Can Disney Land/DCA be done in a day?

[HTF]

I love your photos of the DLR.

Thank you kindly and I yours. I much prefer the Disneyland Resort to the WDW Resort and try to get out there at least once a year. I will post more photos, I took about 3,000 on my last trip this past October between the DLR and USH.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Thank you kindly and I yours. I much prefer the Disneyland Resort to the WDW Resort and try to get out there at least once a year. I will post more photos, I took about 3,000 on my last trip this past October between the DLR and USH.

Where are you from?

 

[HTF]

Where are you from?

Originally from Seattle but living in the Orlando outskirts for the past 4 years

 

[Californian Elitist]

Originally from Seattle but living in the Orlando outskirts for the past 4 years

Nice. When did you start visiting Disneyland?

 

[HTF]

Nice. When did you start visiting Disneyland?

When I was like 3 years old lol. I have been several times during the DCA transformation though. Had to get my Disney fix somewhere.

 

[Californian Elitist]

When I was like 3 years old lol. I have been several times during the DCA transformation though. Had to get my Disney fix somewhere.

Oh. LOL, you're fortunate to be able to travel back and forth so often.

 

[croboy82]

I have never been to Disneyworld but you should skip the same rides, except for Pirates as I hear it's much better in California.

Another tip: If you don't mind use single riders line everytime you can. I know you might think it's not that much fun but you can save lots of time waiting in line with that!

 

[Walt Disney1955]

In September we had three days. Two of them were at Disneyland. We did everything and did a lot of them multiple times. We even relaxed a bit on the second day. We used a full day to see DCA and that worked as well. We pretty much did everything. I wouldn't have complained to have a 4th day by any means, but we did it alright in three days and one of them was on Labour Day and the other a Saturday.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

I have never been to Disneyworld but you should skip the same rides, except for Pirates as I hear it's much better in California.

Another tip: If you don't mind use single riders line everytime you can. I know you might think it's not that much fun but you can save lots of time waiting in line with that!

First paragraph I don't agree. Always see the other versions. Small World is different at Disneyland with the characters in there. Then you can judge yourself which side is superior. The second paragraph you are right. Single rider lines are your friend. My wife and I saved a ton of time doing it that way. Matterhorn, Radiator Springs, etc.

 

[croboy82]

But he has only 1 day so that's why I said he should skip same rides, better check out rides that don't exist at WDW too

 

[Laughinplace]

But he has only 1 day so that's why I said he should skip same rides, better check out rides that don't exist at WDW too

Well I just got upgraded from 1 day to 5 days

 

[Californian Elitist]

Well I just got upgraded from 1 day to 5 days

No way. Really?

 

[Laughinplace]

No way. Really?

My dad is going to take me next or this year, I might still have the day trip though

 

[mollydtt]

My dad is going to take me next or this year, I might still have the day trip though

I returned recently from a few days in Disneyland. My daughter was a cast member at DW last spring, and now that she is studying in Valencia, CA, I flew to CA with her for a few days before her semester started.
We had a blast, although it is so hard to experience everything you want to do....
We managed to get fast passes every morning, first thing, for Radiator Springs, since the fp's were all distributed very quickly. Cars Land was amazing. Especially at night. I'm guessing that Luigi's Flying Tires is the reincarnation of the "Flying Saucers" that had a short run in the 50's.
For comparison, Space Mountain in DLP was more fun for us. The foundation and track have been completely rebuilt, with two-across seats in the cars. Very smooth ride! For the first time (for me) I didn't feel like I was going to get whiplash with starts and stops, as in DW. (I love the queue at DW more, though)
Pirates of the Caribbean seemed to us to be bigger, with more audioanimatronics at DL. Maybe we just had short memories, but I remember remarking that after PoC in Disneyland, that DW seemed to me to be "PoC Lite"
Indiana Jones! Yes! Unfortunately, that ride seems to have frequent malfunctions, and cast members explaining to guests how sorry they are that it is closed for a while, but if you have fast passes, it is definitely wonderful!
After experiencing the vast distances between parks at DW, it was a blast walking back and forth between CA and DL.
Among the things that we did wrong, which we will fix if we manage another trip is that World of Color is very hard to see, even if you get fast passes, and stand, and stand and stand waiting for the show---- As soon as the show starts, the parents (this is understandable) put their kids on their shoulders to see the video projections and even if Kareem Abdul Jabar had been with us, he wouldn't have been able to see the projected videos.
Still--the most amazing sound system in the world. How does Disney do it!
Next time, maybe we could try the Dinner option? With VIP viewing?
Has anybody done that?

 

[StarWarsGirl]

I've been to Disney World

But, I don't like extreme thrill rides like Callifornia Screamin'
I love rides like Soarin Splash and Spaceship earth
Also I love pirates too. Peter Pan ETC I like any rides beside thrill heavycore rollercoasters and TOT or Stitch.

Stitch is not a thrill ride. It's a show where they put you in restraints, but you stay put the entire time. But they don't have that in DL, and we're in DL mode right now!

Skip Splash in DL, it's not as good, but you must hit Pirates because it is way better. Haunted Mansion you can take or leave (I see you're staying more days now. Good). Tea cups is the same, Dumbo is not as good (I mean, we have two in WDW now. Come on!) Big Thunder is the same, but it's closed for this summer unfortunately. I like WDW Jungle Cruise better, some have disagreed with me in recent days. Do you like Dinosaur? If you do, you'll love Indiana Jones. Space is way different in DL, so at least try it. Matterhorn is essentially Space Mountain, but do it anyway. Toontown! MUST DO! Astro Orbiter is, well, closer to Earth in DL, but since the WDW version makes me motion sick, I vote DL. Small World is better in DL. I didn't do Peter Pan, as I don't see the point in waiting 60 mins for that ride anywhere, WDW or DL. Star Tours is the same, as is Captain EO, Soarin', Under the Sea (from what I've heard), and It's Tough to be a Bug. Toy Story Mania is the same, but worlds easier to hit in DL. They also have Fantasmic! Raven and I have a bit of a debate going about that. Let's put it this way: No ampitheater, no seating, but improved technology. I'll let you decide on that one for yourself.

Hope this helps!

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Thank you kindly and I yours. I much prefer the Disneyland Resort to the WDW Resort and try to get out there at least once a year. I will post more photos, I took about 3,000 on my last trip this past October between the DLR and USH.

May I ask why you prefer DL? I'm a WDW fan, but there are aspects of DL that I think are definitely better.

Also, 3,000 pictures? That's insane. We got that many when we went to Hawaii, but we only get out there once every few years. I actually bothered to take some pictures on my last WDW trip since Fantasyland is new. That was the first time in a while.

 

[CaptainShortty]

I did do both parks in one day but it was a VERY long 14 hour day and we still didn't get to everything. We did get to most of the things we wanted to (I'm not a coaster person so we did skip Screamin', Space, Splash, Materhorn, etc.). If you're set on doing both, you can do it but don't expect to get everything in.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

For comparison, Space Mountain in DLP was more fun for us. The foundation and track have been completely rebuilt, with two-across seats in the cars. Very smooth ride! For the first time (for me) I didn't feel like I was going to get whiplash with starts and stops, as in DW. (I love the queue at DW more, though)
Pirates of the Caribbean seemed to us to be bigger, with more audioanimatronics at DL. Maybe we just had short memories, but I remember remarking that after PoC in Disneyland, that DW seemed to me to be "PoC Lite"
Indiana Jones! Yes! Unfortunately, that ride seems to have frequent malfunctions, and cast members explaining to guests how sorry they are that it is closed for a while, but if you have fast passes, it is definitely wonderful!
After experiencing the vast distances between parks at DW, it was a blast walking back and forth between CA and DL.
Among the things that we did wrong, which we will fix if we manage another trip is that World of Color is very hard to see, even if you get fast passes, and stand, and stand and stand waiting for the show---- As soon as the show starts, the parents (this is understandable) put their kids on their shoulders to see the video projections and even if Kareem Abdul Jabar had been with us, he wouldn't have been able to see the projected videos.
Still--the most amazing sound system in the world. How does Disney do it!

I don't think that the two Space Mountains are really comparable. They're two completely different rides, with ours being a decedent of Matterhorn, but not Matterhorn because it wouldn't fit in Fantasyland (now it probably would, but anyway) and DL's being original to the park. I really like their Space Mountain, but ours is classic for me. Plus the new (unsychronized, but still good) music and the fact that they made it darker enhances the ride for me. We have many other thrills at WDW, so I personally don't feel like I'm missing out.

I completely agree with you on Pirates though. Pirates Lite. I have to remember that one; it made me laugh. What did you think of Splash Mountain? It was horrible for us. We only got on it once because WDW was so much better. But Grizzly River Run has it all over Kali River Rapids. And the walking distance between parks? What a hike! Not. We loved being able to go over to Disneyland Park since CAA generally closes earlier than DLP and we were able to get on a few more things. WDW? Forget it; it takes about an hour to get between parks, less if you have a car.

I heard IJ got a refurb not too long ago (Sept-Dec). Are they still having problems with it?

Thanks for posting about World of Color. I was wondering what you would need Fastpasses for, but now I know! I really want to see it when I go in June. Does anyone (maybe raven) have any suggestions about seeing it (viewing locations, when you need to get there, etc.) ? What time does it generally start (am going in June).

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Thanks for posting about World of Color. I was wondering what you would need Fastpasses for, but now I know! I really want to see it when I go in June. Does anyone (maybe raven) have any suggestions about seeing it (viewing locations, when you need to get there, etc.) ? What time does it generally start (am going in June).

I'm going to self-plagiarize below from a longer post about WoC, but I'll also try to distill my best advice for you:

-The FP viewing area opens up an hour before the show starts. I would highly recommend grabbing some counter service food and getting to the viewing area five minutes before they say it opens. Then you can go right down to the water's edge and the fountains tower over you that way. It really adds something, IMO.

-WoC will probably start at 9 or 10 in June. It started at 8 in November when I was there, but it just won't get dark until later in June.

-I marked a line on this map. I think that's the best place to watch the show from. If you look at the viewing area there and the pentagon of the fountains in the water, you can see that the viewing area is not centered on the show.

There are two scenarios I can think of right now where it would be a good idea to get the dinner package. If you think you want to eat at Wine Country Trattoria anyway, then absolutely get the dining package. Shouldn't be too hard to get booked and I don't think it costs any extra. I've heard that at Carthay Circle they make each person get an entree and either an app or dessert, but I don't know about Trattoria. The second reason to book the dining package is if you don't see yourselves getting to the parks in the morning. I definitely don't think you need to be there right at opening to get the WoC FP, but you're probably going to want to be there in the morning at least. I don't think lunch or dinner matters, but I don't think I'd recommend the picnic lunch; $15 for a cold meal that comes with a FP that you should be able to get for free with minimal effort? Nah.

Here's my experience with WoC back in November. I definitely did not see the lines forming for the WoC FP like I read online that there were when it was brand new... everyone and their mother is in line for the Radiator Springs Racers FP at opening now. As late as 2:30, I was just strolling by and got FP for the only WoC that night. I wouldn't count on it that late by any means, but they won't run out in 30 mins after opening, either. I would get FP for Racers and WoC together first thing in the morning. If the line for the Racers FP is long enough (probably to around Disney Junior), you could even send one person to Racers, one person to WoC and then have the WoC person bring the passes to the person in line for Racers FP after they're done. Did this a couple times. Holding a World of Color FP does not affect your ability to get a FP for a ride.

This is my preferred method of viewing: grab some counter service food and get to the viewing area about 5-10 minutes before it says you can return on your FP. I got there once at the exact time and they were already letting people in, and once I got there five minutes early and I still was not the first person they let into the viewing area. Grab your spot right on the rail all the way down at the bottom and chill. Relax, eat your dinner, gather yourself from the day, etc. I don't think the viewing area is particularly centered for the show; what I think the best spot to watch from is the area around the line that I drew on this map. I watched the show twice like this and once I got there 20 minutes before the show and was kinda jammed at the back of the viewing area. Still a nice show, but not the experience it is down in front. The show itself is pretty massive; standing in that area I marked, you almost feel surrounded by the fountains and they can tower over you more than 100 ft in the air. You feel really close to the fountains down in the front, and with no one between you and the show it's an intimate experience. The area I marked is in the red, but I had blue FP's both times and I made it there no trouble. The way the ropes were set up when I was there, the upper sections were separated, but the very bottom right next to the water was all together, red and blue. I'd honestly recommend people wait the full hour for the show even if they only had two days at DLR; since you've got a few more, I'd definitely see the show like this the first time.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

I'm going to self-plagiarize below from a longer post about WoC, but I'll also try to distill my best advice for you:

-The FP viewing area opens up an hour before the show starts. I would highly recommend grabbing some counter service food and getting to the viewing area five minutes before they say it opens. Then you can go right down to the water's edge and the fountains tower over you that way. It really adds something, IMO.

-WoC will probably start at 9 or 10 in June. It started at 8 in November when I was there, but it just won't get dark until later in June.

-I marked a line on this map. I think that's the best place to watch the show from. If you look at the viewing area there and the pentagon of the fountains in the water, you can see that the viewing area is not centered on the show.

Thanks. I think we made dinner reservations already, so we'll have to check our plans. Getting a Fastpass first thing wouldn't be an issue. With a 3 hour time difference, a 9 or 10 am opening to us feels like 12 or 1, so we're always there as soon as the park opens. Plus we're staying at Grand Californian. Such a long hike from there outside of the doorway. We'll check the times and our plans once it gets closer to our trip. Thanks for the advice.