Planning a Bucketlist DL Trip

[ParksPixar&Pizza]

Hi fellow Disney Fans,

I'm a first time poster, long time Disney Fanatic. I went to Disney World when I was 5, 9 and 20. Ironically, when I went at 20 is when I absolutely became obsessed. I have always wanted to go to Disney Land, but always thought Disney World was better so I never gave it the time of day. But now after listening to the DIS Unplugged Podcast Disney Land coverage, I NEED TO GO. What are some good tips for DW fanatics making a pilgrimage to the House that Walt built? I've heard DCA can be done in under a 1/2 day, but I want to take my time in Disney Land because who knows when I'll get back. I'm thinking 4-5 days, 3 at DL and 1 at DCA or maybe 3/2? I also really want to stay at either the Disney Land Hotel or Grand Californian. Both just look very nice and magical! Any tips? Food, hotels, parks anything!

 

[figment_jii]

HydroGuy has a good place to start: A DLR Guide for WDW Vets.

I don't think you can do everything in DCA in 1/2 a day. You can probably hit some of the highlights, but even then I don't think you'll really get to experience the park. I think the most important thing for a WDW vet to realize is that the two parks are so close together that getting park hoppers can make a lot of sense. The entrances to the two parks are about one football field apart. Think of DL like Epcot's FW, DCA like Epcot's WS and DTD is just outside of International Gateway. You can literally see in DCA from just inside the DL ticket gate. So I would plan on two days at DCA, but not necessarily two continuous/whole days. For DL, you could easily spend 3 to 5 days and still not see everything. Overall, I think a five day trip will allow you to cover most things (although, some things might still have to be missed). DLR is geographically smaller than WDW, but there is a lot crammed into the resort.

 

[mom2rtk]

The first mistake many WDW vets make is trying to divide it up into so many park days here and so many there. We never buy park hoppers at WDW but always do at DLR. You can almost treat it as one big park. We don't hop a lot, but usually end up doing it to make sure we catch the shows, parades and fireworks. The park entrances are yards apart, just across an esplanade.

 

[ParksPixar&Pizza]

HydroGuy has a good place to start: A DLR Guide for WDW Vets.

I don't think you can do everything in DCA in 1/2 a day. You can probably hit some of the highlights, but even then I don't think you'll really get to experience the park. I think the most important thing for a WDW vet to realize is that the two parks are so close together that getting park hoppers can make a lot of sense. The entrances to the two parks are about one football field apart. Think of DL like Epcot's FW, DCA like Epcot's WS and DTD is just outside of International Gateway. You can literally see in DCA from just inside the DL ticket gate. So I would plan on two days at DCA, but not necessarily two continuous/whole days. For DL, you could easily spend 3 to 5 days and still not see everything. Overall, I think a five day trip will allow you to cover most things (although, some things might still have to be missed). DLR is geographically smaller than WDW, but there is a lot crammed into the resort.

That's interesting because from some I heard it's a 1/2 day park, but then others I heard it's more like a full park, even though it doesn't seem like it. I do like the idea of spending 2 days at DCA. The MK is my favorite park and it obviously resembles DL, so if I had to pick I would rather spend more time there and less at DCA, but I'm still dying to see Cars Land and all the food options/WoC. 3 days at DL and 2 at DCA sound really nice. Thanks for the advice! Granted, i'll probably love it so much I'll want to plan a trip right back when I get home!

 

[BadPinkTink]

also most people stay offsite in California. Some of the Harbour Boulevard hotels have a closer walking distance to the park gates than the onsite hotels and are far cheaper.

I agree with the park hoppers. With the two parks litterlay opposite each other, many people multiple park hop through out the day depending on line wait times , shows fast passes etc.

California has legacy paper fast passes and they are not connected between the parks, ie you can hold a Fastpass for Radiator Springs Racer at the same time as a World of Colour Fastpass and a Star Tours Fastpass

 

[ParksPixar&Pizza]

The first mistake many WDW vets make is trying to divide it up into so many park days here and so many there. We never buy park hoppers at WDW but always do at DLR. You can almost treat it as one big park. We don't hop a lot, but usually end up doing it to make sure we catch the shows, parades and fireworks. The park entrances are yards apart, just across an esplanade.

That's interesting because I assumed a Park Hopper at DL wasn't as neccessary as it was at WDW. Granted, I never even park hopped at WDW. I always just spent a whole day at a park.

 

[mom2rtk]

That's interesting because I assumed a Park Hopper at DL wasn't as neccessary as it was at WDW. Granted, I never even park hopped at WDW. I always just spent a whole day at a park.

Transportation between parks is too much of a time loss for me to want to hop at WDW. It's a non-issue at DLR.

 

[ParksPixar&Pizza]

also most people stay offsite in California. Some of the Harbour Boulevard hotels have a closer walking distance to the park gates than the onsite hotels and are far cheaper.

I agree with the park hoppers. With the two parks litterlay opposite each other, many people multiple park hop through out the day depending on line wait times , shows fast passes etc.

California has legacy paper fast passes and they are not connected between the parks, ie you can hold a Fastpass for Radiator Springs Racer at the same time as a World of Colour Fastpass and a Star Tours Fastpass

Just from a quick look, I can definitely see how offsite is cheaper. When I went to WDW the past 2 times, I stayed offsite. Actually once at Universal Orlando. It's just that magic element that you feel like you're missing out on. No way I could afford Grand Californian, but maybe DLH!

 

[ParksPixar&Pizza]

Transportation between parks is too much of a time loss for me to want to hop at WDW. It's a non-issue at DLR.

Agreed, WDW is so much harder to get around. I was going to last time from AK to HS, but still..it's just a trek.

 

[mom2rtk]

Agreed, WDW is so much harder to get around. I was going to last time from AK to HS, but still..it's just a trek.

We're mostly park open until we drop people. I don't like giving up a single moment getting from A to B if I can. At DLR, it's just not an issue.

 

[bumbershoot]

The first mistake many WDW vets make is trying to divide it up into so many park days here and so many there.

Agreed.

2nd mistake is wanting to spend time in DL because they love MK. Honestly, it's discombobulating to go from DL to MK or back, because they are very similariISH, but then you are totally lost! NOW instead of Liberty Square, etc. Weird! The other three parks at WDW are more gentle on my brain than MK is, because of that confusion that you don't think would be there.

That's interesting because from some I heard it's a 1/2 day park, but then others I heard it's more like a full park

Are those people describing their interests?

It's never been even just a one day park for us, not even before the changes. Actually, we loved it more BEFORE the changes. But if people aren't interested in xyz, then they won't want to spend all day there.

That's interesting because I assumed a Park Hopper at DL wasn't as neccessary as it was at WDW. Granted, I never even park hopped at WDW. I always just spent a whole day at a park.

Well see, you don't feel the need to hop at WDW, showing that it's not necessary there at all. Only reason people are serious about hopping at WDW is when they have EMH but don't want to spend all day there after a few hours.

At DL, however, it's almost like one big park, with a big empty space in between, that it's almost silly to NOT hop on any given day.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Pete gave me the bug to go to DL also so my wallet feels your pain! Really looking forward to it.

I bought the Unofficial Guide DL and am enjoying it but it is a fraction of the size that the UG WDW is.

 

[figment_jii]

That's interesting because from some I heard it's a 1/2 day park, but then others I heard it's more like a full park, even though it doesn't seem like it.

It really depends on what you want to do and see. If you're only looking at it from an attractions point of view (and willing to skip anything that has a similar counterpart in WDW), then you could probably finish DCA in under a day (I think half a day is still a bit optimistic). If you wanted to add in shows and characters, then it's going to take more than a single day. Frozen: Live at the Hyperion has a run time of almost an hour and that doesn't include any time needed to wait. WoC, likewise, usually involves a bit of a wait (I'd say anywhere from an hour to two). So that's easily 3 to 4 hours just for those two shows. Add in the attractions, parade (Pixar Play Parade) and other smaller shows (Disney Junior, Red Car Trolley) and you're easily past a day. It also depends a lot on when you go; DCA's hours can be long (e.g., 8:00 am to 11:00 pm), but they can also be pretty short (e.g., 9:00 am to 8:00 pm).

As others have said, my family always gets Park Hoppers at WDW and DLR, but we use them more at DLR because of the proximity between the two parks. You can get a sense of the proximity in the photo below. I'm standing just inside the gate to DL. You can see the monorail beam and then the blue-green entrance to DCA (it looks a lot like the entrance to DHS). Park hopping can be pretty quick (unless you are hopping right when one park is closing or at opening).

 

[gatorlisa]

I'm a WDW vet, went to DLR for a week in May. Got a 5 day park hopper, rope dropped every day, stayed 'til close to closing every day and still didn't see/do it all. There's a lot packed into a small space at Disneyland. I'm a fan of hoppers at WDW, but I can understand why some decide not to park hop there. I cannot imagine NOT park hopping at DLR. The parks are so incredibly close. I think we hopped all 5 days. Cars Land was wonderful, but there's a lot more to DCA than Cars Land. I don't think it's a half day park. I could quite happily spend all day and/or multiple days there. Great theming and I like almost all of the rides/attractions. I would recommend looking into offsite hotels for DLR. You can get a lot more for your money staying offsite and there are a lot of good off site options within walking distance of the parks. If you stay south of Katella, on Harbor, you can also make use of the buses from the Toy Story parking lot to get to the parks.

 

[eeyorefanuk]

If you park hop do you have to do security check each time? Thanks

 

[gatorlisa]

If you park hop do you have to do security check each time? Thanks

No. Security is as you enter the esplanade (the plaza between the parks). As long as you do not exit the esplanade, you do not have to go back through security.

 

[lorijohnhill]

I agree with getting park hoppers. We love DCA and spend way more than half a day. Heck, we've been known to spend half a day in the Anamation Academy building. Between the Anna & Elsa M&G, Talking to Crush, the Beasts Library, and the Animation Academy itself, there is a lot to do in that one building alone.

There is so much to see and do throughout the park. The nice thing is how easy it is to pop between the two parks. We will often be in DCA and hop over to DL to eat a particular meal we are wanting.

 

[ParksPixar&Pizza]

We're mostly park open until we drop people. I don't like giving up a single moment getting from A to B if I can. At DLR, it's just not an issue.

Which seems like one of the biggest differences...a major one. It's definitely added convenience.

 

[ParksPixar&Pizza]

It really depends on what you want to do and see. If you're only looking at it from an attractions point of view (and willing to skip anything that has a similar counterpart in WDW), then you could probably finish DCA in under a day (I think half a day is still a bit optimistic). If you wanted to add in shows and characters, then it's going to take more than a single day. Frozen: Live at the Hyperion has a run time of almost an hour and that doesn't include any time needed to wait. WoC, likewise, usually involves a bit of a wait (I'd say anywhere from an hour to two). So that's easily 3 to 4 hours just for those two shows. Add in the attractions, parade (Pixar Play Parade) and other smaller shows (Disney Junior, Red Car Trolley) and you're easily past a day. It also depends a lot on when you go; DCA's hours can be long (e.g., 8:00 am to 11:00 pm), but they can also be pretty short (e.g., 9:00 am to 8:00 pm).

As others have said, my family always gets Park Hoppers at WDW and DLR, but we use them more at DLR because of the proximity between the two parks. You can get a sense of the proximity in the photo below. I'm standing just inside the gate to DL. You can see the monorail beam and then the blue-green entrance to DCA (it looks a lot like the entrance to DHS). Park hopping can be pretty quick (unless you are hopping right when one park is closing or at opening).

Wow that is really close, thanks for the picture. I definitely want to ride every attraction, I'm not skipping those. The shows I don't really NEED to see, but they would be cool if I had the time. I absoutely need to see WoC, the Castle fireworks, and Paint the Night. That's why I think personally I would love to stay longer at each park so I wouldn't have to rush. I could definitely see how Park Hopping is easier at DLR than WDW. I can only imagine how nice the walk is. I would much rather spend more days in say DCA that needed than rush and skip things. Same with DL. Spend more time and like you said, I probably still won't see everything. On my last WDW trip, I spent 2 days at MK, 1 at AK, and 1 at Epcot and didn't see everything I wanted (A LOT of regrets).

 

[Baklava]

Agreed.

2nd mistake is wanting to spend time in DL because they love MK. Honestly, it's discombobulating to go from DL to MK or back, because they are very similariISH, but then you are totally lost! NOW instead of Liberty Square, etc. Weird! The other three parks at WDW are more gentle on my brain than MK is, because of that confusion that you don't think would be there.

Yeah, my first MK trip was *weird*. Liberty Square? And the Haunted Mansion is in the "wrong" place, and WTH is IASW doing indoors? All the things that were *almost* the same threw off my groove, even the ones that were better.