How much time needed in July for California Adventure and Disneyland?

[maui2k5]

I will be heading to Las Vegas July 1-6 with my girlfriend and I plan on taking a couple of days for Disneyland while I am there. I also am going to Walt Disney World in September for the first time since 1999 for 10 days. One thing I want to avoid is shows/rides in Disneyland that are rither the same or very similar to WDW that I will later have more time to see in Disney World. From what I have been able to find out, below is a list of Must See rides in Disneyland that are either different or do not exist in WDW:

Must See in Disneyland
Indiana Jones
Haunted Mantion
Pirates of the Caribbean
Buzz Lightyear
Space Mountain
Innoventions
Monorail

Must See Rides in California Adventure
Grizzly River Run
Tower of Terror
California Screamin'
Mulholland Madness
Aladdin Show
Mailboomer
Sun Wheel
Elextrical Parade

Any others?

Since I will be going likely July 1-3 (Friday-Sunday), I am trying to figure out if I need two full days in Disneyland since I do not want to see things I will later see in WDW and have more time for. What I am thinking is this...

Arrive in Disneyland July 1 @ 7 PM - stay until park closing @ Midnight
Disneyland/California Adventure July 2 - stay until park closing @ Midnight
Disneyland/California Adventure July 3 - stay until Noon then head back to Las Vegas

Will that be enough time to see the rides and shows in Disneyland and California Adventure or will I need the entire day in Disneyland on July 3 (Sunday). I am packing a lot into the 5 days I am out west, but I want to hit the big things in both Vegas and Disneyland and experienced Disneyland visitors advice will be very helpful - thanks!

 

[Amy&Dan]

As far as time frame I would be open to staying all day on the 3rd. That is a lot to see and do and that will be a very crowded time. I agree that Aladdin is the must see show. But I love Snow White too! If you have time at all, I would try to squeeze that in. I find both the shows at Disneyland to be superior to any of the shows at WDW. I love the shows at WDW but they are so short!

You don't have any rides in Fantasyland listed. Disneyland's Fantasyland is much different than WDW's. It's also prettier! I love the Storybookland Canal Boats. Really enjoyable ride regardless of age. I also love Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Alice In Wonderland and Pinnochio. All of the above mentioned rides are unique to Disneyland. There is also Casey's Jr.'s Circus Train but since time is a bit short for you I would opt for the Canal Boats. I also love Peter Pan which they do have at WDW but the Disneyland version is a little better in my opinion. I think Innoventions is kind of a waste, but maybe that's just me! I would also ride Splash Mountain, it is different than WDW's. I like them both about the same. Also, the Mattheron is a must in my opinion. The lines get long so ride that first, especially since there is no fastpass. The Matterhorn is back in Fantasyland. One day I would hit Fantasyland first the other day I would hit Adventureland first do Indy and then concentrate on that end of the park.

I don't think Space Mountain will be back open yet for your visit. I believe it opens a little closer to July 17. If you get to the parks at opening and utilize fastpass you should see quite a bit. Your first night I would probably think you should see the Electrical Parade and see the fireworks (which I hear are incredible) and ride what you can. Since so many people want to see the parades and fireworks the ride lines are usually a bit shorter. If you see both of those the first night you can decide if you want to see them again on the other two nights or just ride more rides. I also love riding the Sun Wheel at night so that might be something nice to do your first evening.

If you only have time for one coaster in DCA it should be California Screamin. Mullholland Madness is fun but not worth much of a wait or using up a fastpass. Crowds are always lighter in DCA on saturdays. Soarin over California is a great ride and if you have time I would ride it. It is however, identical to the one at Epcot. I recommend starting at Disneyland first, be there before park opening. Then when Disneyland fills up, head to DCA. I hope this helps a little, enjoy both of your Disney trips!

 

[Amy&Dan]

I also forgot to add that Tower of Terror is one of the few rides where I like the WDW version better. It is mostly identical but the WDW version has a beginning part, before the drops where you are moving through some alternate dimension. So my opinion would be to make TOT maybe one of your last priorities in DCA since the one at WDW is almost identical and maybe a little better. Grizzly River Run is great but you do get soaked so plan for that! Another tip I might add would be to eat at off times. I hate wasting time waiting in line to get a burger when I could be doing other things! For instance if you arrive at Disneyland when it opens at 8:00 on Saturday (actually be in line by 7:45 or even 7:30) then you could have an early lunch at DCA while maybe you wait for a fastpass to come up. You can always carry a few small snacks with you to hold you over until the food lines are doable!

 

[Disneyland_emily]

One thing about skipping identicals is that while they may "seem" identical most have pretty big differences (DL's Pirates blows holes in WDWs both by length and storyline- Haunted Mansion is also a totally different experiance, Tiki Room is totally different with the DL show being the classic and WDWs being the "new"-

Personally if you are worried about time- Buzz and Innoventions are both missable as their WDW counterparts are the same or better Muholland and Maliboomer are pretty lame

My advice- get there early and use fast pass to your advantage- If you have hoppers Id start all days in DL at Park Open- If done right you can get 99% of Fantasyland done in the first hour and a half or most of the Westside (Splash, Mansion, Pirates, Jungle, Indy and Thunder) before lunch then do DCA in the middle afternoon/evening then book back to DL for parades/fireworks/F!

-em

 

[maui2k5]

Do you think I would be taking any of the anticipation or "Magic" out of my September Disney World trip by going to Disneyland as a side trip from Las Vegas this July? Since I am in WDW for 10 days, I would not want to feel I have "already done that" when it comes to the Magic Kingdom... I have never been to Disneyland (been to WDW many times) so I am deciding whether or not it is worth the drive from Vegas or just leave Disney for Orlando this year and give Disneyland more time sometime next year or Christmas time... The one thing I am concerned about is trying to cram too much into my 4 full days I have to split between Disney and Vegas and in the end not enjoying the trip because I am rushing too much... I do like to stay busy, but July 4th weekend does make me wonder just how crowded (or over crowded for that matter) Disneyland will be...

 

[Amy&Dan]

That's a hard question to answer! Since I am a self admitted Disney addicted freak, I would skip Las Vegas and head to only Disneyland but that's just my crazy outlook! For a couple of young single women, your trip priorites will be different! We have done multiple trips to Disneyland and WDW this past year and each trip feels magical and unique. I love WDW but I have to say there is something really special and magical about Disneyland. It is so much easier in a sense than WDW because you can park hop mulitiple times in the same day. Also, since you are lucky enough to go during the 50th anniversary the place is recently spruced up, all the rides are up and running (except for Space Mountain but that's almost up too) and they have a new parade and fireworks. While both WDW and DL do have a lot of similarities they are different too. That will be a busy weekend with the 4th of July visitors and the added 50th crowds as well. If you know for sure you can get a trip into Disneyland before the 18 month 50th celebration ends that might be good. On the other hand, you never know what your life will be like and if you were right there in the area and didn't see it, you might really regret it. If you are thinking of skipping Disneyland based solely on not wanting to diminish the magic of your WDW trip then don't worry, you won't! What could be more magical than two Disney trips in a two month period? Also, I get the impression this is an adult only trip so you can really move at a faster pace than I do when I go with my two kids and elderly father in law. With pre planning, even busy crowds can be managed and the park enjoyed. Let us know what you decide!

 

[geffric]

maui2k5 i have never been to Vegas and it maybe worth it to see. How long is the drive to DL? Is it really worth it for you if you only have 6 days? We go the WDW for 2 wweks every year and the Last time we went to DL?DCA we had 3 day hoppers and didn't think that it was enough time to really enjoy the park..

Our plan is to arrive on the July 1st but don't plan on any parks until Saturday, the 2nd of July. We figure that July 3 and 4 will be very busy and we plan on Magic Mountain and family time. Then back to DL and DCA on for Tuesday and Wednesday before we head to SD for the zoo/animal park and maybe SeaWorld.Then back to DL/DCA for the grande finale tour before our plane..