How early should we get to DL?

[Goofy Rules]

Are there huge lines to get in in the am? We are going on a Thursday in March, so I am hoping the crowds will be less....
And can you upgrade to an early entrance pass at the gate?

 

[LukenDC]

The lines for attractions will be shortest first thing in the morning. I always try to get to the park a half hour before it opens so that I can be among the first inside.

They usually begin admitting people a few minutes before official opening time. Those admitted early must wait in the area in front of the floral Mickey until official opening time. Some passes allow for entry an hour early on specified days. Inquire about them when purchasing your tickets.

Have a great trip!

 

[Goofster57]

Are there huge lines to get in in the am? We are going on a Thursday in March, so I am hoping the crowds will be less....
And can you upgrade to an early entrance pass at the gate?

You should be okay, the lines to get in are usually not bad first thing in the morning, and they usually get worse a couple hours after opening.

Sometimes they do open the turnstiles a half hour before posted park opening, however they have what is called a rope drop. There is a rope at the end of the Main Street shops that prevents you from entering any of the lands. That rope is dropped at the official park opening time. Most of the shops and eateries are open on Main Street for you enjoyment.

Early entry is restricted to guest of participating hotels only, so I don't think you can walk up to a ticket booth and purchase early entry.

Hope you enjoy your trip.

 

[noladave]

early entry is a must, if you can do it.
Monday morning (yesterday), the park officially opened at 8, but we got in at 7am (EE). THERE WAS NOBODY THERE. By 8am, when the park officially opened, we had been on Space mountain twice, AND Buzz twice. Zipped over to Haunted mansion, then hit Pirates, and then tried Indy, but line was long by then, so got fastpass. Had breakfast at the River Belle around 9am. after breakfast, hit thunder mountain.

So in 2 hours, you can get a lot done. we probably didn't get that much done for the rest of the day.

We pretty much did the same thing today, but changed a little - park opened at 9, but we got there at 8:10. Able to hit Space mountain, buzz, then got in line at Matterhorn (no FP's there), but got FP's for autopia on the way to Matterhorn. After Matterhorn, hit Buzz (twice), and then hit Honey, Audience, and then FP's for autopia. Done by 10:30am. Went over to CA.

Earlier is best.

 

[tracer]

Are there huge lines to get in in the am? We are going on a Thursday in March, so I am hoping the crowds will be less....
And can you upgrade to an early entrance pass at the gate?

I am not 100% sure on the EE upgrading part, but I think you can only get it if you buy a 3 day or more hopper ticket or are staying at one of the DL hotels.

I would recommend getting in line about 25 minutes before the park opens. That way you are one of the first in and can hit a few rides before the crowds roll in. Thursdays are EE days so there will already be people in the park if you don't have an EE.

Also like the post before me said, the earlier the better. Mid-morning really picks up and lines can be very long.

 

[HydroGuy]

Early entry is restricted to guest of participating hotels only, so you can walk up to a ticket booth and purchase early entry.

In addition to resort hotel guests, anyone who buys a 3+ parkhopper bonus ticket gets one day of EE. There are no requirements to stay at any hotels for this EE privilege. I have never bought these at the gate, but I would expect the 3+ day tix sold at the gates to have one day of EE. If it were me I would contact DLR to find out.

 

[Goofster57]

Trey you are totally correct, I was not aware of this perk. Here is what I found on the Disneyland Ticket site.

3-Day Park Hopper® Bonus Ticket

Save $20 per person and get more when you purchase your Disneyland® Resort Park Hopper® Bonus Tickets in advance! Enjoy three days of fun at both Disneyland® Park and Disney's California Adventure® Park, plus receive one early entry admission per ticket!

Now it does say when purchased in advance, so it would be a good idea to follow Trey’s advice and call Disneyland to see if you can get the same deal at the Ticket Booths

 

[Goofy Rules]

thanks for all the help
the gates open at 9:00 that day, so we are planning to get there at 8:30, park (how bad is parking btw??) and get in line

Can I just add~~~~ I cant Wait!!!

this is a surprise trip for my 9 year old who's been asking to go since he could say Mickey Mouse

 

[ScooterL]

Remember that you have to ride the tram in from the parking garage and go through the bag check line - you might still be able to get to the entrance gates by 9:00 if you arrive at the parking garage at 8:30, but I would allow a little extra time. Sometimes you can wait in line 5-10 minutes just to get into the parking garage if they don't have very many of the lanes open.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Also be aware that when Disneyland opens at 9:00, they will actually open the gates beginning at 8:30. You can then get onto Main Street and get into some of the shops and restaurants. I like to do this so that we can get inside the park, grab our map and times guide (this has all the times for shows as well as park hours and other useful information about where to find characters etc.). Then we can head up Main Street to where its roped off and get in that line to get into the rest of the park once it opens at 9:00. I would plan on getting to the parking garage at least an hour before official opening. This is not to imply that if you don't get inside the park until 9:15 it will be a packed mess! But I like to get inside as soon as they let me and start having fun!

And one more note, again, this getting in a half hour before the official opening is only when the park opens later than 8:00 a.m. On 8:00 a.m. openings, the gates won't open until that time.

 

[Goofy Rules]

Also be aware that when Disneyland opens at 9:00, they will actually open the gates beginning at 8:30. You can then get onto Main Street and get into some of the shops and restaurants. I like to do this so that we can get inside the park, grab our map and times guide (this has all the times for shows as well as park hours and other useful information about where to find characters etc.). Then we can head up Main Street to where its roped off and get in that line to get into the rest of the park once it opens at 9:00. I would plan on getting to the parking garage at least an hour before official opening. This is not to imply that if you don't get inside the park until 9:15 it will be a packed mess! But I like to get inside as soon as they let me and start having fun!

And one more note, again, this getting in a half hour before the official opening is only when the park opens later than 8:00 a.m. On 8:00 a.m. openings, the gates won't open until that time.

Thank you!!! That helps a lot. I know the gates open at 9:00 when we will be there... so this is great advice

 

[tracer]

Amy&dan ---

Where do we pick up the maps and time guides at? I usually get one handed to me but this trip I want to get mine asap.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Amy&dan ---

Where do we pick up the maps and time guides at? I usually get one handed to me but this trip I want to get mine asap.

You can get them right at the turnstiles. If you are staying onsite however, you can get them at check in. I admit it, I am a park commando and I love to have that half hour on Main Street to plan my attack! If the park is open when I get there, I can't do that with all of my concentration!

Oh, I also want to add that first thing in the morning the lines to get into the park are long. Don't despair, it looks awful but once everyone gets in and disperses through the park its not bad. Now if there are long lines to get in say in the afternooon and evening, be prepared since you know the park is already full of people with more piling in! I just remember this time some older couple was ready to leave the line (to go where I don't know) first thing in the moring before the turnstiles were even open. I had to assure them that as many people as there were, a big park was waiting for all of us and we weren't all going to the exact same place!