First time to DL since '89...many questions!

[SmileyJoyz]

Well after returning from a weeklong trip to WDW to celebrate our birthdays just last month, my boyfriend has decided that we should definitely make a stop at DL when we go to L.A. in January. Now, I haven't been to DL since I was in fourth grade (1989 to be exact) and he's never been there. I'm not as familiar with the crowd factor at DL, so I was hoping someone could clue me in.

We plan on doing just a one day trip to DL on either Jan 16th or 17th. Now, MLK's b-day is that following Monday, so does anyone know if kids will be off from school that might make the park more crowded? If not, can anyone tell me how crowded January is in general?

Also, I haven't found much information on discounted tickets and I'm assuming there aren't as many deals to be had as there are at WDW. But, are there any local discounts (coupon on a Coke can or a gas station, etc) that I should know about? I know the multi-day passes are a great value, but since this is such a short trip we don't have enough time to make use of them. Our friends we are staying with are residents of L.A., so if they have local resident discounts that would be helpful to know too.

Also, if anyone else has some general tips for us I would greatly appreciate it. It seems that DL doesn't get as much website attention (as evidenced even by the number of boards devoted to DL here vs. WDW.) I think I want to take him to DL over CA, but I have also heard that they do have a one-day hopper available at the gates. Is this worth it and if so can you conceivably do both parks in one day??

Thanks!

Joy

 

[Sonya in Boise]

If my guess is correct the th and 16th and the 17th are a Thurs/Friday. Thursday's are not as crowded as Fridays, but Friday's have longer hours and more parade's. Idaho's schools are closed for Martin Luther King day, so I would assume the weekend would be busier w/ three days off. Thursday might be the best bet for little to no lines, but Friday morning early afternoon should't be too terrible. I would think if anyone was traveling from out of town, they would leave when the kids got out of school Friday.

I know that there was a coupon that printed when you bought a six or twelve pack (i can't remember which) for 10.00 off a single day admission.

There are no more one day hoppers. The gates stopped selling them in August (I think). But I did ask about these a few months ago and many CM's confirmed they no longer offer these.

Currently there is a So Cal 2 day ticket. The dates do not extend to your dates, but if they sell well Disney may extend the dates. It is 54.00 for adults and gives you 2 tickets. You can use them both on the same day and use one for DL and one for DCA. Here's a link that tells about them.

http://www.mouseinfo.com/mousetalk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5530
I'll let you know if I hear of them extending the dates.

I do think you can do both parks in one day, but you would be missing a lot.

Birnbaum's Disneyland Resort The Official Guide gives a good over view of both parks. Great ride descriptions. Maybe check your local library.

Good luck w/ planning