5 days at Disneyland and CA Adventure

[Neal Hooper]

We are going to DL and CA for 5 whole days as a family and with my brother and sister-in-law (4 adults, 2 children [2 yo and 1 yo])

Any good strategies for getting the most out of a 5 day Disney land trip? We want to do all the fun things you normally don’t have time for on a quicker 1-2 day trip like the character meetups, parades, restaurants, hidden secrets, etc.

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[meggiebeth]

I think a lot depends on when you’re going as to how you’d plan to get the best out of your trip. We went from Wednesday to Saturday, and had four days in the parks. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (during the day) were blissfully quiet - queues for rides were non existent and we got so much done. Saturday was horrendously busy - probably the worst experience with crowds I’ve had at a Disney park. You could barely move, and ride times were very high. We left after half an hour that day, but luckily had already done most of what we wanted the days before.

So, I’d say the first thing to try is booking over week days to avoid the weekend crowds, and to hopefully avoid local school vacation times as well.

If you can, stay at a Disney hotel so that you can use extra magic hours and enjoy the nostalgia. We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and spent a lot of time there in the afternoons enjoying the pool and walking around the hotel. I believe that even offsite hotels are close to the parks at DLR, but staying at the Disneyland Hotel made things that much easier for us.

MaxPass is worth considering if in the budget.

Make sure you book any meal reservations before your trip. Definitely try Cafe Orleans - the food is incredible and sitting out watching the world go by is a great experience.

Get FastPasses to World of Color in the morning, and try to see it on a week night. The show is incredible and not to be missed.

I’m sure others will have even more to suggest, but hopefully some of these things help!

 

[DisMommyTX]

Maxpass is a much better investment than staying at a Disney resort, particularly if you are going during a busy time. Unless you can afford Grand Californian, I recommend staying at one of the hotels across the street as walking in with a stroller will be easier and faster than dealing with busses and convenient for naps.

1 and 2 yo are a bit young, but my kids really enjoyed the challenge trails. They may have a toddler area over there as well. We loved the streetmosphere at DCA, particularly if you are there during one of their frequent festivals. Definitely see all of the parades and fireworks. If it's too late for the kids, try to trade off so that the parents can have an extra couple hours one evening too. Don't miss the Animation Academy. That was one we all wanted to revisit over and over!

When we travel on longer trips, on the way in to the park each day, every person chooses one big and one small thing they want to do that day. Could be a major ride, certain restaurant, parade, or Mickey ice cream, etc.; everything else is optional based on convenience. It gives you some goals for each day without feeling compelled to squeeze in too much.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Welcome to the boards! A few questions to help us answer you more specifically and give you suggestions better tailored to your trip:
What are your trip dates? Do you have any previous Disney experience of any kind (e.g. WDW -- veteran? newbie?, DCL, any other Disney parks? How recently?, etc.) Will this be a first Disney trip for any adults in your group? Any special needs (e.g. food needs/allergies/sensitivities, mobility issues, medical issues, etc.)? Any celebrations during your trip? The more info and detail you can give us, the better we can help you!
This thread has lots of good info about DLR area hotels: www.disboards.com/threads/choosing-the-right-hotel-for-you.3656512/. On site and off both have pros and cons. DLR tickets just had a price hike, but there are promotional tickets available now for certain dates. Check the DLR website to see if your dates fall before the expiration. M&Gs at DLR do not usually require a FP, so meeting characters is pretty easy. Any specific characters you want to meet? Character meals allow you to meet multiple characters in one place. Some characters have specific locations. Lots of characters roam freely (some without handlers), so they meet you! You can find character locations and meeting times on the official Disneyland App (free to download). Download the app well ahead of your trip to get used to using it. Make sure you have the latest version.
Give us a bit more detail about your trip and your group, and we'll give you all the answers to your questions and more!

 

[chickapin parterre]

if it is a vacation, then:
*high % of lodging choices are within afternoon walking distances for naps, hydration, shower, this will allow you to rest and take in the late night activities
*having a spouse stay behind in the evening to babysit allows for maximum riding of E ticket attractions over and over and over.
*exploring the needs of your group..early risers?...two cups of coffee?....cold?....water or beverage?.....and it use to be wait times and waiting in lines for parades, meets and food, but now with maxpass, not such an issue anymore.
* hidden secrets? is that the same as secret themed features thru out Disneyland.....or do you want to know about the cold water secret?

 

[Neal Hooper]

Wow! You are all amazing thanks for the warm welcome to the community. Here are a few more details:

- We will be in the park Monday (Jan 20) through Friday (Jan 25).

- Our group is pretty experienced with Disney Parks. My wife and I went to Disney World on our honeymoon and we’re just in DL and CA two years ago for 3 days.

- Park looks busy on Monday according to a “busy-ness” calendar we found online but looks very empty the rest of the time.

- We are staying in an AirBnB about 10 minutes from the park and are renting a car through Turo

- We are currently planning to do DL on Monday and then alternate between the parks (not park hopping during the day) for a grand total of 3 days in DL and 2 days in CA

- We are very interested in strategies in regards to dividing our time between meet and greets, rides, food, parades, etc. Should we dedicate one day to all rides and then another day to more meet and greets/parades? Or should we do a blend?

- Would love to know all the magical / fun little secrets there might be (tasty menu items, really fun hidden mickeys, etc.) but also any secrets regarding the parks themselves and how to get the most out of them (sounds like the max pass is pretty nice?)

Thanks again, we are so excited and I am SO grateful to have found these message boards!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Is there a reason you won't be park hopping? Will you be getting MaxPass (digital FP)? If so, then park hopping will allow you to get the most advantage from it because you will be able to book FPs for one park while still in the other park. With the Monday of your trip being MLK day, both parks will be busy. MP will help you make the most of your day if you want to do rides that day. Hopping lets you move freely to avoid the peak crowds -- one park too crowded? Hop to the other park! Many regulars here park hop just for food.
Glance over the thread titles on the first few pages of this forum -- there are lots of threads that pertain to exactly the topics you are interested in!