Reports on Early Entry at Disneyland

Hi, I’m wondering if anyone has done early entry at Disneyland. I’m curious if we should try to do a ride before making our way to Rise of the Resistance because it is not open for early entry? Also, if we do go straight there should we go through Fantasyland or Frontierland?

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We did early entry in Disneyland 3x Aug 12,14 & 15. If you are lined up to be first through the turnstiles, you can do at least 3 rides in Fantasyland during the early entry. We positioned for Rise one day and we did 2 rides (Alice, teacups & also stopped for some photos at the White Rabbit’s door) before joining the crowd setting up at the gates towards Galaxy’s Edge in Fantasyland at 7:54.

Definitely you want to be with the Fantasyland crowd. It will be only the early entry guests and you’re much closer to any entrance of Galaxy’s Edge than the Frontierland crowds. Frontierland crowds will be held at the central hub with any & everyone arriving on time for rope drop and will have to go all the way around Big Thunder to get to a Galaxy’s Edge entrance. In Fantasyland you will already be behind Big Thunder and have a much shorter, straight walk to either of the 2 pathways behind Big Thunder.

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Early entry can be incredibly valuable in WDW. I’m wondering if the benefit at DLR is more subtle if you’re using G+/ILL. Thoughts?

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The pool of hotel guests is so small at DLR so if you have it & it’s not hugely prohibitive to wake up early enough to be lined up & at security by 7am at the latest to be among the first through so you don’t waste your EE time in a line to get into the park, I would always recommend using it. You have the potential to knock of 1-2 headliners, position to line up for a 3rd ahead of the rope drop crowd & then still have a good hour or so before lines start building up to tackle of other things.

However, if being awake early enough is a deal-breaker & you have the budget for Genie+/ILL then I could see it not being as great of an advantage to do EE.

We almost never have an on-site stay in our budget (preferring to go more frequently with more budget accommodations) and we always try to structure our days so we start as early as we can hang (even if it’s not lined up first to be first at regular rope drop), followed by a good solid midday break & then come back to close out the night with as late as we can go. But again, because of the frequency with which we go, we don’t get Genie+/ILL either.

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Thank you!

The getting up early is no issue. It’s more the budget, and deciding if the differential in price for staying on site is worth the benefit of EE.

My kids are too little for a lot of the headliners, or we would use ILL/LL for them. At WDW we showed up about 10 minutes into early entry and had almost no line at the taps (are they turnstiles at DLR?), then could hit one of the “lesser” headliners like PPF without much of a wait. Then we’d just transition to LLs and SB.

Budget wise, it looks like I’d be doing 2 day park tickets/3 night stay on site vs 4 day park tickets/5 night stay offsite plus G+. Still crunching the numbers but those on-site hotels are pricey.

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Be sure to make use of Rider Switch for the headliners that those tall enough to do will want to do.

Yes they are turnstiles but the lines won’t clear until closer right at or after regular park opening, and that’s if they are staffed for high crowds. If it’s a day they are less staffed the lines will not clear up at the turnstiles until closer to a half hour or so past regular park opening.

Your plan to hit less headliners is solid, but I know PPF was just an example, but in DLR, it’s not advised to do PPF first. The line builds up instantly and is a slow loader with a very limited capacity overall so it tends to reach 30-40 right in that first minute of park opening & stay there until close. So you have to be early enough to get a first spot at the rope (so no later than 7am to security) & be very competitive in the dash right up through the castle & to the queue with the potential for elbows to be thrown. If that exhilarates you, then PPF could be a fun first choice. If that information renders you a ball of stress, then skip it first and do it later when lines have already built or as the last thing you do before you leave (especially ideal if you are closing out the parks).

The all-important budget. If you have other ways to come back and do DLR and could theoretically save an on-site hotel stay for a super special occasion then I would always opt for the more days. If it’s a more rare visit for you, the onsite in the bubble experience is definitely one worth experiencing for a Disney fan. But that is tough. If push comes to shove though, I personally prefer the more days because when we can, we love to be in the close open to close, with the room being simply a place to crash. And if staying offsite frees up the budget for Genie+/ILL then I would definitely go that route.

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Does it work similar to WDW? We did this on our recent trip and will use it for sure. Incredicoaster and Matterhorn are high on my list!

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Ok good to know what to expect! I gotta learn how to multi-quote.

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It’s tough because I’ve only spent 3-4 hours at DL and CA and I’m not sure if we’ll be back in the next 5-10 years, but I gotta stick within the budget for this or it won’t happen. I’m heavily leaning towards an offsite stay so we can have more days. While I love being in the bubble, it’s easier to have “down time” in the parks when the walk to the hotel is so short. I’m looking at the HoJo, knowing we may not use the water park (week after Thanksgiving) but the kiddos would love a room with bunk beds.

@pollyoscott_215524 I must apologize for hijacking this thread :grimacing:

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Good to know! I have to study way more, obviously. Maybe Space Mountain? DS5 will be tall enough (he wasn’t yet at WDW) and would probably love to ride twice via rider swap.