Is this even a sane thing to do?

[MadiPan]

Hello, all...I am going to be visiting Disneyland for the first time this November (10-13) and on the first day, Thursday the 10th, I will not be able to be in the parks until about 3 pm...can I just waltz in to California Adventure and be able to ride anything under a 30 minute line? Will I be able to do this at Disneyland? I feel like it might just be a waste of a day.

 

[skiingfast]

There is no reason why you can not. You will be getting a half of the day. Not huge crowds, it would be a good idea, since Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be busier.

 

[MadiPan]

There is no reason why you can not. You will be getting a half of the day. Not huge crowds, it would be a good idea, since Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be busier.

Would you recommend DCA or Disneyland? I was thinking perhaps DCA because I only have two and a half park days, and while I want to get the DCA headliners done, I want to spend as much time as possible in Disneyland. Would I be able to knock out the little mermaid dark ride, the monsters inc ride, the aladdin show, muppet vision, tower of terror, soarin, toy story, and the swings all during one afternoon/evening while still catching world of color at 8:15? (I will arrive at 3, park closes at 8)

 

[skiingfast]

Would you recommend DCA or Disneyland? I was thinking perhaps DCA because I only have two and a half park days, and while I want to get the DCA headliners done, I want to spend as much time as possible in Disneyland. Would I be able to knock out the little mermaid dark ride, the monsters inc ride, the aladdin show, muppet vision, tower of terror, soarin, toy story, and the swings all during one afternoon/evening while still catching world of color at 8:15? (I will arrive at 3, park closes at 8)

What you should do is get a park hopper to hop back and forth as you please. This will make it more efficient to use FastPass and do it all. Fast Pass for dummie FP two park strategy

Maybe arriving at 3 will work out. You will need a Show Ticket for WoC, you may be able to get one arriving at 3, you may feel safer doing a WoC dinner package or the Picnic(this would take less time than a Table Served meal). WoC superthread

Little Mermaid, and Monsters Inc have short lines. Muppet Vision takes a little time, but does depend on when you walk up, if they are loading the theater or if you have to wait a cycle. ToT and Soarin, and also Screemin have FP and you would need to use it.

TSMM will have a long wait. Silly Symphony Swings a medium to short wait.

Aladdin will be a priority, it take a long time because it's a long show, and queing and entering takes some time, but it won't be running on Thursday.

Really get a park Hopper to maximize your time.

 

[Eeee-va]

I love that arrival day...I like to treat it as a "bonus" day. If you have a park hopper, I wouldn't worry so much about doing everything in DCA...you can hop back for a few hours one of your other days. If you don't have a park hopper, then it's a different story.

Given your concerns, it might be worthwhile to invest in Ridemax. (Though when I last used it in 2009, it did not deal with shows very well.)

EDIT: OK, if Aladdin isn't playing on Thursday, then it's a moot point as to if you can get everything done in that time on Thursday, since you can't do that show. :/

Have a great trip!

 

[Rhonna]

Hi,

Saw your question on the WDW board.

Do you really need to do the swings at DCA? Imho it's not worth the time unless you REALLY love swings. The carnival attractions of DCA aren't worth it when you have so little time there.

One important question no one has asked you yet - are you staying on site or within walking distance of the parks? If you are driving each day - it will hugely affect what you can get done. CA traffic is completely different from driving on WDW property.

And as mentioned, having a park hopper makes a difference in how you tour.

Disneyland has it's own website with park hours and times for shows like Aladdin, fireworks, etc. Click on park hours and entertainment schedule tabs.

http://disneyland.disney.go.com/parks/