would repeat what I said earlier - you have five days and it will all work out. With that said, here is how I would approach things:

1. Make your best decision on night time shows - WOC, Fantasmic, Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever. Do you want to see them all? I think you should if you were to ask me. It will be a bit tough for DD5 and the mutliple late nights. But, again, you have five days. You should be able to do PTN and DL on the same night. But that still would take three nights unless you tried to really cram and do do F! on the same night as PTN and DF. OK with that said, if Saturday is your off day then Friday would be a good night to stay out late with the chance to sleep in the next day. Personally I would plan PTN and DF for that night. Then do WOC or F! before the break and the other after the break.

Once you have a game plan for night time shows, and you have an idea which parks on which days (avoid the EMH park when possible), then work your plans using UOG and/or RM from there.

Also, since you are from Eastern time then doing a late night on the 29th will be tough. So I would not do a night time show that night.

Yes, we are planning on doing all of those shows. I was planning on seeing Fantasmic! on the 29th, I think I will get FPs to use for that night, and play if by ear depending on how we feel. If we're too tired, we can skip it. I know we'll have to adjust to the time there, though. Luckily we get into SNA at 12:10pm on the 28th, and we have all afternoon to relax and can have an early night. But we can see how it goes. I had been planning on getting a spot to watch PTN around IASW, and I heard some people say that it a good place to watch DLF as well.

As for avoiding the EMH, that really only applies to the morning through, correct? After a break in the afternoon, either park is in play because of how the crowds work, correct?

2. Mornings are critical at DLR like WDW - maybe more so. I am not sure exactly where the Hyatt is but if you have the chance to do afternoon breaks try and do them.

The Hyatt is across from the Super Target on the corner of Chapman and Harbor. According to Google, it's about 1.5 mile walk, but they have a shuttle. I kind of wish that we were a little closer, like Best Western or something like that, but we'll have to deal with it. We are good at getting out in the morning, I've gotten us used to that at WDW. But we're definitely doing breaks in the middle of the day, and DW has already bought into that. I'm lucky in the fact that she lets me do the planning and she goes along with it.

3. When you have an idea which days will be later nights, which day will be the day off, and whether you can do an afternoon breaks, then start looking at ride planning. There are few rides at DLR that really must be done first thing in the morning. A list of those would be:

Peter Pan (no FP at DL)
TSMM (unless you can handle a 40 minute wait later in the day - not as bad as DHS but still...)

and maybe to some degree...

Matterhorn
Alice in Wonderland
Mr. Toad
StorybookLand Canal Boats
Nemo Subs
Mickey's Fun Wheel
Jungle Cruise

Pretty much everything else you can FP or do at various times of the day without an excessive wait.

So, plan those for the mornings and/or get your FPs. And plan some for the evenings that have a different experience day vs. night.

Hope that gives you a better starting point.

Thanks, that really helps me out and gets me to a good starting point. You didn't list RSR though. Is that because of FP? Is it bad at night? I would think many people would want to ride it at night as well, because of the scenery. I think the best part of some rides in WDW is the night-time views (Astro Orbiter, BTMM, Splash, Test Track, 7DMT, Dumbo, etc).

 

[telecomguy]

The secret to DL is to "take it easy". It's very hard for a WDW vet to do that....I know. It took me several trips before I could chill. But if you can figure this out early, you'll really love the feeling of DL.

Thanks for the tip. I'm hoping once we get there and see how it is, we can settle into a groove. Based on your signature, looks like maybe you're a convert from WDW to DL? Or did you just take a break from WDW? DW is saying we might get hooked onto DL. Might be for the best anyways, since everything that is happening with DHS.

 

[telecomguy]

You don't need a strict plan at the land. You just need to decide what rides to hit early on after that just do shows and whatever strikes your fancy. For your magic morning I recommend using it Thursday. Saturday will be busy even without pass holders.

These are the plans my hubs and I use in the mornings.
Disneyland focus on fantasyland- ride Peter pan, dumbo, Alice, tea cups, Matterhorn both sides, mr. Toad, Pinocchio, Snow White...then we head to big thunder, Pirates, haunted mansion, splash and pooh...after all that we just wing it from there.---- this would work great for your magic morning day...you might want to add canal boats, Casey train and nemo subs before heading to thunder

Disneyland focus on thrills--- space usually two times, buzz, jungle cruise, Indy, Pirates, mansion, splash usually twice, pooh...then after that whatever we want

California adventure--- toy story usually twice, screamin usually twice, silly swings, little mermaid, get fast pass for racers, mater usually twice, then whatever we feel like

Option 2 for California--- racers, mater, grab fastpass for later, toy story, screamin, silly swings, little mermaid...then whatever we feel like


Usually we take break mid day as well and during it plan our evening choices...we like the shows, thunder, splash, railroad, dumbo, racers and screamin at night.

Thanks for the input. Really helps me get an idea of how we need to focus our time in the morning. I really prefer to get stuff out of the way in the morning and take it easy in the afternoon and find stuff that doesn't have a wait. Sounds like that is the prevailing thought in DLR as well.

 

[hiroMYhero]

You think that will still be the case with the 60th stuff going on? Am I just worrying too much about that? I know it's summer and it's going to be a littler busier, but from what I understand, not like WDW levels. I'm wondering if it's going to be similar to what we see in the fall when we go to WDW.

We are DL and WDW vets and didn't see much crowd level difference between our late April WDW visit and our DLR visit this past Thursday.

I think you'll be fine planning for early mornings and following the "chill" advice. We hopped three times on Thursday and never were in a speed-walk mode - I found this interesting because our WDW CM friend was with us and we are usually walking at hyper speed. We accomplished a lot and that was with a 4:30p arrival due to our friend's flight change.

When we do enter DCA at opening, we follow the advice of @HydroGuy for his wide-right RSR technique - best advice ever!!

 

[GatorChris]

Thanks for the tip. I'm hoping once we get there and see how it is, we can settle into a groove. Based on your signature, looks like maybe you're a convert from WDW to DL? Or did you just take a break from WDW? DW is saying we might get hooked onto DL. Might be for the best anyways, since everything that is happening with DHS.

The main reason for the switch is money. I live 330 miles from Anaheim and nearly 3000 to Orlando. It would take $2K just to get to FL vs. $100 round trip gas. Comparing resort to resort, I can get more bang for my buck going to WDW. But the travel is excessive when we have another option.

I have been a huge WDW fan and still remain one. You can really get into the bubble there - not so much here in CA. But there's a lot of good stuff happening at these parks, so it's good timing for us. For one, I love Legacy FP. I get to do what I want when I want and where I want. So much easier than booking rides months in advance. Also, you can book a restaurant a few days out quite easily or just go to the many counter service places here. And a lot of the rides are better than the sister rides in Orlando. Not all, but some.

Also, all the changes at WDW have got me down. My favorite Icon was the Sorcerer's Hat. When I got back from my first trip, it's all we could think about...getting back to see the Hat at our then favorite park. DHS seems to be a mess right now. And Epcot took out my favorite live act, the World Showcase Players. This was THE act that really helped me understand what Epcot was about, and thus what WDW is about. And they took it out for a lame celtic band. Bad form.

So - add in the WDW decline to the finance piece and you know why I've switched. I'd like to go back to WDW one day, but I'd have to make a lot of extra money and WDW would really have to get their stuff together.

 

[HydroGuy]

We only have one dining reservation, since we're paying for dining out of pocket (always had free dining during our WDW trips), we're trying to minimize the amount of money we're spending. We had a reservation for Goofy's Kitchen on Sunday morning (10:10am), I just made one for Saturday morning (10:30am). So we've got our options now. One question that is now added, it says I need to cancel 1 day before the reservation, is that 24 hours, or can I cancel up to 11:59pm the day before? Can't seem to find anything specific in a Google search from recently. Someone on Disney Food Blog said they were able to cancel up to 11:59pm the day before, but that was 2 years ago, and it was also WDW.

I am pretty sure DLR and WDW work the same in this regard.

You think that will still be the case with the 60th stuff going on?

Yes.

Am I just worrying too much about that?

Yes.

I'm wondering if it's going to be similar to what we see in the fall when we go to WDW.

I have never been to WDW in the Fall so can't say. I just know DLR aside from DLR's more crowded "feeling" (because it is physically smaller) you can get a lot more done at DLR than at WDW. Waits for rides are shorter and distances are shorter.

Yes, we are planning on doing all of those shows. I was planning on seeing Fantasmic! on the 29th, I think I will get FPs to use for that night, and play if by ear depending on how we feel. If we're too tired, we can skip it. I know we'll have to adjust to the time there, though. Luckily we get into SNA at 12:10pm on the 28th, and we have all afternoon to relax and can have an early night. But we can see how it goes. I had been planning on getting a spot to watch PTN around IASW, and I heard some people say that it a good place to watch DLF as well.

I have not seen PTN or DF yet (next month, week after you are there ) but from what I understand DF is best seen from somewhere near Main Street. I am definitely planning to do that myself.

As for avoiding the EMH, that really only applies to the morning through, correct? After a break in the afternoon, either park is in play because of how the crowds work, correct?

Yes to both. Pretty much any time one hour after park opening the EMH/MM no longer matters. I should have qualified my response more in this regard. It is not at all like WDW where EMH parks sway things heavily.

Thanks, that really helps me out and gets me to a good starting point. You didn't list RSR though. Is that because of FP? Is it bad at night? I think the best part of some rides in WDW is the night-time views (Astro Orbiter, BTMM, Splash, Test Track, 7DMT, Dumbo, etc).

Yes because RSR has FP. And many (probably most) would say RSR is better at night than day. I would plan at least one day ride and one night ride Using FP or - if you are with the older kids - Single Rider.

As for rides that are worth repeating night vs day, RSR for sure. BTMRR, ToT, CA Screamin, Matterhorn and maybe Splash Mtn and GRR.

 

[telecomguy]

The main reason for the switch is money. I live 330 miles from Anaheim and nearly 3000 to Orlando. It would take $2K just to get to FL vs. $100 round trip gas. Comparing resort to resort, I can get more bang for my buck going to WDW. But the travel is excessive when we have another option.

I can understand the distance thing. I really wish we lived closer to either one of the Disney parks. We're 15 hours from WDW, and I drove twice, but it's a waste of 2-3 days for us to get there.

I have been a huge WDW fan and still remain one. You can really get into the bubble there - not so much here in CA. But there's a lot of good stuff happening at these parks, so it's good timing for us. For one, I love Legacy FP. I get to do what I want when I want and where I want. So much easier than booking rides months in advance. Also, you can book a restaurant a few days out quite easily or just go to the many counter service places here. And a lot of the rides are better than the sister rides in Orlando. Not all, but some.

That's one of the things I really do like about WDW. You get there and the real world is pushed aside, and then you hate to go back to real life. lol. I'm looking forward to legacy FP, but I did good working the FP+ system last year too. I did find out that I could book a restaurant yesterday without a problem, as I got a Goofy's Kitchen reservation for 8/1 without an issue.

Also, all the changes at WDW have got me down. My favorite Icon was the Sorcerer's Hat. When I got back from my first trip, it's all we could think about...getting back to see the Hat at our then favorite park. DHS seems to be a mess right now. And Epcot took out my favorite live act, the World Showcase Players. This was THE act that really helped me understand what Epcot was about, and thus what WDW is about. And they took it out for a lame celtic band. Bad form.

I'm kind of torn over the Hat. While I think it was cool to look down Hollywood Blvd and see the Hat, I actually like seeing the pics of the park without it and being able to see the Chinese Theater. And I honestly never stopped to see the World Showcase Players, but I know they were really popular.

So - add in the WDW decline to the finance piece and you know why I've switched. I'd like to go back to WDW one day, but I'd have to make a lot of extra money and WDW would really have to get their stuff together.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[figment_jii]

In doing my reading on here, I know I should use my MM at DL early in my trip. The first day we can do that is 7/30, but that's also a day that DCA doesn't have an EMH. Would it be better to do rope drop at DCA on Thursday morning and save the MM for DL until Saturday? Or use the MM on Thursday and do rope drop at DCA on Saturday?

It's worth noting that DCA and DL rarely have EMH on the same day. So, in most cases, if DL is having EMH/MM, then DCA is not going to have an EMH that same morning. I agree with HydroGuy that I would do MM on the first morning you can. It doesn't really have anything to do with dates, but it's because I usually have the most energy early in the trip!

I've got my touring at WDW dow; I know that at MK and Epcot you tour one side of the park one day and the other side of the park another day, but what about DL and DCA? I have an Unofficial Guide from 2014, and it's got it's touring plans in there. I also signed up for RideMax the other night, but I don't know how I should really be picking rides to make a RideMax plan. Should I just try to make sure we ride all of the stuff we really want to ride in a touring plan, and then if we have extra time, hit the other stuff? Are there really any tips like "ride these one day, and these another day"?

I would echo all of the suggestions to just go with the flow and not worry to much about trying to follow any specific touring plan. I've heard about folks trying to only do half of he park, but given how easy it is to move around and between the parks, I would be more inclined to just follow you interests and do whatever looks good when you're there. DLR has a lot crammed into a small space, but everything is easy to get to and it doesn't take much time to go from one side of the park to the other. I think you'll be fine just "going with the flow!"

 

[telecomguy]

I am pretty sure DLR and WDW work the same in this regard.

I think I'm probably going to call Disneyland's reservations line and speak to a CM and get the official word. I would hate to have to pay $50 for a reservation that we didn't keep.

Yes.

Yes.

I'm hoping you're right.

I have never been to WDW in the Fall so can't say. I just know DLR aside from DLR's more crowded "feeling" (because it is physically smaller) you can get a lot more done at DLR than at WDW. Waits for rides are shorter and distances are shorter.

Fall in WDW doesn't have wall to wall people, although it is somewhat busy because people in the southern hemisphere are there because it's their spring and summer breaks. If summer days are 9 and 10's (in Touring Plans crowd numbers), fall is like 6's and 7's.

I have not seen PTN or DF yet (next month, week after you are there ) but from what I understand DF is best seen from somewhere near Main Street. I am definitely planning to do that myself.

I might have to plan to see DF first and then catch the PTN second run, or do them on separate nights. I was trying to avoid spending too much time sitting around waiting for parades and fireworks, plus we don't usually have one person wait while the other does other things with the kids. We're there to spend time together and see things as a family, and I enjoy when DW and all the kids experience things with me.

Yes to both. Pretty much any time one hour after park opening the EMH/MM no longer matters. I should have qualified my response more in this regard. It is not at all like WDW where EMH parks sway things heavily.

Thanks, that's helpful.

Yes because RSR has FP. And many (probably most) would say RSR is better at night than day. I would plan at least one day ride and one night ride Using FP or - if you are with the older kids - Single Rider.

Can't wait to ride that at night. Both myself and the older two love Test Track, and hoping that this being Cars themed, the youngest will like it better than Test Track. She rode TT once, and was done after that.

As for rides that are worth repeating night vs day, RSR for sure. BTMRR, ToT, CA Screamin, Matterhorn and maybe Splash Mtn and GRR.

Awesome, thanks for the tips on the nighttime rides.

 

[figment_jii]

I think I'm probably going to call Disneyland's reservations line and speak to a CM and get the official word. I would hate to have to pay $50 for a reservation that we didn't keep.

My guess is that you're going to get a vague answer from the CM. I've asked in the past and some seem to say it's 11:59 pm, others say it's 24-hours, and one even said it meant a full day before (so basically 24+ hours). I would try calling more than once to see if you can get a consistent answer (rather than just take the first CM's answer). When they first instituted the cancellation fee, there was specific language on the website that said reservations had to be cancelled by 11:59 pm, but that was removed soon thereafter.

 

[telecomguy]

It's worth noting that DCA and DL rarely have EMH on the same day. So, in most cases, if DL is having EMH/MM, then DCA is not going to have an EMH that same morning. I agree with HydroGuy that I would do MM on the first morning you can. It doesn't really have anything to do with dates, but it's because I usually have the most energy early in the trip!

I was more worried about which one would be more crowded on Saturday (or Sunday, depending on which day I take my break). But I'm going with our MM on Thursday. I think if we do the hopping part right, we should be able to do a lot of stuff at DCA too.

I would echo all of the suggestions to just go with the flow and not worry to much about trying to follow any specific touring plan. I've heard about folks trying to only do half of he park, but given how easy it is to move around and between the parks, I would be more inclined to just follow you interests and do whatever looks good when you're there. DLR has a lot crammed into a small space, but everything is easy to get to and it doesn't take much time to go from one side of the park to the other. I think you'll be fine just "going with the flow!"

I'm starting to go with the flow now. I'm getting into my Cali frame of mind. That's hard for us east coasters.

 

[telecomguy]

My guess is that you're going to get a vague answer from the CM. I've asked in the past and some seem to say it's 11:59 pm, others say it's 24-hours, and one even said it meant a full day before (so basically 24+ hours). I would try calling more than once to see if you can get a consistent answer (rather than just take the first CM's answer). When they first instituted the cancellation fee, there was specific language on the website that said reservations had to be cancelled by 11:59 pm, but that was removed soon thereafter.

Thanks for the tip. Wonder if they had too many people abusing it.