First time in DLR in 2 days...and I have no idea what I'm doing!

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Figment1989

Active Member
Original Poster
Hey all,

My husband and I are in LA visiting family, and we are going to Disneyland for the day on Wednesday. We are planning on getting there by 8am and staying all day, then going to the hotel we have booked. On Thursday we are planning to go to Downtown Disney before heading to the airport.

I have never been there before. i know it is much diffeerent than WDW. I am most excited for the nostalgic value of it!

Can anyone give some advice for the day so that I'm not going in blind? I have looked at the websites to get a feel for it, but I'd love to hear from people who have a better idea!

2 days until Disneyland, 10 days until Disney World!
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Welcome to the community.

Are you only going to focus on Disneyland, or will you have a park hopper? In the two Anaheim parks combined there are as many rides and more daily entertainment than in all four WDW parks combined, so there's no way you can see everything in one day even if you don't go over to DCA.

You might just want to focus on the rides and shows that are exclusive to Disneyland or noticeably superior to their WDW versions. Those rides, in no particular order - Pirates, Indiana Jones, Sailing Ship Columbia, Explorer Canoes, Big Thunder Mountain, Pinocchio, Snow White, Peter Pans Flight, Mr. Toad, Alice in Wonderland, Storybookland Canal Boats, Casey Jr. circus Train, Small World, Castle walk thru diorama, Roger Rabbitt's Car Toon Spin, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Submarine Voyage, Space Mountain, Main Street Cinema, and Disneyland Railroad (dinosaurs are found after the Tomorrowland station!). Even if you just focused on this list, you won't be able to do all of that in one day most likely. Prioritize!

Not necessarily superior, but noticeably different than WDW, are the Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, Winnie The Pooh, Tarzans Treehouse, Autopia, Buzz Lightyear, Mr. Lincoln show, and the Monorail.

Star Tours, Tiki Room, Gadgets Go Coaster, the various spinners (teacups, Dumbo, Carousel, rocket jets) and the Main Street Vehicles are basically identical to the WDW versions. Skip them.

About the only thing that is inferior at Disneyland is Splash Mountain due to its bizarre and frantic set design and pacing inside the ride. (The drops are just as fun) You should skip Splash Mountain to focus on other stuff.

You should also plan to see the night entertainment and fireworks. Perhaps try for the fireworks somewhere in the middle of the park and then the second Paint the Night at 11pm since the first one is crazy busy. You may not be able to see one of the two Fantasmic shows, although it's way better than the creaky old version at WDW. Get your Fantasmic Fastpasses up by the Big Thunder Ranch petting zoo early in the day, if you want to try and see it. There's a very good afternoon parade, Soundsational, and a lavish stage show in the Fantasyland Theater.

Food is much better at Disneyland, and you should aim for the buffet places or casual table service like French Market, Cafe Orleans, or Plaza Inn.

Again, you will only get a taste of Disneyland in one day and will have to skip a lot. Focus on the stuff they don't have in WDW and keep moving.
 
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EPCOTCenterLover

EPCOTCenterLover

Well-Known Member
Go early, and arrive before opening. To make the most of your time, I'd do attractions in this order:
Indy, Splash, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder, Pirates, Matterhorn, Submarine, Pinocchio, Alice, Roger Rabbit. You'll hit lines eventually but if you start early enough, you'll get a bulk of the must-sees done. Have fun!
 
Bairstow

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
It feels like I tell everybody this, but since there's just two of you, don't wait in line after ropedrop for or use Fastpass for Indy- use the single rider line. With just two of you you'll stand basically even odds of being seated together anyway. Same goes for Radiator Springs Racers if you spend time at California Adventure.

Speaking of Fastpass, you should never not have a Fastpass return time queued. This can be a bit of a chore, but it will save you time in the long run. Not all the reservation kiosks are at obvious places, so don't hesitate to ask a cast member to help you find them.

Don't overlook the train and riverboat rides. Both of them are significantly enhanced compared to their Magic Kingdom counterparts. Expect surprises.

As far as restaurants go, both Rancho del Zocalo and Harbor Galley have superior quick-service offerings with nice places to sit. In California Adventure, I'd recommend Lucky Fortune or Paradise Garden Grill. All four are faster, tastier, and more pleasant than the other quick-service offerings.
 
croboy82

croboy82

Well-Known Member
Yes, use the single rider line wherever possible. Saves you a lot of time.

Plus if you can, do the park hopper, the parks are across each other and you'd miss some cool rides.
 
Mukta

Mukta

Well-Known Member
Figment1989 said:
Hey all,

My husband and I are in LA visiting family, and we are going to Disneyland for the day on Wednesday. We are planning on getting there by 8am and staying all day, then going to the hotel we have booked. On Thursday we are planning to go to Downtown Disney before heading to the airport.

I have never been there before. i know it is much diffeerent than WDW. I am most excited for the nostalgic value of it!

Can anyone give some advice for the day so that I'm not going in blind? I have looked at the websites to get a feel for it, but I'd love to hear from people who have a better idea!

2 days until Disneyland, 10 days until Disney World!
Click to expand...
Here is my preferred order


Ride Space and Star Tours at RD
Indy
Jungle Cruise
Pirates
HM
Splash
Big Thunder
Stop for lunch at French Market or Rancho Zocalo
Tiki Room with Dole Whip
Fantasyland
Mr. Toad
Alice
Snow White
Pinocchio
Storybook Land
It's a Small World
Toontown to meet Mickey and characters
Dinner
Get a spot in front of the castle for fireworks at 8 pm.
Watch Fireworks at 9:30
Paint the Night at 11 pm from near IASW
Finding Nemo after parade.
 
danheaton

danheaton

Well-Known Member
Disneyland is a lot smaller than the Magic Kingdom, so it's going to feel much easier to get around. Do not miss Pirates! It will make you sad when you ride the Florida version again. I'll echo what others have said and recommend you be sure to see everything that isn't in Florida or is a bit different. Indy is at the top of the list for sure.

Making the best use of FastPass and the single rider line is the best tip. You can do quite a lot. Please also note that the single rider lines can be a little goofy, especially at Indy. Attendants will help out if you have questions. Also, if you really want to do Splash (despite it not being as good), they do have a single rider line.

Have a great time!
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
danheaton said:
Have a great time!
Click to expand...

@Figment1989 went to Disneyland last Wednesday August 5th according to her timeline, so it already happened.

And unfortunately, as of this morning @Figment1989 was last logged onto these forums on Monday August 3rd at 12:57PM, so she didn't even return to read all the advice the nice folks here gave her. I wonder how her day at Disneyland turned out as she was "flying blind"? Or maybe she just went to the beach instead. :rolleyes:
 
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Charziegirl

New Member
I find myself in the same situation as the OP! lol! We'll be spending only 2 full days/nights at Disneyland Resort, staying at the Grand Californian, and I'll be making use of this wonderful information!! :) Thank you!!
 
danheaton

danheaton

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
@Figment1989 went to Disneyland last Wednesday August 5th according to her timeline, so it already happened.

And unfortunately, as of this morning @Figment1989 was last logged onto these forums on Monday August 3rd at 12:57PM, so she didn't even return to read all the advice the nice folks here gave her. I wonder how her day at Disneyland turned out as she was "flying blind"? Or maybe she just went to the beach instead. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I think she'll be fine. The one cool thing about Disneyland is that it's easier to navigate and figure out then Disney World. Barring huge crowds, it has to be hard to not have a great time there.
 
Pooh'sBuddy

Pooh'sBuddy

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
@Figment1989 went to Disneyland last Wednesday August 5th according to her timeline, so it already happened.

And unfortunately, as of this morning @Figment1989 was last logged onto these forums on Monday August 3rd at 12:57PM, so she didn't even return to read all the advice the nice folks here gave her. I wonder how her day at Disneyland turned out as she was "flying blind"? Or maybe she just went to the beach instead. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

@TP2000 - Thank you for responding. You've helped me and apparently Charziegirl. My family and I are leaving tomorrow morning for Cali. I'm too excited to sleep!
 
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Figment1989

Active Member
Original Poster
Just because I last signed on on the 3rd didn't mean that I didn't get the tips - they were tremendously helpful to us! I just didn't sign back into the account because we left Disneyland, went straight to visit family in Texas, and we just arrived in Disney World today! Planning on writing more (with some more specific thanks) when I'm not typing on my temperamental phone and no longer on vacation!
 

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