So we are travelling over to Anaheim for the first time from the UK early August. We have the 3 day park hopper (and then a day at Universal). My daughter is 9 and pretty brave and my son turns 6 whilst in the parks!
waves hi from an Irish person who is a regualr visiter to Disneyland California. You have been given some really great advice from PP, go through each post and really listen to what has been said.
Im going to add specific advice from an Irish / UK perspective.
1. The weather. Its hot in California and even hotter in Disneyland. I go in June and temperatures average about 40 C. The parks are hotter than the actual Anaheim temperature due to the sun reflecting back from the concrete buildings and walkways / paths.
I bring about 3 bottles of water / cola with me into the parks each day. Bottled drinks can be expensive in the parks, usually about $3 for a normal 750ml bottle. I usually buy my drinks outside the park. This year I went to Walgreens at the intersection of Harbour Blvd and Katella and bought a gallon of water. I kept this in the fridge of my hotel room and refilled my bottles each day. There are plenty of free water fountains in the park, but being an International visitor I try not to drink straight tap water when Im in USA.
As well as my bottled drinks in my backpack, I also make sure to have other types of drinks, like Starbucks coffee, a Dole whip icecream, Mint Julip etc.
You will notice the temperatures starting to rise from about 11am and it just gets hotter and hotter.
2. Sunscreen
I use Factor 50 Boots Soltan, both on my face and body. I apply to all exposed skin, including feet before I leave my hotel and bring the bottle with me to the parks. You will find the heat just melts off your sunscreen. I bring facewipes to the park with me and about every 2 hours I go to a restroom (bathroom) and wash my face and reapply sunscreen. Sorry for the TMI but I also use the wipes on my underarms and boobs and reapply deodorant. My Irish body does not cope well with the Cali heat
I wear leggings so that my legs are covered and I bring a light cardigan / shrug to cover my arms. I usually have my arms covered from about 11am to 6pm.
I also bring a small fan with me. Some people use a small battery powered fan but I use a fan fan. I also wear sunglasses permanently. I used to wear a hat but I dont now as it just annoyed me too much and made my head / hair too sweaty.
It gets dark alot earlier in California than it does in UK and Ireland. When I was there in June it was dark by 8.30pm in Disneyland, compared to 10pm here in Dublin.
What time should we aim to arrive?
This year I got to the park entrance security check area about 7.45am, the park opened at 8am. At that time of the morning they have every turnstile manned, so just walk up through the plaza and find a relatively short line. The lines at the edges near the security check areas are longer than the lines at the centre of the plaza.
The time between 8am and about 11.30am is the quietest and also the coolest. I got so much done during this time. This is when you should aim to do the headliners which dont have fastpasses like Peter Pan, Pirates of The Caribbean, Autopia etc. The wait times for Pirates went stupid crazy, almost 2 hours at one stage in the afternoons. During this time, just do ride after ride, dont shop or snack or eat.
If we go back for a rest, what's the best time to do this?
I dont go back to my hotel for a rest but usually between 1pm and about 5pm I slow down. During this time I try to stay indoors in various places, out of the baking sun. I shop, go to to shows like Great Moments With Mr Lincoln on Main Street, Micky and The Magic Map near Toontown, Tiki Room in Adventureland, do a table service meal or find a seat in the shade and people watch.
What are the rides we simply must do?
This depends on what everyone in your party is interested in. For me personally I dont do thrill rides / rollercoasters, so the big headliners like Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain I dont do.
My advice is ask everyone what they are interested in, then study the maps of each land and see what each ride is like.
What shows should we priototise?
Definitely both the evening shows, Fantasmic in the main park and World of Color in California Adventures. Both of these are on at the same time, so you need to do them on different nights. Research both of these shows. The viewing areas for these shows are sectioned. The sections are divided by viewing accessibility, ie the front section, the side section etc. Some of the sections are on the Fastpass system, some of the sections are reserved for those paying for a dining package.
You should also try to see the Fireworks and projection show at The Castle.
Check the park opening times, as unlike Disneyland Paris, the park does not close after the fireworks. When I was there in June, the fireworks were at 9.30pm but the park stayed opened until midnight. Between 9.30pm and midnight is a great time to be in the park. Its dark, its balmy cool and the crowds really thin out. I usually stay until about 11pm.
I usually only buy my merchandise in the last few hours in the park. All day I window shop and mentally pick out what I want to buy as I go around the park. There is no need to buy stuff at 10am as you will just end up carrying it around with you allll day. And those plastic bags get annoying, trying to mind them on rides. They dont sell out of something, the CMs restock throughout the day. As you plan to go back to your condo in the afternoon, the hour before you leave for your afternoon break would be a good time to go shopping.
