Making Dramatic Changes to Plans for Haunted Mansion

[hoff41]

Looking for help from my disboards friends as my wife and I have been going back and forth on the right thing to do here:
Plan was to go to DL Jan 22-24, although we will be in Anaheim as of the 21st middayish. We heard about the recent news about the haunted mansion and not only is it my wife's favorite ride, and one of my kids favs, but we all love nightmare before Christmas (like any good Jewish family )
We bought our tickets before the latest price increase so to add a day it will be almost $400 to add a day (total for all of us). While we will obviously try and go on other rides too, its essentially a lot of money for 1 ride, albeit possibly the only time we would ever do it in our lives.
We have considered:
- Keeping 3 days and doing a hopper (costs more than adding 1 day and still no guarantee we will hit everything we want in 3 days now that its really 2.5 days)
- adding a standalone day (more expensive than canceling and doing a 4 day)
- seeing what we can do in the first 2.5 days and then purchasing if we need (but it will cost more if we do it on the spot)
- If we buy ahead of time and can't get on it will be a real waste of money

Long story long:
A) anyone ever experience a day like this before a refurbishment (during a down season) and think we might not make it on the ride anyway if we don't get to the park before 3pm (and not planning on getting genie+ for such a short time)?
B) Anyone have suggestions on options we might be missing to save money and/or make this work?

 

[pooh2001]

Day 1 since we do not get it in to MCO till 2 PM - so it is go to the hotel - walk around DTD - then go to bed and go to the parks at 8 am
Not sure about DL - where to go to on a non-park day

 

[Pluto468]

Looking for help from my disboards friends as my wife and I have been going back and forth on the right thing to do here:
Plan was to go to DL Jan 22-24, although we will be in Anaheim as of the 21st middayish. We heard about the recent news about the haunted mansion and not only is it my wife's favorite ride, and one of my kids favs, but we all love nightmare before Christmas (like any good Jewish family )
We bought our tickets before the latest price increase so to add a day it will be almost $400 to add a day (total for all of us). While we will obviously try and go on other rides too, its essentially a lot of money for 1 ride, albeit possibly the only time we would ever do it in our lives.
We have considered:
- Keeping 3 days and doing a hopper (costs more than adding 1 day and still no guarantee we will hit everything we want in 3 days now that its really 2.5 days)
- adding a standalone day (more expensive than canceling and doing a 4 day)
- seeing what we can do in the first 2.5 days and then purchasing if we need (but it will cost more if we do it on the spot)
- If we buy ahead of time and can't get on it will be a real waste of money

Long story long:
A) anyone ever experience a day like this before a refurbishment (during a down season) and think we might not make it on the ride anyway if we don't get to the park before 3pm (and not planning on getting genie+ for such a short time)?
B) Anyone have suggestions on options we might be missing to save money and/or make this work?

I understand what a drag it is when your favorite ride will be down. I once rearranged a whole trip around Pirates being down.

Personally, I'm always in favor of adding more park days whenever possible, so I'd probably add a standalone day.

I wouldn't try adding a day when you're already at Disneyland, because you might not be able to with the reservation system.

If your main goal is HM it would be worth buying Genie+ for the 21st, because you can get a LL for it.

Since it's the last day of HM the lines might be extra long because everyone will want to ride it before the closure.

Could you fly in a night early and go to the parks first thing on the 21st?

 

[Syndrome]

Can you buy an individual lightning lane for HM, or is it a genie plus option choice ?
We dont really need or want to use genie plus, but might buy an individual lightning lane for HM (if thats an option) , for the 21st. We also rearranged our whole trip in regards to the HM closing date this year .

 

[Aspencreek]

Last days of rides tend to get super busy so that will more than likely mean tons of people will all want to ride it one last time before the extended closure. So just be aware that if 3pm on the 21st is the earliest you can get to the parks it may be a crazy long line (like 120 minutes or more), Plus you may not be able to get a LL for that day since you can't reserve one until you are physically in the park and by afternoon the more popular rides can run out of LLs for the day.

Syndrome - There are only regular LLs for HM, they don't offer the paid ILLs for it.

 

[LKing]

Can you buy an individual lightning lane for HM, or is it a genie plus option choice ?
We dont really need or want to use genie plus, but might buy an individual lightning lane for HM (if thats an option) , for the 21st. We also rearranged our whole trip in regards to the HM closing date this year .

Individual LL is not an option for HM.

From the Disneyland website.

Individual Purchase for Lightning Lane Entrance
Attractions include*:

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane Entrance
Attractions include*:

• Autopia
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
• Haunted Mansion
• Indiana JonesTM Adventure
• “it's a small world”
• Matterhorn Bobsleds
• Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin
• Space Mountain
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue

 

[starlite_]

Seconding what Aspen said. If you aren't getting in to the parks until 3pm then I wouldn't get Genie+ at all, chances are that all the LLs for HMH will be gone by then since it's the last day for the foreseeable future.

If you truly want to ride it then I think you're just gonna have to make it THE priority and brave the 2 hr line.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I would let it go. That’s a lot of money and stress and time spent standing in a very long line (for a ride that breaks down frequently). I get that it’s a favorite but your time and money could be spent so much better I would think.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Why can’t you just make the current ticket start on the 21st and then go to the ticket office to have them extend the ticket a day? You don’t have to pay the single day price, its just the current delta between a 3-day and a 4-day, which is $55 a ticket… I’d pay $55 to go into DLand/DCA from 3pm to Midnight…

 

[Federalist45]

Why can’t you just make the current ticket start on the 21st and then go to the ticket office to have them extend the ticket a day? You don’t have to pay the single day price, its just the current delta between a 3-day and a 4-day, which is $55 a ticket… I’d pay $55 to go into DLand/DCA from 3pm to Midnight…

So your suggestion would be to move the last reservation date to the Jan. 21 date, while there go to the ticket booth and pay to upgrade the ticket, then get a new set of reservations for the final date?

 

[hoff41]

Why can’t you just make the current ticket start on the 21st and then go to the ticket office to have them extend the ticket a day? You don’t have to pay the single day price, its just the current delta between a 3-day and a 4-day, which is $55 a ticket… I’d pay $55 to go into DLand/DCA from 3pm to Midnight…

We can but we got the tickets before the price increase so it's a lot more since my understanding is they will add the new price for it all not just the 1 day (for 4 people)

 

[hoff41]

Last days of rides tend to get super busy so that will more than likely mean tons of people will all want to ride it one last time before the extended closure. So just be aware that if 3pm on the 21st is the earliest you can get to the parks it may be a crazy long line (like 120 minutes or more), Plus you may not be able to get a LL for that day since you can't reserve one until you are physically in the park and by afternoon the more popular rides can run out of LLs for the day.

Syndrome - There are only regular LLs for HM, they don't offer the paid ILLs for it.

Exactly what I am thinking. May not be worth it

 

[AstroBlasters]

We can but we got the tickets before the price increase so it's a lot more since my understanding is they will add the new price for it all not just the 1 day (for 4 people)

I’ve never had that happen. I’ve purchased discounted tickets for 4 days and then upgraded to 5 at the park and only paid the retail price difference between a 4 and a 5 day.

 

[AstroBlasters]

So your suggestion would be to move the last reservation date to the Jan. 21 date, while there go to the ticket booth and pay to upgrade the ticket, then get a new set of reservations for the final date?

Excatly.