Park Hoppers! I need your help.

[JaviAir]

Hello! First post. In recent years my wife and I would visit Disneyland Resort and get a 2 day, 1 park a day pass. We would spend one day at Disney and the other at DCA. We will be in California from the 12th - 20th of August and this year I am considering doing a 3 day pass with Park Hopper. I always loved using plans like RideMax to get the most out of our experience but what I am encountering with sites like RideMax and TouringPlans is that they don't really have any itineraries that take Park Hopping into consideration. Does anyone have recommendations on how to approach 3 days with park hopper, or any sites where I can create an itinerary?

Additionally, in your opinion, which days would be best to visit? We were originally planning to go Mon - Wed but I saw Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will be going through refurbishment Mon - Thurs so now we are considering making Friday one of our days in order to be able to go on this ride. Wednesday cannot be changed since the 16th is the day of our Wedding anniversary and my wife would like to spend it here. So should we do Mon, Wed, Friday? Or Switch the Monday for a Tuesday or Thursday to be able to do MM?

Thank you all!

 

[Winnowill]

Interesting. Our anniversary is also 8/16, and we have some close friends who, coincidentally, also celebrate theirs that day.

When I was doing itineraries (I don't bother any more), I'd set up two per day, one for each park with break times inserted where we'd be visiting the one on the other itinerary. This approach doesn't work as well any more, now that the parks are connected for FPs.

I would do Tuesday instead of Monday, but not for Magic Morning - I'd start at DCA that day since you'll be on a level playing field with hotel guests that day and won't be facing long lines at the headliners immediately upon arrival.

 

[Samandmom]

Hello! First post. In recent years my wife and I would visit Disneyland Resort and get a 2 day, 1 park a day pass. We would spend one day at Disney and the other at DCA. We will be in California from the 12th - 20th of August and this year I am considering doing a 3 day pass with Park Hopper. I always loved using plans like RideMax to get the most out of our experience but what I am encountering with sites like RideMax and TouringPlans is that they don't really have any itineraries that take Park Hopping into consideration. Does anyone have recommendations on how to approach 3 days with park hopper, or any sites where I can create an itinerary?

Additionally, in your opinion, which days would be best to visit? We were originally planning to go Mon - Wed but I saw Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will be going through refurbishment Mon - Thurs so now we are considering making Friday one of our days in order to be able to go on this ride. Wednesday cannot be changed since the 16th is the day of our Wedding anniversary and my wife would like to spend it here. So should we do Mon, Wed, Friday? Or Switch the Monday for a Tuesday or Thursday to be able to do MM?

Thank you all!

Happy Anniversaries!!!
Another 8/16 anniversary here also. 20yrs for us leaving on the 18th for our first DL visit!

 

[chickapin parterre]

do you like getting wet?
do you like to spend hours eating?
what do you see yourself doing at night in Disneyland or DCA
why would you want to park hop?

 

[Winnowill]

Happy Anniversaries!!!
Another 8/16 anniversary here also. 20yrs for us leaving on the 18th for our first DL visit!

Hey! We're at twenty this year, too! I suggested DL for the following weekend, as well, but I was overruled in favor of Vegas.

Enjoy the constant reminders that it is also the 40th anniversary of Elvis' death.

 

[SMD]

Hello! First post. In recent years my wife and I would visit Disneyland Resort and get a 2 day, 1 park a day pass. We would spend one day at Disney and the other at DCA. We will be in California from the 12th - 20th of August and this year I am considering doing a 3 day pass with Park Hopper. I always loved using plans like RideMax to get the most out of our experience but what I am encountering with sites like RideMax and TouringPlans is that they don't really have any itineraries that take Park Hopping into consideration. Does anyone have recommendations on how to approach 3 days with park hopper, or any sites where I can create an itinerary?

Additionally, in your opinion, which days would be best to visit? We were originally planning to go Mon - Wed but I saw Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will be going through refurbishment Mon - Thurs so now we are considering making Friday one of our days in order to be able to go on this ride. Wednesday cannot be changed since the 16th is the day of our Wedding anniversary and my wife would like to spend it here. So should we do Mon, Wed, Friday? Or Switch the Monday for a Tuesday or Thursday to be able to do MM?

Thank you all!

Are you staying in Anaheim the whole time? What else are you doing in CA. If going on non-consecutive days means you'll have to commute to the park, you may want to just do Wed-Fri. As far as park hopping, I think you'll find that having the extra day and having the option to switch parks early in the morning or late at night and still spend the majority of the first 2 days in 1 park will enhance they types of trips your used to. When you have the option to go back to something there's less pressure to squeeze in as much as possible the first time you enter each park because it's not the only time you'll be in that park during that trip.

Hey! We're at twenty this year, too! I suggested DL for the following weekend, as well, but I was overruled in favor of Vegas.

Enjoy the constant reminders that it is also the 40th anniversary of Elvis' death.

There's a Sprinkles Cupcakes in Vegas, you can get The King cupcake that week.

Edit - I take that back, it looks like they don't do The King cupcakes anymore. It was peanut butter and banana. It was a better novelty idea than an actual cupcake anyway.

 

[JaviAir]

do you like getting wet?
do you like to spend hours eating?
what do you see yourself doing at night in Disneyland or DCA
why would you want to park hop?

We will definitely be getting wet! Should be hot those days. We have a reservation for the Blue Bayou on Wednesday the 16th. The rest of the days we will have our own food and drinks. Will get a Dole Whip and Monte Cristo though. We also plan to watch the major night shows, WoC, Fantastic, Electrical Parade and Fireworks show.

Ive never park hopped before but i see that it is frequently recommended. We are a young couple with no kids so dont mind moving at a fast pace.

 

[JaviAir]

Are you staying in Anaheim the whole time? What else are you doing in CA. If going on non-consecutive days means you'll have to commute to the park, you may want to just do Wed-Fri. As far as park hopping, I think you'll find that having the extra day and having the option to switch parks early in the morning or late at night and still spend the majority of the first 2 days in 1 park will enhance they types of trips your used to. When you have the option to go back to something there's less pressure to squeeze in as much as possible the first time you enter each park because it's not the only time you'll be in that park during that trip.


There's a Sprinkles Cupcakes in Vegas, you can get The King cupcake that week.

Edit - I take that back, it looks like they don't do The King cupcakes anymore. It was peanut butter and banana. It was a better novelty idea than an actual cupcake anyway.

We will be staying in Anaheim a few nights but also with my brother who lives in Hawthorne. Not too far away and we plan on waking up early for the commute if necessary. This would only apply for Friday when we wont have a hotel booked in Anaheim.

We will do other things in CA, mostly hanging out with my brother and other friends. Go to the beach. Etc. But Disneyland is definitely the highlight.

 

[JaviAir]

Interesting. Our anniversary is also 8/16, and we have some close friends who, coincidentally, also celebrate theirs that day.

When I was doing itineraries (I don't bother any more), I'd set up two per day, one for each park with break times inserted where we'd be visiting the one on the other itinerary. This approach doesn't work as well any more, now that the parks are connected for FPs.

I would do Tuesday instead of Monday, but not for Magic Morning - I'd start at DCA that day since you'll be on a level playing field with hotel guests that day and won't be facing long lines at the headliners immediately upon arrival.

What if i use MaxPass so that i can still do MM at Disneyland but then grab a FP for either GotG or RS?

 

[Samandmom]

Hey! We're at twenty this year, too! I suggested DL for the following weekend, as well, but I was overruled in favor of Vegas.

Enjoy the constant reminders that it is also the 40th anniversary of Elvis' death.

That's awesome!! We were thinking of adding Vegas to this trip also but not enough time.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Here's roughly what we do when we park-hop for three days:

Day 1: Disneyland at opening. Go directly to Tomorrowland to ride and/or Fast Pass Space Mountain. Also ride Star Tours, Buzz, Nemo Subs and Autopia while in the area. Then branch out to another area of the park, getting Fast Pass when possible. We like all of the Fantasyland dark rides and will do them if the lines aren't too long. We usually spend the entire first day in DL.

Day 2: California Adventure at opening. Get a Fast Pass for Radiator Springs first thing. I guess that strategy will change now that Guardians of the Galaxy is open, but we'll figure it out. We usually spend most of the 2nd day at CA, and hop to DL in the evening when we feel done with CA. If we want a park break at some point, we might wander over to Downtown Disney. We like eating at the LaBrea Bakery for a nice chance from park food.

Day 3: Disneyland at opening. Go directly to Indiana Jones to ride and/or Fast Pass. Hang out on that side of the park, get beignets at New Orleans Square, do Pirates, Mansion, Pooh, Thunder, Jungle Cruise, Mark Twain, etc. In the afternoon, we might hop back to CA for a while. Our family likes to end our trip at DL. DH and younger DS do as many rides as possible until the park closes. Older DS and I usually call it a night around 11:00 and head back to the hotel.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Mondays are busy. Avoid.

You don't need to plan with the detail of a touring plan with 3 days IME. We make a list of rides and activities we must do on the trip. We pick our favorite thing to do the first morning. Then we make use of the app to see where the shortest wait lines are. Make use of fast passes.

 

[chickapin parterre]

I leave Disneyland around 11ish ( I have never nor will I ever start a day in DCA) and head to grizzly and get wet, and then being an old man, I listen to Crush two times in a row, then back to lodging, then back to DCA for sunset lights, then back to Disneyland. If it wasn't for Grizzly and crush, i would never park hop.....oh wait.....I can't stay away from the light of Cadillac Range.....whoops...wrong movie.....and they are taking that away from me also.

 

[ExcitedMama]

I thought 3 day PH had to be used on consecutive days?

 

[3monkeys4me]

I thought 3 day PH had to be used on consecutive days?

No, you just have to use them within the 2 weeks. You have 13 days after the first day, so 14 days total.

I know the parks in Asia the tickets need to be used consecutively, I'm not sure about DLP.

 

[Winnowill]

What if i use MaxPass so that i can still do MM at Disneyland but then grab a FP for either GotG or RS?

Yes, you can do that, but DCA doesn't open till 9:00 that day, anyway. So you can't get FPs there till after your MM is over.

 

[PHXscuba]

Hey! We're at twenty this year, too! I suggested DL for the following weekend, as well, but I was overruled in favor of Vegas.

Enjoy the constant reminders that it is also the 40th anniversary of Elvis' death.

We're doing both Vegas and DL for our 25th anniversary in a few weeks! DH chose Vegas and I chose DL and we're making a big loop!

PHXscuba

 

[Shellyred8]

On thing that I just heard is that the fast passes are now all connected (except for WOC and F!), so no more sneaking between the parks to get extra fast passes.

DH and I did hoppers last year when we were there. I'm super glad we did. I loved the flexibility of being able to go between the parks during the day.

Have a great trip!

 

[choover2576]

[QUOTE=".


There's a Sprinkles Cupcakes in Vegas, you can get The King cupcake that week.

Edit - I take that back, it looks like they don't do The King cupcakes anymore. It was peanut butter and banana. It was a better novelty idea than an actual cupcake anyway.[/QUOTE]
I didn't know we had Sprinkles in Vegas, thanks!!! http://sprinkles.com/locations/nevada/las-vegas/cupcakes-ice-cream

I guess I missed it since all the Strip properties charge for parking now