Disneyland Resort (DL, DLR, DCA) Discussion Thread

[IsThisTheRealLife]

Still surprised we haven't been talking about the breakdown at Mickey's Fun Wheel, but perhaps it isn't much of a big deal

[StuckInSD]

Still surprised we haven't been talking about the breakdown at Mickey's Fun Wheel, but perhaps it isn't much of a big deal

 

Disney is, for the most part, pretty good at keeping incidents on the down-low. It's when people get badly injured (or some kid burning his tongue on nacho cheese) that it worms its way through to the public.

[cfc]

^Being as there were no injuries involved, and riders were merely inconvenienced, I agree--not a big deal: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/disney-ferris-wheel-breakdown-strands-riders-for-hours-1.2036946.

[jarmor]

Hey guys! I'm gonna be in call for hhn and knotts carry farm so I figure why not go to the place where it all began! Now, while I love disney parks I'm no die hard fan. I've never been to disneyland so I have some questions. First, is there any place to get discount tickets? I'm looking at the two day/one park pass. I see disneyland would be open tuesday oct 13th until 11pm! I was looking at the park hopper option but would I really need it?

 

I was thinking doing Disneyland next monday and call adventure next tuesday is that smart?

 

Is there a plan of attack for each park I should consider? I have no idea how the manic bands work...does Disneyland utilizes them?

 

Is there any dining experiences I shouldn't miss? I love having signature dining experiences in parks so I would love to to that at either of the parks.

 

Any tips and suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks...

[StuckInSD]

Hey guys! I'm gonna be in call for hhn and knotts carry farm so I figure why not go to the place where it all began! Now, while I love disney parks I'm no die hard fan. I've never been to disneyland so I have some questions. First, is there any place to get discount tickets? I'm looking at the two day/one park pass. I see disneyland would be open tuesday oct 13th until 11pm! I was looking at the park hopper option but would I really need it?

 

I was thinking doing Disneyland next monday and call adventure next tuesday is that smart?

 

Is there a plan of attack for each park I should consider? I have no idea how the manic bands work...does Disneyland utilizes them?

 

Is there any dining experiences I shouldn't miss? I love having signature dining experiences in parks so I would love to to that at either of the parks.

 

Any tips and suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks...

 

Getting a park hopper for one day would be cheaper, but both parks are easily multi-day visits, so I think you got the right idea. If you're part of any civil service or in the armed forces, ticket prices drop a bit. Otherwise, your only options are ordering online or straight from the booths.

 

It is Halloween season, but I wouldn't expect it to get too crowded on a Monday and Tuesday. Disneyland will definitely be more packed due to the Halloween-related alterations they've done to their rides (Haunted Mansion Holiday, Ghost Galaxy, etc.) plus Mickey's Halloween Party. I'd hit both Space Mountain and Haunted Mansion first before the lines get too ridiculous, then Big Thunder/Splash Mountain/Indiana Jones/Pirates in any order (I'd personally hit Big Thunder first since it just got renovated), then whatever other rides you wanna go on. Finding Nemo just reopened, but heed this warning: it can get tight, so if you're claustrophobic, don't ride; also, beware of vomit. You'll be going on a Monday, so you should have some options when hopping from ride to ride. Unfortunately, they haven't figured out a way to get FP+ into the already-cramped Disneyland, so grab those FP papers ASAP; they tend to run out fast on the more popular rides.

 

Disney's California Adventure gets a lot more crowded in the afternoon, so hitting Tower of Terror, Radiator Springs Racers and California Screamin' first should be a must. From my experience, Racers gets the worst lines (puts Space Mountain to shame), while Tower of Terror has decent waits; Screamin' can get bad if you wait too long. After that, hit any other ride you want. Cars Land still gets crowds and Soarin's lines can be pretty bad (if you rode the one in Epcot, then skip it; literally the same thing, only this one is actually IN California ). It's Tough To Be A Bug! closes early, and the lines Grizzly River Run are entirely dependent on the weather: if it's cold, walk-on. if it's hot, hour-long waits. There's not that many rides compared to Disneyland, so it's quite possible you'll be able to ride everything before the day is done.

 

There's a ton of good snacks and small meals around DLR, so pick your poison. I personally love the hand-dipped corn dogs on Main Street and Dole whip in Adventureland, but again, there's lots of options; you could literally spend a whole day hopping around on a food adventure. Blue Bayou is easily the go-to for dining experiences at Disneyland, so book in advance. As long as you make a reservation a couple days before, you should be good; can get pricey, however. If you ain't full quite yet, I totally recommend Big Thunder Ranch and their all-you-can-eat BBQ. I BBQ all the time, and their's is pretty good. As for California Adventure, Carthay Circle is supposed to be really good. Again, also can get a bit pricey, but apparently the food and service is top-notch. Also, lots of alcohol floating around California Adventure, so have fun.

 

Make sure you got comfy shoes and at least one bottle of water, because you'll be walking around a LOT. Don't be afraid of using the train/trolley at both parks to get around; they're actually quite efficient on a crowded day. Enchanted Tiki Room and Hall of Presidents have great air conditioning, so if you need to take a break, I'd totally recommend those options. Parades grab attention, but they split the park in half for a while, so if you must get to the other end of the park, get across before it's too late. In all of my experiences, staff have been great; it's the other tourists you really need worry about.

 

I've been to Disneyland all my life, and while it may not have the glitz and glamour of WDW or the admiration of Tokyo, it's always been my personal favorite. It's a shame that people always bash it, because it really is a great park with an awesome ride selection and good staff. Disneyland is the granddaddy of all Disney parks, and deservedly so.

 

Hope you have fun!

[thesman]

Disney's California Adventure gets a lot more crowded in the afternoon, so hitting Tower of Terror, Radiator Springs Racers and California Screamin' first should be a must.

 

 

When I went radiator springs racer had at least a 2 and half hour line all day and the fast pass line was really long and sold out early and this was when the park first opened.

[jarmor]

StuckInSD....thanks sooooo much for the info! So I guess I'm gonna just get the two day one park ticket. My job has discounts to make it 155 so I think thats reasonable. I'm gonna be at knotts the night before so I will leave the hotel over there around 8 next monday morning. Hopefully the next hotel will let me leave my bags to go to the parks. I'm not sure how fastpass works???? I know I know, I feel a shame lol. Do I get in the park and run grab them all at once? I almost forgot...single rider lines! Im Always a single rider since I travel alone so is that an option? I'm gonna check out those places because I want to have at least one table service at DLR.

 

It seems disneyland is open to 11pm on monday. Am I reading that right? And if show, how crowded does it get during the late hours?

 

Again, thanks for the info...if anyone is free next monday and tuesday and up for DLR and have passes let me know! I'm always up for meeting new folks!

[rumble]

Is there any dining experiences I shouldn't miss? I love having signature dining experiences in parks so I would love to to that at either of the parks.

 

The Blue Bayou is Disneyland's signature restaurant. Its very popular and they cram the tables so close together that it always feels crowded. The food is pretty good and comes in huge portions, which I actually found a little bit overwhelming. The Monte Cristo is probably the most glutenous sandwich you will ever eat. I got about half way through it!

 

The Carthay Circle restaurant was a wonderful surprise for me, I was expecting a fairly typical theme park table-service restaurant, with quality on par with the Blue Bayou over at Disneyland, but this was so much more. A wonderful menu, attentive staff and luxurious surroundings. Probably the best restaurant you can find inside any theme park and highly recommended. Linger over dinner there, don't feel that just because you're inside a theme park that you need to rush.

 

There are also a bunch of decent places to eat outside the parks in Downtown Disney. You can easily leave the parks for lunch or dinner and return later. These range from quick-service locations such as Earl of Sandwich to chain restaurants such as The Rain Forest Cafe to fine dining locations in the hotels.

 

The Napa Rose and the Grand Californian Hotel is the top restaurant at the resort. Dining at the Chef's Counter is a great experience but incredibly expensive.

 

You can, and should, make your restaurant reservations online a few weeks before your visit.

 

There's a ton of good snacks and small meals around DLR, so pick your poison. I personally love the hand-dipped corn dogs on Main Street and Dole whip in Adventureland, but again, there's lots of options; you could literally spend a whole day hopping around on a food adventure

 

This is a great alternative idea. There are so many wonderful treats you can pick up from street vendors and the shops on Main Street USA. Its a great way to discover some new favorites.

[StuckInSD]

StuckInSD....thanks sooooo much for the info! So I guess I'm gonna just get the two day one park ticket. My job has discounts to make it 155 so I think thats reasonable. I'm gonna be at knotts the night before so I will leave the hotel over there around 8 next monday morning. Hopefully the next hotel will let me leave my bags to go to the parks. I'm not sure how fastpass works???? I know I know, I feel a shame lol. Do I get in the park and run grab them all at once? I almost forgot...single rider lines! Im Always a single rider since I travel alone so is that an option? I'm gonna check out those places because I want to have at least one table service at DLR.

 

It seems disneyland is open to 11pm on monday. Am I reading that right? And if show, how crowded does it get during the late hours?

 

Again, thanks for the info...if anyone is free next monday and tuesday and up for DLR and have passes let me know! I'm always up for meeting new folks!

 

No prob! Also, I totally forgot about that option so good on ya.

 

Disneyland's Fastpass is like the wristbands, only instead of a wristband you have a piece of paper. You slide in your ticket at a Fastpass machine and it prints out a voucher (your "Fastpass"). The voucher tells you what time you need to return in order to redeem it. You could hop around the park and get all your Fastpasses out of the way, but if it's a 10-15 minute wait, then I'd just go wait in line. Some Fastpasses (Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones) will run out early if there's a good crowd, so unless you manage to find short lines, makes those a priority. However, Matterhorn and every Fantasyland ride (besides Peter Pan's Flight... through the cardboard city of London that someone dropped their burrito on) does not have any sort of Fastpass system in place, so if you plan on riding any of those rides, get in line before it gets crowded (and Fantasyland gets CROWDED, like a midnight launch for a new Apple product crowded). And again, you're going on a Monday, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

 

The park is open until 11 when you're going to be there, but the park actually closes around midnight; they tend to use the last hour to round up stragglers and make sure shoppers have ample time to buy souvenirs. People (especially locals) tend to leave after fireworks, which is around 9:00 PM, so some lines for rides will thin out (especially Fantasyland) and should give you opportunities to get some last rides in. Disneyland and California Adventure get more crowded in the afternoon/evening, so plan accordingly.

 

As for single-rider lines (which Matterhorn and most big California Adventure rides do have), if you can't get a Fastpass, I say go for it. But that's also where I find the worst line-jumping, especially on extremely crowded rides like Racers and Splash Mountain. Locals tend to enter the "single-rider" line in groups, which gets really annoying if you see an 8-12 person group file in all at once. Racers is extremely notorious for having blind spots and, on a busy day, brings out the worst in people. So use with caution.

 

Hope that helps!

[Gnome]

Whoah, you guys wrote a lot.

 

I'd say get a 2 day and just do 1 park each day.

More expensive then a single day park hopper, sure. But you'll get the full experience. You can spend a full day at disneyland and not get on everything or just do the rides you care about. DCA you should be able to get some rerides in but its definately worth a full day. Plus you can buy beer.

[cfc]

A line for Radiator Springs Racers Fast Passes forms at the Carthay Circle before rope drop in the morning. What I did last December was go there first thing in the morning, get a Racers Fast Pass, then check the stand-by line.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

One of the many reasons I hope FP+ comes to DLR and quickly is so people will no longer have to get there at the effing crack of dawn and form that enormous queue in order to get a FP for Racers.

 

But I guess all the naysayers and alarmists that would have a royal cow should there even be hints of FP+ coming west would prefer to keep doing that.

[jray21]

I would love for it to come to DL. My last trip there I realized how much worse the current system is versus the WDW version.

[COASTER FREAK 11]

I think it would go over well with the local crowd that comes to Disneyland. Yes, MC will shit a brick and say Walt is spinning in his grave, but who cares about them. The system is amazing and I cant wait for it to come here!

[azza29]

Yes, MC will poo-poo a brick and say Walt is spinning in his grave, but who cares about them.

 

They do that for anything. No change is too small to escape their wrath!

 

Just from a planning perspective (I'm visiting WDW next month) FP+ is a whole lot easier. Pick the 3 rides you most want to do, then sort out the rest on the day. Seems like a no brainer to bring this to the west coast, especially when people are lining up for 30+ minutes to get a paper FP for RPR (which is definitely counterintuitive!).

[Simipour'sTrainer]

Although it would definitely be a different experience and change the dynamics of the park, I don't really see FP+ working out at Disneyland. It's not to say that it's a bad system for Walt Disney World (where most people who visit tend to book months in advance) but for Disneyland (a park visited mostly by locals who play it by ear), I don't see it being beneficial, aside from allowing people to book their RSR Fastpasses in advance.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is while it would be neat to see FP+ implemented at Disneyland, it can take its time getting here.

[jarmor]

Thanks guys for the help. So this is what I'm gonna do...

-two day one park pass

-made reservations for the cathway at californias adventure

-doing the bbq place at disneyland (didn't reserve do I need to?)

-can kinda wing it at disneyland?

-must run to fast pass distributor for RSR, TOT and toystory mania

 

Am I missing anything?

[SFMMGeek27]

Thanks guys for the help. So this is what I'm gonna do...

-two day one park pass

-made reservations for the cathway at californias adventure

-doing the bbq place at disneyland (didn't reserve do I need to?)

-can kinda wing it at disneyland?

-must run to fast pass distributor for RSR, TOT and toystory mania

 

Am I missing anything?

 

Sounds good. There are no fast passes for TSM, you must wait it out. However, they always estimate high for the wait time so take 5-15 minutes off the posted wait time and that will be your wait.

 

You don't need to run to TOT, and if you ride it right after

You get your RSR FP, you probably won't benefit from having a fastpass anyways (other than 2 minutes).

 

Don't get a fastpass for Indiana Jones, the outside queue goes fast and the indoor part which you would have to wait in even if you have a fastpass is really long. Earlier this week it was posted 40 minutes and it only took 20.

 

Have fun! Enjoy your trip.

[gisco]

I think FP+ at Disneyland is a great idea. I think it could cut down on the number of locals visiting all the time. . People on vacation would book in advance and locals booking at the spur of the moment might not come if they can't get a FP for their rides. . It would make the park more enjoyable.

[cfc]

^That's an interesting point. Or the locals could just try and book them all for themselves.

[WFChris]

I also think the only way FP+ would really thrive at the DLR is if it gave a benefit to guests visiting the park over annual passholders. Something like allowing overnight resort guests to book in advance, but keep the passholders from booking until the day of their visit. Anything to keep those pesky passholders in check (recently made the decision to not renew because I just don't like the people at the park right now).

[Blue Turbo]

Was at the park last night and on the final brake of California Screamin the ride E-stopped. Maintenance had to come and evacuate us. This morning there was the CHOC Walk in the Park apparently, the whole resort was packed. Downtown Disney was crowded with all of the walkers and the stands for them. Both of the parks had long lines at the entrance, with DCA not opening for another hour. We decided to just leave early because it was going to be way too busy

[tatsu_dude]

^Heh, I was there too. I was in the station when it e-stopped. I've always wanted to be walked off a coaster, so now I'm jealous!

[Jew]

I also think the only way FP+ would really thrive at the DLR is if it gave a benefit to guests visiting the park over annual passholders. Something like allowing overnight resort guests to book in advance, but keep the passholders from booking until the day of their visit. Anything to keep those pesky passholders in check (recently made the decision to not renew because I just don't like the people at the park right now).

 

I agree. AP holders would take up all the reservations WAY in advance if they could. I suspect that when the system comes to DLR, it will be heavily favored to hotel guests and 1-day ticket holders. Which of course will lead to insane amounts of bitching from AP holders...

[COASTER FREAK 11]

I also think the only way FP+ would really thrive at the DLR is if it gave a benefit to guests visiting the park over annual passholders. Something like allowing overnight resort guests to book in advance, but keep the passholders from booking until the day of their visit. Anything to keep those pesky passholders in check (recently made the decision to not renew because I just don't like the people at the park right now).

 

I agree. AP holders would take up all the reservations WAY in advance if they could. I suspect that when the system comes to DLR, it will be heavily favored to hotel guests and 1-day ticket holders. Which of course will lead to insane amounts of bitching from AP holders...

 

Isn't this the way WDW already works? Resort Guests get special benefits over people (AP or otherwise) not staying on property. Really, the system works perfectly fine and would suit Disneyland great!