A hack for Toon Town is the land closes from 8-10 PM on nights when there are fireworks. You can wait in front of the Toon Town entrance right before they reopen at 10 PM and walk on any of the rides!
We have just been with our two young kids (from UK) and we avoided queuing for most rides thanks to your videos. We did rope drop everyday and genie plus on our last day and had an amazing time! We tried several of your recommended eateries including red rose tavern, docking bay 7 and pym test kitchen and all were great! We hit galactic grill for the breakfast burrito too and it was so filling. We used buddy pass on monsters inc and rider switch on bobsleds. We remembered to go left too 😁. Thanks so much for the tips! Steph
Hello. We’re visiting Disneyland at Christmas time. There’s so many mixed reviews for Genie plus. I noticed you used it for just one day. Was it worth the extra expense? Would you advise to use it every day or just select one day? Also, was it stressful using the app and trying to book rides?
I’m here hanging on your every word knowing full well that I’m going to forget 90% of it by the time I get around to going 😂😂…guess I’ll have to watch it again when I have a trip planned!
For sure! I also tend to reshare different tips because repetition makes it sink in a little better, so you’ll hear different things pop up from time to time in other videos. This video is a bit of a rehash of one I did last year, but this time I singled out one of the tips from that video “ride hacks,” expanded it, and made a whole video on just those hacks.
We went on Super Bowl Sunday, crowds were not bad. And I really wanted to tell you, that chicken sandwich at great maple restaurant, OMG it was truly the best chicken sandwich ever. You were not kidding! My husband and I made a note to go there on our next trip and get one to go. It's THAT good!
Thank you for your videos! I like watching them just to feel like I’m in the park! We are planning on visiting the first Friday in December… watching this video I’m rethinking going on a Friday. 😕
You take the left lane on Jungle Cruise because the left side loads about 20 feet sooner. Therefore, the right hand side is actually longer from the same point. 🧠
The right hand side is also where they put the families of the wheelchair accessibility guests, so it’s less people from the standby line on those boats. But in general the left policy applies to most lines where line length doesn’t make any difference.
Thanks for all the tips! I’ve noticed in videos you sometimes show a visual on where lines are and when they are too long (ex. Jungle cruise in this video). I would love to have a video on how to gauge when the estimated wait time might not be accurate.
Honestly, it just comes from experience. In every crowd video I do, I play a guessing game with queues and you can use that to learn from. Last crowd video I did was mid-January. Next one will be start of Spring Break probably.
We stay rope drop to close every time we go. We live in Utah and typically only do one day in each park when we go to California; because I’ve found we can accomplish most things, and have two very magical days doing that. I’m a little more concerned about only doing one day per park this time (was supposed to be more but looks like the kids want to see Super Mario World and we are planning opening Knotts Merry Farm)…I’m worried with all the Christmas extras and crowds one day in Disneyland won’t be enough. Particularly because I want to see Fantasia as well as the parade and fireworks along with all the fun rides and treats. I’m a little overwhelmed. Grateful for all your tips, tricks and recommendations!
Yes me and my family go early and we do big thunder mattahorn pirates Mickey run away it’s so fun before 10:30ish when we go we go on all our favorite rides we’ve gotten lucky not crowded I know when we go in the 11th might be busy 😂
I didn't read all of the comments but have a comment about rider switch. You can use this if anyone in your party can't/won't ride something and that person need supervision and can't wait some. Even if that person is a child tall enough or an adult that needs supervision (disabled), you can use rider switch. Just want to clarify for those (like me) who go with someone disabled.
The thing I have found with the single rider line at Smugglers Run is you are usually stuck with the engineer position and you usually don’t get to be a pilot or gunner. Of course if you don’t mind that, then it’s the way to go.
I would say that btmrr is not a good rope drop ride because they generally don’t open both tracks right away so if you’re not at the front of rope drop, you may wait a bit longer than expected. I generally do space, Matterhorn, Indy/haunted/fantasy and the big Thunder.
I meant that it’s good to visit during rope drop. I consider the whole first 1-2 hours as “rope drop” I think I said to visit before 9. Not necessarily to go there first thing.
Hey Trevor I wanted to tell you thanks my family and I have been watching all your videos about Disneyland because we were going on July 13th and we took notes on how to do rope drop and your a genius. We were hoping to see you and your family during are visit but somehow we missed you. My family are all magic key holders and I hope that maybe on are next trip we see you? Thanks again. The Kirgan family
@@nikiyamanaka3856 I’m not 100% positive on the brand name. It’s a random one from Amazon. But there’s links to everything I use in the parks in any of my newer videos in the description. Anything from like July forward.
LOVE your adventures SoCal Disney Dad! Your wife & kids are fun to watch!!🙂We're headed to Disneyland in October to party with our adult kiddos. My hubby will rent a scooter. Any brilliant ideas or magical tips on how we'll maneuver though Disneyland & CA with an ECV?! Thanks! 🙂
What park do you suggest starting at when using a 1-day park hopper and purchasing Genie+? We are going in July and want to get the most out of our one day. Thanks!
Hello, we live in Australia and travelling to America in December. We will be visiting Disneyland 2 weeks before Christmas hopefully with some quieter days but then we will be back for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. We’re enjoying watching your videos with all the tips. Obviously we will be visiting at one of the busiest times of the year so tips on how to best navigate the crowds on the super busy days would be very appreciated. Also, is Genie plus really worth the extra money ($50 each person day for us Aussie’s) we have read mixed reviews. Thanks, Belinda
Hi one more question if we go to Disneyland on the Tuesday 17 th September. If Disneyland park is open until 12 . Do you know if you can see fireworks from the California World Oogie Boogie by just being in the park next door?
Thanks for the video. We bought Genie + last Thanksgiving and used it twice because I do not think I understood how to use it correctly. Can you clarify the two hour rule? Can I get a second pass after two hours from when I obtained the first pass even if I haven’t ridden the ride for the first pass? I was under the impression I could not have two passes at one time. I will definitely try the refresh trick next time.
@@poplarpiano That is correct. You can grab another 2 hours after grabbing the first even if you haven’t used the first. You can absolutely have more than one at a time. I generally try not to unless I know I’ll be gone from the park for awhile, but it is possible.
I have not. But I have walked from the Anaheim Majestic before and it’s not a short walk. Your best bet is to walk to the parking garage and take the tram, which shouldn’t take too terribly long from there.
You can, but since the rider switch uses the lightning lane it becomes a bit more of a hassle. You have to make sure to scan ALL your tickets at the beginning, then have the cast member issue rider switch passes. You need to use up all of them before hand so the rest of the party can book a new lightning lane. The benefit to Rider Switch is you can take someone with you who rode with the first group, letting them ride twice. So you don't want to just not use that person's lightning lane. They'll need to wipe it clean and get a rider switch pass instead. I don't know if that makes sense, but you'll figure it out right quick if you go to try to use it the first time. You'll encounter one problem or another, and then you'll remember how to get around it for the rest of your time there.
@@SoCalDisneyDad ok, I think I understand. My family of 4 (2 kids, one of them being too little for some of the rides) all have LL, so maybe there is not much value in rider swap for us. This is our first trip to DL so I am binging all your videos. Thanks!
I’ve loved all your videos and have got some much great information, thank you! I would love it if you could recommend how to do Disneyland in one day. Would love to stay longer but our trip didn’t work out that that way. This will be our first time at Disneyland and we’ll have two 10 year olds. We have Genie+ and plan to do rope drop to park close. We’ll probably do less of the little kid rides but do want to see the parade and fireworks. Thank you!
A video will be out on Friday where we attempt to ride every ride at Disneyland in a single day with Genie+ We don’t do parade and fireworks, but you could use our strategy as a basis for deciding when to do what rides to get done your top priorities.
Thank you for your insightful videos - we are planning on visiting in May and are binging them all. What a beautiful family! I do have a question that I am hoping you can provide some insight. In your experience, are the parks (prior to 8 Pm) less busy on dates that have Star Wars Nights? Not sure if we should target or avoid them?
So the morning will be less busy, yes, but it’ll get insane 3 hours prior to the event (so 5 PM?) because anyone with an event ticket can get in starting then. But anyone with a non-park hopper ticket is going to go to DCA that day unless it’s their only day at Disneyland. But then they’ll probably just try to go some other day. Most people don’t like their park day being cut short. But anyone with a hopper will probably target Disneyland in the AM for this very reason, so it’ll be less crowded than the day before or after, but not terribly so, if that makes sense.
It varies by season. Check the events calendar for the day you’re planning to attend. If your visit date is more than 6 weeks out, you’ll not be able to find that info until you’re less than 6 weeks away.
Thank you so much for your videos! They are amazing! We are going to go to Disneyland on Tuesday May 7th and California Adventure on Wednesday May 8th. Do you think the parks are going to be packed? I think on Tuesday, May 7th there is an event and the Disneyland closes at 6 pm 😞 I don’t know which event is and where I can buy the ticket for that event? Thank you so much for all your help!
It’s probably Star Wars Nite. And tickets go on sale next week. February 23rd for the regular public. Magic Key holders have early access. You can buy tickets here when available: disneyland.disney.go.com/admission/events/ May is pretty low-key. It’s why they host the after hours events. It’s an effort to get more people to visit the parks. Disneyland will actually probably be a little less crowded that morning because most people with a non-hopper will choose DCA simply because Disneyland closes early. So make sure you show up for rope drop at park opening as that should be an amazing time for you to ride rides.
@@SoCalDisneyDad thank you so much for replying! We are going to stay at California hotel! We are so excited to get early access too! Hopefully, we get it since we did the reservation for Disneyland on Tuesday May 7th and California Adventure for Wednesday May 8th 🤗
since you are up on all things disney do you have a guess why disney has no train stop at star wars? they had yrs to build one as the attraction was being built ????
I’ve never done it, but the only thing I could think of that might do this is the VIP Tour experience. But it’s super expensive. We are talking thousands of dollars. But a cast member becomes your personal guide the whole day and you get priority access to rides and they share tons of behind the scenes info and things. I don’t really know what is involved as I’ve never done it because of the cost.
@@SoCalDisneyDad we did the keys to the kingdom tours at WDW. It was about 100ish each. That was my first day at any Disney park ever was going back stage.
@@taalovelen236 WDW has a lot better tour options. Disneyland just has Walt’s Main Street Story, which is a Main Street tour, and the VIP Tour. Walt’s Main Street Story would be in the 100ish/person range. The VIP Tour is somewhere in the ballpark of $5,000 for your group. I don’t know how many can be in the group. But the price doesn’t change depending on the number of people. So it’s not cheaper if it’s just you or a very small group.
October is Fall Break for a lot of places, so Disneyland is busier that month than either September or November. Not Spring Break busy, but still one of the busier times of the year.
Going on my honeymoon very beginning in March! Barely missing Spring break crowds. Do you have any fun places, food, ideas, or things you’d do for a honeymoon to celebrate? I’ve been multiple times but my wife never has. We’ll have 5 days.
We always like Storyteller’s Cafe. That’s where we go for celebrations. Napa Rose is also supposed to be really good. It’s fancy dining with a dress code (no shorts, flip flops, etc). A lot of people go there for special occasions. We haven’t yet because it’s pricier.
Hi guys quick question ! Would u say the lines and crowds are worse in march ? I went in December near Christmas and it was packed should I expect it to be just as bad in march / worse ?? Slightly better?
@@KariDelgado-d4l Disneyland alone? Sure. You’ll get done everything you want to in 2 days if you utilize rope drop and park close as those are going to be your two best times of day. If you want to do both parks, it’s unlikely you’ll get everything done without Genie+ and you’d need to make priority lists.
Pretty close. Sometimes you’ll be in the same ride vehicle (just different seats apart). And other times it could be separated by a few ride cycles. But it wouldn’t be much. Maybe 1-2 at most. So even if it takes you 15 minutes and your friend an additional 2 minutes, it still beats 45 minutes.
Also another question u may or may not be able to answer. My mother is wheel chair bound. With every ride would we enter through the exit ? Or do some lines allow wheel chairs to wait in the actual line (we don’t mind waiting just don’t want her chair to get stuck while in the line or take up to much space )
Talk to the cast member at each location just to be sure, but it’s a bit of both. The older lines are too tight for a wheelchair, but most all of the newer rides are wide enough and you go through the main line.
@@SoCalDisneyDad thank u so much ! Just tryna make this trip smooth for her last time it was right after her accident and she felt like a burden to cast members etc.
@@KariDelgado-d4lYou can get a return time from cast members on rides you cannot enter with a wheelchair or ECV and enter them through the exits. These are scanned into the Disneyland App with your ticket.
The right. It’s the Fantasyland side because it’s the side closest to Fantasyland. It’s generally easier to remember that designation than “the right side” It makes sense when you’re there. Matterhorn is right in between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.
Hi thank you for your reviews. We are from New Zealand and are coming to do Disneyland, Universal and Knotts Berry Farm. We are a bit overwhelmed with it all. We are arriving on the 31 August and have three weeks. Aneheim the first week then Las Vegas a week then the last week back in Aneheim. I see that Monday is Labour Day the first week we are there. We are thinking of a three day pass that would be two days in Disneyland and one in California land. We have an 11 year old and a 12 year old. Do you know what times the parks close in September? I can’t find it online. We would have liked to see the fireworks and parade but we don’t know if it’s worth spending an extra 200-300 just to see the fire works. The three day pass we are looking at is for Monday - Thursday. Our NZ dollar is not worth much the three day pass at moment would cost us about $2200 NZ. Any comments on park times would be greatly appreciated. Our trip is costing us an arm and a leg so we want to maximise the park tickets. Thank you .
The park should close somewhere between 10 PM and Midnight for Disneyland and between 9 PM and 10 PM for DCA. I can’t rightly say the hours until we get within 6 weeks. But avoid Tuesday, September 3rd, in DCA as that is an Oogie Boogie Bash night, and DCA will close to non-event guests at 6 PM. Visit Disneyland that day if you aren’t buying a park hopper.
As far as fireworks, are you meaning they might not be during the week? And so you’d have to add an extra day on Friday? It’s hard to say what the fireworks calendar will be this far out as well. But Fantasmic and World of Color will be going on nightly even if fireworks aren’t, and they are both worth seeing. Who knows, it’s the start of the Halloween season and the week of Labor Day, they’ll hopefully have nightly fireworks.
@@SoCalDisneyDad thank you so much for your reply, that is so helpful. Do you know if it would be a good day to go to Knotts Berry Farm on the Tuesday the 3rd? We are thinking about crowds and maybe with Labour Day people might stay on and make a longer weekend. We were thinking that Knotts Berry might not be as busy. I know it's all a guessing game but thank you for your knowledge.
@@masonsaviationlover I would guess that Tuesday will be as busy as Monday because it is likely folks will stay another day. But I would say that of Monday through Thursday: Disneyland, Knott’s, DCA, Disneyland is a good plan.
I know you have said this in the past. But how did I not know that Haunted Mansion had 2 elevators. My mouth dropped. I have ridden this ride since I was a kid. Wow, apparently, I'm not paying attention to you and my surroundings.
Requests or questions. I just wanted to know if you have a video comparing old rides vs new rides. (In the same video). Like Splash MTN vs Tianna’s. Or Soarin over CA vs Soarin over the world. I’d love to see those instead of searching for each video. Just an idea!
Disney has warned that any guest found to have falsified their need for DAS will face permanent bans. The company stated, “Guests found to have made false statements to obtain DAS will be banned from Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. Additionally, any passes, tickets, or other purchases will not be refunded.” So don't do this.
The thing I have found with the single rider line at Smugglers Run is you are usually stuck with the engineer position and you usually don’t get to be a pilot or gunner. Of course if you don’t mind that, then it’s the way to go.
That is very true, yes. But that would likely be the case even as a party of 2 unless you specifically request to wait to be a pilot. Because we saw them lump a lot of groups of 2 with groups of 4 yesterday and the 4 always get the pilots and gunners.
They won’t split a family of 4. My hubby and I wanted to pilot and kids wanted to be engineers in the back but couldn’t because we needed to sit together. Poor kids had to be gunners. The two singles they put with us had to be the engineers even though they wanted to be gunners.
A hack for Toon Town is the land closes from 8-10 PM on nights when there are fireworks. You can wait in front of the Toon Town entrance right before they reopen at 10 PM and walk on any of the rides!
Great tip! We rarely stay that late so I didn’t think about it!
Wait, do other lands close too???? I never knew that it closed during fireworks
@@saffiregoat6432 Just Fantasyland and Toontown due to Firework debris and things since those lands are close to where they’re fired off.
We have just been with our two young kids (from UK) and we avoided queuing for most rides thanks to your videos. We did rope drop everyday and genie plus on our last day and had an amazing time! We tried several of your recommended eateries including red rose tavern, docking bay 7 and pym test kitchen and all were great! We hit galactic grill for the breakfast burrito too and it was so filling. We used buddy pass on monsters inc and rider switch on bobsleds. We remembered to go left too 😁. Thanks so much for the tips! Steph
Hello. We’re visiting Disneyland at Christmas time. There’s so many mixed reviews for Genie plus. I noticed you used it for just one day. Was it worth the extra expense? Would you advise to use it every day or just select one day? Also, was it stressful using the app and trying to book rides?
Going to Disneyland with family after coming home from deployment! Can't wait.
Thank you for your service! I hope you have an amazing visit.
I’m here hanging on your every word knowing full well that I’m going to forget 90% of it by the time I get around to going 😂😂…guess I’ll have to watch it again when I have a trip planned!
For sure!
I also tend to reshare different tips because repetition makes it sink in a little better, so you’ll hear different things pop up from time to time in other videos.
This video is a bit of a rehash of one I did last year, but this time I singled out one of the tips from that video “ride hacks,” expanded it, and made a whole video on just those hacks.
We went on Super Bowl Sunday, crowds were not bad. And I really wanted to tell you, that chicken sandwich at great maple restaurant, OMG it was truly the best chicken sandwich ever. You were not kidding! My husband and I made a note to go there on our next trip and get one to go. It's THAT good!
Glad to hear someone else loved it too! Thanks for sharing.
Great Maple has amazing food. The one in San Diego is awesome as well.
Nice meeting you today by Tomorrow land. Your park advice is so helpful. Much appreciated.
Your hacks are really on point. Your channel is well done and very practical.
haha is that a hidden mickey created by the Mansion lobby and 2 elevators? Magic is everywhere!
Thank you for your videos! I like watching them just to feel like I’m in the park! We are planning on visiting the first Friday in December… watching this video I’m rethinking going on a Friday. 😕
I love watching your videos! We are going in December so all these tips are so helpful!
You take the left lane on Jungle Cruise because the left side loads about 20 feet sooner. Therefore, the right hand side is actually longer from the same point. 🧠
The right hand side is also where they put the families of the wheelchair accessibility guests, so it’s less people from the standby line on those boats.
But in general the left policy applies to most lines where line length doesn’t make any difference.
Thanks for all the tips! I’ve noticed in videos you sometimes show a visual on where lines are and when they are too long (ex. Jungle cruise in this video). I would love to have a video on how to gauge when the estimated wait time might not be accurate.
Honestly, it just comes from experience. In every crowd video I do, I play a guessing game with queues and you can use that to learn from. Last crowd video I did was mid-January. Next one will be start of Spring Break probably.
9:20 chewy said “sup”
Although we did try to form a plan. We still had a blast at dca
watching socal disney dad every day until i go to disneyland 9/108
We stay rope drop to close every time we go. We live in Utah and typically only do one day in each park when we go to California; because I’ve found we can accomplish most things, and have two very magical days doing that. I’m a little more concerned about only doing one day per park this time (was supposed to be more but looks like the kids want to see Super Mario World and we are planning opening Knotts Merry Farm)…I’m worried with all the Christmas extras and crowds one day in Disneyland won’t be enough. Particularly because I want to see Fantasia as well as the parade and fireworks along with all the fun rides and treats. I’m a little overwhelmed. Grateful for all your tips, tricks and recommendations!
Yes me and my family go early and we do big thunder mattahorn pirates Mickey run away it’s so fun before 10:30ish when we go we go on all our favorite rides we’ve gotten lucky not crowded I know when we go in the 11th might be busy 😂
Just watched this for a second time. Tganks.
Im very logical like you so when i listen to your videos, my brain is very happy & peaceful 😂 thank you for all your videos!
What are the best rides to drop rope?
I didn't read all of the comments but have a comment about rider switch. You can use this if anyone in your party can't/won't ride something and that person need supervision and can't wait some. Even if that person is a child tall enough or an adult that needs supervision (disabled), you can use rider switch. Just want to clarify for those (like me) who go with someone disabled.
Thank you!!
My tip is go on the rides when most people eat lunch
The thing I have found with the single rider line at Smugglers Run is you are usually stuck with the engineer position and you usually don’t get to be a pilot or gunner. Of course if you don’t mind that, then it’s the way to go.
I would say that btmrr is not a good rope drop ride because they generally don’t open both tracks right away so if you’re not at the front of rope drop, you may wait a bit longer than expected. I generally do space, Matterhorn, Indy/haunted/fantasy and the big Thunder.
I meant that it’s good to visit during rope drop. I consider the whole first 1-2 hours as “rope drop”
I think I said to visit before 9. Not necessarily to go there first thing.
Hey Trevor I wanted to tell you thanks my family and I have been watching all your videos about Disneyland because we were going on July 13th and we took notes on how to do rope drop and your a genius. We were hoping to see you and your family during are visit but somehow we missed you. My family are all magic key holders and I hope that maybe on are next trip we see you? Thanks again. The Kirgan family
Great tips. I could have used that upstairs Jungle Cruise tip last month! 😂
🤣 Yeah, if you wait a bit, Jungle Cruise goes down in crowd levels. Especially around dinner time.
@SoCalDisneyDad thanks. You can't skip the Backside of Water!
These are great tips!
What do you suggest one does other than rides right after a parade?
Do you have a video like this for DCA as well? Very helpful!
Hey! Love your channel! I’ve seen you wearing a neck fan. Is it light and what brand do you use? Thank you!
@@nikiyamanaka3856 I’m not 100% positive on the brand name. It’s a random one from Amazon. But there’s links to everything I use in the parks in any of my newer videos in the description. Anything from like July forward.
LOVE your adventures SoCal Disney Dad! Your wife & kids are fun to watch!!🙂We're headed to Disneyland in October to party with our adult kiddos. My hubby will rent a scooter. Any brilliant ideas or magical tips on how we'll maneuver though Disneyland & CA with an ECV?! Thanks! 🙂
What park do you suggest starting at when using a 1-day park hopper and purchasing Genie+? We are going in July and want to get the most out of our one day. Thanks!
Probably Disneyland, because there’s more to take advantage of in the first hour that are key rides not on Genie+
Thanks!
So many great tips! Do you know if Single Rider at Space Mountain opens right away or do they open it late morning? Thanks!
That I’m not positive. I do feel like it’s a “not right away” thing, but that’s just my gut feeling. It’s not something I know for certain.
@@SoCalDisneyDad Thanks - I feel the same - sounds right
Love the vids and tips man thank you😊
What a brilliant video - thank you so much
Hello, we live in Australia and travelling to America in December. We will be visiting Disneyland 2 weeks before Christmas hopefully with some quieter days but then we will be back for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
We’re enjoying watching your videos with all the tips. Obviously we will be visiting at one of the busiest times of the year so tips on how to best navigate the crowds on the super busy days would be very appreciated. Also, is Genie plus really worth the extra money ($50 each person day for us Aussie’s) we have read mixed reviews.
Thanks, Belinda
Hi one more question if we go to Disneyland on the Tuesday 17 th September. If Disneyland park is open until 12 . Do you know if you can see fireworks from the California World Oogie Boogie by just being in the park next door?
The best! Thanks!
Thanks for the video. We bought Genie + last Thanksgiving and used it twice because I do not think I understood how to use it correctly. Can you clarify the two hour rule? Can I get a second pass after two hours from when I obtained the first pass even if I haven’t ridden the ride for the first pass? I was under the impression I could not have two passes at one time. I will definitely try the refresh trick next time.
@@poplarpiano That is correct. You can grab another 2 hours after grabbing the first even if you haven’t used the first.
You can absolutely have more than one at a time. I generally try not to unless I know I’ll be gone from the park for awhile, but it is possible.
Thanks!
Thank you!
Thank you for the video
Have you stayed at Staybridge Suites on Ball Rd? I’m looking for info on the hotel and the walk to Disneyland from there.
I have not. But I have walked from the Anaheim Majestic before and it’s not a short walk.
Your best bet is to walk to the parking garage and take the tram, which shouldn’t take too terribly long from there.
For the submarines, a hack is the observation outpost where you get a room to view the ride instead of going into the subs
Can you use rider switch with lightning lane multi pass, or is it a one-or-the-other situation?
You can, but since the rider switch uses the lightning lane it becomes a bit more of a hassle. You have to make sure to scan ALL your tickets at the beginning, then have the cast member issue rider switch passes. You need to use up all of them before hand so the rest of the party can book a new lightning lane.
The benefit to Rider Switch is you can take someone with you who rode with the first group, letting them ride twice. So you don't want to just not use that person's lightning lane. They'll need to wipe it clean and get a rider switch pass instead.
I don't know if that makes sense, but you'll figure it out right quick if you go to try to use it the first time. You'll encounter one problem or another, and then you'll remember how to get around it for the rest of your time there.
@@SoCalDisneyDad ok, I think I understand. My family of 4 (2 kids, one of them being too little for some of the rides) all have LL, so maybe there is not much value in rider swap for us. This is our first trip to DL so I am binging all your videos. Thanks!
I’ve loved all your videos and have got some much great information, thank you! I would love it if you could recommend how to do Disneyland in one day. Would love to stay longer but our trip didn’t work out that that way. This will be our first time at Disneyland and we’ll have two 10 year olds. We have Genie+ and plan to do rope drop to park close. We’ll probably do less of the little kid rides but do want to see the parade and fireworks. Thank you!
A video will be out on Friday where we attempt to ride every ride at Disneyland in a single day with Genie+
We don’t do parade and fireworks, but you could use our strategy as a basis for deciding when to do what rides to get done your top priorities.
@@SoCalDisneyDad Great! Looking forward to seeing it.
If you had 3 days (Friday half day, sat, sun) which park would you start with each day? We will be getting park hopper and genie+
Disneyland, DCA, Disneyland
what map did you use
Love to go there, unfortunately my visit visa was denied.😪. Till the next interview.
I love your videos ❤
Thank you!
Thank you for your insightful videos - we are planning on visiting in May and are binging them all. What a beautiful family! I do have a question that I am hoping you can provide some insight. In your experience, are the parks (prior to 8 Pm) less busy on dates that have Star Wars Nights? Not sure if we should target or avoid them?
So the morning will be less busy, yes, but it’ll get insane 3 hours prior to the event (so 5 PM?) because anyone with an event ticket can get in starting then.
But anyone with a non-park hopper ticket is going to go to DCA that day unless it’s their only day at Disneyland. But then they’ll probably just try to go some other day.
Most people don’t like their park day being cut short. But anyone with a hopper will probably target Disneyland in the AM for this very reason, so it’ll be less crowded than the day before or after, but not terribly so, if that makes sense.
What time is the parade and fireworks in disneyland?😊
It varies by season. Check the events calendar for the day you’re planning to attend. If your visit date is more than 6 weeks out, you’ll not be able to find that info until you’re less than 6 weeks away.
Thank you🎉
Thank you so much for your videos! They are amazing! We are going to go to Disneyland on Tuesday May 7th and California Adventure on Wednesday May 8th. Do you think the parks are going to be packed? I think on Tuesday, May 7th there is an event and the Disneyland closes at 6 pm 😞 I don’t know which event is and where I can buy the ticket for that event? Thank you so much for all your help!
It’s probably Star Wars Nite. And tickets go on sale next week. February 23rd for the regular public. Magic Key holders have early access.
You can buy tickets here when available: disneyland.disney.go.com/admission/events/
May is pretty low-key. It’s why they host the after hours events. It’s an effort to get more people to visit the parks.
Disneyland will actually probably be a little less crowded that morning because most people with a non-hopper will choose DCA simply because Disneyland closes early. So make sure you show up for rope drop at park opening as that should be an amazing time for you to ride rides.
@@SoCalDisneyDad thank you so much for replying! We are going to stay at California hotel! We are so excited to get early access too! Hopefully, we get it since we did the reservation for Disneyland on Tuesday May 7th and California Adventure for Wednesday May 8th 🤗
@@vanessavelasquez7932 Yes, that’s correct for early entry days.
since you are up on all things disney do you have a guess why disney has no train stop at star wars? they had yrs to build one as the attraction was being built ????
Is there ride tours? At universal Orlando team members will give tours of some rides. What does DL and DCA have???😊
I’ve never done it, but the only thing I could think of that might do this is the VIP Tour experience. But it’s super expensive. We are talking thousands of dollars. But a cast member becomes your personal guide the whole day and you get priority access to rides and they share tons of behind the scenes info and things.
I don’t really know what is involved as I’ve never done it because of the cost.
@@SoCalDisneyDad we did the keys to the kingdom tours at WDW. It was about 100ish each. That was my first day at any Disney park ever was going back stage.
@@taalovelen236 WDW has a lot better tour options. Disneyland just has Walt’s Main Street Story, which is a Main Street tour, and the VIP Tour.
Walt’s Main Street Story would be in the 100ish/person range.
The VIP Tour is somewhere in the ballpark of $5,000 for your group. I don’t know how many can be in the group. But the price doesn’t change depending on the number of people. So it’s not cheaper if it’s just you or a very small group.
What about October I am going to Disneyland. I’ve been been since 2012 is it busy
October is Fall Break for a lot of places, so Disneyland is busier that month than either September or November. Not Spring Break busy, but still one of the busier times of the year.
Going on my honeymoon very beginning in March! Barely missing Spring break crowds. Do you have any fun places, food, ideas, or things you’d do for a honeymoon to celebrate? I’ve been multiple times but my wife never has. We’ll have 5 days.
We always like Storyteller’s Cafe. That’s where we go for celebrations. Napa Rose is also supposed to be really good. It’s fancy dining with a dress code (no shorts, flip flops, etc). A lot of people go there for special occasions. We haven’t yet because it’s pricier.
@@SoCalDisneyDad thanks so much!
Hi guys quick question ! Would u say the lines and crowds are worse in march ? I went in December near Christmas and it was packed should I expect it to be just as bad in march / worse ?? Slightly better?
March 15th to about April 8th or so will be packed. As bad as I’ve ever seen the parks.
But I’ve also never been at Christmas.
@@SoCalDisneyDad with that being said do u think it’s possible to complete the Disney park in 2 days with no genie plus ? I’m going march 25th
@@KariDelgado-d4l Disneyland alone? Sure. You’ll get done everything you want to in 2 days if you utilize rope drop and park close as those are going to be your two best times of day.
If you want to do both parks, it’s unlikely you’ll get everything done without Genie+ and you’d need to make priority lists.
If I do single rider lanes, how likely will i end up with my friend beside or behind me on the ride? (to save time ofc)
Pretty close. Sometimes you’ll be in the same ride vehicle (just different seats apart). And other times it could be separated by a few ride cycles. But it wouldn’t be much. Maybe 1-2 at most.
So even if it takes you 15 minutes and your friend an additional 2 minutes, it still beats 45 minutes.
THANK YOU!!@@SoCalDisneyDad
Also another question u may or may not be able to answer. My mother is wheel chair bound. With every ride would we enter through the exit ? Or do some lines allow wheel chairs to wait in the actual line (we don’t mind waiting just don’t want her chair to get stuck while in the line or take up to much space )
Talk to the cast member at each location just to be sure, but it’s a bit of both. The older lines are too tight for a wheelchair, but most all of the newer rides are wide enough and you go through the main line.
@@SoCalDisneyDad thank u so much ! Just tryna make this trip smooth for her last time it was right after her accident and she felt like a burden to cast members etc.
@@KariDelgado-d4lYou can get a return time from cast members on rides you cannot enter with a wheelchair or ECV and enter them through the exits. These are scanned into the Disneyland App with your ticket.
Which line/side is the fantasy land side for the Matterhorn?
The right. It’s the Fantasyland side because it’s the side closest to Fantasyland. It’s generally easier to remember that designation than “the right side”
It makes sense when you’re there.
Matterhorn is right in between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.
@@SoCalDisneyDad, I noticed a difference but never knew which side to choose to feel less beat up! My 56 y.o. body thanks you!
@@wendi67 Yes! Someone explained it’s because there’s less turning and more straighter sections.
Hi thank you for your reviews. We are from New Zealand and are coming to do Disneyland, Universal and Knotts Berry Farm. We are a bit overwhelmed with it all. We are arriving on the 31 August and have three weeks. Aneheim the first week then Las Vegas a week then the last week back in Aneheim. I see that Monday is Labour Day the first week we are there. We are thinking of a three day pass that would be two days in Disneyland and one in California land. We have an 11 year old and a 12 year old. Do you know what times the parks close in September? I can’t find it online. We would have liked to see the fireworks and parade but we don’t know if it’s worth spending an extra 200-300 just to see the fire works. The three day pass we are looking at is for Monday - Thursday. Our NZ dollar is not worth much the three day pass at moment would cost us about $2200 NZ. Any comments on park times would be greatly appreciated. Our trip is costing us an arm and a leg so we want to maximise the park tickets. Thank you .
The park should close somewhere between 10 PM and Midnight for Disneyland and between 9 PM and 10 PM for DCA. I can’t rightly say the hours until we get within 6 weeks.
But avoid Tuesday, September 3rd, in DCA as that is an Oogie Boogie Bash night, and DCA will close to non-event guests at 6 PM. Visit Disneyland that day if you aren’t buying a park hopper.
As far as fireworks, are you meaning they might not be during the week? And so you’d have to add an extra day on Friday?
It’s hard to say what the fireworks calendar will be this far out as well. But Fantasmic and World of Color will be going on nightly even if fireworks aren’t, and they are both worth seeing.
Who knows, it’s the start of the Halloween season and the week of Labor Day, they’ll hopefully have nightly fireworks.
@@SoCalDisneyDad thank you so much for your reply, that is so helpful. Do you know if it would be a good day to go to Knotts Berry Farm on the Tuesday the 3rd? We are thinking about crowds and maybe with Labour Day people might stay on and make a longer weekend. We were thinking that Knotts Berry might not be as busy. I know it's all a guessing game but thank you for your knowledge.
@@masonsaviationlover I would guess that Tuesday will be as busy as Monday because it is likely folks will stay another day. But I would say that of Monday through Thursday: Disneyland, Knott’s, DCA, Disneyland is a good plan.
@@SoCalDisneyDad Thank you soo much :)
I know you have said this in the past. But how did I not know that Haunted Mansion had 2 elevators. My mouth dropped. I have ridden this ride since I was a kid. Wow, apparently, I'm not paying attention to you and my surroundings.
🤣😂
I have a request or a question. Well 2 questions. Is there a place you’d rather get these?
Get what?
Requests or questions. I just wanted to know if you have a video comparing old rides vs new rides. (In the same video). Like Splash MTN vs Tianna’s. Or Soarin over CA vs Soarin over the world. I’d love to see those instead of searching for each video. Just an idea!
Great video. Except I go right
That’s fine! My “left” trick only works cause everyone else goes right.
Hate the new early entry -
You must stay at a park hotel every time?
💯 true- left is best. We have successfully tested this theory.
🙌
Disney has warned that any guest found to have falsified their need for DAS will face permanent bans. The company stated, “Guests found to have made false statements to obtain DAS will be banned from Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. Additionally, any passes, tickets, or other purchases will not be refunded.”
So don't do this.
The thing I have found with the single rider line at Smugglers Run is you are usually stuck with the engineer position and you usually don’t get to be a pilot or gunner. Of course if you don’t mind that, then it’s the way to go.
That is very true, yes. But that would likely be the case even as a party of 2 unless you specifically request to wait to be a pilot. Because we saw them lump a lot of groups of 2 with groups of 4 yesterday and the 4 always get the pilots and gunners.
They won’t split a family of 4. My hubby and I wanted to pilot and kids wanted to be engineers in the back but couldn’t because we needed to sit together. Poor kids had to be gunners. The two singles they put with us had to be the engineers even though they wanted to be gunners.
What a great video, thanks!