Solo Trip Single Day Park Hopper Advice

[khfan21]

Hi everyone I'm planning to do a solo trip with park hopper on May 1st. Since it's also Star Wars Night I wanted to see if there were any suggestions on maximizing the day. I've been to Disney World many times but Disneyland only once as a kid and never to DCA. So I'm trying to maximize seeing attractions I've never experienced. I'm planning on doing Rope Drop. I will be buying the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass and most probably the individual lightning lanes for Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs, only because I've seen that even single rider lines for Radiator Springs can be long.

Here's my plan so far (although I'm totally ok if none of this works out, I'm just happy to be able to go!):

1. Disneyland Rope Drop
-head to Fantasyland first, hopefully Peter Pan is not too long, do most of the Fantasyland rides that are unique to Disneyland
-ride Hyperspace Mountain and Matterhorn and do single riders, maybe Star Tours if no wait
-head to Toontown to ride Mickey and Minnie (never been) and Roger Rabbit
-use stacked LL for Indiana Jones, Tiana's, and Thunder Mountain (want to ride as all are new/diff from WDW)
-use individual LL for Rise at some point (been on the version at Hollywood Studios) and single rider's for Millennium Falcon
-at some point try to ride Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Winnie the Pooh, and Disney Railroad but not high priorities
-would probably skip Jungle Cruise, Autopia, Buzz, Astro Orbiter, canoes, Mark Twain, Gadget coaster, It's a Small World, Dumbo, Matterhorn(under refurbishment), Mad Tea Party, Carousel, Monorail

2. At DCA main attractions I'm interested in are Radiator Springs, Guardians, Web-Slingers, Soarin (not sure if it's open though) Grizzly River Run, Incredicoaster, and Monster's Inc. I think I'd do LL for Guardians if available and use individual LL for Radiator Springs. I think the rest have single riders.
-Toy Story Mania, Little Mermaid, and Philharmagic I've done a bunch of times at WDW so not super interested, and the rest I think are more "kid" rides.

3. I have the Dessert Party booked for the 2nd World Of Color Show because I know I will probably be exhausted.

Main questions would be what the ideal time to park hop over to DCA would be? Is it realistic to hop over to DCA around 4 pm and accomplish all those rides at Disneyland and 7 rides at DCA? Any other tips? I'm not sure how crowds will be given it's Star Wars Night. I know some people would maybe want to go to DCA on a day like Star Wars Night but I imagine a lot of people would also park hop like I am.

 

[LKing]

I will be buying the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass and most probably the individual lightning lanes for Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs, only because I've seen that even single rider lines for Radiator Springs can be long. I've never waited more than 20 min in the single rider line for RSR. Most of the time it is less than 15 min. It is one of the most efficient and fast moving SR lines at DLR. If you have the budget for LLSP, go for it, but I wouldn't be afraid of that single rider line.

Here's my plan so far (although I'm totally ok if none of this works out, I'm just happy to be able to go!):

1. Disneyland Rope Drop
-head to Fantasyland first, hopefully Peter Pan is not too long, do most of the Fantasyland rides that are unique to Disneyland Good idea. Make sure you schedule your first LL as soon as you enter the park. Set a timer for 1 hr 55 min later so you can schedule your second LL.
-ride Hyperspace Mountain and Matterhorn and do single riders, maybe Star Tours if no wait Matterhorn should be closed. Star Tours is identical to WDW.
-head to Toontown to ride Mickey and Minnie (never been) and Roger Rabbit
-use stacked LL for Indiana Jones, Tiana's, and Thunder Mountain (want to ride as all are new/diff from WDW) You will likely get very wet on Tiana's - much more than the WDW version.
-use individual LL for Rise at some point (been on the version at Hollywood Studios) and single rider's for Millennium Falcon - These are identical to what you have at WDW. WDW has single rider for Rise. DLR does not.
-at some point try to ride Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Winnie the Pooh, and Disney Railroad but not high priorities - I would get a LL for HM if possible. While the new queue is cool, it is often slow moving. For Pooh, tell them you are a single rider and ask if they have any buddy passes.
-would probably skip Jungle Cruise, Autopia, Buzz, Astro Orbiter, canoes, Mark Twain, Gadget coaster, It's a Small World, Dumbo, Matterhorn(under refurbishment), Mad Tea Party, Carousel, Monorail Our Small World is better than the version at WDW. Maybe sub it for Matterhorn as you walk from Space Mountain to Toontown.

2. At DCA main attractions I'm interested in are Radiator Springs, Guardians, Web-Slingers, Soarin (not sure if it's open though) Grizzly River Run, Incredicoaster, and Monster's Inc. I think I'd do LL for Guardians if available and use individual LL for Radiator Springs. I think the rest have single riders. Guardians will have a long line. It should be your first priority as soon as you can book DCA LL. Since it is your second park, it is likely that your LL won't be until the evening. Grab it and you try to modify to an earlier time. Webslingers has a single rider line as does Incredicoaster. The Incredicoaster single rider line can get pretty long. Soarin is identical to what you have at WDW. It has single rider which can be fast or slow depending on the CM who is working.

3. I have the Dessert Party booked for the 2nd World Of Color Show because I know I will probably be exhausted. Incredicoaster is supposed to be pretty cool during the first WOC show. Alternatively, you can try to do Guardians & Webslingers during that time.

Main questions would be what the ideal time to park hop over to DCA would be? Is it realistic to hop over to DCA around 4 pm and accomplish all those rides at Disneyland and 7 rides at DCA? Any other tips? No idea how long it will take you to get it all done. At a certain point, you might want to cut your losses at DL, cross over to DCA to start working through those attractions. Personally, I would skip SWGE as it is virtually identical to what you have at DHS. Mobile order your food in advance.

 

[irlandaise]

I will be buying the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass and most probably the individual lightning lanes for Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs, only because I've seen that even single rider lines for Radiator Springs can be long.

To add to what LKing said, I recommend that you look at the SR line for RSR before you pony up for an ILL. You may not need it.

(I'm trying to see how many initialisms I can work into a single sentence. )

-at some point try to ride Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Winnie the Pooh, and Disney Railroad but not high priorities

Are you aware that Pirates is much, much better at Disneyland? You say that you've only been to DL once a long time ago, so you may not remember that. Please consider raising your priority for that ride.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Another recommendation to try out the single rider line at Racers.

The single rider line for Webslingers is fantastic. I second LKing's comment about Incredicoaster getting really long sometimes. Last time we visited it reached almost all the way back to the soft serve place which is about as long as we have ever seen it.

Monsters Inc uses buddy passes so ask the CM if one is available.

 

[brightlined]

-use individual LL for Rise at some point (been on the version at Hollywood Studios) and single rider's for Millennium Falcon - These are identical to what you have at WDW. WDW has single rider for Rise. DLR does not.

I'll throw a very quiet asterisk on Rise being the same - I don't believe they have fixed the cannons at DHS.

That would be a minor thing for a lot of people - but I'm the kind of nerd who would want to see that again if I were coming from the east coast. (To be fair, I saw them working in 2020, and I missed them when they didn't work. It was a lovely surprise that I was at DL they day they came back.)

But if time matters - it would definitely be skippable.


Side note - Tiana's also has single-rider at DL (the vehicles are different from WDW), so that might be an option to using an LL.

If it were me - I'd probably start with Fantasyland, then head toward Adventureland and see what the lines look like at Indy and Pirates. The mix-in point for LL at Indy is right as you enter the first building - so if there aren't that many people waiting outside, it's a waste of an LL. (Sometimes I've caught it on a weekday morning with very few people waiting outside.) After Pirates, you could check to see if HM has a short line, then poke in on Tiana's to see how long the single-rider wait is (might be shorter earlier in the day). Tip: check the trash cans outside the exit at Tiana's - people often leave their plastic ponchos on top for other guests.

Btw - I didn't see Nemo (subs) on the list.

I'm totally on board with the DL skips.

If it were me - Pooh is so similar that I'd probably skip it if there were other priorities. (Its differences make it less than WDWs.)

I would also at least consider taking the railroad from Tomorrowland to the front gate - the dioramas are unique to Disneyland, and contain elements from the 1964 World's Fair. (I've sometimes been known to do that as my last thing before leaving the park.)

 

[LKing]

I'll throw a very quiet asterisk on Rise being the same - I don't believe they have fixed the cannons at DHS. I was at DHS last week and you are correct. Their canons were not working.

Side note - Tiana's also has single-rider at DL (the vehicles are different from WDW), so that might be an option to using an LL. Forgot about that. In some of the threads about single rider, people have said that the efficiency of Space Mtn and Tiana's single rider lines are very CM dependent.

 

[khfan21]

Thanks for all the advice everyone! This was super helpful. I think I may have to skip Galaxy's Edge if I'm trying to do the more unique rides at both parks. Especially knowing that Pirates and some other attractions are more unique. Plus I don't necessarily want to rush DCA since I've never been there before and want to take it in a bit more. I should probably factor in some time to eat also.

Prior to buying Park Hopper I was debating doing DCA alone and then buying admission to Star Wars night but I want to see World of Color and heard some sections/rides can close during the special events.

 

[irlandaise]

I don't necessarily want to rush DCA since I've never been there before and want to take it in a bit more.

I really enjoy wandering around the Highway 49/Grizzly Peak Recreation Area part of DCA. There's a trail that goes behind Grizzly River Run that's quiet and takes you right near the waterfall.

Also, of course, the Route 66/Cars Land area has wonderful theming. Be sure to go to the main entrance around sunset for the sequential turning on of the neon signs. You should be able to ask a CM for the exact time each night.

I should probably factor in some time to eat also.

Umm, yeah, probably.

 

[LKing]

San Fransokyo is well themed and a fun place to eat. You can mobile order from any of the restaurants in that area.