WDW Vet Going to DLR for the First Time

[TwoLittlePrincesses]

I've read through Hyrdoguy's awesome thread but would like some advice about how to plan my days. We'll be going July 2016 for two nights. We have three day park hoppers and are staying at PP. We'll be arriving Tuesday July 26 and are driving from Santa Barbara. We'll stop briefly in Hollywood to see a few sights and plan to arrive at the hotel sometime in the afternoon. We leave Thursday July 28 and have a condo rented in San Diego, so we'll most likely stay at the parks until early evening on Thursday.

Our priorities are:

1)Fireworks
2)PTN parade
3)WOC
4)Rides/shows that are unique to DLR (Especially Indiana Jones, Snow, Toad, Pinocchio, Alice, Casey Jr, Roger Rabbit, Storybook Land Canal Boats, Matterhorn, RSR, Monster's Inc., Goofy's Sky School, possibly California Screamin')

We aren't planning another trip to DLR anytime soon, so we'd like to get as much done as possible. It will be me, DH, DD9 and DD6.

So here are my questions:

1)Which park should we go to Tuesday night?
2)How can we make sure to see all three nighttime shows?
3)I'm guessing we should do DCA on Wednesday for EMH and DL on Thursday for EMH, is that right?
4)What should our priority rides be each morning, and which fast passes should we get?
5)Should we make any ADRs for dinner either night, or just do counter service given our nighttime show and rides priority?
6)Did I read correctly that Fantasmic will not be showing while we are there?
7)Is Aladdin also closing?

Thanks so much!

 

[SMD]

Aladdin is being replaced by a Frozen show that should be open by next July. They haven't really said definitively about F!, but they're rerouting ROA so it won't be done by then. Driving from SB to Anaheim with a Hollywood stop is a half day activity. You have a 3 day list of park activities. Consider arriving in Anaheim Monday night or skipping Hollywood. When do you get to CA? Maybe it will fit somewhere else in your trip.

 

[figment_jii]

1)Which park should we go to Tuesday night?

Personally, I would probably go into DL your first night because more of your must do attractions are in DL (9 versus 4).

2)How can we make sure to see all three nighttime shows?

Realistically, you only have two nights (Tue and Wed) to see the shows. You'll have to see fireworks and PtN on the same night and WoC on the other night. At this point it's hard to say for sure what the best plan would be because we don't know the schedule for the shows. They had a pretty consistent schedule this summer, but they've changed it up for the Fall, so we don't know if they're going to go back to having a parade at 8:45 pm and fireworks at 9:30 pm or keep an early PtN time. I would strongly consider waiting to iron our your details until we know the entertainment schedule for next summer.

One caveat to note is that fireworks at DL can be cancelled without notice due to weather. Most commonly it's wind in the upper elevations. So, the advice is usually to see fireworks as early in the trip as possible so that way, if they are cancelled, you have other chances. So, I would probably opt to try and see fireworks on Tuesday and then if they are cancelled, you'll have to decided if you want to see WoC or fireworks on Wednesday.

Note that WoC uses the FP system (disconnected), so make sure to get a FP for it on the day you want to see it (I'd go in the morning to get one, but they haven't really been completely running out anymore).

3)I'm guessing we should do DCA on Wednesday for EMH and DL on Thursday for EMH, is that right?

Yes, I would take advantage of EMH in DCA to try and do RSR.

4)What should our priority rides be each morning, and which fast passes should we get?

For DCA, I would get a FP for RSR and try to ride it at opening. They do not distribute FPs for any attractions or shows until the park opens to the general public (i.e., no FPs or distribution during EMH/MM). In DCA, the most popular attractions are RSR, TSMM, and Soarin'. Over in DL, only select attractions in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland are open during EMH/MM. If you're in the very front of the line to get into the park for EMH/MM, then I would head straight to Peter Pan. Otherwise, if by the time you get there, the line is already long (e.g., 30 minute), I would skip Peter Pan and head to the other FL attractions. Peter Pan always has a long line, so you might as well spend the EMH/MM time doing other attractions. Once the park opens, I would either get a FP for Indy or Space. Both tend to have longish lines (especially Space).

5)Should we make any ADRs for dinner either night, or just do counter service given our nighttime show and rides priority?

Given that you don't have much time in the parks, I would probably opt for CS. Or, you might look into the WoC Dining Packages. DLR ADRs open 60-days in advance, but they aren't nearly as hard to get as WDW ADRs, so you don't really have to worry about being online right when the system rolls (sometime between midnight and 6:00 am).

6)Did I read correctly that Fantasmic will not be showing while we are there?

Correct, F! is going dark starting on January 11. They have not said when it would be back, but the Parks Blog said it would be down for at least a year.

7)Is Aladdin also closing?

Yes, Aladdin is closing on January 10 (last day). They are creating a new Frozen-themed stage show that should open in the summer of 2016.

 

[TalkDisnerdytome]

Normally with my EMH I ride Peter Pan, that ride line gets so long as well as Finding Nemo and of course neither have fastpass. Also I try to get one fastpass early in the morning for a ride that normally has a long line, I normally go for Space Mountain or Indiana Jones. For DCA EMH I normally head for Toy Story Mania (has no fastpass) or Cars Land to either get on Radiator Springs Racers or to get in line for it. Also after you've seen all the shows you want to see, the best time to get on rides with normally long lines would be during big shows. I normally try riding Indiana Jones at this time or Space Mountain or Splash Mountain. This is just what I have been doing for years now and what has worked best for me when it comes to riding those rides with horrendous lines.

 

[TwoLittlePrincesses]

Thank you all for your advice and thoughtful replies! I'm sure I'll think of more questions as my trip gets closer!

 

[BrianL]

Keep in mind that some attractions that seem the same at both parks really aren't. For example, DL has a vastly superior (and longer) version of Pirates of the Caribbean. It is worth checking out! Some also much prefer the DL Space Mountain. It is also very different, though I kinda like WDW version better. There are others with minor changes as well. Big Thunder has the enhanced effects which are very cool. HM got some 60th Anniversary enhancements as well. I have only ever seen the Holiday version at DLR, so I can;t say if it is very different from WDW version normally (I know it is very slightly shorter).

As a WDW vet when I first went to DL, it was like being in a slightly alternate universe. Things seem familiar, but not quite the same. I liked checking out the differences.

 

[ICF]

We recently completed more or less the trip you are taking. We started in Hollywood and finished in San Diego (one beautiful place, btw) last month.

We arrived in Anaheim on a Sunday evening, and spent time at DL that night and were at the parks thru Wednesday.

Random things you should know....

The park is MUCH smaller....as such, it seems more crowded then it really is. It's also strange to have DTD in the same parking lot and you just walk over there.

Evening entertainment is a much more serious event at DL then WDW. We got a WOC fast pass, which let us in a 7pm. We got in line at 6:45. The show started at 8:15. So, we stood in largely the same spot from 6:45 until the show ended at 8:45. There really was no room to sit down. It also rained as soon as the show started. Cool show -- not worth 2 hours of my life more than once. The DL parades also had people staking out spots hours before it started. We saw parts of it a couple of times as we were leaving, that was enough for us. What we saw though, was cooler than anything at WDW. So -- might be worth your time....but be prepared to wait....and wait....and wait.

Space Mountain (soon to be Star Wars themed, so bummed I missed that) -- was very fun. They had Halloween theming up, which was cool -- but the ride seemed darker and better than WDW.

Haunted Mansion was done up in Nightmare Before Christmas decor -- and was very cool.

The Aladdin show was awesome....people actually boo'd when they announced in the preshow it was going away in Jan for a Frozen show. It was an A+ experience.

Get a FP first thing for Radiator Springs Racer -- cool ride, like Test Track in some ways, but that was our first FP when we were in DCA. Then off to Toy Story Mania, which didnt have a very long wait compared to the one at Hollywood Studio. We waited around 20-25 mins both times we rode it.

California Screamin is fun...daughter loved it and we never waited more than 5-10 mins. Dont waste a FP for it.

Speaking of FP - the Buzz FP was not connected, so you could get a FP for Buzz, but still hold one for another rides.

We did a # of the unique rides, but didnt make it all of them. Indy is pretty much just Dinosaur with a different (better, IMO) theme....the Storybook Canal isn't exciting or anything but neat to see if you dont have a long wait.

Matterhorn was disappointing. We did that first thing during an early entry day, so we didnt have much of a wait. It was a very slow coaster and once was enough.

Monsters was a walk-on at DCA so we did it once....nothing special, but neat to do once. It was a standard ride in a car ride... Mr Toad's and Pinocchio are the same type of rides. Good to do once, but nothing to spend time for in a long line.

It was fun, but just felt "different" than WDW -- I dont know if it was all the stuff being closer together (not really a bad thing) or just that we didnt know where everything was without using a map that made it feel strange at times.

Enjoy -- I'm sure you'll have a great trip.

 

[TwoLittlePrincesses]

Keep in mind that some attractions that seem the same at both parks really aren't. For example, DL has a vastly superior (and longer) version of Pirates of the Caribbean. It is worth checking out! Some also much prefer the DL Space Mountain. It is also very different, though I kinda like WDW version better. There are others with minor changes as well. Big Thunder has the enhanced effects which are very cool. HM got some 60th Anniversary enhancements as well. I have only ever seen the Holiday version at DLR, so I can;t say if it is very different from WDW version normally (I know it is very slightly shorter).

As a WDW vet when I first went to DL, it was like being in a slightly alternate universe. Things seem familiar, but not quite the same. I liked checking out the differences.

Yes, thanks for the reminder! I haven't done Space since I was a kid, despite going to WDW around 8 times since 2010, so we'll see if we decide to do it at DL. We're going to try to check out Pirates, HM and BTMR as well, but our top priorities will be attractions that are new to us.

 

[TwoLittlePrincesses]

We're actually starting in San Francisco, staying there for a week with a short trip to Yosemite, then driving down the coast with overnight stops in Carmel and Santa Barbara, before continuing to Hollywood, DLR, and San Diego. Really looking forward to the trip!

Thanks for all the DRL tips! I am feeling very unsure about everything compared to my vast WDW knowledge, and want to make the most out of our short time there!

 

[jrsharp21]

The Walt Disney Family Museum is in San Francisco, if you have an itch to get a Disney fix before you get to Disneyland. It is pretty cool to do at least once. The model of Disneyland is awesome.

 

[TwoLittlePrincesses]

The Walt Disney Family Museum is in San Francisco, if you have an itch to get a Disney fix before you get to Disneyland. It is pretty cool to do at least once. The model of Disneyland is awesome.

Cool! I'll have to check that out!

 

[woodynjessiesmomma]

We're actually starting in San Francisco, staying there for a week with a short trip to Yosemite, then driving down the coast with overnight stops in Carmel and Santa Barbara, before continuing to Hollywood, DLR, and San Diego. Really looking forward to the trip!

Thanks for all the DRL tips! I am feeling very unsure about everything compared to my vast WDW knowledge, and want to make the most out of our short time there!

Your living Soarin'! Sounds like fun. Definitely try for the unique or different things. I'm not a DL expert or WDW for that matter but I've enjoyed both. San Francisco is my favorite city with so much to see and do especially if you are including the surrounding areas. Carmel and Monterey Bay are also beautiful. Hope you have a great trip!