First Time Attractions + Question

[Thiago Acquaviva]

Hello guys!

My boyfriend and I have been in WDW 3 times and we love it so much we can't even put it in to words!
Now we're considering visit Disneyland CA in mid November.

Considering 3 days park to park to visit both parks - one each day and then both on the 3rd day
Which attractions you guys recommend for first timers?

Question: How this MaxPass works for fastpass? we love WDW Fastpass+ system so much and find it so useful...

Big thanks in advance!

 

[Niltiac]

Regarding attractions, if you plan well you can see quite a lot in three days. I have never been to WDW, but it seems like people who have been to both parks either enjoy focusing on what is not offered at the other park, or they enjoy experiencing the rides that are at both parks so they can notice all the little differences. Personally I would be interested in the unique rides, so for you the headliners would be Indy, Radiator Springs Racers, Guardians, and Incredicoaster (not open yet but will be by November). I've also heard it's worthwhile to go on Space Mountain and Pirates even though they're also at WDW because they're significantly different at DLR. I would prioritize these rides with regard to FP, but also enjoy a bunch of the smaller rides. For shows, Fantasmic! is in both parks but different from what I've heard, and WoC is unique to DCA (and might be in holiday mode depending on your specific dates).

MaxPass is quite a bit different from Fastpass+. You can't book FP before your trip. You can start to pull FP after you enter the park for the day (whether you have MaxPass or not). You don't pick your time, you just get whatever is being distributed at the time you get your FP (you will see the return time before you get your FP so you can make sure it doesn't conflict with any plans). Then you can pull more FP either after you use your current FP or after a certain amount of time if your FP can't be used until later in the day (see below).

So the differences between regular FP and MP are:
-Free photo downloads with MP.
-You can get your FP digitally from the app with MP, but with regular FP you have to walk to a kiosk and physically retrieve a FP.
-If you have a FP with a return time much later in the day, you have to wait 2 hours before you can pull your next FP using regular FP, but you only have to wait 1.5 hours with MP.
-With MP you have the potential to get FP that have been cancelled by other guests. So for example if RSR has run out of FP for the day, there's a chance you'll go to get a FP and suddenly see RSR available because someone else cancelled. This is not possible with regular FP.

 

[figment_jii]

I recommend taking a look at HydroGuy's A DLR Guide for WDW Vets to get a sense of the similarities and differences between the two resorts.

When in November are you going? Mid-November is when the Holiday season has typically started in DLR (usually around Veteran's Day). If you go after the Holiday season has started, the parks should be decorated and the entertainment will have shifted over the holiday versions (although, with the debut of Pixar Fest this spring/summer, it's hard to say whether they'll be presenting the Pixar fireworks or the Christmas ones - when they debuted Disneyland Forever for the 60th, it ran during the holidays). Haunted Mansion should have its Nightmare Before Christmas overlay in place (starts usually with HalloweenTime) and IaSW should also have the holiday overlay. They did not present Jingle Cruise last year, so it's not known if it'll return this year. If you're going before the Holidays start, HMH should be open, but IaSW might be closed (having the overlay installed).

In terms of days, it also depends on which days of the week you are considering. During the non-peak season, DLR often only presents full entertainment on the weekends (Fri to Sun). Fireworks and F! may only be presented on weekends; WoC is usually nightly. They haven't announced how long PtN will be presented in DCA (it might not be presented during the holidays because that would conflict with the Festival of Holidays, a F&W like event in DCA). So much is in flux it seems like, so it's hard to say what things will be like in November, but to be safe, I'd plan on at least one weekend night in DL (Fri to Sun) for fireworks and/or F!.

If you can swing it, I would strongly recommend considering getting park hoppers. Think of DL like Future World, DCA like World Showcase, and the Esplande (the area between them) is like the Future World bridge. Park hopping is pretty easy (you don't have to go through bag check again) and gives you some increased flexibility. It also allows you to hop back to DL if DCA closes early (DCA often closes before DL). Also, if you miss an attraction on one day (either because you ran out of time or it was down) you can try to go back on a different day.

 

[Thiago Acquaviva]

This link for vets is amazing! big thanks @figment_jii !

We're planning to go to the parks around November 12-15.
Still not sure about the dates, we're still planning vacation and many other things, so the dates could be more or less accurate.

Big thanks for all those infos and tips!
I really appreciate it!