WDW pro going to DL for first time!

[KrazyKat]

Well, I've been going to Disney World since 1988 and have been there over 30 times. The family and I are taking our first trip to Disneyland this weekend. Really looking forward to riding POTC and Indy at DL and Carsland over at DCA the most.

Any suggestions on how to do the parks that might be different then WDW?

 

[Monty]

Make sure to do Space Mountain! It's an entirely different ride in Cali. You'll find the old school FP system a nice throw-back to the "good old days".

I'm very random in the parks on both coasts, so not much to offer there. Dining reservations are a lot different in DL, you can't book as early, but there are advantages to booking certain restaurants, Blue Bayou in particular, at least a few days in advance. You can book 60 days in advance, but for the most part a few days is fine.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/

 

[phrog]

Spend the money on the lanyard to put your ticket and fast passes in. I think we spent a good hour of our trip waiting for the fiance to dig them out of his wallet each time we needed them. Use a runner to get fast passes and make sure to do cars early and often they ran out of fast passes by about 2pm the day we were there. Be prepared for the hike to get to and from Indy. Make sure to check out bug's land. I found my new favorite ride there, the ladybug one. Make sure to get a bug with the sliding door not the flip in one and then sit as close as possible to the door to make it spin faster.

 

[Cendure]

I second Monty's opinion on Blue Bayou. That's one restaurant that you need to book early. It's inside Pirates so is quite popular. We were there last December and they were turning people away or telling them to come back in 2 - 3 hours. If you want to sit beside the water, book lunch for 11:30. A cast member explained that the 11:30 bookings get the tables by the water and then they seat back from there. Later reservations, it's hit or miss whether you get a water table or not. Get a FP for Space Mountain. Also Big Thunder is great. It was down for a year and they installed all new track etc. so it's really smooth and fast. Be aware there's a lot less fast pass attractions than at WDW, but lines move fast. If you can, get a FP for Cars, but when we were there, there were more people waiting in line to get a FP than there were in the actual line for the attraction so we skipped the FP and just hopped in line. If you want to see World of Colour at California Adventure, you can either do a dinner package or get a fastpass for it. World of Colour fastpasses are colour coded so you know what section you'll be standing in and can be held at the same time as any other fastpass. For the best locations get a fastpass early in the day for World of Colour. If you're into princess dining in the parks, California Adventure has Ariel's Grotto. That's another one I would book as soon as I could. We found DLR to be a much more relaxed experience than WDW has become.

 

[JediMasterMatt]

Any suggestions on how to do the parks that might be different then WDW?

If you've been going to WDW since 1988, you can probably remember what Disney Parks quality use to be like. You will get a refresher in Anaheim. So, this trip will serve as a step back in time.

The best advice I can give about visiting DLR for anyone "conditioned" to what WDW has become, is to clear your mind and remember what Disney Magic use to be (unpredictable, fun, high quality, etc.) and not what it has become (planned, calculated, limited, etc.).

The less you plan at DLR, the more magical your time can be.

All that you should plan around is - where to start your day and where you want to be at the end of the day and what Nightime Spectaculars you want to catch at the end. A bit of planning around the start and finish will allow you to maximize your day potentially with things like FastPasses or dinning for the Spectaculars.

Everything in the middle... don't plan a thing and then just let the day unfold and you will find magic around every corner. Characters in the streets and not behind a wall with a queue, bands performing in different sections of the parks, vehicles out all day long on Main Street, and actual rides in every nook and cranny.

Don't worry about which FP you need to rush to get next as you'll likely find plenty of distraction between each FP you get. Radiator Springs Racers is one that you do need to decide if you are going to get a FP first thing when the gates open, ride single rider later in the day or just jump into stand-by. Beyond that, there really aren't many FP choices you can make at DLR that will put you behind the curve.

While you are in the parks, pay special attention to the much more consistently high degree of "show" quality in the attractions themselves. Most everything will be in working condition and not covered in dust and grime. Audio and lighting will be consistently good.

You may lament that the Rivers of America won't be it's normal bustling with kinetic motion; but, otherwise - the Diamond will be shining for you.

At the end of it all, you will be surprised how much has been lost at WDW with its spreadsheets and meticulous planning that is required before you arrive and then the constant watching of the clock to make sure the best laid plans don't go to waste.

 

[Phroobar]

There are information booths setup in various locations in both parks. If you are traveling with a disabled person, you can inquire there for a disabled fast pass. The cast member will judge whether that person can stand in the regular line or offer other alternatives. They can schedule a virtual fast pass for you. At the proper time, the attraction CMs will scan your ticket and allow you in the fast pass line and then redirect you to the disabled entrance. However, it is up to the info booth CM to decide to give out this virtual fast pass or not. They can deny it.

My son has a mild case of CP so we use it occasionally for RSR. Some CMs will deny him this fast pass not understanding his phyiscal limitations. Others will do it no problem.

 

[KrazyKat]

There are information booths setup in various locations in both parks. If you are traveling with a disabled person, you can inquire there for a disabled fast pass. The cast member will judge whether that person can stand in the regular line or offer other alternatives. They can schedule a virtual fast pass for you. At the proper time, the attraction CMs will scan your ticket and allow you in the fast pass line and then redirect you to the disabled entrance. However, it is up to the info booth CM to decide to give out this virtual fast pass or not. They can deny it.

My son has a mild case of CP so we use it occasionally for RSR. Some CMs will deny him this fast pass not understanding his phyiscal limitations. Others will do it no problem.

Thanks for this info. Our son also had a mild case of CP and can't stand up for long periods of time.

 

[Phroobar]

Thanks for this info. Our son also had a mild case of CP and can't stand up for long periods of time.

I've had them deny it and told to rent a wheel chair. I'd wait five minutes and find a different CM and it was taken care of. It's not worth fighting them about it.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Check out our ongoing guide thread here for tips as well:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/guide-to-dlr-for-wdw-veterans.875596/

 

[RMichael21]

Also, get a park hopper. Unlike WDW where park hopping takes an hour or so (or maybe less, I'm not sure), the two parks are a few hundred yards from each other. It's extremely helpful to have!

 

[Rich T]

In addition to all the other great suggestions, be sure to check out as much of Fantasyland as you can; especially Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Alice in Wonderland. The several Single Rider Lines in both parks are your friends. If you don't mind your group not sitting in the same vehicle all the time, they are the parks' biggest time savers.

 

[KikoKea]

Our first trip to DL was a year and a half ago, after years of WDW, and we very much enjoyed it. I agree with the above advice and would further suggest you familiarize yourself with a map of the park before going. We got turned around a few times, making it harder to find what we were looking for.

One big difference we noted, though, was that many CMs were not as friendly as their WDW counterparts. We hardly had anyone smile or speak, and we made a game, of sorts, of speaking to the CMs to see who would answer. Also, if you are staying off site, the CMs leave the park out the same gate you do, so you might be walking out beside a tired CM dressed in a TL or HM outfit who's headed for the bus. That was a big surprise to me since you never see a CM in costume outside the immediate area of the parks at WDW.

Oh- the Plaza is a great place to eat- lots of places to sit, good food, and no ADRs needed. Their fried chicken really is wonderful!

 

[Princess Kaylee]

Well, I've been going to Disney World since 1988 and have been there over 30 times. The family and I are taking our first trip to Disneyland this weekend. Really looking forward to riding POTC and Indy at DL and Carsland over at DCA the most.

Any suggestions on how to do the parks that might be different then WDW?

You can walk from DL to CA easily, there are just about the same amount of rides but they are closer together. Get there early!

 

[dweezil78]

The less you plan at DLR, the more magical your time can be.

Going to have to respectfully disagree here. This may be true to locals/AP holders who go often and are happy to get a few rides in + food and fireworks, but for a family visiting from out of town or anyone who goes infrequently, having a solid game plan and strategy can make or break your entire experience -- especially these days where the park is always crowded.

Ticket prices are too high to not plan ahead and make the most of the time you have at the park. I hear from so many people who go in unprepared how miserable they were and that they have no desire to go back. Whenever I tag along and show them how to do it right, it blows their minds and changes their perception of the park completely.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

My first tip is that other than the old FP system knowledge, your WDW knowledge means next to nothing in DL.

Familiarize yourself with the park. Get a guidebook, read it. Familiarize yourself with the park layout. It's different from WDW. For instance, Pirates, HM, and Splash Mountain are next to each other, and BTMR is no where near Splash Mountain. Sound weird? Well, it is.

Do not plan to the same degree that you do WDW. Have a general idea of what you'd like to accomplish, possibly some ADRs, but just let your day happen.

Get park hoppers. The parks are right next to each other, so hopping is super easy.

Don't miss Pirates. It makes MK's Pirates look like the Cliff Notes version.

If you're short on time, skip Splash Mountain. WDW's version is WAY better.

Star Tours, Little Mermaid, TSM, It's Tough to Be a Bug, and Soarin' are the same as at WDW, so if you're pressed for time, you can skip those.

Carsland. I saw it three years ago. I haven't recovered.

 

[Brenthodge]

Also don't bank on nightly fireworks at Disneyland - If you can catch them GREAT, but I just got back from three days there and they were cancelled everynight due to wind. In hindsight I would have done WOC first and tried the other the next two nights instead of trying to see FOREVER. Wound up missing WOC, but didn't really feel like I "missed" anything based on options of the current show.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

I've gone to DL 2x now. As a former WDW CM I recommend planning around the nightly shows you want to see (World Of Color, Fantasmic, Paint the Night & Fireworks). Otherwise...relax and have fun

Blue Bayou is amazing!

 

[fosse76]

Star Tours, Little Mermaid, TSM, It's Tough to Be a Bug, and Soarin' are the same as at WDW, so if you're pressed for time, you can skip those.

Little Mermaid at DCA almost never has a wait (only on the busiest of days), so you probably won't need to skip it for time management reasons. TOT can be skipped too if you have little time, as the DHS version is far superior.