Disney, SFMM Trip planning in LA area September 2007

[Purplepills]

OK so we're going to LA in September for 7 days (from UK) and I'm wondering if some of you lovely people can help me with my trip planning. Its not just a coaster trip, we're planning on going to Universal, Magic Mountain, Sea World, Disney, and doing the whole Hollywood thing etc. The only bad thing is that we arrive on the 1st, and the 3rd is Labor(?) day, so wherever we go then I'm guessing it will be packed. I basically have some questions, if anyone can help it is much appreciated! Oh and I know about Knotts but we're aren't planning on going, unless its a last minute thing.

 

 

Magic Mountain:

 

How long is it likely to take to drive there from Anaheim (its opening at 10am)?

 

I was thinking the best day to go to avoid the crowds would be either Wednesday 5th or Thursday 6th, is this sensible, and is it worth getting flash passes aswell?

 

When we get to the park, where should we go first? My preferred rides are: X, Tatsu, Riddlers, Goliath and Scream.

 

Oh and I've read about the expensive food/parking and all that, but I'm not too worried about the cost of it all, so we will eat in the park.

 

 

Disney:

 

We are either brave or foolish, and are probably going to Disney on Labor day, or maybe go in there on Sunday 2nd. We will probably get 2 day park hoppers so if it gets too busy we can go and do something else, and come back a different day in the week to do anything we missed. Plus I figured the park is very close to where we're staying, and it opens early and closes very late on those days, so out of all the attractions it made the most sense to do Disney on the busiest days. Even if the lines will be massive in the middle of the day.

 

How long does it take to walk between the entrances of Disneyland and Californian Adventure?

 

Also I was reading up about the flash pass equivalent for Disney, got a bit confused as there was conflicting information. Can someone explain them to me please! I'm pretty sure they would be worth getting on those days, can you buy them separately if you already have a park hopper ticket?

 

 

Everything else:

 

We're likely to do Sea World on Sunday 2nd or Tuesday 4th, Universal and Magic Mountain on Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th, then anything else whenever it fits in. If there's anything else about any of the places including Universal and Sea World you think it might be useful for us to know, that would also be appreciated.

 

Many thanks in advance!

[BarryH]

I can answer some of your questions...

 

Magic Mountain:

 

How long is it likely to take to drive there from Anaheim (its opening at 10am)?

 

It's about an hour, but with L.A. traffic, it could take longer.

 

Disney:

 

How long does it take to walk between the entrances of Disneyland and Californian Adventure?

 

It takes about 5 minutes. They're literally right across from each other.

 

Also I was reading up about the flash pass equivalent for Disney, got a bit confused as there was conflicting information. Can someone explain them to me please! I'm pretty sure they would be worth getting on those days, can you buy them separately if you already have a park hopper ticket?

 

It's called Fastpass. You can find out more information here:

 

http://www.allearsnet.com/dlr/tp/fastpass.htm

 

Enjoy!

[Mr.Six]

When the gates open at SFMM RUN to X. After you get off X skip Tatsu and just try to hit up the back of the park as much as possible. Do some smaller stuff...perhaps grab some lunch. After lunch buy the flashpass and hit up Tatsu and any other major ride you missed due to long lines. ( Keep in mind that Deja vu doesn't take Flashpass but it has a single rider line) Same with, X...but you should really take care of that first. Usually all the rides open on time...minus Tatsu. More than half the time its late every day, but you should skip that first thing in the morning any way.

 

As far as places to eat inside the park. There's a new Johnny Rockets inside the park, great burgers but be prepared to drop a few pounds in the wallet. Katies Kettle near Tatsu and Rapids is also decent. Gotham City serves Papa Johns pizza which is good. I've never had a problem with Moose Burger Lodge, ( But order something off of the menu, rather than the buffet). Panda Express is located by Viper, that's really good and not too badly priced.

 

So, it all depends on what your in the mood for. If you have any other questions feel free to ask!

_six

[Purplepills]

Thanks to both of you for the help so far especially the food details too, that should help a lot, so thats great.

 

What sort of wait times should I be expecting, bearing in mind its midweek late in the season, and are the kids back in school by then?

 

I know it sounds like a bit of a silly question, but I wouldn't want to be underprepared would I...If I have a backpack with me are there lockers I can put it in, or alternatively theres no problem carrying it around all day and leave it in the station during rides?

 

Oh and are there any rides which have regular reliability problems? Only since it might be the only time in my life I get to go to the park, if something's likely to break down I'll get to it earlier in the day.

[RaptorBoyASU]

Honestly, I would hit Magic Mountain on Labor Day instead. Disney traditionally gets huge crowds on the holidays themselves because of the locals. My experience has been that Magic Mountain is the complete opposite (July 4th we had walk on rides all day, same with Memorial Day last year).

 

Ride X or Tatsu first thing at Magic Mountain, then head back to Deja Vu, and work your way around clockwise. If the lines get long, fastLane can be your friend (but only works on some of the rides).

 

As far as food, I tend to eat outside the park at Magic Mountain because of the lack of good options (though Panda Express is my usual standby when I'm forced to eat there).

 

Knott's and Disney have much better food and a much better selection. I haven't been to SeaWorld or Universal enough to comment on their offerings.

 

Drive to Magic Mountain on a weekday will take a long time because of morning rush hour. I would budget 2 hours. Yet another reason to go on Labor Day.

 

Fastpass at Disney is free, read the link above for info.

 

I usually take a backpack to all the parks. The only ride I remember having an issue with leaving it on the platform is X at SFMM.

[dingodan]

i went on hunnymoon last sept at exactly the same time, we did seaworld in san diego on labor day, then went onto disney, after that we did knotts midweek it was empty, we then moved up to magic mountain the following weekend and it was also quiet i would advise staying the night near the park the night before to maximize the time in the park

[Purplepills]

I've read about the mandatory locker charges on some coasters at a couple of six flags parks, is anything like this either in operation or likely to be in operation at SFMM within the next month? Are there standard lockers you can use all day, if so how much are these and where are they?

 

Do disney have lockers in the parks, and again how much are they?

 

 

And also are any of you aware of any rides that maybe be closed during the week after labor day at SFMM?

 

Thanks

[I_Love_X]

There are lockers by some rides but you are not forced to put your items in there. You can just put it to the side and pick it up after the ride. And yes, there are standard lockers that you can use all day. I think they're 2 dollars if I remember correctly. That's for Magic Mountain. I don't know about Disneyland.

[Purplepills]

We're definitely doing Disney/DCA on Sunday 2nd September, and we will be there from open to close (9am till midnight DL and 10am till 9pm for DCA, park hopping when necessary).

 

Whats the best plan to get the most out of the day? I know its going to be packed, we would like to do all that we can, with the emphasis on the more exciting rides, and I am expecting long lines during a lot of the day.

 

Do you think we will have trouble getting on everything in one day, bearing in mind we'll be there until it closes?

 

Is there a last entrance time for DL, say we were at DCA till 9, theres no problem getting back in?

 

 

Thanks again

 

S

[alanjonesbath]

We did almost exactly the same 2 years ago for our honeymoon, except we went in June instead. I think it took us close to 2 hours to get from Anaheim to SFMM. It seemed to take forever to get as far as Burbank/Glendale, but after that it was pretty easy going all the way to SFMM. It was just as bad going back to the hotel in the evening though, if not worse.

 

For Universal, again if it's on a weekday you probably want to allow at least an hour and 30 minutes to get there. The 101 was just so slow all the way, we thought we'd never make it there! Compare that to a Sunday though, and it was so much quieter.

 

If you want to 'do Hollywood', park in the underground multi-storey car park at Hollywood And Highland. I seem to remember you get free parking for 4 hours there if you buy something in one of their shops or do the Starline tour.

 

Have a great time! We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in a suite overlooking their huge glass atrium, which was great. They had a free shuttle bus to Disney, but that was often really busy so be prepared to wait a bit for the shuttle bus if your hotel provides one.