One day at Disneyland - Park Hopper or not?

[briemer99]

Hi, we will have one day in our SoCal trip for DL at the end of August (planning to stay from open to close), and are split on whether or not we should do the park hopper or just Disneyland park. On one hand, we want to experience both parks, as well as the signature rides in DCA like Guardians and Cars Land. But on the other hand, I am worried that by doing both in one day we won't really be able to enjoy either park fully or justify the extra $200 for a family of 4. We haven't been to DLR in many years. We would also like to experience Galaxy's edge to some extent and are open to buying MaxPass. I would appreciate any thoughts or advice, thanks.

 

[midnight star]

I would go for the park hopper with the maxpass add on. The price will be painful, but you can get a lot done with maxpass if you plan carefully. Last Saturday I went with my friend and we managed 17 rides, Blue Bayou fantasmic lunch, the new Star Wars ride (that doesn't have fastpass), Galaxy's edge, shopping, fantasmic, and pictures....all in a day. And we left during the fireworks, so we didn't even stay until closing.
Big tip: Start at rope drop! Crowds have picked up, but morning time is still the best. Last Saturday we were able to complete 7 rides by 9:30am. Many of those rides we walked on (Goofy, Monsters Inc, Ariel, Silly Swings, TSMM)

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Agree about the hoppers if the budget allows. And definitely use RD to your advantage. The morning hours can help you get so much done. Know your priorities -- you won't get everything done, but you can have each family member choose the top 2 or 3 things they really want to do and prioritize those things -- then anything else after that will be gravy! If you want to see F! or WOC, look into booking a dining package. That will give you the best view with the least wait -- HB is the most economical for F!; the Dessert Party is not economical for WOC, but is the only option that gives you a guaranteed seat. Download the free DLR app now and get used to using it. Have a credit card on file so that you can use Mobile Ordering for CS (check the locations and menus on the DLR website) -- that will save you lots of time!

 

[Sunclytie]

If you have young kids in your group (7 or younger) I would argue against the parkhopper. I've always found on really short trips it's hard to drag the kids away from Disneyland, even though we always tell them how cool Cars Land is. I would definitely invest in Maxpass and start as early as you can, and a dining package for Fantasmic is a great idea.

 

[mickeymom22]

Definitely bite the bullet and get a park hopper ticket and maxpass! We just did two days there (our first DL trip) and it was worth it for us! It is so nice that you can get on your phone and get fastpasses in either park. They are so close together it really isn't a big deal to hop back and forth! Cars Land is amazing at night! Stalk RSR fastpasses at night! We liked World of Color better than Fantasmic! but both are great shows! Be sure to get there before rope drop and hit the ground running! As soon as your ticket is activated you can start making fast passes!

Have a great time!

 

[cinnaminny]

If you haven't been in years, you probably wont again, I would make the most out of it. I would get the hopper. They're so close to each other it is crazy easy to go back and forth between these two parks.

 

[22Tink]

Definitely hopper and MaxPass if it’s in your budget. I can’t imagine ever going without a hopper because it’s so easy to hop!

 

[WonkaKid]

If you know anyone with an AP, you should be able to get three of your park tix at $99 apiece. If you can find a second friend, they should be able to get you the fourth one at the same price. So even with park hoppers, you’d actually end up saving more than $100. Might that be a possibility? By way of reminder, that special lasts until the end of August.

 

[tarheelalum]

Get the hopper.

 

[Ross Kratter]

Yes, get a Park Hopper for sure. If it's crowded, MaxPass can also be a lifesaver.

 

[StormyCA]

I always agonize over this if I'm going for only one day (usually solo). And I always get a hopper + MP and am always glad I did.

 

[fly girl]

Another vote for Park Hopper and MP. Too close not to jump back and forth and get to enjoy both parks and headliners. Take advantage of Rope Drop when the park isn't crowded yet!

 

[SteveH]

My staff team did a 1 day trip to Disney, we were there for 5 days, with the MaxPass and Hoppers they were able to get on just about every single major ride. Most started the day at 9AM and went solid until 11PM.

 

[azmommyto3]

We did one day in February with hoppers. We stayed from open to close and rode a ton of rides! We hit most of the big ones, and a few smaller ones. We had time to rest and have snacks in between - it was Totally worth the extra money!

In CA we were able to ride Toy Story x2, Incredicoaster, Goofy, Little Mermaid, Gaurdians, monsters inc and RSR twice.

In Disneyland we were able to ride Indy x2, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Winnie the Pooh, Thunder mountain x2, Matterhorn, mr toad, Buzz x2, and space mountain.

 

[briemer99]

Thanks everyone for the advice! Still a little ways away but we are leaning toward doing the park hoppers when we go.

 

[sjmac42]

You can get a 1 park ticket and upgrade to parkhoppers on the day if you feel you need it, I really think that’s the obvious solution. You can do the upgrade at the ticket booths in the Esplanade between the 2 parks in a few minutes after the morning crowds at the ticket booths die down a bit.
All the best.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

You can get a 1 park ticket and upgrade to parkhoppers on the day if you feel you need it, I really think that’s the obvious solution. You can do the upgrade at the ticket booths in the Esplanade between the 2 parks in a few minutes after the morning crowds at the ticket booths die down a bit.
All the best.

But if the lines at the booths are long (Murphy's law), then the OP will waste precious time out of their one day. OP: I would decide beforehand whether you want hoppers or not and buy them ahead. Then be in line early for RD with a good plan for the day, and have a great time!

 

[sjmac42]

But if the lines at the booths are long (Murphy's law), then the OP will waste precious time out of their one day. OP: I would decide beforehand whether you want hoppers or not and buy them ahead. Then be in line early for RD with a good plan for the day, and have a great time!

What if the lines at security are long and they miss rope drop, the WiFi in the Park isn’t working so they can’t use MaxPass or it is incredibly slow, there is a heat wave, thunderstorm, ride breakdown in DCA? All of these events are about as likely as lines at the ticket booths been more than a 5 min wait a few hours after the parks open. Plus they are on the way from one park to the other.

So I still say as they are not regular visitors, just get a 1 day ticket and decide on the day as utilising a parkhopper can be very daunting for a first time/infrequent visitor

All the best.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

What if the lines at security are long and they miss rope drop, the WiFi in the Park isn’t working so they can’t use MaxPass or it is incredibly slow, there is a heat wave, thunderstorm, ride breakdown in DCA? All of these events are about as likely as lines at the ticket booths been more than a 5 min wait a few hours after the parks open. Plus they are on the way from one park to the other...

No one can control everything and no one here is asking the OP to control what is clearly outside normal boundaries, e.g. the weather (wouldn't that be great?) or DLR maintenance. But if the OP already knows what the family wants and is ready to go on the day of their visit, that just means more time in the parks. If the family still isn't sure on the day of, upgrading at the booths remains an option.

 

[DisTXMom]

Disneyland has enough to fill the entire day. If my goal was to see the best of Disneyland and DCA, we’d get hoppers, otherwise we’d just have a blast at Disneyland and save the $$$.