Help planning March trip

[Ginarian]

My husband and I will be attending a conference in Irvine, CA on March 17-18. We are taking advantage of this and going two days early to visit Disneyland and DCA. I recently purchased RideMax so we can get everything in within our two days (Wednesday, March 15 and Thursday, March 16). I was wondering if hopper passes would be worth it??? I know Pirates doesn't reopen until March 16... But how should I separate the rides when using RideMax? Any strategies? We plan to start at Disneyland on Wednesday and DCA on Thursday to avoid the early crowds. Should we just do one park each day (and skip Pirates) and not get the hopper? We also hope to go to Downtown Disney one of those days before fireworks. Thanks in advance for any tips or tricks.

 

[figment_jii]

I recently purchased RideMax so we can get everything in within our two days (Wednesday, March 15 and Thursday, March 16).

Just to clarify, RideMax will (hopefully, I've never used it) allow you get in your highest priority attractions/shows/activities, but with only two days you won't be able to do everything that DLR has to offer (attractions, shows, entertainment, shopping, characters, etc.). So I would start by making a priority list of what you want to do and see how it goes from there.

I was wondering if hopper passes would be worth it???

I personally like park hoppers, but I don't know how RideMax deals with hoppers. The two parks are so close together and having hoppers gives you flexibility, but with a very limited time constraint, it might not be all that efficient to hop between parks. DCA tends to close earlier than DL, so after DCA closes for the night, you can "hop" over to DL and get in a little bit of extra time (although, the amount of times varies and you won't know if it's zero, one, or two hours until they post the schedule - probably in the next few weeks).

 

[Ginarian]

RideMax requires you to list the attractions for each park separately, so I'd have to put 9:00-12:00 at DCA and put the rides down. Then 1:00-6:00 Disneyland and list the rides for the day.

 

[MacMama0930]

My husband and I will be attending a conference in Irvine, CA on March 17-18. We are taking advantage of this and going two days early to visit Disneyland and DCA. I recently purchased RideMax so we can get everything in within our two days (Wednesday, March 15 and Thursday, March 16). I was wondering if hopper passes would be worth it??? I know Pirates doesn't reopen until March 16... But how should I separate the rides when using RideMax? Any strategies? We plan to start at Disneyland on Wednesday and DCA on Thursday to avoid the early crowds. Should we just do one park each day (and skip Pirates) and not get the hopper? We also hope to go to Downtown Disney one of those days before fireworks. Thanks in advance for any tips or tricks.

Have you ever been? Ever done Pirates? I love park hopping, so I'm inclined to say get the hoppers - but value is very relative. If you've never done Pirates, I think you should definitely try and do it and that would require the hoppers.

 

[figment_jii]

If riding PotC is really that important to you, I'd consider just swapping your days rather than buy hoppers. EMH/MM do impact that parks in the morning, but the effects dissipate pretty quickly. Also, they don't distribute FPs during EMH. In DL, EMH/MM is only in FL and TL, so over the half the park will still be "just opening" at rope drop. In DCA, it makes a bigger difference, but I still think it might be worth considering swapping days, rather than spending the money on hoppers. Alternatively, it might be worth not getting hoppers at this point and then adding a hopper if you decide that you want to return to DL on the second day. I think there is a lot to do in DL and you can easily fill an entire day and still have a lot left to do on a future trip. If you feel like there is still a lot you want to do, then you can add the hopper at the end of the first day. DCA is a bit more of a mixed bag; it really depends on what kind of attractions you like, whether you're into character meet & greets, seeing shows, etc.

RideMax requires you to list the attractions for each park separately, so I'd have to put 9:00-12:00 at DCA and put the rides down. Then 1:00-6:00 Disneyland and list the rides for the day.

That makes sense...yikes! I couldn't do that kind of "touring" but hopefully it'll help you get in the attractions/shows/characters/etc. you want to do.

 

[Ginarian]

Have you ever been? Ever done Pirates? I love park hopping, so I'm inclined to say get the hoppers - but value is very relative. If you've never done Pirates, I think you should definitely try and do it and that would require the hoppers.

I went to WDW about 15 years ago and went on their Pirates ride. I know Disneyland's Pirates is different... and when I went it was before the movies, so Captain Jack was not in the ride LOL. My husband has not been on Pirates in either park for about 20+ years.

 

[MacMama0930]

I went to WDW about 15 years ago and went on their Pirates ride. I know Disneyland's Pirates is different... and when I went it was before the movies, so Captain Jack was not in the ride LOL. My husband has not been on Pirates in either park for about 20+ years.

Honestly, just get the hopper then. This will give you a sense of relief and freedom - that you can start each day at the NON-EMM park and still be able to pop in and do POTC the 16th. If it's just you and your husband, assuming you have full mobility, hopping is so easy! When my dad and I went this last November, we got so much done because we just power walked back and forth and pulled FPs here and then there and hopped back to use them. Sure, our legs felt like jello at the end of the day, but it was so fun!

 

[JuicyFruit]

Also note, it's quite chilly at night in March. Bring warm clothes.

 

[Ginarian]

Thanks for all of the help. I think we may do one day just DL and the other as a hopper. Hoping to fit the Downtown area in as well on hopper day, but it sounds like the monorail goes there from TL? Thanks again!