Short day at Disneyland

[gharrison]

I have never been to Disneyland before, but I am an avid Disney World fan. I am going to be in LA for business and will only have about 6-7 hours to visit Disneyland while I am there. I need help in deciding what is a Must-see and where to eat. I am definitely going to do the following- Materhorn, POTC, Mr Toads, HM. What else must I see. Any suggestions would be nice.

 

[MAH4546]

HM is nearly identical unless you are going during Haunted Mansion Holiday. The seven "must sees" for somebody who is used to WDW:

1) Mr. Toad
2) Alice in Wonderland
3) Space Mountain (entirely different, superior ride)
4) Pirates of the Caribbean
5) Matterhorn
6) Indiana Jones
7) Sleeping Beauty walk-through

 

[skoocher]

Indiana Jones and Spash Mountain are two of my favs that I never miss.

 

[blabbermouth]

For food I'd recommend just a counter service, don't want to waste any of your precious time. If you like Mexican, I really enjoyed Rancho Del Zocalo in Frontierland. You can eat outside and watch the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. And you should add that one to your list because it often has a very short wait time!

 

[oc_tony]

Definitely do Indy, it's one of my favorites. Check the FP time as soon as you get into the park. Also, be sure to do Space Mt (DL's version is better) and the Matterhorn since it is unique to DL. I think HM is worth a go. It's fun to compare the differences and similarities to WDW's, and the line is usually not bad except during the holidays. Finally (and I know some people may think this is a waste of time), but after you've done everything you wanted and if you have any time left to fill, consider taking the train from Tomorrowland station to Main St station so you can see the Grand Canyon and Primeval World. As you know, this does not exist at WDW, and it's a great way to get back to the entrance when it's time to leave. Have a great time!

 

[DLR29]

When will you be there? And what time will you be arriving? Both are very important questions in determining how much you will be able to get done in 6-7 hours. That list of 7 rides is definitely very useful. I might also add Buzz Lightyear for the same reason that Space is on that list. But it is definitely possible to do those 7 + Buzz and/or HM in 6-7 hours if you have a plan and move quickly.

 

[gharrison]

Thank you all for the helpful suggestions. I will be there on July 26th, arriving around 5 or 6pm. I know that the park is open until midnight. I was so very sad the day they removed Toad from WDW. How would ya'll tour the park in that time span. Should I start in Tomorrowland or go to Adventureland first?

 

[oc_tony]

If you're planning to stay until midnight, I would start in Adventureland. Get a FP for Indy, then do POTC and HM. Depending if your FP is ready, you can then do Indy or head over to Fantasyland and ride Alice and Toad, and do the castle walk-through. Keep in mind that parts of Fantasyland close during the fireworks, so if you can knock those out before 9pm, you'll be doing great! Also, Frontierland gets very congested at night due to Fantasmic. Main St and the plaza in front of the castle are also crowded from 8:30-10:00pm due to the fireworks. I'd save Tomorrowland (Buzz, Space Mt) and Matterhorn for the later hours. Matterhorn is especially fun when it's dark. Don't worry about back-tracking to do Indy or other attractions. Nothing is too far away as DL covers a much smaller area than MK. Be ready for big crowds though (Sunday in the summer), but if you're alone you can move fast. Hope this helps! Have fun!

 

[DLR29]

Arriving between 5 and 6 you'll be lucky if there are any FPs left for Space or Indy. If there are any left, they will be for very late. I recommend doing any Fantasyland attractions (Toad, Alice) immediately after the fireworks. They close some of the rides during the fireworks, so when the fireworks are over, those rides are like walk ons when they reopen FL. Pirates and HM and BLAB should be pretty easy to get on anytime because the lines for those rides move constantly and very quickly. The tricky part will be trying to get both Indy and Space squeezed in w/o FP.

 

[basketballmom]

Don't know if this interests you, but you might want to walk through toontown. it is waaaaaaaaay better than wdw. lots of gags and fun stuff to discover.

 

[lcasa]

I recommend riding in the back facing backwards! If you like miniatures as I do both Casey and the slower StorybookLand canel boats are worth the ride.

Jungle Cruise is different here too ( shorter, similar, but some unique parts ) - and we've still got the original Tiki Room. Neither of those is crowded at night. The tip to be ready to go to Fantasyland as soon as the rope drops blocking it after the fireworks is a good one.

Our small world is much prettier on the outside too. And our new monorails are pretty sleek looking. Oh - and Autopia is much better here too!

So little time, so much to do. I would prioritize similar to some others:
1. Space Mtn
2. Matterhorn ( the original metal coaster - thanks to Bob Gurr!!)
3. Mr. Toad
4. Indy
5. POTC ( better here )
6. Casey Jr and/or Storybook Land
7. Buzz ( a very different ride here )
Enjoy main street too - the smaller scale makes it much more charming to me ( it should be open for shopping for up to 1 hr after closing)

It is a LOT less walking than WDW

 

[Eeee-va]

You can generally get in line shortly before midnight and they will let you ride. So if you can stay until 12:30 or 1 AM, you can try that to ride Indiana Jones or Space Mountain (or any other ride, for that matter), as long as you're in line before midnight.

I agree that most of the FPs will probably be gone by 5 PM. If there are any left for Splash Mountain, it will be only because the return times are really late--most people do not want to get soaked at 11 PM. I would think that Buzz Lightyear may quite possibly have FPs left, though, if that interests you.

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but last I heard, Indiana Jones may also have the Single Rider option, which should get you through much more quickly.

I like MAH4546's list...they're not all MY must-dos, but I can see where they'd be great for someone who is familiar with WDW. PotC and Space Mountain are my biggest "must-dos," but you'll probably be facing a pretty grim wait for Space Mountain without a FP. I love Big Thunder Mountain too, even if others say WDW's is better.

If you are into history of Disney parks, then try to make time for the Sleeping Beauty Castle walkthrough. It will only take a few minutes and it is based (for the most part) on blueprints for the original walkthrough that went in a couple years after Disneyland opened. It's pretty neat.

Toontown is way different than WDW's so I agree that if you like that sort of thing even a little, you should definitely drop in. Roger Rabbit's CarToon Spin is worth riding. Toontown closes around 8 PM (?) for fireworks and does not re-open, but the crowds are quite small at that time as well.

The whole Adventureland/New Orleans Square/Frontierland area will be crowded/sometimes hard to navigate due to Fantasmic shows at 9 PM and 10:30 PM. Most people agree that it's a better show than WDW's, and if you had even a full day in the park I'd recommend giving it a try, but since you only have a few hours, I'd skip it. DURING the show can be a good time to ride PotC and maybe HM, but AFTER the show, both those rides will be crowded, so I would plan accordingly.

Anyway, I would keep my "must-do" list small to avoid disappointment and frustration, but devise a plan to add in the "nice to dos" if it's possible. If I plan to do too much and then don't manage to fit it all in, I find it frustrating.

Have a wonderful time!

 

[S. S. Columbia]

I recommend getting a Dole Whip and seeing the Enchanted Tiki Room.

DL's version is much better than MK's.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Gisele]

Have a great trip and a wonderful visit!

The Haunted Mansion

The Pirates of the Caribbean

The Matterhorn

Indy

BTMRR

Jungle Cruise
and please do visit Jose and friends in their wonderfully appointed and most talented show room the Enchanted Tiki Room. Please do not feed the birds though, because the last time that was allowed (It no longer is) a park guest fed Jose too many raisins and well let us just say that proper irrigation is important, but that was just too much, no really too too much! Ay carumba muchachos y muchachas! caw caw!

If you can be there at or before park opening that would be great.

Don't forget to ask for your first visit button (City Hall amongst other locations as well)

Remember to collect fast passes for your favorite rides (Where FP's are applicable)

and just simply have a nice, fun time!

Bengal BBQ offers very tasty c/s in Adventure land. I highly recommend their bacon wrapped asparagus skewers, they are very tasty indeed.
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[Leofoenget]

Don't forget the subs

 

[jimreuter]

If you make it by 5:30 you might want to check out Farley the Fiddler near the entrance to Frontierland. He is unique to Disneyland, and a "not to be missed" to a lot of people (including me).

 

[DLR29]

Ah yes! Excellent suggestion Eeee-va! Definitely take advantage of the Single Rider line option at Indy. It will save you a lot of time.

As for the subs, with such limited time I wouldn't recommend riding them. It's a nice ride, but the line is so darn long and there are better attractions out there.

 

[Hound 109]

Lots of great info in the posts above.

The rides that I loved (that aren't found at WDW) on my first visit to DL... after 40 years in the wilderness & several WDW visits...was Toady, Alice, Storybookland, the Matterhorn & Indy. Also DL has the superior SM & Buzz & the theming at IASW & Roger Rabbit are great. And don't forget an underated favorite of mine....Pinocchio.

I agree that I wouldn't waste an hour or more on Nemo (if you must see Nemo & the Subs.....do the quick looksee at the exit that folks here have discussed)....but with only 7 hours, I'd focus on the attractions mentioned above.

Have a great visit to Walt's Park.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

Ya I wouldn't waste time on Nemo probably.

My suggestion is def counter eating. Bengal BBQ was yummo and is right across from Indy and such.

 

[gharrison]

Everybody has been so great with your suggestions. Now I am trying to get an earlier flight so I can have more time.