High anxiety about upcoming trip

[DLRExpert]

My helpful advice when you have multiple days...
Get there early for Rope Drop.
Enjoy the park for the first few hours of park opening.
Leave by noon, and relax back at the hotel, adventure off site.
Remember once you have scanned into the park you can book LLs ort ILLs from wherever you are.
Around 5pm-7pm head back to the parks and enjoy the night experience.

 

[scottmel]

Let me preface that we’ve been to WDW many times but never DL.

We were just @ WDW in mid-February and this is the source of my anxiety.

It was the worst of our trips. Genie, the lines, the ride breakdowns, the people. It was just exhausting.

We have 6 nights booked for early June @ DL Hotel w/ 5 days of hoppers.

Tell me we’re gonna have a good time and my money is being well spent, please.

Go take at look at Disneyland Daily itineary! She runs an AMAZING site with spot on advice for which order to do the ride and what time. Casey is AMAZING!

 

[prestoncaldwell]

Go take at look at Disneyland Daily itineary! She runs an AMAZING site with spot on advice for which order to do the ride and what time. Casey is AMAZING!

Do you have a url?

 

[mdmost]

https://disneylanddaily.com/how-to-start-your-day-at-disneyland/

She's also on Facebook and Instagram under Disneyland Daily. She updates those a lot more than her website. She does test runs and posts the results on Facebook.

 

[Blondie58]

All the changes of late left our October stay and December/January WDW stays less than magical. However, the impact of all the changes may not be the same in CA at DL. Have only been to DL twice over the years and WDW multiple times. Two very different experiences. Have fun.

 

[frechley]

My helpful advice when you have multiple days...
Get there early for Rope Drop.
Enjoy the park for the first few hours of park opening.
Leave by noon, and relax back at the hotel, adventure off site.
Remember once you have scanned into the park you can book LLs ort ILLs from wherever you are.
Around 5pm-7pm head back to the parks and enjoy the night experience.

My wife and I used to go, pre-kids, and this was what we always did. It was amazing. You miss all the craziness/heat and have plenty of time to hit everything. Our one trip with our kids was different, because our youngest can't stay out late. He gets super cranky. So, we never stayed past 7. This time, we will have to so that we can catch all the nighttime shows that weren't there when we went in May of last year.

If you can, I highly suggest taking DLRExpert's advice. We would end up having rides like POTC be walk-ons late at night, even when the park was near/at capacity for parts of our trip.

 

[GeneralTso]

Disneyland is such a different vibe than WDW.
Once you're there, you'll feel it. It's much more manageable. Hopping between DL and CA is a breeze.
Adjust your expectations but you know this because of the crowds at WDW. You're there plenty of days so don't feel like you have a to cram your days full of things from morning til night.

 

[bumbershoot]

Im seriously considering cutting our 6 nights to 4, and take a drive to Yosemite instead.

I would not do that. At all. Having such a beautifully long trip will be amazing. So much time to relax, to smile at the people rushing, when you know you have all the time in the world. Well, Land.

Although I haven't been back in awhile, I don't have the same experience as some others do with DL, and I have zero clue how they can tell who is a local and who isn't (I bet I'd look like I was on a "Disneyland date" on a trip, and I live in WA...and I'm a former northern Californian who still sounds like I'm from there), and I've basically ONLY met other out-of-staters in lines...but having a long trip really does make things nicer.

 

[Absinthe]

it’s reasonable to think I’ve built in enough time (6 nights, 5 hoppers) to not have a frantic, hair on fire experience @ DLR

Absolutely!

We just got back from 5 days and it was perfect amount of time to relax and just enjoy the parks.

Also, if you can, book Lamplight Lounge for Brunch, Lunch or Dinner. We did all three and all were phenomenal!

 

[dina444444]

Lines at Disneyland usually don't get as bad as WDW due to the fact that there are the same amount of attractions in both parks in DL as there are in 4 at WDW. For example just a few Saturdays ago @SOCALMouseMommy and I waited about 40 minutes (about 1 hour from entering the ride queue to getting off the ride) to ride Rise of the Resistance at 10am, at DHS this is regularly running a 2+ hour wait.

I will say I am at WDW right now and this is my 4th visit since mid October and I haven't had the issues others have experienced and I don't usually use Genie+ (I've paid for it twice over a total of 20+ park days), but I don't have to do everything on each visit and some of it takes strategic planning with rope drop and closing out the parks. For example tonight, Friday, I road 7DMT right after fireworks and only had about a 35/40 min wait.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I’ll be curious for your comparison after your April trip. I hope (and believe) you will be pleasantly surprised with the differences between Genie+ at DLR. There are more rides (particularly with park hoppers) and we are not seeing the reports of return times only in the evenings like from WDW (or even the recent statement about expecting 2-3 LL a day).

We had almost instant return times during a very bust week in December and I was able to stack our evening LL in our second park. Ride breakdowns mean ME LL (there is even a post about “phishing” for ME LL on this board.) My only complaint is no re-rides but with a good morning strategy (or late night) you can accomplish so much. No big.

That said, afternoon breaks are always key! I hope you have a fabulous trip!

Reporting back!!

Crowds: not bad! Felt less crowded than previous trips, except for New Orleans which was a mess to walk through with the construction (but the shops were absolutely deserted with POTC closed so that was weird!). @DLgal as you pointed out people were definitely more chill than at WDW for Sun-Wed. Thursday it was like the gloves came off. Strollers were battering rams, people were shoving through crowds, felt like MK. I couldn’t wait to leave. Maybe they were there for the holiday weekend? Idk but Thurs crowds were jerks. (I did love the group that shoved their way to the front of the tiki room waiting area only to give up like 2 mins before the doors opened and shoved their way back out since “nothing is happening” ).

G+ didn’t feel at all like the G+ I did at WDW. It was much more like old school MP. So much availability fairly close in.

Stayed GCH as it was a special trip. No early entry but that was actually ok. We couldn’t even make 8am openings. Parks were still pretty quiet 8:30-9am when we hit them and didn’t start feeling busy until 10:30-11ish. So, I actually didn’t miss Early Entry. We took the monorail into Disneyland 4 mornings which was awesome. Never more than a couple people in front of us to scan in and we always made it on the next arriving monorail. I know it’s not always running in the morning so I felt very lucky, especially as we drove over the masses at the main DL entry gates

Ride breakdowns are definitely a problem. I got into the habit of checking if the ride we were going to was operating before we trekked over to them. BTMRR, Indy, RSR, Snow White (so random lol) spring to mind as the stuff I saw closed most often.

We had TS reservations for breaks from the crowds. We were going to QS on our last day but as the crowds got worse I went on the app and got an 11:30 carnation cafe around 9am. SO happy we did because were not taking walk ups when we arrived (felt bad for the host CM, some lady came in and chewed the CM up one side and down the other because “the app said they had a waitlist option!” ).

OP, I still don’t feel comfortable saying you’re making a good decision with your money and will have a good time. I hope you do but everyone’s experiences are going to be different. Buy G+ for the first day to get some big rides with shorter lines in right off the bat. Get out in the parks early in the morning.

 

[Pluto468]

Reporting back!!

Crowds: not bad! Felt less crowded than previous trips, except for New Orleans which was a mess to walk through with the construction (but the shops were absolutely deserted with POTC closed so that was weird!). @DLgal as you pointed out people were definitely more chill than at WDW for Sun-Wed. Thursday it was like the gloves came off. Strollers were battering rams, people were shoving through crowds, felt like MK. I couldn’t wait to leave. Maybe they were there for the holiday weekend? Idk but Thurs crowds were jerks. (I did love the group that shoved their way to the front of the tiki room waiting area only to give up like 2 mins before the doors opened and shoved their way back out since “nothing is happening” ).

G+ didn’t feel at all like the G+ I did at WDW. It was much more like old school MP. So much availability fairly close in.

Stayed GCH as it was a special trip. No early entry but that was actually ok. We couldn’t even make 8am openings. Parks were still pretty quiet 8:30-9am when we hit them and didn’t start feeling busy until 10:30-11ish. So, I actually didn’t miss Early Entry. We took the monorail into Disneyland 4 mornings which was awesome. Never more than a couple people in front of us to scan in and we always made it on the next arriving monorail. I know it’s not always running in the morning so I felt very lucky, especially as we drove over the masses at the main DL entry gates

Ride breakdowns are definitely a problem. I got into the habit of checking if the ride we were going to was operating before we trekked over to them. BTMRR, Indy, RSR, Snow White (so random lol) spring to mind as the stuff I saw closed most often.

We had TS reservations for breaks from the crowds. We were going to QS on our last day but as the crowds got worse I went on the app and got an 11:30 carnation cafe around 9am. SO happy we did because were not taking walk ups when we arrived (felt bad for the host CM, some lady came in and chewed the CM up one side and down the other because “the app said they had a waitlist option!” ).

OP, I still don’t feel comfortable saying you’re making a good decision with your money and will have a good time. I hope you do but everyone’s experiences are going to be different. Buy G+ for the first day to get some big rides with shorter lines in right off the bat. Get out in the parks early in the morning.

I'm glad you had such a nice trip.

Did you do a split stay? We're leaning toward 2 nights at GC but the reminder of the morning crowds at the gate makes me think DLH club level and the monorail might be better.

I will be sure to check if rides are running before we trek across the park.

 

[chezcurrie]

G+ didn’t feel at all like the G+ I did at WDW. It was much more like old school MP. So much availability fairly close in.

Ride breakdowns are definitely a problem. I got into the habit of checking if the ride we were going to was operating before we trekked over to them. BTMRR, Indy, RSR, Snow White (so random lol) spring to mind as the stuff I saw closed most often.

So glad you had a good stay - I was there on Monday the 11 and were able to do everything we wanted and then some with Genie+. Big thunder went down a fair bit but that meant ME LL which we used for Alice and Snow White, which was a big plus!

Love your idea to take the Monorail into DL!

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

We are also a WDW family who was out in DL last week. The Grand California hotel is an incredibly special place, especially in the Villas. There is nothing comparable in Florida than walking downstairs and being right in California Adventure. Beach Club/Epcot comes closest (and we stay at BC every trip), but this feels so much closer for some reason.

As a WDW family there are some rides that are better in Cali, and we certainly did them, but we tended to focus more on the rides that are different (Avengers Campus, Carsland) than the ones that are the same. Eg. I only rode Small World twice and Haunted Mansion once, but did webslingers half a dozen times (at least!).

Food and Wine was less crowded than the Florida version. Overall I think the Florida food was marginally better but the experience was nicer in Cali.

I missed all of the wide open spaces in Florida, being able to wander the lands in Epcot, riding the boat on the Seven Seas Lagoon, etc. But I loved the compactness of Cali, lighter crowds, being able to go back and forth so easily between parks (one day I went back and forth 6 times because I wanted a snack, was looking for an ornament, got a good ride time, etc), and better weather vs. Florida.

As long as you lower your expectations and go in with a happy attitude you will have a great time!

 

[jknc]

Reporting back!!

Crowds: not bad! Felt less crowded than previous trips, except for New Orleans which was a mess to walk through with the construction (but the shops were absolutely deserted with POTC closed so that was weird!). @DLgal as you pointed out people were definitely more chill than at WDW for Sun-Wed. Thursday it was like the gloves came off. Strollers were battering rams, people were shoving through crowds, felt like MK. I couldn’t wait to leave. Maybe they were there for the holiday weekend? Idk but Thurs crowds were jerks. (I did love the group that shoved their way to the front of the tiki room waiting area only to give up like 2 mins before the doors opened and shoved their way back out since “nothing is happening” ).

G+ didn’t feel at all like the G+ I did at WDW. It was much more like old school MP. So much availability fairly close in.

Stayed GCH as it was a special trip. No early entry but that was actually ok. We couldn’t even make 8am openings. Parks were still pretty quiet 8:30-9am when we hit them and didn’t start feeling busy until 10:30-11ish. So, I actually didn’t miss Early Entry. We took the monorail into Disneyland 4 mornings which was awesome. Never more than a couple people in front of us to scan in and we always made it on the next arriving monorail. I know it’s not always running in the morning so I felt very lucky, especially as we drove over the masses at the main DL entry gates

Ride breakdowns are definitely a problem. I got into the habit of checking if the ride we were going to was operating before we trekked over to them. BTMRR, Indy, RSR, Snow White (so random lol) spring to mind as the stuff I saw closed most often.

We had TS reservations for breaks from the crowds. We were going to QS on our last day but as the crowds got worse I went on the app and got an 11:30 carnation cafe around 9am. SO happy we did because were not taking walk ups when we arrived (felt bad for the host CM, some lady came in and chewed the CM up one side and down the other because “the app said they had a waitlist option!” ).

OP, I still don’t feel comfortable saying you’re making a good decision with your money and will have a good time. I hope you do but everyone’s experiences are going to be different. Buy G+ for the first day to get some big rides with shorter lines in right off the bat. Get out in the parks early in the morning.

Great to hear. Thanks for the update.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I'm glad you had such a nice trip.

Did you do a split stay? We're leaning toward 2 nights at GC but the reminder of the morning crowds at the gate makes me think DLH club level and the monorail might be better.

I will be sure to check if rides are running before we trek across the park.

I did not. We stayed off site on arrival day but moved to GCH for our first park day. Spent 4 nights there and then after our 5th day in the park we went offsite to save a bit of money on that night as well.

 

[prestoncaldwell]

it’s reasonable to think I’ve built in enough time (6 nights, 5 hoppers) to not have a frantic, hair on fire experience @ DLR

It's beyond reasonable. You will really be able to work through the parks in five days.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

To the OP, I think you have a great plan laid out for a relaxing and magical vacation! If you are like me, you will still need to routinely tell yourself to calm down and enjoy the moment, and that's ok . I always designate my husband as my anti-anxiety/de-stress reminder, and it has really helped.

 

[jknc]

To the OP, I think you have a great plan laid out for a relaxing and magical vacation! If you are like me, you will still need to routinely tell yourself to calm down and enjoy the moment, and that's ok . I always designate my husband as my anti-anxiety/de-stress reminder, and it has really helped.

Thanks. I feel great about our plans.

 

[MaleficentMe]

Since I live that direction, just want to make sure you realize Yosemite is at least a 6 hour drive one way. And make sure you have reservations set up

Wow, so glad I happened upon this thread. We're going to Yosemite in August, and I had NO IDEA about needing park reservations! Thankfully, still 900+ available for the week we're going to be there.