Newbie to DL

[mom1005]

Hello,
Grew up in California but haven't been to DL in 17 years. Taking my 18 and 15 yo DS's . We have been to DW a couple of times for several days at a shot, so know that layout well. I need to know can we do DL and California Adventure in 1 day? Or what are some suggestions for all the veterans here?

Also, don't want to stay on site so what hotel is around that is fairly reasonable? We will have a car.

TIA

 

[Funball]

Hotel: Hojo

Things to do in one day at DL and DCA:

DCA: Soarin over California, California Screaming, Tower of Terror, Animation Building,Grizzly River Run

DL: All the rides you can fit in on one day plus fansatmic and Fireworks

Unfortunately, beccuase you said one day I did not list world of color, but that is something you may not want to miss.. these that I have listed is just some suggestions.. as far as rides go for Disneyland it was hard to narrow down a few rides, you want to do them all…

 

[mom1005]

Is it possible to do in a day or should we dedicate a day and half to do it? We are going to be there May 19th and didn't know if we should add a part of day on 20th. We need to be in Palm Springs that night for my brother's wedding rehearsal dinner TBD.

 

[Funball]

with WOC and fantasmic and fireworks. plus rides at both parks.. i don't see how you can do one day.. but maybe another member has a tip.. have you read Hydroguys tips yet?

 

[Funball]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

 

[HydroGuy]

Is it possible to do in a day or should we dedicate a day and half to do it? We are going to be there May 19th and didn't know if we should add a part of day on 20th. We need to be in Palm Springs that night for my brother's wedding rehearsal dinner TBD.

May 19 is a week day and will likely have reduced entertainment - if you care. May 20 is a Friday and will likely have full entertainment.

As for "doing DL and DCA in a day" - that would be roughly like "doing" all four parks at WDW in a day and a half.

In short, you can have a lot of fun in one day at DLR. But you will miss a lot. If you want to get a solid - still incomplete, but solid - experience DL and DCA you need at least three days at DLR. And four is better. Three days at DLR is sort of like taking a week at WDW.

Have a magical visit no matter what you decide!

HTH

 

[wdwfan22]

May 19 is a week day and will likely have reduced entertainment - if you care. May 20 is a Friday and will likely have full entertainment.

As for "doing DL and DCA in a day" - that would be roughly like "doing" all four parks at WDW in a day and a half.

In short, you can have a lot of fun in one day at DLR. But you will miss a lot. If you want to get a solid - still incomplete, but solid - experience DL and DCA you need at least three days at DLR. And four is better. Three days at DLR is sort of like taking a week at WDW.

Have a magical visit no matter what you decide!

HTH

I agree with all of above. Couldn't have said it better!!

 

[mom1005]

Can't do four days, I literally have the max 1.5 days. We are skipping fantasmic and kids aren't really into any parades so the only "show" type event we want to see is WOC and hope that is going on that night.

I will read the threads provided thanks

 

[amamax2]

You can do it in 1.5 days! Would it be better if you had more time, of course, but since you don't, you work with what you have.

On the 19th, the parks most likely will not open till 9 or 10 a.m. and will close at 8 p.m. The 20th the hours will be longer, but not necessarily open earlier and since you need to leave mid-day, when they close is not a factor.

WOC should be showing - it has been every night in the off season at 8:15. - but will also eat up some of your time.


This is my suggestion:

On the 19th, go first thing when the parks open and get your WOC fastpasses. Then head to DL and spend most of the day there - it is off season, crowds should be light and you should be able to do a lot. Park hop back to DCA for WOC.

On the 20th, get to DCA when it opens and spend your half day there. Head first to TSMM if you want to do that as it will have the longest line.

The only snag that might occur is if Little Mermaid and/or Star Tours have opened...they are scheduled to open some time in May and will bring the crowds in, but hopefully after your trip. If they are open, it just means the park will be more crowded.

May is our favorite time to go, in fact will be heading there ourselves then, just earlier in the month.

Have a great time!

 

[HydroGuy]

You can do it in 1.5 days! Would it be better if you had more time, of course, but since you don't, you work with what you have.

I think we agree overall but are using the term "do DLR" differently. I would define "do DLR" as having a chance to see all the major shows and go on most all of the rides. Regarding shows, with World of Color, Fantasmic, DL Fireworks, Aladdin and soon the Soundsational parade, those could be fit into two days, but even over three days and trying to do most of the rides it would be a busy three days. There are over 60 rides at DLR with more coming soon.

I agree people can have fun at DLR over 1.5 days. Heck, someone can have fun for a few hours. But it is not the same thing as "doing DLR" IMO. It is just squeezing in as much as possible into a short time and missing a lot. Or better put, "leaving some things for next time".

May is our favorite time to go, in fact will be heading there ourselves then, just earlier in the month.

IMO May is the best off-season time to go to DLR. I prefer high season myself so have only done May once in recent years, but it was a great time for good weather and low crowds.

 

[Janell]

I think it depends on what rides you want to do. If the parks aren't to busy, you could do DL in the morning, hitting the E ticket rides and maybe a few small ones. Then go over to DCA for the evening.

Since you want to do WOC, that is going to take up a lot of time. You have to get FP in the morning. Then I think there is a wait time of 1-2 hours for the show. I think a 9:00 showing they start lining up and saving their spots at 7:00. I could be wrong, I avoid WOC so Im not the best with info on it.

If Disney Hotel offers Early morning on the days you are there and you can afford a Disney Hotel, that may help you out in a few ways. One if you are at a DLR hotel, you can start getting FP for WOC at 9:00( where other guest have to wait till 9:30 and this could save you some time) Early morning entry will get you into DL an hour early. Things like Fantasyland, Buzz Light Year, Space Mt are open. That can really help you when time is short.

I think having a plan of what you want to do, will help. I find running from one side of the park to other for FP take up a lot of time, but maybe that is me. I like to enjoy the parks and take breaks. Because that is what you remember. Sure the rides and shows are great. But its the moments together that matter.

I have read that a lot of construction walls will be going up in DCA the first part of the year. Something I read, said that you may have to go through Hollywood back lot, then to Bugsland to get back to PP area. So that will take up a bit more time in walking. And Toy Story Mania, usually has a 45 min wait and there is no FP.

I hope you have a great time.

 

[nana50]

Can't do four days, I literally have the max 1.5 days. We are skipping fantasmic and kids aren't really into any parades so the only "show" type event we want to see is WOC and hope that is going on that night.

I will read the threads provided thanks

I do Disney in one day all the time. You just have to hit the rides or attractions you want to see first. If you go early enough no problem. There are so many things I have no desire to see or do at Disneyland that I kind of get annoyed when people say it isn't possible. Do Disney one day and CA on the half day. Hit the websites and decide what you really want to see then map out a plan. Next time if you can stay longer do some other stuff.

 

[amamax2]

I think we agree overall but are using the term "do DLR" differently. I would define "do DLR" as having a chance to see all the major shows and go on most all of the rides. Regarding shows, with World of Color, Fantasmic, DL Fireworks, Aladdin and soon the Soundsational parade, those could be fit into two days, but even over three days and trying to do most of the rides it would be a busy three days. There are over 60 rides at DLR with more coming soon.

Absolutely Hydroguy! I'm sorry if what I said came off as contradictory, I really didn't mean it that way at all. I completely agree and think your analogy to time at WDW is spot on.

My advice was very specific for this OP, with her dates, time constraints and lack of desire to see shows except for WOC. I have never been to DL on a weekend or in the high season, only mid-week off season; I was trying to be encouraging that they could go and do just about everything she wanted, because her scenario is our usual MO (except we spend two full days).

Would this same advice be valid for someone who wanted to do more than rides, or went on a weekend or during the high season? Absolutely not - wouldn't work.

 

[Sherry E]

I agree with the thought that 1.5 days won't be enough to do everything in the whole resort, but the OP will be able to get a lot done with the proper planning, I think. And certainly 1.5 days is better than 1 day. And, most importantly, that will be the only time available, so they will have to make do.

It's funny because amamax2 and I were just discussing something like this the other day - that it's hard to say that any specific number of days will or will not be enough for a person/group, because everyone has different priorities and touring styles when they hit the parks. DLR trips can be very personalized, I think. I think this echoes what nana50 is saying, too. Some people can do one day at DLR and be totally fine with it because they have their priorities and the other stuff doesn't really matter. They don't need to do everything.

Meanwhile, some families (or individuals, as in my case) can stay for several days at DLR and still not get everything done that they want to do!! I came to this conclusion after my multi-day trip to DLR last week. I only did rides on the first day (oh, and one lone ride on my last day). The rest of the time was spent just wandering around, looking in shops and taking lots and lots of photos. And the time flew by! If I had chosen to ride rides every day, I would have needed even more time. As it is, I didn't have enough time to take all the pictures I wanted in 4 days of being at DLR!

But my agenda would not necessarily work for everyone - and especially not for someone who has not been to Disneyland in 17 years. Being away for so long requires a whole different set of priorities.

The good thing is that since DL and DCA are so close together, you can go back and forth between the two parks in minutes and not have to worry about transportation, which will allow for more ride time.

 

[HydroGuy]

I agree with the thought that 1.5 days won't be enough to do everything in the whole resort, but the OP will be able to get a lot done with the proper planning, I think. And certainly 1.5 days is better than 1 day. And, most importantly, that will be the only time available, so they will have to make do.

Sherry, it is clear from this thread we all agree fairly closely on how much time it takes to visit DLR. The confusion comes with the OP's question

can we do DL and California Adventure in 1 day?

As we also all agree, the answer depends on what "do DL and DCA" means. If all it means is "go inside DLR and have some fun", then one could say one could "do DLR" in two hours - which is enough time to do something fun. For most people unfamiliar with DLR this would be misleading. I feel it is similarly misleading to tell anyone they can "do DLR" in a day.

For me I try to answer as I did - which is that one can have a lot of fun on day trips, but they will miss a lot. For one to feel that they visited DLR and did not leave feeling like they missed a lot, then three days is really the minimum.

Bottom line is I personally define "do DLR" as:

"when one leaves DLR they feel like they experienced a large majority of what DLR offers"

Again, I know all the posters here well enough to know we all agree on this. So my clarification here is not for the DLR vets who know this already but for the newbies who are trying to understand how much they can experience in one day, or two days, or more...

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry, it is clear from this thread we all agree fairly closely on how much time it takes to visit DLR. The confusion comes with the OP's question



As we also all agree, the answer depends on what "do DL and DCA" means. If all it means is "go inside DLR and have some fun", then one could say one could "do DLR" in two hours - which is enough time to do something fun. For most people unfamiliar with DLR this would be misleading. I feel it is similarly misleading to tell anyone they can "do DLR" in a day.

For me I try to answer as I did - which is that one can have a lot of fun on day trips, but they will miss a lot. For one to feel that they visited DLR and did not leave feeling like they missed a lot, then three days is really the minimum.

Bottom line is I personally define "do DLR" as:

"when one leaves DLR they feel like they experienced a large majority of what DLR offers"

Again, I know all the posters here well enough to know we all agree on this. So my clarification here is not for the DLR vets who know this already but for the newbies who are trying to understand how much they can experience in one day, or two days, or more...

Actually, I wasn't even really commenting earlier on anything you posted. I didn't disagree with anything you said. I was more offering my own two cents, and observing how interesting it is that we all have different agendas and priorities at DLR, which is kind of what amamax2 and I were discussing the other day.

 

[Funball]

Ok reading through.. and reading over the stuff I posted again. I think I understand what the OP was saying and then from what hyd’s wrote. I agree. It takes a little more then one day to do DL and DCA, really anyone that is not experienced with DL and DCA cannot do them both in one day, between the parades and shops to look at, there is just to much to do and see. I think it’s wise like Hydro stated to maybe set aside 3 days max for DLR (that includes DCA also).

 

[HydroGuy]

Actually, I wasn't even really commenting earlier on anything you posted. I didn't disagree with anything you said. I was more offering my own two cents, and observing how interesting it is that we all have different agendas and priorities at DLR, which is kind of what amamax2 and I were discussing the other day.

Thanks Sherry. I think this is really a non-issue.