Disneyland Newbie- Looking for Recommendations

[Amycella78]

Hi All,

We are WDW veterans but we are venturing to the West Coast this summer and will be visiting Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farms in mid August. Having never been there I am feeling just a little overwhelmed! We will have a car and will be staying at a Good Neighbour Hotel.

My children will be 8 and 4 by the time of our trip and don't sit still very well, which means we don't usually get to watch parades or shows. They love rides though! Any recommendations on which rides at Disneyland or California Adventure are absolute musts?

Any recommendations on where to eat? We are not too picky, we can usually find something on a menu that we will eat. We typically do quick/counter service but are looking for at least one special sit down meal- is there anything similar to Be Our Guest? The whole family, even DH, loved our experience there!
Since we have a car, if there are any off-site restaurants you can recommend, feel free to share. We have planned a 'down day' where we do not have any plans other than to explore the surrounding area for the day.

Any tips, advice, suggestions are greatly appreciated!

 

[chickapin parterre]

you have come to the right place....someone will come along with a link to help you with WDW visitors Disneyland.

It will help you to ask specific questions of us . How many days?

For example, with a car, there are many grocery store choices and places to eat to the south and west of your lodging choices. there you can purchase water and lodging snacks.

With a 8 and 4 year old, plan on returning to your lodging in the 1;00 to 2:00 window to nap, shower, swim, hydrate and snack. plan to return to the park in the 5-6 window or later if hot weather or midnight closing hours.

If you are on vacation, then just plan to take a rest day to swim or explore DTD. With children your age, exploring beyond the boundaries of Disneyland may be more grueling than rewarding in the August heat. And since you implied that you are overwhelmed with the planning of a very easy place to visit, best just to stay put and enjoy your disneyland visit.

 

[LilyJC]

Disneyland Daily has a fun blog and Facebook page to help with planning. Here’s a good place to start:

https://disneylanddaily.com/a-first-timers-guide-to-disneyland/

 

[smartlabelprint]

Where are you staying? Not all good neighbors are created equal!

 

[smartlabelprint]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599
Wdw comparison thread

 

[Amycella78]

Thank you so much for all the links and videos! Exactly what I was hoping for! I definitely did come to the right place!

We are in Anaheim for 5 days, we have three day park hopper tickets for DLR, with one day planned for Knotts Berry Farms and one off day.

We have booked Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel (hopefully we get a refurbished room). The fact that it advertises a free shuttle sold us on it.

We will also be spending some time in San Diego before our time in Anaheim and I am super excited to be in California! Visiting CA has been on my to do list for a long time, and this year is a special birthday for me in August, so the timing was right.

Thanks again for helping me out, I really appreciate it!

 

[SD33]

My only advice is don't go to Knott's Berry Farm. Man, that place has gone down hill over the decades. I'd save the money and spend an extra day or two at the happiest place on earth. Just my two cents. Hope you guys have an amazing trip!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

What are your dates in August?

 

[Amycella78]

Our dates are August 13-18.

 

[Baptist]

If you guys are beach lovers (you mentioned you are going to San Diego too), drive to one of Southern California's fantastic beaches. Watching surfers at Huntington Beach is awesome or catch a whale/dolphin watching cruise out of Newport Beach. Santa Monica Pier is a nice too, but it's a little far from Anaheim.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Our dates are August 13-18.

You should be fine, then. HM goes down to install the Halloween overlay sometime around the third week of the month, but should still be up by the 18th.