Considering 1st visit to DL. Wait times? Bringing food in? Wheelchairs?

[Klayfish]

My kids and I are many, many time WDW veterans. I have my kids over their school fall break (mid-September) and my fiancé and I were trying to plan a trip for them. Our first thought was WDW. While it's still on the table, we have decided to explore other options. One of those options is taking a trip out west. Perhaps fly into Vegas, spend a few days around there (I've been there many times, but kids never have) then head to California. We would spend maybe 3-4 days in DL/DCA. None of us have ever been there before.

One of the things that is potentially turning us away from WDW is the wait times. We're accustomed to using FP+ and rarely waiting in long lines. With no FP+, the reports of lines at WDW are concerning. It seems that 60+ minutes is the normal for many attractions. I know there is no FP+ at DL right now either. From what I can gather so far, the lines at DL/DCA are not as long as WDW. What are some recent experiences with wait times? Waiting 30-45 minutes for headliner attractions is no big deal, but we don't want to be waiting an hour for even the less popular attractions.

At WDW, we always brought our own food into the park. Lunch, dinner, etc...we packed it all. Saved us a ton of $$$. It looks like DL/DCA also allow food in. Are there decent places to stop and eat? Do QS places allow you to enter? In WDW, we would often go to QS places during "off peak" hours where tables were plentiful and it was never a concern.

My fiancé will be coming off knee replacement surgery, so she will use a wheelchair to get around. She should be able to transfer into the attractions, but we will push her around the park...she's oh so excited about it. What's it like for wheelchair users? It is easy to get around and navigate the queues?

How is parking? We'd be staying offsite and will bring a car. Does it take long to get in? For reference, we're not rope droppers, so we'd show up late morning. We want to get to see as much of it as we can, but we're not going to do commando touring or anything like that. We're going to enjoy ourselves and soak it in.

Any other input is of course welcome!!! Thanks!

 

[MaxSkywalker]

We just went last week. It is crowded, but we didn't wait more than 50 minutes for anything, not even Radiator Springs. Try to get there early or stay late, and avoid too many rides from 11-2. Most of the posted wait times were overstated. 30-40 min was the norm, 15 min for the less popular rides early in the day or in the evening.

QS places have seating, it can fill up, but we found places to sit without too much issue. We also brought our own food - huge lifesaver! Everything is mobile order, so as long as you plan ahead (like 30-60 min before you think you'll want to eat) you can get stuff without too much trouble. We ate at DL near Harbor Galley, there is lots of shady seating near there (and we did grab a lobster roll!)

I can't speak about wheelchairs, although I did see many, as well as motorized scooters. DL is old, so some of the areas aren't really built for huge crowds - it can get quite tight in Fantasyland. The newer areas like Star Wars: Galaxy Edge and California Adventure are much easier to navigate.

I can't speak about parking at all, since we walked, but we remarked how little traffic there was.

 

[Becca1007]

DCA queues are all wheelchair accessible so you will wait in the regular line up until the split point if there is a separate loading area (TSMM, RSR). Disneyland queues are not as wheelchair friendly (new rides are but fantasyland rides have narrow lines). You will want to rent a wheelchair from an offsite company so that you can use it getting to and from the park if you are staying offsite.

You can bring coolers and food, the same as in WDW.

I have always parked in the Toy Story lot so I can't comment on the large parking structure but it is generally easy to navigate.

Also, I would recommend flipping the order of your trip and doing Disney first and then hitting Vegas on your way home. There will be a LOT of walking at Disney so doing it first while everyone is energized and then having some relaxation and pool lounging time in Vegas would be my ideal.

 

[KPeterso]

We do Disneyland with a wheelchair regularly. As mentioned, DCA is fully mainstreamed for the wheelchairs. But Disneyland is not. There are a number of rides that you will get a return time for the ride and then return and enter either through the fastpass line or via the exit.

In terms of hotels and parking. The majority of the offsite hotels are within a short walking distance. Across the street. If you park in the structure, the trams are not running right now, so the walk is about 3/4 of a mile to the entrance via the tram route. Not horrible at the beginning of the day, but horrible at the end. Thankfully, they have put the wheelchair rental in the parking structure so you will have that for the walk.