Are there any Dummies for DL books?

shopn24seven

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Aug 10, 2008
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lol. I am a WDW Girl but it seems lately all my friends are venturing out to Dl.
Are there DL discounts like WDW has? What is dining like? Is there ever FD?
I've hear you really only need 3 days, is this true?

I really need HELP.
 
There are discounts, but they are harder to find and not as plentiful as all the options for WDW. There are some great TS places to eat, like Plaza Inn and Blue Bayou (inside Pirates of the Caribbean), and a few character meals too, but there is less emphasis on these types of meals than at WDW. There is no FD. I hear a lot of people say you only need 3 days, but to do everything at a leisurely pace, four or five days is optimal. Overall, DL is a different experience from WDW and everyone should try them both at least once.

As for books, The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland is about half the size of it's WDW counterpart, but still full of invaluable info. The Birnbaum's Official guide is also helpful, though not nearly as extensive.
 
Thank you SO much for your info. I will try to get one of the DL books and look up the restaurants. I think Good Neighbor hotels fits my budget over GCH and the other two.
 
The issue with books is they are out of date by the time they are released. You can get much more & update information here.

In regards to dining, Disneyland does not have Dinning Plans like WDW, so with that also means no "free dinning."
 

lol. I am a WDW Girl but it seems lately all my friends are venturing out to Dl.
Are there DL discounts like WDW has? What is dining like? Is there ever FD?
I've hear you really only need 3 days, is this true?

I really need HELP.

Adding to the good responses by the PP...

This may hep with dining "What WDW Vets Need to Know About Dining at DLR" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2914467

Only need three days at DLR? It depends on what you want to do. And when you go.

First take care about choosing dates: "What You Should Know About Off-Season at DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889. Second, would you tell a first time visitor to WDW that they only need six days? I think that is not enough to see WDW even though it is enough to have a nice visit. So yes you can have a lot of fun and see a lot in three days at DLR, but if you want to leave feeling like you had enough time you really need at least four days. Five is better but I would not go for less than four.

:wizard:
 
The issue with books is they are out of date by the time they are released. You can get much more & update information here.

In regards to dining, Disneyland does not have Dinning Plans like WDW, so with that also means no "free dinning."

I would imagine the guides are a great place to start (I've pre-ordered the 2016 Unofficial WDW guide myself) and the DIS boards and similar are great to keep up to date on info. and ask questions.
 
I've found the Unofficial Guide really helpful. There is some info that changes but the touring plans site has some of that updated.
 
I would imagine the guides are a great place to start
I've found the Unofficial Guide really helpful.

For first time visitors guidebooks can be a starting place. I read/had both the official & unofficial guides 14 years ago when planning my first/only trip to WDW. But for DL, which we visit much more frequently, I do not find them at all helpful.
 
I haven't read the Unofficial Guide to DL in a long time because they'd just rehash the same material from the WDW guide. Have they finally acknowledged that DL works differently than WDW?
 
My guide for DLR was disboards.com, haha. DLR is so much less complicated!
 
I haven't read the Unofficial Guide to DL in a long time because they'd just rehash the same material from the WDW guide. Have they finally acknowledged that DL works differently than WDW?

I read the Unofficial Guide to WDW last year and I'm currently reading the Unofficial Guide to DLR now. A lot of the general info is the same, but with MyMagic+/Fastpass+ a lot of the info differs. I wouldn't substitute the books for forums like this, but they are an excellent resource and I probably wouldn't plan a trip without at least a skim of the current edition.
 
I agree; I'm a pretty experienced DL visitor and I still pick up the Unofficial Guide-party because it helps get me excited, but the planning is very different than it is for WDW and I think they explain that well.
 
Having made my first trip last year, I highly recommend the Unofficial Guide and several of the long-standing threads on this board.
 
lol. I am a WDW Girl but it seems lately all my friends are venturing out to Dl.
Are there DL discounts like WDW has? What is dining like? Is there ever FD?
I've hear you really only need 3 days, is this true?

I really need HELP.
You will be perfectly fine staying off site at DLR, there is no comparison with WDW for proximity of hotels. Pick someplace close (preferably)and walk or with shuttle service. I am a 10 day WDW person, and 5 days at DLR should be sufficient to feel like you saw just about everything. No matter which park, I always feel like I could have seen more...I guess that's why we all keep coming back :). Planning for meals is super simple at DLR. Depends on if you have kids/ages, but it's just easier at DLR. Pick a few reservations and wing the rest...you'll be fine :) Enjoy and relax!!
 
I am a WDW veteran who went to DLR for the first time as an adult with kids for Christmas 2013. I initially bought a book at the local Barnes and Noble only to discover that even though it had been published fairly recently, it was extremely out of date when it came to DCA - LOL. As in it was not current on the rides in the slightest. The Dis board was one of my best resources but I have to be honest and say I am a planner and a book person - I like to make notes in the margins and dog ear pages (yes I am still a study geek, what can I say). I bought the Disneyland Book of Secrets (One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous, and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Place on Earth) by Leslie Le Mon off of Amazon and cannot say enough good things about it. Warning, it is HUGE but full of very valuable information.

We were there for 3.5 days of park time and no, it was not enough for us. There are just as many rides at DLR and DCA combined as there are at all four of the WDW parks in total - do not let the fact there are only 2 parks trick you. I actually can now say that I prefer DLR over WDW, I just wish it was closer. There is something to be said for truly being able to park hop and never having to set foot on a bus! I am going back for Christmas 2015 and cannot wait!
 




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