hlwoodcock said:
Hi again TP2000. Thank you once again for the fantastic information!!!! That is the kind of stuff that is not the same if you get it from Barnes and Noble!...
In your opinion, can you give me a percentage on how much you think I will be able to see/do in 1 day at D.L./D.C.A.? I am sold on getting the park hopper and trying to do as much as possible but I am just curious to your opinion b/c you really seem like and expert on DL/DCA!
Thanks again!!!!
Gosh, I got caught up in the Christmas rush and didn't check back on this thread. Let's see, taking into account the recent developments with the crowds at Disneyland and the recent turnstile closings, etc., here's my advice to you. Ready?...
Hopefully you will be able to have a full day for both parks. On 12/22 Disneyland is open from 8am to Midnight, and DCA is open from 10am to 10pm. If you can get to Disneyland before 10am, I highly recommend it. Head in to Disneyland first thing, hopefully sometime between 8am and 10am. Grab a Fastpass for Space Mountain first, whatever you do. Your next Fastpass priority is getting one from Indiana Jones. If you've been able to get there early and the Indy Standby line is 25 minutes or less, go ahead and do Standby as the interior queue for Indy is one of Disney's best and there is plenty to keep you entertained in line. If you can get those two Fastpasses secured for Disneyland, you'll really be in good shape. And remember, they will ALWAYS take your Fastpass at any time after your hour window, but they'll never take it early. You can show up 6 hours late with your Fastpass, and they'll still let you use it. So once you've got a Fastpass for Space and Indy, just tuck them away and use them any time after the entry time arrives as it fits your schedule.
If it's still before 10am and you've got Space and Indy taken care of, head over to the west side of the Park and do the following; Haunted Mansion Holiday, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain and/or Jungle Cruise. I would really skip Splash Mountain; it's cold this time of year, it's about the only Disneyland E Tickets inferior to the WDW version, and it's a waste of Fastpass and your time with your limited schedule. You should walk back to Critter Country just to see it, and the wait for Winnie The Pooh is rarely more than 15 minutes. The Canoes are also back there, and they are open from 11am to dusk this time of year.
Now assuming it's 11am or so, it's time to head over to DCA as the crowds in Disneyland will be getting bigger by the minute. Here's where it gets tricky, as they've been closing the Disneyland turnstiles around 1pm for several days in the last week or two. When they close the turnstiles, they first block people with one day tickets from entering Disneyland, but they can also block out park hoppers and Annual Passholders if Disneyland gets super, super crowded. 12/22 may be one of those days, and you are just going to have to gamble that you can get back in to Disneyland later in the afternoon.
The goals for DCA are doing California Screamin' and walking the park to get the feel for it. Head directly back to Screamin' and see what the Standby line versus Fastpass return time is. If the line is more than 25 minutes, probably get a Fastpass. Soarin' Over California is identical at Epcot, with the exception of the exterior of the building and parts of the queue. Tower of Terror is noticeably different from WDW, and you might want to head over and do that on Standby while you wait for your Screamin' Fastpass. Tower rarely has more than a 30 minute Standby wait, so you probably don't need Fastpass. Other goals for DCA, aside from walking the park in one full circle, would be poking in to Disney Animation in Hollywood just to see the lobby and any of the shows that might interest you in there. Also, a breeze through Redwood Creek Challenge Trail and the Pacific Wharf area with the tortilla and sourdough bread factories (free samples!). It's Tough To Be a Bug and MuppetVision are WDW clones, but a stroll through Flik's Fun Fair would the worthwhile just to get the vibe and see the kiddy rides running.
My only other suggestions for DCA would be doing the Sun Wheel (outstanding views if the weather is clear, the stationary gondolas have the best views and often have a shorter wait by following the signs through the exit); and maybe seeing Golden Dreams if you are a history buff. Don't expect an American Adventure type show, it's just a film, but it's days are rumored to be numbered in it's current form and it might be worth it for Disney posterity.
Now this is when the gambling comes in. It will likely be mid afternoon by this point, and it's time for you to try and get back in to Disneyland. Hopefully the turnstiles will still be open for park hopper tickets, and they'll let you back in. If they have closed Disneyland to all types of tickets, you can do two things; head back to DCA, or walk the rest of the Resort. Disneyland Resort is similar in size and scope to Universal Orlando, with two parks, three hotels and an entertainment mall. You can walk through Downtown Disney directly adjacent to the Disneyland/DCA entrance and head towards the Disneyland Hotel. Walk the Disneyland Hotel grounds and take in it's unthemed, 1960's vibe with a bizarre late 20th century Disneyfied overlay to it, and then walk across the street and through the Grand Californian lobby and grounds. The Grand is more like the big WDW hotels. The Grand is also very nicely decorated for Christmas, and has a nice cocktail lounge adjacent to the Napa Rose Restaurant with a view into DCA and Grizzly River Run. Or you can explore DCA some more, wait for the 5:15pm Block Party Bash or try one of the later showings of Alladin in DCA's Hyperion Theater, which is about the best stage show Disney offers in North America.
But ultimately the goal is to get you back to Disneyland, and hopefully the crowd gods will be good to you on the 22nd. Realize they often only keep the turnstiles closed for a couple hours at a time, and then reopen them for a couple hours. It's something that just happens, and the CM's unfortunately don't have much info to offer as to when that will happen. But once you do get back in to Disneyland by early evening, there are a couple of priorities for you; the fireworks, Fantasmic!, and few more rides. There's the 7:45pm Christmas parade, but I wouldn't waste too much time trying to see that unless you really are a parade buff. During the 7:45pm parade, that's a good time to try a couple of the Fantasyland rides like Peter Pan (better than WDW's), Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (the only one left), Casey Jr. Circus Train (with a great view of the StorybookLand Canal Boat ride), and Matterhorn Bobsleds (the line starts on the Tomorrowland side of the mountain, and is short during the parade. Be sure you go on the "left" or Tomorrowland track, as it's the most thrilling). And of course there's Alice In Wonderland and Pinnochio, two dark rides that WDW doesn't have. Alice is better, but remember that all of these Fantasyland dark rides close for 90 minutes during fireworks time, from roughly 8:30pm until about 10:00pm. The evening is also a good time to go on Small World, as the lights are amazing and every 15 minutes it does it's usual clock show and an extra Chrismtas light show that is fantastic. Don't miss it!
Toontown closes at 8:30pm for the fireworks and doesn't reopen, so around 8:00pm when the parade is going is a good time to swoop in to a relatively empty Toontown and ride Roger Rabbit without having to worry about Fastpass.
After the parade, it's time to stake out a claim for the fireworks. You can either head to the top of Main Street near the Kodak store (my personal favorite), or try to score one of the last few areas up closer to the Castle. When the fireworks end around 9:45pm and the snow is done, head directly into Frontierland and towards the 10:30pm Fantasmic!. Walk past the "center stage" part of Tom Sawyer's Island, and towards the Haunted Mansion. As the riverbanks rise quickly in that area, it will be easy to find a place to stand in one of the designated areas. I like to be just slightly left of center stage, past Pirates of the Caribbean. Fantasmic! at Disneyland is simply wonderful, and without ruining the surprises it has much "grander" moments than it's WDW cousin.
After Fantasmic!, if you still have energy, you can catch anything you've missed like the Tiki Room or some of the Fantasyland dark rides. You could also take this time to ride the Disneyland Railroad around the park, do Buzz Lightyear, or head down and catch the 50th Anniversary show and exhibit in the Opera House on the way out of the park. Main Street will stay open until 1:00am for shopping.
