HELP! Where do I wait for entry before park opens??

[Imagineer5]

I'm here now!! (And for anyone who helped keep me sane when I was worried about being here solo...I sucessfully had a wonderful evening last night at downtown disney. Dinner solo wasn't even bad at all - Tortilla Jo's Margarita helped that though! ). Anyway, I always go to rope drop whenever I'm at Disney, but I read somewhere that at DL you have to wait by the bag check, not turnstiles? The bag check is so far away from the entrance, I was surprised when I saw this last night. So, is this where I should wait this morning?? Or did I mis-read that and should I just head to the turntiles?? (Yes I'll have a backpack to be checked).

Thanks!!!!

 

[BillyFan]

Are you really there and waiting right now? Disneyland doesn't open until 9:00 today, so you should be able to get on to Main Street to wait for the rope drop at around 8:30, I'd think.

 

[HydroGuy]

I'm here now!! (And for anyone who helped keep me sane when I was worried about being here solo...I sucessfully had a wonderful evening last night at downtown disney. Dinner solo wasn't even bad at all - Tortilla Jo's Margarita helped that though! ). Anyway, I always go to rope drop whenever I'm at Disney, but I read somewhere that at DL you have to wait by the bag check, not turnstiles? The bag check is so far away from the entrance, I was surprised when I saw this last night. So, is this where I should wait this morning?? Or did I mis-read that and should I just head to the turntiles?? (Yes I'll have a backpack to be checked).

Thanks!!!!

Yes, you should wait by the security / bag check area before DLR opens. They usually start letting people through their to the turnstiles 30-35 minutes before the park opens or Magic Morning starts.

 

[Imagineer5]

Sorry let me clarify - I'm in Anaheim now...no I haven't been waiting at the turnstiles for hours!! but I can see that I should have clarified that. Okay thanks for letting me know...I plan to get there around 8:30 today and 7:30 tomorrow so should be all set. I was just surprised at the location of the bag check for some reason but now I'm good!

 

[BillyFan]

Oh good! I was thinking that you were so excited to be at rope drop that you were waiting around in the dark!
Enjoy your time in the park, and let's hope for lower crowds this weekend!

 

[Hound 109]

Just to clarify.

There are TWO security tents. One that is at the front (or end) of DTD (used primarily by folks staying at the 3 DLR hotels) & the second one is facing Harbor Blvd.

Between the two tents (roughly 200-300 yards long & 100 yards between the two parks wide) is the Esplanade which you will enter after going thru security. The esplanade is where both parks turnstiles are located.

& if you plan on getting there at :30am.....why not get there at :20am....so you'll be one of the first thru security & first in line at the turnstiles.

 

[disneynerd420]

Glad to hear that you are enjoying your solo trip. I knew you would have a good time. Keep us updated and have a great day!

 

[JustAKid]

I'll tell you one good thing about being a stay-at-home mom...I make my own hours. You guys were up BEFORE the birds this morning (if any of you early risers are stay-at-homers, what's your secret to getting up so early?). Insane!!! Sorry, off topic but I'm having a stroke over here looking at your time stamps. Can you tell I'm not a morning person?

 

[LavenderPeach]

I'll tell you one good thing about being a stay-at-home mom...I make my own hours. You guys were up BEFORE the birds this morning (if any of you early risers are stay-at-homers, what's your secret to getting up so early?). Insane!!! Sorry, off topic but I'm having a stroke over here looking at your time stamps. Can you tell I'm not a morning person?

Well, you have seven months, 3 weeks and 2 days to figure out how to be an early riser for you trip to DLR or else you'll be waiting in some LONG lines!

I'm a stay-at-home mom and I've always been a morning person. I am just not a night person at all. But that doesn't mean it's always easy. My motivation right now is that DS is on a very strict schedule for his meals (long story I won't bore you with) so if I don't get up early to get him his breakfast his whole schedule gets off and then he doesn't get enough calories for the day. But for people with "normal" lives, you just have to make yourself get up early one day and then go to bed early that night (you'll be tired so shouldn't be a problem). Then after awhile it will just become a habit. Oh and don't have a stroke over us early risers!

 

[bumbershoot]

Justa...remember that not everyone is on pacific time.

Lavender...even while growing up, with the whole family on the early bed early rise program...I've just never had an easy time waking up in the morning. 3 years of college I was on crew, and 2 of those years we had 5am workouts....NEVER got used to that...if it's before, oh, 8am I feel nauseated and gross...no matter what time I went to sleep...just a nightowl at heart (though if I stay up beyond 2am I get the nauseated feeling).


For anyone wondering about OP's question (since I'm sure OP is well into her day)...if the bag check area is not up and running when you get to the esplanade area, there's no point in going inside the esplanade, because they'll clear it and make everyone go through bag check. If they do that, it will likely be late enough that there will be a line, and anyone cleared stands a strong chance at being at the *back* of that line. So if bag check isn't up and running, just wait at the tent area (on Harbor or DTD side) so you'll be first through bag check.

We got there at 6:30 on the 11th and they were just setting up, even though MM started at 7. So we got to hang out with the CMs as they waited for word that they could open, an then we went to the turnstiles.

Most of the time they have bag check open *at least* half an hour before the turnstiles open...at least that's our experience, but this was our first 7am MM as far as we could recall, so maybe that's why things were late.

Anyway, you just wait at bagcheck until they are open and you're cleared, THEN you go to the turnstile and wait there.

 

[deejdigsdis]

Thanks bumbershoot. I'm more of a visual person, so I tend to need things explained a few times on these boards to make sure I understand them. Especially with this security thing since that wasn't there the last time I was there -- just can't really picture it. Heck, I still picture a big huge going-on-forever parking lot in front of DL.

So, DL is opening at 10 am when I will be there. I should be at the security (tent?) area around 9:20-ish? Go through security and then stand in line at the turnstiles to get into DL? Wait, I was thinking that people were allowed on Main Street 30 minutes before park opening -- so 9:30 in my example. It seems like security might have to be open earlier than that. Am I missing something?

Then for a MM day that we will NOT be using. Others will have gone in at 9 am, we can get in at 10 am. What time would we be able to go through security that day? Will we be allowed to mosey around Main Street at 9:30?

I feel like I'm being repetitive here...just want to make sure I'm clear. Thanks.

 

[bumbershoot]

For the visual stuff, have you ever used googlemaps? Put in the disneyland address for the maps, then use the satellite view and play around with it. You can get really really close to the ground (and often can use street view to make it seem like you're walking down the road!) and can see the tops of the ticket booths, the tents used for bagcheck, etc. It really helps me get a sense of what is where.


As I noticed on our recent trip, they change things up often! You can make your plans but then they'll delay when they open bag check, etc etc.

Generally it *seems* that they try to get bagcheck open somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes before the DL gates open. Which is why we were at the bagcheck area by 6:30 for a 7am MM day (actually I think we were there much earlier, but time was all messed up during our trip and I can't remember). They messed us up by being very late in opening.

The poeple who didn't have MM could have come through bagcheck at any time after it was opened (which for us taht morning was around 6:50ish).

On a MM day I do not *think* that other people can get in early. Because how would they know who got it and who didn't?

But on a non-MM day it does seem that they *often*, but not *always*, open the gates about half an hour early, so you can shop and eat...but there will be a rope across the street at about the photo center before Plaza Inn and Plaza Pavilion. So you could likely be at bagcheck, oh, an hour before proper park opening and stand a good chance of the CMs being there, and being allowed to stand in line at the turnstiles around an hour before proper park opening. But you won't know they are opening the gates early until, well, they open the gates.

 

[deejdigsdis]

For the visual stuff, have you ever used googlemaps? Put in the disneyland address for the maps, then use the satellite view and play around with it. You can get really really close to the ground (and often can use street view to make it seem like you're walking down the road!) and can see the tops of the ticket booths, the tents used for bagcheck, etc. It really helps me get a sense of what is where.

Ooohhh - great idea! Thanks!

 

[GrandBob]

Even better is wikimapia. I've loved it ever since someone else on the DIS posted a pointer to it.

Try this view. As you roll over the various outlined areas, you can see the east and west security checks and the east and west ticket booths.

-Bob

 

[HydroGuy]

Even better is wikimapia. I've loved it ever since someone else on the DIS posted a pointer to it.

Try this view. As you roll over the various outlined areas, you can see the east and west security checks and the east and west ticket booths.

-Bob

I like it!

 

[smiley_face2]

For the visual stuff, have you ever used googlemaps? Put in the disneyland address for the maps, then use the satellite view and play around with it. You can get really really close to the ground (and often can use street view to make it seem like you're walking down the road!) and can see the tops of the ticket booths, the tents used for bagcheck, etc. It really helps me get a sense of what is where.

Ooohhh - great idea! Thanks!

EVen better is the new google street view! when you put in the address (1490 harbor blvd. anaheim ca) (this puts you right at the cross walk at the main entrance) in a little drop down menu on the left side beside the address it says "more" click on street view and your there! it's the coolest thing ever...you can click and drag to do a 360º view and look up and down....you can keep moving your cursor along the street and double clicking, so you can "walk" to all the local hotels to see what the walk is really like and what they really look like etc. I sure wish someone would walk around inside Disneyland with the camera on their head!! and even on to all the rides...that would be too cool! Using regular google satellite I had thought it looked like the walk from the Candy Cane Inn looked the same as the walk from Hojo's (to the entrance) then last trip when we compared the walks it seemed like Candy cane inn was a lot further, and you can really tell with the street view in google map. it took me 15 double clicks from Candy cane inn, but only 12 from Hojo's. Sorry for going so far off topic here! LOl...

 

[happy2bjustmommy]

I'll tell you one good thing about being a stay-at-home mom...I make my own hours. You guys were up BEFORE the birds this morning (if any of you early risers are stay-at-homers, what's your secret to getting up so early?). Insane!!! Sorry, off topic but I'm having a stroke over here looking at your time stamps. Can you tell I'm not a morning person?

I am a sahm, and i am just rolling out of bed at almost 9 am. ( and of course the first thing i did was check the disney boards. LOL) However, my 3 older kids are self sufficient, and they get themselves breakfast, shower, and get ready to sit at the table for school, and the baby and i sleep, since we dont go to bed until about 1 am, thanks to prince charming. LOL

I am leaving for my trip on Saturday, and i cannot figure out how i am going to bet up early enough.

 

[deejdigsdis]

Even better is wikimapia. I've loved it ever since someone else on the DIS posted a pointer to it.

Try this view. As you roll over the various outlined areas, you can see the east and west security checks and the east and west ticket booths.

-Bob

OK, I just spent a little too much time playing around with that with my 9 yo son who is home sick from school. Very cool - thanks!

 

[jcw2]

Very Cool!! Thanks!
Just one question...if you already have tickets...once you go thru security, do you need to go thru ticket booths or do you go straight to the main entrance? Where are ticket offices for bday pass etc? (ok, maybe 2 questions)

 

[GrandBob]

If you already have tickets, you go directly from the security check to the main entrance.

-Bob