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[Twinkleybelle]

Hello everyone,

I am going to DLP on 6th October and just wondered what the chances are of getting around both parks in 1 day? Is it usually very busy in Oct?

Also we are not staying inside Disney - are you still allowed to go into Disney Village free at night time? Are there any taxis or trains that run till late? What time do the shops close?

Thank you xx

[jonathan]

So are you just visiting DLP for the one day?  If so, I d say it would be very difficult to do everything in both parks in one day. Although in October I would expect it to be a little less busy than usual unless its a weekend.

You're best bet would be to prioritise what you want to do in each park and make a plan of action.

Generally as far as I can remember the restaurants/shops in the Village close at or around midnight.

[Aladar]

The first thing you have to do is to plan your visit and make a selection of the attractions you don't want to miss.
When you're at the Disneyland Park you shoud visit the lands in this order: Discoveryland, Fantasyland, Adventureland and Frontierland.

This is my list of "must" atractions at the Disneyland Park:
-Space Mountain
-Star Tours
-It's a Small World
-Peter Pan's Flight
-Les Voyages de Pinocchio
-Blanche Neige et les Sept Nains
-Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant
-Pirates of the Caribbean
-Adventure Isle
-Big Thunder Mountain
-Rivers of America
-Phantom Manor

Walt Disney Studios is a very small park. The only attraction that will be difficult to get in is Crush's Coaster, which is the second best of the park, but I would avoid it if the cue is too long.
These are my "musts" at Walt Disney Studios:
-Tower of Terror
-Studio Tram Tour
-Cinemagique
-Art of Disney Animation

My very favourites at the WDS park are Rock n' Roller Coaster and Crush's Coaster, but the experience is very similar to Space Mountain, that's why I would skip them so I could get more different experiences.

[DutchBrit]

I am going to DLP on 6th October and just wondered what the chances are of getting around both parks in 1 day? Is it usually very busy in Oct?

In October outside school holidays it shouldn't be too bad, but the 6th is a Saturday and weekends are always going to be busy. Also in October you will have the Halloween events/decorations, so I'd be expecting crowds and pretty long waits.  One positive thing is that the main park would (probably) be open until 10pm, which gives you a bit extra queuing time!

Like the others say, decide what you really want to do and also use Fastpass whenever it is available. If I was you, I would probably start in the Studios, as that will close earlier. And if you do want to do Crush's coaster, then you have to be there for the opening of the gates and have your running shoes on and your elbows sharpened.

Also we are not staying inside Disney - are you still allowed to go into Disney Village free at night time? Are there any taxis or trains that run till late? What time do the shops close?

There are no restrictions on the Disney village, everyone is allowed to go there at any time. The shops and restaurants stay open until at least midnight, maybe even later at weekends. I don't know about the trains or taxis, but am assuming there will be late ones. But just how late would kind of depend on where you needed to go.

Good luck!

[ewormas]

Hi, What are the ages of people going?

[Twinkleybelle]

Hey thanks for the tips I think I will make a plan of action! It is a day so I'm guessing will be busier? The ages range from 7 - 64! Right mixture lol xx

[999ghosts]

Personally I would strongly advise not to go for two park as it is a Saturday, as it looks like this is your first visit and as this will be a running contest and you will loose out on some real Disney Magic!

My plan of action would be to go to the Disneyland park early in the morning (before rope drop) and go to Fantasyland first to get a fast pass for Peter Pan. They are gone early and will all be gone before midday, especially on a Saturday. After that ride Either Dumbo, although with only 1 seven year old you might leave that one out.

After Dumbo (or if you left Dumbo out) go to Frontierland and ride Big Thunder Mountain. No need for a FastPass yet as lines are not to long when going early in the morning. Once you got this out of the way hit Fantasyland again and go do Pinocchio and Snow White before the big crowds hit the park. By the time you've done these rides your Pet Pan FastPass ticket might be valid.

After Peter Pan have a look at the waiting times for Mickey. This new photo opportunity is fantastic, but if it is over 45 minutes I wouldn't wait (as you're there only one day) and move to Discoveryland next after you hop onto small world on your way there.

In Discoveryland get a FastPass for Buzz lightyear and try to hit 999.999 points.... OK, not going to happen on your first ride but if you want to know where the 100.000 point targets are let me know (I am sure others on the board will know where these are). Go and ride Space Mountain as lines might still be fine at this time and go to Star Tours next. Depending on the Buzz FastPass return I would go back to Frontierland next and visit Phantom Manor (although I always say save this for night time as the setting is fantastic when dark)

After all this action you might have passed the 12:00 mark and will be hungry. Avoid eating at the park. Why queue for an hour when you can eat at the Disney village without a queue and enough space. Sit down choice I would say Annette's or otherwise I would go to have sandwich at Earl' Sandwich (cheap and good)

Take enough time to relax and enjoy your lunch. That is part of a holiday and a Disney visit too. Don't go running back into the parks. All there is now are 1+ hour queues. I would now even go and visit the Disneyland hotel and have a coffee or thee at the bar. The setting is amazing and it will give the older generation something to appreciate to. We do this a lot on our trip and my 12 year old son loves going there to.

After that go back to the Disneyland park. Now visit some other magic things. Go visit the castle and make sure to visit the dungeon and the dragon (my favorite place in the park). Visit the shops now (while most people queue for hours) and go get a typical Disney snack while exploring the parks beauty. Go to Frontierland's Thunder Mesa Riverboat, take the train around the park, go climb the Robinson tree in Adventureland, visit the Alice Curios Labyrinth and see Captain EO. All these attractions are perfect for the busy afternoon with high capacity and low queue's

In the late afternoon you could still go to ride Indiana Jones coaster and wait for late evening to visit the Pirates when the queue's gone down again. Take your time in the Pirates queue area though as it is a great area and part of the show.

Depending on your dining choice you should plan to either book these in the morning or just pick something up here and there. To end your visit I would make sure to be on the center of the park in front of the Castle to see the evening Dreams show. Be there at least 1 hour in advance. Take your dinner there and a cup of coffee. Great to relax and wait for a great finally.

This is what I would do when I would have only one day to visit the park. It will give you a nice mixture of ride and attractions with some relaxing time.

[never2old]

That's really good advice 999ghosts!!

Definitely stick to the 1 park if you're only there for 1 day. And definitely try to get there early. Rides open at 10, but you should already be able to get into the park after 9am, and that should give you some time to discover Main Street USA and take some pictures standing in front of the Castle before 10am!

As 999ghosts said, try to get as much done as possible in the morning, I find that at least until 11:00 most queues are still reasonable. From noon to late afternoon queues can be horrible, so forget about rides (unless you see one with less than 30 minutes) and take your time to enjoy a good lunch (personally I love the Steakhouse in the Disney Village, though on the pricey side, and Annette's has great burgers and a fun atmosphere. If the weather is good, you can also go up in the Panoramagique balloon by the lake, it has really great views and is worth the detour! And then when you're back in the park, go to the Castle and explore it, go to Adventure Isle (find the treasure in the caves!) and go for a relaxing cruise in the Riverboat landing... Once queues start to go down you can start getting all the rides done again.

Personally I never queue more than 30 minutes (and even that is rare!) and we still get pretty much everything done!! It's a lot more pleasant experience if you don't spend your day in queues...