Two parks in 12 hours???

[jedimick08]

I'm hitting Disneyland on Sunday (3/2) arriving around 1pm. Disneyland is open until midnight and it looks like DCA closes at 10pm. Am I stupid to get a 1 day park hopper pass? I don't expect to hit all the attractions in the 11 or so hours that I'll be there but I would love to ride TOT since I'm a big fan of the Florida version and have never ridden at DCA.

I need to leave for San Diego on Monday morning to get to a conference or else I would've hit DCA then.

Thoughts...

[*tinker_belle*]

Sundays are usually a good time to go around this time of year. I always just go up for a one day trip spending 12 hours or less at both parks. Granted it is so much easier having a whole weekend to do everything you want to do and more but i think you will find that DCA has less to offer and probably only a few attractions that you might want to take in. ToT is always my first stop followed by Soarin and Screamin. Since your only there 12 hours i would skip shows or parades and just stick to rides, that way you can cover everything. Theres a lot of ground to cover at DL. Have fun!

[tinkwest]

There are big changes coming about for DCA. If you have not visited DCA before and want to see it the way it is now, I think it would be well worth the extra $25 or so to get a hopper over a single park ticket. Even if you are only there for a short while, it is a nice break from Disneyland in the middle of the day.

[jedimick08]

Great. Thanks for talking me into it. I have not been to Disneyland in about 15 years and have never been to DCA.

[Aisling]

And since you will be alone (no kids in tow, I'm assuming!) you can scoot around fairly quickly, so I think you could do a lot of rides in 12 hours. Make use of your fastpass too - remember you can get a fastpass at DL and then one at DCA too, but you can only get one fastpass per park every three or four hours. Does that make sense? If there is a specific ride you want to go on at DL, like Space or Indy, jet there, get your fastpass, then hop over to DCA and get a fastpass for ToT.
Have a fun 12 hours!

[jedimick08]

Those are great tips for the fastpass. Thanks!

One question though, do they have a separate line for singles? Or do I just go in the fastpass line?

Nope, no kids because it's a trip for work. I'm not even telling them I'm going. They would not be happy. Just might bring back some Indy souveniers for them.

We're headed to WDW in May or else the family would've probably come with me.

Thanks again!

[NotaGeek]

There are no single rider lines on Indy or Space, but there are a coupe at DCA ... Screamin', and Mulholland Madness.

In lieu of the ToT fastpass, I suggest Soarin' because it will run out early and there is ALWAYS a crazy line in stand-by. ToT loads fast and once you get inside you can always go single rider form the loading platforms if you just listen for the CMs that are loading the ride!

[jedimick08]

Thanks for all the advice for my trip. Without it, I think I would've been standing around for a while trying to figure out what to do first.

When I got there I went straight to Indy for a FP and then headed to Soarin where I was surprised to see they had a single riders line. I was on in about 20 minutes. Then headed to ToT for a FP and had some lunch. Then headed back to ToT for my ride time. (surprisingly eating a burrito before you ride ToT isn't as bad an idea as it sounds)

I then rode Screamin' after about a 20 minute wait and headed back to DL for as many rides as I could hit. (Star Tours, Big Thunder, Pirates, Matterhorn, Space Mountain (updated version is fantastic), and Haunted Mansion).

I feel that I definitely got my money's worth and I was able to ride a few rides that I've never ridden before. (Matterhorn, Screamin', ToT (California version) and Space Mountain (California version).

Also, I realized that Sleeping Beauty's castle does not even compare to Cinderella's at the Magic Kingdom. It's so much smaller and you don't hear people gasp in amazement when they turn the corner onto Main St. Just a different aura I guess...

[*tinker_belle*]

Glad to hear you had fun! Sounds like you were able to do all the big rides no problem! I haven't been so lucky as to go on Tower after eating and not feel queasy.

[NotaGeek]

Glad to hear you had a successful 12 hours ... people always say that about the castle at DLR ... but how out of place would the HUGE castle be in a park that's 1/4 the size of the Magic Kingdom ... it might be a smaller castle, but the original Magic is there in leaps and bounds...

[Quest4fun]

You can usually sneak CA during a trip to Disneyland. There aren't a whole lot of attractions over there and if you your group don't like thrill rides you can do the park even faster. The two day park hopper is the best way to do it IMHO. 1.25 days for Disneyland and .75 days for CA.