Labor Day Weekend- 2 Parks, 2 Days, Help!

[Lizzybean]

While I'm a WDW pro, I haven't been to DL since I was a kid. My husband just surprised me with a trip to DL, but it's Labor Day weekend (he has to be in LA all week for business and I'm tagging along).

I know the crowds will be huge with the holiday and half-marathon so I'm wondering what the best strategy is for rides and attractions.

Our plan right now is to visit DTD Friday night, and then do parks open to close on Saturday and Sunday (our flight leaves at 6am Monday). We're going to add park hopper so we can go back and forth. Also, I did grab a dinner reservation at Blue Bayou for Saturday night. And, in case it's relevant we're staying at the Hilton on convention way (everything else was totally booked or crazy expensive).

Thanks so much for any tips and suggestions! I'm feeling totally out of my element but SO excited!

 

[figment_jii]

As a WDW Vet, I highly recommend taking a look at HydroGuy's A DLR Guide for WDW Vets. It'll help give you a sense of the similarities and differences between the two resorts.

Given that you will be there during a fairly busy time, I think it would be useful to prioritize which attractions and/or shows you want to experience the most. Depending on when you're getting in on Friday, I would consider adding a day to your tickets and go into the parks (DL is open until midnight and DCA is open until 10:00 pm). DTD is fun, but there isn't really a lot to do (aside from shopping and eating), so you might be able to get in a few attractions or even see one of the nighttime shows on Friday if you go into a park. Also, if you pre-purchase a three-day park hopper ticket, you would be eligible for MM in DL on Saturday (it's not necessarily the most useful, but it's still a little helpful). MM gives guests access to select attractions in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, for an hour before the park opens to the general public. Otherwise, I would recommend starting in DCA on Saturday (especially if RSR or TSMM are important to you) and then over in DL on Sunday. EMH/MM do not have a long lasting impact on the parks (because park hopping is so easy), but they do impact the park right at opening. If you go to the park with EMH/MM, some attractions will already have long lines by the time the park opens to everyone (e.g., RSR, TSMM, and Peter Pan come to mind).

 

[ADLFAN]

Have you found Disneyland's brand new app? It just came out so everyone (including me!) has been stalking the wait times. You can get a pretty good sense of the crowds and how they get distributed at the beginning of the day. You still have a few weeks to plot your route, and figure out what to hit first thing, and what to save for the crowded times of the day (stuff that always has a shortish line), stuff that will always require a Fastpass to enjoy.

As Figment_jii just pointed out, if you don't have magic morning, it is nice to start in the park that isn't hosting it that day.

Have fun planning!

 

[Lizzybean]

Thank you! I was debating about adding a day for Friday. I'm not sure what time we'll get in. My husband has to work and then we'll be driving from the Ontario area, so I'm thinking it won't be until after 6pm, but he could get out early, who knows. Even if it was 6pmish that would give us almost 6 hours in the park and the MM.

I have not seen the app, so I'll download that now! I think we're pretty big ride/attraction people and since we won't have any kiddos slowing us down, we can hit a lot.