WDW vet going to DL for 1st time...please help

[MickeyMinnieMelanie]

We are going to DL for the first time in October. It sounds very different from WDW. So I am trying to figure out how some of this works.
First of all, we are going the week of Columbus Day. We are planning on going to DL 4 days, Hollywood 1 day, Santa Monica Pier 1 day, and Huntington Beach one day. We are arriving The Saturday before Columbus Day around 1:30. So thinking of going to Santa Monica Pier that day. Then Huntington Beach Sunday (my daughter wants to see someone surfing). Then Hollywood Monday. We're renting a car. (Although that makes me nervous with Ca traffic)Then Tuesday going to DL and CA for 4 days with 1 day being a pool day with the Halloween party that night.
I don't know if that's the order in which we should do things. When we go to WDW, we stay there the whole week and don't do anything else. I know the COC?? is going on at DL that Sunday and the Utah schools are out that Thursday and Friday. Is this the best plan you think? I already feel way behind because I don't have anything booked except the plane tickets. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

You should check out the Halloween time thread and there is a thread by hydroguy about dlr for wdw vets... Hopefully someone will help me with links... I am on my tablet and not that fancy.

I like the idea of hitting the other things on Saturday and Sunday... Since the parks are always busier on the weekends... But I think I would do DLR Monday thru Thursday if it were me... Good odds that one of those nights (Mon or Tues) will be a Halloween party too.... But we won't know that till July or so.

You really aren't too far behind as long as you are renting a car for the whole trip and aren't hotel hopping. Look at off-site hotels too... There are many so close to the parks that they are closer than the Disneyland hotel even. And you'll want park hoppers, because the parks are closer to each other than you can imagine.... Closer than parking in a lot in wdw... Say AK... and its own gates.

 

[Disney845]

Just returned yesterday from a week at DL, our first time too! We did a few of the items you are doing too including Hollywood and Santa Monica Pier.

Of course YMMV depending on what you want to do, but Hollywood for us was a big disappointment and we probably spend 2 hours total walking around on a Tuesday late morning and taking in the sites (walk of fame, Dolby theater, TLC theater, El Capitan, etc), we didn't do any organized tour. It was very busy with tourists and tour groups. There were lots of people trying to give us pamphlets or CDs with their music on them. We parked at the Hollywood and Highland complex. You can get your parking validated by making a purchase in many stores or by just going to the tourist info booth where they validate for free. We paid $3 total after validation.

We combined our day in Hollywood with a trip to the Griffith Observatory and ended the night at the Staples Center for game 5 of the Spurs/Clippers Western Conference round one. The Griffith Observatory was WONDERFUL! I would highly recommend if you are even remotely interested in Astronomy or even just to get some great views of the Hollywood sign. Entrance and parking are free (be prepared to park quite a distance from the entrance and walk). The game at the Staples Center was also great. Spurs won in a very tight game!! Sadly they lost game 7 during our flight home Saturday night and are done for the year.

We spent about 1.5 hours at Santa Monica Pier on a Thursday afternoon (the amusement park was closed for a private event while we were there). We walked down to the end of the pier, saw a very cute seal begging for food from the fisherman like a dog might at the dinner table. There were some street performing musicians that were quite good. We walked out on the beach and dipped our toes in the water, would have been too cold for us to go swimming. We parked at the parking garage on the corner of Colorado Ave and 2nd St and paid $1.

We rented a car for our whole vacation from the LAX Alamo location. We got a midsize (Nissan Altima, 2015 with less than 5000 miles) with our Alamo Insider discount for $135 for a Saturday to Saturday rental. They pick you up at the airport and drive you to the rental facility (no rental facilities are on-site at LAX). I did NO driving. That is all SO's job. The traffic was not AS BAD as I had assumed it would be. That isn't to say it was smooth sailing the whole way, but I do not think it should deter you from renting.

 

[Bubblegum1286]

We are going to DL for the first time in October. It sounds very different from WDW. So I am trying to figure out how some of this works.
First of all, we are going the week of Columbus Day. We are planning on going to DL 4 days, Hollywood 1 day, Santa Monica Pier 1 day, and Huntington Beach one day. We are arriving The Saturday before Columbus Day around 1:30. So thinking of going to Santa Monica Pier that day. Then Huntington Beach Sunday (my daughter wants to see someone surfing). Then Hollywood Monday. We're renting a car. (Although that makes me nervous with Ca traffic)Then Tuesday going to DL and CA for 4 days with 1 day being a pool day with the Halloween party that night.
I don't know if that's the order in which we should do things. When we go to WDW, we stay there the whole week and don't do anything else. I know the COC?? is going on at DL that Sunday and the Utah schools are out that Thursday and Friday. Is this the best plan you think? I already feel way behind because I don't have anything booked except the plane tickets. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

You sound almost just like me. My DH is a band director at a high school. Two years ago, we got to take our DS (4 at the time) on a band trip with the HS kids to SoCal. We rode a bus, so there was no driving required on our part. This year, we're taking our SUV, driving from TX, and DH is nervous. We're doing 3 DLR days, 1 day Santa Monica pier/beach, 1 day sight seeing in LA.

If you google "Disneyland Crowd Levels" or "Disneyland crowd calendar" it can give you some travel agency sites that will show you how bad the crowds are anticipated to be the week that you'll be visiting.

Honestly, even if the crowd level is a 10 out of 10, it's not as horrible as you might think. I mean, if you get there at rope drop and get the "big rides" out of the way (or snag FPs first thing in the morning), you've got nothing to worry about. Yes, it'll still be slow-walking through crowds, but it's not unimaginable.

I would consider getting a Ridemax subscription. It's kind of like Ancestry.com in that you pay for a subscription to their services (I paid $14.99 for a 3 month subscription) and this program helps you plan out everything you want to do at DL and it structures your itinerary according to the shortest wait times for each attraction. I'm using it for the first time now, and I've only read good things about it. (here's a helpful article that explains it: http://gocalifornia.about.com/cs/disneyland/a/ridemax.htm)

If you search around online, you can find discounts for the Santa Monica pier. I would consider though, and this is just my opinion, choosing EITHER Huntington OR SM and not both. There's surfing at Huntington. There's a pier and a promenade at SM. Both beaches are otherwise similar. SM is more "touristy." We went in 2013, and it was worth it for the ferris wheel, but the pier isn't life changing. We also ate at Bubba Gump's just as the sun was setting, so that gave for some beautiful views. There are a lot of neat stores at the promenade and when we were there on a weekend night, there was live music and a street party going on with food trucks and a live band. It was neat. Just something to take into consideration.

If I understand correctly, you're doing 5 full days at DL/CA? Or is it 4 days at both combined? Are you doing park hoppers or just one park a day tickets?

 

[MickeyMinnieMelanie]

You should check out the Halloween time thread and there is a thread by hydroguy about dlr for wdw vets... Hopefully someone will help me with links... I am on my tablet and not that fancy.

I like the idea of hitting the other things on Saturday and Sunday... Since the parks are always busier on the weekends... But I think I would do DLR Monday thru Thursday if it were me... Good odds that one of those nights (Mon or Tues) will be a Halloween party too.... But we won't know that till July or so.

You really aren't too far behind as long as you are renting a car for the whole trip and aren't hotel hopping. Look at off-site hotels too... There are many so close to the parks that they are closer than the Disneyland hotel even. And you'll want park hoppers, because the parks are closer to each other than you can imagine.... Closer than parking in a lot in wdw... Say AK... and its own gates.

But, wouldn't there likely be a Halloween party Thursday and Friday too?
I'm planning to stay at DLH. I'm so used to staying onsite at WDW that I want to soak up every bit of magic.

 

[MickeyMinnieMelanie]

Just returned yesterday from a week at DL, our first time too! We did a few of the items you are doing too including Hollywood and Santa Monica Pier.

Of course YMMV depending on what you want to do, but Hollywood for us was a big disappointment and we probably spend 2 hours total walking around on a Tuesday late morning and taking in the sites (walk of fame, Dolby theater, TLC theater, El Capitan, etc), we didn't do any organized tour. It was very busy with tourists and tour groups. There were lots of people trying to give us pamphlets or CDs with their music on them. We parked at the Hollywood and Highland complex. You can get your parking validated by making a purchase in many stores or by just going to the tourist info booth where they validate for free. We paid $3 total after validation.

We combined our day in Hollywood with a trip to the Griffith Observatory and ended the night at the Staples Center for game 5 of the Spurs/Clippers Western Conference round one. The Griffith Observatory was WONDERFUL! I would highly recommend if you are even remotely interested in Astronomy or even just to get some great views of the Hollywood sign. Entrance and parking are free (be prepared to park quite a distance from the entrance and walk). The game at the Staples Center was also great. Spurs won in a very tight game!! Sadly they lost game 7 during our flight home Saturday night and are done for the year.

We spent about 1.5 hours at Santa Monica Pier on a Thursday afternoon (the amusement park was closed for a private event while we were there). We walked down to the end of the pier, saw a very cute seal begging for food from the fisherman like a dog might at the dinner table. There were some street performing musicians that were quite good. We walked out on the beach and dipped our toes in the water, would have been too cold for us to go swimming. We parked at the parking garage on the corner of Colorado Ave and 2nd St and paid $1.

We rented a car for our whole vacation from the LAX Alamo location. We got a midsize (Nissan Altima, 2015 with less than 5000 miles) with our Alamo Insider discount for $135 for a Saturday to Saturday rental. They pick you up at the airport and drive you to the rental facility (no rental facilities are on-site at LAX). I did NO driving. That is all SO's job. The traffic was not AS BAD as I had assumed it would be. That isn't to say it was smooth sailing the whole way, but I do not think it should deter you from renting.

Did you stay at the DLH and pay the parking?

 

[MickeyMinnieMelanie]

You sound almost just like me. My DH is a band director at a high school. Two years ago, we got to take our DS (4 at the time) on a band trip with the HS kids to SoCal. We rode a bus, so there was no driving required on our part. This year, we're taking our SUV, driving from TX, and DH is nervous. We're doing 3 DLR days, 1 day Santa Monica pier/beach, 1 day sight seeing in LA.

If you google "Disneyland Crowd Levels" or "Disneyland crowd calendar" it can give you some travel agency sites that will show you how bad the crowds are anticipated to be the week that you'll be visiting.

Honestly, even if the crowd level is a 10 out of 10, it's not as horrible as you might think. I mean, if you get there at rope drop and get the "big rides" out of the way (or snag FPs first thing in the morning), you've got nothing to worry about. Yes, it'll still be slow-walking through crowds, but it's not unimaginable.

I would consider getting a Ridemax subscription. It's kind of like Ancestry.com in that you pay for a subscription to their services (I paid $14.99 for a 3 month subscription) and this program helps you plan out everything you want to do at DL and it structures your itinerary according to the shortest wait times for each attraction. I'm using it for the first time now, and I've only read good things about it. (here's a helpful article that explains it: http://gocalifornia.about.com/cs/disneyland/a/ridemax.htm)

If you search around online, you can find discounts for the Santa Monica pier. I would consider though, and this is just my opinion, choosing EITHER Huntington OR SM and not both. There's surfing at Huntington. There's a pier and a promenade at SM. Both beaches are otherwise similar. SM is more "touristy." We went in 2013, and it was worth it for the ferris wheel, but the pier isn't life changing. We also ate at Bubba Gump's just as the sun was setting, so that gave for some beautiful views. There are a lot of neat stores at the promenade and when we were there on a weekend night, there was live music and a street party going on with food trucks and a live band. It was neat. Just something to take into consideration.

If I understand correctly, you're doing 5 full days at DL/CA? Or is it 4 days at both combined? Are you doing park hoppers or just one park a day tickets?

We're doing 3 full days at DL and 1 day at the resort pool with the Halloween party that night.
We're going to the pier for The amusement park. My daughter sees it on all of the movies.
We're going to Huntington Beach to see surfing because she wants to see that and it's famous in the Hollister stores.

 

[MickeyMinnieMelanie]

Just returned yesterday from a week at DL, our first time too! We did a few of the items you are doing too including Hollywood and Santa Monica Pier.

Of course YMMV depending on what you want to do, but Hollywood for us was a big disappointment and we probably spend 2 hours total walking around on a Tuesday late morning and taking in the sites (walk of fame, Dolby theater, TLC theater, El Capitan, etc), we didn't do any organized tour. It was very busy with tourists and tour groups. There were lots of people trying to give us pamphlets or CDs with their music on them. We parked at the Hollywood and Highland complex. You can get your parking validated by making a purchase in many stores or by just going to the tourist info booth where they validate for free. We paid $3 total after validation.

We combined our day in Hollywood with a trip to the Griffith Observatory and ended the night at the Staples Center for game 5 of the Spurs/Clippers Western Conference round one. The Griffith Observatory was WONDERFUL! I would highly recommend if you are even remotely interested in Astronomy or even just to get some great views of the Hollywood sign. Entrance and parking are free (be prepared to park quite a distance from the entrance and walk). The game at the Staples Center was also great. Spurs won in a very tight game!! Sadly they lost game 7 during our flight home Saturday night and are done for the year.

We spent about 1.5 hours at Santa Monica Pier on a Thursday afternoon (the amusement park was closed for a private event while we were there). We walked down to the end of the pier, saw a very cute seal begging for food from the fisherman like a dog might at the dinner table. There were some street performing musicians that were quite good. We walked out on the beach and dipped our toes in the water, would have been too cold for us to go swimming. We parked at the parking garage on the corner of Colorado Ave and 2nd St and paid $1.

We rented a car for our whole vacation from the LAX Alamo location. We got a midsize (Nissan Altima, 2015 with less than 5000 miles) with our Alamo Insider discount for $135 for a Saturday to Saturday rental. They pick you up at the airport and drive you to the rental facility (no rental facilities are on-site at LAX). I did NO driving. That is all SO's job. The traffic was not AS BAD as I had assumed it would be. That isn't to say it was smooth sailing the whole way, but I do not think it should deter you from renting.

Did you go see the Hollywood sign?

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

The Halloween party won't be every night of the week... Because the park it is held in completely closes for it... Most likely two days during the week (Monday or Tuesday, and Thursday or Friday)... And if it isn't Friday night, then the park will be very very busy on Friday gearing up for the long weekend.

 

[MickeyMinnieMelanie]

The Halloween party won't be every night of the week... Because the park it is held in completely closes for it... Most likely two days during the week (Monday or Tuesday, and Thursday or Friday)... And if it isn't Friday night, then the park will be very very busy on Friday gearing up for the long weekend.

If we did the park Mon-Thur, what would be you plan for arrival day, Sunday, and Friday?

 

[superlarz]

Keep in mind there may not be fireworks/fantasmic during the weeknights. If you want to see those things you may want to go to DL on one of your weekend days

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

I would split up your sightseeing... And go to your beaches etc on the weekend and the following Friday... The parks will be the quietest earlier in the week and further from Columbus Day weekend (avoiding both weekends)... So for me the best days would be Mon-Thurs... Lowest crowds are always a priority when going in a fairly busy season.

The only thing that would change my mind is when the nightly entertainment is published. If fantasmic or the fireworks aren't being held nightly (I think they may be because it is a busier time) I would switch and do the parks Sunday thru Wednesday to incorporate Sunday night and the nighttime entertainment.

 

[Disney845]

Did you stay at the DLH and pay the parking?

We stayed off site and walked to the parks, didn't pay for parking.

 

[Disney845]

Did you go see the Hollywood sign?

Just about everywhere in/near Hollywood had views of the sign. There was a nice viewing area at the Hollywood and Highland shopping complex as well as great views from the Griffith Observatory. I also snapped many pictures in the car just driving around the area.

 

[letsgoreds]

WDW vet here, with one trip (Feb) under her belt. I agree, schedule beach/touring (and resultantly driving) for busier weekend days. Traffic will be better. Just use Waze (popular map app) and pay attention to travel times before heading out. More of an issue M-F. Driving isn't bad, just trafficy. Much crazier driving in NY. No comparison.

The beaches are awesome. We went to Laguna Beach (Crescent Bay), and enjoyed the tidal pools (including some with kelp that were deep and clear enough to jump into when the tide went up), and sea lion rock...including a baby sea lion rescue, along with the beach itself and the gobs of surfers (fun to watch). We were there in Feb, and needed a dog friendly beach, so along came our 14yo lab. One of my favorite vacay days!

We stayed offsite (needed a place for our dog), and stayed at La Quinta Inn because of their pet policy and recent renovation. It was fine. We walked most of the time. We are DVC renting onsiters or deluxe stayers, and missed staying in the bubble, but the price differences were staggering. If we go again, we will plan way ahead and rent DVC VGC 7+ months in advance. We toured VGC and DLH, and preferred VGC for its themeing and location. I will say that Trader Sams (at DLH) was a favorite spot to hang out in the evening (outside, because of the kids), with live music and tiki torches. Pleased that they are bringing that to WDW!

The other must-do (IMO) is booking the Fantasmic dining package at Blue Bayou. I much preferred F! and POTC at DL, and this combines both! Arrive early to your reservation (and try to book the early side of dinner for first seating), and ask and wait for a water-side table. Everyone loved watching the boats going by, and even got chatty with them, LOL. The area for BB F! seating is the best, and receiving a foam pad to sit upon and having room to stretch out was totally worth it.

Everyone swears by hopping (the parks are crazy close), and we are hoppers at WDW, but given that this was our first time there, we didn't want to leave the park once we were there. Depending on the hours, and party schedule, you may want to add it on later on. For us, we only hopped when DCA closed earlier in the day (as it often does), and headed over (with the masses) to DL.

 

[letsgoreds]

Oh....and pay close attention to the early entrance schedule for each of the parks. Make sure to take advantage of this on one of your days at DL (should be included with 3+ day tickets), but understand that at DCA it is only for folks that stay onsite. Avoid those days at DCA where onsiters may enter early.

Get at the park 45min before ropedrop and follow advice (some on Ridemax) for positioning in the crowd. For us, this was only really important at DCA for Carsland...it is the coolest thing Disney has done (even in WDW), and there is huge demand for it. We arrived early, My husband took the kids (and stroller) and hung out to the right side of the line, and I stood to the left. I went for FP and then caught up with them before they entered the windy part of the line. I wanted to ride twice, and FP are out before lunch. I think it was 10:30 the day we were there. Enjoy a milk shake at Flo's V8, and sit near the street. It is fun to see full-size versions of Lightning McQueen, Tomater and the firetruck drive by. Best bubble ever!

So...basically the same touring logic at WDW applies to DLR, unless you have early access, avoid the park that is offering it that day.

 

[RKKUNK]

My family just went to WDW in Nov. for the first time and I didn't like all of the planning that I had to do before hand. I think you will find that DL is much more laid back. You really don't need all of the dining reservations like you do at WDW. Park hopping is not a big deal, the parks are only about the length of a football field apart. We usually start at rope drop at one park to get in rides that get busy later in the day and then hop over to the other park to get fastpasses and do some rides. Most times we end the day at DL because of fireworks or just because it stays open later than DCA most nights.

I think you might want to do the WOC dining package just because the show will be a new one and will probably be pretty crowded. The viewing area for the WOC package is pretty good.

I haven't seen Fantasmic since they started the new FP system, but most people that have done the dining package for the Blue Bayou seem to really like how easy that is and the seating is really good.

The DLH is really very expensive. We really like it, but there are other hotels within walking distance that are nice and some new ones are opening up late this summer. The Springhill Suites Anaheim Maingate is nice, pretty new, has breakfast, and is a short walk to the parks. They are a little more expensive than some hotels but I am really picky about cleanliness and this one is pretty clean. (The DLH is probably the cleanest though. IMO) A lot of families like the HoJo because of it's location and the water park that they have. If you do stay at DLH, you will have EMH where people who stay at the DLR hotels get in an hour before the park opens to everyone else at both DL and DCA on different mornings.

That time of the year I believe the only time they have the fireworks are Friday-Sunday. So, that might be something to consider since the new "Forever" fireworks will be new and look to be pretty awesome.

 

[Nicolette11785]

you may want to consider returning the rental car before going to disneyland. You really shouldn't need it wh I left at Disney so you could save some money by not having it an extra 4 days.

If you want fireworks/fantasmic then plan to be in DL on a weekend day. P

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

Here is a link to the historical park hours for last October... so you can get an idea of what was offered for the week you are going...

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=10&year=2014

When you see the DL park hours closing super early (6 or 7 pm) it was because there was a Halloween Party that night.

 

[MickeyMinnieMelanie]

Keep in mind there may not be fireworks/fantasmic during the weeknights. If you want to see those things you may want to go to DL on one of your weekend days

Friday, Saturday, or Sunday? Are there Halloween parties on Saturday? I don't really want to go to DL on arrival day (Sat) because it will only be 1/2 day.