Some last minutes questions and trip input needed from DL Vets

[valerie160]

I think I finally have our trip/itinerary worked out but would love some input!

We will be at DLR Fri August 21- Tue Aug 25. We are staying offsite and have the 5-day/1-park per day ticket.

Initially we were doing DL (half day; crowd level (CL) of 4) on Friday, DL on Saturday (CL of 5), DCA on Sunday (this is the day when all the passholder blocks are removed I believe; CL of 6), DL on Monday (CL of 5) and DCA on Tuesday (CL of 2).

My son's birthday is Monday Aug 24 so we definitely wanted to be in DL that day but now I really also want to end our vacation on Tuesday at DL too as opposed to DCA. Do you think we'll have enough time on Sunday to see DCA without needing to use a second day to go back?

Also, we were planning on doing the MM on Saturday because the MM hours are 7am-8am. Even though it's being predicted that the crowd level will be a 5 that day, I figured we could get there first thing and knock out some of the fantasyland rides (especially Matterhorn and hopefully PeterPan). But if we don't do DCA on Tuesday (which is what I'm really leaning towards) and do DL instead we can do the MM hours that day (8am MM) and with a crowd level of 2, it seems like this might be a better deal.

I'd love to hear any thoughts! Thanks!

 

[heidica]

Following. We will be in the parks the exact same days. I'm curious what the advice will be. Can't wait!!

 

[peterpanandwendy]

So are you asking if DCA is a one day park?

I would say, if you are going to pack in a good 15 hour day, open to close, then yes, I think DCA can be a one day park. This is if you want to fit in Aladdin and the parade and World of colour etc.

DCA can be a day and a half park if you want to take it easy or do repeats… so you *could* do DCA on your half day on Friday, then again on Sunday, then do DL on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday…

I would NOT really do DCA for two full days, but that is just my preference. I don't find there is as much to do and see in DCA as in DL… However, others may beg to differ….

lol. I just asked my husband what he thought (If DCA was a one day or two day park) and he said "Just pay the extra for the park hoppers". We always spend the extra money to get the park hoppers. The parks are literally steps away from each other so we think of DCA as being just more 'lands' in DL as it takes minutes to park hop, so that is what we usually do. We love to bounce back and forth… I just asked him again what his answer would be if park hoppers weren't in the budget and he said "frick, I'll just wire her the money…."

lol. So, that's his thoughts on that.

 

[tarheelalum]

The crowd predictors are not at all accurate. It will be busy every day you are there. Which day you choose to do the magic morning is up to you. Do it which ever day works out best for you and your family. But be careful not to waste a lot of time waiting for Peter Pan in the morning. The lines for that ride are 45 minutes, 1 minute after rope drop and they pretty much stay that way all day. Crowds of people sprint for that ride like wild animals at rope drop.

The best advice I can give you is be there at rope drop so you can ride as many rides as possible in the first two hours the park is open.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Those crowd predictions... throw them through your nearest window now. Pick whatever park you want to be in each day.

If you can afford to I would SO upgrade to hoppers. They make ALL the difference with a 5 day Disneyland ticket. The last two days especially we find ourselves bouncing back and forth between the parks hitting up whatever we missed or whatever broke down. (RSR is notorious for breaking down fyi.) If you can't afford to upgrade I would keep in mind 2 things: look up the show times on the Disneyland website as you consider what park for what day so you don't miss something you wanted to see & be flexible for the last couple days. Maybe you planned 1 day DCA but your crew really wants to repeat RSR more than anything and you missed the Aladdin show (which is wonderful btw) so you could end up changing your mind on your last day. You don't have to decide until the minute before your ticket is scanned that morning!

 

[DisneylandDancer]

I guess how long you want in DCA all depends on your preferences. I would say that one day is enough. Just like most people have said, the crowd level predictions are never very accurate. And again, the park hoppers all depend on your family's preferences. For a vacation, my family usually stays in one park the whole day, but it depends. Maybe discuss with your family what you would like to do. MM can be very helpful to get big rides done, but unfortunately some rides aren't open until the normal park opening time. To enjoy your trip, just have fun in the parks and don't let long lines or lots of people put a damper on your day.

 

[RKKUNK]

You can upgrade to a PH ticket at anytime during your stay I believe. So, if you are feeling like maybe you want to go back to DCA to maybe see something that you didn't have time for originally or want to repeat a favorite ride, then maybe you just upgrade to PH your last couple of days. If your budget allows for that. I don't think it is too expensive to do that.

If you have to stay with 1 park per day tickets then I think I would do DCA on Friday, DL on Saturday, DCA on Sunday again, and then you would have the last two days at DL. That way you would have 1 and a half days at DCA, which IMO is all you need. We are AP holders and for us DCA is only a half day park and then we hop over to DL. We can do DL for a whole day. Enjoy!!

 

[valerie160]

Thanks for all the advice - it seems that getting the PH may be the best way to go.

I didn't realize that the Crowd calendar was going to be so inaccurate. Any body have any idea what the crowds will more realistically look like this week? Since I've never been to DL I have no idea what to expect, but since we've got 5 days, I'm hopeful we won't feel rushed or feel like we didn't get to do everything we were hoping to do.

 

[DisTXMom]

We are in the same boat as you- coming for 5 days and expecting crowds. Everything I've read on the DIS says don't worry about the crowds, just come early and you'll be fine. We always hit WDW during low crowd times, so this will be a big change for us. At DLR, we were willing to deal with higher crowds in order to have a full entertainment schedule and long hours. I've been watching the wait times and they aren't bad in the mornings. Good luck to us both!

 

[DisneylandDancer]

We are in the same boat as you- coming for 5 days and expecting crowds. Everything I've read on the DIS says don't worry about the crowds, just come early and you'll be fine. We always hit WDW during low crowd times, so this will be a big change for us. At DLR, we were willing to deal with higher crowds in order to have a full entertainment schedule and long hours. I've been watching the wait times and they aren't bad in the mornings. Good luck to us both!

Really in order to enjoy a visit with large crowds you just have to flexible and patient. Use fastpasses and just enjoy the atmosphere of being in the park. Try to hit the big rides in the morning, and plan on doing less later in the day.

 

[KCmike]

DCA for veterans is a full day park. For first timers its probably a day and a half park. It's fun but this time around (like our 7th visit) we wished we only did one day at DCA and the rest at Disneyland. I can sit and relax and take in the sights at DL while at DCA there really isn't much atmosphere to take in at least for me. It's lovely don't get me wrong. The first part of the park is great but after you walk through the pier area there isn't alot to see for a second day. DL I could go and spend my entire vacation there just soaking it all in.