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View Full Version : What to do... cheaper ticket or early entry and when?



annieb727
08-07-2007, 01:40 PM
Questions...what do you guys think?

DH is dying to ride the submarine ride...and he's already determined we are going to ride it AT LEAST twice - we'll be there for five days.

We can get tickets from the base here for about $100 less (total for all four tickets) than we can order them from Disneyland.com. Only problem...the tickets from the base do not have EE on them. What would you do?

If we do choose to do EE...which day is BEST for EE - Tuesday, THurdsay or Saturday??

We will be there Sept 18 -24 - with one day off for Knott's berry farm. We're staying off disney property.

When should we time Nemo? I heard that it's open after park closing? So we could theoretically get in line at about 7:50pm (with park closing at 8pm) and get to ride it...even if we wait for an hour or more? When's the best time to go on it?? Is it worth going on during EE? Or should we try on non-EE days? My only complaint is usually we run to Space Mtn and Buzz - now we gotta run to the submarine *sigh*

MileHighAko
08-07-2007, 01:48 PM
Not sure about Nemo, but consider that on Tuesday/Thursday the park doesn't open until 10 AM, and so your EE will be at 9, and on Saturday the park opens at 8 AM, so your EE is at 7 AM, which means a prety early wake up and breakfast time.

Darkbeer
08-07-2007, 01:52 PM
Questions...what do you guys think?

DH is dying to ride the submarine ride...and he's already determined we are going to ride it AT LEAST twice - we'll be there for five days.

We can get tickets from the base here for about $100 less (total for all four tickets) than we can order them from Disneyland.com. Only problem...the tickets from the base do not have EE on them. What would you do?

If we do choose to do EE...which day is BEST for EE - Tuesday, THurdsay or Saturday??

We will be there Sept 18 -24 - with one day off for Knott's berry farm. We're staying off disney property.

When should we time Nemo? I heard that it's open after park closing? So we could theoretically get in line at about 7:50pm (with park closing at 8pm) and get to ride it...even if we wait for an hour or more? When's the best time to go on it?? Is it worth going on during EE? Or should we try on non-EE days? My only complaint is usually we run to Space Mtn and Buzz - now we gotta run to the submarine *sigh*


I would take the extra money and forget about EE, especially when you will have 5 days to see everything.

RIght now, during the summer, if you had EE, I would recommend you avoid Nemo and go straight to the Fantasyland attractions. Seems like the longest waits for Nemo in the morning. Currently the late afternoon has waits of 90 minutes or less, even on the weekends.

But yes, a good time to get into line is when you finished everything else on a weekday, and then head to Nemo. The one thing I would do though, watch the Parade of Dreams one day, and then get in the Nemo line BEFORE the parade finishes on the other day, as some folks will plan the parade, followed by Nemo to end the day, this way, you will get in front of those trying to squezze as much as in possible.

Enjoy your trip, and don't miss the HalloweenTime stuff starting the 21st.

DizneyMommy
08-07-2007, 03:10 PM
Skip EE and take the discount - the one extra hour is not worth $100 when you are going to be there for five days!

Oh, and you know you can get a fast pass for Space Mountain and mostly skip standing in line for it anyways! When it is really crowded, Buzz has a fast pass too - or at least they used to - they may not use it anymore it has been a while since I have seen it up and running.

Malcon10t
08-07-2007, 03:20 PM
Ride later in the day and the lines are shorter than in the AM.

emmah
08-07-2007, 03:34 PM
If you really want to jump in the Nemo line early in the morning, then my advice would be to head straight to the queue as soon as the park opens (which calls for you to be there well ahead of gate opening, so you can be at the front of the mainstreet queue) on a non-EE day. From what I have heard, you have to move quickly (maybe have one of your party be the commando and run ahead) because many people have the same idea.

The UOG states that you should skip FL on EE days if you don't have EE because the queues are already very long by the time you get there and never really recover. The same policy must, I think, apply to Nemo - at least until nightfall. Plus, it sounds crazy to me to voluntarily stand out in the california sun mid summer for 90 minutes!

3duckgirl3
08-07-2007, 04:39 PM
Buzz FPs are still working. I still have one, in fact...didn't need it for the last run-through!

annieb727
08-08-2007, 01:16 AM
If you really want to jump in the Nemo line early in the morning, then my advice would be to head straight to the queue as soon as the park opens (which calls for you to be there well ahead of gate opening, so you can be at the front of the mainstreet queue) on a non-EE day. From what I have heard, you have to move quickly (maybe have one of your party be the commando and run ahead) because many people have the same idea.

The UOG states that you should skip FL on EE days if you don't have EE because the queues are already very long by the time you get there and never really recover. The same policy must, I think, apply to Nemo - at least until nightfall. Plus, it sounds crazy to me to voluntarily stand out in the california sun mid summer for 90 minutes!

Yeah, I know we won't have to skip FL...I will have an ECV, so I won't have too much of an issue with lines...so I guess it won't be too bad to have to really wait a long time for Nemo...though the wait for Splash, POTC, and Space are always horrendous - unless we go first thing to Space especially!

codewoman
08-08-2007, 10:03 AM
Not to er, trash any other parks or anything, but we went to Knotts one day of our one week vacation (late July) and I considered it a total waste of time and money. We should have stayed at the hotel and rested. The cost is low, but the park is seriously run-down compared to DLR. Peeling paint, unstocked bathrooms, VERY little shade and none where you can sit and rest. Inside the park food options are not good - expensive and uninspired. Water was $3.25 per bottle and very few water fountains. Mostly roller coasters. Kids rides (in the Snoopy area) were all 30 minute queues in the sun. The roller coasters were your typical amusement park rides (did get on the Silver Bullet and enjoyed it, but skipped the rest as I'd been on their counterparts at other parks many times). There was one cool ride and they charged $5 extra to ride it! I'm just saying, if you're trying to save money take a day to relax and walk around DTD or hang out by the pool.

And wouldn't you know it, I was the one who insisted on Knotts? I'll never live it down with my family.

annieb727
08-08-2007, 10:10 AM
Not to er, trash any other parks or anything, but we went to Knotts one day of our one week vacation (late July) and I considered it a total waste of time and money. We should have stayed at the hotel and rested. The cost is low, but the park is seriously run-down compared to DLR. Peeling paint, unstocked bathrooms, VERY little shade and none where you can sit and rest. Inside the park food options are not good - expensive and uninspired. Water was $3.25 per bottle and very few water fountains. Mostly roller coasters. Kids rides (in the Snoopy area) were all 30 minute queues in the sun. The roller coasters were your typical amusement park rides (did get on the Silver Bullet and enjoyed it, but skipped the rest as I'd been on their counterparts at other parks many times). There was one cool ride and they charged $5 extra to ride it! I'm just saying, if you're trying to save money take a day to relax and walk around DTD or hang out by the pool.

And wouldn't you know it, I was the one who insisted on Knotts? I'll never live it down with my family.

Yeah...we've been before - it's definitely not Disney, but dh and I like some of those BIG roller coasters...we go with the low expectation...and still have fun. And we can get the tix here on base for $31 each (and just the adults are going - not much for kids there).

codewoman
08-08-2007, 10:17 AM
As long as you know what you're getting into. Part of the problem for us may have been that we were there with about 16 busses of local children from various summer camps. It was just pandemonium! Oh, and one of the young men in our party was misbehaving (not mine!) and my sister was not feeling well.

We will go back to the Chicken Dinner Restaurant, though. The biscuits were divine.

DizneyMommy
08-08-2007, 10:28 AM
I think it is so funny how those of us, me included!, who are used to the luxury of going to Disneyland often, are so spoiled by the cleanliness and friendliness of the park and employees there compared to other parks. My husband tells me all the time how spoiled I am when it comes to amusement parks and other tourist type destinations. I find myself saying all the time when I go other places like Legoland or Sea World or anywhere, Gee, at Disneyland this would have been clean, or At Disneyland the food is way better, etc. The bathrooms are huge for me, I have yet to find a place in California with bathrooms as well cleaned and maintained as Disneyland (exept maybe Nordstroms!)

Ah, but yes we hit the Chicken Dinners at Knott's at least once a year, usually on Thanksgiving or Easter - it is awesome!

codewoman
08-08-2007, 10:30 AM
I think it is so funny how those of us, me included!, who are used to the luxury of going to Disneyland often, are so spoiled by the cleanliness and friendliness of the park and employees there compared to other parks. My husband tells me all the time how spoiled I am when it comes to amusement parks and other tourist type destinations. I find myself saying all the time when I go other places like Legoland or Sea World or anywhere, Gee, at Disneyland this would have been clean, or At Disneyland the food is way better, etc. The bathrooms are huge for me, I have yet to find a place in California with bathrooms as well cleaned and maintained as Disneyland (exept maybe Nordstroms!)

I totally agree. And I know about "other" parks. Somehow I expected different of Knotts. So sad.

Oh, and I saw every restroom in the park. My grand-nephew (nephew's son) has to use the bathroom every 10 minutes. By the end of our DLR visit, we knew where they alllllll were.

annieb727
08-08-2007, 12:55 PM
As long as you know what you're getting into. Part of the problem for us may have been that we were there with about 16 busses of local children from various summer camps. It was just pandemonium! Oh, and one of the young men in our party was misbehaving (not mine!) and my sister was not feeling well.

We will go back to the Chicken Dinner Restaurant, though. The biscuits were divine.

Yeah...see we'll be going on a Tuesday mid september...if it's like when I went last year - rides will be walk on and the park was virtually empty...some of the rides we didn't even have to get off of to ride again. It was a warm day - toward the end of our day, and we went on the river raft ride, I think 13 times without getting off!

kimbeejohnson
08-08-2007, 09:39 PM
Annie - are you sure those base tickets don't come with EE?

My husband works on an airforce base and we got our last tickets through their travel office. They were 5 day passes, and they DID come with EE.

You may want to double check!

DizneyMommy
08-09-2007, 05:39 AM
There are 2 types of tix you can get on bases. The ones from the travel offices that come with a whole vacation package are different from the ones you just walk into Welfare & Rec and buy separatly. My husband is a recently discharged Marine and we used to buy them on Pendleton for our parents to go with us every year and they never came with EE, but we have had out of town military friends get the EE on their tickets with vacation packages.

annieb727
08-09-2007, 01:24 PM
Yeah, I'm sure they don't come with EE.

Now however, we are going to have EE on our ticket...we are going thru getawaytoday....we got a better hotel deal - we had to do a couple of separate reservations...but we got $430 for nine nights at the Castle Inn & Suites (which includes all taxes).
And since we can buy 8 day hopper tickets thru them, we're going to (and I'm going to try to talk dh into APs so we can come back at least Sept 2008 before they expire).

We're thinking of doing the free military Sea World Tickets...not totally sure I want to...I wasn't all that impressed with Sea World Orlando when we went back in 2001. Is it worth the drive, and possibly one day less, to go to Sea World...or should we just do DL??

Anyway...so now I don't need to choose between early entry and the money!! We'll get the better ticket with more days! YAY!

Walt'sbirthdaygirl
08-09-2007, 01:52 PM
Yeah, I'm sure they don't come with EE.

Now however, we are going to have EE on our ticket...we are going thru getawaytoday....we got a better hotel deal - we had to do a couple of separate reservations...but we got $430 for nine nights at the Castle Inn & Suites (which includes all taxes).
And since we can buy 8 day hopper tickets thru them, we're going to (and I'm going to try to talk dh into APs so we can come back at least Sept 2008 before they expire).

We're thinking of doing the free military Sea World Tickets...not totally sure I want to...I wasn't all that impressed with Sea World Orlando when we went back in 2001. Is it worth the drive, and possibly one day less, to go to Sea World...or should we just do DL??

Anyway...so now I don't need to choose between early entry and the money!! We'll get the better ticket with more days! YAY!



Sea World San Diego is the original :)

Darkbeer
08-09-2007, 02:37 PM
With 8 day ParkHoppers, I would go to SeaWorld just to get a day away from the parks.

Plus I would look into getting some tickets to Knott's Berry Farm, the What's Hot section of their websites show the current discounts. Alas, their free Military tickets are only offered for about a month in November, but you can usually find tickets for $30 or less per adult. Enjoy a day at Knott's, then grab dinner at Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant.

Also would plan to drive along the beach, take a drive up and down the coast highway, maybe from Laguna Beach to Huntington Beach with multiple stops, including going down to Newport Beach, and take the Balboa Ferry.

Having the extra days is nice, for example, after enjoying the day at the beach, you could head back to the hotel, and maybe spend a few hours at Disneyland before its closes.

But I wouldn't want to just spend over a week in a hotel room and 2 theme parks. I would want some variety.

annieb727
08-09-2007, 05:35 PM
With 8 day ParkHoppers, I would go to SeaWorld just to get a day away from the parks.

Plus I would look into getting some tickets to Knott's Berry Farm, the What's Hot section of their websites show the current discounts. Alas, their free Military tickets are only offered for about a month in November, but you can usually find tickets for $30 or less per adult. Enjoy a day at Knott's, then grab dinner at Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant.

Also would plan to drive along the beach, take a drive up and down the coast highway, maybe from Laguna Beach to Huntington Beach with multiple stops, including going down to Newport Beach, and take the Balboa Ferry.

Having the extra days is nice, for example, after enjoying the day at the beach, you could head back to the hotel, and maybe spend a few hours at Disneyland before its closes.

But I wouldn't want to just spend over a week in a hotel room and 2 theme parks. I would want some variety.

Darkbeer - I had to tell you...I read your suggestions to my husband. The look on his face was priceless - I should have had a camera nearby. :eek:

He said, "I can't believe anyone would suggest we spend time AWAY from the parks. I can do a leisurely drive down the Oregon or Washington Coast anytime. I can't go do Disney anytime." I don't think he likes the idea of spending ANY time not in the parks.

That said, I do like some of those ideas - and since Sea World is free, we'll probably play that one by ear. I'm surprising dh with going to Knott's - I can get the tix here on base for $31 each for adults - and we're getting childcare for the day - since the boys are only 3 & 5 - and we've taken them to Knott's before - they had fun on the kiddie rides, but this will give us a chance to ride all of the BIG rides together (his b-day is that friday).

We have made several trips to DL in the past few years - all have been 8+ days - and we've only left DL & DCA maybe once or twice per trip. But, seriously, I do appreciate the suggestions! I've just got a theme park junkie for a husband (but that's not really so bad since I'm one too).

DizneyMommy
08-10-2007, 07:02 AM
We did the military day at Sea World 3 years ago and it was nice. They give you a lanyard with a thing on it that tells everyone you are military and they give you some other perks throughout the park when you show it. I can't remember it all now, but I know we got moved up to the front row for a show when they saw it, and we got some discounts on food and stuff. I think Sea World is great, I have never been to Orlando, but we try to go to San Diego at least once a year. You can definately, though, do the park in one full day. Depending on how old your kids are, they might also really enjoy Lego Land while you are down in San Diego. The tickets are pretty expensive for one day, but the base discount is really good on them, or at least it used to be.

Malcon10t
08-10-2007, 08:09 AM
He said, "I can't believe anyone would suggest we spend time AWAY from the parks. I can do a leisurely drive down the Oregon or Washington Coast anytime. I can't go do Disney anytime." I don't think he likes the idea of spending ANY time not in the parks.
:) That's how my kids and I are also. We often do 12 days at Christmas, and other than visit family on Christmas morning, we spend the time in the park or in the room. Make it a leisurely day, sleep in, hit the park at 11 for a couple hours, back in for the evening, sometimes not even riding a ride, just people watching. Family that wants to visit with us comes to the park. Usually all the cousins come for a day.