First Time This Winter

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TRIFORCE89

Member
Original Poster
Yeah, I'm aware of that. I've read it many times now. Busiest time of the year. Not just for tourists but for locals. Plus the added attention of Cars Land.

But it's a family vacation and with two of us in university, the holiday break between terms was what worked best.

It is a California vacation though, not just Disney. Me, being the biggest fan in the family was given the Disney part to plan (suddenly) - but on the days the rest of the family wanted because of how they were planning the rest of the trip. They said January 1st and 2nd originally and Downtown Disney on the 31st.

Now, we know about the Southern California CityPass which essentially grants a three-day park hopper (plus an extra hour on one of the days) for the price of two regular days. So, they've decided to give me the 31st to play with for the parks too. Ditching Downtown Disney.

I've been researching and thinking something along the lines of:
- 31st: Adventureland, New Orleans Square, Critter Country, Frontierland, Blue Bayou for dinner, Fantasmic!, Holiday fireworks, and New Year's Eve fireworks
- 1st: Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Christmas parade, and Toontown (really just Roger Rabbit, 'cause we like that movie). Napa Rose for dinner (shouldn't be the expensive set menu deal like on New Year's Eve then, right? Back to normal?)
- 2nd: Cram as much of DCA in as possible. Head to Cars Land first thing

Been deciding what are must dos for us, what are optional, what is unique and/or better compared to WDW (thanks to you guys and elsewhere). Been playing around with Touring Plans free app and trying different combinations of rides. I know it isn't exact (and there must be some benefit to the paid version I'm not aware of?) but it is useful at least for determining ride duration. Tried to fit in as much as I can with some breathing room in case something goes wrong. But, its the crowds and lines I'm worried about.

We'll get there prior to opening on the 1st and 2nd. Hoping to have a dinner reservation with the World of Colour combo set up too. But, the 31st is the worry. Like I said, we'll checking out from our hotel in LA that morning, probably picking up breakfast on our way to Anaheim and the park too. Heading right to the park, not bothering to check in to our hotel. We'll have our tickets already. We're hoping to be there by noon (ideally earlier, but we're accounting for possible traffic).

You said they could close up by "late morning". So... does that mean Noon is out of the question then? Maybe skip breakfast that day XD
 
croboy82

croboy82

Well-Known Member
If I remember right you can only make a reservation 30 days prior (or was it 60?! ooops). NY may be special.

I'm glad you decided to visit Anaheim but don't expect to do too much. I was there last August, it wasn't very busy, but still busy and we stayed there for 6 days and didn't see everything! Sure, we rode many rides several times but don't be fooled thinking you will ride Radiator Springs Racers only once. Just after you come off it you want to do it again.

And you are going in the busiest week of them all. A big tip: Use single rider lines. I often waited only 20 minutes instead of 2 hours. Sure it's great to ride it with your loved ones but if your time is limited I would use that.

Disneyland and California Adventure may not be big in space but the attractions are much closer to each other than in the other parks. Plus there are several shows too.
 
T

TRIFORCE89

Member
Original Poster
We've decided to increase our time at Disneyland further from 1.5 days (and 1 day DCA) to 2 days at Disneyland (and 1 day DCA).

I hope all this talk about crazy lines pans out. XD
 
Cosmic Commando

Cosmic Commando

Well-Known Member
TRIFORCE89 said:
We've decided to increase our time at Disneyland further from 1.5 days (and 1 day DCA) to 2 days at Disneyland (and 1 day DCA).

I hope all this talk about crazy lines pans out. XD
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Are you guys getting park hoppers? It's probably worth the money, IMO. You can hop back and forth between DL and DCA like Future World and World Showcase.
 
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thomas998

Well-Known Member
TRIFORCE89 said:
We've decided to increase our time at Disneyland further from 1.5 days (and 1 day DCA) to 2 days at Disneyland (and 1 day DCA).

I hope all this talk about crazy lines pans out. XD
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My only suggestion if you don't get the park hopper is to look at the days you are going to be there, if you plan on the World of Color then make sure it is going to be played the day you are at DCA, not sure when you going to be there exactly, but sometimes it is only Fri/Sat/Sun depending on the time of year... Also would stuggest if you are only doing 1 day at DCA that you make it a weekday if possible because then you might have slightly lower crowds than a weekend... and on the DCA day you need to make a choice if you get there at rope drop or early morning hours... do you want a fastpass to Radiator Racers or a good one to World of Color... you will have to make a choice and the reality is unless you are very close to the front of the Racers fastpass line you wont be able to then run to the World of Color fastpass line quickly enough to snap the best spots (World of Color has fastpasses that designate which area you can be in to watch the best places go quickly and the worst spots really do suck).... but if you go to the World of Color first you may find that the line for the fastpass at Racers later is so long that you wont want to stand in it or that they are gone by the time you get there... One option around that the problem is to get the world of color dining deal so you get a better spot to view from without having to have a fastpass.
 
Cosmic Commando

Cosmic Commando

Well-Known Member
thomas998 said:
My only suggestion if you don't get the park hopper is to look at the days you are going to be there, if you plan on the World of Color then make sure it is going to be played the day you are at DCA, not sure when you going to be there exactly, but sometimes it is only Fri/Sat/Sun depending on the time of year... Also would stuggest if you are only doing 1 day at DCA that you make it a weekday if possible because then you might have slightly lower crowds than a weekend... and on the DCA day you need to make a choice if you get there at rope drop or early morning hours... do you want a fastpass to Radiator Racers or a good one to World of Color... you will have to make a choice and the reality is unless you are very close to the front of the Racers fastpass line you wont be able to then run to the World of Color fastpass line quickly enough to snap the best spots (World of Color has fastpasses that designate which area you can be in to watch the best places go quickly and the worst spots really do suck).... but if you go to the World of Color first you may find that the line for the fastpass at Racers later is so long that you wont want to stand in it or that they are gone by the time you get there... One option around that the problem is to get the world of color dining deal so you get a better spot to view from without having to have a fastpass.
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I think WoC runs pretty much every night, unless there is a special event. It's a relatively cheap show to run, since there are no fireworks or live performers. Basically flip a switch and pay the extra crowd control CMs. Fantasmic and DL fireworks definitely run on a limited schedule depending on time of year, though.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but when I was at WoC last Friday, it seemed like everyone had their own section for the upper tiers, but the lower tier was open all the way across... maybe because of the water spray? I didn't spend a lot of time studying it, but I was in blue and I definitely could've stood dead center in the middle in the front.

I would absolutely get the Racers FP first thing in the morning over WoC. You will be able to get a Racers FP then a WoC FP, but maybe not the other way around. You could also ride RSR single rider with a bearable wait... the ride system is very favorable to single riders. Even if you get the "good" section for WoC, you still have to get there an hour early to be right up front. I got there at 7:02 for an 8 show, and there were probably already 50-100 people in my section of the viewing area!
 
Californian Elitist

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
The trick for World of Color is to see the second showing; there are less crowds and it's a lot easier to get a good spot. You can get a good spot without a Fastpass. You can stand off to the side, in the front. It's a great view, IMO, and the best part is you don't need a Fastpass and you don't get wet.
 
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thomas998

Well-Known Member
Cosmic Commando said:
I think WoC runs pretty much every night, unless there is a special event. It's a relatively cheap show to run, since there are no fireworks or live performers. Basically flip a switch and pay the extra crowd control CMs. Fantasmic and DL fireworks definitely run on a limited schedule depending on time of year, though.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but when I was at WoC last Friday, it seemed like everyone had their own section for the upper tiers, but the lower tier was open all the way across... maybe because of the water spray? I didn't spend a lot of time studying it, but I was in blue and I definitely could've stood dead center in the middle in the front.

I would absolutely get the Racers FP first thing in the morning over WoC. You will be able to get a Racers FP then a WoC FP, but maybe not the other way around. You could also ride RSR single rider with a bearable wait... the ride system is very favorable to single riders. Even if you get the "good" section for WoC, you still have to get there an hour early to be right up front. I got there at 7:02 for an 8 show, and there were probably already 50-100 people in my section of the viewing area!
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With the exception of Thanksgiving week they are currently on the Fri/Sat/Sun schedule... In December they don't start the everyday schedule until Dec 14.... Not sure when they will go back in January but they will at some point... Since the OP only said something in Dec or Jan they really should verify that it will be on when they are there. January calendar isn't out yet so no way to know when it will go back to the limited schedule.
 
Cosmic Commando

Cosmic Commando

Well-Known Member
thomas998 said:
With the exception of Thanksgiving week they are currently on the Fri/Sat/Sun schedule... In December they don't start the everyday schedule until Dec 14.... Not sure when they will go back in January but they will at some point... Since the OP only said something in Dec or Jan they really should verify that it will be on when they are there. January calendar isn't out yet so no way to know when it will go back to the limited schedule.
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Fireworks and Fantasmic run like that, but WoC runs every night.
 
T

TRIFORCE89

Member
Original Poster
Wow, this just exploded with tips. Thanks.

Yup, we're doing Park Hoppers. We're sticking with the way we had it planned out for 1.5 days at Disneyland. But now with the extra half-day, if we have extra time at night on the second day we plan to head to DCA and get a jump on that. Should be helpful.

Am slightly concerned though about World of Color. I'm hoping it is every night, but... the official calendar hasn't been updated to cover that date yet. And TouringPlans does show it as happening that night (but it also doesn't show New Year's Eve fireworks at DL, so I guess it isn't super reliable).

If anyone wants to evaluate what we're thinking at a high level...

Sunday, December 30th - Arriving at Disneyland Resort at some point that day. Will hang around Downtown Disney that night.

Monday, December 31st - Disneyland! Adventureland, New Orleans Square, Frontierland, and Critter Country. Christmas fireworks, Fantasmic!, New Year's Eve fireworks. Dinner at Blue Bayou.

Tuesday, January 1st - Disneyland again. Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Toon Town. Christmas parade. Possibly heading to DCA in the evening. If we do, not sure what land to get out of the way. Maybe Hollywoodland because Tower of Terror fits at night?

Wednesday, January 2nd - DCA. Um, as much as we can do. Do want to see Aladdin and World of Colour. Dinner at Wine Country Trattoria. Although we don't really want to do the WoC Dining Package, since we don't want the set menu. Better to head to Carsland first thing in the morning or grab a WoC FP?

Our personal itinerary goes into more detail than that. An actual order for the attractions for starters, FastPasses to hit, etc. TouringPlans was helpful to develop an estimate. But... yeah, that's the general breakdown we're thinking of for which land on which day.
 
T

TRIFORCE89

Member
Original Poster
thomas998 said:
No, during low periods it is only 1 showing, usually mon-thrusday. 2 showings the other days.
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Okay. Well, everyone's been telling me when I'm going is the busy season. So, maybe there will two. Is there another source besides the official site's calendar that I can use? Or should I just wait until they post the schedule?
 
Cosmic Commando

Cosmic Commando

Well-Known Member
TRIFORCE89 said:
Okay. Well, everyone's been telling me when I'm going is the busy season. So, maybe there will two. Is there another source besides the official site's calendar that I can use? Or should I just wait until they post the schedule?
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Fantasmic will have at least two showings a night every night you're there I'd bet. WoC will have 2/3 shows per night. One trend that I remember Al Lutz talking about... I remember this about the 4th of July fireworks, but don't know if it specifically applies to New Year's as well. If Disney promotes that they are having multiple nights of "New Year's" fireworks to alleviate some crowding on the 31st, it will likely be the full show on that actual day and a shortened show whatever other days they do it. This has been the pattern for the 4th of July.
 
T

TRIFORCE89

Member
Original Poster
I know this a bit old now, but I just want to say thanks to all those who offered tips and advice.

It went well. Saw everything we wanted to see. Did a few things multiple times. New Year's Eve. was packed in terms of crowds but lines were pretty good and fast-moving. Used FastPasses to our advantage as well. The other two days felt "normal" and only New Orleans Square looked scary crowded all three days.

Also did single rider for Radiator Springs Racer. Avoided a two hour line and got on in 20 minutes.

Was great. Thanks!
 

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