1st timer needs planning help!!!

[COscrapper]

Hi everyone,

Looks like this is the place to get advice for planning a Disneyland trip, so I'll just shoot: we are going Sept. 16-20 and have never been there before. It will be my husband, 4-year-old son, and me on the trip - I will be 6 1/2 months pregnant at the time. We are staying at a good neighbor hotel within walking distance. Tried to look up some info by searching the forums, but it didn't really work very well. Here are my current questions:

What is the best way to buy park tickets? On the Disney website and print them at home? We will only have 3 days in the park, so don't really need the 5-for-3 deal...just a 3-day park hopper.

Are some days better than others for using the early entry, or does it not matter?

We would like to make reservations for dinners at Goofy's Kitchen and Blue Bayou. Are there any other "really good" restaurant experiences we should book in advance? Oh, and can we save money by eating lunch at BB instead of dinner? From the menu I saw online, it looks like the prices are the same for lunch and dinner.

We want to make sure we can really see fantasmic, especially with our 4-year-old. How difficult is it to get a "good spot" and where do we need to wait? Is it worth it to buy the outrageously expensive dessert seating that I heard about somewhere, and what does that involve exactly? Are there any other restaurants we could plan to be at for the show that would give us a decent view (I thought I read something about that somewhere)?

We fly in on Wed., and will have Thurs, Fri., and Sat. at the park -fly home on Sun. It looks like fantasmic and fireworks are only on Fri. and Sat., which will make for long days so I'm thinking we will go back to the hotel in the afternoon for a break on those days. Is it good or bad to have dinner reservations at the park on those days vs. Thurs.?

Anything else I should know?

THANK YOU in advance!

 

[kari12177]

We were there the same time last year and it was HOT. Hopefully the weather will be good for you since your pregnant. I get a lot of info on hotels from tripadvisor.com. We always get our tickets from AAA, but you can even buy DL tickets in the grocery stores now. I was sooo wanting to buy one!
We ate at the BB two times and one time was good and the next time our monte cristos were really greasy. Both times were lunch and i dont think theres much of a differ in price compared to dinner, but idk. We made the ressies 30 days inadvance and we got waterside which we asked for, but we were behind the trees and boat, so I wouldnt call it waterside.

 

[ballarinamom]

The closest good neighbor hotels at Best Western Park Place, Tropicana, Park Vue and Sesert Inn. Call direct to see if the have better rates. I have found that their websites are not always the cheapest. These hotels are actually closer than The Disney properties. That makes break time easier.
We do the premium seating for Fantasmic but I see folks camping out on the stoop that runs just below the seating area. I have heard that you can get a little wet from the mist if you sit there but I don't know. There really isn't a restaurant to have a good vies of F! while you eat because so many folks walk in front of you and stop. Eventhough security will scoot them on, it's annoying.
Minnie and Freinds at the Plaza Inn is a fun character meal. Pooh and friends and a few others are there.
BB used to have a price difference for lunch and dinner but as most things at BB change so did the prices. The main difference is that the Monte Cristo is not on the dinner menu
We like MM on Saturday because the crwods are larger on the weekends and we can get a few more rides in before the crowds make it in. We also will do Minnies at 10:15ish as a brunch after riding rides
Keep in mind that the fireworks can be easily cancelled for high winds even on beautiful days. After four different 5 day trips, we finally got to see them this last time. So try to see them Friday as Saturday will be a back up

 

[goldies 5]

I agree that Saturday for MM is best. You should compare ticket prices with Ares.com. Getaway.com also to see if you casave a few dollars.
I have bee to DL both 8 months pregnant and 1 and a half monnths pregant. I personally think six months will be perfect. I had much more fun the time I was further along. Just make sure you give yourself a lot of chances to sit down so you don't get to swelled or tired. Keep in mind that walking back and forth between hotels can be exhausting pregnant. First time we were at GC no problem. Last year barely pregnant at the HoJo's nearly killed me. And I am very active.
September is usually a good month to go but it can get very hot.
We have waited for F for 2 hours before. It was unecessary for us to do that. I just really wanted to sit in front. Thing is the view wasn't as great as I expected from this point. Now we just catch it from over by the benches along HM. We get great views and no waiting. Much better for our family. It is expensive to do F seating.
GK will be fun for your 4 year old. Take the Monorail out of the park, so you won't have to walk as far, then take it back in. You should have a blast.

 

[disneynerd420]

I say buy your tickets online and print them at home. Just go to the gate with your printed voucher and they will provide you with a printed ticket. It saves waiting in line at the ticket booths.

 

[Brady's Mom]

If you are flying in on Weds. and flying out on Sun. it might be worth it to get the 5 for 3 tickets since they are the same price. That way you can spend a little bit of time at the parks on those days even if you won't have more than a few hours. Just think of it as a bonus.

Fantasmic dessert seating was great. DH and I did it in mid-July. I would do it again with my family, but not until my 4 yr old is older. He would be scared by some of the elements of the show. I loved being able to sit on a chair to view the show and then to watch the fireworks from the same spot, although you don't get the projections on the castle from the F! viewing area, you get a good view of the fireworks. If you want to preview F! check it out on youtube, that way you can decide if it is worth waiting a long time to see or paying the price for dessert seating and if your 4 yr old will like it.

My younger kidlets don't make it to fireworks if they haven't had a nap. Our 7 yr. old fell asleep 5 minutes before the show started when we were there in May. Literally 5 minutes. He was just tooo tired and we hadn't gone back to the hotel for a nap. Our 4 yr old fell asleep at least 1/2 hour before the show.

You will only have Thurs. and Sat. for your MM, unless you get the 5 for 3 tickets and can go into the park early on Sun. morning. Prevailing wisdom on MM is to use it as early as you can, because as you go on in your trip you get more tired and getting up early is harder. I would use my MM on Thursday.

I would buy the tickets from the DL site. Like a PP said, you can print them at home and go straight to the turnstile and avoid the ticket booth. Sometimes the ticket booth lines are LONG. It might be worth spending 2 or 3 extra dollars to avoid the ticket booth line. (I don't know what the prices are??)

DH and I had dinner reservations at the park (Cafe Orleans) on the day we were going to see Fantasmic and we also went back to our hotel for a rest/nap. It was nice to have a definite time to be back at the park and a reason to get up from that nice comfy bed when our legs were sooo tired. I would recommend PS for that evening, but mostly because it worked for us.

 

[COscrapper]

Thank you so much, everyone! Your tips are really helpful. Now of course I have even more questions, though:

goldies5: Didn't you use the Hojo shuttle? Right now we have reservations at both Hojos and Candy Cane Inn. We wanted Hojo's first, but right now they are booked for the room we want on our last night, and we would have to switch rooms which would be a major pain. They said to keep checking in to see if they get a cancellation for that night. So that's what I'm doing, but if it doesn't work out, our backup is Candy Cane Inn. I definitely wanted a shuttle since I am pregnant and DS will probably be passed out (or close to it) when we leave the park each day. I'm assuming your "F" meant Fantasmic (not fireworks?). And what is "HM" - the benches where you sat?

Disneynerd: are online park tix dated or can I print them anytime (today, if I want)? I thought I saw somewhere that the 5-for-3 deal ended Aug. 11.

Brady'sMom: yes, we will of course get the 5-for-3 deal if they still have it, just cuz they're the same price. I doubt we'll be able to use it more than 3 days, though. Did I read your post right that you can see Fantasmic AND fireworks in the same spot??? Right now, the schedule for the Fri. and Sat. we are there says Fantasmic at 9, and fireworks at 9:25. Are they close to each other? I assumed we'd have to miss fireworks on whatever night we watch Fantasmic, no? Speaking of shows, what else should we not miss? Since a lot of them are only on weekends, it's looking like it will be harder to fit them all in. I think DS would really enjoy the Pixar parade and playhouse disney, but is aladdin better? I went to DW once as a kid and loved the Muppet show, which I see they also have at DL. I did show both DH and DS a youtube video of Fant. and they were REALLY into it. Also, do you think it will be tricky for us to use our MM on our first day there, since we won't have any idea what we're doing? Do we have to enter at a special place? Do we need a special pass or just our reg. tix that we print out on the computer?

Those of you that have gone to DL with a 4-year-old, do you take a stroller? Our son would not use it most of the day, which means we would have to push it around empty, but it sure would be handy at the end of the day when he's too tired to walk - cuz he's too heavy to carry anymore!

Also, is there a list somewhere of rides I can still go on while pregnant? Obviously roller coasters are out, but a lot of the others look tamer than driving our minivan!

Sorry for all the questions - THANK YOU!

 

[Kayla's Mom]

We have stayed at Hojos when I was 7 months pregnant. We were in the parks 3 days and I walked back and forth each day without a problem, but I can definitely see where it could be a problem depending on what stage of pregnancy you are at, etc. We have never used the shuttle while staying there. We get the strollers in the park, so my girls walk from Hojos. My oldest used a stroller until she was 5. They are very handy to carry backpacks, etc. as well.

You can see the fireworks from Fantasmic, but obviously won't get the view you would get if you were right in front of the castle.

If I had to choose between the Pixar Parade and Playhouse Disney vs. Aladdin, I would definitely choose the parade and Playhouse Disney, my girls enjoyed both much more so than Aladdin.

For MM, they will have the lines they will use marked with Magical Morning. When you give them your printout they will swap it for the actual parkhopper card, as disneynerd said. They will then deduct the MM from the parkhopper.

As far as rides you can go on while pregnant, you can go on most of them, I think pretty much anything with a height restriction would be out (although some people have said they went on Soarin'. I can't remember if I did or not).

Something else your son might enjoy is at Coke Corner on Main Street they do musical chairs with Alice and the Mad Hatter. It's not something that's advertised, but they have done it at 2:30 when we have been there on previous trips. We got there a few minutes early and sure enough...Alice walked right up to DD7 and asked her to play musical chairs with her.

 

[COscrapper]

Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe I should just post a tentative schedule and see what you all think. I don't really want to have every little thing planned out, but I do want to have a general idea of what we're doing so that we make sure we see everything we can. Let me know if you see any glaring issues with the following (being on opposite ends of the park for activities that are timed close together, etc.):

Wed. Sept. 16 - our flight arrives at John Wayne about 2:30 p.m. I think. I'm sure it will take some time to get to our hotel and check in, then we're thinking of checking out downtown Disney for dinner and DS really wants to see the Lego store (anyone know when that closes on a Wed., by the way?). We won't have to use our park tix for downtown Dis, right? If we are at the Hojo, maybe have time to use their waterpark.

Thurs. Sept. 17 - park hours are only 10 to 8, no fireworks, Fant., or Pixar Parade
- spend day getting in as many rides as possible at Disneyland, get acclimated
- dinner at Blue Bayou or Goofy's Kitchen if we can get reservations
- maybe catch the street parade at 7 p.m., if we're out of dinner in time.

Fri. Sept. 18 - park hours 9 to midnight
- use our MM entry since we might be too tired for it on Sat???
- try to squeeze in a rest at the hotel after lunch? Don't know if we can do this and still see most of CA later
- go to CA in the afternoon (4ish?). Is it possible to see Playhouse Disney or Aladdin (both are at 4:15), and then catch the Pixar Parade at 5:15?
- when CA closes at 8 p.m., head back over to Disneyland for rides and fireworks (possibly Fantasmic if we can do both night shows at once???)

Sat. Sept. 19 - park hours 8 to midnight
- get to DL at opening, ride whatever we haven't ridden and see whatever shows we haven't seen
- take a midday rest at hotel
- Street Party parade is on at 3:30 and 6:30 today, so hopefully we can catch it if we miss it the first day.
- dinner at either Blue Bayou or Goofy's Kitchen (whichever we haven't been), if we can get reservations
- see Fantasmic or fireworks (whichever we missed the night before).

Sun. Sept. 20 - flight leaves at 1 p.m., so we will probably have to just pack up and get to the airport.

If we stick with this general schedule, we will only have 4 hours at CA and probably won't get to see all the shows we'd like, right? What do you all think? Will we need to go back to CA on Sat.?

As far as rides go, is 3 days enough time to do pretty much everything, or are we really going to have to hurry, use fastpasses, strategize, etc.? Suddenly 3 days doesn't look like a whole lot of time!

Thanks SO MUCH.

 

[Kayla's Mom]

- use our MM entry since we might be too tired for it on Sat???

MM is only offered Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday.

I think 3 days should be a good amount of time to see most everything. Still take advantage of FP of course, but generally September is a slower time of year.

Forgot to mention in my previous post, but DH and I will be there the same dates as you.

 

[goldies 5]

Candy Cane Has it's own personal shuttle. Hojo's would have to use the Art system. We didn't because it takes as long as walking there. I also didn't realize I would be that tired, so I just sucked it up. But it was a hard walk pregnant. You will be walking enough at the DL, CA and DD disney.
Yes, I am sorry I meant Fatasmic. The benches run right along the front of the Haunted Mansion facing the Rivers of America. We have been there many different seasons and crowd levels, but this area is always less crowded and you don't have to wait at all.

 

[Brady's Mom]

If you have a spot for Fantasmic on Fri. night and watch the show either in the reserved seating or whatever spot you get, if you stay right where you are the fireworks start like 2 minutes after Fantasmic is over. You might have wondered why people were giving you dirty looks when you stood up after the show.

Since your plane gets into John Wayne at 2:30, it might take you until 3:15 to actually get to DLR. And since DL doesn't close until 8 pm that gives you at least 4 good hours to go to the park. Eat dinner there, watch a parade if it is running. Or, you could go to CA and check out Bug's land for your 4 yr. old. It's a great place to start since all of the rides are open. No dark rides there.

It is NO BIG DEAL to walk between DL and CA - about 100 yards. Really, they are 2 minutes apart.

Definitely park hop from DL to CA on a regular basis. That way you can plan which shows and rides you want at each place. Totally worth going back and forth.

Use your MM on Thurs. There are signs that show you which gates to go into - just look for the ones that say *Magic Morning*! Get in line at 8:30 am and be first in line for MM. Head to Fantasyland and ride Peter Pan (first, always first), then choose whatever other rides you want. Dumbo, Alice, Teacups, Matterhorn, Buzz, Space Mtn. (My 4 yr old LOVES Space).

If you aren't riding a certain ride because of being pregnant, but your son is tall enough to ride - get a FP for your ticket, anyway.

Since your plane isn't leaving until 1 pm on Sun. and you don't have to even leave for the airport until about 11 am (and that is really early) you could still go to DLR for a few hours. Chances are DL opens at 8 am (I didn't check) - go to the park for a couple of hours and ride any rides that you might want to do again, go back to the hotel, check out and go to the airport.

Ta Dah! You have used your 5 for 3 tickets and maximized your time at DLR and had a blast.

Good luck with your planning.

 

[COscrapper]

I have been offline a few weeks because my laptop about died - but thanks again for all the help. We are now just a little over a week away from our trip!

We will do the MM on Thursday, cuz I am SURE we won't be able to get up early enough on Saturday. I also got PS today for Goofy's Kitchen (Thurs.) and Blue Bayou (Fri.). Spoke with Hojo also and they DID get a cancellation our last night so we can stay in the same room for our entire stay. Thought we were all set, but now husband is making me think twice about the Hojo vs. the CCI. Price is pretty much the same, but he thinks we could save money with the free breakfast and shuttle at CCI...what do you think? Would it really save us that much to be worth it? My son would just LOVE the pool at the Hojo; I don't know what to do now!

Also looks like the 5-for-3 day park hopper tix are no longer available, like I thought. Not really a problem, since we will only have 3 days in the park anyway. Should I go ahead and buy the tix on the Disneyland website, or is there a better/cheaper way?

 

[disneynerd420]

Well the online price is significantly reduced usually from the gate price. I have never bought tickets any where else. I'm sorry I cannot be more help.