Park ticket advice

[topsy]

Hi all,

My fiancé and I will be cramming in a very short stay at DLR on our way to Hawaii for our honeymoon in March.

We arrive at LAX at 3pm on a Monday and fly out to Hawaii on the Thursday morning. My thought was we would do one full day in each park (not enough I know but it's all we could fit and it's better than nothing!).

I'm not sure we will try to go to the parks on the Monday night, we'll likely go to DTD for dinner.

Anyway, which park tickets would you recommend we buy? Is it worth having a hopper just in case we want to go between the parks or is it easier to dedicate a full day to each park and forget the hopping?

Also, I know you get the magic morning bonus when buying a 3 day ticket, is this something worth having or should we just get the 2 day and be at the entrance for park opening to make the most of our time?

We haven't visited Disneyland before, we are WDW vets and are keen to see as much as possible in our short stay.

Thank you for your help!

 

[goofy4tink]

I'll be there for an overnight....arrive early Tues morning, stay at VGC, head out late Wed. I'm like you...WDW vet, DLR first timer. I asked around to see what I should do as far as park passes go. Many told me that with both parks being so compact, it's nice to be able to go back and forth...so, I did two day hoppers.

 

[figment_jii]

As you are WDW vets, I highly recommend taking a look at HydroGuy's DLR Guide for WDW Vets thread. It'll help you get a sense of DLR and what you might want to keep a mind on as you're planning your trip.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

I'm not sure we will try to go to the parks on the Monday night, we'll likely go to DTD for dinner.

It depends a little on when in March you are planning on visiting DLR. Easter is April 5th, so you may be seeing some Spring Break crowds at the end of March. That being said, this year, DL was generally open until 10:00 pm on Mondays in March (the first Monday had an 8:00 pm closure and the last Monday had a 11:00 pm closure). So you'll have to wait until the March hours are posted to really know when the parks close while you're there.

Anyway, which park tickets would you recommend we buy? Is it worth having a hopper just in case we want to go between the parks or is it easier to dedicate a full day to each park and forget the hopping?

I always get a park hopper because park hopping is very easy at DLR. T he two parks are about 110 yards apart from each other. I like to think of it this way: imagine DL is Epcot's Future World, DCA is Epcot's World Showcase, and DTD is just outside of International Gateway. That being said, if you're only going for two days, you could probably get by without park hopping. If you go this route, I would choose to go the parks on their non-EMH/MM day so that you can take advantage of "rope drop".

Also, I know you get the magic morning bonus when buying a 3 day ticket, is this something worth having or should we just get the 2 day and be at the entrance for park opening to make the most of our time?

Magic Morning is only for DL and is limited to FL and TL. So if you have rides in those two lands that you really want to do, then perhaps MM is worth it. In general, I would probably opt to go to the non-EMH/MM park and then be there at rope drop. I did MM on my last trip and it seemed busy and I'm not sure you really get a lot done in just one hour.

 

[topsy]

Thank you for your replies.

We arrive on Monday 16th March and depart in the early hours of Thursday 19th March. I'm hoping the crowds won't be crazy as I believe spring break comes after this, however St. Patrick's Day may well play a part in making crowds bigger?!

I think we are leaning towards just a two day park hopper to use on the Tuesday and Wednesday.

Unless anyone can tell me whether there are great perks we will be missing out on with not getting the 3 day?

 

[ronandannette]

Thank you for your replies.

We arrive on Monday 16th March and depart in the early hours of Thursday 19th March. I'm hoping the crowds won't be crazy as I believe spring break comes after this, however St. Patrick's Day may well play a part in making crowds bigger?!

I think we are leaning towards just a two day park hopper to use on the Tuesday and Wednesday.

Unless anyone can tell me whether there are great perks we will be missing out on with not getting the 3 day?

You're fine to get the 2-day. Do go with a hopper though - having the flexibility to go back and fourth is also a good way to cope with crowds should the need arise. It's also very doable to pull your FP's for one park and then go to the other while you're waiting.

I'm not sure if you mentioned where you're staying, but we usually arrive in Anaheim in the afternoon also and never go to the parks the first day. Spend the afternoon (if you have it) in DTD so you have a chance to take it in without using your park time. We traditionally have dinner at Goofy's Kitchen the first night to "set the theme", but I'm hesitant to totally recommend it as our last experience wasn't so great. Good Luck!

 

[topsy]

You're fine to get the 2-day. Do go with a hopper though - having the flexibility to go back and fourth is also a good way to cope with crowds should the need arise. It's also very doable to pull your FP's for one park and then go to the other while you're waiting.

I'm not sure if you mentioned where you're staying, but we usually arrive in Anaheim in the afternoon also and never go to the parks the first day. Spend the afternoon (if you have it) in DTD so you have a chance to take it in without using your park time. We traditionally have dinner at Goofy's Kitchen the first night to "set the theme", but I'm hesitant to totally recommend it as our last experience wasn't so great. Good Luck!

Thank you for your advice. I don't think we'll be getting to our hotel (Disneyland Hotel) until around 6pm so thought we'd spend the first evening exploring the hotel grounds and DTD.

 

[courtneybeth]

Downtown Disney is a bit smaller at Disneyland than at Disney World. There's an outlet mall about a 2 miles down the road that you may want to visit for more food and entertainment. I think there's shuttles from the hotels that can take you there or you can uber a ride. It's not that far at all.

You can also explore the BIG THREE hotels. Paradise Pier is a bit smaller but Grand Californian will have you looking around for awhile. Maybe grab a drink at Tiki Sams at Disneyland Hotel if you need a break.

 

[sechelt]

Thank you for your advice. I don't think we'll be getting to our hotel (Disneyland Hotel) until around 6pm so thought we'd spend the first evening exploring the hotel grounds and DTD.

Because you're staying on-site, at DLH, you will automatically get early entry on both days. Getting access to the parks an hour early can be a real bonus. Just make sure you know which rides are open, and on your to-do list, so you don't waste time. And, if the park happens to be open late when you arrive, you may change your mind about visiting on your first night. It's really difficult to resist when you're that close. If that's the case, use your 2 day hopper and upgrade it the next day to a 3 day for $48 per ticket.

 

[Kristina4109]

I'd say definitely get a park hopper. Park hopping is SO EASY at DL. It's a quick stroll through the entrance plaza that both parks share. No monorail, no bus, no boat, no tram, just a quick walk. Plus, you don't have to go through security again when you park hop!

It's also so easy to walk through Downtown Disney and explore. All 3 Disney-owned hotels are in easy walking distance to each other. If you really want to, you can catch the monorail from the Disneyland Hotel to Tomorrowland. (The monorail is right next to Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney.)

 

[POTCfan]

As the previous poster has said, if you are staying at Disneyland Hotel you have access to the extra magic hours every day of your stay, no matter what type of ticket you have. Definitely take advantage of that. Even during the time between Christmas and New Years, we were able to ride a lot of rides in that first hour (though they did have both parks with EMH, and normally it is one park or the other).
I am a big fan of the park hopper. As others have said, it is very easy to go from park to park. Being that you are there only two days, I don't know that it is necessary. There is plenty at each park to fill up a day. With our 5 day pass, we did not even start hopping until the 3rd day. There is a big advantage to Park hopping in that the fast pass system for each park is independent of each other. So this means you can get a fast pass at one park for one ride and then immediately get a fast pass for another ride at the other park. Though unless this is a strategy you are going to do, I don't think I would get a park hopper for the two days.