DLR Newbie questions

[Californian Elitist]

If they only care about the locals and APs then they might want to consider selling off those pesky Disney Hotels... Can't imagine many locals wanting to pony up for the hotels... And the best option would be for them to post them when they plan for them.. be it 3 months, 6 months or even 12 months in advance. Any heads up would be better than the current wait till the last minute to surprise you.

Whatever, dude. I personally couldn't care less.

 

[Travel Junkie]

If they only care about the locals and APs then they might want to consider selling off those pesky Disney Hotels... Can't imagine many locals wanting to pony up for the hotels... And the best option would be for them to post them when they plan for them.. be it 3 months, 6 months or even 12 months in advance. Any heads up would be better than the current wait till the last minute to surprise you.

DLR has 3 onsite hotels, WDW has over 30 on site hotels, so that is a pretty good indication of primary attending audience's traveling distance. It's only natural they will cater to them.

I do understand the frustration, but it is just a different philosophy when it comes to how to handle schedules and refurbs. WDW may publish their schedule and rehabs much further out than DLR but WDW is constantly updating their information whereas when DLR publishes theirs, it is pretty set. WDW parks are constantly adding and subtracting hours based on a variety of factors. Refurbs are frequently being added, subtracted, or dates changing at WDW. DLR simply chooses to wait until they have a pretty firm grasp of what will be taking place instead of constantly adjusting it. Would you rather plan your vacation not knowing what maybe on refurb or would you rather think you are fine only to find out a month before your visit that one of your favorite attractions suddenly appears on a refurb schedule. Bottom line is that if you want few to no refurbs go during the busier times. Off peak season there will be a lot of refurbs.

For what it's worth DL in January during peak refurb season still has more attractions than MK with no refurbs.

 

[thomas998]

Whatever, dude. I personally couldn't care less.

and yet you replied.

 

[Californian Elitist]

and yet you replied.

I wasn't talking about you, I was talking about the situation. Just because I replied doesn't mean I care one way or another if Disneyland posts attraction closures at early or late.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

I think the best thing to do is just change your mindset... something will be down at DLR when you go. WDW has been run for the last ten years or so at least where (outside of Splash's annual January refurb) you expect everything to be open unless there's a major change like Test Track to TT 2.0. It stinks, but it's why things at DLR are generally in much better shape than they are in Florida.

 

[SplashDuck]

Soarin' in Florida usually has a huge line, even on the slowest of days. How does this wait time compaire to the Soarin' at Disneyland?

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

The line's never too long unless it's a really busy day. If it's not sticking too far outside the building, it shouldn't be more than 20 minutes.

Fastpass will also not sell out like at EPCOT.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Yeah, it's nothing like Epcot. DCA has plenty of star attractions that share the crowds, unlike Epcot. Soarin' here rarely exceeds an hour wait on the busiest of days, and most days is 30 minutes or less.

 

[Disneyfanman]

When you look at the wait times in general, they almost never approach the insane waits at WDW. DCA now has enough big attractions to soak up the crowds. I was there on a really busy day recently, and Toy Story Mania never exceeded 45 minutes, and usually you were through faster than that. As stated above, Soarin' was 30 minutes. DCA has become a very efficient park at absorbing crowds. Just like DL next door, they have many things to see and do beyond the headliners. I haven't been to WDW since they began the implementation of MM+, but everyone I know who has been there recently has spoken about the crazy stand-by wait times. A couple of people were so frustrated that they are not going back for their annual trips unless they feel like it's been fixed.

The bottom line is that, although you still have to be smart about your itinerary at DL, you can be more much more care free about your planning than at WDW, except for extremely busy days.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

When you look at the wait times in general, they almost never approach the insane waits at WDW. DCA now has enough big attractions to soak up the crowds. I was there on a really busy day recently, and Toy Story Mania never exceeded 45 minutes, and usually you were through faster than that. As stated above, Soarin' was 30 minutes. DCA has become a very efficient park at absorbing crowds. Just like DL next door, they have many things to see and do beyond the headliners. I haven't been to WDW since they began the implementation of MM+, but everyone I know who has been there recently has spoken about the crazy stand-by wait times. A couple of people were so frustrated that they are not going back for their annual trips unless they feel like it's been fixed.

The bottom line is that, although you still have to be smart about your itinerary at DL, you can be more much more care free about your planning than at WDW, except for extremely busy days.

This. This is what I am in search of. I want parks but without the over planning and stress. I want to be relaxed and take-it-as-I-go. Don't want to feel penalized or like I short-changed myself because I didn't jump into commando-planning 6 months ahead of time. I want to show up and enjoy. That simple. Yes, this is for me.

 

[englanddg]

This. This is what I am in search of. I want parks but without the over planning and stress. I want to be relaxed and take-it-as-I-go. Don't want to feel penalized or like I short-changed myself because I didn't jump into commando-planning 6 months ahead of time. I want to show up and enjoy. That simple. Yes, this is for me.

On my trip, the only "nightmare" standby line I saw was Radiator Springs...but some of that was because it seemed to break down a lot... Otherwise, lines were 20 mins or less for pretty much everything.

 

[flynnibus]

This. This is what I am in search of. I want parks but without the over planning and stress. I want to be relaxed and take-it-as-I-go. Don't want to feel penalized or like I short-changed myself because I didn't jump into commando-planning 6 months ahead of time. I want to show up and enjoy. That simple. Yes, this is for me.

DLR takes planning to 'optimize' your trip - but not to make your trip. You still have the classic 'whats the best way to tour the parks..' discussion... and you will have to plan out where you want to eat if you want a sit down meal... you just don't have to do it 180 days out More like a week or two is usually enough.

But trying to fit F!, WoC, Fireworks, 'where to be when', etc is just as involved as WDW.. and even a bit more if you try to fit multiples in one night. The biggest planning is what you expect 'classic' Disney planning to be about..

which shows do I want to see (limited times)
where do I want to eat...
what is the best time to visit attraction XYZ

 

[sweetpee_1993]

DLR takes planning to 'optimize' your trip - but not to make your trip. You still have the classic 'whats the best way to tour the parks..' discussion... and you will have to plan out where you want to eat if you want a sit down meal... you just don't have to do it 180 days out More like a week or two is usually enough.

But trying to fit F!, WoC, Fireworks, 'where to be when', etc is just as involved as WDW.. and even a bit more if you try to fit multiples in one night. The biggest planning is what you expect 'classic' Disney planning to be about..

which shows do I want to see (limited times)
where do I want to eat...
what is the best time to visit attraction XYZ

This is why we're spending 5+ days between the 2 parks. No multiples to squish into a tight schedule. The only dining reservations I'll worry with are maybe Napa Rose or Blue Bayou although I think I've all but ruled out Blue Bayou. If we miss anything we'll just go back. Planning on buying APs. No desire whatsoever to visit WDW. No family cruises planned for next year. We should be good to go! I've been casually reading different reports and advice on what attractions to hit when. Also skimmed various online touring plans for informational purposes.

 

[englanddg]

This is why we're spending 5+ days between the 2 parks. No multiples to squish into a tight schedule. The only dining reservations I'll worry with are maybe Napa Rose or Blue Bayou although I think I've all but ruled out Blue Bayou. If we miss anything we'll just go back. Planning on buying APs. No desire whatsoever to visit WDW. No family cruises planned for next year. We should be good to go!

Do the park hoppers. It's worth it there...at WDW it's worth it merely for ADRs...there, it's a much better value since you can quite literally walk between the parks.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Do the park hoppers. It's worth it there...at WDW it's worth it merely for ADRs...there, it's a much better value since you can quite literally walk between the parks.

Think we're just gonna go for APs. You can't add days to the 5 day PHs anymore from what I've read. 5 days + 1 day isn't far from the price of an AP. There's discounts on food and things w/the AP so I'm thinking that's the way to go. Plus! We can plan to go back within the calendar year & really get our quarter's worth. Right????

 

[flynnibus]

Also skimmed various online touring plans for informational purposes.

I think buying the touringplans.com site is worth it just for the different perspective. It's so cheap its not even worth mentioning the cost.. you probably spend more on a coffee break.

I personally did not try to use any of their generated plans, but others rave.. I liked it for the crowd estimates and the lines app. (tho using the app in the park was still troublesome at the time due to poor cell strength for AT&T for me)

 

[flynnibus]

This is why we're spending 5+ days between the 2 parks. No multiples to squish into a tight schedule. The only dining reservations I'll worry with are maybe Napa Rose or Blue Bayou although I think I've all but ruled out Blue Bayou. If we miss anything we'll just go back.

We struggle making time for meals if we do the 'we'll just find something..' we end up waiting too late, can't find something decent and end up at CS again, etc.

One thing I would mention tho is.. don't defer on seeing F! or Fireworks. Fireworks especially get canceled frequently due to winds.. so plan to see them early in your trip in case of cancellations. WoC doesn't have the same issue.. and F! less worrisome for technical glitches.. but same.. you want to do F! early in your trip.

AP discounts for food and merch are much better in DLR.

 

[englanddg]

Think we're just gonna go for APs. You can't add days to the 5 day PHs anymore from what I've read. 5 days + 1 day isn't far from the price of an AP. There's discounts on food and things w/the AP so I'm thinking that's the way to go. Plus! We can plan to go back within the calendar year & really get our quarter's worth. Right????

Nomatter how you do it...and it really pains me to say this, but you'll understand...

The magic is still there.

Go and enjoy yourselves. You won't regret it!

 

[englanddg]

Oh, and if you can afford it, do the Disneyland Hotel. It's fantastic! If you stay elsewhere, still go check it out! The lobbies alone are worth the trip (outside of Adventure Tower, which is where I stayed)

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I think buying the touringplans.com site is worth it just for the different perspective. It's so cheap its not even worth mentioning the cost.. you probably spend more on a coffee break.

I personally did not try to use any of their generated plans, but others rave.. I liked it for the crowd estimates and the lines app. (tho using the app in the park was still troublesome at the time due to poor cell strength for AT&T for me)

Been subscribed to TP for years. Paid the bump-up for DLR when they released it... 2years ago??? Been a while....