bcala

My husband and I have 1 day park hopper passes and will be visiting both parks on the Thursday before Martin Luther King weekend. Been to DL many times but the most recent was around 10 years ago. We will have spent the night at the Grand Californian. My question is: Which park should we go to first to collect fast passes? We probably only need a few hours at CA since we were there several months ago, but didn't ride anything. CA is open 10:00 - 6:00 and DL 10:00 - 8:00. Would prefer to go first to CA and then finish the day in DL, but think it might be too late to collect fast passes at DL. We mostly like fast rides. Thanks for the help!

mlgb

You can tell from the shortish hours that DL is not expecting large crowds that day. The only really difficult ride to get on these days in DL is Space Mountain, if you go before noon you should still be able to get a FP. Probably Indiana Jones is the next popular.
Most people seem to go to DL in the morning, then DCA midday, returning to DL at night. I would reverse the order if you like fast rides, DCA first (usually I can walk on to TOT in the morning w/o a FP). Do all the good rides once,then go to DL and get Space Mountain FP. Have fun.

AuntAnnie

I went to California Adventure last Summer. The California Soarin' ride is really cool and worth the ticket. We also liked "Tower of Terror" although it was not a new ride to us. The rest of California Adventure is roller coaster/ferris wheel type rides IMHO. I would hit the two mentioned above and anything else that intersets you, but I think you can easily see the park in a couple of hours. At DL if you haven't done the new Indiana Jones ride it is good, and Space Mtn. never disappoints. I think the advice from mlgb to go in the opposite flow is a great idea; hit CA first and have fun!!

kimamom

First of all, you'll love the Grand Californian. It's such a pretty place in a great location, right by the Downtown Disney shops.

I've never been to CA since I don't care for the fast rides. I'd spend a bit of time at CA, then the majority of the time at Disneyland. Indiana Jones is such a kick and the kids loved Space Mountain. I did go on the Matterhorn (twice, night was best) and Thunder Mt. which are great fun, especially for you thrill seekers!

Have a great trip! ***kim***

Intrepid1

I agree with the ambience at the Grand Californian especially since their recent Christmas tree fire in the lobby didn't destroy the place!

Assume you have ridden the roller coaster at CA. Is it possible you'll be able to get into one of the parks an hour early since you are staying at an "on property" hotel?

bcala

Thanks for the replies. We'll hit CA first and focus on all of the rides you mentioned. We've never spent a night in Anaheim at all, so are really looking forward to the whole experience. Early entrance is supposed to be limited to the multi-day tickets, but we'll ask when we get there. Again, thanks!

moneygirl

I would suggest Disneyland first...then CA. There are so many people who stil only go to Disneyland and it seems crowded after the first few hours while in my experience, CA never seems crowded. I just wanted to throw in the suggestion to try Soarin' over California, even though it isn't a roller coaster.. it's a great ride! The return to Disneyland, although it will still probably have a lot of people.

You might want to check Mousesavers.com for some of your specific questions. For example... you speak of "collecting fast passes" and I believe they can only be issued for one ride at a time. I could be completely mistaken about this but that is the impression I have.

Have fun!

mlgb

The whole FP discussion has come up before. It depends on the type of ticket you have. At the bottom of your first FP, it will tell you when you can get the next one. Last time I went, which was Monday, I had to wait til the start of the FP time frame.

The other resource to check is the Disneyland official website, which should be able to tell you which rides are closed. I expect Haunted Mansion will be closed, for removal of the holiday decor.

Other good rides besides those mentioned in DCA are the Grizzly River Run, if it's overcast, you won't have to wait. And of course CA Screamin. We (thrill seekers) also like it's tough to be a Bug (3D movie w effects). Not too keen on Maliboomer, or Mulholland Madness. If Aladdin is playing in the theatre, it's worth seeing.

At Disneyland, there unfortunately is no FP for the Matterhorn, and it is lame compared to Space Mountain. Other than that and Indy, there really aren't any thrill rides. The fireworks are great, Billy Hill in the Golden Horseshoe is hilarious, and Pirates is always worthwhile.

Lex1

We did both parks in one day, saving Disneyland, which stayed open later, for last. As AuntAnnie indicated, once you've done California Soaring and the Tower of Terror, you've done the best of C.A. The other attractions in C.A. are plain vanilla amusements.

sfamylou

Disneyland is easier to deal with in the morning before it gets too crowded. Along with Space Mountain and Indiana, I'd Fastpass Splash Mountain if it's at all warm, and check out the lines for Pirates of Carribean. Sometimes you need a Fastpass for that one, and other times you can walk right on. There seems no pattern. Also, rides like Dumbo and Peter Pan don't Fastpass, and they get really, really busy. Even if you're not a child, or don't have kids with you, these are classic Disney rides that a lot of people want to hit, and I'd get them out of the way early. CA doesn't ever feel as crowded. I adore Soarin Over California; I'd ride that every day if I could. There isn't as much to do there, but the food is better....You could consider scheduling meals there? Although we ate junk food yesterday in Disney, and got to watch Buzz Lightyear character do these crazy dances in a kind of open-air disco.

bcala

Again, thanks for the help!

Babalu

Just got back from DL/CA and I'd agree to start off with Disneyland as early as possible and to hop on your favourites rides and get your FP's and head over to California by around noon for the rest of the afternoon and then to finally finish with Disneyland later in the evening, since they close later.

I'm happy to say that the crowds were pleasantly light during the fourth week in January.

Also remember with FP's, you can use them anytime that day as long as the beginning time on your FP has occurred. Their not concerned with the expiry times on the FP.

mlgb

Babalu, hope you had a good time. If the OP had children, then yes, I would suggest that they go to DL First. However they did say that they liked fast rides, and there is a shortage of those at DL.

mlgb

I was at DCA over the President's Day Holiday (on the Sunday). The new ride (Monster's Inc) had a 55-minute wait at 10:30 am and it never got any better before we left at 7:30 pm. There is no Fastpass for that one, so we skipped it. We picked up a FP for CA Soarin, then walked right on to Tower of Terror with virtually no wait. The FP for Soarin expired at 11 am, so we picked up a FP for Grizzly Rapids, for after lunch. Had lunch at Trattoria at noon, on a reservation that we made that morning (hint, make it the day before or find any Disney phone in the morning). Service times were prompt. We split a chicken panini and mixed green salad, and it was plenty for two people. One of us had a glass of wine. The tiramisu there is excellent but we skipped dessert. Saw Golden Dreams (the end always makes us misty-eyed), rode Grizzly River Run, Single-Rider CA Soarin, had snacks and coffee from the Baker's Field Bakery, and walked on to the 6pm Aladdin show. Excellent cast all-round this time. Left afterward.

bbjj109

Although your trip is now in the past, I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland, available in your local bookstore or on the web. It is updated annually and has GREAT advice for how to get around in the park, especially when you have limited time. It also gives very honest ratings about the different rides and exhibits for both DL and DCA, including thrill and scare levels for adults and small children. We had 1 day at DL and 1 day at DCA last year and felt like we absolutely maximized every minute without killing ourselves or waiting in lines all day by following the advice in the book. This was on one New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, two of the busiest days of the year.

seattlescuba

neither, magic mountain first, then maybe knotts