Late-ish arrival, worth it to burn a day? Best night attractions?

[holcomb-mania]

We will be arriving in DLR around 6-7pm during our trip next June after driving down the PCH. Is it worth it to use a day on our passes with the parks open late? Our goal is to experience attractions, no entertainment. Currently the difference between 3-day and 4-day passes is $25 ($100 all in).

We're leaving our last morning early to get to Yosemite, so I think a character breakfast and hitting the road is preferable to rushing around the parks to squeeze in some rides. Doing it on our arrival night, and experiencing the parks at night (hopefully in a relatively leisurely fashion) may be more enjoyable. I'm a WDW vet but know nothing about DLR.

{catches breath.....} Are there preferable attractions at night that we should focus on?

Thanks for your patience on this long post! I know the "worth" depends on the person, but I'd like to hear your thoughts.

 

[Mary09]

I would probably go for it. You'll be excited to hit the parks and you'll have to do SOMEthing that night, unless you otherwise will be watching TV in the hotel or something. $25/person for a full night of entertainment is ok in my book.

 

[rewardsinlife]

Yes definitely worth it! We arrived at 8 pm one night and went till midnight. Got on every ride we wanted to....and it was during halloween time...not during MNSSH though.

 

[figment_jii]

As others have said, DL and DCA at night can be a lot of fun. Assuming June hours are running late (e.g., 11 pm or so), then it's very much worth going in. You might be able to see the fireworks and/or Fantasmic and/or WoC, depending on when you arrive.

In terms of "nighttime" versus "daytime" rides, anything out doors is a fun/different experience when it's dark out. I especially like:
Big Thunder (a lot of fun!)
Storybook Canal (kid's ride, but I like the way the houses a lit up)
Casey Jr. (can be like a mini-coaster in the dark!)
Matterhorn

 

[mellers]

We will be arriving in DLR around 6-7pm during our trip next June after driving down the PCH. Is it worth it to use a day on our passes with the parks open late? Our goal is to experience attractions, no entertainment. Currently the difference between 3-day and 4-day passes is $25 ($100 all in).

We're leaving our last morning early to get to Yosemite, so I think a character breakfast and hitting the road is preferable to rushing around the parks to squeeze in some rides. Doing it on our arrival night, and experiencing the parks at night (hopefully in a relatively leisurely fashion) may be more enjoyable. I'm a WDW vet but know nothing about DLR.

{catches breath.....} Are there preferable attractions at night that we should focus on?

Thanks for your patience on this long post! I know the "worth" depends on the person, but I'd like to hear your thoughts.

I would say it depends. If you plan to close down the park the first night, it's probably worth the extra $25. If you have little kids and probably would only be there an hour or two, I'd recommend dinner at Goofy's Kitchen instead your first night.

 

[holcomb-mania]

Thanks for the replies!

We have two teens so closing it down won't be hard, especially after being cooped up on the long drive (even with stops).

I don't even know which park to do! How about Jungle Cruise and Splash Mtn? IMO, those were pretty cool at WDW at night, but new stuff is our main goal!

 

[rewardsinlife]

Actually, I don't know if Jungle Cruise runs at night at DL. If it does, I have been missing out! I just did Splash Mtn. at night and it is awesome..very small lines...even better...we were on it when the fireworks were going off! Pretty magical if I do say so myself!

 

[Butterfly123]

Jungle Cruise is great at night. So is Big Thunder. I really love Disneyland at night, it gives a whole different feel to the park. Are your tickets hoppers? Because the neon lights are awesome in Carsland.

By the way...Casey, Jr. and Storybook Canal are also great at night!

 

[smiles33]

I agree with the others, especially since your kids are teens! We weren't planning on going in on the first day we arrived last year, but it was a weekday and we go SO MUCH done in just 3-4 hours. Totally worth it.

 

[amusenteacher]

If you're going for new stuff, and have teenagers, I recommend DCA. There's cars land, CA screamin', and tower of terror, which are all different experiences at night. Also, there's the mad tea party, and a dance rave that could be fun for your teens. RSR is so BEAUTIFUL at night, even if you don't get to ride it. Plus, WoC is there as well. And I almost forgot how different Buena Vista street is at night compared to day. Since there are no fireworks, DCA can get less crowded at night, but that depends on WoC attendance. I'd definitely pay the extra $25 & head to DCA. Have fun!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

With teens I would say go for it.

You may not have a choice about which park to do though depending on which day you are arriving since grad nights in June are reported to be:
June 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, and 21.
Grad nights will be taking place at DCA, and I'm not sure how that will affect park hours and crowds.

If DCA is not closed for grad night, then it is a good option. Carsland looks awesome at night. Radiator Springs Racers is supposed to be very cool in the dark. The line will be long, but the single rider line is an option as well. Gizzly River Run's line is often shorter at night, so you might want to try that if getting wet in the evening doesn't bother you. My family likes California Screamin' at night, but that is sometimes hard to do since it closes down early for the Word of Color show.

As for Disneyland, have you ridden Big Thunder at night? That is pretty fun, and there are often even fastpasses available late for that ride. I know you said no entertainment, but if you are in Disneyland anyway, you are likely to see the fireworks.

 

[lvdis]

If you're going for new stuff, and have teenagers, I recommend DCA. There's cars land, CA screamin', and tower of terror, which are all different experiences at night. Also, there's the mad tea party, and a dance rave that could be fun for your teens. RSR is so BEAUTIFUL at night, even if you don't get to ride it. Plus, WoC is there as well. And I almost forgot how different Buena Vista street is at night compared to day. Since there are no fireworks, DCA can get less crowded at night, but that depends on WoC attendance. I'd definitely pay the extra $25 & head to DCA. Have fun!

I have a question about WoC. Can you get into the viewing area without having a fastpass?

We will be there next June also (arriving on 6/15/13, having just driven from Las Vegas!) and wondering about adding a day for that afternoon/evening too. My husband loved WoC when we saw it back in 2010 and I thought it might be worth it to get an extra night to catch that again, but then I remembered we had to get a fastpass ahead of time. Is this still true?

 

[rramstad]

Our trips in 2011 and 2012 in July we went into the park the first evening, arriving 7 ish and 8 ish respectively, and it was well, well worth it. The park was open until midnight, lots of ability to get on rides with no lines, and also you've got the various nighttime shows that are worth seeing, having that extra night can really make that easier.

(Folks in prior posts have mentioned many of the rides that are especially cool at night, another one is California Screamin', which is hard to ride at night, because they close it down for WoC, but reopen it shortly after the second show, but only for 30 minutes or so before the park closes... well worth trying to get a ride on it, if you are going to be in DCA anyway at the end of the night.)

 

[amusenteacher]

I have a question about WoC. Can you get into the viewing area without having a fastpass?

We will be there next June also (arriving on 6/15/13, having just driven from Las Vegas!) and wondering about adding a day for that afternoon/evening too. My husband loved WoC when we saw it back in 2010 and I thought it might be worth it to get an extra night to catch that again, but then I remembered we had to get a fastpass ahead of time. Is this still true?

Sure can: you can also get a viewing spot with WoC dining packages. The picnics aren't worth it, IMHO, but I think the Ariel's Grotto meals ARE worth it. Pricey, but good meal & show for your buck. Otherwise, you need a FP or try viewing it from another spot in the park, or from a view room in Grand Californian. If trying the latter, the spot under the ferris wheel or in front of Roy story mania is okay...not recommended if this is the only time you're going to see it for years to come. Getting a viewing spot is much better if it's a once in a decade kind of experience.

 

[mellers]

I have a question about WoC. Can you get into the viewing area without having a fastpass?

We will be there next June also (arriving on 6/15/13, having just driven from Las Vegas!) and wondering about adding a day for that afternoon/evening too. My husband loved WoC when we saw it back in 2010 and I thought it might be worth it to get an extra night to catch that again, but then I remembered we had to get a fastpass ahead of time. Is this still true?

It's still true, but when we had to do a late arrival, we got the World of Color picnic meals and had dinner not long before World of Color. Then we had our fastpass, but we didn't have to be in the park that morning to get it.

 

[fitzaboo]

I like the view from TOT at night. Would totally go for the first night!

 

[holcomb-mania]

Awesome. Thanks for all the input!

 

[holcomb-mania]

You may not have a choice about which park to do though depending on which day you are arriving since grad nights in June are reported to be:
June 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, and 21.
Grad nights will be taking place at DCA, and I'm not sure how that will affect park hours and crowds.

I've got us arriving June 22!

What about AP blackout dates? Honestly, the die is cast so I will endure whatever is thrown at us, but any extra help from crowds is welcome!

 

[James G]

I would go for the night. I love disneyland at night. To me it's the best time to go other than when the park just opens. I normally can hit up space mountain like a billion times at night.