I am going to Disneyland for the first time on Saturday, February 8th, staying offsite, for just one day, by myself.
Context: I have recently been to WDW -[Trip report - 13 adults - #9 by adusca], this time I have a work trip to California, and since I have never been to Disneyland I decided to try it out. I have been to DCA when I was younger. I love coasters, but don’t like drops nor inversions. I am dead inside for fireworks and dark rides, unfortunately.
My trip goals are: RotR, coasters (Matterhorn, Space, Big Thunder) and staying awake as late as possible (I will be coming from Europe, so 9 hours of jet lag).
Plans (with associated questions):
Ticket with Maxpass (still pending decision on park hopping)
Arrive at LAX the night before (probably taking a Lyft, it seems to be as cost efficient as taking a shuttle - let me know if that’s wrong)
Stay at a hotel on West Disney Way.
Wake up early and go to Disneyland, planning to leave at 7am and walk there - is that early enough? Any place to eat while I wait for rope drop? Any place to stay after entering?
Be on time.gov until 7 seconds before opening, open Disneyland app and try for a BG
Grab a FP for Matterhorn and go to BTMRR
Repeat BTMRR until lines get over 15 minutes
Matterhorn - try to repeat with Single rider and/or get more FP
Get FP for Indi
Space single rider as many times as I can (get FP when possible)
If line is short enough, Star Tours
Indiana Jones
Repeat (go on RotR whenever called)
Food: Docking bay 7, fried chicken at Plaza Inn
Are there any obvious inefficiencies? Anything that I am missing? Anything that is over ambitious? Any tips that you want to share? I know it is not ideal to go to Disneyland on a Saturday without EMH access but it is my only option.
Cons: $50, I wouldn’t go on either GotG or Incredicoaster.
Maybe: I have been to Soarin a couple of times, like it but I am not crazy about it. I have been on Test Track and really don’t get the point, so I am not sure I would like RSR
Pros: Frozen live at the Hyperion - love musical theatre, love Frozen, World of Color.
Loved Frozen Live, one of my favorite things there. Beyond loved World of Color, it brought me to tears. Had a dining package for preferred spot for WoC, with an incredible lunch at Carthay Circle.
We flew in to SNA, so no suggestions on travel from the airport. Stayed at Paradise Pier and did EMH,so can’t advise you on the walk. Park hopper was great, but we had 5 days to get the most of the cost.
World of Color alone is worth $50 in admission for park hopper! But there is so much to do in Disneyland you will not be disappointed if you spend your whole day there instead. If you don’t like Incredicoaster or GotG (two of my favorites and I’m deeply offended ), and you already know Soarin’, I’m not sure DCA will deliver.
That said, I REALLY like RSR and I think Test Track is just meh. RSR is like a classic dark ride (probably the best I can think of anywhere) combined with a thrilling roller-coaster like ending. It’s one of Disney’s best executed attractions.
I have been to DLR dozens of times over the past 15 years and have ridden RSR too many times to count. It is one of the few rides my family can do together and we all enjoy it. As a result, it is a must do each trip and many trips, it is multiple times a trip. While I cannot guarantee that you will enjoy it, I can tell you the Test Track and RSR are not even in the same category from my perspective. Like @Jeff_AZ stated, it is a fusion of disney’s traditional dark ride with an element of thrill. I would almost say it is a mixture of Test track and 7dmt. While it is not a true coaster, it is definitely more thrilling than TT IMHO. If you do end up at DCA ride RSR at night. Not only will you get a bit of a thrill, but the ride is breath taking at night.
None that I can see.
Based on what you have ruled out and the fact that you have been to WDW, I say no.
Looks doable with MP to me
Brilliant choice! One of my “must haves” each trip. It is a lot of food! ***Tip alert: If it is too much food ask for a kids meal with the fried chicken instead of the baked chicken or if that doesn’t work you can order the chicken ala cart and get a side salad with it. My family usually shares the meal plate and adds extra chicken ala carte. Another tip: I know you are not big on parades, but I like to coordinate my dinner around the second parade (if they are having one that day) and then get a table on the patio near the little red wagon’s corndog cart and watch the parade while I eat.
I didn’t knew about the kids meal with fried chicken! Thanks! I was honestly worried about ordering too much food Loved the idea of getting a parade view while eating, will definitely try that!
The general opinion seems to be that RSR is much better than Test track, and that World of Color is amazing. I am seriously tempted! My plan would be to start with a base ticket and then upgrading to Park hopper if I have enough time. Questions about this plan:
Is it easy to upgrade my ticket to PH? Can I do it on the app?
Can I trust RSR single rider as a reasonable way to ride it? I am thinking that by the time I know I will want to upgrade, FPs will be gone.
How long does it take to go from World of Color back to Disneyland?
If I don’t care where I sit, can I arrive to Frozen 15 minutes before show time?
It is easy to upgrade at the ticket booth (if the main ticket booths are crowded, the go to the group sales booth, there is rarely a long line. It is located to the left of DL main gate). As far as the app, I have no idea. I have only upgraded to an AP.
It is a very reasonable way to ride and I have done it several times with great success.
Not long, as long as you hustle out of there as soon as it is over. I recommend taking the path by Little Mermaid to get out quick.
I have never been to it, but I have heard that there is almost always seats available when it starts. You should be fine. I have also heard that the theater doesn’t really have a bad seat it there.
Frozen used to command long waits where you’d need a Fastpass to guarantee a seat. But that’s not the case anymore, from what I’ve seen passing by the theater before showtime (I haven’t seen it in years).
I have used single rider at RSR several times and it is generally no longer than 15 min wait.
I recently did a solo trip to DLR while in town for work and was only able to be at the parks from 5-10pm and was still able to do pretty much everything I wanted in the two parks in that time. So if you know what you want to do and are ok skipping the small stuff, a one-day / two-park touring plan is totally doable. It just depends on what type of touring you like to do. If you just want to relax and really soak the atmosphere in, a full day at Disneyland only would be totally enjoyable (and I usually recommend that for rookies, but since you have been to WDW it’s slightly different).
I am thinking of buying my ticket on the night before, once I am in California. This is just to insure against missing my ticket due to flight issues. Any problems with that?
Any good places to hide from the cold?
I am thinking about trying a dark ride one last time, just in case I learned to like them. Any you would recommend for this?
I have watched so many videos of Incredicoaster and GotG trying to convince myself that I could go on them. They look so cool!
The problem is that I hate the feeling of when my stomach goes to one place and the rest of my body to another Just dreading that moment makes the rides not enjoyable, unfortunately
I love both of those rides, but if you don’t enjoy that feeling of your stomach dropping I wouldn’t try them. If you’re with someone who wants to ride GotG, I would go through the line with them just to experience the theming (preferably FP). It’s also really fun to watch the Incredicoaster “take off” from the pier. That way you can experience a little bit of the fun of the rides without the thrill that makes you feel sick.
We bought a ticket recently the night before our visit from Get Away Today. They won’t let you access the code for several hours for fraud reasons, but we were able to get it the next morning and scan into our tickets on the app. then just had to scan the bar code from the app when we arrived at the gate. You shouldn’t have an issue.
I love the Monsters Inc. dark ride in DCA. It is one of my faves. In DL I would say Alice or Peter Pan, but those often have longer lines. Little Mermaid can often be a walk on ride and it’s fun too - especially if you don’t have to wait in line.
When it’s cold, I like to find a place to eat that’s inside. The Red Rose Tavern has indoor seating as does Pizza Planet (both counter service). Golden Horseshoe also is inside seating. Head into the shops if it’s cold to warm up. Animation Academy, Sorcerer’s Workshop, Turtle Talk with Crush, Beast’s Library are all inside and warm at DCA. And they are a lot of fun!
I LOVE the feeling of my stomach dropping! It’s my favorite sensation on thrill rides. I love the little bunny hops at the end of Incredicoaster for that reason, and it’s why Tower of Terror at WDW is perhaps my favorite of any Disney ride, sometimes swapping with Splash Mountain. My wife doesn’t like that sensation as much but she says when she screams she feels better.
I don’t see any issue with that. If you are buying from a third party (ie undercover tourist, ARes travel, etc.) just make sure there is no delay in sending you the tickets via email. I have had some that delay sending it by 24 hours. If buying directly from Disney, you should be fine.
As far as suggested dark rides, one of my favorites is Alice in Wonderland, but since you do not have a strong proclivity for dark rides, I wouldn’t do it unless the wait is under 10 minutes. Often the other darks rides (with the exception of PPF and since you can ride that at WDW, I don’t recommend that one) are 5 minute wait times. I would pick one with a super low wait time and see how it goes. I also enjoy Mr. Toads Wild Ride, but kids who are 14 and 15 think I am a horrible mom for making them go on when they were kids. The whole “hell” part went completely over their heads when they were little, but now that they are older and more aware. DS14 got off and looked dead in the eye and said “that’s not right, what is wrong with you???” LOL. DH and I still laugh about that!
LOL. My kids (17 and almost 20) are the same. They say the rides are dark in more than one way! They still think Snow White’s Scary Adventure is the scariest ride in both parks.
Ticket acquired, and I arrived to my hotel near Disneyland (after a 12 hour flight and 2 hour drive)!
It is a digital ticket, bought directly from the Disneyland app. Will I need to show Id to get into the park? Or to park hop? Does it have to be my passport or would they accept a card with my name or a picture of my passport?
I don’t think they have ever asked me for my ID, but I would have it just incase. It would just be for the first time going in if they did, not each time you park hop.
Thank you all so much for all the help, I am feeling prepared
Currently seating at the IHOP across the street from Disneyland. I will try to keep you all posted (I always get curious about how trips went when people go after people ask questions here )
), and you already know Soarin’, I’m not sure DCA will deliver.
Loved the idea of getting a parade view while eating, will definitely try that!
Just dreading that moment makes the rides not enjoyable, unfortunately
