Can I do it in a day?

[PatOKW92]

I'm traveling to San Diego next week and I'll have time to spend sight-seeing for a few days while my fiance attends her business meetings. Being so close to Disneyland (and have never been there), can I realistically do a 1-day whirl-wind tour of the park? I may never get an opportunity like this again. I've been to the Florida mouse-house 15 times and I've heard the parks are quite different. Comments? Suggestions? Thanks!

 

[Rajah]

Depends on three things...


How crowded the park is
The park hours/day of the week
And how much of the park you want to see.

To give you an idea, DH and I were able to do about 3/4 of Disneyland in *one* day on a Saturday in May when the parks were fairly crowded (we did see waits of 45-minutes to an hour) without waiting for *any* ride for more than 20 minutes in line. But, we were there from park opening at early entry (I think that was something like 6:30am) to about 30 minutes before park closing at midnight. We did bottom-out around 6pm and just sit at Coke Corner for about 2 hours where we caught the parade and the fireworks before catching the second Fantasmic, but other than that we were go-go-go the entire day. You *do* need to know the park rather well to do this, though -- do some research before you go. Figure out which rides are likely to fill up fast, use Fastpass, take a break for a sit-down meal or an hour's nap mid-afternoon, and learn where everything is.

Doing all of that, you can indeed see most of the park, though definitely not all of it, in one day only.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide and how it works out if you go

-Rajah

cdrtrisal@aol.com

Rajah and VonDrake's Honeymoon

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[Sarangel]

WDW (especially MK) & DL are different (although it's a little disorienting if you're very familiar with one to visit the other), but they cover much of the same ground. Disneyland has just added a second park & a downtown Disney to the complex, so there's no way to do all of it in a single day.

As for Disneyland itself, it can be done, if all you want to do is ride the rides & poke around a little bit. There's no real way to see all the rides, catch all the shows & the fireworks *and* check out the shops.

Is there any way to get your fiancee to extend her business trip, get a hotel near the park & spend 2-3 days there? That would give you a chance to share it, not to mention going at a slower pace.

If you must do it in a single day, I'd recommend getting the "Unofficial Guide" which covers the best way to fit everything in.

Good luck,

Sarangell

V

 

[jocotter]

If you have only one day and you plan ahead, you should be able to make a good dent in it. And for sure you can ride Indiana Jones and Matterhorn that is not in WDW. But if there is a way to extend your trip, that would be even better.

 

[WDWfanatic288]

I think it can be done!
When we went in December we did about alomst everything from 8:30-4:30. If it was a solo trip you can do it faster.
At Indiana Jones see if they have single rider passes..I did that Sunday night and it was great...I went down the exit up some elvators and walked right on to the ride with about a 45 minute to an hour wait!
Be sure to ride all the rides they have that are simliar to compare them! Fanatsyland at DL is inferior to WDW!!

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12/00-DL(1st time!!) Fairfield Inn(3 days)
Upcoming trips-
12/01 DL
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REMEMBER-It all started with a mouse!!!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

<font face="Comic Sans MS"><font color=#006600>When we have had visitors, the most anyone ever went to DL was just one day. Only once have I taken someone on a 2-dayer visit to the Land. You can see most things in one day - the idea is to decide ahead of time what you'd like to do. If you've gone to WDW MK, then concentrate on the different/better rides at the Land, like Pirates, Matterhorn, SpaceMountain... Take some time to go to the Walt Disney Story building (15 min-1/2 hour maybe should give you a quick idea), take time to visit New Orleans Square and Fantasyland - they're very different than WDW.

Check out the thread WDW vs DL here on this board to get some good ideas on the differences.

I think it's worth a day's trip, or more if you can swing it.

<font face="Comic Sans MS"><font color=#FF0066>Mary Jo

Disneyland Board Co-Moderator

My Disneyland Site
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[Charlieanna]

...but I would suggest more. I assume you are going to be going it alone? If so, you should make darn good time. I would suggest getting fast passes to the biggest and busiest attractions (and the ones not at WDW) and then poke around at the lesser stuff in between. If you don't "land-hop" (wandering as opposed to staying in one area until you've seen it all) and stick to a route or plan you will be able to get a good feel for the whole thing in a day. Do your homework on what is different from WDW and check those things out first. Then compare the things that are the same. Being on a strategic plan as well as being on your own, I say go for it! Can you pick a day that is either less busy or when the park is open more hours? Don't forget about traffic and the commute time. Seems to me it's a good three hours drive one way if I remember right. Perhaps you can hit a cheap local hotel for a nights rest before you head back to San Diego. Do it!

 

[Charlieanna]

We are talking just Disneyland, NOT both DL and DCA right? Plan on going back to do both parks some other time, or after the "newness" wears off and you have much more time.