Last minute trip to DL. What should I do?

[MeghansMommy]

I'm going to LA for a conference next week and I'm able to extend my trip in California by a day. I'll be able to go to DL on Thursday, March 5th.

I've been to WDW, but not DL. What should I not miss? I'm sad that the castle is being refurbished, but I'll be just fine I'm sure!

My favorite park at WDW is MK, so I'm assuming I should just stick to DL and not go to CA. If you only had one day at the park, what would you make sure not to miss?

Thank you!

(I lucked out and was able to get a hotel across the street (I think) from DL - the Camelot Inn & Suites. Hope it's okay).

Thanks again for ANY tips!

Oh, one more thing - where should I buy tickets? At the gate? Online? THANK YOU!!

 

[audrey2580]

Do you have the whole day? If so the park should be pretty quiet and you could maybe squeeze in DCA. But at DL: Big Thunder, Pirates (so much better than WDW's sorry), Alice in Wonderland is a must, Nemo Subs, Matterhorn will be closed :-( , Buzz Lightyear is better too.

Is the conference large? Check their travel page they may have discounted disney tickets.

 

[ImDMous]

I think it would be totally reasonable to get a park hopper on a Thursday. You should not miss Cars Land.

 

[audrey2580]

Omg how could I forget Indiana Jones!

 

[MeghansMommy]

No, it's not a large conference, so no tickets through them.

I *may* be able to extend the trip to Friday, but I don't want to count on it. So as for now, only one park or the other, but not both.

 

[figment_jii]

If you have a bit of time, I'd check out HydroGuy's DLR Guide for WDW Vets to help give you a sense of things.

Normally, I'm a big fan of park hoppers, but if you only have one day, I would probably forgo the cost of the hopper (it adds $56 to the price of the ticket, so a one-day park hopper is $155!). The biggest thing to see in DCA would be Carsland because there is nothing quite like it in WDW. If you're willing to spend the money, then I would go see Carsland and RSR for sure. The two parks are only 110 yards apart, so it's really easy to park hop.

The parks are operating on short hours (10:00 am to 8:00 pm), so I think there is enough in DL to keep a person busy for the entire day! My favorites are PotC, HM (although this is pretty similar to the WDW version and is shorter), Space, Indy (unique to DL), BTMRR (new effects), IaSW, much of FL (e.g., Mr. Toad, Storybook Canal), and Buzz Lightyear (you can email your ride photo for free!). F! is different (and to me, better) at DL, but it involves a fairly significant time commitment even with a FP if you want an ideal/prime viewing spot.

In terms of the ticket, I would purchase them in advance (online) if you can. That will save you the time of dealing with the ticket booth in the morning. If you buy them through Disneyland.com and select the print at home option (eTicket), you can go straight to the turnstiles when you get to DL (no need to go to the ticket booth to exchange the voucher).

 

[MeghansMommy]

Thanks Figment_jii. I'll order my ticket online.

 

[SMD]

Mouseplanet is reporting that getawaytoday still had the old prices listed yesterday. If you buy online now you may be able to save a little. Especially if you want a hopper.

http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/sho...kets-and-APs-even-after-the-2-22-price-change

 

[ashnjam]

Absolutely ride Pirates!

 

[Canuck16]

If you are only doing DL then definitely do Space Mountain.......it is much better than the one at WDW.

 

[MeghansMommy]

Ugh - I think I'm going to extend my trip by a day. I think I want to do both parks. Am I going to be as exhausted as I can be at WDW?

 

[Diszona]

Ugh - I think I'm going to extend my trip by a day. I think I want to do both parks. Am I going to be as exhausted as I can be at WDW?

Nope, not at all. That is one big benefit of the smaller parks at DL, you don't have to go nearly as far to get from ride to ride. It isn't nearly as exhausting as WDW. For instance from the center of the hub the distance to the Plaza Inn, the Jungle Cruise queue, and the Astro Orbiter are all less than the distance from the center of the MK hub to the moat. It is much quicker to get from one land to another than at the MK.

 

[figment_jii]

Ugh - I think I'm going to extend my trip by a day. I think I want to do both parks. Am I going to be as exhausted as I can be at WDW?

It depends on why WDW exhausts you. As Diszona mentioned, things are closer together at DL (a little less of the case at DCA), but it also means you can "go-go-go" all day long. For example, it's easy to say "let's do Jungle Cruise" and then "oh, Indy is right there, let's go there next" followed by Pirates, Haunted Mansion, etc. At WDW, things are often a bit more spread out, so I find that I tend to stop more often to look around. So, it all depends on how you opt to pace yourself during the day.

 

[SplashMo]

I would get the parkhoppers. With a few single rider lines and FP you should be able to knock out a lot of rides. Hit Indy for sure and Pirates. Also do SCREAMIN even if you are not a coaster fan. Very smooth.... Try and get a FP for Fantasmic in DL. Or do the Blue Bayou package which is spendy but for one person not so bad and gives you a great seat for Fantasmic...

Think of the parks as almost joined and basically very close to each other. You can also have FP in both parks at the same time. And Caersland is not to be missed...