Best Advice You Were Ever Given

[fantasia73]

I am scheduled to arrive tomorrow for my first ever stay at the Disneyland Hotel and my first visits to Disneyland and California Adventure.

Your challenge should you choose to accept it: Give me the one BEST piece of advice you have been given or have gleaned from the Disboards about anything related to the Disneyland Resort.

Go.

 

[lorijohnhill]

Start early.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Tip #1: Do not try and cram it all in in one span in one day. If you hit the park early, take a break mid day with a good meal, break at the hotel room, shower and a bit of rest then enjoy the park at night a bit recharged. Night time is my favorite time in the park...I have also dubbed it "The Crankiest Place on Earth" after dark as too many people try and barge through all day. Pace yourself. No fun getting burned out on day 1.

Tip #2: Change shoes EVERY day...even if you rotate back and forth between only two pairs of shoes. Your feet will fare much better.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Let the magic happen! No matter how much planning you do, remember to relax and go with the flow. After all, you're on vacation! Don't let stress and frustration kill your joy and drag down those around you.

 

[Rchellbell08]

Make a dining reservation to one of the table service restaurants! Blue bayou is very popular and you sit INSIDE the pirates of the Caribbean ride! The boats go by as you sit and eat It's really a cool atmosphere! Make reservations ASAP because a lot of the table service restaurants book fast.

Also, it's been said, but I couldn't agree more. Relax, take it in and enjoy it all! It's vacation, not a race to see everything at once! To really see it all and do everything you think you want to do in one vacation won't happen, unless you're very organized and time obsessed. Even then, it won't happen the way you want and be very much fun. Set out a good few things that are a must, and plan on seeing them sometime during your vacation. In the meantime, let it all sink in and just let the fun happen when it comes! It will

 

[Disney_Alli]

Get there BEFORE the park opens in the morning!!!






And oh yeah... HAVE FUN!!!!!

 

[realrellim]

Plan out your day (or days) using Touring Plans or something similar, making sure to start your day at rope drop or early morning/magic morning entry. We were able to do so much more than we dreamed of in two days and with much less stress than we expected. The best part was that our morning plan went so well that we were able to be relaxed in the afternoon.

 

[sherilaine]

The best advice I have ever given anyone is to come to the DISboards! The least prepared person here beats all the rest out there....

Get up early, extra early! There is something magical about getting to the parks she the rest are still in bed, cause then you can relax! I am the get up police in my family and oddly enough they get up so much happier to go to Disney rather than school.

 

[VandVsmama]

Start at rope drop and take a break mid-afternoon.

 

[azdisneylover]

Stay hydrated and wear sunscreen. Always have a bottle of water or a beverage to sip on throughout the parks and not wait until you feel thirsty. Bring a stick of sunscreen in your purse, pocket, etc to reapply in the parks. Even though you do not feel like you are getting sun, are, and you should reapply every couple of hours.

 

[Eosphotog]

Some of this has already been said:

- Start early. If you have early admission, use every minute of it.
- Stay hydrated
- Bring drinks and get cups of ice (free) - saves a ton of $ especially if you drink soda. But if you drink soda, make sure you also drink water.
- When you feel tired, take a break, especially if you have kids - for there will be much misery if people get tired and cranky
- Use FP to their full potential - which means always have at least one "connected" (so WOC doesn't count) FP in your possession at all times. Better yet - hold FP for E-tickets from both parks at the same time (but requires a runner)
- Hit fireworks as early in your stay as possible. They get cancelled at the slightest wind (e.g. tinker bell farts)
- Don't wear new shoes - this isn't a time to break in new shoes. We walked 30k+ steps / 15 miles per day.
- Sunscreen and hats
- Wish people wearing happy birthday buttons a happy birthday. Spread some love.
- Use the Disneyland app to get wait times and FP return times.
- Bring a battery tank AND run your phone in low-power mode
- Get a Disney VISA card. Use it before the trip to get the promotional gift cards ($250). Use it during the trip for M&G and store/food discounts.
- Fire hydrant (blue FP zone) view for WOC
- If you have young kids, bring them to a cast member, show them the CM badge, tell them if lost, find someone with one of these badges
- Take photos of your park admission cards (card ID numbers) in case they get lost

 

[sherilaine]

Some of this has already been said:


- Wish people wearing happy birthday buttons a happy birthday. Spread some love.
- If you have young kids, bring them to a cast member, show them the CM badge, tell them if lost, find someone with one of these badges
- Take photos of your park admission cards (card ID numbers) in case they get lost

Excellent!!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

...If you have young kids, bring them to a cast member, show them the CM badge, tell them if lost, find someone with one of these badges...

Ever since people started wearing fake CM badges (bought on Etsy or on some other website), we started taking our kids to official locations like the info kiosks, First Aid, City Hall, Chamber of Commerce, etc. The kids know that the CMs there are legit and will help them find us ASAP. Once our kids got older, we also told them about looking for a plaid. Sometimes it's quicker to find a plaid than it is to make it to City Hall.

 

[Disney127]

Be at rope drop, have a tentative plan, use FPs, take a break in the middle of the day if needed and enjoy!

 

[Caseheidi]

Two that come to mind are:
1) take a photo of your parking location with your cell phone. Nothing worse then forgetting where you are parked after a long day in the park.
2) remember to take time to stop and look around and let yourself be distracted. DLR is full of little gems to explore, and I know many people who are so busy getting from one location to the next that they never discover some of the best parts of the park. Even waiting in line, there is tons to see and discover.

And most of all, don't pack so much into your trip that you forget to have fun. It is suppose to be fun, but most people who don't are way too worried about the details.

 

[Disney_Alli]

Two that come to mind are:
1) take a photo of your parking location with your cell phone. Nothing worse then forgetting where you are parked after a long day in the park.
2) remember to take time to stop and look around and let yourself be distracted. DLR is full of little gems to explore, and I know many people who are so busy getting from one location to the next that they never discover some of the best parts of the park. Even waiting in line, there is tons to see and discover.

And most of all, don't pack so much into your trip that you forget to have fun. It is suppose to be fun, but most people who don't are way too worried about the details.

My absolute favorite tip I ever read is to take a picture of your child/ren in front of the parking sign. If you get seperated you don't have to remember what they're wearing and you have your parking location - plus if your kids are naturally nervous and might balk at having a picture taken "in case we get seperated" it becomes part of a game to help you find your car at the end of the night.

The funny part is I don't have kids but it's still my favorite tip!

 

[cruisehopeful]

Keep a water bottle and one snack with you always.

 

[Khokhonutt]

Keep a water bottle and one snack with you always.

Speaking of water, am I correct in assuming you can get free ice water at DLR, like you can at WDW? And I know water is a little different no matter where you are, but Florida water has it's own special funk. How's the water at DLR?

 

[ParkHopper1]

- Take photos of your park admission cards (card ID numbers) in case they get lost

This is actually an important one. If you snap a pic of the front and back of each ticket, Guest Services can cancel your ticket and reissue new one MUCH easier should one get lost or stolen. A few clicks could save a huge headache later.

Also, use the charge back feature with your room keys...that way you only have one bill to pay and not a gazillion credit card charges or have to worry about carrying a lo of cash.

 

[Indiana Scott]

For us one of the best bits of advice were to start at the back of the park. The hoards start at the front and work back or run to the most popular rides. Going directly to the back of Frontier/Adventure land will often reward you with super light crowds and no lines.
Strolling around those quiet area's with no more than a couple of dozen people in sight is sublime.