How many nights for DL newbies?

[mousefan1972]

We are very excitedly beginning to plan our first trip to DL for next summer. (2012) The cast will be me, DH, and DD (then 9) and DS (turning 7 on trip). We are going for DS's 7th birthday which is in early August. He is beyond excited to go to Carsland.

We consider ourselves Disney history geeks and cannot wait to walk in Walt's footsteps, literally. We want to see everything in DL and California Adventure. We want to be able to take our time and ride/see things multiple times, if we so desire. We will be staying onsite, hopefully at the Villas at Grand Californian.

So, how many nights would be ideal? I was thinking 4 or 5. More? Less? Any advice would be great. Thanks in advance.

 

[ght]

We are very excitedly beginning to plan our first trip to DL for next summer. (2012) The cast will be me, DH, and DD (then 9) and DS (turning 7 on trip). We are going for DS's 7th birthday which is in early August. He is beyond excited to go to Carsland.

We consider ourselves Disney history geeks and cannot wait to walk in Walt's footsteps, literally. We want to see everything in DL and California Adventure. We want to be able to take our time and ride/see things multiple times, if we so desire. We will be staying onsite, hopefully at the Villas at Grand Californian.

So, how many nights would be ideal? I was thinking 4 or 5. More? Less? Any advice would be great. Thanks in advance.

IMO 5 nights, 4 days in the parks is optimal for seeing everything and being able to do it at a relaxed pace. If you want to see the night time shows and fireworks make sure that two of the park nights are ones that include the shows. Remember that weekends are more crowded than weekdays so I would advise trying to catch the more popular attractions on a M-F and then double back on what you can on the weekends.

 

[TP2000]

Great advice above from ght. Don't forget however, that this plan has you taking in solely Disneyland Resort and basically ignoring the rest of Southern California.

Disneyland can be a great base camp for explorations in SoCal; Los Angeles, Hollywood, Universal Studios (the real one, not just the pre-fab theme park version in Florida), beaches, the fabulous San Diego Zoo, Legoland, Sea World (the big original one on the ocean), Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, etc.

I worked/lived for several years in Boston (and I'm missing Legal Seafood something awful!), and the SoCal sights will be very exotic to a young boy from New England. We are on opposite corners of the country geographically, but also quite different culturally. It would be a missed opportunity if you didn't take at least one day, maybe two, to get off Disney property and see SoCal. Much of it can be done within an easy 30-45 minute drive of Disneyland proper, and all of it is within reach in a 90 minute drive.

I seem to be forever linking random Chamber of Commerce photos in threads like these , but honestly, when this type of vista and vibe is a 30 minute drive south of Disneyland, how can you fly across the continent for a week and ignore it?

Heisler Park, Laguna Beach, California

I think you'll find this little Disneyland online community here to be a wealth of information. We'll all look forward to chatting more as you get ready for your 2012 adventure! :wave:

.

 

[mousefan1972]

Great advice above from ght. Don't forget however, that this plan has you taking in solely Disneyland Resort and basically ignoring the rest of Southern California.

Disneyland can be a great base camp for explorations in SoCal; Los Angeles, Hollywood, Universal Studios (the real one, not just the pre-fab theme park version in Florida), beaches, the fabulous San Diego Zoo, Sea World (the big original one on the ocean), Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, etc.

I worked/lived for several years in Boston (and missing Legal Seafood something awful!), and the SoCal sights will be very exotic to a young boy from New England. We are on opposite corners of the country geographically, but also quite different culturally. It would be a missed opportunity if you didn't take at least one day, maybe two, to get off Disney property and see SoCal. Much of it can be done within an easy 30-45 minute drive of Disneyland proper, and all of it is within reach in a 90 minute drive.

I seem to be forever linking random Chamber of Commerce photos in threads like these , but honestly, when this type of vista and vibe is a 30 minute drive south of Disneyland, how can you fly across the continent for a week and ignore it?

Heisler Park, Laguna Beach, California

I think you'll find this little Disneyland online community here to be a wealth of information. We'll all look forward to chatting more as you get ready for your 2012 adventure! :wave:

.

Um, well we're not. :lol: The plan is either before or after our DL stay, we're going to spend another 5-6 nights in the SoCal area taking in the sights. As of right now we're planning to stay in the LA/Beverly Hills area. So our total CA adventure will be 10-11 nights total. As you said, how could we fly cross country and not see as much as we possibly can while we're out there?

So, 5 nights at DL should be sufficient?

 

[TP2000]

Um, well we're not. :lol: The plan is either before or after our DL stay, we're going to spend another 5-6 nights in the SoCal area taking in the sights. As of right now we're planning to stay in the LA/Beverly Hills area. So our total CA adventure will be 10-11 nights total. As you said, how could we fly cross country and not see as much as we possibly can while we're out there?

So, 5 nights at DL should be sufficient?

Oh, good news! That means I don't have to dig out my infamous "California Or Bust" photo collage sales pitch! :lol:

Yes, 5 nights at Disneyland will be sufficient in 2012 to see and do it all. That's even a good timetable if you are starting in Disneyland right after you get off the plane from Boston and have some jetlag to work through.

I trust you know about the official Walk In Walt's Footsteps Tour of Disneyland? It's a must-do for any real Disney fan, and it's probably best to do it after you've been there a day or two and have gotten the lay of the land (pun intended) more. http://disneyland.disney.go.com/tours/

 

[mousefan1972]

Oh, good news! That means I don't have to dig out my infamous "California Or Bust" photo collage sales pitch! :lol:

Yes, 5 nights at Disneyland will be sufficient in 2012 to see and do it all. That's even a good timetable if you are starting in Disneyland right after you get off the plane from Boston and have some jetlag to work through.

I trust you know about the official Walk In Walt's Footsteps Tour of Disneyland? It's a must-do for any real Disney fan, and it's probably best to do it after you've been there a day or two and have gotten the lay of the land (pun intended) more. http://disneyland.disney.go.com/tours/

:lol: We've been itching for a while to get out to CA; but didn't want to force the issue with the long flight until the we felt the kids could tolerate it. We will likely fly in/out of LAX; more flight options and fares are typically less than if we flew into John Wayne or Long Beach. So we just need to decide if we're doing DL first or LA/SoCal first.

I have heard about that tour. Are kids allowed? If not, perhaps my friend Nicole220 could babysit.... :lookaroun

PS: Thanks for the help! I do appreciate it.

 

[Victoria]

I did 6 nights and 5 days in Disneyland last summer for my very first trip. I accomplished most of what I wanted to see (minus the Nemo subs...line was always redonk and it was too hot to stand in direct sunlight for that long) and we were far from doing a breakneck pace. It was waaaay too hot to even consider such a thing. Totally figures that SoCal had a week of record high temperatures the second I got there and goes back to normal right after I left.

I did the Walk In Walt's Footsteps tour with the WDWCelebrations group on the first full day I was there. I enjoyed the tour but I found it to be a tad bit long. Might have just been our tour guide, but it really dragged at the end. I'm not sure if they allow kids but if they do it would probably bore most kids to tears. A lot of talking and looking (particularly at design elements) and not a lot of doing. There is one of those kids club places over at Grand Cali though. Maybe you could drop the kids there for a few hours while you go do the tour. :shrug: I think you would like it since it is very historical in nature.

Oh, and good call on Grand Cali Villas. Absolutely amazing resort. Loved the pool, loved the decor, the viewing deck for WoC is a nice bonus, the access to DCA and Downtown Disney is wonderful, and it is my highly scientific opinion that 1/2 of all the air conditioning in all of Disneyland is contained in the lobby of the resort. The other half is in the lobby of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. Justsoyaknow. :lookaroun

 

[Nicole220]

TP2000, I think you should make a SoCal thread, complete with all your pics and info. Then whenever anyone new pops up and has some questions, you could link them to the thread. :lol:

:lol: We've been itching for a while to get out to CA; but didn't want to force the issue with the long flight until the we felt the kids could tolerate it. We will likely fly in/out of LAX; more flight options and fares are typically less than if we flew into John Wayne or Long Beach. So we just need to decide if we're doing DL first or LA/SoCal first.

I have heard about that tour. Are kids allowed? If not, perhaps my friend Nicole220 could babysit.... :lookaroun

PS: Thanks for the help! I do appreciate it.

I'll gladly babysit! All I ask for in return is a churro.

There is no age restriction but keep in mind it is a 3 1/2 hour tour.

Keep the questions coming! I'm so excited for your trip!! :sohappy:

 

[Wilt Dasney]

Just to pop in...I think your plans sound right on the money. I spent 5 days in the parks on my first trip, and it felt like the "right" amount of time for a first timer who really wanted to spend time lingering while taking it all in.

And I would have loved to be in the GCH, although my 20-minute walk down Katella to the Motel 6 wasn't without its charm. :lol:

 

[TP2000]

TP2000, I think you should make a SoCal thread, complete with all your pics and info. Then whenever anyone new pops up and has some questions, you could link them to the thread. :lol:

Hmm, that's a tempting idea. The next time I have an afternoon free I might just do that.

We do seem to have an increasing number of East Coasters mentioning their plans for the first Disneyland trip in 2012. I have a hunch that Anaheim is going to be hopping that summer, as Cars Land seems to be a growing draw. Just wait until the construction pictures start showing up with a completed facade and test-cycling cars going around the track, test-cycling tires floating around at Luigi's, and test-cycling Mater's whipping around at his ride. I think it's probably smart to get your reservations in as early as possible for 2012.

 

[mousefan1972]

Thanks BJ and TP2000. I am seriously beside myself with excitement about finally getting to see DL. I am such a Walt Disney history dork, it isn't funny.

I'm a bit nervous about lodging, though. We're DVC members and hope to use points to stay at VCG. However, since it isn't our home resort, we have to wait until the 7 month window to try and book a villa there. So, sometime in early January. I need a plan B if we can't get it, but I'm at a loss. Any help will be appreciated.

 

[mousefan1972]

Just a quick update: We will definitely be staying at the Grand Californian Villas. We are DVC owners, but our home resort is Bay Lake Tower. I was able to find an owner at VGC who was willing to transfer to our account the exact # of points we need for a 5 night stay in a studio in early August 2012. :sohappy: (well, I paid her for them, lol) So now I can book at the 11 month window, instead of having to wait till the 7 month window.

The only thing I still need help with is... we are going to spend 4-5 nights in LA/Beverly Hills before we check in to VGC. I have no idea where we should stay. I've been looking online, but it is hard to get a good idea of a hotel's location and feel without seeing it. So far on my short list I have Hollywood Roosevelt, Beverly Hilton, The Redbury at Hollywood and Vine, and the Hollywood Hills Hotel. We are hoping to be close to the touristy stuff and in a safe/family friendly area. We are a family of 2 adults and 2 kids. Thanks for any advice you may have!

 

[Wilt Dasney]

Just a quick update: We will definitely be staying at the Grand Californian Villas.

Man, you are a super planner. I just realized how far off this trip of yours is. :lol:

 

[mousefan1972]

Man, you are a super planner. I just realized how far off this trip of yours is. :lol:

:lol: Yep, sure am. Although I prefer the term "uber planner" And I will definitely be hitting you up for DL touring tips, when the time comes.