Trip to Disneyland

[lalasmama]

Need some thoughts/opinions. I'm taking DD to Disneyland for her birthday in a few months. She thinks, if she's really lucky, we will go in the summer, so she doesn't expect this trip at all :D I'm a single mom, and doing this on a pretty tight budget. I'm making sure we have the time and money to enjoy it, but we aren't going to do a lot of extras--no Bibbity-Boppity Boutique or such! DD's bday falls on a Tuesday this year. I have been promised a week off from work, and I'm willing to (gasp!) take her out of school (2nd grade) for a week.

I'm having a hard time figuring out exact dates, though. I want to be at DL on her b-day (a Tuesday); I want her to wake up, and get breakfast, and see Minnie Mouse. Otherwise, I don't really care about what day we come in and what day we leave. However, I am wondering at what point is there "too much of a good thing"--ie, I want to enjoy the park, and have plenty of time to see all that we can, without it getting to a point where I'm thinking "no more mouse!" I'm figuring 4 days would be a fair amount--enough time to tour everything, ride favorites several times, explore... and make it home before looking for some mouse bait.

So, give me some ideas on how you would work this. When would you choose to fly in? Fly out? Is 4 days enough?

And, most important, will I survive this without ending up looney?

[mjs64]

4 days will be more than enough to fully enjoy Disneyland, with enough downtime to get to the beach as well, I think.

If you haven't booked flights yet, I'd fly in either on Sunday afternoon to make it a leisurely day or sometime Monday. Price would be the major consideration for me, but I'd try for Monday. That way, you'd fly in and get to say "Tomorrow is your birthday and you're going to meet Minnie Mouse!" I'd try to make Tuesday the first day at DL, since it's her birthday and that's the day it will be the most exciting.

IMO, you can see it all in 2 days, but other posters might disagree. If you're going to be there for that long, I'd definitely get a park-hop pass and check out California Adventure, though it's not as fun as DL.

Will you be there during the holidays? Definitely plan to see the Christmas decor (it will still be up, I think, in January). Plan ahead to catch parades and shows. You will have fun. If you are young at heart (and I'm sure, reading your posts, you are), you will only go a little loony. DD will have a great birthday.

ETA: If you have 4 days, I might do it like this: 2 days on, 1 day off, 1 day on, so as not to get tired of it. 1st day (Tues) at DL, 2nd day DL + Cali Adventure. 3rd day (Thursday) the beach, even if it's chilly (Santa Monica or Laguna Beach or LB Aquarium, or, if you're up for it, drive to San Diego for the zoo--not too pricey, really). 4th day (Fri)--back to DL for a last gasp. Fly home Sat.

[TwinFoxes]

One reason some people like DLR better than WDW is it's much more manageable. You'll be able to plan without going bonkers, don't worry. :)

Are you planning on doing both parks? I would. DCA shares a promenade with the Magic Kingdom (we SoCal people call it Disneyland). It will be hard for DD to not want to go. The new Toy Story ride is there, as is Soarin', which is awesome. I think park hoppers aren't that much more, but I'm not sure, we had annual passes before we moved (sigh).

I'd probably arrive on Monday. Like PP, I think waking up at DL will be super awesome for your DD. You are both going to treasure this trip.

[MMMommy]

Firstly, how exciting! We love Disneyland, and it will be a fantastic vacation for you and your little one. If possible, try to plan your trip so that you are at Disneyland on weekdays, not weekends. Saturdays and Sundays tend to be very crowded with long lines. Lines (on a very hot, sunny day) and heavy crowds can make or break a trip in terms of enjoyment for my family when we go to Disneyland. When DDs were in preschool, we were able to plan Disneyland trips on weekdays in October or early May (avoiding Spring Break and before school lets out for summer), and the lines were not long at all. We would go on a ride, get off of it, and just get right back into line and ride again with no wait. Being able to go on many rides, versus standing in line all day for just a few rides makes a huge difference.

Now that DDs are in elementary school, we have to plan our Disneyland trips on weekends or long weekends. If you enter Disneyland right when they open on the weekend, the lines are better then. But after 10am, the lines really start to form on the weekends. If you plan on going to Fantasyland, the lines there get REALLY long. Dumbo ride and Peter Pan ride tend to have slow moving, long lines. Nemo submarine ride is also another ride with long lines. Matterhorn can have a deceptively long line, but the line moves fairly quickly. Not a fan of the Roger Rabbit ride in Toon Town - long line, little reward, IMHO. If you plan on going on the new Star Wars Star Tours ride, I would target that early on. When we went on that first thing in the morning, the line was fine. But by lunchtime, the Fast Pass time slot for it was at 9pm (this was on the weekend). Take advantage of the Fast Pass for big ticket rides, especially on a crowded day. This eliminates much of the wait time.

Our fav rides in Disneyland are (some are high action, some are not high action): Space Mountain, Matterhorn, Big Thunder, Star Tours, Autopia, Buzz Lightyear ride, Peter Pan (my fav ride in Fantasyland), Small World (nice, long, air conditioned ride on a hot day), Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Pooh Ride (a quaint favorite b/c hardly any line).

Our fav rides in California Adventures: Toy Story ride (very fun, but long line and no Fast Pass), Soarin (wonderful ride), Grizzly Peak (fun water ride), and Monsters Inc. (cute for the kids). The new Ariel ride did not wow us at all, but is worth checking out if your DD likes Ariel.

Our favorite meal at Disneyland is the fried chicken plate at the Plaza Inn. Juicy fried chicken with mashed potatoes, green beans and a biscuit. The hand dipped corn dogs at the Red Wagon Cart next to the Plaza Inn are also tasty.

Four days should be more than enough time to enjoy Disneyland and California Adventures.

Have a fantastic and safe trip!

[3isEnough]

Don't know if you saw it, but in the Bargains forum today there's a post about Southwest having a great sale on airfares. Flights must be booked by 10/20.

[pomegranate]

4 days at Disneyland is a lot. I would do 3 days, do a park hopper that allows you to go to both parks. And then do other fun stuff in the area for the remainder of your week.

[AnnieW625]

:yeahthat: I grew up going to DL once every 2 yrs., and we could easily do the whole park and eat at a sitdown restaurant., and we'd get there at 8, and leave at closing. I think that 2 days is the perfect amount of time now since there aren't a lot of lines. And there is a lot of construction at CA. Next year when the CA construction is complete then I think 3 days will be perfect. I think I would explore the beach o take her the American Girl Store in LA and you could get her a doll and an outfit or two for the same price as admission for two for one of the theme parks, and there are se great chep eats at the farmers market adjacent to the AG store

[rolypoly27]

I agree 4 days is a lot. If you are doing Disneyland only, I'd do two days. If you are getting park hopper tickets and will also be doing California Adventure, three days is plenty of time. Since you don't live nearby, I would try to do CA while you're there. It's more laid back than DL and has some great rides and attractions (Soarin, Toy Story, Aladdin musical, World of Color, to name a few). There's also a fun water ride and outdoor obstacle course area that might be fun for your daughter.

[daniele_ut]

. I think that 2 days is the perfect amount of time now since there aren't a lot of lines. And there is a lot of construction at CA.

If you read the DLR threads on the DIS boards, it is VERY crowded at DL right now. Halloween Time is going on and that has made October a very popular time at DLR.

We went in October last year for DS's 6th birthday and had 2 full park days and 1 half park day and it wasn't enough time. For us, 4 park days would have been perfect.

[Tondi G]

we are annual passholders. I think 4 days is plenty and will give you time to head back to your hotel for some swimming maybe (depends on the time of year/weather and where you stay). If you have several days you will not feel like you have to rush around and cram it all in. We really like the California Adventure park too... it's a nice break from the typical "disneyland" experience and a lot of times is less crowded than DL. The World of Color show is over at DCA as well. Weekdays are typically less crowded than weekend days. I would say arrive on Monday if you can. then Tuesday, her birthday can be a full day in DL.

[Melanie]

We used to be AP holders. I would say you are right to plan for mid-week, it's so much more peaceful. I think 4 days is more than enough. I'd be inclined to do two days (will you do California Adventure as well?) then part of a third day and then maybe leave to eat at Downtown Disney or elsewhere. Then I'd spend the 4th day enjoying the beach or hotel pool or other something that is really special to a child and MORE relaxing than another 'attraction' day.

Also, make sure you check in at City Hall when you get there to tell them it's her birthday. She'll get a sticker such that any castmember that sees her wishes her a happy birthday (or sometimes more special) and they let her hear a birthday wish on the phone from a character.

Has she seen big characters before?! Just making sure it won't scare her to pieces. Granted my son was 2 when we first went but that was somethign we didn't expect. We went to the character breakfast (which I think is fun and worth the cost if your child would like them - ours was terrified). Such a disaster!

ITA, California Adventure is a nice break. We'd go there when DL crowds got to be a bit much, the rides are cute/fun but I wouldn't want to wait in popular crowds for them. Though your Dd is older so her interests may differ from ours when our son was 4.

What I like about stretching it out over 2-3 days (or for us having an AP meaning we could come back often) is that if my child wanted to sit down and listen to the music, I didn't feel like we were going to miss something else. If my child wanted to spend an hour running around Tom Sawyer's Island (AWESOME, BTW), again, we could do it. When I was a child and went once a year (which was a huge treat that i loved and chose over a birthday party) as I got older I felt like the day was a mad dash to try to do as much as possible before they closed. I didn't even want to spend time eating. For my kids I want them to enjoy the 'experience' of DL and not just a dash around and see it all. And of course, therefore, why we haven't been in 5 years. LOL!

Have a great trip!!!