Do DLR Dis'ers Park Hop or NOT?

[Hound 109]

Note: I posted this in June 2007 because i was amazed at the number of people who didn't park hop at DLR. Probably because they're used to NOT parkhopping at WDW. HydroGuy decided to include this thead in his list of super threads & it gets bumped from time to time. Although over 3 years old, the opinions & comments are still valid.

Park hopping at DLR is an easy & effective method of touring.....especially during more busy times. Read the many posts below for reasons why.


Obviously those who buy one day DL tickets (that are not park hoppers) don't.

But it seems alot folks who have been posting questions will state that "WED will be my DCA day" or "we're saving DCA for our last day". Do people who have 2+ day Park Hoppers really not HOP?

I could understand if one is driving in from somewhere else for just the day...... but if staying within walking distance of the parks & visiting for 2+ days, why on earth would one not PARK HOP each day??

DCA is 100 yards from the DL front gate. (a much shorter walk in comparison..... than it is from the bus drop at WDW Magic Kingdom .......to the WDW Magic Kingdom front gate, btw.)

When we went to DLR, we would walk into DCA at least once a day (sometimes twice) for a couple of hours on our way out of DL in the late morning (or early afternoon) or on our way back into DL in the evening. Note: This works particularly well if you enter DL early & then plan on a mid afternoon nap/swim/rest.

Also, we'd pick up FP from Soarin (or Screamin) & Griz Rapids when we strolled through. And DCA has good places to eat lunch that are less crowded than DL.

Most importantly to me, I would NEVER give up a DL early morning (by far the BEST time to tour DL) in favor of DCA (which opens 1 - 2 hours later).

We definitely DO all of DCA....but we'd DO it in 2 - 3 hour chunks over our 3-4 day trip. (and usually at times that DL would be the most crowded)



Unless one is sleeping in one day (on say a 3-5 day visit)....most Disers would agree that a typical day if one wanted to avoid lines & crowds (& be most productive) at Disneyland Resort might resemble the following schedule:

- Be at the security tent 35-40 minutes before general admission opening. (or 30 - 40 min. before Magic Morning opening).
- Be one of the first few families at the DisneyLand turnstile.
- Tour DL in uncrowded bliss & collect FPs at DL for 2 - 3 hours.
- Hop to DCA (with 3-5 DL FPs in your pocket that you will use in the late afternoon or evening at DL).
- Tour (& possibly collect a couple of FPs) DCA for 1-3 hours.
- Take a mid day break for 2-5 hours. (avoiding the crowded afternoon at DL) Nap/swim/rest or do all three.
- Return to DCA if you want.... (or if you have a FP or two to use) or if you've done enough in DCA that day, just return to DL.
- Return to DL in the late afternoon or early evening. If it's crowded, no problem since you'll have 3-5 FPs for use (that you picked up that morning).
- Rinse & Repeat each day.


See Hydroguy's informative thread for one example of productive touring:

"Getting the Most Out of FastPass During High Season" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885132

& check out my one day trip report (linked in my signature below) for another example.


hound.


Hound's One Day Commando Tour thru DLR. 38 rides, 6 meals & 6 snacks.

Not for the faint of heart, but LOTS of info for the WDW Vet visiting for one or two days:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1975805

 

[disneyscootergal]

Hound, you're not alone--we always hop! My DS and DH love Screamin' and TOT, so they head over to DCA as soon as it opens. My DD and I usually stay in FL for most of the morning, and then we join the boys for lunch at DCA.

Other than that, we like taking advantage of FPs in both parks, so that usually keeps us "hopping" on and off all day.

Why limit yourself, I always say!

 

[DangerMouse]

Oh yeah! I'm a hopper!

 

[brenda1966]

Yep, I hop. Like a bunny.

I have 4 days planned for our trip. On 3 of them we visit both parks throughout the day. Our final day we'll concentrate on DL before we have to catch our plane.

When it only takes 5-10 minutes to hop -- there's little reason not to!

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

I've seen that a lot too, people will do 2 full days at DL and then one day at DCA. We even talked to a few people at DL in line that do this. Not us, we hop, we hop every day we are there.

Sometimes it's because of the crowd levels, or just because we want to ride a certain ride at that point in time (hopped a few times because DH and DS wanted to do Screamin).

Guess it doesn't really matter, but I think we get the most out of the trip hopping back and forth when we feel like it, rather then devoting days to each park.

 

[c&m]

We always hop. Can't help ourselves. That's just the kind of people we are.

Countdown to DL/DCA: 24 days!!!!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

we hop for sure. why not catch everything that way and diffrent things play diffrent days

 

[disneegrl4eva]

oh i hop till i drop

 

[disneychrista]

I am sure it is those who are plannning their first trips who plan to do only do one park each day. When they get there and realize how easy it is to hop, my guess they will change their mind.

We hop like bunny's when we are there. We usuallly start off at DL then hop over to DCA then hop back.

 

[deletedpenguin]

I go whenever, wherever I please, after all I'm on vacation.

 

[PigletGurl]

i always do the same thing. i got to DL from 8-10 and from 10-3 im at CA. and then go to a mall and come back at like 6 or 7 to DL.

 

[PigletGurl]

in that two hour period from 8am - 10am i always manage to go at least once on Star Tours, Buzz, Space, PP, Snow White, Matterhorn, Pinocchio, Indy, POTC, Haunted Mansion. then i head to DCA and do ToT like 5 times in a row (using fast passes = more times) and lines at like 10;30- 11;00 are at the most a fifteen minute wait.

 

[DisneyDotty]

I'm a hopper, too. The parks are so close to each other--why not? And hooray--just booked a trip for this Thanksgiving--first time my parents will be going! They're not quite the Disney freaks that we are, but they'll be hopping, too!

 

[mickey+minnie91]

WeLLLL, I have been to DL numerous times and I have to admit that Ive never hopped back and forth! I guess I never found a need for it but maybe this time I will change it up a bit. We were also planning on heading back to the hotel after lunch to rest and a dip in the pool on most of the days.....

HMMM now you got me thinkin.....

 

[JadeDarkstar]

hay im gona do the monarail back to my hotel if i can and then rest for few hours. after lunch it will stop us from burnbing so bad and can go play in pool

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

We hop when given a reason to hop. When there is no reason to hop, we stay put. That said, there are several key things about DLR vs WDW that should make one consider hopping a lot more at DLR.

1. Hours of the parks.
Most WDW parks open at 9 with emh at 8. Closing hours are different but in the summer, only MK is open significantly later than all the others.
Not so at DLR. DCA usually opens after DL and closes before DL. This means even on a day where you plan to spend most of it at DCA, you can still do some DL, then hop over, then hop back.
2. Crowds.
DL is busier most days than is DCA. This means during the busy part of the day, hopping to DCA can be productive. Mk is the busiest park in WDW most of the time. But not quite so much of a difference between Mk and the other parks as between DL and DCA.
3. Days of week.
Weekends are very busy at DL on average and Weekdays less so. Because DL is generally busier, this will mean Also on trips that last say Saturday-Tuesday, you will want to be hopping to DCA on the weekend for Aladdin. And if it's the off season, the big parades as well.
This is not the case at WDW where weekends aren't any busier than the weekday and there is no need to go to any particular park on a weekend to get the big shows in.
4. Proximity. It's 100 yards at DLR. Last ride to first ride hop time is about 10-15 minutes. Over at WDW by the time you walk out from your last attraction at the bigger parks there, get out the gate, to transport, in the gate of the new park, and to your first attraction can be 30 minutes to an hour.
5. Ticket media. WDW has magic your way tix and hopping costs extra money to the tune of $45 a ticket. We didn't even have the option not to get hopping on our DLR multi-day ticket. So we never had the option to pay $45 less per ticket. If ya got it, ya may as well use it when it is advantageous to do so.


IMO hopping at DLR is much more productive than at WDW.

 

[wvnative]

Add us to the list of hoppers. We often go back and forth to shop or ride a particular ride. Gotta keep the teenager happy ya know.

 

[Hound 109]

We hop when given a reason to hop. When there is no reason to hop, we stay put. That said, there are several key things about DLR vs WDW that should make one consider hopping a lot more at DLR.

1. Hours of the parks.
Most WDW parks open at 9 with emh at 8. Closing hours are different but in the summer, only MK is open significantly later than all the others.
Not so at DLR. DCA usually opens after DL and closes before DL. This means even on a day where you plan to spend most of it at DCA, you can still do some DL, then hop over, then hop back.
2. Crowds.
DL is busier most days than is DCA. This means during the busy part of the day, hopping to DCA can be productive. Mk is the busiest park in WDW most of the time. But not quite so much of a difference between Mk and the other parks as between DL and DCA.
3. Days of week.
Weekends are very busy at DL on average and Weekdays less so. Because DL is generally busier, this will mean Also on trips that last say Saturday-Tuesday, you will want to be hopping to DCA on the weekend for Aladdin. And if it's the off season, the big parades as well.
This is not the case at WDW where weekends aren't any busier than the weekday and there is no need to go to any particular park on a weekend to get the big shows in.
4. Proximity. It's 100 yards at DLR. Last ride to first ride hop time is about 10-15 minutes. Over at WDW by the time you walk out from your last attraction at the bigger parks there, get out the gate, to transport, in the gate of the new park, and to your first attraction can be 30 minutes to an hour.
5. Ticket media. WDW has magic your way tix and hopping costs extra money to the tune of $45 a ticket. We didn't even have the option not to get hopping on our DLR multi-day ticket. So we never had the option to pay $45 less per ticket. If ya got it, ya may as well use it when it is advantageous to do so.


IMO hopping at DLR is much more productive than at WDW.

Cannot Wait 4 Disney,

Thank You for articulating (in a great bullet point format) many of the things i was thinking. I know that Hydroguy covered some of these items in one (or more) of his "rules" threads.

When we visited WDW, we would only "HOP" when we would do a morning tour at one park, go back to the hotel for a swim & a rest, then go to a different park in the evening. At DLR, hopping is SO much quicker & easier than WDW (No stinkin' buses) & hopping allows one to easily avoid the "crowds".

I hope any WDW vets (but DLR Newbies) read this & other threads about hopping & DCA. Those in the know.....hop like rabbits ( & Tigger )




hound

 

[mom2dzb]

We hop, but not "like bunnies".

We almost always break our day into two parts . . . am and pm. Sometimes we'll plan for am at one park and pm at another. For DL EE days, we always start at DL and sometimes hop to DCA to get away from the crowds at DL. If we're planning on a long evening, we might start our pm at DCA and move over to DL after a while. We never hop just to catch a single, or even a couple of attractions at the other park. We're usually there long enough to devote adequate time to both parks so I don't feel any urgency to run between parks in an effort to get it all done.

I sure do appreciate how easy it is to move between the two parks. WDW is frustrating to me in that regard.

 

[DLR29]

We sometimes hop, but if it is, it's to DL for the evening. Usually we set a day to sleep in and still show up at DCA for its opening. But then we go over to DL for F! or the fireworks. I guess it is just easier for us to stay in the same park the whole day mostly because we grab a lot of FPs and want to stay nearby for when the time frame opens up. I know you can used them after the printed time window, but we still try to use Fps as soon as we can.

I'm not sure I would pay extra for it at DL, but for our 1st trip this summer to WDW we purchased the PH option because we already know that we will be hopping around.