Park Hopper Worth It for One Day?

[Bostonjetset]

DH and I have a cruise from LA planned for Halloween of 2023 and I’ve convinced him to do a day at Disneyland before. We will likely drive from Palm Springs early in the morning, spend the day at DL, and stay overnight nearby (either at a Disney hotel or another Anaheim hotel…haven’t decided yet). The next morning we’ll drive to San Pedro for our cruise.

Neither of us have been to DL before and DH is not hugely into Disney but does like the history aspect of this park. Would it be worth it to get a park hopper for the one day ticket so we can do both DL and DCA? Or is it better to just focus all attention on DL? Honestly I think the rides at DL look better but I do quite like Guardians and the Avengers so would miss that if we skip DCA. Just not sure it is worth the $60 and a good chunk of our limited time just for Avengers. Thoughts? I know it’s a ways away but I’m a planner haha.

 

[LovesBelle]

I think it's worth it. DL and DCA are so close to one another that it's no big deal to go between them. And so many parts of DCA are so cool--in addition to Avengers, take the time to check out the Cars area. I also really like Pixar Pier.

 

[maleficent55]

To hit the main highlights yes

To fully immerse, no

But there are parts of DCA that are worthy of seeing

 

[pharmama]

It's too early to know for 2023 (heck, we don't know details for 2022...) but assuming DLR's 2023 Halloween plans are generally similar to years past if you happen to be going on a night there is an Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween party at DCA, I might consider going to that and doing single park DL during the day. The flip side of if you don't want to do OBB is that, if it is a party night, DCA will close early which would mean a shorter time window to do DCA (and DL will get busier in the evening). Still- I'd say it's probably worth it to try to visit DCA to see Avengers Campus and Cars Land for sure.

Finally- you mentioned driving in from PS. That's a solid 2+hr drive (probably longer coming in during morning commute if it's a weekday- but a weekend day would probably be quick). If you don't arrive at the parks until mid to late morning I'm not sure if I would try to PH and squeeze everything in (again with the potential of OBB affecting park hours too). Could you drive in the night before and stay near the parks that night as well?

 

[legler2250]

In your case I would pick one park to focus your time and energy, especially after the long morning drive. If the park resonates with you, making plans to visit again could be in your future. If you are high energy people and the idea of constant stimulation / walking is something that excites you then maybe a park hopper might be a great way to hit the wave tops. I know for me as an introvert I was exhausted just reading about your idea =)

 

[Pluto468]

You may as well get the hopper. Disneyland is so wonderful you could easily spend the day there. BUT...it's good to have the option since you are interested in the Avengers campus and may want to check out DCA.

Would you have time to visit a park the morning you leave or do you have to get an early start? You could get 2 day passes and spend the second morning at DCA.

Or...would you be able to drive from Palm Springs the night before? You could get into the parks first thing if you did that.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

The drive is probably the hardest part of the plan. If you do drive in the morning and get into the parks later in the day, I would skip hopper and just do DL. If you decide to drive over the night before and spend a full day, I would go with hoppers.

 

[Bostonjetset]

Thanks everyone. Nothing is set in stone yet (other than the cruise which we've already booked) so we may be able to drive from PS the night before. It would be later in the day or evening though so still just one day for DLR. I’m mostly torn because DH is not a huge Disney guy (and is generally introverted to begin with) so hopping between parks may be too much back and forth for him especially as I’ll most certainly want to stay until park closing or close to it. But we live on the east coast so part of me wants to go all in whilst I’m there haha. Of course if we come in the night before it might make sense to have the hoppers as we can take a break mid day since we can get there for opening.

 

[Becca1007]

Thanks everyone. Nothing is set in stone yet (other than the cruise which we've already booked) so we may be able to drive from PS the night before. It would be later in the day or evening though so still just one day for DLR. I’m mostly torn because DH is not a huge Disney guy (and is generally introverted to begin with) so hopping between parks may be too much back and forth for him especially as I’ll most certainly want to stay until park closing or close to it. But we live on the east coast so part of me wants to go all in whilst I’m there haha. Of course if we come in the night before it might make sense to have the hoppers as we can take a break mid day since we can get there for opening.

As someone who drags their introverted non-disney spouse on trips... get the hopper. DCA is built such that it feels much more spacious and if your other half likes to sit in the shade and have a drink it is a good way to decompress between things while you hit a few extra rides.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

One other thing to consider is if you want to do any of the nighttime shows. DCA has world of color, and DL has fireworks and Fantasmic (unsure what parade will be running in the fall). Depending on the day of the week you will be there, fireworks and F! might not be available, but WoC typically runs nightly. With hoppers, you can spend most of the day at DL and then hop to DCA for WoC if that is something you are interested in.

 

[gelatoni fan]

I think if your goal is to fill up a day with fun activities, then you don't need to pay for park hoppers. But if there's specific things you want to do in both parks, then you just need to figure ou how much you value those things. So assuming you like the DL stuff more, are you willing to pay $60 and give up a few activities at Disneyland to do the Avengers stuff?

 

[starlite_]

I wouldn't, there is enough to do at DL without adding a whole extra park for a day tbh. I would use those extra $120 for a nice sit down meal or ILLs