Only ONE DAY at DLR! Advice please!

[onestepcloser]

Hiya! I'm a veteran of WDW (25+ trips) and will be visiting DLR for the first time at the end of September! I'm going with two friends -- one who has been to DLR many of times and one who hasn't really been to either resort very much at all and neither of them really care as much as I do, lol.

Anyway! My question is, we only have one day to do both parks -- does anyone have any tips as to how this would be best achieved? I've read most of HydroGuy's threads and I've read the touring plans from the Sehlinger guide, so I've got a basic idea, but any help from seasoned fans would be welcome! We're not expecting to get everything done and we're mostly ride people not parade/show people, so hopefully we can fit in most of what we want to see. THANKS! :

EDIT: We aren't staying on-site because this is part of a longer stay where other activities are required. And yes, we are going on a Saturday. I know, I know, you don't even have to say it...

 

[avalon451]

In your case, I think I'd follow Sehlinger's one day touring plan for adults, from the Unofficial Guide book. You know the basics from having read that book plus all of Hydroguy's tips, so you know roughly what to do if your plans get knocked off course. But those are a pretty good way to go for a one day trip. Just be sure to get there 30 minutes before opening. Good luck!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Well, if you're only going for one day, it's a good thing you're going on a Saturday. The park will be open from 8:00 AM to 12:00 AM so you should be able to get a lot in. Get as many fast passes as you can, get there early and enjoy.

 

[PinkBudgie]

If it was me, I'd go to DL at opening, then over to CA in the afternnoon. Then back to DL later. I would also have a list of must rides in mind.

 

[Sherry E]

I agree with what everyone else has said. If your two friends are willing to get to the park (DL) when it opens and stay until it closes, and be flexible about going to DCA in the middle of the day, then you can squeeze a lot in. In this case, pre-planning is almost essential and your two companions will have to give you as much input as possible as to what they want to do. You won't have time to waste. So figure out before hand what things you know you want to do for sure and what things you do NOT want to do, and any 'maybes' in between. If you are not up for shopping, then don't do it. Leave it off of the list. If your friends are shoppers, then you can be doing something else while they are shopping. If you are not interested in any of the Fantasyland rides, leave them off the list. If you don't care about seeing the hotels or Downtown Disney, scratch those from the list. Make Priority Seating arrangements on the Disneyland Dining number before you go for somewhere you think everyone might enjoy eating so you can save a whole bunch of time waiting in line to be seated. Use your Fast Passes wisely. Don't get one just because you can get one, because most of the time, once you get a FP, you will not be able to get another Fast Pass for another ride until the window of time on the first one comes up. I am sure you already know this from WDW, but just in case... In other words, if you get a FP for Indiana Jones that says you can ride it between 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m., you wouldn't be able to get another FP for another ride until after 12:00 p.m. Also, sometimes the wait in a line without a FP is 20 minutes or less. If you encounter a 20-minute or less line, skip the Fast Pass and instead get one for a ride where you will really be saving time. Sometimes it is not worth it to get one if the regular line is moving pretty quickly. Take Pirates of the Caribbean, for example. The line always looks really ominous, but it moves quickly. You usually can get on the ride within 15 minutes, regardless of what the stand-by time says.

There is a software program called RideMax you can download from online - maybe you have used it for WDW? - and if you pay $15 or so, you enter in all the things you want to go on in your designated period of time and on what day, and it will figure out a schedule for you that is supposedly the most efficient and will help you get the most done. It will even tell you if you have too many things planned and there is no way to squeeze everything in. Some people swear by RideMax; others like planning their own agendas. It is something to consider since you will have only one day.

A friend of mine went to both parks for just one day a few weeks ago, and I was attempting to help her get the most done or at least see as many new things as possible. Of course, she had her son with her so things went a little off course, but they got quite a bit done! One day is not enough to see everything, but some people don't want to see everything. They just want the highlights. And one day is plenty of time to get a good sampling of both parks, I think.

 

[cheshiregirl]

In addition to what others have said already, I would suggest that you plan your day to make sure that first you hit all the unique rides such as Mr. Toad, Indy, the original Tiki Room, Roger Rabbit, the Matterhorn, Monster's Inc., California Screamin', etc. However, Mullholland Madness, the Maliboomer, the Sun Wheel and many other Paradise Pier attractions are "unique" to DLR, but are not unique to theme parks and can be skipped if necessary.

And, think long and hard about which "duplicate" rides are worth your time and which ones can be skipped because the WDW version is either the same or superior to the DLR version.

My initial thoughts for you are to make sure that you ride Splash, POTC, Space Mountain, HM (if it is open) and Soarin' (even though it is exactly the same it just feels more exciting to ride the CA ride in DCA than Epcot) because they are different (and better imho) than WDW. Meanwhile, ToT can be skipped if needed, as Florida's version is far superior.

The Buzz Lightyear rides are nearly (if not completely) identical between the two parks despite the fact that they have different names. The new Toy Story ride at DCA is also pretty much the same as the one at DHS (although I have heard that Florida has a much better queue).

Also, unless you are really excited by it, the Nemo subs may not be worth the amount of time you spend in line for that ride.

Enjoy your first visit to Walt's park. It is a truly magical and special place!

 

[Sherry E]

Actually, Cheshiregirl clarified much better what I was attempting to say when I told my friend to just focus on the 'new things' in the park when she went for one day. What I meant was, since she and her son had just been to WDW recently and many of the rides there are duplicates or superior to DLR, as Cheshiregirl said, I didn't see a need to encourage them to do any of those things if they were pressed for time (I was helping them plan it out) since they had just been on them, but instead wanted them to focus on the rides "unique" and exclusive to DLR, or anything that had been added to DLR since my friend was last there. ToonTown in DLR is better than the one in WDW, from what I hear, so I was emphasizing that she should bring her son there and ride Roger Rabbit. They never made it to ToonTown because they got caught up in riding a bunch of things that they had just been on in WDW, and going on other things twice! I told her I was shocked she did not take her child on Roger Rabbit and to see all the fun ToonTown stuff that they do not have in WDW (like the talking manhole covers and mailboxes and all that)! She said "There just wasn't enough time." Ahhh...but there would have been enough time if they had skipped the things they were already familiar with or saved them for the end of the day, and just focused on the "unique" things.

So that is a good way to plan your day. Since you have been to WDW so many times, there is probably a lot of stuff you can skip at DLR in favor of newer things you have not seen. The thing is, you will have to come to a compromise with the other two people, who MAY want to see all that stuff you would be willing to skip.

 

[tlovesdis]

Hubby and I are going for one day, the day before we leave on our Mexican cruise!

Our plan is to get into DL right at opening and hit all the big rides (he is not interested in any of the "kiddie" rides, I am , but I was just there in June, so no biggie). After riding all the biggies, we will head to DCA and do the big ones there and have Corn Dogs for lunch (he MUST have that!!!). Then we will go back to DL until probably 10 or so. Since we are only doing the big rides I think we should be ok!