Solo adult trying to park hop in Disneyland MK and California Adventure in 1 day. Where to start?

[awk930]

Hi there-

I am a relatively frequent WDW visitor (east coaster here that grew up in FL) but visiting Disneyland for only the 2nd time ever. I have one day while my husband is at a conference to attend both parks. I will get Genie + and can purchase lightening lanes if necessary. I dont care about riding some of the things my younger kids would love since they aren't with me but wondering which park would you start off going to for park hopper? I can arrive before rope drop but wasn't sure if I did Magic kingdom first, would i be able to still purchase a lightening lane for Radiator springs racers and Webslingers if i arrived later after 1? Where would you go first if you had your pick? Is it best to head right for a lightening lane ride at rope drop to save $ or is that a waste of time since everyone does the same like at mine train at WDW?

Also, the day I was hoping to go to the parks is totally sold out. It's weird because all the otters days are open. Is it common for tickets to come back online (or for them to add more) if you keep checking? I know that's how we got dining and tickets to Hollywood studios last summer at WDW- constant refreshing. I wasn't sure if the same is true for Disneyland.

Im not a resort guest, just driving in early from Laguna. Many thanks in advance for your help!

 

[brad813]

From my understanding, from a friend who goes frequently, since the two California parks are smaller and much closer together, if you don't want to do everything, then it probably won't matter as much. There are a couple of rides that tend to fill up quickly, but beyond that you shouldn't have too much trouble. I would look at the rides that fill up fastest, the ones you most want to do, and consider if there is a particular restaurant you would like to enjoy lunch in, as you cannot park hop until 2pm. Webslingers is nowhere near as difficult to get as Rise of the Resistance, so I don't think you should have a problem for Webslingers. This is what my friend, who goes several times a year, has told me in the course of trying to plan our trip together.

 

[BrianL]

I would start with whichever one has the most important rides for you. CA has more unique stuff, though DL is the more popular starting park. If you start at DL, I don't think you have to have entered CA to buy your LLs if you have Park Hopper. You would just need to make sure the time window you purchase is after 1 PM - I am not sure about that though. If you are not super concerned about Fantasyland rides, then going against the grain and doing CA first is a pretty good way to go - there is an influx of hoppers to CA at 1 PM, but less so going the other way from waht I have seen. I think you'll be okay either way though really. REmember that there are a lot of Single Rider lines too - Radiator Springs works great for that!

 

[jimmymc]

If both parks are opening at the same time, I would recommend starting at Guardians of the Galaxy and Spiderman Webslingers in California Adventure. Radiator Springs Racers is the most popular ride in the park, but it has a single rider line which moves pretty quick. After those, Incredicoaster or Soarin are the next most popular rides and where you can start booking Genie+ times for. Once you hop to Disneyland, I think you'll get the most out of Genie+ and can get most of the big rides done with that. Galaxy's Edge is exactly the same as in Studios, so I wouldn't spend the $20 on a lightning lane for Rise of the Resistance. Smuggler's Run has one of the best Single Rider lines in the park if you don't have to be pilot.

 

[starlite_]

I would start with whichever park has the most priority rides for you. You can always go back there later in the day if you don't finish, but you can't really do anything if you start in your less priority park and end up doing everything before 2pm.

 

[jgl130]

I just read a post on a Disney blog today (can’t remember which one, I read them all! ) where they did a DLR and DCA trip recently where they got almost all the Genie+ rides in both parks done in one day.

 

[kwdw]

I’d start with unique rides in CA. That park feels different than the WDW parks so will feel more new. While you can move more easily between the two parks, I’d only plan on doing that one time. Maybe you change your mind very late in the day, but don’t start the day with that plan. I think it’s fun to compared the differences in DL and MK rides like Pirates and Small World, but I think it’s more fun to focus on the different atmospheres between DL and MK. I also say start with CA because, no offense to DL lovers, I just don’t think Sleeping Beauty’s castle creates the same awe inspiring moment as you start the day.

 

[miksicnarf]

Just noting that Incredicoaster also has a single rider line. I wouldn't "waste" a LL on that or Radiator Springs.

 

[aussiecookfamily]

Just to clarify at DLR park hopping starts at 1pm (not 2pm). I was there 2 weeks ago and found Genie+ worked best for Disneyland (and it was easy to just get continuous passes during the afternoon/early evening for all the rides). I would base the decision on which park to start in based on which rides you will want to do twice. We were easily knocking off Space/Matterhorn/Indi/Thunder/Pirates/Haunted in the first 2 hours doing rope drop, then lunching and hopping over to DCA, doing single rider for Radiator Springs (never more than 30mins) and hitting the other rides using Genie+ (with ILL for Webslingers), we would then be back at Disneyland for a final few hours using Genie+ to ride all the big rides again, plus a ILL for Rise.

 

[BayGirl22]

I just read a post on a Disney blog today (can’t remember which one, I read them all! ) where they did a DLR and DCA trip recently where they got almost all the Genie+ rides in both parks done in one day.

Disney Tourist Blog had a post on this earlier in the week. Its pretty easy to cover all the big rides in both parts in a day if you are single rider and using G+.

If both parks are opening at the same time, I would recommend starting at Guardians of the Galaxy and Spiderman Webslingers in California Adventure. Radiator Springs Racers is the most popular ride in the park, but it has a single rider line which moves pretty quick. After those, Incredicoaster or Soarin are the next most popular rides and where you can start booking Genie+ times for. Once you hop to Disneyland, I think you'll get the most out of Genie+ and can get most of the big rides done with that. Galaxy's Edge is exactly the same as in Studios, so I wouldn't spend the $20 on a lightning lane for Rise of the Resistance. Smuggler's Run has one of the best Single Rider lines in the park if you don't have to be pilot.

This would be my strategy too, especially if your strategy is to cover mostly what is NOT at WDW. DCA will have the most different rides, then when you hopto DL you can do things like India that are different. To me DL has a very different feel than MK, so I'd try to catch the fireworks there and spend some time walking around. Its just so much smaller and more compact, and its Walt's park.

 

[KenyaSierra]

I recommend starting in DL. When I start in CA if crowds aren’t bad I am often done before it is time to hop. That being said, many of my favorites are in CA so don’t want to miss out!