Help!! Surprise DLR trip in less than 3 weeks!

[Keels]

Hey y'all!

I'm sorry to spring this on you great people - but I need some SERIOUS help! I've been reading through pages of posts, and it's only just made me more confused and EVEN more stressed!

My DH has surprised me with a trip to LA (more importantly for me - DLR!) for our anniversary ... in less than 3 weeks! I'm so proud he planned something on his own, but the planner in me is going NUTS.

Here's the deal - I'll be park touring myself (he'll be working for the duration of our trip, but I'll see him at night). We are not staying on property, or in Anaheim. We'll be in Santa Monica, so I'll need to plan for travel time. Early mornings are already a rough go for *this* gal, so I'm not sure if rope drop will even be a conversation point. BUT - I'll consider it.

I'm a WDW Pro. Grew up there, worked there, still go back and can hit all the E-Tickets during the holidays, so I'm comfortable with that. DLR? NO IDEA! I don't have any close friends to ask for guidance!

So - HELP. Here are my initial questions, if anyone is willing to offer advice:

1. ADRs. Are there any I need to make pronto? Again - it's just me. So, if you suggest Blue Bayou or something, what is the seating for 1.
2. World of Color and Fantasmic! Dining packages. Are they worth it? I've seen F! many times at WDW, but am intrigued by the WoC priority seating.
3. FastPass. How does it work? Is it basically like FP at WDW BEFORE the advent of the FP+ system?
4. Lines. I'm used to 120-240 minutes at WDW during the summer. Is it the same at DLR? I've downloaded a couple of wait-time apps, so I'll monitor as well.
5. MUST DO's. Rides. Shows. Meals. Things to Look At. Anything! Not sure how much time between now and then I'll have to pour over stuff on my own - so tell me what I HAVE to see and do!
6. Tickets. Right now, I'm torn between the advance two-day with park-hopper or the three-day with park hopper that includes the Magic Morning. Again - best I can see, I've got an hour drive each way for each park day, which I'm down with. Because I love Disney. But it will be just me, so ...

Help! I'm pretty much stressing out - so it's keeping me from being excited. :-/

 

[DHSbutcher]

Hey y'all!

I'm sorry to spring this on you great people - but I need some SERIOUS help! I've been reading through pages of posts, and it's only just made me more confused and EVEN more stressed!

My DH has surprised me with a trip to LA (more importantly for me - DLR!) for our anniversary ... in less than 3 weeks! I'm so proud he planned something on his own, but the planner in me is going NUTS.

Here's the deal - I'll be park touring myself (he'll be working for the duration of our trip, but I'll see him at night). We are not staying on property, or in Anaheim. We'll be in Santa Monica, so I'll need to plan for travel time. Early mornings are already a rough go for *this* gal, so I'm not sure if rope drop will even be a conversation point. BUT - I'll consider it.

I'm a WDW Pro. Grew up there, worked there, still go back and can hit all the E-Tickets during the holidays, so I'm comfortable with that. DLR? NO IDEA! I don't have any close friends to ask for guidance!

So - HELP. Here are my initial questions, if anyone is willing to offer advice:

1. ADRs. Are there any I need to make pronto? Again - it's just me. So, if you suggest Blue Bayou or something, what is the seating for 1.
2. World of Color and Fantasmic! Dining packages. Are they worth it? I've seen F! many times at WDW, but am intrigued by the WoC priority seating.
3. FastPass. How does it work? Is it basically like FP at WDW BEFORE the advent of the FP+ system?
4. Lines. I'm used to 120-240 minutes at WDW during the summer. Is it the same at DLR? I've downloaded a couple of wait-time apps, so I'll monitor as well.
5. MUST DO's. Rides. Shows. Meals. Things to Look At. Anything! Not sure how much time between now and then I'll have to pour over stuff on my own - so tell me what I HAVE to see and do!
6. Tickets. Right now, I'm torn between the advance two-day with park-hopper or the three-day with park hopper that includes the Magic Morning. Again - best I can see, I've got an hour drive each way for each park day, which I'm down with. Because I love Disney. But it will be just me, so ...

Help! I'm pretty much stressing out - so it's keeping me from being excited. :-/

Ah! Relax! You've come to the right place for help! I might not know the answer to all your questions, but I'll try my best Im still quite new to DLR, but am a WDW local. I'm currently planning my second trip to DL for the first week of August. Our's was a last minute trip we booked a week or so ago. Is this your first DL trip? Are your from the East Coast or West Coast? We're from the East so the time difference help us SO MUCH with those early mornings, but makes staying awake for the fireworks a bit harder! But staying away from DL will make it hard regardless Our last trip one day we arrived a bit later around 10 and while rope drop was better, it didn't ruin our day, we had no idea what short lines we had missed, plus we slept in a bit 1. We didn't make any ADR's our last trip, and this time we have one at Cafe Orleans on our arrival day, as we're making it the first thing we do in the park definitely. Most places you can just walk up to, as ADR's are not a big deal like WDW. 2. I haven't done either, but getting a WOC FP is easy, and a 3 course meal in the middle of july/august in summer heat doesn't appeal to me at all, as I prefer to eat lighter snacks more frequently in the parks. And as for the fantasmic package, I have heard it is sort of a waste, but beneficial to others depending on how badly you want a seat and a ton of sugar. In my opinion, that money is better spent elsewhere, like staying longer at DL 3. FP is just like FP used to be at WDW. 4. Lines aren't that bad except for Anna and Elsa meet and greet, and sometimes RSR. The longest I saw Space mountain for was 90 min and Indiana Jones was 70 min. Indy and RSR and Matterhorn both have single rider lines which will definitely come in handy for you, and most of the headliners have FP 5. Some of our favorite things that are different than WDW: Cars land. Toon Town. Davy Crockett Canoes. Main Street DL. Ride the Red Car Trolley in DCA. Mickey's Fun Wheel(go in the am the views are great!), WOC. Ride the monorail at night, some cars don't have AC. Pirates of the Caribbean. Storybook Land Canal Boats. Space Mountain. Minnie and the Fly Girls Show outside Soarin'. Luigi's Flying Tires. We love all of these for so many different reasons. 6. I say 3 day park hopper with MM. The extra morning is a huge plus and will ease the pressure of getting there at RD the other days, plus give you a whole extra day at DL!! Feel free to ask any other questions, these boards are wonderful!

 

[DDhunter]

Excellent advice given above. I would add one thing about dining, we had reservations for dinner both evenings we were there and everyone who walked up that did not have a reservation were turned away (Cafe Orleans and Trattoria in DCA). Also, we tried to stop at Carnation Cafe for breakfast on Friday morning and were turned away, "not taking walk-ins."

Maybe it was just because it was Friday and Saturday (and a holiday weekend), but from now on if I want a guarantee, I will be making reservations.

 

[SplashMo]

Get the park hoppers. Schedule a lunch at 11:3 at Blue Bayou.

 

[SplashMo]

Below are some Disneyland / DCA Tips

UPDATES: RSR and SCREAMIN FP are no longer disconnected.

This is meant to be a one page print of things that can be taken with you on vacation. You could also email it to your phone. There are some links at the bottom of the post that are worth reading before heading out. In particular HydroGuy's excellent tips.

Disneyland (DL)

Arrive 30 minutes early. If you have an Early Admission day arrive 1:15 before official park open (Early admission is on certain days and is a one shot deal for most 3 or more day tickets as well as onsite hotel guests can do this as often as they like during their stay on days that it is offered. ). There are two gates behind trees (I think they are 14 and 17) that do not form lines as folks do not see them/use them.


Top Priority Rides: Peter Pan and Dumbo (Ride first and in this order, assuming you were early to the gate).

Exception to above is Anna and Elsa if you want to see them and their line opens around park opening . Ask a CM (Disney Employees that are roaming the parks). Hard to say if you would want to use an Early admission day for this to wait in line. I would pick a day where Early Admission is at DCA to do this if you have the option.

Jedi Training Academy. To have your child picked bring a small blank paper and pen to make a sign. Signs are not allowed into the gates but are tolerated at the Jedi Training Academy. Sign can say Pick Me or Use the Force, etc…

FastPass (FP). Once everyone has entered either one of the parks with their ticket a runner can be sent to any ride in either park with all of the tickets to collect fast passes for the entire party. FP have a time stamped on them when the next FP is available (anywhere from 40 minutes to 2 hours).

Rides to fast pass first are Big Thunder, Splash, Space and Indy. (normally Big Thunder does not need a FP but currently it is helpful). Star Tours, Autopia, and Roger Rabbit Car-Toon Spin also have FPs.



Disney California Adventure (DCA)

Arrive 45 minutes early. If you have an Early Admission day (onsite Hotel guests only) arrive 1:20 before official park open at the Main Gate. Do not use the Hotel entrance for Early Admission unless you are 2 hours before official park open. If you do not have early Admission the right hand gate is often best as they will sometimes will open additional gates to the right just as the park opens.

Top Priority Ride: Radiator Springs Raceway (RSR) in Cars Land. Toy Story Midway Mania(TSMM) under the SCREAMIN roller coaster (There is not FP available for TSMM).

Radiator Springs Raceway (RSR). Make sure that everyone in the party meets the height requirements for RSR.

The Single Rider Line is recommended if everyone is comfortable with that age wise (must be at least 7 and group will likely be split up).

Hotel Guests during early admission can ride in Single Rider line on busy days or jump in the main line. The RSR FP machine does not open until the park is open and only operates if the ride is functional.

If you do not have early admission and you are a first time visitor to Cars Land you can:

1) Have everyone get in the standby line and stay to the right of the line and ride standby. After riding get FP for RSR
2) Have everyone ride the single rider line. After riding get FP for RSR
3) Have everyone but the FP runner do 1 or 2 above and the FP runner gets FP and then jumps in single rider line.

Once you have experienced the ride other approaches that work well:

Ride TSMM once or twice then send a FP runner to arrive at the RSR FP machines 30 minutes after the park opens. Everyone can ride Single Rider and/or wait for FP return time.

FastPass (FP). Once everyone has entered one of the parks with their ticket a runner can be sent with all of the tickets to collect fast passes for the entire party. FP have a time stamped on them when the next FP is available (anywhere from 40 minutes to 2 hours).

Rides to fast pass first are RSR, SOARIN, TOT, SCREAMIN, Grizzly River Run. Also Goofy's Sky School has FP.

After visiting Carsland grab a FP for World of Color (WOC).

The WOC FP machine is disconnected from the rest of the systems. Which means you can get an additional FP on a different ride immediately.

I highly recommend HYDROGUY'S SUPER THREAD TIPS:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483

Extra Magic Hour: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/gue...rly-admission/
Magic Mornings: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/gue...rly-admission/

 

[Keels]

Y'all are so awesome!

To answer a few questions - this is my first time to the DLR so I really have no idea what to expect, other than general Disney awesomeness!

I fly in on Wednesday the 23rd (midday) and am planning to do Disneyland on Thursday the 24th and DCA on Friday the 25th. I'm leaning toward the two-day with park hopper - but can I add a third day while I'm there like you can at WDW? It will really depend on how much I see and still need to do (or experience again) combined with what my husband's work schedule looks like for the weekend.

I'm coming from Texas, so I'll be dealing with a two-hour time difference. I'm not much of a morning person, so couple that with the drive from Santa Monica to the parks, I might not be able to make rope drop on both days. I do plan staying until park close, though - do crowds generally thin out after fireworks making it easier to ride rides at night?

Got a lunch reservation to Blue Bayou - thanks for the rec! Has anyone done the Fantasmic! Dessert Package? And any must-eat places at DCA?

Thanks again, y'all!

 

[crystal1313]

Since you will be alone I highly recommend single rider lines for the attractions that offer them. At DL that would be Matterhorn, Indy, and splash mountain and at DCA would be RSR, screamin, goofy's sky school, grizzly river run and soarin over ca. for RSR it's almost always quicker than stand by or fastpass.

I've never been to WDW but I've heard that DL fantasmic is better. If you want to dine at blue bayou I would make reservations. They're always busy!

Make sure to leave time to take in all the wonderful details in the parks. Have a great time!!

 

[Melgar541]

Remember that the time difference will make it two hours earlier -- you will get up at (for example) what you think is 9 AM but it's really 7 AM, so you may surprise yourself and be able to get out earlier than you think!

You can upgrade the 2-day to the 3-day by paying the difference, as long as you do it before you have used up the 2nd day.

 

[Keels]

Remember that the time difference will make it two hours earlier -- you will get up at (for example) what you think is 9 AM but it's really 7 AM, so you may surprise yourself and be able to get out earlier than you think!

You can upgrade the 2-day to the 3-day by paying the difference, as long as you do it before you have used up the 2nd day.

I'm banking on a combination of that PLUS my Disney excitement will help me get an early move-on to make rope drop at least once.

I was just reading about RideMax - has anyone used it? I wonder if it will be helpful for me since I'm not familiar with the park and I'm by myself this trip ...

 

[awinangie]

As you'll be by yourself, you can do AS YOU WANT, WHEN YOU WANT!! Take advantage of that!

I haven't yet figured out which apps help with avoiding long lines, but I'm sure you'll get lots of good info on that. I just want to encourage you to go as the wind blows you... As much as feels good to you. If you try to hard to hit everything, you might miss the bulk of the joy...

Yes, you can absolutely upgrade to a 3-day hopper from a 2-day while you're there. Take care when you do that, though. The outside ticket booths were the longest (and worst) line we had on our last trip. I wonder... Maybe you could upgrade IN the parks?? Not sure about that.

To get more familiar with the park and the area, I'd recommend searching GoogleMaps for "Disneyland" and looking at the satellite view. It's actually pretty amazing to see how Disneyland looks to be plopped into the middle of a city. You can also get a sense of where things are in relation to each other. That will help a lot, I think.

As for dining, if you have an idea where you want to eat, it would probably be a good idea to make those reservations now. Otherwise, bring the dining phone number as you may be able to make a reservation on the day of...

On the whole, DON'T WORRY!!! Disneyland doesn't require nearly the level of planning that WDW seems to... Figure out your top priorities... Note that if you make it to rope drop, you're best off heading first either to Peter Pan (of you care about that ride) in Disneyland and to Radiator Springs Racers in California Adventure. (Use the "Wide Right" technique.) And most of all, follow your whims!! In my book, that's what Disneyland is all about.

Be sure to check out the following two links:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1072276

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

Have fun!!!

 

[Keels]

Not going to lie - this will be my first solo trip to play in the parks since I worked at WDW in the late 90's, so I'm pretty excited.

I enjoy going with the husband and friends, but I'm really looking forward to experiencing DLR for the first time with only my interests to fulfill, selfish or not!

I do want to treat myself to one nice experience each day, so I'm thinking table-service meals will be good for that. Though, the Cathay Circle Lounge sure does sound appealing too!