First Timer Questions... questions... questions...

[carsha]

I’m going to preface by apologizing for any questions that are answered in other threads! There is so much information on the boards and I’m getting more overwhelmed by the minute, lol.

We are spending 14 days in Southern California. Nine days will be in Oceanside (touring around San Diego, etc) and 5 days are reserved for Anaheim (March 31 – April 4). I have a 3 day park hopper pass, which I can (and will) upgrade for more days. This is our families first trip to Disneyland, traveling with our 5yr old daughter and 6yr old son. I want to plan for how many days we will be there. I’m wondering if 4 days is enough for both parks? If so, how would you split them up? My pass includes one magic morning, which morning would be best to use it? I realize we will be traveling at a VERY BUSY time. Should our first day be at DL? I’m trying to plan so that I can book my daughter for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. We are traveling from Canada and the exchange rate is so horrible right now, that if I can save money by not adding the 5th day, I’d like to do that, but not if it means our time in the park is rushed and chaotic.

Character Meals… Do any of the restaurants offer a lunch Character Meal?

The parade, fireworks and WOC… I’m considering doing a dining package to get reserved seating for the parade or WOC. It’s too pricey to do both; what is the better option? I don’t know when/if we will be back to DL, so would like to have a good view for the fireworks, are there two showings of the fireworks? If so, will the 2nd show be less crowded at the time we’re going? How long in advance would we have to secure a spot? I know there’s no way my kids are going to sit for two hours waiting for fireworks and really, it doesn’t seem like a good use of limited time in the parks!
We plan to be at the parks at rope drop and stay til around noon then go back to the hotel for some downtime. We are staying at Best Western Park Place Inn. I wish money was no object, but we are trying to make this as budget friendly as possible with the poor exchange rate.

 

[tzeitel]

4 days should be fine - that is what we have done in the past, on our 5th day we did Hollywood and watched Nightmare Before Christmas at El Capitan Theater. DTD we did on departure day (flight was at 6pm) but you could do a 5th day at DTD.

I love both parks so we usually spend 2/2 but have also park hopped - the parks are so close I (as a WDW vet and used to buses/boats/monorails) think it is silly not to This past Oct we did the WOC package (Wine Country Trattoria) and thought it was worth it - but we traveled with ppl with mobility issues so we had an even better spot. I did see the section for the WOC package and it was packed around 1 hour before the show started. For the PtN parade we had actually spent the day at DCA and went to DLR just for the parade. Found a great spot across from the train station about 30 minutes before the parade started. We did not stay for the fireworks since we would not have been able to get a good spot - it was very crowded.
For me the parade was a bigger deal than WOC - so if going at a busy time I would do the package for PTN. They have a cheaper version at Aladdin's Oasis but the one at BB is a better spot to then move to a Main St spot for the fireworks. WOC also has Fast Passes so you could go there first thing and get a FP for a good section.

Ariel's Grotto has a character lunch over in DCA. As far as which park first I usually go to DL first, especially if it is your first time there. You could always hop to DCA if DL is too busy.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I would absolutely recommend parkhoppers. Especially with a shorter stay during a busy time parkhoppers are important for the flexibility. When you have parkhoppers, it is easier to roll with the unexpected such as ride breakdowns, heavier than expected crowds in one park or the other, fireworks being cancelled due to wind, and so on.

Normally I like 5 days, but I think with parkhopping you can cover a lot in just 4 days.

There are no character lunches except for the princess one at Ariel's Grotto. There are 4 character breakfasts and one character dinner. You can work the timing though to make Goofy's character meal a lunch for your family. Goofy's usually is open until 2 PM on weekend days, so you could get a booking between 11 am and 12:30 pm on a weekend day and have plenty of time to eat and visit with the characters. Goofy's is a brunch, so usually whether earlier or later during the dining period, there will be many breakfast choices and a few lunch-like choices as well.

Fireworks are once per night. During the time of your visit, I would expect both Paint the Night and World of Color to occur twice per night.

I have not done the dining option for either of the shows and frankly if I was looking to cut costs, that's what I would skip. It is reserved standing, not seating. You still need to arrive early to get the best spot. If it's really important to you to eat at one of those dining locations, then maybe the extra cost is worth the viewing tickets, but if not save your dining bucks for somewhere you really want to eat, grab a fastpass for World of Color, and arrive early for the Paint the Night parade. If your family is able to stay up late, the second Paint the Night is generally less crowded than the first.

 

[robin2588]

Ariel's Grotto does have a character lunch as well as character breakfast. Lunch is served from about 11-5pm Dinner has no characters, but they offer WOC dining.
Breakfast and Lunch at Ariel’s Disney Princess Celebration
Welcome to a magical meal that makes hopes and dreams last a lifetime—bring your camera to capture special moments as the Disney Princess parade arrives from far-away lands!
Lunch Celebration
The lunch menu features fire-roasted corn cakes, pan-roasted chicken breast, sautéed shrimp and angel hair pasta, grilled lobster tail salad and more. Kids will flip for fathoms of fun meal choices—from a Clammy Turkey Sammy to Whozits and Whatzits Fries and Nuggets, these dishes practically sing off the plate!

Ariel’s Princess friends are delighted to sign autographs, as they visit Guests at their tables and share stories of their adventures with aspiring heroes and royalty.

Cherish the memory of this very special day with a framed souvenir photo available for purchase… If you wish!

 

[robin2588]

We did WOC package at Wine Country as well, and did a 5pm reservation. We asked to sit by the railing, and around 5:30-5:45 the Pixar parade came right by and we had GREAT view of the parade. After our dinner we hung around the little mermaid ride until I saw the cast members setting up the lines for WOC line up. This was around 7pm that they were setting up. I went over and asked which line up was for my package they showed me and I asked if i could start waiting and they said yes. I believe they let us in at 7:30-7:45 to the viewing areas and we grabbed an elevated railing spot. Had a great view, but we had to stay put or our spot would have been taken. So we waited a total of 90 minutes for our spot per Hydroguys tips. Show started at 8:30 that night. The wet zone railing did not fill up as fast and some people were able to grab that railing about 45 minutes prior to the show. We went early May of last year, so if your time is expected to be busy, than you may have to wait the 90 minutes if you want a railing area. For us the 90 minute wait was not bad because we were tired from our long day already and it was nice to stay put in one spot. We played the Mickey Wheel game while we waited as well. The regular FP lines were much longer and started lining up at the same time as we started lining up for our reserved area. As the previous posters mentioned you could do the regular FP's and still go line up 90 minutes early and get a good spot.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Whoops. I did forget about Ariel's character lunch. Princess meals aren't on our family's radar. Lol. Edited my above comments.

 

[SMD]

If you don't want things to be rushed and chaotic, then stay calm and slow down. The world will not end if you do 2 rides in close proximity before moving on instead of crisscrossing the park to wait a few minutes less in line. It will also probably not end if you don't catch every show or get a daytime and nighttime ride on the same attraction. There's a lot to see in 4 or even 3 days.

 

[sherilaine]

This is a recent thread for the dining package for parade viewing - it contains a few reviews of each area:

http://www.flightcentre.ca/vacations/disneyland

If we were doing 9 days somewhere else in Southern California, then I'd want to do my full 5 days at Disney - the difference for the 5th day is minimal - even if it's a half day with your schedule.

Coming from Canada as well we purchased our tickets through Flight Centre and saved some money. They are currently selling a 5 day adult PH for $419 CAD - the current exchange added to Disneyland's price of $315 would be $451 CAD so that is a savings of $32 per ticket. Their 4 day adult sells for $412 which is only $7 less per ticket, so the savings with Flight Centre are on the longer length ticket but this might be a way to get the 5 days for less.

 

[DnA2010]

This is a recent thread for the dining package for parade viewing - it contains a few reviews of each area:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/if-accusers-kept-in-touch-with-ghomeshi-does-it-matter-1.2772178

If we were doing 9 days somewhere else in Southern California, then I'd want to do my full 5 days at Disney - the difference for the 5th day is minimal - even if it's a half day with your schedule.

Coming from Canada as well we purchased our tickets through Flight Centre and saved some money. They are currently selling a 5 day adult PH for $419 CAD - the current exchange added to Disneyland's price of $315 would be $451 CAD so that is a savings of $32 per ticket. Their 4 day adult sells for $412 which is only $7 less per ticket, so the savings with Flight Centre are on the longer length ticket but this might be a way to get the 5 days for less.

Whoops looks like your quote is a little off news from today and the trial

 

[ktlm]

We like to do 5 days in the DLR parks. With kids that age you will be moving slow enough that you definitely won't run out of things to do. We are never ready to leave. Don't worry much about which parks which days. With hoppers, you can be out of one park and into the other in 5 minutes. We sometimes go back and forth several times in a day. As far as character meals, we like to book the late breakfast seating and do brunch. The parks may open at 8:00 on your dates which means you could get a couple of hours of park time in and then do the character meal at 10:30. We think the breakfast food at Ariel's Grotto is a whole lot better than the lunch and it is about $5 cheaper a person. We also really enjoy Minnie's breakfast at the Plaza because it has a great variety of characters.

 

[sherilaine]

Whoops looks like your quote is a little off news from today and the trial

The information I provided is from their website and the current exchange rate, which is based on yesterdays close. Their prices fluctuate according to how the dollar does each day.

And I have no idea what trial you are talking about...

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

The information I provided is from their website and the current exchange rate, which is based on yesterdays close. Their prices fluctuate according to how the dollar does each day.

And I have no idea what trial you are talking about...

Click on the link you provided in your previous post and note where it takes you.

 

[sherilaine]

Click on the link you provided in your previous post and note where it takes you.

That is funny, as I was sure I copied the Flight Centre. I had no idea what you were talking about....but I did have CTV news open at the same time so there you go..

 

[Vincent405]

I’m going to preface by apologizing for any questions that are answered in other threads! There is so much information on the boards and I’m getting more overwhelmed by the minute, lol.

We are spending 14 days in Southern California. Nine days will be in Oceanside (touring around San Diego, etc) and 5 days are reserved for Anaheim (March 31 – April 4). I have a 3 day park hopper pass, which I can (and will) upgrade for more days. This is our families first trip to Disneyland, traveling with our 5yr old daughter and 6yr old son. I want to plan for how many days we will be there. I’m wondering if 4 days is enough for both parks? If so, how would you split them up? My pass includes one magic morning, which morning would be best to use it? I realize we will be traveling at a VERY BUSY time. Should our first day be at DL? I’m trying to plan so that I can book my daughter for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. We are traveling from Canada and the exchange rate is so horrible right now, that if I can save money by not adding the 5th day, I’d like to do that, but not if it means our time in the park is rushed and chaotic.

Character Meals… Do any of the restaurants offer a lunch Character Meal?

The parade, fireworks and WOC… I’m considering doing a dining package to get reserved seating for the parade or WOC. It’s too pricey to do both; what is the better option? I don’t know when/if we will be back to DL, so would like to have a good view for the fireworks, are there two showings of the fireworks? If so, will the 2nd show be less crowded at the time we’re going? How long in advance would we have to secure a spot? I know there’s no way my kids are going to sit for two hours waiting for fireworks and really, it doesn’t seem like a good use of limited time in the parks!
We plan to be at the parks at rope drop and stay til around noon then go back to the hotel for some downtime. We are staying at Best Western Park Place Inn. I wish money was no object, but we are trying to make this as budget friendly as possible with the poor exchange rate.

We just got back on Monday and we did the following character meals, which, of course based on your desired characters, I would recommend them all: Storytellers cafe - breakfast buffet. We got there just after they opened at 7 which was planned to keep restaurant crowds down and use 8:00 am EMH. Character interaction was good. Chip, Dale, and a few others (best to look at the website). Food was as expected for a buffet, but the omelet station was good and I filled up on smoked salmon.

Ariel's for lunch with the princess theme. We got in when they opened and had our picture taken with Ariel. They later bring the photo to your table when you are offered the 5x7, 4-4x6's and the digital download for $35. We said no thanks, plus we took pictures with our camera which came out fine. Then at our table during lunch, we were visited by Rapunzel, Cinderella, Belle, and Tiana in that order. Interaction was good and quick with each and autographs and pictures obtained.

The Plaza for breakfast. We went on an EMH day so did several rides first, then had b'fast soon after they opened. I believe the characters change some, but we had Rafiki, Max, Minnie, Pooh, Eeyore, Captain Hook, Fairy Godmother, and Geppetto. Tigger and Suzy, the mouse from Cinderella were walking around, but went on an extended break and never visited our area. The food was typical blah b'fast buffet, but again the omelet station saved it. (The coffee was warm dark water, glad there was a starbucks close) If you go here, go as early as you can after it opens. The place was packed by the time we left and getting to the buffet to get food was a challenge for people.

We did the PTN package from the Blue Bayou on the 4th. For the money, the food was average, service was fine. We did not really like the atmosphere with Pirate of the Caribbean boats passing by and people watching us eat. The reserved section for the parade was very good. We got there about 25 mins before parade start and got a spot on the curb and sat down for the whole time. We got my DD a light up paint brush ($25) at a gift shop and there was some interaction between her and the performers. If you are looking to do a parade with easy seating, this is a good option, or I believe there is a cheaper option with a lunch package at a different restaurant. The cast members did a good job of kicking anyone out who did not have a reservation, and several people did duck under the ropes and sat or tried to stand there and they were booted. They told us before the parade started to stand up right after the parade passed and move into the street for the fireworks. They tried to bring the rope out to maintain the reserved area, but that only semi worked, but we still had a good spot in the center of the street. But, even though there was no wind at ground level, they made the announcement that the fireworks might be cancelled due to higher elevation winds. We were all like huh, there's no wind. The flags weren't even moving. But, they made the announcement again, and then announced that they were cancelled. Turns out they were cancelled each night of our trip because of winds. They said we should stay and watch the projections on the buildings, we, along with many others, left.

On another night, we had pulled FPs for WOC (on the 3rd) and had dinner at Wine Country, so we were not doing the package. However, our food was so messed up and overall dinner bad that the manager gave us passes for the reserved area for WOC. We got into the area about 30 min or so before the show started and go a seat on the stairs at the back of the reserved section. This was perfect for viewing since we just stood up at showtime and could easily see over everyone. The FP areas filled up pretty quick and looked to be crowded.

As far as your early morning, with the age of your children, I would use it at DL on a Tues or Thurs. I don't think there is enough open in DCA to make it worth while. Radiator Springs and Toy Story may be it and on Sunday at one of our DCA EMH days, RS was down at open. Some of the other rides in DCA, like Goofy's, are not open during EMH and if they are willing to try Screamin', then wait times were reasonable the whole time we were there. At DL, you could do some rides that get longer lines and grab FP right as the park opens before the rope crowd. On Thursday of our visit, with DL EMH, we did Matterhorm, Buzz, Star Tours, Space (right before the rope dropped) and grabbed a FP for Space. Then did the Tea Cups, Pinocchio, Snow White, Mr. Toad, Alice, got a FP for Star Tours with a 3:55 return and had lunch. Then did Space with our FP, Matterhorn, Buzz, Big Thunder, Pirates, got up to the boarding area for Indiana and it broke down, did Tarzan's Tree House, Star Tours with the FP and went to dinner.

On Saturday of our visit with EMH at DL, we did space twice, Buzz, went to Matterhorn, but it went down right before we boarded, the rope was about to drop and I grabbed a FP for Star Tours and then beat the rope and rode Star Tours and then had an 8:30 b'fast at the Plaza.

 

[Angrose]

You’ll hear some different opinions based on how others like to tour the parks, but here are my two cents. Regarding 4 or 5 days, it could go either way. If you do 4 days, it might be nice to have a break after 2 or 3 days in the parks, then finish up the last day or two. For your off day you could do a character meal at one of the hotels then DTD shopping, a movie, swimming at the hotel or a trip to the beach. If it were me, I would do 5 day hoppers and skip the character meal or one of the dining packages. During such a busy time it’s great to have the mornings in the parks when the first few hours are quiet. You could take more or longer afternoon breaks as well and not feel like you’re missing out on too much park time. You will get one Magic Morning with your tickets. This is for Disneyland only on Saturdays, Tuesdays or Thursdays. March 31st is a Thursday so you could use it on your very first day, which would be good because it’s easier to get up early on your first day rather than later on in your trip. We have never been able to make it to a MM or EMH, those 7am starts are TOUGH. We can make it by 8am though so we usually start those days at the park that does not have early entry that day. And, in general, Saturdays mornings are super quiet at DCA and Sundays mornings at DL are GOLDEN! Even during the busiest of times.

I have never done a character meal. I’m not completely against them but our trips are usually only for 2 or 3 days so I don’t want to use precious park time for that. It would probably be fun though for your daughter to do the Ariel’s lunch after a morning BBB appointment.

Regarding the dining packages, I have done the ones for F! before, but I don’t think I would do it for PtN. I’ve never had a hard time finding a spot for that. If you want to be able to sit, just get there an hour or so early, and usually by that time of the day feet are tired and ready for a break anyway. Bring snacks and some small toys, bubbles, glow bracelets, etc. for the kids. I have had really good luck finding curbside spots or the 2nd row in Town Square. Even if you are in the 2nd row you can sit until just about 20 minutes before the show and then they make anyone behind the curb row stand. If you have strollers the kids could probably just stay in them and still see over those sitting at the curb. Main St. is the best place to see the fireworks. After the parade you just want to move up to Main St ASAP but you will need to hold the kids up to see. There probably won’t be 2 fireworks shows in the same night. They tried that over Thanksgiving, but they haven’t done it again since, not even during the super busy Christmas weeks. Another nice thing about watching fireworks from the end of Main St, near Town Square, is that it makes for a very easy exit afterwards. I hate getting caught up in the masses trying to all leave at the same time!

OK, that’s a lot of info. I hope you have a great trip!

 

[donaldsgal]

We have never been able to make it to a MM or EMH, those 7am starts are TOUGH. We can make it by 8am though so we usually start those days at the park that does not have early entry that day. And, in general, Saturdays mornings are super quiet at DCA and Sundays mornings at DL are GOLDEN! Even during the busiest of times.

I know this thread is older (found it via the search engine), but we are going in mid-July and are currently thinking we will be in DCA on a Saturday and DL on a Sunday. That's opposite the EMH times (DL has EMH on Saturday and DCA has it on Sunday). I'm still trying to decide if we'll do our park days to hit the EMHs or not. Your feedback seems to suggest there's benefit to NOT following the EMHs for Saturday and Sunday (meaning that fits with our current plan). Has that been your experience - that going to the park that does NOT have EMH is ideal?

 

[Disney_Alli]

If you're staying on site I'd take advantage of the both EMHs - that hour at DCA is just so beneficial. If you're not staying on site I'd definitely go opposite the EMHs.

 

[Angrose]

I know this thread is older (found it via the search engine), but we are going in mid-July and are currently thinking we will be in DCA on a Saturday and DL on a Sunday. That's opposite the EMH times (DL has EMH on Saturday and DCA has it on Sunday). I'm still trying to decide if we'll do our park days to hit the EMHs or not. Your feedback seems to suggest there's benefit to NOT following the EMHs for Saturday and Sunday (meaning that fits with our current plan). Has that been your experience - that going to the park that does NOT have EMH is ideal?

We don't do the EMHs or the MMs when they start at 7am because it would be impossible to get my Family up and out the door that early. We need that extra hour to wake up! So, for us, we prefer to skip the early ones and do the opposite park. It has always worked really well for US. Everyone is different, so if you are a super early riser and can get there early enough to take advantage, then go for it! Just to be clear though, EMHs are only available for guests staying at the DLR hotels. Magic Morning (MM) is available for any guest with a 3-day or longer ticket that was purchased in advance. MMs are only at DL typically on T, Th, Sat.

 

[pinkprincess30]

I believe with the ages of your kids 4 days will be enough. We did a 4 day pass last year and spent 2 days in each park. You can always upgrade to 5 day passes if you think you'll want an extra day! Our boys (9, 10 & 13 at the time) were too tired to want a 5th day.

For a first time trip I would say definitely see Disneyland first, and do the BBB the first day. There's just something so magical about that first time in the original park!

We did not park hop and didn't miss not having the option at all! Even with how close together the parks are, it's a lot of extra walking to park hop.
Have a great trip!

 

[donaldsgal]

Thanks for the replies, all. We are staying at VGCR, so we will be eligible for EMHs. We'll probably try to take advantage at least a few days; not sure we can do the 7 AM arrival time every day of our trip. Good to know if we don't, however, that the opposite park on that day might be a good, workable option.

Thanks again!