PDA

View Full Version : Need the scoop



dshimel
10-04-2001, 10:57 AM
So, how does Early Entry work at DLR? Is it only EE to DL? The park hours are listed as 10AM-Midnight the days I'll be there. What time is EE? Is it as crowded as regular times?

I'll be staying at Grand CA. Does this hotel still have a separate entrance into DCA? What is the advantage of using this?

Will a Grizzly area, Park View room be able to see much of DL? I'm flying into LAX about 7:20PM, so I'll be lucky to be to DLR before 9:00. Trying to decide if I want to stay at DLR first night, or stay off-site the first night and just check in the first day I'll be in the parks. Kind of a hassle changing hotels, but it will save me $100-$120. I'm thinking that money would be beter spent on a meal or two at Blue Bayou.

If I buy 3 day passes at a military base, will they be actual tickets or vouchers I'll have to swap somewhere?

I went to WDW last year. Does FASTPASS work any differently at DLR?

Guess that is all the questions for now, unless there is anything else I've missed.

JRob2k1
10-04-2001, 11:54 AM
Originally posted by dshimel
So, how does Early Entry work at DLR? Is it only EE to DL? The park hours are listed as 10AM-Midnight the days I'll be there. What time is EE? Is it as crowded as regular times?

Early Entry aka Magic Mornings are the ability to get into Disneyland(not DCA) 1 & 1/2 hours before it opens. There are a limited number of rides open, but they are usually a good mix of E-Tickets and smaller kiddy ones. Think Indy, Pirates, Matterhorn, Space, Star Tours, and then the fantasyland rides. Now the actual rides open on your day changes, but there will be a chalk board(yes, a chalk board) at the end of Main Street detailing everything open, etc...

Magic Mornings are more common and publicized so they now are a lot more crowded then when 1st implemented many years ago. But I still think it would be worth your while, especially to knock off some of the bigger rides right away!


I'll be staying at Grand CA. Does this hotel still have a separate entrance into DCA? What is the advantage of using this?

The Grand Ca. does have its on entrance into DCA. Its very convienent when you just want to hop straight into the park!! Plus there's no line to get in at 8:00am or whenever the park opens that day. So you walk right in and start your day relaxed. When I stayed a the Grand Ca., I went through it's DCA entrance(when it opened) and walked all the way from GRR to Paradise Pier without seeing ONE single guest. They were all still flowing in from the front gates! I thought it was pretty cool!

And the GC is a wonderously beautiful hotel, you'll love it!!!


Will a Grizzly area, Park View room be able to see much of DL? I'm flying into LAX about 7:20PM, so I'll be lucky to be to DLR before 9:00. Trying to decide if I want to stay at DLR first night, or stay off-site the first night and just check in the first day I'll be in the parks. Kind of a hassle changing hotels, but it will save me $100-$120. I'm thinking that money would be better spent on a meal or two at Blue Bayou.

A Grizzly Park View will give you a view of....the Grizzly Park Area. But in my opinion, it is one of the nicest areas, theming and immersion-wise in all of DCA. So its a great view you'll have!

Another great place to eat is the Napa Rose Restaurant located inside of the Grand Cal!! Very classy, very $$$$....You might look into that too...


If I buy 3 day passes at a military base, will they be actual tickets or vouchers I'll have to swap somewhere?

I'm not sure on this one...But if you get actual tickets, I think you'll know when you see them compared to a voucher. But I'm not exactly sure, so...


I went to WDW last year. Does FASTPASS work any differently at DLR?

Works exactly the same!!! No differences. And remember, if you get a park hopper, that you can get a FastPass in DL, and then go over and get another in DCA!!


Guess that is all the questions for now, unless there is anything else I've missed.

Just have a great time and tell us how everything went!!!:cool:

-JRob

tabacco
10-04-2001, 12:00 PM
The tickets you get from the base will be real tickets. You won't have to stand in line at the booths.

As for EE, pick the day where you can get in the earliest. The number of people in Magic Mornings decrese exponentially each hour earlier it starts. EE at 6:30 AM is nice, but EE at 8:30 AM is pretty packed already.

Nigel2
10-04-2001, 12:59 PM
Basically the only difference in fastpasses here and at WDW is that the machines here require you to insert and remove your pass, and they shoot out cards. WDW sucks the ticket in and shoots it back out(just like their gates) and they give you thin paper tickets. Anyone know why they have different machines than us?

dshimel
10-04-2001, 01:19 PM
ANOTHER stack of questions, but first Assumptions:
I'd guess Friday morning/afternoon at the end of October will be fairly uncrowded. I'm allocating this time to Disneyland. I'd also guess that Saturday will be most crowded, so I should plan to spend most of this day at DCA. Is this accurate?

Is there no Fantasmic! in Oct.? Disney.com doesn't list it. :-(

Is Splash Mt. Closed (DIG says it was to go into rehab for Sept-Oct-Nov)?

Is Parade of the stars any good? No kids, just a couple 30-something adults. Would we enjoy this parade or would time be better spent on attractions?

Does DL empty out near after the fireworks? Wondering if I should plan on staying until midnight Friday then sleeping in, or leaving at 10 and getting up for Magic Morning on Saturday.

I arrive on a Thursday evening. If I stay off-site that night, how early can I chick-in to Grand CA on Friday morning? If it is later that park opening, would I be able to do Magic Morning on my 3-day military pass before checking in? If I can't check-in to the Grand Ca before DL opens, where would I have to park? I'll pay the extra $120 to stay on-site Thursday if I'll have to park in a garage, tram to the park, then tram back to the car to drive to the hotel.

Finally, how early should I plan on reserving a spot for a parade or show at DLR? At WDW, you had to be in line for Fantasmic! 3 hours before show time, and for MSEP you had to claim a good viewing spot 2 hours before the parade. Is any parade/show at DLR like this?

Nigel2
10-04-2001, 01:24 PM
Fantasmic here isn't in a satdium, but people wait for hours, you can try to show up half an hour early.

Sheila
10-04-2001, 01:54 PM
Originally posted by Nigel2
Basically the only difference in fastpasses here and at WDW is that the machines here require you to insert and remove your pass, and they shoot out cards. WDW sucks the ticket in and shoots it back out(just like their gates) and they give you thin paper tickets. Anyone know why they have different machines than us?

WDW admission media is printed on flexible paper-like material regardless of whether or not you're a daytripper or an annual passholder.

DL's day passes are the usual paper media, but the annual passes are made of hard plastic material, so that's probably why the DL FP machines are configured differently to handle all the different media.

Sheila

Nigel2
10-04-2001, 09:48 PM
Originally posted by Sheila


WDW admission media is printed on flexible paper-like material regardless of whether or not you're a daytripper or an annual passholder..


What are you talking about, my flex pass was plastic. And why would you make a paper AP? Plastic is much more sturdy. But the thing that stikes me as odd is the fact that WDW FP's are on that reciept like paper, and when they get wet they stick together like crazy. On a side note about FP, I was at disneyland with my friends once, and they had a CM friend that let us in, (I was going to use my AP anyway but whatever) so when I came time to use the FP machine it wouldn't take my AP, I had to use the other ticket. Apparently they are smarter than they seem when it comes to Fast passes, but you can alway press the button on the back when a CM isn't looking.:D

zerodahero
10-04-2001, 11:05 PM
The buttons on the back of the FP machines need to be turned on, a CM needs to switch it to the "on" position for it to work.

Morrigoon
10-04-2001, 11:10 PM
When you get signed in like that, just exit the park and come in again on your pass, then both are good :)

(One time I went into DCA on a friend's sign in, my AP had already gotten me into DL, and at the time expired APs still worked... so I got 3 fp's at a time!)

Sheila
10-05-2001, 09:28 AM
Originally posted by Nigel2
What are you talking about, my flex pass was plastic. And why would you make a paper AP? Plastic is much more sturdy.

Well, there you go. I don't have an answer for you then why the WDW FP machines are different, if the flexpasses are made of hard plastic. But why would the flex passes be plastic and the annual passes paper?

Personally, I'm with you on why on earth would the WDW annual passes be that way?! Seems like they would get seriously beat up after heavy use. Of course, probably most WDW APs are like me in that we only use those passes two weeks or so a year. ;)

YMMV,
Sheila

Nigel2
10-05-2001, 09:35 AM
Of course I activated my AP, hey if I can have 2 FP at once that is always good. I remember once at AK one of the attractions FP wasn't reading tickets so anyone could just walk up and the CM would give you as many FP you needed. I also remember that at Test Track there was a lone FP atendant with a broken arm, and he had to cover the machines by himself, I offered to help but he said he had it.

dshimel
10-05-2001, 09:43 AM
FATSPASS is sure easy to cheat. I stayed on sight and got Stars and Stripes passes (both room key and passes were hard plastic).

I was able to get a FASTPASS off the room key card, even though it wasn't a park pass. I did it just to check. My eldest daughter, wife and mother-in-law didn't ride many e-tickets, so I had FASTPASSes coming out of my ears just using thier park passes.

Hay, how'd we get so far off topic? Nevermind.

tjrj
10-06-2001, 01:24 PM
We will be staying at the Grand in December. For the first night in town we will be staying off-site for the same reason-we are getting in really late and didn't want to pay $250+ for just a place to crash for the night. When I called reservations and explained my concern, I was told that I could come to the hotel whenever I wanted the next day, and store my stuff and get parking settled.

tabacco
10-06-2001, 11:03 PM
Originally posted by Sheila


WDW admission media is printed on flexible paper-like material regardless of whether or not you're a daytripper or an annual passholder.

DL's day passes are the usual paper media, but the annual passes are made of hard plastic material, so that's probably why the DL FP machines are configured differently to handle all the different media.

Sheila

Not to mention the older style of tickets (the longer ones that had the characters printed on them) as well as the readmission cards, which are also that size.