1st Disneyland trip :April 29-May 5

[Blakley Reade's Dad]

Have booked our families' first trip to Disneyland....will arrive the evening of April 29th and depart the morning of May 5th. Living in the southeast and usually going to WDW...there always seems to be ample info for trip planning but I am finding it difficult to find the same amount of info on planning for DL. Can anyone offer info on where I may look?
Are 4 days enough for the 2 parks?
Is it possible to work in a Hollywood tour and not cheat ourselves of time needed for the parks?
When are May park hours and events announced?
When can dining reservations be booked?
What are some of the true Disneyland /DCA experiences that must be experienced that may not be well known?

We are 2 adults and a 5yr old boy....
Any thoughts will be appreciated !

 

[Californian Elitist]

Have booked our families' first trip to Disneyland....will arrive the evening of April 29th and depart the morning of May 5th. Living in the southeast and usually going to WDW...there always seems to be ample info for trip planning but I am finding it difficult to find the same amount of info on planning for DL. Can anyone offer info on where I may look?
Are 4 days enough for the 2 parks?
Is it possible to work in a Hollywood tour and not cheat ourselves of time needed for the parks?
When are May park hours and events announced?
When can dining reservations be booked?
What are some of the true Disneyland /DCA experiences that must be experienced that may not be well known?

We are 2 adults and a 5yr old boy....
Any thoughts will be appreciated !

An early welcome to the Disneyland Resort

The Disneyland Resort is not like WDW, in that it's not that total vacation experience you'd receive from WDW. Many tourists visit WDW, while Disneyland's main guests are Californians/Westerners/locals. There's no need to post park hours and schedules months in advance and things like that. Many of the guests you'll see during your trip will probably have just gotten off from work and will hit up the park for a few hours. Not like WDW at all. This is the reason you're finding planning a little hard... There's almost no need to plan at all. It's your WDW training that's sort of getting in the way, but you'll be fine. In case you still want to seriously plan, I recommend this link for WDW vets visiting DL for the first time: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

I, along as a few other people here, are Disneyland vets so if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

I recommend five days for the parks, but four is good, too. If you're planning on seeing Hollywood, I'd leave a whole day for that. Since this is your first time to DLR, you're going to need all four days.

The May park hours will most likely be posted either next month or March.

Dining reservations can be booked starting 60 days before you arrive. 99% of the time, you don't need reservations at all, especially during non-peak seasons, which is when you're going. Walk-ups are more common and more of the norm at Disneyland. Since you've never been, I suggest you make a reservations, just so you'll feel more comfortable.

Experiences:

Main Street vehicles
Casey Jr. Circus Train
Storybook Land Boat Canals
Sleeping Beauty Castle Walk-Through
Eat a Dole Whip during a showing of The Tiki Room (it's allowed, no worries)
Disneyland Railroad
Toontown
New Orleans Square
Main Street Cinema (showcases six classic Mickey Mouse cartoons)
Main Street Musical Chairs with Alice and Hatter (Sometimes with another character, too. Your five-year old would have fun)



Silly Symphony Swings (lots of fun)
Blue Sky Cellar (maybe)
Monster's Inc
A Bug's Land (for your five-year old)
Buena Vista Street
Red Car Trolley

Let us know if you have more questions!

 

[wild01ride]

Oh dear...where do I begin.
First of all, if there is any possible way that you can work out 4 days for all of DLR independent of Hollywood/So Cal, that would be best.
It is definitely worth checking out the sights and places of So Cal, but I would really be reluctant to take 1 out of 4 days away from the Resort.
I am sure that some of the pros will chime in with a comprehensive list of things to do, but really, as a seasoned WDW family, you will all appreciate everything at DLR!
Despite the fact that Disneyland Park has many attractions by the same name as those at WDW, most of the attractions are very unique in their own rite. Furthermore, the park layout is much more compact, but also has more quaintness to it. Of course, you won't want to miss the classics: Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain (although this is one one of the few that I DO prefer the WDW version), Small World (no matter what your opinion is of the WDW version, this is a whole different experience), Big Thunder Mountain (although it may be closed - sorry I'm not up on the latest refurb schedule)...and, of course... PIRATES!!!!! For the record, I LOVE Pirates at WDW. Nevertheless, Pirates at DLR is PHENOMENAL! It is literally what, 15-17min. long and is just a great experience!
And then there's DCA...I could literally LIVE there if I could! (and watch World of Color every night of my life!).
I haven't seen Carsland when it was open, but it is AMAZING! It seems as if you may want to devote nearly a day to Carsland itself.
What ever you do, try to schedule 2 nights where you will see World of Color. It is so vast and long that you will miss things during your first viewing for sure!

No matter what, enjoy your trip!!!

 

[croboy82]

Just wanted to add, that you can also make dininig reservations via e-mail at dining@disney.com Worked out great for me.

 

[fosse76]

Have booked our families' first trip to Disneyland....will arrive the evening of April 29th and depart the morning of May 5th. Living in the southeast and usually going to WDW...there always seems to be ample info for trip planning but I am finding it difficult to find the same amount of info on planning for DL. Can anyone offer info on where I may look?
Are 4 days enough for the 2 parks?
Is it possible to work in a Hollywood tour and not cheat ourselves of time needed for the parks?
When are May park hours and events announced?
When can dining reservations be booked?
What are some of the true Disneyland /DCA experiences that must be experienced that may not be well known?

We are 2 adults and a 5yr old boy....
Any thoughts will be appreciated !

I don't agree with the above posters with regards to needing all four days in the parks. Depending on crowd levels and how well you manage the acqusition and use of FPs, two days is more than enough. You don't really need advanced reservations for dining...but for best availability I'd reserve either the day before OR the morning of. Disneyland seems to only offer park hours about tow months to one month in advance, but has late-night hours on weekends.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I don't agree with the above posters with regards to needing all four days in the parks. Depending on crowd levels and how well you manage the acqusition and use of FPs, two days is more than enough.

From my own experience, I would disagree, especially if you want to see shows and eat at restaurants. Craming everything you want to do in both parks in two days is unrealistic, especially for someone who has never been.

 

[Californian Elitist]

From my own experience, I would disagree, especially if you want to see shows and east at restaurants. Craming everything you want to do in both parks in two days is unrealistic, especially for someone who has never been.

Yep.

 

[coachwnh]

Have fun. we had our first family trip to DL last June and it seemed like a blur. So as we sat home in the snow on Monday, we booked 7 days (5 in the parks) to go and try to remember it all!!! cant wait!!

 

[DznyGrlSD]

My group will be arriving 2 days after you depart

We're spending 4 days at DL/DCA, 1 Day at Universal Studios & 1 day on the LA/Hollywood tour.

 

[Blakley Reade's Dad]

Thank you all for your posts...sounds like I need to plan to use the full 4 days as the parks...and just take our time to enjoy the uniqueness of Disneyland.
Where do I find what will be closed during our visit?

 

[Californian Elitist]

Thank you all for your posts...sounds like I need to plan to use the full 4 days as the parks...and just take our time to enjoy the uniqueness of Disneyland.
Where do I find what will be closed during our visit?

There is a thread in this forum with an updated list of attractions and offerings that are temporarily down. Right now Thunder Mountain is guaranteed to be down during your trip.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/dlr-2013-refurbishments-and-closures.857637/

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Are 4 days enough for the 2 parks?

About the 2 days versus 4 days thing:

It very much depends on what your goal is. Is it to see everything you'd enjoy? Everything that's different from WDW? Everything that's better than WDW's version? Is it just D/E tickets? I'm a WDW vet with a DLR love affair on the side. When I go to WDW, I don't come with a list of everything to check off. You won't hear me say, "Already saw Philharmagic once this week, don't need to go back." (I love Philharmagic, that why I picked it!). I'm at the MK for 2-3 days, at Epcot for 2-3 days, and probably 2 days each at DAK and DHS before I feel like I've had "my fill". Two days in the parks at DLR and you're going to be hard pressed to do many things more than once. There are literally almost as many attractions as are at all four of the WDW parks. A couple of adults could go all theme park commando, but with a 5YO, you're at their pace.

Purely from a logistical standpoint, you should take at least three days. You're going to want to ride Radiator Springs Racers at least twice. You can't do single rider with a 5YO, and you don't want to wait 60-100+ minutes. That means each time you want to ride RSR, you'll be lining up at park opening for Fastpasses. I was surprised by how much the RSR Fastpass game dictated our park time between DL and DCA. One person in the FP line for RSR, the rest of the family goes on Soarin or Monsters or Mermaid and start your day from there. The lines to get in were actually pretty long in November because they were starting to check ID for multi-day tickets... long enough that it discouraged us somewhat from park hopping even though the parks are so close.

Everyone knows you get the best bang for your buck by taking advantage of FP early in the day. Get your FP early, the return time will be earlier, get your next one earlier, etc. and that enables you to accrue more FP's throughout the day. That's why I think you should start at least one day at DL in addition to playing the RSR Fastpass game 2+ times. Three days minimum.

Do you have your favorite rides that you have to go on every time you're at a specific park? Maybe you ride Mansion every time at MK or you have to go on Soarin' every Epcot day? There's an interesting conundrum I found with the DLR is that you have the whole buffet table of attractions to choose from every day. If you want to ride Pirates, Toy Story Mania and Soarin' (Over California), you can do it without spending hours on a bus or trudging back out to the car multiple times. I found that on my last trip, riding the headliners sort of got in the way of riding a lot of the secondary attractions as much as I would if I were at WDW. Get as many days at DLR as you can, just make sure to save at least one to see the beaches, the desert, the mountains, the shopping, the nightlife, Universal, etc.

 

[Reade's Dad]

There is a thread in this forum with an updated list of attractions and offerings that are temporarily down. Right now Thunder Mountain is guaranteed to be down during your trip.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/dlr-2013-refurbishments-and-closures.857637/

Hi Raven24,
You seem to be very knowledgeable on Disneyland , so I direct this to you....of the restaurants in both California parks, which do you recommend has have the top atmosphere, experience , food...we are about 9 days out from our 60 day window to make reservations..at WDW we have enjoyed Be Our Guest, 50's Diner, Tony's and they have all been great dining experiences. There are a lot of wonderful places to,eat at WDW, but we like the overall experience of restaurants. What are your favorites at DL and DCA? Also,have you experienced the Walt Disney Footsteps tour? Is it good and would a very smart ,,well behaved 5 year old enjoy it? Thank you for your knowledge!

 

[Californian Elitist]

Hi Raven24,
You seem to be very knowledgeable on Disneyland , so I direct this to you....of the restaurants in both California parks, which do you recommend has have the top atmosphere, experience , food...we are about 9 days out from our 60 day window to make reservations..at WDW we have enjoyed Be Our Guest, 50's Diner, Tony's and they have all been great dining experiences. There are a lot of wonderful places to,eat at WDW, but we like the overall experience of restaurants. What are your favorites at DL and DCA? Also,have you experienced the Walt Disney Footsteps tour? Is it good and would a very smart ,,well behaved 5 year old enjoy it? Thank you for your knowledge!

Happy to help.

First, I should inform you that there aren't as many table restaurants at the DLR. They're not really needed, and the guests tend to always go for counter service spots. Don't be disheartened, though. The counter service choices at the DLR are actually really good. I'll start with the counter service spots.

My absolute favorite spot to eat at at Disneyland is the Plaza Inn at the end of Main Street. It's a beautiful restaurant and the food is really good, specifically the fried chicken.

I also really enjoy Rancho Del Zocalo in Frontierland. The area is beautiful and the Mexican is decent for theme park food.

Hungry Bear also makes my list, due to its location. It's in Critter Country (a land not found at WDW) and it sits right across from Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America. It's got a woodsy/backyard picnic-type feel. Their onion rings are so good, as well as their burgers and chicken sandwiches.

French Market. Great ambiance and good food. There's usually a band that plays right out front. Cafe Orleans is great, too.

Cafe Orleans:

The counter service spot at the Disneyland Resort with arguably the best ambiance is Flo's V8 Cafe at California Adventure in Cars Land. Its location is perfect. It's smack dab in the middle of Cars Land, and, depending where you sit, you can see the cars from Radiator Springs Racers driving by you. The restaurant plays themed, Motown music and serves classic, American comfort food.

On to the table service restaurants.

Carnation Cafe is on Main Street, and the food is great. Space is not bountiful here, so make a reservation, just in case.

Carthay Circle Restaurant in California Adventure. I've yet to eat here, but I've heard the food is good. It's a very beautiful restaurant.

Napa Rose at the Grand Californian Hotel. I haven't eaten here either, but I haven't heard one, single bad review about it. The food is excellent, from what I hear. It's a bit pricey, FYI.

I've heard the exact same thing about Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland Hotel.

In my opinion, the table restaurant with the best ambiance at the Disneyland Resort would be Blue Bayou at Disneyland. It is located in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, and it is very popular. You can't beat its location. If you decide to eat here, make sure to ask for seats inside the restaurant, across from the ride, as seen in the photos. This is also a pricey restaurant.

I haven't participated in the Walk in Walt's Footsteps Tour, but I've heard nothing but positive reviews about the tour. The tour now includes a visit to Walt Disney's apartment that he lived in during Disneyland's construction in the 50's, on Main Street. This is the newest perk of the tour, and that alone would get me to sign up. The tour is good for people interested in Walt Disney and Disneyland history. If you know a lot about Walt Disney and his involvement with Disneyland, you probably won't miss much from the tour, except Walt's apartment, which is very neat, by the way. The other neat thing is you get to skip the lines for some attractions. When I worked at Disneyland, I saw kids taking the tour all the time, and they seemed to be having fun. Your five year old should be fine. I hope I've helped with your decisions. Don't hesitate to ask more questions.

 

[RandomPrincess]

Hi Raven24,
You seem to be very knowledgeable on Disneyland , so I direct this to you....of the restaurants in both California parks, which do you recommend has have the top atmosphere, experience , food...we are about 9 days out from our 60 day window to make reservations..at WDW we have enjoyed Be Our Guest, 50's Diner, Tony's and they have all been great dining experiences. There are a lot of wonderful places to,eat at WDW, but we like the overall experience of restaurants. What are your favorites at DL and DCA? Also,have you experienced the Walt Disney Footsteps tour? Is it good and would a very smart ,,well behaved 5 year old enjoy it? Thank you for your knowledge!

Blue Bayou in DL is awesome! You get to eat with the boats from Pirates floating by. The staff there was amazing when we went. Their kids menus fold into pirate hats and the wait staff was nice enough to give me 60 to take home a souvenirs for the kids at the daycare where I worked! the food is great as well. Their Monte Cristo is very famous.

 

[montyz81]

I am in the same boat here. I am a Northeasterner who always rides the cheap airfare to Florida. Will I be disappointed with DL? My favorite park is EPCOT, so that type of atmosphere is what I most associate with a quality trip. Thanks for any input. (BTW: I would have my Wife and 10 year old son and 2 year old daughter in two)

 

[Californian Elitist]

I am in the same boat here. I am a Northeasterner who always rides the cheap airfare to Florida. Will I be disappointed with DL? My favorite park is EPCOT, so that type of atmosphere is what I most associate with a quality trip. Thanks for any input. (BTW: I would have my Wife and 10 year old son and 2 year old daughter in two)

I don't see how any Disney fan could be disappointed in the only park Walt Disney built, seriously. Disneyland is very classy and its guests appreciate the park very much and hold it up to a standard. I don't think you'll be disappointed at all. Your kids are the perfect age for the Disneyland Resort. You don't have to worry about park hopping, since the two parks are very close to each other (from one gate, it takes about 30 seconds to 60 seconds to walk to the other gate). I've heard people say the Disneyland Resort is much easier for little kids. They will absolutely love Cars Land, Fantasyland, Toontown and the other parts of the two parks, but especially those parts.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

I am in the same boat here. I am a Northeasterner who always rides the cheap airfare to Florida. Will I be disappointed with DL? My favorite park is EPCOT, so that type of atmosphere is what I most associate with a quality trip. Thanks for any input. (BTW: I would have my Wife and 10 year old son and 2 year old daughter in two)

I was in the same boat as you: from the NE, WDW vet, love Epcot. Truth be told, there are things that I miss when I visit DL: Spaceship Earth, Imagination, the Safari, Club Cool (of course!); there are no equivalents. But now there are things that I love about DL (Indy, Cars Land, World of Color, Space, Toontown) that I missed/will miss when I went back to WDW after having been to CA. I generally think that you'll still like WDW better because that's what you grew up with, but I highly highly doubt you'll feel like you "wasted" a trip. You might even work a trip to CA into your normal rotation afterwards. It's like two different flavors of ice cream: it might not be your absolute favorite flavor, but you still got ice cream.

The Disneyland Resort has a lot going for it that makes me think you won't be disappointed. The whole resort is about the size of Epcot and some of its associated environs, but it has almost as many attractions as the four WDW parks combined. Like @raven24 said, the two parks are really like one because they are so close. You have the whole buffet table of attractions easily available to you each day you visit; you can ride Pirates, Soarin' and Toy Story Mania without hopping on a bus or parking tram. Because the outside world cornered Disneyland in, there are literally a dozen off-site hotels that are as close to Disneyland AND California Adventure AND Downtown Disney as the Contemporary is to the Magic Kingdom. You can get a room for under $100 in the off-season and walk to the parks in 5 minutes... probably shorter than walking to the bus stop from the 80's at Pop Century. And even though the outside world is right there, I honestly don't feel it when I'm in the parks. The only times I remember seeing the outside world were on the monorail and on California Screamin'. Even at WDW, you see the "real world" while riding Everest. Not to mention, for a guy with a Walt quote in his sig, a trip to Disneyland is practically a pilgrimmage. It's the only park Walt ever set foot in.

 

[Reade's Dad]

Ok, I am within my 60 day window, and still unsure about making ADR plans....'it's Packed' web page states it will be a ghost town on my Disneyland parks days. With this being our first trip to the California Parks I don't want to tie us to times and location but yet I would like to be able to dine at certain places we discover without long waiting periods. I am taking on this feeling of just ..go , take our time and discover the parks slowly....am I making a mistake by not planning?

 

[Californian Elitist]

Ok, I am within my 60 day window, and still unsure about making ADR plans....'it's Packed' web page states it will be a ghost town on my Disneyland parks days. With this being our first trip to the California Parks I don't want to tie us to times and location but yet I would like to be able to dine at certain places we discover without long waiting periods. I am taking on this feeling of just ..go , take our time and discover the parks slowly....am I making a mistake by not planning?

You can definitely take the "wing it" approach for the Disneyland Resort, especially during these times. Holidays are another subject, though. You really don't have to plan, but if you feel more comfortable making reservations, by all means, make them. They don't hurt.