EMH + Hopper = both parks in a day?

[BostonJP]

As a background, I am staying at Disneyland in mid-September with just my 8 year and 4 year old. One is still under 42" and the other is afraid of roller coasters and drops and this limits the rides we're able to ride. As such I was planning on going to Disneyland Park on Monday the 14th, and saving California Adventure until they're a bit older.

However CA has an extra magic hour on Mondays. There are a few attractions at CA that I'd like to check out (and I might try to talk the kids into riding the Cars ride!).

Given that we don't expect either park to be very crowded on that Monday and can't ride any of the "big kid" thrill rides like any of the Mountains, is is possible to hit both parks in a day?

 

[Hakunamatata]

As a background, I am staying at Disneyland in mid-September with just my 8 year and 4 year old. One is still under 42" and the other is afraid of roller coasters and drops and this limits the rides we're able to ride. As such I was planning on going to Disneyland Park on Monday the 14th, and saving California Adventure until they're a bit older.

However CA has an extra magic hour on Mondays. There are a few attractions at CA that I'd like to check out (and I might try to talk the kids into riding the Cars ride!).

Given that we don't expect either park to be very crowded on that Monday and can't ride any of the "big kid" thrill rides like any of the Mountains, is is possible to hit both parks in a day?

You could do both, but Disneyland has quite a few more rides that your kids would likely like compared to MK.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Since you're limited, you probably will be able to hit the attractions on your list.

 

[BostonJP]

Thanks for the quick feedback! I understand that Disneyland has more rides than MK which had me concerned that it wouldn't be possible. I would just need to decide now if I want to spend the extra money on the upgrade....

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I feel like EMH at DCA allows you to do like everything there in conjunction with the first couple hours of normal park operation. Usually, everyone goes to Cars Land or RSR Fastpass and everything else is empty. DL is always more crowded and it does stink to lose those early morning hours there, however. But if you plan on being there all day, you'll still be able to do a lot at DL.

 

[TP2000]

Not sure which attractions in DCA you are interested in, but realize that the two parks are pushed up against each other and are extremely walkable. And in those two parks you have just as many attractions and major entertainment as in all four WDW parks combined. Although, on a weekday in September you won't have fireworks or Fantasmic! since the parks close at 8pm. There will be a World of Color show, a couple afternoon parades, and one Paint The Night parade.

This visual always seems to help East Coasters get the scale of the Disneyland Resort, especially when they realize how many rides, attractions and major entertainment spectaculars, plus a couple hotels and Downtown Disney, are crammed into the same space as EPCOT.

If you want to get a Fastpass for Radiator Springs Racers, and see World of Color instead of Paint The Night, a park hopper for DCA would seem to be a viable option.

 

[choco choco]

I wrote this three years ago. Still hasn't changed.

There is no need to allocate days between the two parks. They are right next to each other. Often times, you can have a partner wait in line for a churro on Main Street, hop out of Disneyland, hop into DCA, walk around, grab fastpasses at your favorite ride, hop out of DCA, hop back into Disneyland and be back to your group before they even get the darn dessert.

It's best to think of the whole thing as one giant park (combined, the two are smaller than Epcot). The smart people get sets of fastpasses for both parks, then travel freely between them however they like.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I wrote this three years ago. Still hasn't changed.

I disagree, one cannot get everything done in a day, and it does require a few days.

 

[WWWD]

As a background, I am staying at Disneyland in mid-September with just my 8 year and 4 year old. One is still under 42" and the other is afraid of roller coasters and drops and this limits the rides we're able to ride. As such I was planning on going to Disneyland Park on Monday the 14th, and saving California Adventure until they're a bit older.

However CA has an extra magic hour on Mondays. There are a few attractions at CA that I'd like to check out (and I might try to talk the kids into riding the Cars ride!).

Given that we don't expect either park to be very crowded on that Monday and can't ride any of the "big kid" thrill rides like any of the Mountains, is is possible to hit both parks in a day?

If your kids like Cars, then take them to Cars Land. It is absolutely amazing what the Imagineers accomplished there. A must see. The parks are only about a football field apart, so it is very easy to go back and forth. Also, you can get fast passes in both parks and not all popular rides in Disneyland do fast passes - Peter Pan. We spent 4 days in the parks the past week due to the crowds this time of year, hopefully you will have lighter crowds.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

As a background, I am staying at Disneyland in mid-September with just my 8 year and 4 year old. One is still under 42" and the other is afraid of roller coasters and drops and this limits the rides we're able to ride. As such I was planning on going to Disneyland Park on Monday the 14th, and saving California Adventure until they're a bit older.

However CA has an extra magic hour on Mondays. There are a few attractions at CA that I'd like to check out (and I might try to talk the kids into riding the Cars ride!).

Given that we don't expect either park to be very crowded on that Monday and can't ride any of the "big kid" thrill rides like any of the Mountains, is is possible to hit both parks in a day?

You should absolutely start your day in DCA for early entry and go on Radiator Springs Racers. Hit anything else you want to in DCA - maybe Toy Story Midway Mania, Monsters Inc and/or Soarin' - and then head to DL for the rest of the day.

 

[BostonJP]

That Epcot comparison does provide a really interesting perspective!! I am not as concerned about park size as the number of attractions - Animal Kingdom is enormous but you can still see it all in a day.

Based on these responses I am fairly certain I'm going for it. I just need to convince the kids that the fast part of Radiator Springs Racers isn't that fast/scary!

On an unrelated note, how vigilant are CMs about enforcing height restrictions? The 4 year old is 40 inches exactly and Grizzly River Run says it requires 42", but we watched a YouTube video in which a clearly younger child is riding the ride.

 

[Californian Elitist]

That Epcot comparison does provide a really interesting perspective!! I am not as concerned about park size as the number of attractions - Animal Kingdom is enormous but you can still see it all in a day.

Based on these responses I am fairly certain I'm going for it. I just need to convince the kids that the fast part of Radiator Springs Racers isn't that fast/scary!

On an unrelated note, how vigilant are CMs about enforcing height restrictions? The 4 year old is 40 inches exactly and Grizzly River Run says it requires 42", but we watched a YouTube video in which a clearly younger child is riding the ride.

The CMs are not that strict. Just in case, make sure your child wears shoes with a little extra material at the bottom to boost up their height a bit.