First Trip To DisneyLand!!!!

[IDreamofEeyore]

Hey Everybody! We're WDW Veterans & DVC. We've just booked our 1st trip to DL for August. Staying at Grand Californian Villas. Very excited! We'd appreciate any & all tips!!! Thanks!

[NotaGeek]

How exciting! Be sure and search through the old posts in Vacation planning -- there's lots of old posts that have tons of info.

Big tip: Be sure and check out Billy Hill and the Hill Billies in the Golden Horseshoe!

[Joannelet]

Do the walk in Walt's Footsteps Tour. You will not be disappointed. We did that our first day there...it's a great thing and you get to go into the lobby of Club 33.
I suggest you use this site and get the birnbaum's guide. I went through the entire book and highlighted every restaurant that I wanted to do and eat in and highlighted every attraction that I wanted to NOT miss.
Blue Bayou is a must do restaurant. Make ressies ahead of time..it gets very crowded. BUt the good thing is the ressies there are NOT hard to get like at WDW.
Also, if you are DVC owners make sure you bring your card. I don't know how it is now that they have their own DVC there..but we were able to get a discount back in 2008 on a ton of stuff..I think every meal we had had a 10% or 20% discount. It was very diff. from WDW where it is a little more limited. Again I'm not sure that this has changed now that they actually have a DVC hotel on property. THey were just building it when we were there in 2008.
Enjoy your time there!!! ANd don't forget to look for Walt's lamp on in his apt at night. It means Walt is home His presence is still in the park.

[mook3y]

I grew up 20 minutes from Disneyland and have been many times.

The #1 experience I would recommend for you is to have dinner at the Blue Bayou Restaurant in New Orleans Square. Make reservations to make sure you get in and ask for a table by the waters edge.

You can take a ride on Mr Toad's Wild ride too! I so miss that and wish WDW still had it. My kids have yet to ride it.

Also you have got to ride Indiana Jones - it is basically the same as Dinosaur at AK, but to me, the line is themed way better and I love the ride - it is a completely different experience.

Those are the top 3 things I recommend.

Have a great trip! DL is smaller than MK, but there is a unique charm to it. For me, I think it is knowing it was Walt's first park and how much thought and love went into building it.

[IDreamofEeyore]

Thanks for the tips everyone! And yes, I'm very excited about getting to ride Mr Toad!!

[faline]

Make sure you visit all the attractions that are unique to California!

I second the recommendation for the Walking in Walt's Footsteps tour. We did that on our last California trip and it is a terrific tour!

[badkitty]

Be sure to ride POC and Space Mountain. Superior rides to their WDW counterparts!

[IDreamofEeyore]

Thanks! We will. We plan on riding everything. But I am curious to see if all of the "duplicate" rides have their own unique qualities.

[BrerGnat]

Thanks! We will. We plan on riding everything. But I am curious to see if all of the "duplicate" rides have their own unique qualities.

They absolutely do. Not much is a 100% copy. Space Mountain, for one, is COMPLETELY different from the one at WDW.

My suggestion: do EVERYTHING!

Also, I'd actually advise against dining at Blue Bayou. It's gone WAY downhill in terms of food quality over the past couple of years. You can spend your money in a FAR better way (food/service wise) at other places around the resort. My recommendation is to eat NO sit down meals in the parks (stick to CS), and instead, eat those at the resorts and Downtown Disney instead. MUCH better restaurants can be found outside the parks. Just about every restaurant in Downtown Disney is worthy of a visit. My top three are Naples, Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen, and Catal.

If you want to experience, perhaps, the best food anywhere in Southern California, book a meal at the Napa Rose restaurant at the Grand Californian Resort. Truly, it's one of the best dining experiences I've ever had!

My #1 tip is to get into the parks at OPENING. The locals (that'd by me), tend to flock to the parks between the hours of 10am and 12noon. If you are in the park at its posted opening time, you can get a LOT done. Once noon hits, things start getting crowded, and wait times increase exponentially. This happens again right around 5-6pm, when lots of locals head there after the workday to spend the evening at the resort.

Plan to eat lunch at 11-11:30am (NO LATER) and dinner early (5-5:30pm), in order to minimize time spent in lines at food places and for the best availability of places to sit and eat.

And yes, take the Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour. Excellent and informative!

[Magic Smiles]

They absolutely do. Not much is a 100% copy. Space Mountain, for one, is COMPLETELY different from the one at WDW.

My suggestion: do EVERYTHING!

Also, I'd actually advise against dining at Blue Bayou.

I agree, do EVERYTHING! Skip Blue Bayou, it is expensive, no alcohol, and only average food. We had an amazing meal at the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney for a lot less money, drinks included.
Take in every corner of DL. It is an amazing place! I have to say I prefered it over Magic Kingdom. If they still have the dessert package for the Fantasmic show it is really good. A little expensive but delicious!
Try the beignet's at the restaurant in Downtown Disney. Totally different from the ones served in POFQ in WDW.

My Number 1 suggestion: take WARM clothes for the nights. It really cools down in California at night. We were there in August thinking it is California and August and would be warm all the time. Had to go shopping for warmer clothes.

You will have an amazing time.

[hubbyofadisneyholic]

My daughter graduates from college in December and since neither she nor my wife have ever been to DL we were thinking of going about this time next year as a graduation present before she heads off to graduate school in the fall of 2012.

Is the Jan-Feb timeframe a good time to go to DL?
How many days should we allow?
Looking through the threads here alot of the info seems relatively old. Do things change as often at DL as they seem to at WDW or would things said a year or two ago still be accurate today generally?

Thanks...

[BrerGnat]

Is the Jan-Feb timeframe a good time to go to DL?
How many days should we allow?
Looking through the threads here alot of the info seems relatively old. Do things change as often at DL as they seem to at WDW or would things said a year or two ago still be accurate today generally?

Thanks...

Okay, first of all, since you've NEVER been to DL, I'd wait until the DCA makeover is complete (SUMMER 2012) until you make a first visit. It's, at this moment in time, almost 50% construction in that park. By this time next year, things will be reaching the completion point, but there will still be lots to finish up, and the experience will not really be so great.

If you can hold off until the LATE summer (August 15-September 15), you'll have a completely different experience, because everything will be DONE! I'd recommend going just before your daughter heads to Graduate school.

The first two weeks of September are VERY similar (crowd wise) as the Jan-Feb time frame. A good rule of thumb to estimate crowds is, go to www.disneyland.com/ap. Click on the AP blackout date calendar for the SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SELECT ANNUAL PASS. This is the least restrictive pass available. Any time that this pass is NOT blacked out, you can expect the parks to be D-E-A-D, crowd wise.

I'd plan 4-5 days for a first visit, once DCA is done. I'd recommend staying at either the DL Hotel or the Grand Californian. The DL hotel is undergoing a complete renovation (to include the addition of new pools and restaurants, as well as completely gutted and renovated rooms). This is also slated to be done Summer 2012. When it's done, it's going to be amazing! The DLH is a great option, for first time visitors. I'd really highly recommend staying on property if you can afford it.

And, yes, stuff changes at Disneyland, but the advice you will see on here is still relevant. I've been a local for 7 years and go very, very often (once a week). Over the years, my advice to people has been relatively constant.

[hubbyofadisneyholic]

WOW, BrerGnat...thanks for the detailed response. Lot's of good info there.
Sounds like our plan of going this time next year would NOT be a good idea at all.

Maybe it would be a better idea to do something else and save the DL trip to celebrate her getting her Master's (and hopefully a job) before she starts work on her Phd.

[BrerGnat]

WOW, BrerGnat...thanks for the detailed response. Lot's of good info there.
Sounds like our plan of going this time next year would NOT be a good idea at all.

Not for a "first trip" or a "once in a lifetime" trip. In addition to all the stuff under construction/renovation, the months of Jan-Feb are ripe times for ride closures and annual rehabs. Currently, over 50% of Main Street is walled off, or covered with large boxes. They are doing some work to the inlaid trolley tracks, so when you enter the park, you mostly see blue walls and boxes all up Main Street. None of the Main St. vehicles are running, and the atmosphere is pretty lacking right now. In addition, an ENTIRE LAND is currently closed off, the entrance to it blocked by a huge wooden gate. They decided to just close Critter Country (home of Splash Mtn, Winnie the Pooh ride, and a CS restaurant, plus two souvenir shops/candy store.

I'd hate for a first timer to have that sort of experience.

[hubbyofadisneyholic]

Not for a "first trip" or a "once in a lifetime" trip. In addition to all the stuff under construction/renovation, the months of Jan-Feb are ripe times for ride closures and annual rehabs. Currently, over 50% of Main Street is walled off, or covered with large boxes. They are doing some work to the inlaid trolley tracks, so when you enter the park, you mostly see blue walls and boxes all up Main Street. None of the Main St. vehicles are running, and the atmosphere is pretty lacking right now. In addition, an ENTIRE LAND is currently closed off, the entrance to it blocked by a huge wooden gate. They decided to just close Critter Country (home of Splash Mtn, Winnie the Pooh ride, and a CS restaurant, plus two souvenir shops/candy store.

I'd hate for a first timer to have that sort of experience.

Yikes!!
That would be horrible and my wife and daughter would have been totally bummed.

If we ever happen to be at WDW at the same time we definitely owe you a cold one of your choice...

[BrerGnat]

If we ever happen to be at WDW at the same time we definitely owe you a cold one of your choice...

I'll take a Grey Goose slushie, please!

But, really, don't mention it. That's what Intercot is for! People helping each other and offering advice.

[hubbyofadisneyholic]

I'll take a Grey Goose slushie, please!

But, really, don't mention it. That's what Intercot is for! People helping each other and offering advice.

I know, but after being on the "answering" side of questions for so many years it feels funny being on the "asking" side of them...

Thanks again, we are changing course and looking into a Disney Cruise for her graduation trip. DL will have to wait for another day...

[clausjo]

This is why I love Intercot! I was so happy because my hubby said he would take me to DL for my 40th this summer - we've never been having lived in FL until a couple of months ago. But now after reading this thread, I think I'll wait until next summer to really enjoy the experience, especially since we'd really only have a couple of days - 3 at the most.

Thanks BrerGnat for the great advice!