First Timer Questions

[hiddenmickey06]

Hi everyone! I have been to WDW 6 times now and I am considering a first time trip to Disneyland this year, possibly. My dates are pretty much flexible, but I am looking to go any where between the beginning of September up to December. I am not worried about weather, but was curious about what part of this time frame would be the best time for a vacation. Meaning, I want to experience Disneyland and when would it enhance it more for me being a first timer, if that makes sense. Also, what is the Paradise Pier hotel like? What is the quickest way to get to the parks from there? Also I am planning 3 days in each park so that should be plenty of enough time to see almost everything, right? One more, which is better? Cafe Orleans or Blue Bayou? I want to eat at just one of these places but I am not sure which one. Thanks in advance! ~Todd

 

[Cosmic Commando]

1. Halloween and Christmas are both great times to go. It's somewhat of a personal choice as to which is better; the crowds are probably comparable for both times as long as you pick a time when school is in session. Halloween starts in the middle of September and Christmas starts in the middle of November. Expect heavier crowds in the evenings and much heavier crowds on the weekends. Special events especially will draw locals in.

Both seasons have more decorations than WDW, but I think Christmas still sees more throughout the parks (no Osborne lights, though). I definitely remember Main St and Frontierland decorated for Halloween. For Christmas, I think every land except maybe Tomorrowland has some Christmas action going on. I would go in early December or the week before Thanksgiving week for Christmas. You get Haunted Mansion Holiday, IASW Holiday, Christmas parade and Christmas fireworks without paying for a party ticket. The thing that might sway you to Halloween is the Ghost Galaxy overlay to Space Mountain. It gets good reviews, but the normal Space Mountain is also very different from WDW and it might be my favorite coaster. It's pretty good even without an overlay.

2. Personally, I would stay away from Paradise Pier. People have told me they don't really get the that Disney feeling there, and with good reason: it was an existing hotel bought and lightly rethemed. The Disneyland Hotel was also bought from an outside company, but it is finishing up a massive overhaul that will be done by the time you get there. I'll likely never stay off-site at WDW, but likely will the next time I visit DLR. It's just a different ballgame. There are lots of nice, inexpensive hotels all around the resort; some of them are closer to both parks than the Contemporary is to MK. If you really want to try for the resort experience though, and can swing Disneyland Hotel or the Grand Californian, they are both wonderful from what I hear.

3. I would probably splurge for Blue Bayou. It's inside POTC; you can't beat that. It would be a nice experience for your first time. Good food at both places, though.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Some of the hotels on Harbor Blvd (East side of the parks) even have rooftop areas to watch fireworks from. Supposedly, they can be seen from the HoJo parking lot as well. Wikimapia is a great resource in instances like this; it really lets you see which hotels are where and lets you know exactly where everything is.

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=33.8103178&lon=-117.9187918&z=16&l=0&m=b

 

[AswaySuller]

3days in each park???


Ouch.... You may need 2 in DL but DCA is/was a half day park!!! With the expansion it might turn it into a one/one and a half but 3 in each sounds excessive.

 

[wild01ride]

3days in each park???


Ouch.... You may need 2 in DL but DCA is/was a half day park!!! With the expansion it might turn it into a one/one and a half but 3 in each sounds excessive.

While I agree that you don't "need" 3 days in DCA, or DL, there is always the possibility of actually relaxing, enjoying the attractions and taking it all in.
Yes, of course, you can "burn through" all of the [current] DCA rides in a day, but that isn't accounting for a nice, leisurely lunch on the Pacific Wharf, relaxing and enjoying the surroundings. With 3 days, you'll have the option to pass up attractions with longer waits and enjoy the ambiance instead of spending all of the time in line waiting. Not to mention, bouncing back and forth between DL and DCA is a nice option to keep things interesting!
Furthermore, if it's the OP's first time, it'll give them the leisure to enjoy the parks as they want at their own pace.
Ultimately, 3 days per park is totally reasonable!

 

[Cosmic Commando]

If I spend 10 days at WDW, that means spending the equivalent of 3 days at probably MK and Epcot. Say what you want about DCA's theme problems (they will largely over by this summer anywho), but both parks are jam-packed with attractions. People have made lists that I don't have the ambition now to recreate, but the two parks at DLR have almost the same number of attractions as the four parks at WDW! Couple that with the beautiful scenery that will be all-new to you, and you could totally spend three days at each park. I don't understand why this comes up on every DL thread.

 

[Mks95]

Make sure you check for conventions before you choose a date and in october we ran into utah schools being out and large crowds for the 5 day weekend. Make sure the haunted mansion holliday is open and i'd splurge and stay at the grand californina (private entrance, less walk and its beautiful....you only get your 1st visit once:sohappy love WDW but Disneyland is like coming home...have a great trip

 

[TP2000]

There are nearly as many rides and major entertainment/night spectaculars packed into the two DLR theme parks as the four WDW theme parks have combined.

That said, I think first-time visitors to Disneyland Resort get caught up in how many "days" to spend in each park, as if it's like WDW where park-hopping is an hour-long ordeal involving buses and boats and monorails. It's not.

DCA and Disneyland sit facing each other across a small plaza. You can walk from Space Mountain in Tomorrowland to Midway Mania in Paradise Pier in about 15 minutes, assuming the entry lines at DCA are short. You will find that you can hop back and forth from park to park with an easy short stroll, just as you would walk from World Showcase to Future World or from Frontierland to Fantasyland.

Certainly the first day you'll want to spend at Disneyland solely, and then the second day you'll likely focus on DCA. But by day three you will have the lay of the land, and hopping from park to park for parades or shows or Fastpass return times will be part of the routine of a Disneyland vacation. Not to mention that Downtown Disney is an equally short stroll, or quick Monorail ride from the Tomorrowland station, and that can open up all sorts of additional dining and entertainment options during your theme park day.

Taking all that into consideration, I would think 5 full days and nights would be a good timeframe to dedicate to the Disneyland Resort. Hopefully the person on their first-time visit to SoCal would also be able to slot in some days to get off Disney property and see some of the sights and wonders of Southern California, all within a 20 to 60 minute drive of Disneyland.

Another thing for the Disney fan to consider is the official Walk In Walt's Footsteps Tour. This is a several hours-long tour of Disneyland specifically, and you get to see the park that Walt built from a unique historical perspective. Any Disney fan worth their mouse ears will want to take the tour, and it gives you a wonderful insight into this theme park that a man named Walt Disney built with his own hands in the 1950's, instead of the theme park in Florida that a faceless corporate committe built with smaller committees in the 1970's. http://disneyland.disney.go.com/tours/

 

[Animaniac93-98]

DCA is/was a half day park!!!

For a first timer I would disagree, especially if you want to see World of Color, the Aladdin show and eat at one of the sit-down places. Three days does sound like alot, but at least the gives the OP some room to do other things like TP2000 suggests.

 

[hiddenmickey06]

1. Halloween and Christmas are both great times to go. It's somewhat of a personal choice as to which is better; the crowds are probably comparable for both times as long as you pick a time when school is in session. Halloween starts in the middle of September and Christmas starts in the middle of November. Expect heavier crowds in the evenings and much heavier crowds on the weekends. Special events especially will draw locals in.

Both seasons have more decorations than WDW, but I think Christmas still sees more throughout the parks (no Osborne lights, though). I definitely remember Main St and Frontierland decorated for Halloween. For Christmas, I think every land except maybe Tomorrowland has some Christmas action going on. I would go in early December or the week before Thanksgiving week for Christmas. You get Haunted Mansion Holiday, IASW Holiday, Christmas parade and Christmas fireworks without paying for a party ticket. The thing that might sway you to Halloween is the Ghost Galaxy overlay to Space Mountain. It gets good reviews, but the normal Space Mountain is also very different from WDW and it might be my favorite coaster. It's pretty good even without an overlay.

2. Personally, I would stay away from Paradise Pier. People have told me they don't really get the that Disney feeling there, and with good reason: it was an existing hotel bought and lightly rethemed. The Disneyland Hotel was also bought from an outside company, but it is finishing up a massive overhaul that will be done by the time you get there. I'll likely never stay off-site at WDW, but likely will the next time I visit DLR. It's just a different ballgame. There are lots of nice, inexpensive hotels all around the resort; some of them are closer to both parks than the Contemporary is to MK. If you really want to try for the resort experience though, and can swing Disneyland Hotel or the Grand Californian, they are both wonderful from what I hear.

3. I would probably splurge for Blue Bayou. It's inside POTC; you can't beat that. It would be a nice experience for your first time. Good food at both places, though.

When do they usually close The Haunted Mansion to do the overlay? I was actually rethinking my decision a bit and maybe going in late August into Early December. Also I think I may eat at both of those; Cafe Orleans and Blue Bayou because they both seem really great! Is Disneyland's version of the dining plan worth it? I have noticed that it is really nothing like WDW's. I feel like I am starting from scratch again, lol.:hammer:

Some of the hotels on Harbor Blvd (East side of the parks) even have rooftop areas to watch fireworks from. Supposedly, they can be seen from the HoJo parking lot as well. Wikimapia is a great resource in instances like this; it really lets you see which hotels are where and lets you know exactly where everything is.

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=33.8103178&lon=-117.9187918&z=16&l=0&m=b

I have fallen in love with this website now after just discovering it in another forum yesterday. As for Hotels, I can't really afford the Grand Californian although I would love to stay there. I was doing some research and thanks to Wikimapia.org, I think I have a good idea of which 'good neighbor' hotels I like. I was looking at the Fairfield Inn Anaheim, and the Best Western Park Place Inn & Mini Suites. Does anyone know if these are good hotels. I like them because they are literally a short walk away from the parks. They do offer the same perks as the Disney hotels, right? Like Magic Mornings and things like that.

While I agree that you don't "need" 3 days in DCA, or DL, there is always the possibility of actually relaxing, enjoying the attractions and taking it all in.
Yes, of course, you can "burn through" all of the [current] DCA rides in a day, but that isn't accounting for a nice, leisurely lunch on the Pacific Wharf, relaxing and enjoying the surroundings. With 3 days, you'll have the option to pass up attractions with longer waits and enjoy the ambiance instead of spending all of the time in line waiting. Not to mention, bouncing back and forth between DL and DCA is a nice option to keep things interesting!
Furthermore, if it's the OP's first time, it'll give them the leisure to enjoy the parks as they want at their own pace.
Ultimately, 3 days per park is totally reasonable!

Thanks! Yeah, I want to go for that amount of days because I do want to relax a bit, plus it gives me time to explore and take pictures, which I love to do. I don't like to feel rushed and don't really want to have to feel rushed to see everything in a short amount of time. I just don't want my first Disneyland experience to be sucky I would like it to be better than my first WDW trip when I was 14. One day at the Magic Kingdom, flippin' hot out, and the 4th of July to boot. My family and I hardly did anything that day other than wait in line for rides and my dad eventually starting mooing, but that was his problem. Plus this will be a solo trip for me since no one else wants to go with me:shrug: Also I really like the fact that park hopping is sooooo much easier here. Is it possible to get a fastpass in one park then go right over to the other and get another right away?

If I spend 10 days at WDW, that means spending the equivalent of 3 days at probably MK and Epcot. Say what you want about DCA's theme problems (they will largely over by this summer anywho), but both parks are jam-packed with attractions. People have made lists that I don't have the ambition now to recreate, but the two parks at DLR have almost the same number of attractions as the four parks at WDW! Couple that with the beautiful scenery that will be all-new to you, and you could totally spend three days at each park. I don't understand why this comes up on every DL thread.

I agree, that is the way our WDW trips are now. I was shocked when I found out how many attractions were in these parks, but I think it will make it more charming and seem like there IS something to do.

Make sure you check for conventions before you choose a date and in october we ran into utah schools being out and large crowds for the 5 day weekend. Make sure the haunted mansion holliday is open and i'd splurge and stay at the grand californina (private entrance, less walk and its beautiful....you only get your 1st visit once:sohappy love WDW but Disneyland is like coming home...have a great trip

That is a good idea, I never would have thought about that.

There are nearly as many rides and major entertainment/night spectaculars packed into the two DLR theme parks as the four WDW theme parks have combined.

That said, I think first-time visitors to Disneyland Resort get caught up in how many "days" to spend in each park, as if it's like WDW where park-hopping is an hour-long ordeal involving buses and boats and monorails. It's not.

DCA and Disneyland sit facing each other across a small plaza. You can walk from Space Mountain in Tomorrowland to Midway Mania in Paradise Pier in about 15 minutes, assuming the entry lines at DCA are short. You will find that you can hop back and forth from park to park with an easy short stroll, just as you would walk from World Showcase to Future World or from Frontierland to Fantasyland.

Certainly the first day you'll want to spend at Disneyland solely, and then the second day you'll likely focus on DCA. But by day three you will have the lay of the land, and hopping from park to park for parades or shows or Fastpass return times will be part of the routine of a Disneyland vacation. Not to mention that Downtown Disney is an equally short stroll, or quick Monorail ride from the Tomorrowland station, and that can open up all sorts of additional dining and entertainment options during your theme park day.

Taking all that into consideration, I would think 5 full days and nights would be a good timeframe to dedicate to the Disneyland Resort. Hopefully the person on their first-time visit to SoCal would also be able to slot in some days to get off Disney property and see some of the sights and wonders of Southern California, all within a 20 to 60 minute drive of Disneyland.

Another thing for the Disney fan to consider is the official Walk In Walt's Footsteps Tour. This is a several hours-long tour of Disneyland specifically, and you get to see the park that Walt built from a unique historical perspective. Any Disney fan worth their mouse ears will want to take the tour, and it gives you a wonderful insight into this theme park that a man named Walt Disney built with his own hands in the 1950's, instead of the theme park in Florida that a faceless corporate committe built with smaller committees in the 1970's. http://disneyland.disney.go.com/tours/

I was thinking about a tour. I have always wanted to do one or two in WDW, but just never really got around to it. Is this a good tour? The Walk in Walt's Footsteps Tour?


Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!:sohappy:

 

[hiddenmickey06]

For a first timer I would disagree, especially if you want to see World of Color, the Aladdin show and eat at one of the sit-down places. Three days does sound like alot, but at least the gives the OP some room to do other things like TP2000 suggests.

Yes, Thank you! Like I said before I am a picture taker, my last trip to WDW I took over 3,000 pictures, that might not seem like a lot, but to me it is. I could easily waste 2 hours at a time just taking pictures. Also riding Tower of Terror like 10 times in a row would make me happy. Plus with the new Carsland I would plan to spend at least half of a day there just admiring it and exploring it. I'm already working on a game plan, haha, I am a planner

 

[TP2000]

When do they usually close The Haunted Mansion to do the overlay? I was actually rethinking my decision a bit and maybe going in late August into Early December. Also I think I may eat at both of those; Cafe Orleans and Blue Bayou because they both seem really great! Is Disneyland's version of the dining plan worth it? I have noticed that it is really nothing like WDW's. I feel like I am starting from scratch again, lol.:hammer:

You are starting from scratch again. Aside from the CM's wearing nametags and Mickey Mouse, Disneyland is a very different animal from WDW.

The Haunted Mansion usually closes in very late August and reopens by the second weekend in September. It's usually closed for 17 or 18 days to do the changeover into Haunted Mansion Holiday. Space Mountain closes for just 2 or 3 days to become Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, opening the same day on the second weekend in September as Haunted Mansion Holiday. It's A Small World closes in late October to reopen around Veterans Day Weekend (the traditional start of Christmas at Disneyland) as Small World Holiday.

The Dining Plan at Disneyland is pretty worthless. You have so many non-Disney options within a 10 minute stroll of the parks that I don't think Disneyland management even tries to create a plan like WDW, where people are often trapped on Disney property for a week or more. Just make some reservations at a few of the sit-down places you want, like Blue Bayou or Steakhouse 55 or Carthay Circle, and then just eat wherever else you want as you go. It's quite easy, and doesn't take much planning.

I was thinking about a tour. I have always wanted to do one or two in WDW, but just never really got around to it. Is this a good tour? The Walk in Walt's Footsteps Tour?

This is the best tour for Disney fans. I would try and slot it in after you've been at Disneyland for a few days, so you have gotten over the culture shock and different look and feel of the park. So long as you have a basic grounding in Disney culture and an appreciation for Walt Disney, it's a fabulous tour that really gives you amazing insight into Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom of Disneyland and the reasons why he did what he did with his little park. It's an experience you will never be able to get in any other Disney property anywhere, because Disneyland is the only park that Walt lived and breathed and worked in from 1954 until his death in 1966. No other Disney property in the world can duplicate that or even come close to creating such a special sense of Walt-ness as Disneyland. If you are a Disney fan, you will enjoy the Footsteps tour.

 

[hiddenmickey06]

You are starting from scratch again. Aside from the CM's wearing nametags and Mickey Mouse, Disneyland is a very different animal from WDW.

The Haunted Mansion usually closes in very late August and reopens by the second weekend in September. It's usually closed for 17 or 18 days to do the changeover into Haunted Mansion Holiday. Space Mountain closes for just 2 or 3 days to become Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, opening the same day on the second weekend in September as Haunted Mansion Holiday. It's A Small World closes in late October to reopen around Veterans Day Weekend (the traditional start of Christmas at Disneyland) as Small World Holiday.

The Dining Plan at Disneyland is pretty worthless. You have so many non-Disney options within a 10 minute stroll of the parks that I don't think Disneyland management even tries to create a plan like WDW, where people are often trapped on Disney property for a week or more. Just make some reservations at a few of the sit-down places you want, like Blue Bayou or Steakhouse 55 or Carthay Circle, and then just eat wherever else you want as you go. It's quite easy, and doesn't take much planning.





This is the best tour for Disney fans. I would try and slot it in after you've been at Disneyland for a few days, so you have gotten over the culture shock and different look and feel of the park. So long as you have a basic grounding in Disney culture and an appreciation for Walt Disney, it's a fabulous tour that really gives you amazing insight into Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom of Disneyland and the reasons why he did what he did with his little park. It's an experience you will never be able to get in any other Disney property anywhere, because Disneyland is the only park that Walt lived and breathed and worked in from 1954 until his death in 1966. No other Disney property in the world can duplicate that or even come close to creating such a special sense of Walt-ness as Disneyland. If you are a Disney fan, you will enjoy the Footsteps tour.

Yeah, I guess I am starting from scratch again, but in the end it will be worth it. Better than going into it without any knowledge of anything at all. Hmmm, all of that info with the overlays and closings seems a bit confusing, lol. Maybe the end of September would be good, that way I can see Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain as they are two I really want to see when I go, along with Matterhorn. I figured the dining plan wasn't really worth it. It just doesn't seem to make sense when I had read about it on other sites and the reviews about it. I like your suggestion though. And I am a Disney fan so I think I will take that tour, probably a 4th or 5th day event. I am one of 'those people' who want to work for Disney someday. I want to be an imagineer, even designed an attraction for my senior project in high school, plus I am constantly coming up with ideas for new things, not like it matters, but hey, who knows Thanks!

 

[Cosmic Commando]

There are nearly as many rides and major entertainment/night spectaculars packed into the two DLR theme parks as the four WDW theme parks have combined.

That said, I think first-time visitors to Disneyland Resort get caught up in how many "days" to spend in each park, as if it's like WDW where park-hopping is an hour-long ordeal involving buses and boats and monorails. It's not.

DCA and Disneyland sit facing each other across a small plaza. You can walk from Space Mountain in Tomorrowland to Midway Mania in Paradise Pier in about 15 minutes, assuming the entry lines at DCA are short. You will find that you can hop back and forth from park to park with an easy short stroll, just as you would walk from World Showcase to Future World or from Frontierland to Fantasyland.

To emphasize how "walkable" the resort is, the distance from IASW (almost at the back of DL) to Paradise Pier (the back of DCA) is roughly the same as walking from the American Adventure to the Pop Century bus stop at Epcot. And contained in that space is an equivalent number of attractions to all of WDW.

 

[TP2000]

To emphasize how "walkable" the resort is, the distance from IASW (almost at the back of DL) to Paradise Pier (the back of DCA) is roughly the same as walking from the American Adventure to the Pop Century bus stop at Epcot. And contained in that space is an equivalent number of attractions to all of WDW.

What a perfect analogy! That sums up the Disneyland Resort experience wonderfully. :wave:

You could also say that between that same walking distance you would find an entertainment lineup that also rivals the major and minor entertainment lineup in all four of WDW's theme parks.... Two fresh, impressive daily parades (Pixar Play Parade, Mickey's Soundsational), plus two of the very best night spectacular water shows in the Disney empire (Fantasmic! and World of Color), the outdoor street party meets street theater of elecTRONica/Mad T Party, plus the best 45 minute Broadway stage show in the Disney empire (Aladdin at Hyperion Theater), and arguably the best fireworks show in North America with the four different pyro shows Disneyland performs throughout the year. Add in the smaller, sparkling entertainment that Disneyland/DCA offers (Golden Horseshoe stage shows, Minnie's Fly Girls, All-American College Band, Disneyland Band, Plaza Pavillion swing dancing, New Orleans Square jazz, Tomorrowland Terrace dance bands, etc., etc.) and you've got a densely packed and cutting edge entertainment lineup that rivals the attractions lineup.

It's a Disney experience that is quite differently staged and scaled compared to Walt Disney World.