First Trip to Disneyland Advice!

Weese's Pieces

Earning My Ears
Joined
Apr 23, 2019
So my husband and I have looked into going to Disneyland and I feel wayyyy out of my comfort zone! I grew up always going to Disney World so managing that has become an art, but Disneyland has me out in left field. I have some of the following questions:

1) How many days would it take to enjoy it and get everything we could out of the park?
2) Where would be the best place to stay overnight?
3) Best places to eat?
4) Random "good to know" tips about the park and managing our time there
5) When would be the best time of year to go?

Thank you!!! :)
 
There's a link at the top of the page that's called something like "Disneyland for WDW vets." It's always a good start!

We like 4 days, but have gone as many as 8. 8 was a first visit with just me and our youngest daughter. Now, 4 days is our perfect stay. Day 1 is the rush "gotta see it all now!" Day 2 is a chill, "check out the things we missed on day 1." Day 3 is repeating all our favorite rides, and some type of special activity (Fantasmic dining, desert party, etc). And Day 4 repeats all our favorites as the leaving-Disney sadness sets in.

We stay at the motels across the street. They are closer to the main gates than any on-site hotel. Of course, none of them are "on par" with on-site, but I'd rather pay half the price ;) Saving $200 a night is worth off-site for me! We like Park Vue and Tropicana best. If the budget is pretty tight, Desert Inn and Suites works.
 
There's a link at the top of the page that's called something like "Disneyland for WDW vets." It's always a good start!

We like 4 days, but have gone as many as 8. 8 was a first visit with just me and our youngest daughter. Now, 4 days is our perfect stay. Day 1 is the rush "gotta see it all now!" Day 2 is a chill, "check out the things we missed on day 1." Day 3 is repeating all our favorite rides, and some type of special activity (Fantasmic dining, desert party, etc). And Day 4 repeats all our favorites as the leaving-Disney sadness sets in.

We stay at the motels across the street. They are closer to the main gates than any on-site hotel. Of course, none of them are "on par" with on-site, but I'd rather pay half the price ;) Saving $200 a night is worth off-site for me! We like Park Vue and Tropicana best. If the budget is pretty tight, Desert Inn and Suites works.
Thank you very much! I appreciate all your help!
 
Congrats on coming to Disneyland. You will have a great time and will enjoy not having to have every second planned.

1. 3 Days
2. There is so many places right around Disney. Onsite - Grand Californian Off-Site - Candy Cane Inn
3. Character - Goofy's Kitchen Sit down Dining - Storytellers Counter - Plaza Inn
4. Max Pass will make everything 10 times better.
5. Halloween time is my favorite

Have a great trip
 


1. Obviously this varies based on touring style, but in my experience 3 days is perfect. You get most everything done in 2 days, and the 3rd day is to finish up what's left over, and repeat your favorites.

2. Staying on-site at DLR is not as crucial as being on-site at WDW. In fact, some hotels across the street (along Harbor Blvd.) are actually a closer walk to the parks than the on-site hotels. The on-site hotels also tend to be VERY expensive. The only real added benefit is EMH (entering parks an hour early), which is valuable, but not worth hundreds of dollars to me. Also, if you get a 3 or more day ticket, you get to attend one MM (Magic Morning, enter parks an hour early) on your trip, regardless of whether you're staying on or off site, which typically overlaps with EMH.

3. It is often said that DLR has better counter service options than WDW, and WDW has better table service options. With this in mind, I would not worry about getting too many table service reservations. You also don't need to worry about getting them right away when they open up. Even Blue Bayou reservations are typically still available a couple of weeks before your trip. The only table service I'm usually interested in is Blue Bayou. Other places are nice, but nothing super special to me like Blue Bayou is.

4. As previously mentioned, it's a good idea to get MaxPass. It will really maximize the rides that you can get on, especially in the morning. There are many threads around here for good MaxPass strategies. Also, keep in mind that DLR is more relaxed than WDW. Because everything is more squished together, you can get from one side of the park to the other, or even from one park to another, fairly quickly. So while you may want to look at a map beforehand and have a general idea of the direction you want to move in, having a preset touring strategy is not necessary. DLR allows for more spontaneity, jumping on last minute opportunities, and going with the flow.

5. That really depends. If you want to avoid heat, go between November and June. If you want to avoid rain, go between May and November. If you want to avoid crowds, that's getting harder to do, but I would advise going in January or February. Timing will also depend on whether you want to see or avoid holiday times. For example if you want to see the "normal" version of Haunted Mansion, avoid September through January.
 
1) How many days would it take to enjoy it and get everything we could out of the park?

Between 3 to 4

2) Where would be the best place to stay overnight?
  • Offsite
  • Motels on Harbour Boulevard - can be as short as 7 minute walk from your room door to the security bag check line
  • Motels Hotels on Katella, Disney Way - ART bus or own shuttle bus - can be 10 minute bus ride

3) Best places to eat?
  • Depends on budget and tastes
  • Many recommend the high end places like Cathay Circle, Blue Bayou, Wine Country Tratoria, Napa Rose,
  • Mid price and counter service are just as good

4) Random "good to know" tips about the park and managing our time there
  1. Dining reservations open at 60 days
  2. Fastpass has 2 systems, digital paid for on your phone through the App and free paper kiosks in the park
  3. Whichever Fastpass system you use, its on the day, when you are in the park
  4. There is no limit to how many Fastpasses you can get in a day
  5. 2 parks which to WDW vets will feel like 1 park as they are located across from each other on a football field size esplanade
  6. Dining packages for Fantasmic, World of Colour and Frozen theatre show have the best viewing areas
  7. Fastpass or standby for Fantasmic is a very bad viewing experience
  8. Rope drop and the first 3 hours after park opening are the lowest crowd levels

5) When would be the best time of year to go?
  • Whenever your budget allows
  • Whenever you can get vacation time
  • Depends on your preference for seasons / holidays ie Halloween, Christmas/ summer
  • There is no real down down, however end of January to Match / April is refurb time with shorter park hours, less entertainment, and many ride closures
 
To enjoy everything in both parks , use the 2 days. Each a day.
For Disney land main park
-USE THE FAST PASSES! Many don't use fast passes but they really do help . Fast passes for each ride are located right near the attraction.
- The best bathrooms to use are next to the tiki room in adventure land.
- best places to eat are in New Orleans square (Monte cristo is the best!!!)
-fun fact : cast members are not allowed to point with one finger, it's always two fingers or full hand.
 


Minimum 3 days.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599 here’s the WDW to DL thread.

Here’s a great one on hotels. We love homewood suites. It’s a 20 min walk. We plan to uber next trip as kids can go in bubble bum boosters. I hated the BWPPI in Dec. so loud! I just don’t remember it from a decade ago! I think I’m just old now. Plus, not in parks 8-12 and therefore not as exhausted to fall right asleep. https://www.disboards.com/threads/choosing-the-right-dlr-area-hotel-for-you.3656512/

My fave meals are french market and bengal bbq in DL. I also like plaza inn, ranch Del zocalo and jolly holiday to an extent.

In DCA boardwalk pizza & pasta and the award wiener veggie sandwich. Also love the chili at cozy cones.
 
Cause usually when I go there's never a line , plus it's a personal bathroom which means you don't have to fear someone peeping in the crack of a stall you know :p again that's just me >.<

Oh I see, you must mean the restrooms literally in the same building as the tiki room, for guests of the tiki room (though I think anyone can access them now?) - I was thinking of the ones right across from the tiki room.
 
Thank you all so much for your input, it is really helping me out! It's so interesting to see how knowledgeable everyone is to DLR and how clueless I am. I'm usually responding to others on how to navigate WDW, so it's interesting to be on the other side of it! Again, thanks again everyone!
 
I seem to be the odd one out but I would say do 5 days if time allows. Especially if you are not local and won’t be back soon or at all. We do 5 days each time and we never run out of things to do and see.

I think it depends on your touring style. My husband and I are there from rope drop to close, maybe going back to the hotel for a couple hours break in the middle of the day. And we are go go going from one ride to the next. I cannot possibly sustain this for longer than 3 days. By day 3 of our trips, the exhaustion starts to set in. If we were able to slow down and have a more relaxed touring style (it would be nice, but we just can't help ourselves), then 5 days wouldn't feel so tiring.
 
I went last year to end my first ever Cal trip in July and hit LA in a heat wave. I was most looking forward to cool Cal weather. Lol

I spent 3 and a half days, and that was perfect. I stayed across the street in park view and loved the ease of walking across the street in the morning! Park hopping was so easy. I didnt find much I liked at breakfast so did end up buying breakfast in the parks most days.

I'm a fan of max pass, but I was solo so only $10 per day. It's so easy to get multiple rides of favorites with that.

I really wanted to do world of color dessert party but it was being refurbished. So i did the Frozen dining thing instead. The meal at Carthay Circle was yummy with the best service I've ever had at Disney. The show was fun and a needed ac break!

It's a different type of trip but really fun. I hope to go back sometime.
 
I know most people think 3 days is enough, but I prefer 5 to 7 days just so that we have enough time to do everything without feeling like I'm being rushed. It's hard to tell what the park will be like once SWGE opens to everyone in late June so more days may or may not be better.

For hotels, the ones across the street on Harbor are great; I have only stayed at the Fairfield Inn and I enjoyed it. It was clean and comfortable and less than the onsite hotels. That said, I try and stay at the Grand Californian if I can. I tried the Disneyland Hotel last year and while it was charming and delightful, I prefer the proximity of the GCH to the parks. I also like the EMH in both parks every day of my trip.

Food will depend on tastes and budget. For quick service places, I always try and hit up Plaza Inn every trip for the fried chicken dinner. It works well for us because the two of us can split it along with a dessert and not feel stuffed at the end. I would say go online, look at the menus and decide what your budget is, if you are interested in any table services, etc.

No matter what though you will have an awesome time!
 
I think it depends on your touring style. My husband and I are there from rope drop to close, maybe going back to the hotel for a couple hours break in the middle of the day. And we are go go going from one ride to the next. I cannot possibly sustain this for longer than 3 days. By day 3 of our trips, the exhaustion starts to set in. If we were able to slow down and have a more relaxed touring style (it would be nice, but we just can't help ourselves), then 5 days wouldn't feel so tiring.
We are pretty go go go while we are in the parks. Always there for rope drop. No breaks but sometimes we don’t make it to closing. But by day 4, we are slower, see more shows, etc.
 
We are pretty go go go while we are in the parks. Always there for rope drop. No breaks but sometimes we don’t make it to closing. But by day 4, we are slower, see more shows, etc.

Another thing I forgot to mention is park hours. When I go during the "off season" where the park hours are shorter, I don't get so easily exhausted. But if I go when the hours are longer or it's hotter, I get worn out more easily.
 
This sticky thread from the top of the first page has TONS of great information for you: * DLR Info/Links - Maps, Hotels, DISer Reviews, Hydroguy's tips, NEWBIE INFO here!.
The classic DLR for WDW vets thread is there: A DLR Guide for WDW Vets. (NB The info there is pre-SWGE, but is still very helpful.)
HydroGuy Tips Compilation -- SO much good information here!
"HydroGuy's Hotel Rule" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199862
"Choosing the Right DLR Area Hotel for You" www.disboards.com/threads/choosing-the-right-hotel-for-you.3656512/

We're in the camp that likes 3+ days -- 5 days is good for us, very relaxing, allows for shows and TS meals, a beach day and shopping, pool time, etc. Rushing and stressing doesn't work for us, so we like more days.
Best time to go is (literally and seriously) the time that works best for you. DLR is busy so much of the year now and low crowd times are not consistently predictable. Crowd calendars are not reliable at DLR (those are more for WDW). So pick a few times that work well for you, then come back here to double check that nothing crazy is going to be happening at the same time. Then choose the time that you like best! We can say with fair certainty that Halloween Time and Holiday Time will be very busy at DLR -- super fun, but busy.
 

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