Possible last moment trip...need guidence, please.

Friendly Frog

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I hope to get to go to DL soon. It might be somewhat last moment and unfortunately it will be only for a weekend, possible also half a day on a Monday. 1.) I have a hard time in crowds. Which will be the least crowded time, late this month, or wait until April, or May? 2.) How do the fast passes work now at DL? Is it like WDW where you have to schedule them in advance, or is it still the old system? 3.) I will be staying off site are hotel rates pretty much the same for all the months I listed? 4.) Any other tips? RSR, Indiana Jones and TSM are my must do attractions and I really want to do each at least twice as well as see World of Color. 5.) Has anything new gone in since world of color? I did check out Hydroguy's thread, but it looks like some of that information may be outdated? THANKS!!
 
Forgot to ask, do you get the extra hours if you stay in a " good neighbor " hotel?
 
Don't do March, spring break starts the last two weeks and goes till first to weeks of april. Big crowds, higher hotel rates then. After the 18th of april things will slow down some, but will still be a little crowded, I would say at list a 5 out of 10 during the weeks and the weekends about a 7, could be wrong, but spring days will have Californians out and about especially during the weekends.

Hotels across the street from DL will come down the second to third week of April because spring break will be over, but it is a littlelate so they may be higher than jan and feb prices.

Do you hate crowds or do you have a disability, may want to check out disability thread if you have one.

For big rides like you mentioned FP is the way to go, except to does not have FP. I would make sure to go to the park first thing in morning and go to the opposite park of MM or EE, if you do that at DCA I would go to toy story ride it twice then go get a FP to RS, then do what you want. If you can later that day get another FP to RS, but that may be pushing it. At DL, if you hit rope drop you should be able to hit Indy twice with minimal wait.

No if your on geta DAS pass, it opens up a lot more options, of how to get your rides and FP's.
 
Thank you so much DG24, I was not sure anyone would answer! How do fast passes work? Do you have to schedule them before you get there like at WDW, or do you just get them in the parks? Does DL have magic bands?
 

Which will be the least crowded time, late this month, or wait until April, or May?
There's actually a better way to think about this than dates of the year: time of day. Even in the height of summer, the parks don't fill until around noon. More people come for the evening Parades and shows, but are sucked up into the viewing areas so many parts of the Parks are less crowded. In other words, I think you are worrying more than you need to. Secondly, WDW norms do not hold true at DLR. The parks are so much small in acreage and proximity: two days are plenty to hit the attractions, especially if you skip the time-sucking F! and WOC to avoid crowds. and no Magic Bands at DLR.
 
Thank you so much DG24, I was not sure anyone would answer! How do fast passes work? Do you have to schedule them before you get there like at WDW, or do you just get them in the parks? Does DL have magic bands?
Regular Fastpasses.. put card in machine and FP will pop out with time... they are enforcing the return times..
You will get the magic morning if you stay on site or get a 3 day park ticket... Im pretty sure staying at an off site hotel you wont get the early morning entry ..

Late April is a good time to go.. lower crowds due to the schools just going back after Easter break...
 
I agree that late April would be the least crowded. You get a Magic morning at DL (Tue, Thu, or Sat) with a 3-day park hopper no matter where you stay. Is this a solo or adults only trip? If so, then I suggest the single rider lines for Indy, Matterhorn, Splash, RSR, Grizzly, and CA Screamin.
 
Fast pass works like this, you go to the kiosk put your ticket in and it will print out a time to come back. For rides you can only hold one fast pass. There are fastpasses for like WOC, fantasmic, meet and greet and and elsa, they do not require you to wait to get another fast pass, so you can go get a woc fast pass and then go and get radiator fast pass. If a fast pass time for like RS or Indy happens to be much later, say you pull it at 11, but the time to come back is 4, after 2 hours you are allowed to get a second fast pass.i have never had that happen, but then again I don't use fast pass system a lot, I do the parks early morning and late night, skip most of crowds. Plus I hate to walk all the way out of my way get a fast pass and then never use it because I'm busy somewhere else and do t want to walk all the way back, so I only use FP a few times a day, one is soaring, Indy.

As one person said do the parks early and late. I can tell you my stradigy that works for me, I have autism spectrum disorder,high functioning, I hate crowds and get aggravated waiting, and as a child we went a lot and they had no disability cards so I had to learn.

For DL assuming first assume you have MM, do PP, Dumbo, Matterhorn, space, I usually get all this done during MM. Then exactly at opening be in line to go up into adventure land and all the way to splash mountain, ride twice with no line, three times if you want. Then head down to HM, POTC, Indy (if crowded get FP and go do BTM) jungle and then BTM. It is usually 10 to 10:30, I go to too town and hit RR and IASW. By 11 I am done and ready to relax, take a swim a nap or whatever. When I come back in, I watch shows, do tiki room, parades, eat fantasmic second showing. Then I go to space, subs, and Star Wars, if you have to, and autotopia. I usually can get all of that in the last hour. Especially if you can still pull a fast pass for space.

What I have left out I did so mainly because I always seem to be able to find a time in day that the lines for them are 10 minutes or less, it maybe early in day or it may be late during a parade or fireworks, but I always can find a time.

If you don't have MM, than skip the first part, do all the rest, but when you come back in, try to hit like dumbo, PP, mattahorn during parades and such.

Over at DCA, if you have EE do RS first. Then toy story three times. I then do screaming, never a wait that early in morning. I walk to fun wheel and do that. I then continue around the pier, doing everything I want until little mermaid. Then you have a choice, do grizzly, which I usually do because it's time to get wet, about 10:30, and then I can go dry off, eat lunch, swim, nap and come back. When back I grab a FP to soaring and head over to ToT, if to crowded, I do animation, alladin, monsters and go back to soaring, then catch a ticket to TOT. Then hit bugs life. Woc.

Tip for parade, since bf is in w/c, I don't really have one for DL because we sit in w/c place. But we use to sit in front of the bathrooms going up to Alice, that was a nice spot. For DCA, we sit where the chickens sit who won't go on ToT. Front line and there is usually sits there to sit in. You get to see them as they come out onto the street, usually lots of hellos and how you doing, but not always the dancing, although you do see some.
 
Great advice everyone. I really appreciate it. (Slow moving adults only trip.)
 
I hope to get to go to DL soon. It might be somewhat last moment and unfortunately it will be only for a weekend, possible also half a day on a Monday. 1.) I have a hard time in crowds. Which will be the least crowded time, late this month, or wait until April, or May? 2.) How do the fast passes work now at DL? Is it like WDW where you have to schedule them in advance, or is it still the old system? 3.) I will be staying off site are hotel rates pretty much the same for all the months I listed? 4.) Any other tips? RSR, Indiana Jones and TSM are my must do attractions and I really want to do each at least twice as well as see World of Color. 5.) Has anything new gone in since world of color? I did check out Hydroguy's thread, but it looks like some of that information may be outdated? THANKS!!

Indiana Jones is easy to get a FP for in the morning. It also has a single rider line. If you get to DL in the morning then FP Indy (and if the wait is less than 30 minutes junp in line for Indy. If the wait is longer grab a second FP for Indy once it is available.

However if you only have one morning then DCA will be the place for TSMM in the morning (perhaps twice) and then FP RSR and ride single rider line as well for RSR or wait in regular line.
 




















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