Tips for WDW veterans with 1 day in DL?

[cuewittyname]

Hi! Like the title says, my husband and I will have 1 day in Disneyland at the end of our LA trip in a month. We’ve been to Disney World countless times but never to Disneyland, so I feel a bit out of depth planning! We’re staying in Long Beach so we won’t make rope drop and are getting park hopper passes.

1 Which park should we start in? We’ll probably skip ROTR just because we’ve rode it already. Ideally I’d like to prioritize Land specific rides, and definitely Cars Land

2 Can you park hop back and forth? Like can we start in Adventure then go to the main park and back to Adventure at night?

3 Favorite spots to eat or conversely to avoid?

Thanks in advanced!

 

[MATTERHORN]

If you're gonna skip Rise, I'd start in DCA so you have a chance at Web Slingers early.

You can park hop in the afternoon if you had a park hopper ticket available for that day. I would do exactly that, start in DCA, and depending on park hours, plan the rest of my day. For instance, If Disneyland closes later than DCA (typical) I might be inclined to start in DCA until about noon, head to Disneyland and stay for a few hours, head back to DCA and stay until dark (sunset/night time in Carsland MUST be seen) and then slightly before DCA closes (beat the masses), I'd head back to Disneyland for final hour!

A few of my favorite spots to eat aren't open yet, but were you just looking for quick service ideas? Ressies have been filling up fast so if you haven't made any, you will most likely be doing counter service. I like French Market, the pasta at Alien Pizza Planet, and a Red Wagon Corn Dog for Disneyland.

I know it sounds extreme, but night time (dark) hours are my favorite for both parks so I really try to experience them if I only have a day!)

 

[Malcon10t]

A reminder on park hopping, you can't switch parks til 1pm. After that, jump back and forth all you want!

 

[cuewittyname]

A few of my favorite spots to eat aren't open yet, but were you just looking for quick service ideas? Ressies have been filling up fast so if you haven't made any, you will most likely be doing counter service. I like French Market, the pasta at Alien Pizza Planet, and a Red Wagon Corn Dog for Disneyland.

I know it sounds extreme, but night time (dark) hours are my favorite for both parks so I really try to experience them if I only have a day!)

We’re used to long day at WDW with my family so hitting both parks at night, even for a walk through will almost definitely happen!

I did see a lot of posts about trouble getting table service. Is it at all like World were ressies can open in the week/day before as people drop them? I know it’s a much more local park so I’m guessing not as much. Thanks for all the answers and recs so far!

 

[texasgingerbread]

Make a plan to ride Pirates at least twice (so much better than WDW).

 

[Malcon10t]

Stuff does open up daily. I just booked Storytellers for Friday. People cancel and you just have to keep checking.

 

[SherylLC]

Park hop. It's less than a minute walk gate to gate!

 

[disneycat321]

We’re staying in Long Beach so we won’t make rope drop and are getting park hopper passes.

I'd really recommend trying to make rope drop, especially since you only have one day. We used to make rope drop when we lived in Pasadena, which is further than Long Beach. Just plan for traffic, especially if you're there on a weekday.

1 Which park should we start in? We’ll probably skip ROTR just because we’ve rode it already. Ideally I’d like to prioritize Land specific rides, and definitely Cars Land

2 Can you park hop back and forth? Like can we start in Adventure then go to the main park and back to Adventure at night?

3 Favorite spots to eat or conversely to avoid?

Thanks in advanced!

1. Definitely start in Disneyland. Your idea to skip ROTR is smart in your case, but you could try for the noon drop at Webslingers since you'll have hoppers. Not to miss at DL: Indiana Jones, Matterhorn, Space Mountain (much better than the WDW version), the Fantasyland rides unique to DL. Not to miss at DCA: Incredicoaster, GOTG, everything Carsland. It's also fun to ride things that both coasts have, but you have limited time.

2. This has been answered, but it's important to understand just how close the parks are to each other. It feels like one big park, especially since you don't have to go through security for each park, just for the esplanade.

3. At DL: Bengal BBQ, Tropical Hideaway, Plaza Inn. Blue Bayou is a classic for TS if you can get it. If you like coconut, grab a matterhorn macaroon from Jolly Holiday.
DCA: Lamplight is great for TS. We really enjoyed Pym's in Avenger's Campus.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[PRomano]

Definitely focus on the rides unique to DL. It is so quick and easy to hop back and forth.

 

[sdchickie]

I would try to rope drop CA if at all possible, you can get so much done in the first hour. Try to get Web Slingers on your phone then get in line for Radiator Springs Racers (if there are FP again get one for RSR at night), there shouldn't be much of a wait for the other cars land rides so ride them if there's no wait. The next thing to ride in CA is Guardians of the Galaxy, same ride as Tower of Terror, but I like it so much better than the original. The other worthwhile things in CA are the Incredicoaster and Mickey's wheel of doom (ferris wheel) ride the swinging side if you are adventurous. The other rides at CA are pretty much the same as WDW. At DL you definitely need to ride Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion if it's open (it closes in late Aug for the holiday overlay), Alice in Wonderland, Matterhorn, It's a Small World has Disney characters in it super cute, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and Space Mountain usually has a different overlay than WDW. Don't forget to do the castle walk through, it's the retelling of Sleeping Beauty really neat and doesn't take much time. The Nemo ride is just ok, but it isn't at WDW if you're trying to get all the different things done. Also DL still has Toontown if that interests you at all. Not sure if they're still doing it because of Covid, but before Covid they were still allowing passengers up in the front of the monorail cabs. As far as food goes the corn dogs at the red wagon are the best I've ever had and the fried chicken and pot roast at Plaza Inn are really good too. Good luck, hopefully you'll have light attendance days!

 

[disneycat321]

I forgot to add - the easiest way to ride RSR is single rider! That’s what we always do, and we are often in the same car anyway, just different rows.

 

[Kit Jackson]

Ride Radiator Springs Racers whenever you can. It is amazing in day light or at night time. Visit CarsLand. It is incredible whether you visit daytime or nighttime.

 

[StarlitNight05]

I'll echo others and will strongly encourage you to try to make rope drop. Those morning hours are crucial, especially if you only have one day.

Is anyone in your party a big Marvel fan? If not, I'd start at DL as it's the superior park (sorry DCA, I love you, but it's true). As others mentioned, for RSR, you can use single rider (assuming you don't have any riders under 7 yo), which helps a lot since it's typically the longest wait at DCA.

Oh and don't skip Space Mountain if you can, DL's version is much less bumpy than WDW.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

Starting at DCA seems like it makes more sense for your trip, but either way you can't go wrong. With hoppers, it is pretty trivial to hop back and forth after 1pm. You noted you don't think you can make rope drop, but how early in the morning can you make it? RSR is a must-do, and it is so lovely day and night it is worth it to try both if possible. If you aren't going to make rope drop, and aren't going to be arriving within the first hour of park opening, I think it makes even more sense to do DCA first. Should be able to knock out RSR, Incredicoaster, and GTG plus whatever other attractions you want to do before the 1pm park hop opens up. In DL, you will have longer wait times for Matterhorn, Indy and Space but all 3 are so worth it! Space at DL is my favorite ride so I hope you can experience it.

QS is likely your best bet unless you really want a TS experience. There are many excellent QS options in both DCA and DL though, and with mobile order + walk-up options out there, you should be able to avoid the hangry in any case, even without ADRs.

 

[Becca1007]

I would say with only one day and potentially not being there are rope drop you probably want to skip table service meals. However, the one exception to this is if you get a reservation at Blue Bayou. And know that meal is not about the food but really about the atmosphere.

 

[disneycat321]

Starting at DCA seems like it makes more sense for your trip, but either way you can't go wrong. With hoppers, it is pretty trivial to hop back and forth after 1pm. You noted you don't think you can make rope drop, but how early in the morning can you make it? RSR is a must-do, and it is so lovely day and night it is worth it to try both if possible. If you aren't going to make rope drop, and aren't going to be arriving within the first hour of park opening, I think it makes even more sense to do DCA first. Should be able to knock out RSR, Incredicoaster, and GTG plus whatever other attractions you want to do before the 1pm park hop opens up. In DL, you will have longer wait times for Matterhorn, Indy and Space but all 3 are so worth it! Space at DL is my favorite ride so I hope you can experience it.

QS is likely your best bet unless you really want a TS experience. There are many excellent QS options in both DCA and DL though, and with mobile order + walk-up options out there, you should be able to avoid the hangry in any case, even without ADRs.

You have a really good point...DCA might be better for someone who's there one day, one time only, especially not there for rope drop. My knee jerk reaction is always DL first, but in their case, what you're saying may make more sense. IMO, DL park is superior to MK, but for WDW regulars, I can see that there's some stuff in DCA that might be more important to hit first.

100% agree on the QS over TS with the limited amount of time. Unless you want to do BB, OP.

 

[cuewittyname]

I realized I never popped back in here to follow up or answer questions or even say thank you for all the advice! I was reading along in my email and then everything got hectic right before our trip, including a complete overhaul due to, you guessed it, new COVID restrictions at our first stop.

All of this advice was perfect, and we had an amazing day this past Thursday. I don’t know if it was an anomaly but we walked on every ride but two -Space and Radiator Springs at night and even those were 20 minutes only. We kept waiting for the lines to pick up but they never did. It was hotter than heck out which sucked but we took full advantage of the hotel attached to DTD and California Adventure for strong AC/food breaks.

We had churros, spicy Dole Whip floats, ate at Flo’s, and did just about everything we wanted! We both agreed the vibes in the park are so different because there’s not as many (if any) families who spent $$$ for a once in a life trip and are going to make the most of every minute at DL. Our most uttered phrase however was “how do we get to x?” or “where are we?” because we were so turned around. Galaxy’s Edge being in Magic Kingdom got me good LOL Other random thoughts: I did not enjoy Indy nor Pirates but we did love Space, Guardians, Big Thunder, and Webslingers!

Thanks again everyone!!