Return to Disneyland (questions from a WDW regular)

[Orsino]

I'm headed to Disneyland Resort in February, and as always, Disney stuff changes from my last visit (2017 ish).

(1) Tickets. I'm going to get a 5 day park hopper, but I'm stuck on the LLMP situation. I'd like to get it included with the ticket, but our first day we won't get to the parks until 1PM. Is LLMP worth having if I have a late arrival? Can I buy the 5 day park hopper without LLMP and then add it each day? Is doing so a pain in the neck and I'll be wishing I just paid more money in the first place? We will arrive on a Thursday.

(2) We are staying at Grand Californian so I think we get Early Entry. What is the disboard opinion on EE priorities? I see that Radiator Springs Racers is not on EE, so I'm a bit lost. One of the DCA EE days we will rope drop Disneyland instead, what is the Disneyland non-EE priority? Overall, we should have plenty of time to see everything, I just like to have an efficient morning which makes the rest of the day seem more carefree.

(3) We will be there over a Saturday, which I understand is the busiest day. Since we have many other days, what things should we avoid or prioritize on Saturday? I'm thinking about having a long-ish dinner at Downtown Disney on Saturday, but for I know that's walking into a trap.

(4) Are dining reservations hard to get? Is there something I need to be concerned about getting right when reservations open?

Thank you

 

[disneychrista]

5 days of LL is a lot IMO. I would add it day of on concentrate on the LL attractions that day.

Saturdays are NOT the busiest day of the week. That title belongs to Mondays.

Trader Sam's, Blue Bayou, Lamplight and Carthay are probably the hardest to get. As well as the Premium seating for Fantasmic at Riverbelle Terrace.

 

[Marmota]

I agree with above, five days of LL is a fair bit! I typically try to do one day with LL in each park then without on the other days.

Unfortunately I can't say about EE because I'm not as familiar with that. My husband is an early riser but I always struggle with that.

Blue Bayou can be very difficult to get - definitely one to aim for right when it opens. It's a beautiful ambience. Carthay Circle is also great - my favorite restaurant in both parks. Trader Sam's is also wonderful but if you have some time one early evening, try the walk-up line. I've done that every time and we always seem to be lucky getting a spot inside.

 

[krismom345]

Jumping on to ask a few questions as well:

•are DL Dining reservations done in the app 60 days out like WDW?

•which days are early entry for resort guests at which park?

(Sorry to hijack!) °o° °o° °o°

 

[disneychrista]

Jumping on to ask a few questions as well:

•are DL Dining reservations done in the app 60 days out like WDW?

Yes 60 days out from the date you want to dine. Not 60 days out for your entire trip.

 

[LKing]

•which days are early entry for resort guests at which park?

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/early-admission-options/

• Disneyland Park: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
• Disney California Adventure Park: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday

 

[twodogs]

I think 5 days of LLMP may NOT be too much, if your family is very into rides and/or doesn’t want to do RD every day or stay until closing every day. Lines are LONG outside of very early and late, but if you are not into rides, you can definitely concentrate rides on a few days and buy LLMP only on those days. We usually go for 3 days, and my kids are ride warriors, so I would never do the parks without LLMP. As for getting LLMP on the arrival partial day, I always do that because it makes that day less stressful and we can get onto our favorite rides quickly (lines will be long by 1pm). But if you are budgeting, you could skip that partial day of LLMP and do shows, see the other things in the parks etc. You can add it day by day, but there is the small risk that it sells out (as happens around October dates and sometimes the holidays).

Agree that Mondays are the worst crowd days.

 

[twodogs]

I will also add that LLMP is much more useful at DLR than WDW, since may guests at DLR are MKs and aren’t buying LLMP every day.

 

[LKing]

I will also add that LLMP is much more useful at DLR than WDW, since may guests at DLR are MKs and aren’t buying LLMP every day.

True, although there may be a bump Jan 6-31 2025 when they offer LLMP at 50% off for MK holders

 

[BK2014]

(1) Tickets. I'm going to get a 5 day park hopper, but I'm stuck on the LLMP situation. I'd like to get it included with the ticket, but our first day we won't get to the parks until 1PM. Is LLMP worth having if I have a late arrival? Can I buy the 5 day park hopper without LLMP and then add it each day? Is doing so a pain in the neck and I'll be wishing I just paid more money in the first place? We will arrive on a Thursday.

We are also WDW regulars and just spent 5 days at DL. We did have the LLMP for all five days. We did rope drop most mornings, and that, along with the LLMP, allowed us to get a lot done in the mornings. We like to take a break mid-day so it was nice being able to get a lot done in the morning. Then we focused on parades or evening shows later in the day. We did take an entire day to relax and go to the pool on one day, so we did not use the LLMP that day. But I was glad to have it anyhow.

 

[MouseBrief]

I'm headed to Disneyland Resort in February, and as always, Disney stuff changes from my last visit (2017 ish)…

Looks like you have some great answers for questions 1, 2 & 4 already (I would just echo that Saturdays are actually a pretty nice day to be in the parks as of late), so I am going to share my two cents on #3.
For question #3, yes Radiator Springs Racers is not included in Early Entry. When we use Early Entry at Disney California Adventure Park, we choose to zero in on Avengers Campus. Our reasoning is that Early Entry is only 30 minutes, so it is best to focus on an area where the attractions are closer together. From there, we also pop over to Monsters Inc without much trouble. Even better, we go to Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, and if we time it right, we can queue up for Radiator Springs Racers before the regular rope drop crowd makes it that far.
Early Entry does not include many attractions at Disney California Adventure Park, but it is nice having an extra bit of time in the morning. Plus, Cars Land is just stunning, and it is so nice to stroll through there before the crowds build.
For Disneyland rope drop, we focus on Fantasyland, because the attractions are so densely packed there. We can zig zag between a bunch of attractions in a short time, which I think would fill your wish for an efficient morning. Plus, there are usually some super cute spontaneous character moments happening that area. Just watch out for Peter Pan’s Flight: a lot of folks are going to head for that one, so unless you are at the front of that pack, the wait might eat-up a lot of your morning.
Maybe that was more than two cents…

 

[Orsino]

Another quick question about tickets. I bought my 5 day hopper and I need to make reservations. On the disneyland website there is a choice for ticket holders and for hotel guests. When I click on hotel guest, the button to make reservations does nothing.
I ended up ignoring my hotel reservation and just making reservations as a ticket holder. That seems to have worked. Am I okay doing it this way since I'm staying at a disneyland hotel?

 

[twodogs]

Another quick question about tickets. I bought my 5 day hopper and I need to make reservations. On the disneyland website there is a choice for ticket holders and for hotel guests. When I click on hotel guest, the button to make reservations does nothing.
I ended up ignoring my hotel reservation and just making reservations as a ticket holder. That seems to have worked. Am I okay doing it this way since I'm staying at a disneyland hotel?

Have you linked your hotel reservation to your account in the app? Unlike WDW, the reservation does not automatically link to your account. Once the hotel reservation is linked in the app, you should be able to make your park reservations via the hotel guest bucket. To link, go to the app (not online) and click the 3 horizontal lines in the lower right corner. Scroll down under My Visit to “Hotel Reservations” and enter your confirmation number and name and arrival date.

If park reservations are available, it doesn’t matter which “bucket” you use. However, if you have to change park reservations at the last minute, you may need to use the hotel bucket of park reservations if the regular park reservations are sold out. So, I recommend linking your hotel reservations now and making sure you can make park reservations as a hotel guest prior to your trip.

 

[longboard55]

If you link your room and get your reservation from the room link, anyday will be available. You do not need to book weeks in advance