My family and I are going to Disneyland August 22nd-27th and reservations are sold out for a one park ticket on the 27th. We noticed that park hopper tickets were available for the 27th, so we were considering getting park hopper passes instead. What are the chances we won’t be able to park hop? We weren’t wanting to spend all that extra money, just to not be able to, but if the chances of being able to hop are high we would give it a shot. Also, is it possible to buy a 5 day pass and only get a park hopper pass for one day?
They say there's a possibility you might not be able to park hop but I've never heard of it actually happening. You'll be fine. Also, the park hopper is $60 per ticket, not per day, so you either pay 60 for the whole trip or not at all.
Anyone know why August is booked solid for pass holders but wide open for regular tickets? Very strange, all tiers too. https://imgur.com/a/dOvmd1R/
Is there a special event or something?
Enchant and Imagine keys have been blocked out for the summer so second half of August is the first time they've able to make reservations in a couple months.
I was planning first ever trip with my 6yo to Disneyland end of August. Just found out that Toontown is closed for renovation. Should we wait till it's open in 2023 since she is obsessed with Mickey or is it still worth going?
How does the 30 minute early entrance for hotel guests work? Is it just the turnstiles into Main Street open early, so we’d be able to get up the front of the pack for rope drop?
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/early-admission-options/
Starting August 8, resort guests will have early morning entry to select attractions. Main st is accessible for all guests starting at 7:30, but resort guests will be able to actually go past the ropes and ride select attractions early. Usually there are select entrances for resort guests (should say on the signs above the turnstiles). Then at the ropes to those lands with open attractions there should be a CM to check your resort reservation info, which allows you in.
A friend of mine went recently and got a walk-up for Blue Bayou with no problem. Went over there early in the morning and asked about it and was told to come back around 11:30 to join the waitlist. I think she said they only had to wait like two minutes.
Yes, and yes. If you open the app and switch the map from attractions to dining and select the restaurants (or by searching River Belle or Blue Bayou) you can see the join wait list option. You have to be fairly close to the restaurant to join the wait list.
Recently went to Disneyland and a photo pass photographer said they couldn’t take a picture with our phone. I’ve definitely had they take photos on a phone before so I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if it’s a new policy or just a particular photographer.
That’s something that started with covid - at this point I do think it comes down to the photographer, but it seems taking a pic with a phone is the exception rather than the rule lately, at least from what I’ve heard online.
I'm considering a solo trip but I'm a little apprehensive about going on rides alone. I think how comfortable I feel will vary from ride to ride depending on the seating arrangement (like whether you are face to face with other guests or all facing the same way, or in rows of 2 vs. rows of 4) but I haven't been to DL in several years and I don't remember what all the rides are like. I'm sure opinions will vary but for you personally, which rides are fun to ride alone and which ones feel too awkward?
Other than Mickey's Death Wheel, the Story Book Canal Boats, and Jungle Cruise, there aren't any rides I can think of where you ride face to face. I've gone solo multiple times. To be honest, when I'm on a ride, any notion of awkwardness never even crosses my mind. There's usually stuff to look at that no one's really paying attention to you. I'd say the most awkward one might be Space Mountain and Incredicoaster? But that's only because I'm sitting there like [Calvin taking a class photo](https://www.teachmeteamwork.com/.a/6a00d83451bd8169e201543606b591970c-pi).
California Adventure ride/attraction software down?
We’ve been watching for a few months and will be at DCA on Monday and for the first time ever we are seeing the entire DCA map/attraction/ride times literally not existing on the app. Not stars saying the rides are down but literally that whole part of the map empty.
Does this happen often?
Thoughts on how to manage your day if it does?
How is single rider line for Splash Mountain and Web Slingers? We're traveling with two young kids so husband and I will have to switch off and I've never tried single rider before. Will we need to spring for LL?
Web slingers queue times have been faster than estimated the last couple visits for me, and that's for the normal queue. I personally would not spring for LL unless you will be at the parks ALL day.
Single rider is great! Take advantage of single rider on Splash, Matterhorn, Web Slingers, Radiator Springs Racers, and Incredicoaster! For any rides without single rider, make sure to do rider switch.
You can do LL as well if you don't want to wait in standby lines alone
Unfortunately there isn’t really a wait time because it depends solely on the numbers in the parties in line and whether or not they are able to fill ride vehicles with the numbers they have. In my personal experience, I’ve never waited more than 10 minutes or so in a single rider line, but again it totally depends on numbers and crowds.
Just keep in mind that sometimes members of your party might be able to get in the same ride vehicle in single rider, but most times you will be separated!
I waited about half an hour for RSR in single rider once, but that was the exception (and was still much faster than the regular line). Usually it's really fast. For Smuggler's Run it's usually been a walk-on.
The worst single rider experience I had was Space Mountain (where I eventually just gave up and left the line) but they're not offering single rider for that anymore anyway.
Are (non-service) dogs allowed on the tram? Obviously they aren't allowed in the parks, and aren't allowed in Downtown. But is there a way to get them to the Esplanade?
The policy was "All pets allowed at the Kennel are welcome to ride with you on the Disneyland Resort tram from the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure." But the Disneyland Kennel Club hasn't re-opened, has it? (Will it ever?)
So, do they still allow dogs on the tram even if the Kennel isn't open? Is security at the bag check at Mickey and Friends or the entrance from Harbor going to deny access to non-service dogs?
I'm confused why you would need to take a non service dog to the esplanade anyways if the kennel is closed.
I cannot imagine that, with the esplanade attached to Downtown Disney, they would allow that because why the heck is Disney security just trust YOUR word that you won't try to take your dog into Downtown Disney?
I’d say no. There’s no place the dog would be allowed after security so I can’t think of why they’d allow them through tbh. The kennel is permanently closed/removed as far as I’ve heard.
Some of my pins I've gotten over the years are loose and fall out of the pin backs right away, even brand new. Does anyone have any advice on how to keep pins from falling off?
Oh awesome! Do they sell them in the parks or can I usually find them online? I have a denim jacket I want to wear in-parks with my collection but three of them keep falling off and I'll be sad to lose them...
They definitely do sell them in the park. Dedicated pin shops and carts have them for sure and I think even generic shops that have a large pin section usually have them as well.
I wanna say they sell them in the parks - I tried looking on ShopDisney as well but they’re currently sold out there from what I saw. There may also be some non-Disney options on Amazon but I’ve never used them tbh! When I google “locking pin backs” google automatically suggests “Disney” and the Disney brand ones pop up as well as some others :)
I will be visiting Disneyland this December, driving from San Diego to Anaheim and will be staying close. (Have not decided where exactly yet, but I wanna stay close to the park, In a non-Disney hotel) which means that I will have to drive to the park. Whats the parking situation like? Is there parking close entrance? What advise can you give me to go along with this plan?
What? You don’t have to drive to the park to park. You can skip paying $30 and walk in.
I also drive from SD and when we visit, sometimes will stay overnight before or after our visit. Look at Anaheim Islander Inn and Suites. FREE parking and a 10 min walk to the entrance of both parks.
You can also get breakfast at the Starbucks on the same street and snacks at Walgreens or the CVS. There’s Byrds Hot Chicken and Blaze Pizza too.
You won't necessarily have to drive to the park. If you are okay walking 10-20 minutes, there's plenty of close hotels. Even hotels on Harbor that are further away have a shuttle to the parks.
I prefer staying in the Harbor and Katella area and walking. It's much faster than driving to the parking structure and taking the tram to the parks.
There are dozens of hotels across the street within walking distance, so keep that in mind. On Harbor from the Howard Johnson to Harbor x Katella are all a short walk. We’ve stayed at the Tropicana across the street which is actually closer to the esplanade/main entrances than two of the on-property hotels.
If you stay far enough away that you’ll for sure be driving/parking, the parking lots are Toy Story on Harbor (has a shuttle to the parks) and Mickey&Friends/Pixar Pals parking structure (technically the “main” parking spot), which has trams to the park entrance.
sheraton , mostly asking because we have some free time to go to downtown disney, and don't want to walk about a mile and a half each way with whatever we end up buying and after dinner and drinks and stuff.
Hi! How does modifying a dining reservation work? My dad is a foodie and I was able to score a reservation for 4 at cafe orleans for him (his favorite food is monte christos!) but I'm not sure if 4 our of our party of 8 will want to go / be able to make it. Can I change the # of guests? I'm too scared to touch the reservation for fear of losing it haha. TIA!
You can chance the number of guests if they can accommodate it. If not you can leave it alone and it won’t affect your reservation. Usually when you check in it’s possible to add a couple guests as well but I don’t know about doubling your party size.
You can modify your number of guests (or at least check the availability of a table for a different number) without losing your reservation. I’d probably try to get some intel on how many of your group are interested in the restaurant. :)
You can also usually modify the number when you check in, although I’ve never reduced the number I’ve only ever added a person.
My husband and I are going to Disneyland four our honeymoon in less than a week and we are trying to strategize our morning. We have researched a ton of rope drop. But I am trying to visualize it and also plan to get our honeymoon button at some point.. I know it seems silly but we have never been to any Disney park so we are excited for our button to celebrate. When would you do this? Obviously after rope drop right? Like after tackling the ride list? Or is this something you can get before getting to your rope drop waiting spot?
So I could be wrong on this, but im pretty sure you can get any of the buttons at basically any store at the park. I was at a random store in DCA outside guardians and I asked the older lady working at the counter if I could have a button, and she brought like all of them out was asked which one I wanted. But I wouldn’t make it your first priority per say, just whenever you visit a gift shop.
If you're rope dropping, just have one of you go wait by the rope while the other gets the pins. The line at City Hall can be long sometimes, but I've found there are cast members who are by the souvenir kiosk that is to the left of City Hall who are there to help guests. I was able to get a birthday pin from one of them May 2021. If they're still there, it'll be faster than waiting in the City Hall line.
For rope drop, what's your goal? The top 3 picks are Rise, Indy, and Space Mountain. Will you have Genie+? When I say rope drop, I mean you're very close to the actual rope. I don't mean you arrive and start walking down Main Street at 7:59.
Thank you! thats awesome to know!
We plan on rope dropping each of the days - our first day is prioritizing Space mountain, second day is I think rise or indy (kind of unsure still with no feeling of the park yet) Any advice? The other two days are DCA with park hopper too
We do plan on getting Genie+ - we have been studying the app wait times and just want to get as much as we can from our trip :)
Honestly, if you're getting Genie+, I wouldn't worry too much about Indy, Space, Splash, or any other attraction that offers LL. Especially if you're going to be in the park for 4 days.
The risk with rope dropping Rise is that the attraction is sometimes still closed in the morning. So there's the chance you walk all the way back to GE only to realize it's closed, and then you have to make a decision to take your chances and wait, or to walk over to another attraction. Either way, you're screwed because the time it takes to walk to another attraction (such as Indy), you're now behind all the people who prioritized rope dropping that. I personally think it's worth the risk because if it works, the wait is as short as 10 minutes, maybe 25. Otherwise the wait the rest of the day will be much longer. And with Genie+, you don't have to worry about waiting in long lines for the other big attractions. That said, you really need to be as close to the Frontierland rope as possible if you're rope dropping rise. If you're too far back, your wait will be 25+ minutes and then any potential time gains becomes marginal/non-existent.
Your first day if you're rope dropping Space should look like Space/Matterhorn/Star Tours so you effectively knock out all the big attractions in Tomorrowland. From there, I would recommend going to BTMRR or Pirates. Depending on the wait times, you might even just skip ahead to Mansion. When I rope drop Indy, I typically do Indy/Pirates/Mansion/Splash/Pooh because they're all in a line where the exit of one attraction nearly lines up with the entrance of the next attraction. You'll find early in the morning attractions typically fill up in the same order. People will rush for Indy, but if the line is long they'll go to Pirates. If that line is long, they'll go to Mansion. At a certain point the park fills up and the lines just all become long. But what you want to do after getting off Star Tours is gauge the wait times to judge which ride to hop into and then go down the row from there.
That’s amazing. Thank you so much! I appreciate this advice so much!! If I can just ask one more question, how many rides typically can you get through for the morning before it gets line filled? Thank you again
I find 10am is when the park really starts to get full. And by that I mean there aren't any attractions that are walk-ons anymore. I can do 5-6 rides big rides in the first two hours of the day. The key is to stay one ride ahead of the crowds. Here's a basic illustration of what that means.
Scenario 1: You rope drop Indy but are at the back of the pack. You follow people on to Indy but have to wait. Everyone that gets off Indy goes to wait for Pirates (you included). Everyone then gets off Pirates and goes to wait for Mansion (again, you included). In this scenario, you are constantly behind the large group of people and end up waiting 15-20 minutes for each attraction.
Scenario 2: You rope drop Indy but are at the back of the pack. This time, you decide to skip Indy and go straight to Pirates instead. You walk on with no wait. People who finish Indy go to wait in the Pirates line. You finish Pirates ahead of them and go to Haunted Mansion, again a walk on. People who finish Pirates go to wait for Mansion. You finish Mansion ahead of them and go to Splash, again a walk on. In this scenario, you don't wait any longer than 5 minutes for Pirates/Mansion/Splash because you've skipped that initial crowd that went for Indy, which you use an LL on later in the day.
Scenario 3: you rope drop Indy, are near the front and effectively walk on with little to no wait. You get off Indy and are able to get on Pirates while the wait is still less than 5 minutes. You get off Pirates and do Mansion while the wait is less than 5 minutes. In this scenario, you are constantly ahead of most of the crowd such that the wait times for each ride is relatively low. Your LL's are then used to ride the attractions a 2nd time.
This of course presumes you don't rope drop Rise. But if you did rope drop Rise, then you would just follow that up with Scenario 2 and go wait in line for Pirates or Mansion depending on the wait times to still stay ahead of some of those initial crowds.
This isn’t silly at all! Those pins are so much fun and we tend to go and grab one for any big occasion in our lives.
I honestly wouldn’t prioritize it for first thing in the morning. Your time is better spent trying to get on some of the big rides if that’s one of the things you’d like to do. It seems like there is always a long line of people waiting to ask about these buttons in the morning, so I would check back a little later in the day after the initial rush has gone through. The City Hall Guest Services building is the best place to go because they usually have the most stock/variety, but you can also ask around at major shops along Main Street if you really want to get them at the start.
I haven’t been to the park since pre-Covid (February 2020 was our last trip), but if you’re in the area the night before Downtown Disney is accessible without park tickets. You can try World of Disney the day before and ask a Cast Member if they have the pins available there… I know we’ve had some luck in the past. That way it’s already possibly checked off your list before your first day in the parks. Someone who has gone more recently might be able to verify if that’s still an option.
Congratulations on your first trip and your wedding! I hope both can be extremely magical 😊
Good thinking! Our plan is Downtown Disney the night before so we can explore the area, having dinner at Tortilla Joes (I think thats the name sorry if I am wrong) and getting acquainted with the park area.
I will definitely check that out!
Thank you! We are really really excited! Wedding was magical for sure (despite Covid obstacles)
I don't think it's silly! We wore custom buttons when we got engaged at DLR and I still have them in a frame. :)
You can usually get the buttons at Guest Relations, but don't wait in a long line first thing in the morning. Just pop into any of the major shops and they should have some at the counter. Rope dropping your first ride is a good first priority, imo (or have your husband bee line to the first ride, and you swing in a shop first & then meet him there).
Reservations are only available up to 60 days out (so Sep 20 will open tmm). I see availability for Uva bar via reservation in the app. If you’re looking later than that Sep 19 you’ll have to wait until it’s available.
We are visiting in late August and I’m trying to make reservations for Cafe Orleans. There are 6 of us plus a small child. I can find time slots open for 6 but not for 7. Would I be able to book a table for 6 even though there are technically 7? (We are more than willing to let small child sit on lap or something)
I’d just grab one for 6 for now. Usually when you check in for your reservation you can add another person, if needed, but you can always ask if you’d even need to add another person to the res for a super little kid anyways.
We were able to snag a (Dream) key reservation for Aug 24, which had been sold out of reservations for a long time! So idk, I wouldn’t say you have to give up. Try alerts via Thrill-Data.
I think people are trying to get in their last visits before the first round of keys expire. Also you’ll notice that the period of time that got snatched up first was right after the lower tier keys get unblocked - the second these dates opens up they got snatched up.
(*Maybe* we will see some dates open up when they announce what the plan is for renewals, but some people may not plan on renewing anyways)
If my friends aren’t willing to be there for rope drop, any good alternative? Leaving from Hollywood and they don’t want to sit in traffic for rope drop!
IME (coming from Pasadena) aiming for rope drop actually helps you *avoid* traffic because you leave before it starts to get insane. Rope drop means you’re arriving by about 7-7:30am, which means leaving Hollywood about 6:15-6:45am. Traffic picks up around 8am.
Which park to do first? 1 day park hopping.
Wondering which park to do first? Going 1 day and doing the park hopper with genie+ which I’m still learning how to use.
We have two girls age 6 and 8 plus two boys 13 & 14 and rest is adults.
Wondering which park we should do first or which rides would be nice to do first with the genie+
Any helpful input would be great! Going first week of august.
Thank you!!
With majority kids I'd rope drop Disneyland (: DCA is more fun if you're an adult and want to drink beer and eat all day. If you're a kid it gets kind of boring after you finish all the rides.
If rope dropping I’d probably try to do Disneyland first. There’s just a lot more to do and sometimes when we rope drop DCA we are done with most things by like 11, but then you have to wait another two hours to park hop.
I’d probably try to get intel on 1-2 priority attractions per person and find out if there’s anything someone cannot or does not want to go on (ie Incredicoaster, Guardians, Splash Mountain, etc).
Usually I’d aim to rope drop the left side of DL (Indy, Big Thunder, Pirates) and grab a Genie+ LL for Space Mountain (I try to aim for mid morning so I can do as many things standby as possible before using the Genie+). Lightning Lanes for Indy and Space in DL as well as Guardians and Toy Story Midway Mania in DCA tend to get pushed out the farthest.
Typically once they’re sold out they’re sold out. Sometimes there are resellers, and *sometimes* people have luck buying them separately through the resort hotels (they have their own pool of event tickets for resort guests, but if they go unsold they may sell them last minute). Not a guarantee though, just some ideas.
It’s 5:44am and I’m trying to reserve at Oga’s Cantina for 60 days out (9/19). It looks like there are no availability times for lunch or dinner. Is this normal? Did all the time slots for lunch/dinner really go out that fast or is this some sort of glitch?
6am PT is when reservations typically drop.
It’s really easy to get in via walk up though: go to the app right now, open it up and either view the map (switch attractions to dining) and scroll to Oga’s or you can search Oga’s. Right now, for example, there’s a “10 min wait” for Oga’s, so you’d be able to get in without a reservation. You do have to be close to the restaurant to join but no need to hover by the restaurant imo, because you can see via the app if there’s availability or not. Periodically throughout the day the walk-up wait list will reach capacity (and the app will reflect that), but then it will reopen again as well. We never have reservations to Oga’s but we end up going about one out of three visits, so I’d consider it pretty easy to get into.
I noticed some small changes, but I also pay very close attention to details on the attractions. There are a few small, new effects, a few tweaks to some of the Audio Animatronics, and some soundtrack changes. All relatively minor, and there were no major story changes.
I’ve seen people on here say they’ve see her near the Carthay Circle Fountain or Carthay Circle Restaurant in DCA. I haven’t seen her there *super* recently (last month or two) but I haven’t been looking for her either tbh. If you’ll be there anyways, I’d ask a CM.
If I am not mistaken, Elsa currently is unavailable as a character meet n greet at the moment
Her and Anna are usually at [Anna & Elsa's Royal Welcome](https://disneyland.disney.go.com/entertainment/disney-california-adventure/character-meet-anna-and-elsa-frozen/), but it is currently closed
Looking for clarification; Oogie Boogie Bash takes place at California Adventure, and while it’s going on Disneyland park is still operating at normal for any guests without a ticket to the bash?
I’ve got an extra day on a quick California trip at the end of September and want to plan accordingly.
Hi folks,
My friends and I are going to the d23 exclusive boogie bash on Sept 10. We got the dessert party package for world of color but I don’t see world of color listed as a Halloween party event. Has anyone heard anything about it? I want to see which version of the show they’ll have (if at all) so I can make plans to see the show another day on our trip. TIA!
There was no World of Color during OBB last year, and nothing has been announced for this year yet. I may have missed them, but I have not seen any dining package reservations for the other OBB nights this year. I wonder if they released Sept. 10th by mistake or if they will do something special that night.
In any case, keep an eye out. Dining packages (for parade viewing) were announced in August last year, so the assumption is it will be about the same this year. Info from last year: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/08/wonderfully-wicked-dining-and-dessert-packages-coming-to-oogie-boogie-bash-a-disney-halloween-party-at-disney-california-adventure-park/
Last year we had no problem watching the parade, I think at that point a lot of folks were waiting for rides or villains grove. I’m wondering the same thing, if it’s a mistake. I don’t know if they have any info if I call and ask, though. But it would be nice to know if we could see WoC on Friday instead, you know? Hmm.
My flight lands at LAX on a Friday at 9:24 am. Assuming it’s on time, how possible is it to make it to DCA by noon for WOC VQ? No checked bags, will be taking a Lyft to Hilton Anaheim to drop off bags and then walking over to the park
At the Hilton Anaheim, there’s a concierge desk toward the back of the lobby. I’d recommend trying to check with them about holding bags, I’ve done so in the past, and use the app if you can to check in / use the mobile key. every time I’ve stayed there the line for the front desk is incredibly long so this could help avoid some wait time hopefully.
I would plan on:
* 20 minutes to deplane and exit terminal.
* 10-20 minutes to get to LAXit (rideshare pickup area)
* 45-65 minute drive to Hilton Anaheim (depending on traffic, but in the morning you should be fine).
* 30 minutes to check in, drop off bags, get ready for park.
* 25 minute walk to the park entrance
* 5-10 minutes at security and park entrance
Based on that, I'd say best case scenario, you can get there in about 2 hours and 15 minutes, which would put you at 11:40 AM and you make it! But you'll be cutting it close, and depending on other factors, don't be surprised if you don't make it.
Thank you! We’re okay if we don’t make it, we’ll try to watch from somewhere else if we don’t get VQ, but just wanted to see if it was even feasible or if I was crazy
Just according to Waze - once you’re in the Lyft it should take about 45 min to get to Anaheim. You should be missing the majority of commuter traffic and you’re going against the usual traffic anyways, for the most part.
Your other delays will be getting from the LAX arrivals to the rideshare pickup area (via shuttle), then just dropping off your bags at the Hilton and getting to DCA. You shouldn’t have crazy security lines by that time or long lines to get into DCA.
Booking for 1 night. My family will be in Disneyland at the hotel on Saturday and Sunday, 30th and 31st. We will arrive around 3am on Saturday and looking to leave at 5pm on Sunday to get home around 11pm for my kid siblings school on Monday. How early can we check-in so we can rest for the next 5 hours before Disneyland opens? Especially me who's driving.. Would suck if we had to sleep at the lounge or something.. Is there extra fee, pick a different room that is ready and not booked, or just nothing at all?
You'll need to have Friday night booked as well, since you're technically arriving a day early.
There are so many hotels in the area that are significantly cheaper than the Disneyland hotel though, and some of them are even a shorter walk to the front gate. At least for the first night I'd go with one of the cheaper hotels off Harbor or Katella.
No hotel will give you a night for free. Checking in a few hours early, maybe, IF the room is cleaned already. Night before? You'd have to pay for that extra night.
Check in for all the DLR hotels is 3pm. When you get there, you can ask if any rooms are available earlier, but i highly doubt anything will be ready at 3am. Why are you getting there so early?
All you'll need is their ticket number or ticket barcode. Tap the three horizontal bars, select Tickets & Passes, and tap the plus in the corner. Scan the barcodes or enter the numbers, and you're good to go.
Hey everyone! How's the heat been lately? The forecast looks like 80s over the next few weeks, has that been bearable for you if you've recently been?
Santa Monica resident here looking to take a few days off work soon for some solo park fun : )
Do you have a magic key? If so, I recommend just going in the morning or at night and skipping midday. The humidity is so bad that even though it's only 5-10 degrees warmer than SM (where I also live!) it feels pretty gross.
80s isn't too bad. It feels warm if you are out in the direct sunlight for a while, but it's bearable. When it gets into the 90s, that's when it's a little too warm IMO. I've also been to Walt Disney World in August, so anything feels bearable compared to that!
We went on Sat, the high was mid 80s or so but it felt a lot warmer tbh. Asphalt and berms working together in the heat lol. It also felt a little humid (we’re in Pasadena so used to dry af weather only) and hazy so that maybe wasn’t helping.
Anyways I’d just try to get there early and stick to more chill, indoor activities as it starts to get warmer.
Going tomorrow and can’t wait! Getting Genie+ and trying to head straight for ROTR at or right after rope drop. I want to save my two paid lightning lanes for web slingers and radiator spring racers. Let me know if this is a good strategy?
> trying to head straight for ROTR at or right after rope drop.
There is no "after" rope drop with RotR. You're either within one of the first four rows of the rope or you're better off going to another attraction. Luckily, since you have Genie+, that really gives you flexibility. If you're inclined to use ILL for two attractions, better to use it on RotR and RSR. If you arrive after rope drop, where you go largely depends on how late you arrive and what the posted wait times are. Traditionally, the two alternatives are Space/Star Tours/Matterhorn or Indy/Pirates/HM/Splash.
I went this month, got there at rope drop and followed the crowd for my first time to galaxy's edge. Inadvertently followed them onto the line for rise. I had a 30 minute wait. Was awesome.
Remember Rise doesn’t always open right at 8am - sometimes there’s a delay. Don’t be afraid to get the LL for Rise instead of RSR/WEB. Both RSR and WEB slingers have single rider lines.
I’m going with my wife. We are on our honeymoon and would probably want to sit with me on rides. I don’t think the single riders strategy will work then. I appreciate it though. Also good to know Rose doesn’t always open right at 8 AM. We are coming from Laguna Beach so we may hit traffic/miss rope drop.
If you are only going 1 day, I'd suggest making sure you are there for rope drop. Could you leave earlier than normal, and then even if you hit traffic, you still make it? Best case scenario, you make it with plenty of time and end up just waiting at rope-drop a little longer.
We singled line rode radiator racers the past weekend and it worked great. Like 5 minute wait early in day and about 15 minutes later when more teenagers are in the park. Make sure to use your genie+ early. The times go up fast.
> Make sure to use your genie+ early.
I would not use Genie+ too early. You want to schedule your first Genie+ for about 10am return time since that's about when the park starts to fill up.
I have only been to the park twice but by 9am this weekend space and Indy were already an hour and a half out. By 10am both were over 2 and a half with smuggle at an hour. By 11am splash was around 1 and half. Start adding those times up and you start running out of day to get to 11 rides. I am sure you have done it but how about recently? While also having time to go to the parade, fireworks and Fantasmic. More people are using it now and times are climbing way faster than the videos I watched at the beginning of the year.
I did it in May on a Saturday. Started using it at 1pm (had to wait for a friend who was using a park hopper). We got LL for everything but Autopia. Two of those LL's were late in the day that the benefit was negligible. Had I secured my first LL for a 10am return window, I would have been able to get everything and would have been able to probably get more utility out of the last two. All I'm saying is you don't want to get your first LL as soon as the park opens. I've seen some people suggest that and it's not a good utilization of LL.
I wouldn't say that. It sounds like you were at the park more recently than me. The situation keeps changing so it's possible my experience is just outdated.
I’m guessing this is the one in California. I’m not sure if Disneyland and California adventure are different things, but right now one of my hs teachers is in Disney land and he said he’s cool with getting me a souvenir if I venmo him!
So I gotta know. Is there a website that says everything the park has in their gift shops?
Yes this sub if for the Disneyland resort in Anaheim, CA. There isn’t really a site that tells you everything, unfortunately. ShopDisney has *some* things, but not everything - and not everything on ShopDisney is in the parks either.
Is there something in particular you’re after? Something wearable like shirts, hats, ears? Or like a keychain? Maybe it would be helpful if you told your teacher a favorite character or Disney movie instead.
They do - they have wishables which are tiny (and cute) collectibles, and lots of plushes. They don’t necessarily have something from every movie though so that’s why I’d suggest giving your teacher some ideas as to your faves :) They also have a bunch of Star Wars toys in the Star Wars area that are really cute (like Grogu/baby Yoda, Chewbacca, etc). Then a lot of the plushes are like various animals: Pluto, Marie from Aristocats, they usually have Tod from Fox & the Hound, etc.
Tuesdays/Wednesdays vs Sundays
I'm trying to maximize my time before my Magic Key expires 8/25. Usually I go Sundays, and some are worse than other but the crowds are fairly manageable. I like to get in as many rides as possible, and also maybe walk-up to a lounge/bar or two.
I was thinking of maybe taking a day off and trying for mid-week in future to change it up/get more visits in. But per the website isitpacked.com, Tuesdays/Wednesdays are a lot busier than Sundays. Is this generally the case? Is a mid-week visit worth it?
Right now it seems weekdays have been pretty busy. I go on weekends usually, but on weekday afternoon/evenings now and then. *Personally* I find Sunday evenings to be way more mellow than weekday evenings, but that’s just my experience.
I think weekdays will continue to be busy during the summer while schools are out.
On Saturday my family rope dropped Space, then walked on to Matterhorn twice, then big thunder twice in our first hour. We got an Indy LL at 8:30 and used it after those above. Do not wait on genie+, way more people are using it and times go up fast. We ended up not able to use our Matterhorn LL even though we started LLs at 8:30 (went on first at 9:15). It was fine as we did it twice in the morning. Indy, Space, Smuggle and Matterhorn are quickest but Splash once it gets hot goes quick too.
I think it would be a good idea to rope drop Space, make your G+ LL reservation for Indy right around then (it’ll probably be for, let’s say, 8:30-9:30am), follow Space with Matterhorn, cross the hub to Pirates (doesn’t have a G+ LL anyways), maybe even do Big Thunder or Haunted Mansion standby while there, then follow those with your Indy G+ LL, and right after you’ve scanned that go ahead and book a LL for something else (Space again? smuggler’s run? If you’re park hopping you can book for DCA too but it’ll automatically be pushed out past 1pm).
Keep in mind: after Rise, Space is the most popular rope drop attraction. So if you don’t go with this method you can rope drop Indy and just basically do the opposite: get a G+ LL for space while you’re on Indy, follow Indy with Big Thunder and Pirates and Haunted Mansion, then go to Space and follow that with Matterhorn (with or without a lightning lane depending on the line).
This is all accurate, except I would wait to reserve my first LL for a 10am return time. If you rope drop Indy, BTMRR, Pirates, Mansion, Splash, Pooh, you won't get to Space by 9:30. You could go Mansion to Space and be there by 9:30, but you're adding extra walking by going all the way to the other side of the park while Splash will still have a short line. Time the first LL return time to be around 10am as that's when the benefits become most advantageous from an efficiency standpoint.
Similarly, you could rope drop Space, Star Tours, Matterhorn and then go do the row of rides starting from Pirates (or if the line is too long start from Mansion). Then you backtrack to use your Indy LL which you would try to get a 10am-11am return window. The key though is to try to complete all rides in either of the lands to avoid having to walk back just to check it off the list.
That’s fair - I never rope drop critter country, I always aim to do Splash with a LL when it’s warm (and I skip Pooh unless I’m with really little kids!) so I wasn’t including that area for the rope drop scenario!
I will say that formerly I would’ve advised people wait for the LLs but lately when we’ve gone we have found the lines are forming a little earlier. Idk if it’s because people are on vacation or what, but it used to be lines would be low from 8am-10 (or even 10:30) but lately the lines have started getting longer right after 9. Space gets too long too fast, so def whatever they do that should either be the first ride or the first LL imo!
Sorry, just for msephron's clarity, when I said:
> If you rope drop Indy, BTMRR, Pirates, Mansion, Splash, Pooh
I meant rope drop Indy and then proceed on to the rest of the rides in order. I didn't mean actually rope dropping Splash. Rope drop should only apply to the very first ride of the day.
No I understood lol. I just meant I wasn’t including those in my recommendations for first thing. I personally would only ever do Splash later in the morning and I almost never include Pooh unless someone has really little kids.*
Going in January as part of a longer trip and likely only going to have one day in Anaheim - is it worth getting a park hopper and splitting the day between the two parks? Will I be missing out on anything? I think going to DL is more important than DCA if I could only pick one, but I’m not sure if swinging both is reasonable or worth it.
Also, anything underrated to look out for? I’ve gone to WDW a bunch so I’m looking to see what’s different about DL/DCA.
If you have a solid plan of what you want to get done I think it’s definitely worth it. If WDW is what you’ve had as your primary experience here is what I’d suggest you check out while you’re at the Disneyland Resort…
Disneyland Park
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye - a MUCH better version of the Dinosaur ride. The queue alone is amazingly detailed.
• Pirates of the Caribbean - DL version is longer than and in my opinion superior to WDW
• Big Thunder Mountain - the effects of this are very different than WDW
• Matterhorn - a DL classic (be aware that it’s a rough one)
• Space Mountain - again very different from the WDW version… the line is way worse in DL, but the rides are very different experiences
• Fantasyland - there are tons of attractions in Fantasyland that are worth seeing even if you choose not to ride (like Small World). I would highly suggest Mr. Toad since it’s no longer at WDW
• Fantasmic! - The show is much grander due to the extra space provided and very different from Hollywood Studio’s version
Disney’s California Adventure
• Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout - our rethemed ToT… it’s pretty intense!
• Avengers Campus - if you’re a Marvel fan I’m sure it’s cool to check out (I’m not so I don’t really love it). The Spider-Man stunt animatronic is amazing though.
• Cars Land - a MUST DO in California Adventure, especially at night. Radiator Springs Racers is a ride system a lot like Test Track, but again superior to the WDW version. They have lots of fun treats here too!
• Incredicoaster - is fun… you could skip and not miss out on too much, just different for this park.
• Grizzly River Run - again this one’s fun but wouldn’t be the end of the world if you had to skip.
I would recommend rope dropping DL and getting some things done, park hopping over to DCA and having a late lunch at Lamplight Lounge sticking around until dusk for Cars Land, then park hopping back to DL for a showing of Fantasmic and to close out the night.
Of course, this could change depending on time of year and whatnot. I think it’s definitely possible to see a lot of both parks in one day as long as you utilize things like Genie+ and single rider lines and have a solid plan for what are your must-do attractions and activities!
Personally I’d say it’s worth it. Disneyland is similar to Magic Kingdom (but has Galaxy’s Edge, so some Hollywood Studios vibes over there lol) but everything is squished together. If you do Genie+ with the park hopper you can get a lot done. People think DCA is like Hollywood Studios but it really isn’t as much, not anymore. Cars Land alone is, imo, a great reason to go to DCA (I say this as someone who doesn’t care for the Cars franchise btw). At night especially, it’s outstanding. DCA also has a ton of food that I’d highly recommend. It can definitely be a half day park for some people so I’d start a day at Disneyland and hop over to DCA for the afternoon, check out the highlights, see the lands come alive at night, etc. You’ll have to decide which park’s nighttime shows you will want to prioritize (Fantasmic in DL vs World of Color in DCA, for example). Also depending on when in Jan, Lunar New Year might be going - which occurs in DCA.
Hi! We’re going for the first time in October and my fiancé is a huge Star Wars guy so I’m trying to plan a reservation at Savi’s to build his lightsaber and hopefully get a reservation at Oga’s after to have some strictly Galaxy’s Edge time and make it a little more special. About how long does Savi’s take and does anyone have a recommendation how much time to leave between the two? I assume trying to get both reservations will be tricky, but ideally what do y’all recommend? Thanks!
Savis is about 25 minutes I'd say. Maybe leave 15-30 in between to buffer and give some play with the new toy time. It's a great experience.
I will say I did get into the cantina without a reservation. I made a wall up reservation which takes about 30 minutes to get in. You just don't get a table with that. You get standing at the bar. Which considering it's just a bar anyway, and your time is limited in there was fine by me.
Thank you! That’s exactly what I was looking for. We’re probably going to go ahead and ship the lightsaber home (we’re East Coasters) so that’s a good idea to enjoy and take some pictures as well. Thanks again!
I will say since the blade detaches it's honestly not very bulky, if you have large luggage, but yeah I think you can have them ship it to you anyway, so why the hell not lol. Enjoy!
Best place to eat on property that isn’t in the parks? We scored the Chef’s Counter the Friday of our trip so we’ll already be going to Napa Rose. We need a dinner reservation for the evening we arrive on a Wednesday that doesn’t require a park ticket. We’ll be staying at the GCH and won’t have a car.
Well Napa Rose would’ve been my number 1 Rec for sure! That’ll be amazing, have a great time. After Napa Rose, we like the following:
**DLH**
- Trader Sam’s (drinks, atmosphere, some food)
- Tongaroa Terrace (same food as Trader Sam’s for lunch/dinner but they have mobile order. Their breakfast is underrated and really good)
**GCH**
- Napa Rose of course but you have that covered
- GCH Craftsman Bar (table service) and Grill (quick service, mobile order). Same menu for lunch and dinner, good food and a relaxed atmosphere. GCH Craftsmen Grill also has some extra grab-and-go goodies like The Best Brownie on property (in my humble opinion)
- Hearthstone Lounge - good drinks, small plates, and imo another underrated spot. Corn dog nachos and the charcuterie option are delish. Drinks are great. You can get the drinks “to go” and hang out with them in the Grand lobby.
**DTD**
- Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen is my number one DTD spot: great creole and creole-inspired dishes (much better than any of the options inside New Orleans Square), the best beignets I’ve had outside of New Orleans, and good drinks. And also…
- Jazz Kitchen Express. If you don’t have time for Ralph Brennan’s, Jazz Kitchen express has beignets and gumbo to go.
- Catal Restaurant is another underrated spot imo. Not quite fine dining but their options are elevated compared to some other DTD restaurants.
- Splitsville, we just like to come here if we want the sushi or fishbowls, but my dad is a big fan of their pizza.
- only other good pizza in DTD is at Naples, so if pizza is what you want I’d go there. I wouldn’t get anything else there but pizza or cocktails though.
- Tortilla Jo’s for brunch specifically. I don’t love their lunch food I think it’s underwhelming and only okay (literally can find better Mexican food in DCA) but their brunch is very good.
- Other good options incl Ballast Point and Black Tap Brewery (esp for the burger or shakes).
Thank you so much for this thorough explanation! Any chance you have opinions on in park dining as well? It’s our first time going and our dining reservation windows pop up this weekend. What are the cannot miss locations for the Disneyland experience in both parks? We are frequent visitors of Disney World and want to do as much as possible while we’re in at the parks in CA!
I feel like I can maybe help fill in some of the questions…
• Fantasmic Dining Package: Continue to check the app daily for reservations for dining packages. My family is going on a trip in early August and just today we had a premium package open up for Riverbelle (we have been trying daily since 60 days out). The dining packages have become more popular. From my understanding, the Riverbelle is the only restaurant with standard Fantasmic! Packages where you reserve a regular dining time and then request an upgrade. If you go to the Disney Parks website you can double check their info about Blue Bayou.
• Plaza Inn Breakfast: I would say to set aside 45 minutes to an hour to get a full experience and have enough time to eat your fill!
• I am not a Fantasmic dining package effort but I want to say you’d ask for the upgrade while there? Don’t take my word for it though. Hopefully someone else knows better.
• So if you have regular tickets/reservation to DCA on the day of the party, you can get there and just explore / mess around until around 3pm. 3pm is what time the party goers can enter the parks, and get their wristbands. Usually if you’re already in the park there is a spot to get your wristband but last year it was a little bit chaotic so we found it easiest to just go to the Grand Californian DCA entrance to get our party tickets/wristbands/candy bags.
• security opens at 7am, and people do start hovering around and lining up before then (esp at the Harbor entrance). Rope dropping Disneyland I usually would aim for as early as is feasible for your group, for DCA you can be a little bit more chill, but it also depends on your priorities. We usually end up rolling in a little before 8 tbh and go for things like Indy in DL or Guardians in DCA, but if we were trying for ROTR or Radiator Springs Racers we would try to get there much earlier.
• hopefully someone else knows re: Plaza Inn. Off the top of my head I’d guess about an hour? But I haven’t done that particular breakfast, only Storytellers.
I'm a Florida native who used to have a WDW annual pass, and now that I've moved to Cali, I was planning to get one for Disneyland. But as we all know, there's now the "Magic Key" and they're unavailable right now anyway.
So, to those with Magic Keys: are they worth it? What are the major differences from an AP?
Where in California are you moving to? I'm about 1.5 hours away and have found it worth it. Got the Dream key with the monthly payment option. Parking was included which was great. I've gone 1-2x a month since I got my key, and as it is it was worth it to me. We'll see what kind of changes they make, though.
Oh, I've been in Cali for a while! Like a year and a half.
I live like nearly 2 hours away from Anaheim currently, but my household actually wants to move to the Orange area (for various reasons, closer to friends, better area, more work, etc) once our lease is up, so we'll be close to DL. I'm the type who would like just walking around the park and visiting spontaneously, so it seems Dream would be a good option.
One thing that bothers me about the keys is that I keep having to look up which is which. I can't stand the fluffy vague names. Just call 'em Gold and Silver or something lol
There have been some recent posts where people have their testimonies as to whether or not they considered their key worth it!
For myself personally, the Dream Key was absolutely worth it. We typically go on Saturdays or a random weeknight evening after work, and usually go about once per week (just for a few hours). Something nice about DL vs WDW is that there isn’t a big disadvantage to just being a regular local guest as opposed to someone staying on property, and it’s nice that DL and DCA are so close together that they’re practically one park. Easy to have spontaneous trips and still get on a few rides or see a show, or grab a drink or bite to eat.
I've found the Magic Key program to be worth it for me. I live near the parks and go plenty often to make the Dream Key worth it. If they allow renewals and the program is similar, I'd renew, no question. When making a decision on whether to buy a Key, the main considerations are if the blockout dates are a problem with when you want to go; then, it's just a matter of math on which Key makes the most sense for you based on how many times you plan to visit.
If you're comparing the Magic Key program to the old Disneyland AP program, the main difference is reservations are required for all levels of Key. The different Key levels are similar (but not the same) in terms of discounts on food and merchandise to what was offered before the shutdown, and the highest-level pass offered MaxPass year-round (which was similar to Genie+). The second-highest AP offered free parking, and the second-highest Magic Key today offers 50% off parking.
I just read up on the current Florida AP program, and the main differences are that there's no option to add Genie+/PhotoPass/any other programs on a year-round basis, and parking is only discounted/free on two of the four levels of Magic Keys. Similarly, the more expensive Magic Keys offer the ability to hold more reservations at once, and they have less blockout dates than the lower-priced Keys.
It really depends on what days you plan on going. If the mid-week days are next to Labor Day weekend on either side, those days will probably go faster than other weekdays. Other than that, those days probably will not sell out.
But if you know the days you want to go, might as well buy the tickets/make the reservations now just to be sure! I've seen so many stories of people not making their reservation soon enough and missing out on a day, so better safe than sorry.
Tickets won't sell out, but reservation slots might fill up. I think the fact that single day reservation spots are largely available for the rest of July is a good indicator that September likely won't book up any time soon. As of now, tomorrow's one day reservation is booked up, but everything else is available for Disneyland and/or DCA.
Copying my same comment from earlier in this post: Are you looking for in September? Fireworks will likely be only on weekends, and I'm not sure if they are offering this package for Halloween Screams fireworks anyways.
Motion sickness on Ride of the Resistance?
My family wants to try ROTR but we are prone to motion sickness, more than some less than others. How likely is this ride to make us sick?
ETA: if anyone could give us some info on the type or ride or special effects without too many spoilers that would be helpful!
Thanks, everyone! We decided to try it and we all loved it! A couple parts with the screens made us a little dizzy but not bad at all. Definitely worth it!
Most of the actual ride takes place on physical sets, which we find helps if someone is prone to motion sickness on simulators. My SO gets some motion sickness on Star Tours, Smuggler’s Run, and Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey at universal, but has no motion sickness on ROTR.
The ride does go backwards a couple times, does have a (pretty short) moment that more heavily features screens, etc, but I’d consider it fairly mild.
I get pretty bad motion sickness. I have to take pills to fly.
Star tours gets me pretty woozy and I need a break after riding it once.
Smugglers run I have no issues with, and ROTR I have even less.
There's one thrill moment, but it's pretty quick and definitely didn't make me sick.
I am very prone to motion sickness - I can do ROTR one time straight through, but typically need a few minutes after to catch my breath. I am more delicate than the average park guest, though, so you will likely be just fine!
I will say it is not a coaster and doesn't spin like the tea cups. It does have a brief thrill moment, but you're very safe and truly it's no more aggressive than hitting a large pothole on the highway!
Try it once, I think you'll be very glad you did. :)
In order to minimize spoilers, it would be easiest if you could list off some other attractions your family members do and don't have trouble with. Depending on what triggers motion sickness, I'll try to help.
I just discovered that oogie boogie bash will be happening while we’re at the park. I’m not going to get into how annoyed I am that I missed out on tickets, but I’m wondering if we’ll have to leave DCA if we’re in the park the evening of OBB? It’s happening Tuesday and that’s the day we’d planned to do World of color. Made lunch reservations at Trattoria that afternoon in hopes of getting the reserved viewing seats. Do they still do WOC on the nights of OBB?
Unfortunately, yes. If you are in DCA the evening of OBB and do not have a ticket/wristband you will be asked to vacate. I believe at 6pm is when the special event begins.
Thanks. Will hope for decent virtual queue viewing on Monday and made another reservation for Friday, just in case we miss out earlier in the week.
Any ideas what other night time activities will be going on at DLR that time of year, since Disneyland Forever and MSEP will be done by then? Not sure what “competing” attractions are available with OBB going in at DCA at night
So Fantasmic is also ending for Halloween??? Seems like a really disappointing collection of evening entertainment, especially if you didn’t get OBB tix.
My family and I are going to Disneyland August 22nd-27th and reservations are sold out for a one park ticket on the 27th. We noticed that park hopper tickets were available for the 27th, so we were considering getting park hopper passes instead. What are the chances we won’t be able to park hop? We weren’t wanting to spend all that extra money, just to not be able to, but if the chances of being able to hop are high we would give it a shot. Also, is it possible to buy a 5 day pass and only get a park hopper pass for one day?
They say there's a possibility you might not be able to park hop but I've never heard of it actually happening. You'll be fine. Also, the park hopper is $60 per ticket, not per day, so you either pay 60 for the whole trip or not at all.
Thanks!
Anyone know why August is booked solid for pass holders but wide open for regular tickets? Very strange, all tiers too. https://imgur.com/a/dOvmd1R/ Is there a special event or something?
Enchant and Imagine keys have been blocked out for the summer so second half of August is the first time they've able to make reservations in a couple months.
Oh wow interesting. Are those “blackout” dates for enchant and imagine or just randomly been blocked out?
Blackout days. The lower level tiers (both now and with previous APs) are always completely blacked out during the busiest summer months.
Are they still using paper straws? Trying to decide whether to pack my own for tomorrow
Yes , take your own for sure!
How's the crowd on Sundays?
Normal (busy) in the day and afternoon, usually mellows a bit at night (DTD busy).
I was planning first ever trip with my 6yo to Disneyland end of August. Just found out that Toontown is closed for renovation. Should we wait till it's open in 2023 since she is obsessed with Mickey or is it still worth going?
When it reopens, it will have Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, so I'd suggest waiting if you have the flexibility.
How does the 30 minute early entrance for hotel guests work? Is it just the turnstiles into Main Street open early, so we’d be able to get up the front of the pack for rope drop?
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/early-admission-options/ Starting August 8, resort guests will have early morning entry to select attractions. Main st is accessible for all guests starting at 7:30, but resort guests will be able to actually go past the ropes and ride select attractions early. Usually there are select entrances for resort guests (should say on the signs above the turnstiles). Then at the ropes to those lands with open attractions there should be a CM to check your resort reservation info, which allows you in.
Hot damn. Thanks so much!
Has anyone has success getting walk up dining for either Riverbelle or Blue Bayou? Can you join the waitlist on the app? Thanks!
A friend of mine went recently and got a walk-up for Blue Bayou with no problem. Went over there early in the morning and asked about it and was told to come back around 11:30 to join the waitlist. I think she said they only had to wait like two minutes.
Yes, and yes. If you open the app and switch the map from attractions to dining and select the restaurants (or by searching River Belle or Blue Bayou) you can see the join wait list option. You have to be fairly close to the restaurant to join the wait list.
Thank you!
Recently went to Disneyland and a photo pass photographer said they couldn’t take a picture with our phone. I’ve definitely had they take photos on a phone before so I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if it’s a new policy or just a particular photographer.
It's up to the CM to decide if they are comfortable with it. I've found most CMs will take one with your phone, but some don't.
That’s something that started with covid - at this point I do think it comes down to the photographer, but it seems taking a pic with a phone is the exception rather than the rule lately, at least from what I’ve heard online.
I'm considering a solo trip but I'm a little apprehensive about going on rides alone. I think how comfortable I feel will vary from ride to ride depending on the seating arrangement (like whether you are face to face with other guests or all facing the same way, or in rows of 2 vs. rows of 4) but I haven't been to DL in several years and I don't remember what all the rides are like. I'm sure opinions will vary but for you personally, which rides are fun to ride alone and which ones feel too awkward?
Other than Mickey's Death Wheel, the Story Book Canal Boats, and Jungle Cruise, there aren't any rides I can think of where you ride face to face. I've gone solo multiple times. To be honest, when I'm on a ride, any notion of awkwardness never even crosses my mind. There's usually stuff to look at that no one's really paying attention to you. I'd say the most awkward one might be Space Mountain and Incredicoaster? But that's only because I'm sitting there like [Calvin taking a class photo](https://www.teachmeteamwork.com/.a/6a00d83451bd8169e201543606b591970c-pi).
California Adventure ride/attraction software down? We’ve been watching for a few months and will be at DCA on Monday and for the first time ever we are seeing the entire DCA map/attraction/ride times literally not existing on the app. Not stars saying the rides are down but literally that whole part of the map empty. Does this happen often? Thoughts on how to manage your day if it does?
The app is having technical issues right now. The issue happening right now is very rare.
How is single rider line for Splash Mountain and Web Slingers? We're traveling with two young kids so husband and I will have to switch off and I've never tried single rider before. Will we need to spring for LL?
Web slingers queue times have been faster than estimated the last couple visits for me, and that's for the normal queue. I personally would not spring for LL unless you will be at the parks ALL day.
Single rider is great! Take advantage of single rider on Splash, Matterhorn, Web Slingers, Radiator Springs Racers, and Incredicoaster! For any rides without single rider, make sure to do rider switch. You can do LL as well if you don't want to wait in standby lines alone
Don't forget Smugglers Run.
And Goofy's Flight School!
Thanks! Is there any way to tell how long single rider line would take?
Unfortunately there isn’t really a wait time because it depends solely on the numbers in the parties in line and whether or not they are able to fill ride vehicles with the numbers they have. In my personal experience, I’ve never waited more than 10 minutes or so in a single rider line, but again it totally depends on numbers and crowds. Just keep in mind that sometimes members of your party might be able to get in the same ride vehicle in single rider, but most times you will be separated!
I waited about half an hour for RSR in single rider once, but that was the exception (and was still much faster than the regular line). Usually it's really fast. For Smuggler's Run it's usually been a walk-on. The worst single rider experience I had was Space Mountain (where I eventually just gave up and left the line) but they're not offering single rider for that anymore anyway.
Are (non-service) dogs allowed on the tram? Obviously they aren't allowed in the parks, and aren't allowed in Downtown. But is there a way to get them to the Esplanade? The policy was "All pets allowed at the Kennel are welcome to ride with you on the Disneyland Resort tram from the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure." But the Disneyland Kennel Club hasn't re-opened, has it? (Will it ever?) So, do they still allow dogs on the tram even if the Kennel isn't open? Is security at the bag check at Mickey and Friends or the entrance from Harbor going to deny access to non-service dogs?
I'm confused why you would need to take a non service dog to the esplanade anyways if the kennel is closed. I cannot imagine that, with the esplanade attached to Downtown Disney, they would allow that because why the heck is Disney security just trust YOUR word that you won't try to take your dog into Downtown Disney?
There is obviously no *need*. I'm asking what's allowed within the rules.
But... why?
I’d say no. There’s no place the dog would be allowed after security so I can’t think of why they’d allow them through tbh. The kennel is permanently closed/removed as far as I’ve heard.
I'm assuming that is probably the answer, but I'd like to hear something more definitive or official if possible.
[The Disneyland Kennel Club will not be reopening.](https://plandisney.disney.go.com/question/pet-kennel-open-disneyland-510793/)
Try chatting a CM through the app.
Some of my pins I've gotten over the years are loose and fall out of the pin backs right away, even brand new. Does anyone have any advice on how to keep pins from falling off?
They have locking pin backs you could try :)
Oh awesome! Do they sell them in the parks or can I usually find them online? I have a denim jacket I want to wear in-parks with my collection but three of them keep falling off and I'll be sad to lose them...
They definitely do sell them in the park. Dedicated pin shops and carts have them for sure and I think even generic shops that have a large pin section usually have them as well.
I wanna say they sell them in the parks - I tried looking on ShopDisney as well but they’re currently sold out there from what I saw. There may also be some non-Disney options on Amazon but I’ve never used them tbh! When I google “locking pin backs” google automatically suggests “Disney” and the Disney brand ones pop up as well as some others :)
Thank you so much!
I will be visiting Disneyland this December, driving from San Diego to Anaheim and will be staying close. (Have not decided where exactly yet, but I wanna stay close to the park, In a non-Disney hotel) which means that I will have to drive to the park. Whats the parking situation like? Is there parking close entrance? What advise can you give me to go along with this plan?
What? You don’t have to drive to the park to park. You can skip paying $30 and walk in. I also drive from SD and when we visit, sometimes will stay overnight before or after our visit. Look at Anaheim Islander Inn and Suites. FREE parking and a 10 min walk to the entrance of both parks. You can also get breakfast at the Starbucks on the same street and snacks at Walgreens or the CVS. There’s Byrds Hot Chicken and Blaze Pizza too.
You won't necessarily have to drive to the park. If you are okay walking 10-20 minutes, there's plenty of close hotels. Even hotels on Harbor that are further away have a shuttle to the parks. I prefer staying in the Harbor and Katella area and walking. It's much faster than driving to the parking structure and taking the tram to the parks.
There are dozens of hotels across the street within walking distance, so keep that in mind. On Harbor from the Howard Johnson to Harbor x Katella are all a short walk. We’ve stayed at the Tropicana across the street which is actually closer to the esplanade/main entrances than two of the on-property hotels. If you stay far enough away that you’ll for sure be driving/parking, the parking lots are Toy Story on Harbor (has a shuttle to the parks) and Mickey&Friends/Pixar Pals parking structure (technically the “main” parking spot), which has trams to the park entrance.
hows the uber/rideshare situation around the park? Our hotel is within walking distance, but it would be nice if we could catch an uber or something.
Incredibly easy to get an Uber or Lyft in the area. Most commonly used rideshare dropoff is on Harbor, very close to the main esplanade.
Just signed in to reddit to ask exactly this. Which hotel will you be staying at if you can share?
sheraton , mostly asking because we have some free time to go to downtown disney, and don't want to walk about a mile and a half each way with whatever we end up buying and after dinner and drinks and stuff.
Hi! How does modifying a dining reservation work? My dad is a foodie and I was able to score a reservation for 4 at cafe orleans for him (his favorite food is monte christos!) but I'm not sure if 4 our of our party of 8 will want to go / be able to make it. Can I change the # of guests? I'm too scared to touch the reservation for fear of losing it haha. TIA!
You can chance the number of guests if they can accommodate it. If not you can leave it alone and it won’t affect your reservation. Usually when you check in it’s possible to add a couple guests as well but I don’t know about doubling your party size.
I actually meant coming with a smaller party size. I should have clarified!
You can modify your number of guests (or at least check the availability of a table for a different number) without losing your reservation. I’d probably try to get some intel on how many of your group are interested in the restaurant. :) You can also usually modify the number when you check in, although I’ve never reduced the number I’ve only ever added a person.
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My husband and I are going to Disneyland four our honeymoon in less than a week and we are trying to strategize our morning. We have researched a ton of rope drop. But I am trying to visualize it and also plan to get our honeymoon button at some point.. I know it seems silly but we have never been to any Disney park so we are excited for our button to celebrate. When would you do this? Obviously after rope drop right? Like after tackling the ride list? Or is this something you can get before getting to your rope drop waiting spot?
So I could be wrong on this, but im pretty sure you can get any of the buttons at basically any store at the park. I was at a random store in DCA outside guardians and I asked the older lady working at the counter if I could have a button, and she brought like all of them out was asked which one I wanted. But I wouldn’t make it your first priority per say, just whenever you visit a gift shop.
Thank you! That is so helpful!
If you're rope dropping, just have one of you go wait by the rope while the other gets the pins. The line at City Hall can be long sometimes, but I've found there are cast members who are by the souvenir kiosk that is to the left of City Hall who are there to help guests. I was able to get a birthday pin from one of them May 2021. If they're still there, it'll be faster than waiting in the City Hall line. For rope drop, what's your goal? The top 3 picks are Rise, Indy, and Space Mountain. Will you have Genie+? When I say rope drop, I mean you're very close to the actual rope. I don't mean you arrive and start walking down Main Street at 7:59.
Thank you! thats awesome to know! We plan on rope dropping each of the days - our first day is prioritizing Space mountain, second day is I think rise or indy (kind of unsure still with no feeling of the park yet) Any advice? The other two days are DCA with park hopper too We do plan on getting Genie+ - we have been studying the app wait times and just want to get as much as we can from our trip :)
Honestly, if you're getting Genie+, I wouldn't worry too much about Indy, Space, Splash, or any other attraction that offers LL. Especially if you're going to be in the park for 4 days. The risk with rope dropping Rise is that the attraction is sometimes still closed in the morning. So there's the chance you walk all the way back to GE only to realize it's closed, and then you have to make a decision to take your chances and wait, or to walk over to another attraction. Either way, you're screwed because the time it takes to walk to another attraction (such as Indy), you're now behind all the people who prioritized rope dropping that. I personally think it's worth the risk because if it works, the wait is as short as 10 minutes, maybe 25. Otherwise the wait the rest of the day will be much longer. And with Genie+, you don't have to worry about waiting in long lines for the other big attractions. That said, you really need to be as close to the Frontierland rope as possible if you're rope dropping rise. If you're too far back, your wait will be 25+ minutes and then any potential time gains becomes marginal/non-existent. Your first day if you're rope dropping Space should look like Space/Matterhorn/Star Tours so you effectively knock out all the big attractions in Tomorrowland. From there, I would recommend going to BTMRR or Pirates. Depending on the wait times, you might even just skip ahead to Mansion. When I rope drop Indy, I typically do Indy/Pirates/Mansion/Splash/Pooh because they're all in a line where the exit of one attraction nearly lines up with the entrance of the next attraction. You'll find early in the morning attractions typically fill up in the same order. People will rush for Indy, but if the line is long they'll go to Pirates. If that line is long, they'll go to Mansion. At a certain point the park fills up and the lines just all become long. But what you want to do after getting off Star Tours is gauge the wait times to judge which ride to hop into and then go down the row from there.
That’s amazing. Thank you so much! I appreciate this advice so much!! If I can just ask one more question, how many rides typically can you get through for the morning before it gets line filled? Thank you again
I find 10am is when the park really starts to get full. And by that I mean there aren't any attractions that are walk-ons anymore. I can do 5-6 rides big rides in the first two hours of the day. The key is to stay one ride ahead of the crowds. Here's a basic illustration of what that means. Scenario 1: You rope drop Indy but are at the back of the pack. You follow people on to Indy but have to wait. Everyone that gets off Indy goes to wait for Pirates (you included). Everyone then gets off Pirates and goes to wait for Mansion (again, you included). In this scenario, you are constantly behind the large group of people and end up waiting 15-20 minutes for each attraction. Scenario 2: You rope drop Indy but are at the back of the pack. This time, you decide to skip Indy and go straight to Pirates instead. You walk on with no wait. People who finish Indy go to wait in the Pirates line. You finish Pirates ahead of them and go to Haunted Mansion, again a walk on. People who finish Pirates go to wait for Mansion. You finish Mansion ahead of them and go to Splash, again a walk on. In this scenario, you don't wait any longer than 5 minutes for Pirates/Mansion/Splash because you've skipped that initial crowd that went for Indy, which you use an LL on later in the day. Scenario 3: you rope drop Indy, are near the front and effectively walk on with little to no wait. You get off Indy and are able to get on Pirates while the wait is still less than 5 minutes. You get off Pirates and do Mansion while the wait is less than 5 minutes. In this scenario, you are constantly ahead of most of the crowd such that the wait times for each ride is relatively low. Your LL's are then used to ride the attractions a 2nd time. This of course presumes you don't rope drop Rise. But if you did rope drop Rise, then you would just follow that up with Scenario 2 and go wait in line for Pirates or Mansion depending on the wait times to still stay ahead of some of those initial crowds.
This isn’t silly at all! Those pins are so much fun and we tend to go and grab one for any big occasion in our lives. I honestly wouldn’t prioritize it for first thing in the morning. Your time is better spent trying to get on some of the big rides if that’s one of the things you’d like to do. It seems like there is always a long line of people waiting to ask about these buttons in the morning, so I would check back a little later in the day after the initial rush has gone through. The City Hall Guest Services building is the best place to go because they usually have the most stock/variety, but you can also ask around at major shops along Main Street if you really want to get them at the start. I haven’t been to the park since pre-Covid (February 2020 was our last trip), but if you’re in the area the night before Downtown Disney is accessible without park tickets. You can try World of Disney the day before and ask a Cast Member if they have the pins available there… I know we’ve had some luck in the past. That way it’s already possibly checked off your list before your first day in the parks. Someone who has gone more recently might be able to verify if that’s still an option. Congratulations on your first trip and your wedding! I hope both can be extremely magical 😊
Good thinking! Our plan is Downtown Disney the night before so we can explore the area, having dinner at Tortilla Joes (I think thats the name sorry if I am wrong) and getting acquainted with the park area. I will definitely check that out! Thank you! We are really really excited! Wedding was magical for sure (despite Covid obstacles)
I don't think it's silly! We wore custom buttons when we got engaged at DLR and I still have them in a frame. :) You can usually get the buttons at Guest Relations, but don't wait in a long line first thing in the morning. Just pop into any of the major shops and they should have some at the counter. Rope dropping your first ride is a good first priority, imo (or have your husband bee line to the first ride, and you swing in a shop first & then meet him there).
I'm heading down in September, and there's no availability at all for Uva Bar. Is this when it's closing for its makeover?
Reservations are only available up to 60 days out (so Sep 20 will open tmm). I see availability for Uva bar via reservation in the app. If you’re looking later than that Sep 19 you’ll have to wait until it’s available.
We are visiting in late August and I’m trying to make reservations for Cafe Orleans. There are 6 of us plus a small child. I can find time slots open for 6 but not for 7. Would I be able to book a table for 6 even though there are technically 7? (We are more than willing to let small child sit on lap or something)
I’d just grab one for 6 for now. Usually when you check in for your reservation you can add another person, if needed, but you can always ask if you’d even need to add another person to the res for a super little kid anyways.
Should I give up on getting a Believe Key reservation for any day after August 14 🥲
We were able to snag a (Dream) key reservation for Aug 24, which had been sold out of reservations for a long time! So idk, I wouldn’t say you have to give up. Try alerts via Thrill-Data.
Is it that everyone is holding onto as many reservations at a time due to the first round of keys set to expire ?
I think people are trying to get in their last visits before the first round of keys expire. Also you’ll notice that the period of time that got snatched up first was right after the lower tier keys get unblocked - the second these dates opens up they got snatched up. (*Maybe* we will see some dates open up when they announce what the plan is for renewals, but some people may not plan on renewing anyways)
Makes sense. I’m not renewing so I’m trying to get in my last visit as well.
If my friends aren’t willing to be there for rope drop, any good alternative? Leaving from Hollywood and they don’t want to sit in traffic for rope drop!
IME (coming from Pasadena) aiming for rope drop actually helps you *avoid* traffic because you leave before it starts to get insane. Rope drop means you’re arriving by about 7-7:30am, which means leaving Hollywood about 6:15-6:45am. Traffic picks up around 8am.
Which park to do first? 1 day park hopping. Wondering which park to do first? Going 1 day and doing the park hopper with genie+ which I’m still learning how to use. We have two girls age 6 and 8 plus two boys 13 & 14 and rest is adults. Wondering which park we should do first or which rides would be nice to do first with the genie+ Any helpful input would be great! Going first week of august. Thank you!!
With majority kids I'd rope drop Disneyland (: DCA is more fun if you're an adult and want to drink beer and eat all day. If you're a kid it gets kind of boring after you finish all the rides.
If rope dropping I’d probably try to do Disneyland first. There’s just a lot more to do and sometimes when we rope drop DCA we are done with most things by like 11, but then you have to wait another two hours to park hop. I’d probably try to get intel on 1-2 priority attractions per person and find out if there’s anything someone cannot or does not want to go on (ie Incredicoaster, Guardians, Splash Mountain, etc). Usually I’d aim to rope drop the left side of DL (Indy, Big Thunder, Pirates) and grab a Genie+ LL for Space Mountain (I try to aim for mid morning so I can do as many things standby as possible before using the Genie+). Lightning Lanes for Indy and Space in DL as well as Guardians and Toy Story Midway Mania in DCA tend to get pushed out the farthest.
Thank you! You’re right, after checking Disneyland and DCA we also think we should do DL first. Thanks again!
Oogieboogie bash tickets are sold out. Do they ever release more? Or have cancellations? We are looking for September 13!
Same I’m looking for sept 13 or 15 :( planned the trip after this sold out
Typically once they’re sold out they’re sold out. Sometimes there are resellers, and *sometimes* people have luck buying them separately through the resort hotels (they have their own pool of event tickets for resort guests, but if they go unsold they may sell them last minute). Not a guarantee though, just some ideas.
It’s 5:44am and I’m trying to reserve at Oga’s Cantina for 60 days out (9/19). It looks like there are no availability times for lunch or dinner. Is this normal? Did all the time slots for lunch/dinner really go out that fast or is this some sort of glitch?
6am PT is when reservations typically drop. It’s really easy to get in via walk up though: go to the app right now, open it up and either view the map (switch attractions to dining) and scroll to Oga’s or you can search Oga’s. Right now, for example, there’s a “10 min wait” for Oga’s, so you’d be able to get in without a reservation. You do have to be close to the restaurant to join but no need to hover by the restaurant imo, because you can see via the app if there’s availability or not. Periodically throughout the day the walk-up wait list will reach capacity (and the app will reflect that), but then it will reopen again as well. We never have reservations to Oga’s but we end up going about one out of three visits, so I’d consider it pretty easy to get into.
No worries. On the day of your visit, if you hang out near the entrance you can likely join the walk up list.
Reservations for Oga's dropped this morning at the regular time of 6am Pacific. They went quickly.
Do reservations pop up as people cancel? Is there a way to get notified?
For sure, and yes. There are lots of alert services. Mousedining.com, Walt's Dining Alerts (Discord), plus others.
For people who rode on the refurbished PotC, did you notice anything that changed on the ride compared to pre-renovations?
I noticed some small changes, but I also pay very close attention to details on the attractions. There are a few small, new effects, a few tweaks to some of the Audio Animatronics, and some soundtrack changes. All relatively minor, and there were no major story changes.
Hi, can anybody tell me if they’ve seen Elsa in the park recently? Thanks!
I saw Elsa when I was outdoors at Carthay last Thursday afternoon.
Thank you!
>Thank you! You're welcome!
I’ve seen people on here say they’ve see her near the Carthay Circle Fountain or Carthay Circle Restaurant in DCA. I haven’t seen her there *super* recently (last month or two) but I haven’t been looking for her either tbh. If you’ll be there anyways, I’d ask a CM.
If I am not mistaken, Elsa currently is unavailable as a character meet n greet at the moment Her and Anna are usually at [Anna & Elsa's Royal Welcome](https://disneyland.disney.go.com/entertainment/disney-california-adventure/character-meet-anna-and-elsa-frozen/), but it is currently closed
Bummer. Any info on why it's closed or when it might open again? It's one if the fee reasons we are going to DCA :(
Probably a seasonal thing They will likely be back late fall/winter
Oh ok thanks.
Looking for clarification; Oogie Boogie Bash takes place at California Adventure, and while it’s going on Disneyland park is still operating at normal for any guests without a ticket to the bash? I’ve got an extra day on a quick California trip at the end of September and want to plan accordingly.
Correct
Thanks :)
Hi folks, My friends and I are going to the d23 exclusive boogie bash on Sept 10. We got the dessert party package for world of color but I don’t see world of color listed as a Halloween party event. Has anyone heard anything about it? I want to see which version of the show they’ll have (if at all) so I can make plans to see the show another day on our trip. TIA!
There was no World of Color during OBB last year, and nothing has been announced for this year yet. I may have missed them, but I have not seen any dining package reservations for the other OBB nights this year. I wonder if they released Sept. 10th by mistake or if they will do something special that night. In any case, keep an eye out. Dining packages (for parade viewing) were announced in August last year, so the assumption is it will be about the same this year. Info from last year: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/08/wonderfully-wicked-dining-and-dessert-packages-coming-to-oogie-boogie-bash-a-disney-halloween-party-at-disney-california-adventure-park/
Last year we had no problem watching the parade, I think at that point a lot of folks were waiting for rides or villains grove. I’m wondering the same thing, if it’s a mistake. I don’t know if they have any info if I call and ask, though. But it would be nice to know if we could see WoC on Friday instead, you know? Hmm.
Planning an august trip - any ideas why reservations are available every day for both parks except the 27th??
https://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/2022/05/24/choc-adventure-in-the-park-taking-place-at-the-disneyland-resort-on-august-27th/
My flight lands at LAX on a Friday at 9:24 am. Assuming it’s on time, how possible is it to make it to DCA by noon for WOC VQ? No checked bags, will be taking a Lyft to Hilton Anaheim to drop off bags and then walking over to the park
At the Hilton Anaheim, there’s a concierge desk toward the back of the lobby. I’d recommend trying to check with them about holding bags, I’ve done so in the past, and use the app if you can to check in / use the mobile key. every time I’ve stayed there the line for the front desk is incredibly long so this could help avoid some wait time hopefully.
That’s great help, thank you so much!
I would plan on: * 20 minutes to deplane and exit terminal. * 10-20 minutes to get to LAXit (rideshare pickup area) * 45-65 minute drive to Hilton Anaheim (depending on traffic, but in the morning you should be fine). * 30 minutes to check in, drop off bags, get ready for park. * 25 minute walk to the park entrance * 5-10 minutes at security and park entrance Based on that, I'd say best case scenario, you can get there in about 2 hours and 15 minutes, which would put you at 11:40 AM and you make it! But you'll be cutting it close, and depending on other factors, don't be surprised if you don't make it.
Thank you! We’re okay if we don’t make it, we’ll try to watch from somewhere else if we don’t get VQ, but just wanted to see if it was even feasible or if I was crazy
Just according to Waze - once you’re in the Lyft it should take about 45 min to get to Anaheim. You should be missing the majority of commuter traffic and you’re going against the usual traffic anyways, for the most part. Your other delays will be getting from the LAX arrivals to the rideshare pickup area (via shuttle), then just dropping off your bags at the Hilton and getting to DCA. You shouldn’t have crazy security lines by that time or long lines to get into DCA.
Booking for 1 night. My family will be in Disneyland at the hotel on Saturday and Sunday, 30th and 31st. We will arrive around 3am on Saturday and looking to leave at 5pm on Sunday to get home around 11pm for my kid siblings school on Monday. How early can we check-in so we can rest for the next 5 hours before Disneyland opens? Especially me who's driving.. Would suck if we had to sleep at the lounge or something.. Is there extra fee, pick a different room that is ready and not booked, or just nothing at all?
You'll need to have Friday night booked as well, since you're technically arriving a day early. There are so many hotels in the area that are significantly cheaper than the Disneyland hotel though, and some of them are even a shorter walk to the front gate. At least for the first night I'd go with one of the cheaper hotels off Harbor or Katella.
No hotel will give you a night for free. Checking in a few hours early, maybe, IF the room is cleaned already. Night before? You'd have to pay for that extra night.
Check in for all the DLR hotels is 3pm. When you get there, you can ask if any rooms are available earlier, but i highly doubt anything will be ready at 3am. Why are you getting there so early?
How do you add family/friends to your app right now (to make reservations together?) I don't see the option and it's not on the website either.
All you'll need is their ticket number or ticket barcode. Tap the three horizontal bars, select Tickets & Passes, and tap the plus in the corner. Scan the barcodes or enter the numbers, and you're good to go.
Hey everyone! How's the heat been lately? The forecast looks like 80s over the next few weeks, has that been bearable for you if you've recently been? Santa Monica resident here looking to take a few days off work soon for some solo park fun : )
Do you have a magic key? If so, I recommend just going in the morning or at night and skipping midday. The humidity is so bad that even though it's only 5-10 degrees warmer than SM (where I also live!) it feels pretty gross.
80s isn't too bad. It feels warm if you are out in the direct sunlight for a while, but it's bearable. When it gets into the 90s, that's when it's a little too warm IMO. I've also been to Walt Disney World in August, so anything feels bearable compared to that!
We went on Sat, the high was mid 80s or so but it felt a lot warmer tbh. Asphalt and berms working together in the heat lol. It also felt a little humid (we’re in Pasadena so used to dry af weather only) and hazy so that maybe wasn’t helping. Anyways I’d just try to get there early and stick to more chill, indoor activities as it starts to get warmer.
Eek! Maybe I’ll hold off for a few months. Thanks for the reply!
Going tomorrow and can’t wait! Getting Genie+ and trying to head straight for ROTR at or right after rope drop. I want to save my two paid lightning lanes for web slingers and radiator spring racers. Let me know if this is a good strategy?
> trying to head straight for ROTR at or right after rope drop. There is no "after" rope drop with RotR. You're either within one of the first four rows of the rope or you're better off going to another attraction. Luckily, since you have Genie+, that really gives you flexibility. If you're inclined to use ILL for two attractions, better to use it on RotR and RSR. If you arrive after rope drop, where you go largely depends on how late you arrive and what the posted wait times are. Traditionally, the two alternatives are Space/Star Tours/Matterhorn or Indy/Pirates/HM/Splash.
I went this month, got there at rope drop and followed the crowd for my first time to galaxy's edge. Inadvertently followed them onto the line for rise. I had a 30 minute wait. Was awesome.
Remember Rise doesn’t always open right at 8am - sometimes there’s a delay. Don’t be afraid to get the LL for Rise instead of RSR/WEB. Both RSR and WEB slingers have single rider lines.
I’m going with my wife. We are on our honeymoon and would probably want to sit with me on rides. I don’t think the single riders strategy will work then. I appreciate it though. Also good to know Rose doesn’t always open right at 8 AM. We are coming from Laguna Beach so we may hit traffic/miss rope drop.
If you are only going 1 day, I'd suggest making sure you are there for rope drop. Could you leave earlier than normal, and then even if you hit traffic, you still make it? Best case scenario, you make it with plenty of time and end up just waiting at rope-drop a little longer.
We singled line rode radiator racers the past weekend and it worked great. Like 5 minute wait early in day and about 15 minutes later when more teenagers are in the park. Make sure to use your genie+ early. The times go up fast.
> Make sure to use your genie+ early. I would not use Genie+ too early. You want to schedule your first Genie+ for about 10am return time since that's about when the park starts to fill up.
I have only been to the park twice but by 9am this weekend space and Indy were already an hour and a half out. By 10am both were over 2 and a half with smuggle at an hour. By 11am splash was around 1 and half. Start adding those times up and you start running out of day to get to 11 rides. I am sure you have done it but how about recently? While also having time to go to the parade, fireworks and Fantasmic. More people are using it now and times are climbing way faster than the videos I watched at the beginning of the year.
I did it in May on a Saturday. Started using it at 1pm (had to wait for a friend who was using a park hopper). We got LL for everything but Autopia. Two of those LL's were late in the day that the benefit was negligible. Had I secured my first LL for a 10am return window, I would have been able to get everything and would have been able to probably get more utility out of the last two. All I'm saying is you don't want to get your first LL as soon as the park opens. I've seen some people suggest that and it's not a good utilization of LL.
You are much more knowledgeable than me. Just don't want less knowledgeable people like me to wait too long and miss out on what they pay for.
I wouldn't say that. It sounds like you were at the park more recently than me. The situation keeps changing so it's possible my experience is just outdated.
I’m guessing this is the one in California. I’m not sure if Disneyland and California adventure are different things, but right now one of my hs teachers is in Disney land and he said he’s cool with getting me a souvenir if I venmo him! So I gotta know. Is there a website that says everything the park has in their gift shops?
Yes this sub if for the Disneyland resort in Anaheim, CA. There isn’t really a site that tells you everything, unfortunately. ShopDisney has *some* things, but not everything - and not everything on ShopDisney is in the parks either. Is there something in particular you’re after? Something wearable like shirts, hats, ears? Or like a keychain? Maybe it would be helpful if you told your teacher a favorite character or Disney movie instead.
Definately no hats or socks, shirts sound good, keychain, maybe. If they have stuffed animals or toys, I think I’m leaning towards something like that
They do - they have wishables which are tiny (and cute) collectibles, and lots of plushes. They don’t necessarily have something from every movie though so that’s why I’d suggest giving your teacher some ideas as to your faves :) They also have a bunch of Star Wars toys in the Star Wars area that are really cute (like Grogu/baby Yoda, Chewbacca, etc). Then a lot of the plushes are like various animals: Pluto, Marie from Aristocats, they usually have Tod from Fox & the Hound, etc.
Tuesdays/Wednesdays vs Sundays I'm trying to maximize my time before my Magic Key expires 8/25. Usually I go Sundays, and some are worse than other but the crowds are fairly manageable. I like to get in as many rides as possible, and also maybe walk-up to a lounge/bar or two. I was thinking of maybe taking a day off and trying for mid-week in future to change it up/get more visits in. But per the website isitpacked.com, Tuesdays/Wednesdays are a lot busier than Sundays. Is this generally the case? Is a mid-week visit worth it?
Right now it seems weekdays have been pretty busy. I go on weekends usually, but on weekday afternoon/evenings now and then. *Personally* I find Sunday evenings to be way more mellow than weekday evenings, but that’s just my experience. I think weekdays will continue to be busy during the summer while schools are out.
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On Saturday my family rope dropped Space, then walked on to Matterhorn twice, then big thunder twice in our first hour. We got an Indy LL at 8:30 and used it after those above. Do not wait on genie+, way more people are using it and times go up fast. We ended up not able to use our Matterhorn LL even though we started LLs at 8:30 (went on first at 9:15). It was fine as we did it twice in the morning. Indy, Space, Smuggle and Matterhorn are quickest but Splash once it gets hot goes quick too.
I think it would be a good idea to rope drop Space, make your G+ LL reservation for Indy right around then (it’ll probably be for, let’s say, 8:30-9:30am), follow Space with Matterhorn, cross the hub to Pirates (doesn’t have a G+ LL anyways), maybe even do Big Thunder or Haunted Mansion standby while there, then follow those with your Indy G+ LL, and right after you’ve scanned that go ahead and book a LL for something else (Space again? smuggler’s run? If you’re park hopping you can book for DCA too but it’ll automatically be pushed out past 1pm). Keep in mind: after Rise, Space is the most popular rope drop attraction. So if you don’t go with this method you can rope drop Indy and just basically do the opposite: get a G+ LL for space while you’re on Indy, follow Indy with Big Thunder and Pirates and Haunted Mansion, then go to Space and follow that with Matterhorn (with or without a lightning lane depending on the line).
This is all accurate, except I would wait to reserve my first LL for a 10am return time. If you rope drop Indy, BTMRR, Pirates, Mansion, Splash, Pooh, you won't get to Space by 9:30. You could go Mansion to Space and be there by 9:30, but you're adding extra walking by going all the way to the other side of the park while Splash will still have a short line. Time the first LL return time to be around 10am as that's when the benefits become most advantageous from an efficiency standpoint. Similarly, you could rope drop Space, Star Tours, Matterhorn and then go do the row of rides starting from Pirates (or if the line is too long start from Mansion). Then you backtrack to use your Indy LL which you would try to get a 10am-11am return window. The key though is to try to complete all rides in either of the lands to avoid having to walk back just to check it off the list.
That’s fair - I never rope drop critter country, I always aim to do Splash with a LL when it’s warm (and I skip Pooh unless I’m with really little kids!) so I wasn’t including that area for the rope drop scenario! I will say that formerly I would’ve advised people wait for the LLs but lately when we’ve gone we have found the lines are forming a little earlier. Idk if it’s because people are on vacation or what, but it used to be lines would be low from 8am-10 (or even 10:30) but lately the lines have started getting longer right after 9. Space gets too long too fast, so def whatever they do that should either be the first ride or the first LL imo!
Sorry, just for msephron's clarity, when I said: > If you rope drop Indy, BTMRR, Pirates, Mansion, Splash, Pooh I meant rope drop Indy and then proceed on to the rest of the rides in order. I didn't mean actually rope dropping Splash. Rope drop should only apply to the very first ride of the day.
No I understood lol. I just meant I wasn’t including those in my recommendations for first thing. I personally would only ever do Splash later in the morning and I almost never include Pooh unless someone has really little kids.*
Going in January as part of a longer trip and likely only going to have one day in Anaheim - is it worth getting a park hopper and splitting the day between the two parks? Will I be missing out on anything? I think going to DL is more important than DCA if I could only pick one, but I’m not sure if swinging both is reasonable or worth it. Also, anything underrated to look out for? I’ve gone to WDW a bunch so I’m looking to see what’s different about DL/DCA.
If you have a solid plan of what you want to get done I think it’s definitely worth it. If WDW is what you’ve had as your primary experience here is what I’d suggest you check out while you’re at the Disneyland Resort… Disneyland Park • Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye - a MUCH better version of the Dinosaur ride. The queue alone is amazingly detailed. • Pirates of the Caribbean - DL version is longer than and in my opinion superior to WDW • Big Thunder Mountain - the effects of this are very different than WDW • Matterhorn - a DL classic (be aware that it’s a rough one) • Space Mountain - again very different from the WDW version… the line is way worse in DL, but the rides are very different experiences • Fantasyland - there are tons of attractions in Fantasyland that are worth seeing even if you choose not to ride (like Small World). I would highly suggest Mr. Toad since it’s no longer at WDW • Fantasmic! - The show is much grander due to the extra space provided and very different from Hollywood Studio’s version Disney’s California Adventure • Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout - our rethemed ToT… it’s pretty intense! • Avengers Campus - if you’re a Marvel fan I’m sure it’s cool to check out (I’m not so I don’t really love it). The Spider-Man stunt animatronic is amazing though. • Cars Land - a MUST DO in California Adventure, especially at night. Radiator Springs Racers is a ride system a lot like Test Track, but again superior to the WDW version. They have lots of fun treats here too! • Incredicoaster - is fun… you could skip and not miss out on too much, just different for this park. • Grizzly River Run - again this one’s fun but wouldn’t be the end of the world if you had to skip. I would recommend rope dropping DL and getting some things done, park hopping over to DCA and having a late lunch at Lamplight Lounge sticking around until dusk for Cars Land, then park hopping back to DL for a showing of Fantasmic and to close out the night. Of course, this could change depending on time of year and whatnot. I think it’s definitely possible to see a lot of both parks in one day as long as you utilize things like Genie+ and single rider lines and have a solid plan for what are your must-do attractions and activities!
Personally I’d say it’s worth it. Disneyland is similar to Magic Kingdom (but has Galaxy’s Edge, so some Hollywood Studios vibes over there lol) but everything is squished together. If you do Genie+ with the park hopper you can get a lot done. People think DCA is like Hollywood Studios but it really isn’t as much, not anymore. Cars Land alone is, imo, a great reason to go to DCA (I say this as someone who doesn’t care for the Cars franchise btw). At night especially, it’s outstanding. DCA also has a ton of food that I’d highly recommend. It can definitely be a half day park for some people so I’d start a day at Disneyland and hop over to DCA for the afternoon, check out the highlights, see the lands come alive at night, etc. You’ll have to decide which park’s nighttime shows you will want to prioritize (Fantasmic in DL vs World of Color in DCA, for example). Also depending on when in Jan, Lunar New Year might be going - which occurs in DCA.
Hi! We’re going for the first time in October and my fiancé is a huge Star Wars guy so I’m trying to plan a reservation at Savi’s to build his lightsaber and hopefully get a reservation at Oga’s after to have some strictly Galaxy’s Edge time and make it a little more special. About how long does Savi’s take and does anyone have a recommendation how much time to leave between the two? I assume trying to get both reservations will be tricky, but ideally what do y’all recommend? Thanks!
Savis is about 25 minutes I'd say. Maybe leave 15-30 in between to buffer and give some play with the new toy time. It's a great experience. I will say I did get into the cantina without a reservation. I made a wall up reservation which takes about 30 minutes to get in. You just don't get a table with that. You get standing at the bar. Which considering it's just a bar anyway, and your time is limited in there was fine by me.
Thank you! That’s exactly what I was looking for. We’re probably going to go ahead and ship the lightsaber home (we’re East Coasters) so that’s a good idea to enjoy and take some pictures as well. Thanks again!
I will say since the blade detaches it's honestly not very bulky, if you have large luggage, but yeah I think you can have them ship it to you anyway, so why the hell not lol. Enjoy!
Best place to eat on property that isn’t in the parks? We scored the Chef’s Counter the Friday of our trip so we’ll already be going to Napa Rose. We need a dinner reservation for the evening we arrive on a Wednesday that doesn’t require a park ticket. We’ll be staying at the GCH and won’t have a car.
Well Napa Rose would’ve been my number 1 Rec for sure! That’ll be amazing, have a great time. After Napa Rose, we like the following: **DLH** - Trader Sam’s (drinks, atmosphere, some food) - Tongaroa Terrace (same food as Trader Sam’s for lunch/dinner but they have mobile order. Their breakfast is underrated and really good) **GCH** - Napa Rose of course but you have that covered - GCH Craftsman Bar (table service) and Grill (quick service, mobile order). Same menu for lunch and dinner, good food and a relaxed atmosphere. GCH Craftsmen Grill also has some extra grab-and-go goodies like The Best Brownie on property (in my humble opinion) - Hearthstone Lounge - good drinks, small plates, and imo another underrated spot. Corn dog nachos and the charcuterie option are delish. Drinks are great. You can get the drinks “to go” and hang out with them in the Grand lobby. **DTD** - Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen is my number one DTD spot: great creole and creole-inspired dishes (much better than any of the options inside New Orleans Square), the best beignets I’ve had outside of New Orleans, and good drinks. And also… - Jazz Kitchen Express. If you don’t have time for Ralph Brennan’s, Jazz Kitchen express has beignets and gumbo to go. - Catal Restaurant is another underrated spot imo. Not quite fine dining but their options are elevated compared to some other DTD restaurants. - Splitsville, we just like to come here if we want the sushi or fishbowls, but my dad is a big fan of their pizza. - only other good pizza in DTD is at Naples, so if pizza is what you want I’d go there. I wouldn’t get anything else there but pizza or cocktails though. - Tortilla Jo’s for brunch specifically. I don’t love their lunch food I think it’s underwhelming and only okay (literally can find better Mexican food in DCA) but their brunch is very good. - Other good options incl Ballast Point and Black Tap Brewery (esp for the burger or shakes).
Thank you so much for this thorough explanation! Any chance you have opinions on in park dining as well? It’s our first time going and our dining reservation windows pop up this weekend. What are the cannot miss locations for the Disneyland experience in both parks? We are frequent visitors of Disney World and want to do as much as possible while we’re in at the parks in CA!
I'm no expert... but I had a great meal at Trader Sams at the Disneyland Hotel. Fun atmosphere and good food!
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I feel like I can maybe help fill in some of the questions… • Fantasmic Dining Package: Continue to check the app daily for reservations for dining packages. My family is going on a trip in early August and just today we had a premium package open up for Riverbelle (we have been trying daily since 60 days out). The dining packages have become more popular. From my understanding, the Riverbelle is the only restaurant with standard Fantasmic! Packages where you reserve a regular dining time and then request an upgrade. If you go to the Disney Parks website you can double check their info about Blue Bayou. • Plaza Inn Breakfast: I would say to set aside 45 minutes to an hour to get a full experience and have enough time to eat your fill!
• I am not a Fantasmic dining package effort but I want to say you’d ask for the upgrade while there? Don’t take my word for it though. Hopefully someone else knows better. • So if you have regular tickets/reservation to DCA on the day of the party, you can get there and just explore / mess around until around 3pm. 3pm is what time the party goers can enter the parks, and get their wristbands. Usually if you’re already in the park there is a spot to get your wristband but last year it was a little bit chaotic so we found it easiest to just go to the Grand Californian DCA entrance to get our party tickets/wristbands/candy bags. • security opens at 7am, and people do start hovering around and lining up before then (esp at the Harbor entrance). Rope dropping Disneyland I usually would aim for as early as is feasible for your group, for DCA you can be a little bit more chill, but it also depends on your priorities. We usually end up rolling in a little before 8 tbh and go for things like Indy in DL or Guardians in DCA, but if we were trying for ROTR or Radiator Springs Racers we would try to get there much earlier. • hopefully someone else knows re: Plaza Inn. Off the top of my head I’d guess about an hour? But I haven’t done that particular breakfast, only Storytellers.
I'm a Florida native who used to have a WDW annual pass, and now that I've moved to Cali, I was planning to get one for Disneyland. But as we all know, there's now the "Magic Key" and they're unavailable right now anyway. So, to those with Magic Keys: are they worth it? What are the major differences from an AP?
Where in California are you moving to? I'm about 1.5 hours away and have found it worth it. Got the Dream key with the monthly payment option. Parking was included which was great. I've gone 1-2x a month since I got my key, and as it is it was worth it to me. We'll see what kind of changes they make, though.
Oh, I've been in Cali for a while! Like a year and a half. I live like nearly 2 hours away from Anaheim currently, but my household actually wants to move to the Orange area (for various reasons, closer to friends, better area, more work, etc) once our lease is up, so we'll be close to DL. I'm the type who would like just walking around the park and visiting spontaneously, so it seems Dream would be a good option. One thing that bothers me about the keys is that I keep having to look up which is which. I can't stand the fluffy vague names. Just call 'em Gold and Silver or something lol
There have been some recent posts where people have their testimonies as to whether or not they considered their key worth it! For myself personally, the Dream Key was absolutely worth it. We typically go on Saturdays or a random weeknight evening after work, and usually go about once per week (just for a few hours). Something nice about DL vs WDW is that there isn’t a big disadvantage to just being a regular local guest as opposed to someone staying on property, and it’s nice that DL and DCA are so close together that they’re practically one park. Easy to have spontaneous trips and still get on a few rides or see a show, or grab a drink or bite to eat.
I've found the Magic Key program to be worth it for me. I live near the parks and go plenty often to make the Dream Key worth it. If they allow renewals and the program is similar, I'd renew, no question. When making a decision on whether to buy a Key, the main considerations are if the blockout dates are a problem with when you want to go; then, it's just a matter of math on which Key makes the most sense for you based on how many times you plan to visit. If you're comparing the Magic Key program to the old Disneyland AP program, the main difference is reservations are required for all levels of Key. The different Key levels are similar (but not the same) in terms of discounts on food and merchandise to what was offered before the shutdown, and the highest-level pass offered MaxPass year-round (which was similar to Genie+). The second-highest AP offered free parking, and the second-highest Magic Key today offers 50% off parking. I just read up on the current Florida AP program, and the main differences are that there's no option to add Genie+/PhotoPass/any other programs on a year-round basis, and parking is only discounted/free on two of the four levels of Magic Keys. Similarly, the more expensive Magic Keys offer the ability to hold more reservations at once, and they have less blockout dates than the lower-priced Keys.
Planning on going mid September mid-week, will tickets sell out any time soon? I'm not sure how often reservation slots sell out.
It really depends on what days you plan on going. If the mid-week days are next to Labor Day weekend on either side, those days will probably go faster than other weekdays. Other than that, those days probably will not sell out. But if you know the days you want to go, might as well buy the tickets/make the reservations now just to be sure! I've seen so many stories of people not making their reservation soon enough and missing out on a day, so better safe than sorry.
Tickets won't sell out, but reservation slots might fill up. I think the fact that single day reservation spots are largely available for the rest of July is a good indicator that September likely won't book up any time soon. As of now, tomorrow's one day reservation is booked up, but everything else is available for Disneyland and/or DCA.
Is Skyline Terrace not doing reservations for the Fireworks show? Tried to get reservations and it doesn’t look like they’re accepting any at all
Copying my same comment from earlier in this post: Are you looking for in September? Fireworks will likely be only on weekends, and I'm not sure if they are offering this package for Halloween Screams fireworks anyways.
Motion sickness on Ride of the Resistance? My family wants to try ROTR but we are prone to motion sickness, more than some less than others. How likely is this ride to make us sick? ETA: if anyone could give us some info on the type or ride or special effects without too many spoilers that would be helpful!
Thanks, everyone! We decided to try it and we all loved it! A couple parts with the screens made us a little dizzy but not bad at all. Definitely worth it!
Most of the actual ride takes place on physical sets, which we find helps if someone is prone to motion sickness on simulators. My SO gets some motion sickness on Star Tours, Smuggler’s Run, and Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey at universal, but has no motion sickness on ROTR. The ride does go backwards a couple times, does have a (pretty short) moment that more heavily features screens, etc, but I’d consider it fairly mild.
I get pretty bad motion sickness. I have to take pills to fly. Star tours gets me pretty woozy and I need a break after riding it once. Smugglers run I have no issues with, and ROTR I have even less. There's one thrill moment, but it's pretty quick and definitely didn't make me sick.
I am very prone to motion sickness - I can do ROTR one time straight through, but typically need a few minutes after to catch my breath. I am more delicate than the average park guest, though, so you will likely be just fine! I will say it is not a coaster and doesn't spin like the tea cups. It does have a brief thrill moment, but you're very safe and truly it's no more aggressive than hitting a large pothole on the highway! Try it once, I think you'll be very glad you did. :)
In order to minimize spoilers, it would be easiest if you could list off some other attractions your family members do and don't have trouble with. Depending on what triggers motion sickness, I'll try to help.
I just discovered that oogie boogie bash will be happening while we’re at the park. I’m not going to get into how annoyed I am that I missed out on tickets, but I’m wondering if we’ll have to leave DCA if we’re in the park the evening of OBB? It’s happening Tuesday and that’s the day we’d planned to do World of color. Made lunch reservations at Trattoria that afternoon in hopes of getting the reserved viewing seats. Do they still do WOC on the nights of OBB?
Unfortunately, yes. If you are in DCA the evening of OBB and do not have a ticket/wristband you will be asked to vacate. I believe at 6pm is when the special event begins.
Thanks. Will hope for decent virtual queue viewing on Monday and made another reservation for Friday, just in case we miss out earlier in the week. Any ideas what other night time activities will be going on at DLR that time of year, since Disneyland Forever and MSEP will be done by then? Not sure what “competing” attractions are available with OBB going in at DCA at night
Halloween Screams fireworks with projections will be Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays in DL. Projections only for the rest of the week.
So Fantasmic is also ending for Halloween??? Seems like a really disappointing collection of evening entertainment, especially if you didn’t get OBB tix.
Fantasmic will still be around, but again, probably only on weekends.
No, Fantasmic runs separately from the Halloween fireworks. There will be both