First timers - lots of questions

[ktlm]

You might want to consider hoppers since the last days the Imagine Key is unblocked until August 12 are May 29 and May 30. I would expect those days to be really busy. June 1 will definitely be your best day. You may want to reconsider not going on grad nights. There are definitely some teens that are annoying-- but a lot are fine. Plus, not all of them will even go into the Disneyland side as the tickets are significantly more expensive to let them park hop. They have 3 ticket options--- the after hours party only; a full day at CA with the party (which is $30 more on Friday and Sunday- and $20 more the other days), or park hopper with the party (which is $115 more on Friday and Sunday and $100 more the other days). In our experience, a lot of the kids have been over at the CA side only.

 

[OlliePop27]

You might want to consider hoppers since the last days the Imagine Key is unblocked until August 12 are May 29 and May 30. I would expect those days to be really busy. June 1 will definitely be your best day. You may want to reconsider not going on grad nights. There are definitely some teens that are annoying-- but a lot are fine. Plus, not all of them will even go into the Disneyland side as the tickets are significantly more expensive to let them park hop. They have 3 ticket options--- the after hours party only; a full day at CA with the party (which is $30 more on Friday and Sunday- and $20 more the other days), or park hopper with the party (which is $115 more on Friday and Sunday and $100 more the other days). In our experience, a lot of the kids have been over at the CA side only.

Great advice. I do want to point out that any day one park closes early due to a special event it severely impacts overall crowd flow at the resort. This is one often overlooked reason why many people "feel" the fall crowds are so terrible. DCA closes early several times per week due to OBB and it really has a dramatic overall impact on crowd flow even at DL, even though most of the actual event attendees are only setting foot in DCA.

 

[lalasmama]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I just ordered mine…been wearing Eargasm ones ever since my menieres came on…had never even heard of these. I feel so disconnected with my Eargasm ones…I can’t wait to try these out! Thanks so much for sharing the tip! You just never know what great advice you will find here!

No problem at all! They have been fantastic for me and I know they will be so helpful for so many people if the word gets out. My adult daughter loves them, too-- she's got two super active, super loud kids so the earplugs block just enough of the noise to make it much more bearable!

 

[brightlined]

Btw - just on the topic of sound:

Guardians and Incredicoaster can be especially brutal in terms of volume.

Guardians can be loud itself, but some people feel the need to shriek at the top of their lungs (especially higher-pitched voices), and it can be physically painful. I once had a woman sitting behind me full-throat scream directly into my ear, and it was incredibly upsetting. I don't know if you can ask for it, but being in the back row can help a little. (Anecdotally, the shrieking seems to happen more frequently at night. Morning rides seem to be a bit more placid.)

The speakers on Incredicoaster are relatively cheap and shrill. The audio is nice - I just wish it had some bassiness and not sheer mid-range volume. I tend to lean my head forward a bit.

 

[smartlabelprint]

I’m in the not surprise them camp.

Part of our magic is that planning. It makes the trip last all year for us! We watch ride videos, videos how to work da, videos how to work genie+, what to eat, etc.

If they qualify you for DAS it works like a free ILL.

Our kids apps get anxious knowing we’re going. We’re on a false countdown or they won’t sleep the night before. Mine are 9 and under though.

 

[ktlm]

Great advice. I do want to point out that any day one park closes early due to a special event it severely impacts overall crowd flow at the resort. This is one often overlooked reason why many people "feel" the fall crowds are so terrible. DCA closes early several times per week due to OBB and it really has a dramatic overall impact on crowd flow even at DL, even though most of the actual event attendees are only setting foot in DCA.

Very true, but CA only closes 1 hour early for grad nights. Unless something has changed, it will close at 9:00 p.m. right when the party starts, instead of being open until its usual 10:00 p.m. For OBB it typically closes by 6:00. Also for OBB party guests can start entering at 3:00 p.m. even though the party doesn't officially start until 6:00. I could be wrong, but I don't think those that buy Grad night party only tickets are allowed entry until 9:00 p.m., because they want to upsell them to the full day at CA ticket. We've been there on the DL side, and I don't remember there being much of an impact until later in the evening.