Hi - Looking like I may be able to do a day at DL in June. Haven’t been there in 35 years. Some planning questions…
Can I get through just about all the rides in a day?
Not staying there - is it like DW where I can get LLMP three days in advance? Flirting with trying to get LLPP, but that’s two days in advance - can I refund the LLMP if I’ve already gotten that?
Would you start in DL or DCA?
Do you have a preferred parking lot?
Thanks!!
I think trying to fit in all the rides at DL and DCA in one day would be very difficult. DL has more rides than MK. If you’re just looking at headliners, then maybe. Keep an eye on down times. For example, RSR goes down quite a bit and then even the LL line can back up.
LL are booked day-of. You can’t reserve LL in advance like at WDW.
I don’t know about parking, we always stay at a non-Disney hotel across the street.
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Wow! Long time, no see, eh? 
Welcome to west coast planning though, even if it’s just for a day!
If you have a day with longer operating hours, 8am-11pm or even better 12am and you make use of a plan right from the start of the day and then stay to very end, as well as maximizing use of LLMP and LLSP AND have great luck with everything operating at full capacity for the majority of the day and not backing up, then you have a chance to do a great majority of rides, and all of the headliners across both parks. That would require a lot of stamina and some luck with the operating capacity as well. So, I wouldn’t focus on getting through all of it, but have priorities in mind of what you want to see/try and make a game plan for how to use the LLMP/LLSP.
No, everyone including onsite guests at DLR all do day-of reservations and can only start once tapped into the park. So you definitely want to show up early to be to the start of the lines at the turnstiles.
I’m not sure on this and not finding anything re: LLMP being refundable so I would ask on the chat in the app. They may be able to, but it may also very much depend on how your tickets were purchased. I would say that if you are expressing interest in the LLPP they would be shooting themselves in the foot by not having a way for someone to upgrade from LLMP/SP to LLPP. But that doesn’t mean they have the technological capacity to do it, because Disney IT is not known for it’s capacity to do much of anything very well.
When doing 1 day for both parks, the best place to start is DCA. You can churn through LL’s fairly easily the first little bit, start stacking for DL int he afternoon/evening & be done with definitely all headliners by lunch and then spend the rest of the day focusing on DL.
It depends on the direction you are coming from. Toy Story lot is easier to access is coming from the south and Mickey&Friends/Pixar parking garages better if coming from the north. Both open the same time, Toy Story lot is a 10-15 min walk or you take a shuttle. I’ve not walked from the parking garages since they built a new one but I imagine it’s around 10 min as well or you can take a tram.
If it matters to you, Toy Story lot will be a lot less immersive of a start as you will be surrounded by & then pass through Anaheim city on the way to DLR. With the parking garages once you enter, you’ll be on Disney property the entire time and the tram ride will be alongside Downtown Disney right to the esplanade where both parks have an entrance.
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Do you know exactly which day in June you will be there? Grad Nites are in June in DCA, so do check the schedule for that in your planning. On the plus side, DCA crowds are light until around 3 on Grad Nite days. DL, however, will be heavier, especially after 3 p.m… Your case may be the best example of one who would do well to get LLPP, since you will only be there one day and it will be during a Grad Nite week. If you have a choice of days, go for a Grad Nite and definitely start in DCA. And upgrade to LLPP if you can.
Security has been slower at the parking garage than at the Toy Story lot, but you’ll need to factor in time for clearing security, boarding the bus, and getting to the parks. Aim to be in DCA by 7:50.
I usually book Guardians right away and then head to do Toy Story and Incredicoaster via standby, as they are usually quick at Rope Drop and you then don’t need to tie up your LL for them. If you don’t have small kids, you can do Radiator Springs via Single Rider; it’s usually less than 20 minutes by around 10 a.m.; watch the return times and go for SR if the SB time is less than 80 minutes. SR for Grizzly RR is also quick.
Aim to use all the LLMP’s you plan to use in DCA early enough that you can start booking in DL once rides there start booking for after 11 a.m…
I once challenged myself to do 31 rides in one day (Oct 31). Crowds were light. I hopped from DCA at about 11 or 11:30. I made it to 29 rides (using LLMP), but was too exhausted to continue after fireworks. I took no hotel breaks, and I kept moving the whole time. I really never had any downtime between rides. I also took advantage of drops. (If you are on La Cava, study up on drops in DL; it’s crucial to getting in as many LLMP spots as you can.)
In addition to drops, the key to maximizing ride power is to do as many rides via SR as you can. If you have LLPP, you obviously don"t need to worry about drops, and you can be more efficient in your ride order.
I would purchase LL for Rise of the Resistance, if you plan to ride that. That will save you 40 - 100 minutes, which you will definitely need if you really want to maximize the number of rides you hit.
Finally, if you don’t already use BG1, I highly recommend loading it and using it to monitor the LL return times, book your LLs, and modify them as needed. It is much easier to do these things via BG1 than through the DL app, in my opinion. I also recommend getting familiar with the Return Time patterns starting a few weeks ahead, using BG1. This will help you maximize use of LLMP.
Your hope to do as many rides as you can in both parks in one summer day is exciting but ambitious! Happy planning!
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I am at Disney World more often than Disneyland so when I’m in California I try to focus on the Disneyland specific attractions. Especially if they’re different - as Pirates of the Caribbean is.
Good luck and have fun. 
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Thanks for the info!! I guess if LLMP isn’t available in advance then I don’t need to worry about refunds or anything like that.
29 rides!! That’s amazing. I don’t have an exact date but one of the days between 6/17-20. I’ll have check on the grad nights. I love BG1 and used it pretty much exclusively on my past 2 or 3 DW trips but since I was there in July they’ve introduced the new system so will need to adjust my planning for future trips. I loved the all-day rapid stacking and going in midday but I guess that’s not really an option anymore, at least not to the extent I was doing it. But on a one-day trip, I wouldn’t be looking to do that anyway.
I won’t get to everything. Guess I’ll need to make some decisions!! Definitely want to do the rides they don’t have in DW or if they do but they are different.
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Just to clarify because it is somewhat confusing, or at least very different than from WDW.
LLMP at DLR is available to purchase in advance as an add-on to park ticket(s) if you purchase LLMP for every day the ticket is valid. You can’t pick and choose days. (So if you were going 3 days and only wanted LLMP for 1, you would buy it day-of).
When you mentioned a refund for LLMP my head went to “oh LLMP must’ve been purchased with the 1 day ticket.” But I can see now that you meant you were considering how it would work with making advance selections and then changing to LLPP once that was available.
So, if you haven’t already purchased the ticket with LLMP add-on, yes you shouldn’t need to worry about a refund.
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I want to make sure you understand: there is no rapid stacking at DLR. Regardless of when you purchase your LLMP, no one can start booking LLs until they have scanned in to a park. You can stack, but that’s only useful if you are taking a mid day break, during which time you can book every 2 hours.
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