Will be in Disneyland for just one day - Monday 10/12. Any suggestions?

[Cinerama261]

Hi,

We are getting one day free park hopper passes for Disneyland and going Monday 10/12. My wife and I visited Disneyland and California Adventure in 2012. Anything different since then? Does Disneyland still have the old fast passes? Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[tlovesdis]

Yes DL still uses the regular FP system. Be prepared for the park to be very busy since that is a holiday and fall break for a lot of schools!

 

[figment_jii]

As tlovesdis said, DLR still uses the "legacy" (aka paper) FP system. Currently, the only disconnected attraction is Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster. The FPs for the shows (WoC, F!, Frozen at the Fantasy Faire) and the A&E M&G are also disconnected. All other FPS are connected to their respective park's system. The two parks remain disconnected from each other. You can now check the FP return times, as well as wait times, on the official Disneyland App. I highly recommend downloading it before going - it was pretty helpful on my last trip.

I would expect Monday to have larger crowds than a typical Monday in October because it is Columbus Day. While not many schools in Southern California get it off, some government agencies do have it off. Some Arizona school districts and a few in Northern CA also have the week off, but luckily not many of the local districts have it off. Still, I do think you'll experience a fairly good sized crowd in the parks on Monday.

DL will close at 6:00 pm because there is a MHP that evening, so it means no fireworks, F! or PtN for non-MHP guests (there will be fireworks - Halloween Screams - and PtN presented at MHP). DCA is open until 10:00 pm and it's likely to see a bump in attendance once MHP gets started in DL. DL itself will also see a bump in attendance around 3:00 pm, when guests with MHP are allowed to enter the park. During the cross-over period (when both MHP guests and day guests are in the park), it will be pretty busy. Toontown will close early (probably around 4:00 pm) to prepare for the MHP Toontown Pre-Party, so if you want to visit Toontown, be sure to do that before it closes.

 

[Cinerama261]

So, MHP is at both parks?

 

[tlovesdis]

So, MHP is at both parks?

No, the Halloween party is only at Disneyland. DCA gets busy on the nights of the parties because those who aren't doing the party head over there!

 

[figment_jii]

I can see where that might have been confusing...I clarified it in my original post. As tlovesdis said, MHP only happens in DL. DCA sees an increase in attendance starting around the time of the cross-over period as guests not planning on attending MHP head over to DCA (if they have park hoppers).

 

[Angrose]

When you visited in 2012, was that before or after Cars Land opened? If you haven't seen it yet, it's a must do! Radiator Springs Racers is fantastic! That said, DCA has early entry that day for hotel guests, so you may want to start in DL. The best piece of advice anyone will give you is to get there early. DL opens at 8am that day so get there a little before then. Most people head straight to either Fantasyland (Peter Pan) or to the right to Tomorrowland, leaving the whole left side of the park practically deserted for the first few hours.

Other than the 60th celebration and Halloweentime, you probably won't notice much difference in DL. Definitely do the rides that have the Halloween overlays - Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy and Haunted Mansion Holiday. Both have FPs. Other than that, some rides have had some plussing since 2012, namely Peter Pan (the most recent), Matterhorn, Big Thunder Mtn RR, and Alice. You will probably want to hop over to DCA sometime mid to late morning to grab a FP for RSR since they typically run out by 11am on busy days. You will probably get an evening return time, which is good because the ride is even better at night! You can use the new app that figment mentioned above or call Ask Otto to check on what FP return times they are giving out. RSR also has a single rider line - use it if you can't get a FP or want to ride multiple times. If the SRL reaches under the bridge then your wait will be about 30min, but that's a whole lot better than standby which can easily reach 120min on busy days. Other rides that have SRL are:
Matterhorn
Indiana Jones
Splash Mountain
CA Screamin'
Grizzly River Run
Goofy's Sky School
Soarin' (but not recommended-often the SRL is just as long as standby)

I highly recommend using a combination of SRL and FPs, if that works for your group and you don't mind not riding together on some rides.

Hope you have a great visit!

 

[Satchmo128]

No additional advice, just have FUN!!!

 

[Cinerama261]

We went in October 2012 and it was after Cars Land opened. We were at DL before the parks opened but the line for Radiator Springs Racers was very long already. Maybe those in line were staying at a Disney hotel and had early entry? So what do you actually do on the Radiator Springs Racers ride?
Matterhorn had been updated also in October 2012. Was it updated again since then?

 

[Angrose]

We went in October 2012 and it was after Cars Land opened. We were at DL before the parks opened but the line for Radiator Springs Racers was very long already. Maybe those in line were staying at a Disney hotel and had early entry? So what do you actually do on the Radiator Springs Racers ride?
Matterhorn had been updated also in October 2012. Was it updated again since then?

See this Disney Parks blog post for info about the recent Matterhorn updates: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...isneyland-park-with-walt-disney-imagineering/

On RSR you sit in a race car and take a tour around Willie's Butte and the waterfall, then in the dark part of the ride you see characters from the movie and either get a paint job at Ramone's or new tires at Luigi's. After that, you are ready to race! Another car pills up next to you and you're off! It's the most fun part as you race around turns and over hills, with the wind in your hair, and you're laughing your head off as you cross the finish line! Trust me, it's AWESOME!