Guide to DLR for WDW Veterans!

[tcool123]

Some questions on how lighting lane and Genie+ work.

Are you able to hold a Premium Lighting Lane ala Spiderman or Radiator Springs and a regular Genie+ one at the same time?

How much time after booking a Genie+ Lighting Lane do you have to wait until your next one? Do you have to use the lighting lane first and then book a new or wait a while and book another?

 

[PiratesMansion]

We're probably going to try and rope drop RSR on day 1 and Space Mountain on day 2.

Anyone know the most likely rides that will run out of genie+ by the afternoon?

Space and Indy will go first at DL, probably Guardians at DCA.

How much time after booking a Genie+ Lighting Lane do you have to wait until your next one? Do you have to use the lighting lane first and then book a new or wait a while and book another?

Not sure about the previous questions, but you can get a new booking either 1) once you use an existing lightning lane, or 2) it has been two hours, whichever has come first.

You do not have to use a lightning lane to be able to book another, though it is good practice to try to book another one as soon as possible after scanning in to an attraction.

 

[tanc]

Do you think the inevitable cutbacks they have done are not as bad in Disneyland compared to WDW? Do you think a trip in October would be worth it for someone who has never been to Disneyland? I would like to see the Haunted Mansion overlay and Oogie Bash.

Also regarding park reservations, how soon do you reserve? Or is there less to worry about in regards to capacity?

 

[PiratesMansion]

Do you think the inevitable cutbacks they have done are not as bad in Disneyland compared to WDW? Do you think a trip in October would be worth it for someone who has never been to Disneyland? I would like to see the Haunted Mansion overlay and Oogie Bash.

Also regarding park reservations, how soon do you reserve? Or is there less to worry about in regards to capacity?

In terms of cutbacks, who can really say? Historically, Disneyland has 'cut less' than WDW but you never really know if that will change. If you want to go to Disneyland I wouldn't worry about this too much because the level of maintenance/cutbacks happening at any given moment is not something that is going to be predictable.

If you want to do Oogie Bash and Haunted Mansion Holiday, October sounds solid. Be prepared for crowds, but really, that's true of just about any time now.

There is a limit as to how far out you can make park reservations. I don't recall the precise amount of time it needs to be before your visit before you make reservations, but if you buy tickets "too far in advance" of your visit (according to Disney's computer program), you may be required to make dummy reservations in order to complete your ticket purchase. This is somewhat tedious, dumb, and annoying, but if you need to do it, just choose random dates as far from the day you are buying your tickets as you can. Then you can easily change them to match your actual plans once you're inside whatever window Disney deems is 'close enough' for you to make park reservations for your desired dates.

As long as you're making your park reservations in a timely manner (ex. more than a few weeks/days out) you should be fine. If you already know what days you're going, you know when you want to start in each park, and you're within your window, you have no reason to wait on reservations. Assume you'll want to start your day at DL more than DCA and go from there. Personally I would start at DL the first day, start at DCA the next and then probably start at DL for any remaining days, unless the timing of Oogie Bash would make it better to change some of your days around.

 

[Purduevian]

Not really a question. Just excited to share. Just booked my first ever trip to DLR. 2 nights at the grand california and a 2 day park hopper ticket with G+.
Day 1 starting at DCA, have a dinner reservation at River Belle Terrace and going to request Dinning package. Planning to see F!, Disneyland forever (from the ROA after F!), and MSEP.
Day 2 starting at DL with no other plans. Can stay as long as we want, but have to drive to an LAX airport that night for an early flight out for the rest of the vacation.

Just excited I finally have it all booked today! Hoping Blue Bayou opens up and I can switch my River Belle to that.
Probably going to pay the ILL for RsR and Webslingers.

So slight change of plans... my wife just found out she is pregnant! She will be approximately 6 and a half weeks when we are at Disneyland, and I just wanted to reach out to the forum and make sure I am thinking about rides properly.

100% should not do:
Big Thunder
Goofy Sky School
Guardians of the Galaxy
Incredicoaster
Hyperspace Mountain
Matterhorn

I'm not sure about:
Grizzly River Run
Indiana Jones
Luigi's
Maters
Millennium Flacon
Pal-A-Round Swinging
RSR
Splash Mountain
Star Tours
RotR

Think We are ok
Autopia
Davy Crockett
Mad Tea Party

No worries:
Everything else?

 

[Communicora]

So slight change of plans... my wife just found out she is pregnant! She will be approximately 6 and a half weeks when we are at Disneyland, and I just wanted to reach out to the forum and make sure I am thinking about rides properly.

100% should not do:
Big Thunder
Goofy Sky School
Guardians of the Galaxy
Incredicoaster
Hyperspace Mountain
Matterhorn

I'm not sure about:
Grizzly River Run
Indiana Jones
Luigi's
Maters
Millennium Flacon
Pal-A-Round Swinging
RSR
Splash Mountain
Star Tours
RotR

Think We are ok
Autopia
Davy Crockett
Mad Tea Party

No worries:
Everything else?

Congratulations!

This article might be helpful

Visiting Disneyland While Pregnant + Disney Maternity Photo Tips

Read my ultimate guide to Disneyland while pregnant including best rides, Disney pregnancy announcement tips, and the truth about the Disney pregnancy pass.

www.marcieinmommyland.com

 

[Hawkeye_2018]

Recently got back from my first visit to DL. My thoughts:

Fist day was DCA.

Really reminds me of Hollywood Studios.
Guardians > ToT and Slinky Dog > Incredicoaster
We all enjoyed Webslingers and Monsters Inc way more than expected given some of the criticism we have seen online.
RSR was a little disappointing, we thought the speed portion was far too brief.
AC felt incomplete, but the area had a great energy to it.
Had some great food at Lamplight and Pyms

DL is obviously very similar to MK.
I enjoyed the little differences to the shared rides. Hyperspace Mnt was a nice twist on a classic. Matterhorn is awful and just beats the hell out of you. Indiana Jones is really something special that FL is missing out on. It was fun doing Mr Toad again. It's lame you can't get a drink anywhere but Olgas. I missed walking around GE with a drink in hand. We were able to do every attraction we wanted to thanks for Genie+.

My wife's criticism was she didn't find the parks as clean as FL. And didn't see as many characters as in FL either.

IMO, the absolute best thing about DL and DCA is how easy it is to get to and from the parks. Never had a problem getting an uber. The drives were quick and easy. Never had to wait in a long transportation line either. That was SO nice.

Anyway, it was a great trip and experience.

 

[Purduevian]

Is this a valid G+ early morning strategy?

Step 1, find a ride with a close lightning lane time that is currently closed

Step2. Book that ride as fast as possible

Step 3. If the ride does not come up by the time your LL starts you get a "free" multiple experiences pass

Step 4. If the ride does come up, cancel it because lines are short right now and so you can book it again later



For instance at Goofy didn't open until 8:50 this morning.

Seems like I could pick a ride as soon as I get in the park that seems to have delayed openings (Splash and Goofy seem down a lot). If it opens, cancel, If not keep booking and stacking multiple experience passes?

 

[Purduevian]

Thanks to everyone on this thread for recommendations and answering questions. I just returned from the trip and had an awesome time at Disneyland! Some quick thoughts:
-Grand Californian is spectacular! using the private entrance to DCA to rope drop was super easy and awesome
-Guardians>ToT. What an awesome ride
-Indy was way wilder than I thought it would be, we disappointed a lot of the side passages were pitch black though. Felt like maybe something was broken?
-Hyperspace mountain was awesome!
-Park felt bigger than I was expecting, but the castle was exactly what I was expecting
-The fantasyland dark rides load so slowly it was frustrating. I understand the history of them, but man those lines don't move
-I missed the old school hitch hiking ghost effect
-I prefer WDW fantasmic, but I can see the argument either way
-Hungry Bear dinning package was 100% worth it. I showed up at 8:40pm and got an amazing seat!

Ride Ranks:

	S	A	B	C
Disneyland	Indy, (Hyper)Space mountain,	Alice, Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion,	Railroad, Pooh, Matterhorn, Falcon, Enchanted Wish, Splash, Star Tours, Tale of the Lion King	Buzz Lightyear, Small World, Mr. Toad, Pinocchio, Mad Tea Party
California Adventure	Guardians, RsR	Incredicoaster	Grizzly, TSMM, Soarin, Webslingers	Mermaid, Monsters Inc, Luigi

Did not get to ride:
Pirates (closed), Astro, Autopia, Casey Jr., Davy Crockett, Monorail, Dumbo, Gadgets go (closed), any pier flat rides, Goofys, Jungle Cruise, Carousel, Mater, Mark Twain, Peter Pan, Pal-A-Round, Roger Rabbit (closed), Columbia, RotR(ridden before in FL), Storybookland, Tiki Room, Nemo (closed)

In 2 days I used LL for Thunder (x2), Buzz, Haunted Mansion, Indy, small world, Falcon, Hyperspace(x2), Splash, Star tours, Grizzly, Guardians (x2), Incredicoaster, Monster's inc. , and Soarin.
I also bought webslingers and felt it was not worth $18 a person.

 

[SaucyBoy]

Such a great thread! My husband is dying to take me to LA next summer but I told him we aren’t going unless we can squeeze a trip to DL in the mix. I’ve been a WDW boy since I was 4 (30 now) and I’ve been wanting to visiting the OG park for a while. Lots of great tips and tricks, thanks everyone for sharing!!

 

[Next Big Thing]

Hey! So i've got an upcoming trip to DL over Labor Day Weekend with a DVC stay at GCV. I've been to DLR three times before, most recently in 2017, but I don't tend to keep up with everything that goes on at DLR as someone who lives near WDW. Is Genie+ different? We planned to buy it for one of the three days of the trip, is that worth it or could we do an enjoyable trip during that time without Genie+?

Also, is there anything specifically I should know to make for a better trip? Lastly, is a day at Universal or Knott's worth it? I've been deciding on if I should do a day there or not. I haven't been since early 2013 and rest of my party has never been.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Hey! So i've got an upcoming trip to DL over Labor Day Weekend with a DVC stay at GCV. I've been to DLR three times before, most recently in 2017, but I don't tend to keep up with everything that goes on at DLR as someone who lives near WDW. Is Genie+ different? We planned to buy it for one of the three days of the trip, is that worth it or could we do an enjoyable trip during that time without Genie+?

Also, is there anything specifically I should know to make for a better trip? Lastly, is a day at Universal or Knott's worth it? I've been deciding on if I should do a day there or not. I haven't been since early 2013 and rest of my party has never been.

Yes, Genie+ is different. Most of it is similar to FP/MaxPass, but the main difference is that you only get one ride per attraction, and instead of going to a FastPass or Genie+ return, you enter through the lightning lane. The high demand rides (Rise of the Resistance, Spider-Man, RSR) are priced separately and not included with the other attractions; these are called individual lightning lane and are purchased a la carte. You can only purchase two of these three rides on the same day, and again no repeats.

I'd probably get it Genie+. It sounds like Genie has had a bigger effect on the standby lines vs. FP/MP.

How many days are you going and what kind of tickets are you planning to purchase (ex. are you getting hopper tickets)?

Here are my thoughts on Universal and Knott's, but it would help to know a little more about your group (age range, interests, etc) to make more definitive recommendations.

Since 2013 Universal has changed a fair amount. Most notably, they've added the Hogsmeade area of Harry Potter (the older part of what's in Florida). Additionally, they've built the Despicable Me motion simulator and the super silly fun land, the Secret Life of Pets ride, and Jurassic Park has become Jurassic World. Shrek 4D has been replaced with a Kung Fu Panda attraction. Fast and the Furious was added to the studio tour (not an upgrade). Whether or not Universal is worth it probably depends on your group's attitude towards Universal's brand of attractions and their willingness to drive out to Universal City, which could take awhile if you're staying by Disneyland.

By contrast, Knott's is just five minutes down the road and is considerably more convenient if you're not going to be moving hotels from the DLR area. I think Knott's has considerably improved its overall feel and atmosphere in that time, and both the Mine and Log rides are in great shape. Hangtime is a great thrill ride and far superior to Boomerang. Note that both Montezuma's Revenge and Xcelerator are down for the foreseeable future. Ghost Town remains great, and now that they've fixed it GhostRider is one of the best wooden coasters in the country. There's a reasonable amount of entertainment going on. That said, quite a lot of Knott's outside of Ghost Town could be seen as a nice and clean but barely disguised Six Flags, so the viability of Knott's may hinge on your group's feelings on that.

 

[Next Big Thing]

Yes, Genie+ is different. Most of it is similar to FP/MaxPass, but the main difference is that you only get one ride per attraction, and instead of going to a FastPass or Genie+ return, you enter through the lightning lane. The high demand rides (Rise of the Resistance, Spider-Man, RSR) are priced separately and not included with the other attractions; these are called individual lightning lane and are purchased a la carte. You can only purchase two of these three rides on the same day, and again no repeats.

I'd probably get it Genie+. It sounds like Genie has had a bigger effect on the standby lines vs. FP/MP.

How many days are you going and what kind of tickets are you planning to purchase (ex. are you getting hopper tickets)?

Here are my thoughts on Universal and Knott's, but it would help to know a little more about your group (age range, interests, etc) to make more definitive recommendations.

Since 2013 Universal has changed a fair amount. Most notably, they've added the Hogsmeade area of Harry Potter (the older part of what's in Florida). Additionally, they've built the Despicable Me motion simulator and the super silly fun land, the Secret Life of Pets ride, and Jurassic Park has become Jurassic World. Shrek 4D has been replaced with a Kung Fu Panda attraction. Fast and the Furious was added to the studio tour (not an upgrade). Whether or not Universal is worth it probably depends on your group's attitude towards Universal's brand of attractions and their willingness to drive out to Universal City, which could take awhile if you're staying by Disneyland.

By contrast, Knott's is just five minutes down the road and is considerably more convenient if you're not going to be moving hotels from the DLR area. I think Knott's has considerably improved its overall feel and atmosphere in that time, and both the Mine and Log rides are in great shape. Hangtime is a great thrill ride and far superior to Boomerang. Note that both Montezuma's Revenge and Xcelerator are down for the foreseeable future. Ghost Town remains great, and now that they've fixed it GhostRider is one of the best wooden coasters in the country. There's a reasonable amount of entertainment going on. That said, quite a lot of Knott's outside of Ghost Town could be seen as a nice and clean but barely disguised Six Flags, so the viability of Knott's may hinge on your group's feelings on that.

We're still finalizing exactly how many days we're going to purchase for DL (we're deciding if we're going to go to the park on arrival day or not), but it's most likely going to be 3 with park hoppers. The group consists of a family of 4 with the oldest being 52 and the youngest being almost 15 by the time thee trip comes around.

We're a "Disney family" I guess you could say, having all grown up going to WDW and now living nearby, but we also go to Universal quite a bit and i've been to Knott's and quite a few Six Flags' as well, so thrill is no issue with us. We were thinking more Knotts than Universal as most of what's at Universal we can find at UOR whereas Knotts is something a bit more unique even though as you point out it's sort of a Six Flags in disguise. I believe the last time I was there was 2016.

 

[truecoat]

We're still finalizing exactly how many days we're going to purchase for DL (we're deciding if we're going to go to the park on arrival day or not), but it's most likely going to be 3 with park hoppers. The group consists of a family of 4 with the oldest being 52 and the youngest being almost 15 by the time thee trip comes around.

We're a "Disney family" I guess you could say, having all grown up going to WDW and now living nearby, but we also go to Universal quite a bit and i've been to Knott's and quite a few Six Flags' as well, so thrill is no issue with us. We were thinking more Knotts than Universal as most of what's at Universal we can find at UOR whereas Knotts is something a bit more unique even though as you point out it's sort of a Six Flags in disguise. I believe the last time I was there was 2016.

The one big difference at Universal Hollywood is the backlot tour. You get to where they film tv and movies if that interests you.

 

[WDWBigEd]

Good Morning All!

I've been trying to go back in this threads to get some ideas and have seen a lot of great ideas. I need some more help ( and sorry if I have missed you already talking about it). We are taking our first Disneyland trip this Monday. 5 days for both parks and staying onsite at Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel. Party of 4 adults.

I'm open to all advise, but I have come looking for advise on how to get from the airport to our Disneyland hotel and from the hotel to the airport again.

Coming in we are flying Monday into SNA
Friday Night (Late) we are flying out of LAX

I wasn't sure if rideshare is the best and more affordable option of if someone knew of others.

 

[MichRX7]

@GiveMeTheMusic thank you for this thread. So many good ideas and reviews of trips.

 

[ianmack]

Big Disneyworld guy here and planning first Disneyland vacation in September. What’s up with the limit of 2 adult beverages at the restaurants and at the World of Color party? Not that I want to get plastered but really? Can the West coast people can’t handle more than two beers?

 

[@gentperry]

We could use a locals insight...

We're making our third trip to Disneyland the week of Labor Day. We'll focus on the parks Tuesday (DL), Wednesday (DCA), and Thursday (DL), but curious about the crowds on Monday night. Will they calm down since people have to go back to work or school in the morning?

DCA closes at 9pm on Labor Day. There are two showings of World of Color that evening, 9:00 and 10:15. Is that unusual to have WOC showing over an hour after park closing? I assume the rides will be closed but shops will be open between 9:00 and 10:15?

Thank you for your insight.

 

[prberk]

We could use a locals insight...

We're making our third trip to Disneyland the week of Labor Day. We'll focus on the parks Tuesday (DL), Wednesday (DCA), and Thursday (DL), but curious about the crowds on Monday night. Will they calm down since people have to go back to work or school in the morning?

DCA closes at 9pm on Labor Day. There are two showings of World of Color that evening, 9:00 and 10:15. Is that unusual to have WOC showing over an hour after park closing? I assume the rides will be closed but shops will be open between 9:00 and 10:15?

Thank you for your insight.

Don't forget that D23 is Sept. 9-11, with all of the biggest Disney fans in attendance. I have already noticed that Saturday, September 11, is already sold out at both parks. (It is also an Ooogie Boogie night in DCA and the first night of Halloween fireworks at DL.)

So, the normal attendance models may not apply.

 

[vikescaper]

Are there any decent pizza places in the Disneyland area? I will have a rental car for the first part of my trip but will be dropping it off once I get to the Disneyland area.