Is a day trip worth it?

[winnieofpooh]

My fiance and I are planning a mini-moon shortly after our wedding before our big honeymoon trip to WDW. I'm wanting to do a little beach vacation, and was throwing around the idea of somewhere in California. Then I got the crazy idea that maybe we should add a day to go to Disneyland?

We've both been to WDW numerous times before, but neither of us have ever been to DL. But because I'm saving all my vacation days for our big honeymoon, we don't have the time to do more than 1 or 1.5 days in the parks. Is it worth it? If so, should we try to do 1.5 days (arrival day we'll get in around 2pm, and we have one extra day free), or could we do most things in one day?

ETA: We'd likely be going the last week in April (27-30)

 

[WonkaKid]

Absolutely worth it. As to the question of doing most things: that depends on what you mean, of course, but almost certainly not. If you can only squeeze in one day, I’d make it an open-to-close park visit. As as aside, I’ve done one-day visits to several of the parks - HK, Tokyo, Shanghai, Paris. Those were also worth it.

Be aware that the ocean in SoCal is chilly at the best of times. And it’s also been unseasonably cold and rainy for the past several weeks. In short, unless you plan to come in the high summer, don’t expect 80-degree days.

 

[chickapin parterre]

.......well...folks drive to the Grand Canyon, look over the railing.....and call it worth it....forgoing the very short 100 yard hike into the canyon, sunset and sunrise, the movies and tours.

.......well....folks drive to Crater Lake, look over the edge....and call it worth it....forgoing the easy nature trails, the lodge, the boat rides and sunset.

.......well.....folks travel up to Mt.St Helens, look over the railing.....and call it worth it....forgoing the hours of history of the eruption, the variety of hiking trails to explore and sunset.


So, if you think looking over the railing of what is Disneyland will make you happy, then yes... it is fantastic to take in all the history, texture, attractions only found at Disneyland and making plans to return again, because it is so easy to visit and marvel at each sunset moment every hour at Disneyland, and you missed so much that takes most of us five days to enjoy....you will be returning,...after all, paper Disneyland tickets would make for a great first year anniversary gift.

 

[ktlm]

Absolutely worth it! Buy hoppers and see both parks. DH and my first trip to DLR as adults was part of a business trip. We went out a couple of days early and spent one day at DLR/CA--- totally worth it. We had a great time! In fact, were it not for that trip, we probably would have stuck to WDW and never even tried DLR. Now, we go both places. We love DLR.

You never know. You may find yourself looking for things to do other than the beach in April in CA. You might be freezing on the beach. We have gone in June (June gloom) when the high was in the low 60s at the beach.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I think it’s definitely worth it as long as you know you won’t get to see/do everything (not even close!) and if you have a pretty solid plan for your one full day. If you can swing it, I suggest parkhoppers and MaxPass for your full day (MaxPass might not be worth it for such a late arrival on your partial day but you could always decide that day).

Something to note: Nighttime entertainment in Disneyland (Fantasmic and fireworks) is only offered Fri-Sun in the off season, so I would plan on those days for your visit. World of Color at DCA should show on weeknights as well as weekends. Weekends will also have full hours (8-11 or midnight), and you’ll need that for such a short visit. Mondays are notoriously crowded in the parks so I would avoid that day if possible.

 

[maltdizzy]

Yes. Most locals day trip maybe once every year or two, just like you might your own local amusement park.

In a single day at DL last July (crowd level = 8 or 9), we did (in order):

• Indiana Jones
  
• POTC
• Haunted Mansion
• Space Mountian (maxpass)
• Little Mermaid
• Heimlich's Choo-Choo (farewell to a ride that we used to take our kid on as an infant)
• GOTG: Mission Breakout (maxpass)
• Corn Dog - Corn Dog Castle (mobile order)
• Grizzley River Run (using single rider)
• Grizzley River Run (using single rider)
• Rollicking Roadsters
• Radiator Spring Racers (using single rider)
• Incredicoaster (maxpass)
• Incredicoaster (using single rider)
• Red Trolley Ale and cheese-jalapeno pretzel (was a staple for me when we lived in LA and had APs)
• Disneyland Railroad (round trip plus one stop)
  
• Davy Crockett Canoes
• Splash Mountain (maxpsss)
• Bengal BBQ (mobile order)
• Fortune from Shrunken Ned
• Jungle Cruise
• Tiki Room w/ Dole Whip
• Small World (maxpass, it's all that was left)
• Matterhorn (using single rider, very slow SR line)
• Fireworks with Mickey Bars
• Space Mountain (maxpass, picked up hours before the Small World maxpss above)
• Mr Toad's Wild Ride
• Alice's Adventure in Wonderland
• Snow White Scary Adventure
• Pinocchio

It was our first trip back in years (moved back East). We did NOT rope drop (walked through turnstiles at 10:45) and we left at 11 PM, one hour before closing. Plus, it was a fun, relatively laid back day, we didn't run or hurry anywhere — we took our time, managed the lines according to priority, sat and people watched, got my pic with Donald, and saw all our favorite non-ride sights in the parks. Sunny and 91°F. We could have easily worked in a half dozen more rides that day if we had rope dropped and stayed to close. We booked the biggies as maxpass and hit smaller lines to kill time in-between. Big Thunder was down all day and we skipped some (like Buzz Lightyear and Star Tours) because we couldn't justify the lines vs. attraction.

Since you've been to been to WDW, you can prioritize some exclusive rides and shows. If you add in that extra day, you can actually do almost everything. It was however expensive ... three one-day, park-hopper, peak season tickets were nearly $600.

 

[Vala]

Years ago, a friend and I had tickets for a convention in Burbank. The guests were dropping like flies. When my friend was at the airport (she was flying in from the East Coast) I half jokingly "man, we should just ditch the worst day and go to Disneyland." Imagine my surprise when she was all ears - those conventions don't come cheap.

We did it in the end and didn't regret one minute. No, you won't be able to get on every ride and see every show. But you'll get to do enough to make it a very fun day.

 

[Mike_M]

I’ve made a couple single day trips to DL over the years and it was always worth it. For me, if I’m only doing 1 day, I just visit DL. No DCA. It’s not impossible to squeeze both in, but I’ve just found that it’s my preference to be more leisurely on my trips and it’s easy to hit most of DL in a single day if you really want to (especially if you use Maxpass well).

 

[Geemo]

My fiance and I are planning a mini-moon shortly after our wedding before our big honeymoon trip to WDW. I'm wanting to do a little beach vacation, and was throwing around the idea of somewhere in California. Then I got the crazy idea that maybe we should add a day to go to Disneyland?

We've both been to WDW numerous times before, but neither of us have ever been to DL. But because I'm saving all my vacation days for our big honeymoon, we don't have the time to do more than 1 or 1.5 days in the parks. Is it worth it? If so, should we try to do 1.5 days (arrival day we'll get in around 2pm, and we have one extra day free), or could we do most things in one day?

ETA: We'd likely be going the last week in April (27-30)

I did a couple one day trips last year, one in December and one in May.
My deciding factor is how long I will be in the parks.
If I can find flights from PDX to SNA and back that will give me at least 6 hours in the park it's a go.

Watch the app a few days prior to get a feel for line times.
Go for it! You will have a great time.

G

 

[theluckyrabbit]

How could seeing Walt's original park not be worth it?! Here is some good information to help you with your decision: A DLR Guide for WDW Vets. Personally, I would do the 1.5 days. Depending on the park hours those days, you could see quite a bit between 2 pm and midnight, for example, on day one. Start at rope drop on day 2 and go until closing -- with MP and good planning, you could do a surprising amount. If the budget allows, get park hoppers -- it's so easy to park hop at DLR -- you could be going back and forth between the parks (about 5 minute walk!) all day, and MP allows you to get FPs in one park while you're still in the other park. Will you see and do everything in 1.5 days? Probably not. But it will be plenty of time to give you a taste of DLR -- and to decide whether you'd like to plan a longer trip in the future.
By the way, what would be your trip dates?

 

[nguyeners]

My husband and I popped over the DL for only one day while I was on the West Coast for an interview. We arrived the night before and had dinner at Disney Springs. We hit the parks (bought the maxpass) the next day hard. We picked up maxpasses throughout the day and got to do all the big rides from both parks. Even got to enjoy lunch, shows, animation academy, etc. The only thing we felt we missed on was the Pixar night parade at DCA since we wanted to see the fireworks show that was going on at the same time at DL. This was also back in early August during peak season. We logged over 30,000 steps that day and crashed hard afterwards but it was so worth it!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

My husband and I popped over the DL for only one day while I was on the West Coast for an interview. We arrived the night before and had dinner at Disney Springs... The only thing we felt we missed on was the Pixar night parade at DCA since we wanted to see the fireworks show that was going on at the same time at DL...

Glad you enjoyed your one day trip -- and hope you really enjoy your longer trip and time at at D23 Expo this summer!
Just some clarification for those following (and for your upcoming trip, too): There is no Disney Springs at DLR -- we have Downtown Disney (DTD). There have been some great changes since your last visit (new restaurants and shops), so make sure to do some DTD exploring on your next trip.
The parade you missed was Paint the Night (PTN) in DCA (the Pixar Play Parade was a daytime parade in DL). Rumor has it that PTN might be back in DCA this summer, so keep checking this forum for updates. You might get to see it on your next trip!

 

[nguyeners]

Glad you enjoyed your one day trip -- and hope you really enjoy your longer trip and time at at D23 Expo this summer!
Just some clarification for those following (and for your upcoming trip, too): There is no Disney Springs at DLR -- we have Downtown Disney (DTD). There have been some great changes since your last visit (new restaurants and shops), so make sure to do some DTD exploring on your next trip.
The parade you missed was Paint the Night (PTN) in DCA (the Pixar Play Parade was a daytime parade in DL). Rumor has it that PTN might be back in DCA this summer, so keep checking this forum for updates. You might get to see it on your next trip!

Thanks for the correction! Definitely didn't double check on the names of the events in my effort to reply quickly. We're more familiar with WDW than DL. But we're moving to Socal this summer and will be making DL our new home, starting with D23!

 

[GatorChris]

We always do 5-9 day trips at DL or WDW. It's the way we're built and we like the complete getaway. That said, we did only one day at DLR last year. We got ParkHoppers and made no dining reservations for a July day. And it was so much fun!!!! We started first thing in the morning at DL, did all of our faves, then headed over to DCA to do Guardians, Soarin', and RSR, back to DL for the parade, back to DCA for PtN, and then back to DL for fireworks. We ran ourselves crazy, but we absolutely loved it. It was as good of a fix as we could get. And you being much younger should be able to pull this off easily.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... But we're moving to Socal this summer and will be making DL our new home, starting with D23!

Welcome to your new Disney home! Maybe we'll run into each other at Expo (DIS Boards has a booth on the show floor)! Jump on in to discussions on this forum -- we're a pretty friendly crew. By the time you move out here, you'll already by right at home.