How many park days

[PrincesCJM]

How many park days would you say you need for Disneyland? Looking for info for a single park per day AND park-hopping. Not sure which we'd do. We are lifelong Disney WORLD visitors considering our first trip to Disney LAND. Likely wouldn't make it back to DL for a while.

Also, how many days for Universal Hollywood? We would tack that onto the trip as well. My husband and sons are all gamers and will want to spend time in Nintendo land.

 

[Pluto468]

I would go with the 5 day hopper. It's easy to hop there and 5 days will give you plenty of time to see and do everything you want to at a relaxed pace.

I've only been to Universal once and we went for the afternoon, but we really only went for Hogsmeade. It's not a huge park but I suppose if you did an overnight there that would give you the option of going for 2 partial days.

 

[BrianL]

I think 3 days is about perfect for DLR - definitely get the park hopper. You can do more, but I wouldn't do less. A pro can do it in two really, but for the first time, do at least three. There may be some things you can "skip" that are the same at WDW, though honselty I'm not really the type. Some rides are similar but not exactly the same and some might sound the same and be completely different. It's fun to compare and contrast. Hopping though is so easy as the two parks are right next to each other - I usually treat them as one big park really.

For Uni, it's a one-day park, maybe two with Super Nintendo Land, but that's realy just one extra ride. It has been expanding, but I still think one day is good. Keep in mind that the Backlot Tour takes like an hour, but it also takes you through several "attractions" that would be stand alone ones at Universal Orlando (Fast & Furious: Supercharged and Kong: Skull Island are both adapted from the backlot tour experiences). Also, do not miss the Waterworld show, as it is great. Usually there is a show that starts at closing time, so it's a good opportunity to watch that just before leaving for the day.

 

[meeshy1342]

Agree with others, 3-days our sweet spot for Disneyland. We don't do park hoppers and usually do 1 day DCA and 2 days DL (since DL park is bigger and tends to be busier), and we're usually able to tackle everything we want to do, at a more relaxed pace. Park hopping is easy but when we did it a few years back we REALLY used it, and in the end, it felt like a lot of time wasted walking back and forth, and the extra steps left us super exhausted by the end of the day (and we're young-ish and healthy). We also prefer to use the $$ we would have spent adding park hopper and instead use it to buy food, drinks, or souvenirs. All that being said, if you're not likely to come back to Disneyland anytime soon and you are limited on time, I could see it being worth the splurge.

 

[Jaletu2022]

Haven't been to Disneyland in a long time but my instincts said 4 days. Then two days in Universal Hollywood. So you're looking at about a week.

If you haven't been, you're going to want to have time to looky-loo as well as experience the rides so the 5 day is probably more realistic.

You are going to have so much fun! Enjoy!

 

[OKW Lover]

I'd go with 3 days minimum. Four would be better. Park hopping is really, really easy out there!

 

[starlite_]

Agree with the 3 days. Hopper is great if one park is having a bad day with rides breaking down but I wouldn't consider it a necessity with 3 days since you can do DCA in one day.

 

[Lisa24jks]

I'm on the "3 days" train, but 4 if you want to take it a bit slower. Park hoppers are certainly worth the price, because the parks are so close, and it does give you more options. But you can also do it without when you have 3 - 4 days at your disposal.

Universal Hollywood is one day. I haven't been since Super Nintendo and I guess it could be stretched out to 2 days, but personally, I always get everything done in 1.

 

[Jason2015]

I'd agree with the crowd, 3 is a good amount. Parking hopping isn't necessary with 3 days but is a nice "perk." if you can afford it. I'd also say that you would want to get Genie+. Though not as good as its predecessor it is still useful enough to have.

 

[redleader74]

We've only ever done two-day single park (DL) passes in the past and with a small child with us, there really is only so much you can do. But this November we are for the first time doing a 3 day pass hopper and am really excited about having more time and less pressure to rush. I agree with the others (even though I haven't tried it yet) that 3-day is the sweet spot. 5 would be absolute luxury though!

 

[BuzzlightHead]

I'm going to go against the grain a bit. Some important info. from your post: you've never been to Disneyland, and you do not plan to return for a long while.

Knowing that, I think 4 days is more realistic than 3. I've done 3, and it honestly still feels like a rush to get to everything you want between meal breaks and taking time to rest/sight see. 4 is far more comfortable. 5 days is the perfect length for my family... we like to do the parks at a very chill pace - it makes the lines and crowds MUCH more bearable when you don't feel like you're up against a hard deadline to experience everything. By day 5, we've usually hit everything we wanted to and can repeat any rides, find snacks, souvenir shop, etc.

For 4 days, park hopper would not be necessary. For $140 extra, a hopper is nice to have, but if you're on a tight budget, I'd say skip it. 2 days-ish for Disneyland, 1 day for DCA, and 1 day to get to whatever you may have missed.

 

[starlite_]

For 4 days, park hopper would not be necessary, but nice to have; maybe just get it for a single day. 2 days-ish for Disneyland, 1 day for DCA, and 1 day to get to whatever you may have missed.

The cost for a hopper is the same regardless of the amount of days the ticket is for. 1 day=60$. 5days=60$.

 

[BobaFettFan]

3 days - "Gotta make sure we get everything."

4 days - " Ok we got everything and have time to chill out more."

5 days - "No pressure to see any one thing. We'll get to it. Also Im ready to go home."



Disneyland is just so much more compact than Disney world that it makes the hopper more worth it.

 

[BuzzlightHead]

The cost for a hopper is the same regardless of the amount of days the ticket is for. 1 day=60$. 5days=60$.

You are correct! Sorry, I didn't realize that. With the new prices (after looking at the site) it's slightly different:

1-2 Days: $65
3-4 Days: $70
5 Days: $75

It changes slightly, but it's still cheaper to just buy 4-day park hopper than buying 3-day single park+1day park hopper. With 4 days park hopper really isn't necessary anyway, just a nice to have.

 

[BuzzlightHead]

3 days - "Gotta make sure we get everything."

4 days - " Ok we got everything and have time to chill out more."

5 days - "No pressure to see any one thing. We'll get to it. Also Im ready to go home."



Disneyland is just so much more compact than Disney world that it makes the hopper more worth it.

Completely agree with this. I much prefer getting to the "I'm ready to go home" feeling before leaving, rather than feeling like we had to run around to get to everything. We only go every so often, (last visit was 2019 for a short weekend trip).

 

[Kender]

The cost for a hopper is the same regardless of the amount of days the ticket is for. 1 day=60$. 5days=60$.

This recently changed. Also it was $65 for one day, $60 for 2-5 days previously. For some reason a 1 day hopper add on cost more than to a multi day

It's now:

1-2 days: $65
3-4 days: $70
5 days: $75



EDIT: LOL! I see it was already mentioned while I was trying to type, got distracted, and hadn't refreshed yet sorry!

 

[starlite_]

This recently changed. Also it was $65 for one day, $60 for 2-5 days previously. For some reason a 1 day hopper add on cost more than to a multi day

It's now:

1-2 days: $65
3-4 days: $70
5 days: $75



EDIT: LOL! I see it was already mentioned while I was trying to type, got distracted, and hadn't refreshed yet sorry!

Yeah haha. Wasn't aware the cost had changed but in practice it's the same. It's silly to buy it for only 1 day if going for multiple days.

 

[Silwest]

I'm going to be pessimistic. If you have older kids or no kids, 3 days is very good. If you have smaller kids who need naps, 4+ will make your trip less stressful. You'll still want to go home after 5 days regardless.

 

[purple figment]

Since this is your first visit to DL and likely won't be back for some time my choice would be three or four day hopper tickets.

The two parks are so close together - about a one minute walk (and I'm a slow walker). It's about the same distance as the length of the bridge that links Future World and World Showcase at Epcot. It's so easy to hop back and forth if a ride at the other park has a short line or you want to get something to eat in the other park.

My choice would be four day hoppers because they give you the chance to take things at a more leisurely pace and repeat favorite rides.

 

[Chickinvic]

I always do hoppers for DL (and never for WDW). And for me, 5 days is the sweet spot. 4 days is my minimum.