whats unmissable if you only have a day?

[Hobbes]

I've done DL twice before but DBf has never been. We are doing a tour of California and get oner day at DL on our very last day.He has been to WDW now, so what would you say are the must dos? I'm guessing matterhorn and Indy but what about the lesser rides that have gone from/never been at MK in WDW? Anyone shout out for Alice or Toady?

 

[Lights_Out]

Aladdin at DCA
Dining at the Blue Bayou or Napa Rose
Parades
Haunted Mansion Holiday

Alice and Toad are nice.. if you (and ur bf) appreciate that kinda of stuff

 

[PinkBudgie]

If I had one day, I would only go to counter service not sit down because I don't want to spend so long eating. I would also skip parades and shows.

I would do Haunted Mansion, Pirates, Space Mountian, Matterhorn, Peter Pan, Indy. Hmm... not sure what else. What a tough choice! Oh yeah, Splash Mountian. ( unless it is too cold)

 

[Hound 109]

I've done DL twice before but DBf has never been. We are doing a tour of California and get oner day at DL on our very last day.He has been to WDW now, so what would you say are the must dos? I'm guessing matterhorn and Indy but what about the lesser rides that have gone from/never been at MK in WDW? Anyone shout out for Alice or Toady?

Just DL for the day??? or DL AND DCA??

Most definitely Toady & Alice are MUST DO's. Along with Matterhorn, Indy & a dozen others...might want to check out Mary Jo's excellent sticky & of course HydroGuy's WDW-DLR sticky.

 

[cheshiregirl]

Definite shout out for Alice and Toad here and if you get to the park right at opening you should be able to get through most anything you want to do in Fantasyland pretty easily. Start with Peter Pan then Dumbo (if you are a sentimentalist that would enjoy the experience), then Casey Jr. train (a beautiful ride and surprisingly fun), then Alice and then back to Mr. Toad. There is rarely a line for Pinnochio, Snow White and the Carousel, so feel free to add them in at the end if you like. All told, you should be able to ride all of them in about an hour if you go right at rope drop.

Also, if you ride the carousel, ask the operator to take you to Jingles--the lead horse that has been dedicated to Julie Andrews/Mary Poppins. Or, if you decide to look for Jingles yourself, head to the left once you enter the ride and go about a quarter of the way around the carousel. She has a coat of arms painted on her as well as golden bells.

Space Mountain is not to be missed as it is definitely superior to WDW and in many ways is a completely different ride. Before you even hit Fantasyland head over to pick up a FP. The rest of TL is okay, but nothing super great. The best of the bunch imho is Buzz, which is also similiar but different and better than WDW because the space cannons can be removed from the ride vehicle via a small tether that allows you to pick your aim better than the permanently mounted ones in Florida.

POTC is another highlight (also longer and better than Florida) and usually doesn't have too much of a line. As you mentioned, Indy is also a highlight, but do not attempt without a FP, and expect that even with a FP it will take 15-20 minutes in line. Given that you are on a one day itinerary I would highly recommend using single rider. This means that you and DBF will not get to ride together, but it is the fastest way to ride Indy, as you get to go past even the FP people.

There are a million other things to experience and I would encourage you to find your own personal balance of trying to do as much as you are comfortable doing, but also take time to take in the details. DL is amazingly detailed and there is so much to see that is not even part of the rides. Wander the streets of New Orleans Square, look at the windows on Main Street, enjoy all the sight gags in Toontown, etc.

Have a great and magical trip!

 

[Sherry E]

It all depends on what your personal preferences are. As Pink Budgie stated, I would skip the lingering table service meals IF you want to get in a lot of rides! If you want a good balance of rides, nice meals and shopping/picture taking, etc., then maybe fit in one table service meal. It doesn't have to be Blue Bayou or Napa Rose, though, if that is not your type of food and if it is not in your budget! You could very easily make your ONE table service meal a meal at Cafe Orleans or Wine Country Trattoria, or possibly a character buffet. Depends on your budget and tastes.

You didn't say when this one-day trip is taking place, nor did you say if you are including DCA in it as well (which I think you most definitely SHOULD!), or if it is just DL. So if I were going on a one-day trip during, let's say, the holiday season (between now and early January), I would absolutely NOT miss:

DL
Haunted Mansion Holiday (exclusive to DLR)
It's a Small World Holiday (exclusive to DLR and GORGEOUS to see at night!!!)
POTC (of course)
Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters
Star Tours

(And if I had time to squeeze them in while in DL, I would also do Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, Storybook Land boats, the Teacups and Alice. Then, if there was any time left over in DL, I would look in shops like the China Closet on Main Street, the Gag Factory in ToonTown, Disneyana and the Emporium on Main St., etc.) I would then make my way over to DCA.

DCA
Toy Story Midway Mania
Soarin' Over California

(And if I had time left in DCA, I would possibly visit the Animation building, ride Mike & Sully, go into the Enginears Toy Shop, the Off the Page shop and the shop over by the Tower of Terror.)

And if I were only eating one big sit-down meal that day, I would do a character buffet at Goofy's Kitchen in the DLH and then explore the grounds of the DLH a little bit (nice waterfalls and koi fish pond). If I were doing one non-character meal, I would probably eat at either Storyteller's Cafe in the GCH for lunch, ESPN Zone in DTD for lunch or dinner or at Carnation Cafe in DL for breakfast or dinner/dessert!!!

 

[Lights_Out]

If I had one day, I would only go to counter service not sit down because I don't want to spend so long eating. I would also skip parades and shows.

I would do Haunted Mansion, Pirates, Space Mountian, Matterhorn, Peter Pan, Indy. Hmm... not sure what else. What a tough choice! Oh yeah, Splash Mountian. ( unless it is too cold)

I thought the poster wanted Disneyland Resort exclusive stuff
WDW already has Pirates, SpaceM, Peter Pan, and SplashM.



Oh, and definitely see It's a Small World Holiday
And I hear they're opening the Sleeping Beauty Castle walkthrough pretty soon

 

[PinkBudgie]

I've never been to WDW but I keep hearing that those rides are different at DLR so that is why I thought it would be worth it. Plus they are fun anyway. Must do's for me anyway.

 

[Gisele]

I most highly recommend The Haunted Mansion (Not HMH). The Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Enchanted Tiki Room.

 

[bumbershoot]

I thought the poster wanted Disneyland Resort exclusive stuff
WDW already has Pirates, SpaceM, Peter Pan, and SplashM.

Space is a totally different ride between the two parks, so just b/c it's the same name doesn't mean it's the same at all.

And I've read that POTC is much different and better at DLR too.




OP, only you guys can really decide this. But for me, there's NO chance I would take the 1-2 hours out of the day to see Aladdin if I only had one day, NO chance!

 

[Disney Dreams]

- It's a Small World (being re-opened after an 8 month re-do) It's bigger and much nicer than WDW's version.
- POTC (longer and general thought to be better than WDW)
- Matterhorn
- Indy
- HM - it's the same at WDW, but the holiday layover is cool to see

I would usually tell someone with 1 day not to miss Fantasmic!, but I have to admit that WDW's F! is better than DL's. So, if he's seen it, skip it. If he hasn't, make sure to see it.

That's all I can think of atm,
Dreams

I thought the poster wanted Disneyland Resort exclusive stuff
WDW already has Pirates, SpaceM, Peter Pan, and SplashM.

Pirates at WDW is much shorter and nowhere near the same experience at DL's. DL's is general thought to be much better.

 

[jazellesmom]

Soarin', Pirates, Princess Fantasy Faire.

 

[Lights_Out]

Okay...
I don't know why all of you are attacking my post , I just listed some stuff that I thought were exclusive to the DLR (and I thought that was what the original poster was asking)

Rumors say Aladdin is going away and maybe the original poster (or her DBf) might not get a chance to see it in the future?



Okay... Pirates and Space Mountain might not be the exact same rides, but it's still the same concept so 70% of the ride is probably the same.

 

[pouncingpluto]

Is Princess Fantasy Faire worth it for adults? I thought it was like princess school for kids.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Okay...
I don't know why all of you are attacking my post , I just listed some stuff that I thought were exclusive to the DLR (and I thought that was what the original poster was asking)

Rumors say Aladdin is going away and maybe the original poster (or her DBf) might not get a chance to see it in the future?



Okay... Pirates and Space Mountain might not be the exact same rides, but it's still the same concept so 70% of the ride is probably the same.

Awww, I don't think anyone meant to attack your post. I know I certainly didn't. I just was trying to clarify for the AP that the rides ARE different. It's all good!

 

[Lights_Out]

Awww, I don't think anyone meant to attack your post. I know I certainly didn't. I just was trying to clarify for the AP that the rides ARE different. It's all good!

Well, just one person was outwardly rude, but it really felt like all (well.. not ALL, but most) of you were bashing as a collective - stepping all over what I said, jumping to conclusions, and putting words in my mouth.
It's not like I said "STAY AWAY FROM PIRATES, IT'S THE EXACT SAME THING IN WDW!!!" ..as most of you seem to have been interpreting... lol.

I just listed stuff that are unique to the DLR..
and if the original poster wants to check them out.. cool!

I didn't know that not factoring in the slight differences of the same rides were so horrible.

I mean.. Aladdin might go away, the Parade of Dreams is moving, and the Napa Rose is an award winning restaurant.

 

[PinkBudgie]

Sorry you felt that way. I know I was only saying what I would do. It is my own opinion.

We went for three days this summer but didn't want to spend the time to watch parades. We are just big on rides. When we go for one day in Jan, we don't even plan to go on Fantasy Land rides either. Those aren't important to us. And I know another couple who NEVER go on any rides at DLR. They walk around and go to shows and think that is very fun. From many view points people can get an idea of what the best choices are for their preferences. At Disneyland it's ALL good!

 

[disneymom23]

We went for three days this summer but didn't want to spend the time to watch parades. We are just big on rides. When we go for one day in Jan, we don't even plan to go on Fantasy Land rides either. Those aren't important to us. And I know another couple who NEVER go on any rides at DLR. They walk around and go to shows and think that is very fun. From many view points people can get an idea of what the best choices are for their preferences. At Disneyland it's ALL good! [/QUOTE]


I like to try to fit in some of everything. Of course, we love the rides and those are a priority. But I also like the parades, character meals and shopping. It is hard to fit it all in.

 

[Sherry E]

It IS hard to fit it all into one day. Heck, it can be hard to fit it all into three days! All we can do is offer up our own experiences or our own preferences and share them with everyone else!

One of my friends took her son and mom to DLR for one day only back in July, and I did not go with them but I gave them a sort of list of 'highlights' to hit. Since they had just been to WDW last December, I tried to encourage them to first focus on the things that would be exclusive to DLR since they had just been to WDW. They wanted a long meal somewhere in their day, so I recommended Goofy's Kitchen and they loved it. But other folks may prefer a Napa Rose type of meal. And then, still others will just eat at the walk-up places because they don't want to take too much time away from the rides! MY friend ended up following about 60% of what I suggested they do, but the other 40% went to riding things like POTC and HM, all the Fantasyland rides, etc., which they had just been on at WDW in December - just because those are favorites, and the DLR versions are better and they just wanted to. And they wanted to get a little bit of shopping in, too!

So, no matter what advice or stories we all provide from our own experiences, that is all it is - our individual experiences. And the OP will ultimately choose whichever itinerary is best for their preferences.

 

[Gisele]

If Clint Eastwood is at Disneyland, or at DCA, then place meeting him on the top your list. I would! Hey, Clint, if you need a new PR person, or if your current one needs a great assistant, please send me a p.m. or have your people do so.