Hey, all! Iāll be visiting my travel nurse daughter in Huntington Beach next month and plan to spend a couple of days at Disneyland. Iāll have one solo day at Disneyland while sheās working, and then weāll have one full day together at both parks.
Thereās an OBB bash the day we go together, so weāll be rope dropping DCA that morning. Since itās our only full day together, Iām planning to purchase LLMP.
I have a few questions:
1. What would you recommend for our DCA rope-drop strategy?
Would you start with TSMM, Soarinā(I saw a YouTube where this opens early is that still true?) or something else? Should I book a LL for Guardians first? Iād love to hear what order youād recommend to maximize those first few hours.
2. How intense is IC? My main park is Universal FL and I can ride Mummy and Hagridās but completely skip the Hulk and Iāve been brave enough for Velocicoaster only twice.
3.Is single rider at RSR a good time saver in the mornings? What other single rider rides should we plan to hit?
4.What is the best plan of attack for Star Wars area that evening? Neither of us have been back to studios since rise was added. Really looking forward to the experience. Is Ogas a must do for Star Wars fans?
5.Whatās the best parking option for our split day?
We plan to take a fairly long afternoon break at my daughterās apartment so we can let the pup out and recover a bit, then return to Disneyland to close out the evening. Which parking lot/structure would be most convenient for doing DCA in the morning, leaving for a few hours, and then returning to Disneyland?
6. Any other tips for making this day work well?
Especially interested in advice for maximizing LL in the evening and getting some good stacked return times for DL after our afternoon break. I donāt have a lot of LL experience since I mainly go to Universal but did recently use it at WDW on a short trip.
I am by no means a pro - Iāve only been twice over the last 5 years - but I would say that if you are planning to use LL for GOTG I would head to Pixar Pier for rope drop. It is a ghost town over there for the first little while and you could enjoy most of the attractions with little to no wait. We did that back in 2021 one morning.
Know that GOTG has a lot of down time. It completely borked up the late morning/early afternoon of our day there.
Itās pretty wild but I would not say itās as intense as Hulk (thought it has been a very long time since I rode that one). My 18yo son about passed out when he got into the ride vehicle because he was so nervous about it, but then he went on to ride it a total of 6 times in the course of a few days! He loved it!
Canāt answer the rest of your questions, really. But I will say that if fireworks are happening the night of your visit, being in Galaxyās Edge is a really really fantastic spot to be. Stand with your back to the marketplace for a great view!
Iām not the expert, at all. I went in summer 2024 and this past January.
But since you are askingā¦
I would RD GOTG myself.
You should be fine. It is like SDD. It is smooth.
Oh yes. I LOVE the SR line at RSR.
I donāt know.
I donāt know. I did the M/M garage in 2018 and it was fine for RD. It did take my DH almost an hour to get the the car and back when I realized my charger was in the car. We were in SFBay food court, for reference.
The park hours are amazingly long. I found we really could get so much done in a day. I donāt buy LL, we just wait.
Is this one day each park, or one day to split between parks?
For your solo day at DL, head directly to Fantasyland. You can just knock out ride after ride there if you just hop from one to the other. They are SO much closer together than the rides at MK.
For reference, someone once showed how DCA + DL together would fit in Epcot.
I go frequently, and this is always my strategy in DCA. Yes, book GotG upon entry into the park, and then head to Toy Story and do that via standby so you donāt have to tie up your LL with it. Itās a walk-on first thing in the a.m., assuming itās not closed, which it often is. From there, head to IC, which is also usually walk-on at that hour. If you see, before RD, that bookings for LL for these are unavailable, then start at Soarin instead. Iāve not tried doing Soarin at RD because I believe the early opening is hit and miss, and itās a slow loader.
As for IC, itās not bad. There is one upside down loop, but no cork screws, which is what makes me woozy. Iām 66 and love it. Lean forward slightly towards the end, after the camera flash, as it get jerky after that in the process of slowing down.
RSR is great for SR; itās the only way I ride it. Our rule of thumb is to do it as long as the SB time is 85 or less, but if you can see the line forming under the bridge, skip it. I usually do it right after Iāve done IC. After RSR, itās usually getting close to the end of my window on Guardians, so I head there. I usually book Monsters Inc upon scanning into GotG, as it has nearly an immediate return time then. I book Soarin on scanning in to MI.
Single Rider works well for RSR, Grizzly River Run, Goofyās Sky School (very jerky), and Web Slingers in DCA. In DL, it works great for Matterhorn and Smugglers Run.
Sounds like you plan to be there in the evening? I do think Ogaās is a must for Star Wars fans. Beware that itās crowded and noisy there, and you will most likely be placed standing at a bar. My husband is a Star Wars fan but hates crowds. He insisted on leaving before we could order. Iāve been there twice with my daughter and we loved it both times. Feels like a different world.
I would plan on riding Smugglers Run about half an hour before the Skywalker Saga show, if you want to see that. Since you are there mid-week, you likely wonāt have fireworks, so this show is a great evening option.
As for Rise of the Resistence: the stand by time has been shorter lately, so Iād say just keep an eye on it and try to go when then time is 30 or less. I have not had good luck with stand by on it; several times Iāve stood stationary for half an hour inside the cave portion. If the ride stops, it takes them at least 30 mins to reboot. When my husband is with me, we buy the Lightning Lane for it. Since this ride is a priority for you, you are doing both parks, AND you are driving away for a mid day break, I highly recommend that you purchase LL for this and do it before your break. That way if it breaks down, youāll be able to ride later, at least. Know that you cannot modify this LL time, but youāll get an Anytime pass if it breaks down during your window. I know itās pricey, but you have a lot packed into your day, and it will be worth it.
Oof! Regardless of which parking lot you choose, you will add at least 45 minutes each way to your mid day break. The two parks face each other and are equidistant to the parking areas. You take a bus from the Toy Story parking lot, or itās a long walk. From Mickey lot, you can take the tram, or you can walk thru Downtown Disney. Taking the Monorail to and or from Dusneyland and walking from there to the parking structure is a better option, IMO, but not at Rope Drop.
Toy Story buses come frequently, though Iām not sure if as often mid-day. Map the routes to the lots from the apartment. If hugely different in time, go with the one thatās the quickest drive. Otherwise, Iād err on the side of the Mickey lot because it may be a quicker jump from there to the parks.
Canāt help with all of these, but for what itās worth:
Seconding Pixar Pier for RD (starting with either TSMM or IC, if they are up so that you donāt need to use a LL, or so that you can do them again). Itās so nice and quiet on the pier in the morning that you can knock out everything else with no wait time and still get to Carsland to do Luigiās/Materās (both of which donāt take LL) before they have long waits.
I would not want to do Soarin at RD because it eats up too much of the valuable early park time with its preshow and length. Go back later with a LL.
SR on RSR before noon also worked incredibly well for us - such a fun ride, you can loop it.
I found IC smooth and not too intense. Iād put it above SSD/BTMRR but below Hagridās and far below VC. Maybe on par with Mummy or RnRC (but smoother than the latter)?
Thanks soo much! I am getting incredibly excited for my trip!
Tickets are sorted and I got a great deal on them so will spring for Rise special LL. Is this something I can plan to buy a hour or two before I want to use them or do they sell out?
Thinking I may see if my daughter would be willing to hire a pet sitter for our day together. Sounds very tiring to leave and come back and Iām sure traffic is no picnic as well. I am coming to help ābabysitā my grand puppy while her husband is out of town and sheās working 12 hour shifts but she did recently find a great local pet sitter. On my solo day, sheās dropping me off before her shift and Iāll leave late afternoon to uber back so a shorter day by myself.
Sounds like we can handle IC so will give it a go! We will also try Ogaās!
I havenāt made any dining reservations . Iāll look at that next. If we donāt take a break back at her apartment, what would be a good place to eat and decompress?
I will never fail to recommend Din Tai Fung! You have to make a reservation through their website (I think they use Open Table or something) 30 days in advance. Walk-in availability is limited so make a reservation.
Other good options are Cafe Orleans (DL), Wine Country Trattoria (DCA), and Blue Bayou (worth doing once, but reservations needed at 60 days or you may be waiting a while).
Lots of good QS options too. I like DB7, Tianaās Palace, and Corn Dog Castle (eat at the tables by Boardwalk Pizza).
For real. On my trip when we inquired about getting on the waitlist around 5pm, the woman said with a completely straight face that it was approximately a five HOUR wait.
My daughter took me to a Din Tai Fung in Seattle while she was living there. Omg, the soup dumplings! We do plan on going while Iām in CA but I think thereās one closer to her apartment.
I guess this means that itās easy to go into Downtown Disney for a meal? Didnāt think of that. Too used to WDW to think of it.
DD is literally right outside the main gates of DL and DCA. It still feels like a bit of a time suck once you get in Disneyland mode. But much easier than DS at WDW.
On my solo day, sheās dropping me off before her shift and Iāll leave late afternoon to uber back so a shorter day by myself.
. Iāll look at that next. If we donāt take a break back at her apartment, what would be a good place to eat and decompress?
But much easier than DS at WDW.