Tips for first Disneyland trip

My wife and I have been to Walt Disney World many times and know most of what we need to know for a great trip. But we are heading to CA for the first week of July and plan to spend one or two days at Disneyland. Can anyone give advice/tips/suggestions for a first time visit to the west coast?

we went last july 4th and had a blast, so we're going back june 2nd for a few days again.

Once you get over the size disparity (i.e. DL is much smaller area), it's quite a lot of fun.

For myself, the one thing I'd do if I could do nothing else would be to see Fantasmic! The way it just happens right in the middle of the park is very cool, and while our Fantasmic! does very little for me, theirs gives me goose bumps. However, the BEST way to see fantasmic is on the Balcony at the Disney Gallery and it will set you back an extra $59 per person (adult) for the seats. This also gets you a dessert buffet, however and let's you show up at most 30 minutes before with a guaranteed seat as opposed to every one else who started showing up 2 hours+ before. Very much worth while. FYI, I did it last time, and I'm doing it again this time. Seats can be booked 30 days out and there are only 18 or so, so they go very quickly (i.e. usually in minutes).

See the Parade of Dreams. I really enjoyed that, especially the Pinoccio float. Ask at city hall where the show stop for the float is and go there to see the parade. It's well worth it. (I think it stopped in front of city hall, but I could be misremembering).

Otherwise, the Remember! fireworks are very good, although it begins and ends with Wishes!, so you've probably already seen a good bit of it, although the middle section is very good. Keep in mind that they can't shoot off any "big" shells because of their location and pollution concerns, so they tend to use more smaller shells, which (to me) affects the finale somewhat. It's still a very good show and you should see it from the hub area.

Mr Toad is still there, and the new Space Mountain is very cool. I'd skip the monorail (if it's even open to non-resort guests), as ours are much bigger.

You might want to take the "Imagination to Celebration" tour, they take you around disneyland and tell you about it and let you ride like 5 rides or so depending on the tour. The last tour of the day gets you preferred seating for Remember! and one of the others gets you preferred seating for the Parade of Dreams.

Join the ESPN Zone (both spouses) and they give you like $20 each to spend, so you can eat there for pretty close to nothing if you like.

For myself I'm looking at doing the Monsters Inc. ride in June at DCA.

rob.

My 2 cents

If you've been to WDW, the DL will be familiar, yet different. First, DL is bigger than the MK, and it is not obvious that all rides are not the same. The PotC ride is way better in DL (my opinion) than WDW, and very different. There is the Matterhorn if you feel the need to batter your kidneys around. Make sure that you check out the park carefully, or you'll miss the originality.

Secondly, I love DCA. I pesonally think it's a can't miss, and it might be my favorite Disney park in the world. The rides are awesome, you can get fish tacos, and if you love California- the theming is awesome. Do not miss DCA.

Steve

Yep forgot about Pirates, definitely ride that if it's open when you're there. Also the Haunted Mansion just went through some refurbishments and has some new stuff, so take that in too.

Just to clarify the above, however, DL is much smaller than MK (DL is about 85 acres, MK is about 107 acres), but it has much more "stuff" packed into it than MK. Walking around MK you've got wide streets and (generally) space between attractions, however at DL the streets tend to be narrower and many rides are piled right on top of one another. Much of what is spread into multiple parks here, is in DL there (like Star Tours).

rob.

If you see Fantasmic... be prepared to not be able to get out of the area for like, an hour. It doesnt have a giant exit area or a door the CMs open to go around the crowds because it's in the middle of new orleans square/frontierland.

This past Jan was my first real trip to DL after years spent going to WDW. I didn't think I'd like it as much as I did, but its a lot of fun. I thought it would be MK-lite, but they are very different in many ways.

As stated before, first, get over the size difference, especially the castle. Its like someone shrunk the MK while you were away.

Second, soak in the history. I think what really made it more magical was realizing this was the park Walt built, Walt actually walked in. Being the 50th was probably the best time to absorb this.

When we went, they let us into the park about 20 min before they would let us venture off to any of the lands. We hopped into the Town Hall to watch the "50th Cellebration" movie, which was a great intro to the park, and let out at the perfect time, just as they were dropping the rope.

While I recommend going on everything you can get on, the new Space Mountain is a must. Its really fantastic, and will make you jealous of the west coast. Indiana Jones is great, and the Haunted Mansion has new effects. Too bad Pirates is down, as its fun to compare it to the WDW version.

Thanks and...Firewroks on the fourth

Thanks for the feedback so far...anything more will be greatly appreciated. Are the fireworks any different on the fourth? We are figuring that the park will be busier on the fourth so if we only go for one day we're not sure we want to go then.

Is there a best day of the week to go or should I expect it to be busy all week due to the holiday?

it might be busy all week =)

there's a giant (20,000+ people) convention at the anaheim convention center that weekend and much of that crowd usually goes over to disneyland afterwards.

1. Please don't forget about the rededication ceremony that happens at 10:00 a.m. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Donald help the Mayor during the ceremony. And when they play Walt's opening day speech, it'll bring a tear to your eye.

2. Indiana Jones!! This is the ride you want to hit up first when entering the park if you don't do Space Mountain. Hit this ride first thing opening and get a FastPass or ride it. Make sure to take your time to explore the theming in the que. It is one of the best imagineered ques around.

3. Parade of Dreams. Remember that this parade has a few stops during the route for the "performance" parts of the parade. The first parade of the day begins from Small World working towards Main Street. The second parade is in the reverse. The first parade will have the lead float and B&B float stop between the hub and Plaza Inn. Find a spot around here to see the "performance" if you see the first parade.

In the reverse, you'll want to find a spot again in the area in front of the corn dog cart in front of the Plaza Inn. There's a section roped off for wheelchairs, and they'll let you stand behind them a few feet, and then they take the rope down and let you stand directly behind the wheelchair sections. Please remember not to jump in front of those people. The CMs will give you directions.

4. Pirates of the Carribbean. By the time you get there things will be in full swing for the reopening of this cherished classic. Yes, they will have new effects installed. This too will be a popular one with the crowd so you'll want to get an FP or hop in line early for this one.

5. Haunted Mansion. Speaking of updated effects, the DL version of HM will have completed its update with new effects with the bride in the attic and with Madam Leonora in the seance room. There will be a more defined storyline here.

6. Don't forget about The Jungle Cruise which has added the pirana effects and I think it's kinda cute. Not to mention the guns are back. I've always been a sucker for this attraction and ride it as often as I can.

7. As others have written, you do not want to miss the DL version of Fantasmic. The battle scene with Pan and Hook on the Columbia is a highlight of this show. If you don't do the dessert party as recommended by others, stake at your location EARLY!!

8. And speaking of staking out your location early, get to the hub to see the "Remember Dreams Come True" fireworks early. The best view is the part of the hub in front of the castle. The fireworks are, for better or worse, castle centered and everyone and their mother and pet dog shows up early to stake out a seat. If you're going during a weekday, hopefully it won't be too crowed. Weekends? God be with you. If you can't make it right in front of the castle, I find the roped off spot in front of Plaza Inn to be a pretty good spot to see the effects and fireworks. Some fireworks are blocked due to trees, but you won't miss much. Keep your eye on the Matterhorn during the show.

9. Space Mountain. I still haven't ridden this since it reopened, but everyone has been raving about it. So be sure to get here early as well to ride it. It's probably the most popular ride at DL, but I'm just basing that on the length of the lines to get in.

Don't forget to make a quick trip over to DCA aka Pixarland. You're in town anyway so you might as well see the park that draws boos from most DL fanatics. Although it's slowly growing on me.

1. Tower of Terror. This is NOT like the version at D/MGM in so many ways. It pales in comparison, but has it's own unique effects.

2. California Screamin. Yeah, it's a coaster with a Mickey head loop, but it is fun!!

3. Soarin'. See the original that started it all. The theming is very different than that of its sister at Epcot.

4. Monsters Inc Ride. This is a VERY fun ride and is actually very imaginative.

5. Aladdin!! I cannot rave about this show enough. It is great!! The theater sits in three sections. Orchestra/Mezzanine/Balcony. I prefer Mezzanine and I head all the way to the front and sit in the box seats on the side all the way across from where you enter. Be sure that you're able to see the ceiling wherever you're sitting or you'll miss some very special effects during the show. I made the mistake once sitting in the rear of orchestra below the mezzanine and was fuming due to the blocked views.

6. DCA has two parades. The Electrical Parade runs on weekends and then its main parade is the Block Party Bash which is very high energy and thrives on audience participation. Watch the parade on the Golden Gate Bridge side of the Sun Plaza. That way when either parade is done you can make a hasty exit back to DL.


Whatever you do, SKIP FLIK'S FUNFAIR. It is god awful and I personally find it an embarassment to all Disney attractions.

Gosh, I think that's all I have. Oh, yeah!! HAVE FUN!!!:sohappy:

I'm a career Disneyland traveler. (i live in no. cal) pardon me... my post is gonna jump around as i remember things...

Honestly, you can leisurely use 2 days for Disneyland and 1 day for California Adventure. You can get away with one day at Disneyland if you are not attraction happy. Shopping is fun! Downtown Disney you can explore the morning you go into California Adventure and the evening after it closes. (Try the Beignets at the Jazz Kitchen take out counter in Downtown disney... just like nawlins)

Unless you love to walk... take the tram from the parking garage. Its a mile walk to downtown disney. (Those who remember disney pre-parking garage... man... all those days i complained about the long walk... now... i really complain lol)

The rides and shows that are annoying to bear for Disneyland (in my own order):

fantasmic
splash mountain
indiana jones
space mountain
matterhorn mountain
tomorrowland cars
anything in fantasyland after 1pm (though at night its great, although peter pan is still traffic heavy)
anything in toon town after 1pm
any shows
any parades
big thunder mountain
its a small world (never on christmas eve/day... never EVER. 2 hour line waits)
restaurants at meal time
walking through adventureland after 12pm. pure hell to walk through
disney railroads. from any land.

Other attractions lines are fun to endure either because they have interesting que curves (pirates of the carribean) or are entertaining (haunted mansion) or so noisy (jungle cruise) , that it isn't so boring (like splash mountain or space mountain) that you want to jump out the line screaming from looking at the same things over and over again.

Tradition says to visit the River Belle Terrace in New Orleans Sq for mickey mouse pancakes for breakfast. Brings back memories of being a little girl. crystal palace is fun too

if you like to dance, on certain nights, they'll have a big band playing and swing dancing... i think they still have it (i havent looked up)

Food is okay here and there. Make reservations for Blue Bayou restaurant however. Yummy food! The shops in new orleans square are really nice.

get a turkey leg in frontierland and share it. good smokey taste.

the chicken dinner is decent at cafe orleans in new orleans sq...

bengal bbq is so good.. adventureland...

I dont' know if they have this at magic kiingdom (someone can verify) but on main street at the watch shop you can have a watch face custom drawn just for you. pricey, but worth it if you like watches or custom jewelry.

the park is fun at night. tradition in my family is to run throughout the whole park at night hopping on all rides. i know this is not proper, but it sure is fun.

in critter country: there is this candy store... OMD... so freakin good. my sister and i spent $30 in there buy sweets. YUMMY fudges adn choclate covered pretzels.

on main street: the ice cream shop has the best rootbeer floats and ice cream. extrememly crowded at night. we eat ours and sit around adn watch the people leave the park for the night. YUMMIE!


California Adventure:

You can pretty much go here any time of the day on any day and do very well with que wait times and show and parade wait times. Save this one for Disneyland's busiest day.

Except Tower of Terror. Hell line curves. sorta entertaining. i found myself a tad bored. but its worth it if you are a thrill ride enthusiast.

Electrical parade here is a peice of cake. not the same 'feeling' i get cause its not in disneyland, however, you can still get that 'feeling' cause its still the E.P.!!

Other notes:

NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER go to Disneyland on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. EVER. Unless you LOVE what seems like 5 billion people touching you... don't go. The week before, the week in between christmas day and new years day... but never ON those two days! (and i heard never on thanksgiving day or new years day)

NON DISNEY:

Knotts Berry Farm (15 minutes from anaheim in buena park): If you want to mix in non disney parks that are close by, I recommend Knotts Berry Farm. You only need one day for this place and in the summer, they have great operating hours. The shops (located outside the park) are unique and fun (some pricey). Mrs. Knotts Chicken Restaurant (located outside the park) is the bomb (uh... the best ever) and I recommend going RIGHT at the start of dinner hours or for lunch. It WILL get crowded and the wait is ridiculous. Once in there (or anywhere else in the park) get a nice glass of boysenberry punch. when you realize you are hooked, go down a few doors to the knotts general store (or something like that) and pick up a case of the stuff... we do. and we drink it all up or give it as gifts. Great stuff.

Universal Studios Hollywood (45 m-1hr from anaheim in Universal City just north of Hollywood) is great fun. Without good directions you can get lost driving there. One day needed here. Beautiful views on the backlot tours. Pricey, but, worth it.

Other non disney you could do? um... la fashion district... hollywood tours... legoland (worth it if you have kids. i never been there but my son went with his aunt and he loved it)... shopping on rodeo drive in beverly hills (well... window shopping)... but those 4 aformentioned (and the two primary) is enough. and you can still get a taste of so. cal driving around.

even after i said all of that... i keep going back and falling in love with the place. annoying crowds and funky lines and all. if you take those two days and relax into it and forget about my posted hang ups, you'll love it too!

also visit the ams store in fullerton (15 minute drive). they sell disney discountinued (?) merchandise at a great discount. do this before you go to the parks!
http://www.ams-liquidation.com/stores.htm

rtiller said:

Thanks for the feedback so far...anything more will be greatly appreciated. Are the fireworks any different on the fourth? We are figuring that the park will be busier on the fourth so if we only go for one day we're not sure we want to go then.

Is there a best day of the week to go or should I expect it to be busy all week due to the holiday?

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Last year they did the Remember! show plus a 4th of july tag at the end set to "Golden Dreams"; Overall a good show but not up to WDW standards (again, due to where they are the just can't fire the shells they need to make it a big show). Don't get me wrong, the show is quite entertaining and very good, and I quite enjoyed it; but just not up to what I'm used to seeing at the MK or Epcot. If you're going to be there anyway at that time, plan on seeing it... BUT definitely sign up for the *last* Imagination to Celebration tour on the 4th. The place is packed for the fireworks and you'll really appreciate the preferred seating for the fireworks. (make sure to call 30 days out). This was what we did last year and were thankful that we did; Main Street to the hub was packed, and movement was difficult to say the least. Luckily the tour was setup to see Pirates last (right on the boat avoiding the line, I might add), then on the train to the station to our roped off viewing area up against the railing on the station where they gave us our pins and snack.

rob.

rtiller said:

Thanks for the feedback so far...anything more will be greatly appreciated. Are the fireworks any different on the fourth? We are figuring that the park will be busier on the fourth so if we only go for one day we're not sure we want to go then.

Is there a best day of the week to go or should I expect it to be busy all week due to the holiday?

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The actual 4th of July will be very, very busy. Remember, Disneyland sits smack dab in the middle of one of the largest metropolitan areas on the planet. This isn't WDW out in the swamp where there are more alligators than people. You've got over 15 Million Southern Californians who live within 2 hours drive of Disneyland, and on weekends and major holidays it seems like all 15 Million descend on Disneyland en masse. For SoCal'ers, Disneyland is "their" local theme park, and they show up by the tens of thousands every weekend.

The 4th is infamously one of the busiest days of the year. Disneyland makes up for it a bit by staying open until 2:00am that day, but it will still be very, very busy. Since the 4th is on a Tuesday this year, that whole weekend from Saturday through Tuesday will be very busy, but Tuesday will generally be the worst day. If you can, try to visit on the 5th or the 6th. It will still be summertime busy, but not nearly as tragic as the 1st through the 4th.

There's already great advice here about Space Mountain, Pirates, Indy, Matterhorn, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, parades, Fantasmic! and fireworks. But let me add that you would probably also enjoy focusing a bit on the other lesser attractions that are exclusive to Disneyland. Those E Tickets and big, splashy entertainment offerings are important, but you'll want to fill in the gaps with a few smaller rides as well. Such as, in no particular order....

Alice In Wonderland - Disneyland exclusive and a clever multi-level dark ride from 1958.
Pinnochio's Daring Journey - They have one in Tokyo, but it's a nifty dark ride missing from Florida.
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride - Another dark ride now only found in Disneyland. They don't make 'em like this anymore!
Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin - A very long, very impressive dark ride with a spinning vehicle gimmick. It's got Fastpass too!
Davy Crockett Canoes - Another Disneyland exclusive, and a great way to see the Rivers of America at duck level. Be ready to paddle.
StorybookLand Canal Boats - A 1955 original, and a real blast from the past. It's a beautifully landscaped part of Disneyland and it has Walt written all over it. In this modern age you just don't see this type of craftsmanship or TLC any more. Only at Disneyland.
Casey Jr. Circus Train - A surprisingly thrilling little train ride, and a good alternative if you can't handle the long StorybookLand queue. It zips over and around all of StorybookLand.
Sailing Ship Columbia - If you don't do the Canoes, see the Rivers of America from this vessel! More thrilling than the Mark Twain Riverboat, with cannons that are fired (BOOM!) and a wonderful below decks museum of historic ship life. Another Disneyland exclusive.
Enchanted Tiki Room - This show is the original 1963 version, with all of the Walt-era charm, wit and style left firmly intact. The pre-show lanai with the Gods & Godesses introducing themselves and campy 1960's Dole Pineapple video is a time warp back to Disneyland when Lyndon Johnson was President and Walt walked the park daily picking up scraps of paper and signing autographs. Plus, it's a nice air-conditioned break from the maddening crowds. Don't miss it! And then be really mad at what they did to the WDW version!
Mickey's Toontown - It's wall to wall strollers by Noon, but there's so much wonderful eye candy and Imagineering at it's best in this land. Try to just wander the area for 15 minutes in the morning if you can.

Things you could skip at Disneyland, in my opinion, are...

Star Tours - Exact same ride, just in a different building with a slightly different pre-show. Skip it.
Splash Mountain - This is about the only E Ticket that is inferior to it's Florida cousin. The pacing of the sets is faster and more frenetic here and it's just not as well done as Florida's. There are more animatronics in the Disneyland version, but you are going so fast it's hard to tell what they are saying or what is going on. I didn't even know Splash Mountain had a plotline until I went on the WDW version! The lines will be HUGE on a hot July day, and you'd have to waste a Fastpass that would be better spent on Indy or Space Mountain. Skip it.
Winnie The Pooh - Noticeably different ride, but not that much better than Florida's. Only do it if there's less than a 10 minute line. Otherwise, skip it.
Peter Pan's Flight - It's a great ride, but the differences from Florida aren't enough to justify waiting in the horendous 45-60 minute line.
Buzz Lightyear - Same story as Pooh and Pan. Fun, but too similar to WDW's when you're limited on time.
Innoventions - It looks snazzy from the outside with the spinning building, but it's just as boring as the Epcot version. Visit your local Best Buy instead.
Snow White Musical Show - Unless you are a huge Snow White fan, this stage show will take at least an hour out of your day that could be better spent elsewhere.

Hopefully you can spend two days at Disneyland. If you avoid the 4th and use Fastpass for the big E Tickets, you should have plenty of time to do all that has been recommended here for you. The best bet is to get to the main gate before opening at 8:00am and do the Fantasyland dark rides first thing. Those don't have Fastpass, and by 10:00am the lines are horrible and they never get better until Midnight. Remember that the Rivers of America boat rides begin closing around 5:00pm to get ready for Fantasmic, so do those in the middle of the day. Disneyland is open until Midnight every day, so head back to the hotel around 3:00pm for naps and quiet time before going back for the evening. Be prepared for a physically smaller park with narrower walkways, shorter buildings, but more rides packed miraculously in to the smaller space. With all the strollers and crowds, it can get intense in the afternoon and around parade and firework time. The other thing to note is the famous "Southern California Lifestyle" that can be enjoyed at Disneyland; without any Florida-style rain or humidity, there are a lot of rides that are outdoors, and lots more patio and terrace dining available. No mosquitoes either.

Disneyland on a summer night is pure magic. The Disneyland Orchestra will play big band and swing music at night at the Plaza Gardens next to the Castle, and the dancefloor will be packed. If your not a dancer, it's fun just to watch. There is also live rock n' roll bands and more dancing at Tomorrowland Terrace each night. Add in the fireworks, Fantasmic!, the warm and dry SoCal summer weather, and the Park all lit up and you've got a very pleasant place to spend the evening.

Please come back and leave us a Trip Report! :wave:

Since we are on the topic of 1st trips, we are going for the first time on June 18th and will be there for only two days. Which park would you go to on Sunday (which is Father's Day), and which would you go to on Monday. Does any one know if PotC will be open by that time? Thanks for any info you can give me.

Tim

I think the best advise is to go for at least 2 days if possible. It is going to be super packed and will be difficult to get to everything you want to. As with WDW - get there early and use Fastpass well.

Buzz Lightyear said:

Since we are on the topic of 1st trips, we are going for the first time on June 18th and will be there for only two days. Which park would you go to on Sunday (which is Father's Day), and which would you go to on Monday. Does any one know if PotC will be open by that time? Thanks for any info you can give me.

Tim

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Pirates won't be open yet. I would visit Disneyland on Sunday primarily because construction on the Pirates Premiere party will begin that week. It may already be underway by Sunday, but on Monday it will definitely be underway. See if Fantasmic! will perform on Sunday or Monday. They are going to have to cancel Fantasmic! for that week, so see when the cancellations start so you can squeeze in the show hopefully on Sunday. Sunday night from 10:00pm to Midnight will be a good time to get in some of the popular rides at Disneyland, as the crowds will die down as all the locals go home to go to bed for work the next morning.

You realize of course that Disneyland and DCA are separated by only about 100 yards of open space, right? Their main entrances sit directly across from each other, and the act of "park hopping" takes about five minutes to get from Main Street USA to DCA. It's not like WDW where it takes upwards of 30 or 45 minutes to get from one park to the other via monorails or boats or buses. In Anaheim you just stroll from one park to the other in a couple of minutes. People often just head over to DCA for a couple of hours to do a few rides or see Block Party, and then head back to Disneyland. You can go have a really great meal at Downtown Disney too (I reccomend Catal, and suggest you steer clear of Naples Ristorante) also just a short stroll from either park. It's a very different scene from WDW, very compact and walkable.

Check the official entertainment calendar at Disneyland.com to help you plan your days there. The massive prep work for the Pirates Premiere the next weekend (think Shamu Stadium and a Drive-In movie screen dropped on Frontierland and you get the basic idea) is going to put more of a crimp into your plans than any additional crowd levels from one day to the next will.

thank goodness i found this....

we're going in june as well for the first time, and although i know wdw backwards forwards and upside down, i was pretty nervous about being in unfammiliar turf. this helped bunches.

im a sucker for all of the "remember the magic" type of things, and i usually get all teary eyed for wishes, so im excited to see remember.

but can you not do DL in one day? i have atleast 2 days devoted towards DL, and i wasn't going to check out DCA, but...should i? is 1 day going to be enough to do DL?

thanks for all the really good tips!

Thanks TP2000, those are great suggestions. Just like EnvyGreen, I know WDW like a know the back of my hand, but I'm a little nervous about DL. I'm also bummed out that I wont be able to see PotC. Still though, I'm looking forward to it. I am assuming the HM will be open though, right?

excellent thread. I myself am also going to DL for the first time in July (see my sig). Anything special that anyone would recommend for celebrating my b'day. Any are there any other non-DIsney California/LA/Hollywood things anyone would suggest doing? I am looking into taking the Warner Bros. tour b/c I would like to see the Gilmore Girls sets. Has anyone ever taken that tour??

rtiller said:

Thanks for the feedback so far...anything more will be greatly appreciated. Are the fireworks any different on the fourth? We are figuring that the park will be busier on the fourth so if we only go for one day we're not sure we want to go then.

Is there a best day of the week to go or should I expect it to be busy all week due to the holiday?

Click to expand...

This year the fireworks will be the same, and the current show, "Believe: Dreams Come True" is amazing. You'll probably recognize the Wishes song at the beginning, but from there the show it totally unique. Fireworks launch from all around the park, including the roof tops of Main St. and the peak of the Matterhorn.

rtiller said:

My wife and I have been to Walt Disney World many times and know most of what we need to know for a great trip. But we are heading to CA for the first week of July and plan to spend one or two days at Disneyland. Can anyone give advice/tips/suggestions for a first time visit to the west coast?

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First, plan at least 2 days for the DLR. Disneyland will take more than a day to see, and California Adventure is a fun 2nd day.

A good online resource is www.visionsfantastic.com. They have a lot of media content, including ride and performance videos, along with a lot of great tips.

Second, expect it to be a lot different from WDW. Disneyland is very much into tradition, and you'll feel it at the park. Personally, I've always thought of Disneyland as a much more intimate experience compared to MK, where I always feel I'm being processed.

Third, don't laugh at Steamboat Willie at MGM after seeing Fantasmic at Disneyland. Nevermind - go ahead and laugh. :lol:

I used to work at Disneyland, so any specific questions you have, just let me know.