Disneyland in summer. When and helpful hints?

[lindym]

WE have been to Walt Disney World over 15 times and would love to go to Disneyland. It would be me (mom) and 18 year old son. He is a Disney fanatic and this would be a graduation present. We are ultra experienced with Disney World but do not know anything about doing Disneyland. Any input would help. First would be going during summer either every end of June. anytime in July or begin of August. What time would you suggest and why? Any other helpful hints. We will stay on the Disney grounds and won't rent a car. Best way to get from LAX to Disneyland and what is near Disneyland that we can also do without spending a ton on transportation. Any can't miss or must do things at Disneyland. Thanks so much in advance.

 

[darph nader]

WE have been to Walt Disney World over 15 times and would love to go to Disneyland. It would be me (mom) and 18 year old son. He is a Disney fanatic and this would be a graduation present. We are ultra experienced with Disney World but do not know anything about doing Disneyland. Any input would help. First would be going during summer either every end of June. anytime in July or begin of August. What time would you suggest and why? Any other helpful hints. We will stay on the Disney grounds and won't rent a car. Best way to get from LAX to Disneyland and what is near Disneyland that we can also do without spending a ton on transportation. Any can't miss or must do things at Disneyland. Thanks so much in advance.

Never been to WDW,but from what I understand,D/l is more intimate. Smaller.Which month you should go is a tough call,up to you. The weather will be a little nicer(my dad was stationed in Biloxi). I believe there's a shuttle from LAX to the park. We always drive.Defitnally do POTC,better than WDW(from what i hear).Whatever you decide HAVE a FUN and SAFE TRIP!

 

[lindym]

Hi You posted the weather will be a little nicer. The weather will be a little nicer when?

 

[iceskatejen]

S CA doesn't have the humidity FL does, so I think that was what was meant by the weather would be a little nicer. If you want the coolest, go with June or early July (I recommend waiting until after June 24 because that's the day of the POTC 2 premiere, DL closes early that day, and it'll be nuts, plus you might as well wait until the POTC ride has reopened on June 26). Mid-July through August is when S CA really starts heating up (read 90+), and while we don't have the oppressive humidity, it's still uncomfortable.

 

[HydroGuy]

I am in the opposite boat as you, with many DLR trips and first trip to WDW next week. Unlike many others, I am a big fan of DLR in the summertime.

June will be a little milder than July or August. I wouldn't let that be the deciding factor though. For the most part, all three months will be warm. We went early August in 2005, and all of the days were 82-85 degrees. We got lucky. I have been there when it is 100 degrees, and still had a great time. No humidity in CA makes it a much different experience than FL in the summer.

So here is a rundown of some advice for you to peruse, specifically for 2006:


1. Late June this year will have some unique disruptions. POTC will reopen June 24, and the movie premiere will be held June 24.

Check out this article: http://www.miceage.com/allutz/al041806a.htm

POTC is a personal favorite, and by almost everyone's account much better at DL than MK. So I would not go before June 24.

The June 24 event will also disrupt Fantasmic performances, so pay attention to that.


2. DLR draws more locals than WDW, which means weekends are always busier than weekdays. And holiday weekends are busier still. That means stay away from July 4.

We plan our days as far from weekends as possible. Last August we had a four day trip, and went Mon-Thurs.


3. I have read up on WDW a lot, and the park dynamics at DLR are much different than WDW. One obvious difference is that there are two parks instead of four. But the two parks are so physically close to each other (1 minute walk gate to gate) that it is easy to hop back and forth multiple times if you want. At WDW there is a significant time loss to park hop, and you need transportation to do it.

In addition, the easy parkhopping makes DCA look less like a separate park and more like an extension of DL - sort of like CaliforniaLand. We treat DL and DCA as one big park, instead of two. But the fact there are two parks has implications on things like FastPass - the systems are not connected between the parks.

Further, the closeness of the hotels makes it even easier to take afternoon breaks. We stayed at a good neighbor hotel last year that was a five minute walk from the DLR gate. We never got in our car, or on a bus or tram all week. Just used our feet, which means no waiting for transportation.

So, tips for touring DLR are similar to WDW. Arrive early (15-30 minutes before the park opens), collect FastPasses throughout the morning for later use, take 3-6 hour break mid-day to your swimming pool and air-conditioned hotel room (and take a nap), return to the parks late afternoon or early evening with all of your FastPasses, and stay until midnight.


4. The Early Entry (EE) program at DL (DCA does not have one formally) plays a big role in traffic patterns. EE lets selected guests into DL one hour early into selected rides in FantasyLand and TomorrowLand (Mon/Tue/Thurs/Sat). Most of the FantasyLand rides are slow loaders, so if you show up in FantasyLand on an EE day (and you do not have EE that day) the lines will be long before you ever get into the parks. Moral of the story? Only do FantasyLand during EE when you have EE, or first thing on a non-EE day.

Because Wed is farthest from the weekend and does not have EE, it is the absolute best day to go to DL. Do your DCA day or days when DL has EE.


5. The DLR FastPass system has idiosyncracies that do not exist at WDW. If you learn these, you can simplify picking up FastPasses.

Read my DLR FastPass thesis here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885132


6. If you stay at a DLR hotel and book thru AAA, you can get Enhanced FastPass. Read about EFP here:

http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=43193

Note that I would only get EFP if I was already planning to stay at a DLR hotel. I would not pay for a DLR hotel just to get this perk - which I think is overrated.


7. The Remember Dreams Come True fireworks.laser/special effects show is just awesome - do not miss it. It was designed especially for the DL 50th anniversary. But you will only get the full effect if you are close enough to the castle to see all the effects. This means that tons and tons of people jam into the hub to see it. Do some research on this. We got a good spot about one hour before it started.


Put it altogether and what do you get? Well, some time between June 24 and July 4 might be good, or anytime after July 4. The park hours and shows will be maxed out during the whole time. So it will all be fairly equal as far as crowds.

But I would not let crowds scare you. By getting to the parks early, taking breaks, and going back in the evening with FastPasses, we never waited more that 20 minutes for any ride. Usually it was less than 10 minutes. And we rode everything we wanted multiple times and saw all the shows and parades.

 

[darph nader]

Sorry I didn't clarify myself. That's why i included the Miss. reference.HUMIDITY. In Tucson it gets HOT,exept during monsoon season.Then it's hot & humid.

 

[lindym]

Thanks everyone so far for the info. Any more would be appreciated. Any where around Disneyland we could go for a day???

 

[Mousemom]

We have been to DL several times and will be driving down again end of June. We went a couple of years ago the same time. Weather was warm but not humid, crowds were manageable. We stayed at Paradise Pier for the first time and found that we prefer DL hotel. We have stayed here a few times and really feel that it gives a more Disney feel for us. We also like how close it is to DD and the parks, the pool is great, and there are more places for eating right at the hotel. It is not like WDW where each hotel has a food court. You are limited to eating areas. The rooms do have fridges and we always make a stop on the way for milk, fruit, etc.. We have stayed at value, moderate, deluxe in WDW and the rooms in DLH feel bigger than the rooms there. You are within a couple minutes walk to both parks. Disney California has several different rides that you won't find in WDW. The Magic Kingdom in DL is much bigger and has rides that are found at other parks in WDW as well some that are unique to only Disney California. We went to WDW last June and decided with the heat and humidity we would never go there that time of year again.

 

[karylrocks]

We are going the last week of June, arriving on the 27th and leaving the morning of July 1st, just as the holiday weekend gets underway. POC should be open by then. Fantasmic will be down for a few days, but up again on the 29th. My thinking is that it may be just a bit less crowded, as July 4th weekend through the third week of August are the busiest part of the summer.

It is a bit difficult to get around without a car. You can take a taxi or the city bus (much cheaper) to Knotts for a day if you really like roller coasters. I personally do not like Knotts and think it would be much more worthwhile to visit Universal Studios. You can get a bus tour for $77pp that includes Universal, see www.anahaimsightseeing.com

 

[lindym]

anyone else??????

 

[dreamcometrue]

well, living right here in California I can tell you that September and October are usually the hottest months here. Personally, we never go to DL during the summer month (June - August) because of the crowds! I would say they are all equally busy. It is the hottest in August. (out of the summer months). It's not humid heat though, like Florida, it's pretty dry. I don't mind the heat, but maybe it's because I am used to it!

The last week of June should be perfect for you, June is not too hot yet (compared to the other months).

As for where to go for a day, it depends on how much money you want to spend. There are some beautiful beaches close by. The freeways take you anywhere pretty quickly (as long as you don't travel in rush hour). Then there is Knott's Berry Farm, Hollywood about 45 min. away.

 

[ploeb]

Thanks everyone so far for the info. Any more would be appreciated. Any where around Disneyland we could go for a day???

Laguna Beach is just a stones throw away and offers up some of the best beachs around, also some of the best food! Take PCH all the way there, ask a locale or consult a map. The drive is beutiful and free, you can also head down and explore the hidden coves. Beutiful weather all year long! Uhhh.. except the weird rain we have been getting!?!?