DH(55) and DS(30) are heading to the west coast for a week long vacation mid-June. DS has autism and has always been obsessed with movies/animation/studios. They plan to do one day at a DisneyLand park. Which park should they choose? Disneyland or California Adventure? Pros and Cons of each? They’ve both been to WDW multiple times, though not since December 2019.
I plan to guide from home as far as LLs. From the little bit of reading I’ve done, it looks like you don’t purchase LL until park entry. Does it basically work the same as WDW otherwise? I’ll have BG1 at my disposal as well.
Does he like the older movies? The Fantasyland emphasis on older animated movies is pretty special IMO. And the queue for MMRR is very immersive as well. SWGE is almost a copy of WDW.
That said, the vibe of DCA is so clearly NOT a mimic of any of the WDW parks, they might like that feel for newness? I am a Marvel fan, and I sort of find that Marvel section a little underwhelming, though GOTG version of TOT is one of my favorites. Carsland is spectacular IMO. Like - so wonderful if he likes cars. I like a lot about Pixar Pier, but the rides are largely carnival in nature. Maybe you could find a youtube video on The Sorcerer’s Workshop and Animation Academy to see if that would thrill his studios interest. Does he like Monsters Inc? That is very unique.
DCA had been my favorite park for a while, but DHS in WDW is now back to being my favorite. I have to be careful not to over-endorse it. It does feel a little fragmented. It would be my one-day recommendation for newness for most visitors, unless the nostalgia of Fantasyland was a hard pull. My DD would never leave Fantasyland if she were solo.
I’m going to go with my gut and say California Adventure, on the basis that it’s more distinct from what’s your family has already experienced at Disney World.
The biggest pro for Disneyland is that there’s so much to do there, and I’d argue the better set of attractions. The biggest con is that much of it (though not all) will be repeats of attractions of WDW.
The biggest pro for California Adventure is that more of its rides and attractions are West Coast exclusive, and it has a unique park design relative to Hollywood Studios, which is its closest comparison. The biggest con is that it has an inferior (though not bad) slate of attractions compared to its neighbor.
Not quite. The basic principle for Lightning Lane at Disneyland is that once you scan into the park and make your first LL reservation, you can then make a new reservation every 2 hours, or as soon as you check into your current LL reservation, whichever comes first. Also the grace period at the West Coast parks is much shorter (15 minutes).
You can purchase LLMP ahead of time, on line, when you purchase your tickets. It’s a little cheaper that way. If you already purchased, you should be able to modify your tickets to include LLMP, via the DL app.
If they can handle a long day, you’ll get more mileage out of the LLMP, and they can do the best of both parks (see movie themes in both parks), if they also hop. If just one park, I see DL as being more movie-themed than DCA, except for Cars Land and Adventure Campus, which are both great.
Thanks everyone for your replies. They’ve decided on a park hopper. They are going on Tuesday, June 23.
We watched youtube videos last night of DL and DCA attractions. I noticed that several rides have single rider. Anyone know how well those work? I was thinking I could avoid buying LLSP for Radiator Springs Racer if the single rider works as well for that as it does for Test Track at WDW.
@JenniferB1975 I’m glad they are springing for the park hopper! I would be so torn over what to recommend for just one day. We often go for three days and if we don’t have hoppers will choose two days at DL and one at DCA. There just isn’t as much to do at that park, but it is very cool and so different than other parks.
Single rider lines are awesome! Space can be tricky, but it still might be worth checking out. It’s not always open. I’ve done single rider at SM and saved a ton of time. But I’ve also waited 40 minutes. Of course the regular line was longer but not by a whole lot. It’s definitely worth checking out. And I believe I have come to the conclusion that Disneyland Space Mountain (well, particularly when it’s Hyper Space Mountain) might be my favorite coaster. It’s just so fun and smooth!
Other single rider lines that are good include Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. It’s especially nice because it puts you in the back of the boat where you are less likely to get drenched. RSR is good even if it looks long. Web Slingers has a good SR line. Goofy’s Sky School can be a decent SR line, but not always. And of course MFSR where you can often ride together.
The RSR single rider is great - I waited a “usually moving” 25 mins when the stand by was 90 mins. In the morning the Incredicoaster line is great. Both of these get longer as the day goes on and people have ridden them once, and don’t need to ride together for their next rides.
Before the refurb they were advertising MFSR as single OR double rider which was really nice!
I discovered something great about SR on Space Mountain recently: If you see the SR sign facing out in front of the SR queue area but then see that area empty and roped off, don’t give up. Approach the CM near the photo display area, who is monitoring the DAS line. Ask for a SR pass. We did it a month ago and were immediately handed passes. We were the only ones in the SR line, and pretty much walked on. Almost as thrilling as the ride, itself!
Also, SR for IJ and MH both work well. If you are there on a Fri night, SR may be slower, as young local pass holders use it a lot. I’ve never waited using SR for MFSR, however. I think they especially love MH and SM, as they love to scream!