One day only, one day only!!!

[becalubob]

A friend and I are visiting another friend in CA in June. The way our schedual is now, we will only have one day to go to Disneyland.
but, I'll take what I can get! The friend that is traveling with me and myself have never been to DL and we're very excited! The day we can go will either be Monday, June 22 or Tuesday, June 23. Anyone have a recommendation? Should we go on the NON early entry day (magical mornings?). Your thoughts are greatly appreciated!!!

 

[ironlou]

Wow...One day huh? Better than nothing at all. I would hit the main rides and using the fast pass will help you. I would get the early entry because you can hit Space Mountain first thing.

It usually takes me 2 days to really "DO" Disneyland so 1 day would be a challenge.

 

[becalubob]

Hmmm... I thought early entry was only available to guests staying at least 3 days? Can someone explain that more? Thanks!

 

[jernysgirl]

Being that you are not going to be able to use the MM, (unless you are staying onsite) I would definitely go on Monday. That way you would have a fair chance of getting on some of the busier rides first thing without having to wait in line. If you go on Tuesday and enter after MM has started, you will have to wait in line behind all those that have already entered and that can make the lines for some of the more popular rides longer than you have time to wait for! Good luck, have lots of fun, and let us know how the trip turns out!

 

[jernysgirl]

Hmmm... I thought early entry was only available to guests staying at least 3 days? Can someone explain that more? Thanks!

It's available on a 3-day hopper or if you stay onsite, you can use it everyday it is offered during your stay.

 

[teatime]

Im pretty sure its only for the 3 days or more ticket. but Im so excited for you. see what you can and when the bug has hit you and you must go back ( and you will) then you can plan better and have a ball. try to get in some rides in both parks, then eat a memorable meal at a sit down there ( make reservations now! ) make sure to get in what you can but not to the point your exhausted . both parks are a blast!!! do pirates, small world, big thunder mountain, haunted mansion, and space. those are the best rides!~! then hit dca and ride tower of terror if you can, screaming, and see Aladdin ( its a wonderful show! ) you can get this all in if you do fast pass, and make sure to get them just after the other fast pass time ends. get a fast pass for a ride early 9 right away) so you can get anotyher just an hour later, then keep getting them. the passes you can use any time of the day even if the time has ended on the card.
Have a wonderful time and come back please and tell us what it was like

 

[Hound 109]

It's available on a 3-day hopper or if you stay onsite, you can use it everyday it is offered during your stay.

This is correct.

In addition to the 3 day (or more) park hoppers, MM is also available to guests staying at one of the 3 DLR hotels. (both for day of departure AND day of arrival)...even if only buying a one day ticket.

OP, I recommend you look at HydroGuy's FP threads & his "how to use FP on a busy day thread".....found in his sticky at the top of the page. I also recommend you consider getting a park hopper (instead of just a DL only ticket) for a number of reasons.

Also, you might find my trip report informative (in the link below).....a one day visit where my son & rode 30+ attractions in one day (using the FP tips in Hydroguy's tip threads).

Have a great time planning a visit to Walt's Park.

 

[avalon451]

Hey, one day is better than none!

Are you, like, willing to run ragged and stay all day to see lots of stuff? If so, I'd recommend picking up (or borrowing from the library) the Unofficial Guide to DL. He's got a pretty darn good "Disney or Die in a Day" kind of one-day plan. The pre-printed plans are located in the back of the book; if you borrow it from the library you could just copy it out. It takes advantage of FastPass and has you zig when everybody else is zagging. You can see all the major stuff and really enjoy a lot of the park, without running in circles and waiting in long lines.

I'd definitely do the Monday, assuming you're not staying at a Disney hotel, so won't have access to Magic Morning. You'll be on equal footing with everybody else. If you get there a half-hour before opening, you will be able to collect lots of FPs and hit the non-FP stuff before the worst of the crowds get there.

Hope that helps, and have a great time!

Edited to Add: And yeah, what Hound said, above. Except, with any luck, you won't have a nine-year-old boy along, who has an empty leg and eats 6 meals and 6 snacks a day.

 

[ukstitch]

If you can afford a copy of Ridemax, then I'd recommend using that to generate yourself a touring plan.

In case you're not familiar with it, then all you do is plug in the rides you want to do, the time you want to get to the park and any times you specifically want to rest (parades, lunch etc). It will then generate you a timed plan of what rides to do and when.

It worked pretty well for me last year and got me round the park an awful lot quicker than I could have managed it on my own

 

[SnowWhite09]

Have a great time!!!

 

[bumbershoot]

The day we can go will either be Monday, June 22 or Tuesday, June 23. Anyone have a recommendation? Should we go on the NON early entry day (magical mornings?).

Since you won't have it, IF you want to go on anything in Fantasyland, I would recommend the NON MM day. But if FL is off your list, then go on either day, doesn't matter. MM just gets people into the FL lines and Nemo (and maybe space, maybe buzz), so if you have no interest in FL (knowing that Nemo can be ridden later, MM isn't absolutely required for it), it doesn't really matter if it's MM day or not.

1 day trips are what started our near obsession, they are definitely fun! It's harder since you've never been; at least we knew what things we'd want to visit again from our childhoods.

 

[AmericanItGirl]

Having done multiple single days at Disneyland, I'm used to doing DL in only one day (usually commando style with a bit of a breather midday). Show up early (the parking garage opens at 7:30 am) and have one person go buy the tickets while the other gets in line (trust me when I say that those few minutes make a difference for getting in the turn-style line). If you're into big rides, head straight for Nemo, Space Mountain, or the Matterhorn and then hit up the other two (they're in the same general location and lines aren't a nightmare until 1-3 hours into the day). Except for Peter Pan, FL is usually walk-on after the second showing of Fantasmic (especially rides like Storybook Canal and Casey Jr. which can be crowded with toddlers in the morning and afternoon), so I recommend putting it off until after dark. Don't forget to head over to TSI before 4 (last raft over is usually at 5 so if you go over at 4 you'll have ample time to explore), but best time is midday-midafternoon when the park's most crowded and lines are loooong. Make sure to get fast passes as soon as you can and don't fret if you can't make it to the ride during the window slot because it's good any time after the initial time. Unless you're stopping to watch a show (like Billy Hill and the Hillbillies, multi-tasking Disney-style), I recommend eating on the go (snacks, instead of formal meals are the way to eat). Souvenir shopping is best done on Main Street after the rest of the park is closed (it's open from midnight-12:30 am), unless there's something special you want that you can't get on Main Street (ex. an Indy hat from Adventureland). Above all, remain flexible and mostly plan as you go in order to keep your sanity with the crowds and to avoid getting stuck in a long line.