LA in September

[Bruce.wayne]

Hello there !

 

I'll be in LA from the 12th september until the 17th. As a roller-coaster addict I'm planning to make some parks !

 

I got some questions about my visit in SFMM on the week-end 15th/16th :

 

1/ what day could be the best one for my visit? On saturday 15th (10:30 AM - 9:00 PM) there is a concert of a band called Kutless, should I be scared about crowd? Or should I come simply on the 16th (10:30 AM - 6:00 PM)?

 

2/It's not very usual for me to come in such a nice park, I want to enjoy as much as I can (actually in French Polynesia there's not a lot of coasters). Flash Pass sounds nice if there is queues, but is it worth? (Platinum sounds great, but 105 USD sounds also expensive)

 

3/ I'll rent a car so I'm planning to arrive very early for the opening. I know the park is big, so in which part should I begin my day? I mean what kind of route/itinerary do you recommand?

 

Then I'm also planning to visit Disneyland. What about the queues during my stay? Can I make the 2 parks in one day or is it risky?

 

About Universal Studios, is the Front of Line Pass (129 USD) worth?

 

Thanks a lot for your help

[ambe_bambe]

Keep in mind I'm posting this as someone who also visits the area as an international tourist.

 

1. SFMM: Personally I would go on the Saturday the 15th just for the extended hours, regarding the Flash Pass, you have already said your planning on being early so try and gauge the crowds. If it looks like its going to be busy and there's a lot of people around I would definitely get it. Regarding the platinum pass if you are one for re-rides it would be the way to go.

 

2. DLR: No! Even with one day in one park you still will not get around it. I say stick to one park. Make a list of must do and would like to do attractions I'm sure if you post it up here someone will be able to help you plan out your day to its full potential.

 

3. Universal Studios: I've done the park 3 ways (normal with no front of line, front of line, and VIP) if you can splurge for the VIP Experience I would highly recommended doing that as we managed to do every attraction, and re-rides where we wanted them, as well as getting a 3 hour tour of the back-lot including being able to get off the tram at certain places to explore and visiting the prop and costume warehouses, you also get a buffet lunch! when going to shows and on rides we were in front of the front of line people! If you cant afford it I would definitely go for the Front of Line pass.

 

I'm going to let someone local answer the rest.

[rcdude]

As a local, I'm going to offer you some very different advice based on my experiences.

 

SFMM: Although the longer hours on Saturday may seem like a good thing, Sunday is the better day. Saturdays are significantly more crowded than Sundays, and a concert will only increase those crowds. I've never been in September, but I have been most other off-season months and typically on a Sunday nothing will be more than a 30 minute wait, and most attractions should be under 15 minutes (non-headliners are often walk-ons) unless only one train is operating. I've easily rode every coaster two or three times in a day without a Flash Pass.

 

Speaking of Flash Pass, if you go and it is busy for some reason, it is definitely worth it. Get Regular or Gold level, depending on how crowded it is and whether or not you want to reserve a ride on X2 ($15 extra per reservation, only available on Gold or Platinum). Platinum really isn't worth it, as you can get almost as many rides in with a Gold and you won't annoy everyone else in line by taking their seat. Honestly, unless you want to reserve rides on Green Lantern ($15 extra per reservation, only available on Platinum), you are best off saving a bit of money and sticking with Gold. Even if you went on Saturday, crowds could be low enough that you wouldn't need one, but I've had mixed results with Saturday visits (just in case, don't pre-purchase one).

 

Best plan for getting everything done efficiently depends on crowds. If it isn't very crowded, get the lower capacity coasters (Green Lantern and Superman) done first. Other than those, your order won't matter too much since the lines should be minimal on everything else all day. If crowds are more significant, start at Tatsu and go clockwise (Apocalypse, Riddler's, Green Lantern, Batman, Goliath, etc.), or start at Goliath and go counter-clockwise (in my experience, yields a shorter Green Lantern wait but a longer Tatsu wait). Do not start at X2, as most people head there immediately and it rarely opens on time. Instead, save that one for mid-afternoon when the line is usually shortest. In the event that you'll be purchasing a Flash Pass, go to X2 first, grab your Flash Pass, then get to Green Lantern since those two are not included on the pass.

 

Disneyland: September is one of the low crowd periods for Disneyland, but due to the number of passholders there are no dead periods at that park. If you visit on a weekday, most lines should be 15-30 minutes. As long as you are up for an all-day visit, both parks in one day is definitely possible if you have a strategy and take advantage of Fastpass. You won't be able to hit every single ride and see every show, but you should be able to get all the major attractions in both parks done. The only possible issue is Cars Land, as the impact of that is currently unknown, but I don't think it would be enough to make two parks in one day on a September weekday impossible.

 

If you are visiting on a weekend, two parks is still possible but a lot more difficult. Lines for major attractions can get into the 45-60 minute range. Sundays are not any better than Saturdays, and can actually be worse. If you are required to visit on a weekend, I'd say either stick with one park or have a really good plan and be ready for an exhausting day.

 

Universal Studios Hollywood: The Front of the Line pass isn't worth it. There are not enough rides in the park to justify it, and in September lines should be short to non-existent. Even during the summer, I've usually been able to get everything done here (all rides and all shows) in about 2/3 of a day.

 

Hope this helps. I'm sure others have their own advice as well. Regardless of what you do, crowds should be low enough that you won't have any problems.

[andybarnes84]

We've been twice in september, based on our experiences last year I would recommend going to SFMM on the sunday, shorter hours but also much shorter queues. Head to x2 after the gates open, but realise that they don't open the park before the official time so make sure you get there early.

 

We've managed both parks at disney on a weekday no problem, but maybe that's because we've visited the parks go florida so didn't have to do everything. Universal is quite compact so if you get there early you should be done by early afternoon. I would recommend knotts berry farm too if you can fit it in, again you probably wouldn't need a full day if you go on a weekday.