Just back

[jonna30]

Hi all! Just got back last night from 5 day trip to Anaheim. Went to the parks on Wed, Thur & Fri. Yes, Screamin was open on Friday. DH & DD only had a 20 minute wait. The parks were packed on Friday. Worse than beginning of May 2005. Weather was a little warm, but good. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn. I would give it an overall B. Just a side comment - how on earth do those people wear 2 inch shoes to walk around disneyland??? My feet were killing me in tennis shoes with great arch supports.

 

[Tink33]

Sounds like you had a good time. I am waiting until the Christmas decorations are up and I know it will be really busy then.

 

[kjs1976]

Hey! We were there the same time you were! I couldn't believe how busy DL was on Fri also. We overheard a security guard say they didn't think crowds would be so big and were short staffed at the gates.

We still got to see just about everything we wanted to and left about 8PM. Hope your time there was fun, too!

 

[disney-super-mom]

Seen those high heels myself at DL - CRAZY! Ouch, Ouch, Ouch!

By the way, you didn't mention how crowded it was on Weds and Thurs. Were those days crowded too, or was it fairly slow? What were the wait times like?

 

[mickey4ver]

We were there last Monday-Thursday. Monday was so-so because it rained off and on. Crowd level was a little higher on Tuesday, by Wednesday it was packed. Lots of rides seemed to be breaking down too.

I'm not a regular at DL, are the more than expected crowds due to the 50th celebration? We were there several years ago around this time of year and it was not as crowded.

 

[Janomi]

The 50th is definitely making a difference in the number of people showing up. The slow months this year aren't that slow. Granted, during mornings on weekdays, it doesn't seem to be as bad and the magic is definitely still there. Friday nights through Sunday can be a tad scary though.

 

[froggy33]

Hi all!! I will be going to DCA and DL for the first time this Friday!!! I have been to WDW before and want to know some info about DCA and DL. Like the fireworks - do you watch them from the street? And Fantasmic - can just anyone wait in line and get a seat? And how do you get between the parks. I am planning on driving to DCA and then going to DL about 2pm. Will I be able to park my car at DCA and then get to DL and back without moving it? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[minmaui]

Since noone has answered your question yet I will. You park in the parking area, catch the tram which drops you off and you can just walk between the 2 parks. Downtown Disney is in the middle, all in walking distance of one another. It's like walking to your neighbors house. *smiles*
The fireworks is watched from the street. Fantasmic is outdoors too if I'm not mistaken. I haven't watched that yet.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Hi all!! I will be going to DCA and DL for the first time this Friday!!! I have been to WDW before and want to know some info about DCA and DL. Like the fireworks - do you watch them from the street? And Fantasmic - can just anyone wait in line and get a seat? And how do you get between the parks. I am planning on driving to DCA and then going to DL about 2pm. Will I be able to park my car at DCA and then get to DL and back without moving it? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Fantasmic at Disneyland is different from WDW's in a couple of ways. First of all there is no seating so to speak. People stake out spots to sit on the sidewalk starting 2-4 hours in advance depending on how busy the park is. It's a wonderful show, they do a Peter Pan sequence instead of the Pocahantas one in WDW but there is no amphitheater type set up unfortunately. There is a restuarant called the Riverbelle Terrace that has some tables where you can see, I am not sure how far in advance you have to stake those out. I would plan on standing to see the show and getting over there around an hour in advance. If you only have one day for DL/DCA you probably won't want to spend a chunk of time staking out a spot for Fantasmic. To be honest, since you have seen it at WDW and will probably be going to WDW again, I might recommend you skip Fantasmic. It is tough to see Fantasmic and then attempt to see the fireworks by castle. Pretty impossible given the crowds at Disneyland due to the 50th and everybody wants to see the fireworks. If I were you I would get to Disneyland at opening, go there first, then head to DCA which always has lighter crowds. At 2:00 p.m. on a Friday with the crowds high right now they could be pretty much out of fastpasses at Disneyland. Incidentally, fastpasses at DCA and Disneyland are not linked so you can hop between the two parks (takes about 5 minutes they are right next to each other). Pick out the main things you want to do. I would really recommend Indiana Jones ride, since they don't have that at WDW it will be a new experience. The best place to see the fireworks is near the hub on Main Street but it gets PACKED and again, people stake their spots out early. You can see them back by Small World with less time spent holding a spot but you miss the whole part of Tink flying and special effects on the castle. But they have some pretty cool affects projected onto Small World too. The fireworks are incredible, I love Wishes at MK but Remember is incredible! Make sure you see them! Good luck, hope you have a fun day at Disneyland!

 

[wackywexler]

I agree with the excellent advice from Amy&Dan

 

[manchurianbrownbear]

If you only have one day at DLR, you need to find and read HydroGuy's thread on using FP in the DLR parks! I agree that it would be almost impossible to get a good viewing spot for both Fantasmic and the fireworks. I thought that DL's Fantasmic was better than WDW's; I enjoyed the Peter Pan sequence on the "pirate ship" much more than WDW's Pocahontas. The "main stage" is on Tom Sawyer's Island.

We were at DLR the first week of August. We had a plan going in and used FP extensively, and I thought the crowds were pretty manageable except when people were leaving Fantasmic or the fireworks. It's really hard to move through the gateways from Adventureland and Frontierland for several minutes following those shows!