First time coming to Disneyland-have a few questions :)

[angela25]

hello! We will be arriving at LAX March 23 with myself, my husband, our 3 kids (8,5&2) and my mom! Here is a rough itinerary. Let me know what you would change if anything and then below that are a few random Disneyland questions. I know it's going to be very busy so I am trying to get some sort of a game plan down to tackle this as best as possible! Any and all info would be more than appreciated!


Wed- arrive at LAX in the morning, pick up rental car then stop and see some hollywood sites/filming locations. Head to Anaheim hotel before 2 to avoid traffic. (Is that time correct?)

Thurs- Disneyland!!!! This is also our magic morning, we plan on arriving 30 min before our magic morning time and then when allowed in we are heading right to Peter pans flight. If time allows, we will hit up another ride before getting fast passes.

Fri- Warner brother tour/Hollywood touristy stuff

Sat-beach day (between Venice, Laguna and Santa Monica)

Sun- Easter! DLCA day but first I want to make reservations at PCH grill for breakfast before the park opens

Monday- Disneyland/DLCA using this day to do what we didn't the first two day or would want to do again

Tuesday- leaving

How does that look? Would you change any days? Would other days be less crowded?

Random questions-

1. We want to do ariels grotto character dining as well, which day would you do that?

2. Really want to do carsland at night using a fast pass. Any suggestions on what time to get that at? Im sure it varies each day but any tips would be great!

3. In Disneyland, where are the best viewing areas (with little ones) to view paint the night and the fireworks?

4. On a website I found park hours for March (our dates are still marked as unofficial) but it lists "the memories, the magic and you" as a show in March. I googled it and could only find it being there and ending a few years ago, has anyone heard of this coming back March 2016?

5. In DLCA best views/tips for world of color?

6. Any other parade/show tips I didn't mention we should do?

7. Any must try food/dessert places in the parks?

8. Any other tips at all!?

I know this is long so thank you in advance to anyone who takes the time to respond to any of my questions! Im not sure we will ever make it back to California so I want to be sure to make the most of this and while I know it's going to be crowded, I am a planner and I hope that helps make it a little more enjoyable! Below I will list what we are interested in doing with stars next to must dos for us if that would help aide in any suggestions!

Alice*
Buzz *
Casey Jr.*
Astro orbitor
California screamin
Ladybug boogie
Flicks flyers
Gadgets go coaster
Monorail
Donald's boat *
Tili room for a dole whip*
Goofys playhouse *
It's a small world*
Jumpin jellyfish
Tough to be a bug
King tritons carousel *
Little mermaid ride*
Teacups *
Pooh
Junkyard jamboree
Mickeys fun wheel
Mickeys house*
Minnie's house*
Monsters inc ride *
Peter pans flight*
Pinocchios daring journey
Princess puddle park*
Radiator springs racers*
Sleeping beauty castle walk through *
Snow whites scary adventure
Splash mountain *
Storybook canal boats *
Tarzans treehouse*
Toy story midway mania *
Tuck and roll drive em buggies
Turtle talk with crush
Disney JR live*
Heimlichs chew chew train
Sorcerers workshop
Pixar parade*
Disneyland parade during day?
Paint the night*
World of color*
Memories magic and you?

Of course character meet & greets! ***


Thanks again!!!

 

[luulu1999]

Are your kids girls or boys? I might suggest getting one of the dining packages for Paint the Night otherwise you will have to wait for hours for a decent spot, Blue Bayou has a package with reserved spots on main street then you can move out and up on the street for fireworks maybe instead of Ariels, WoC has fps but you still have to get there early to get a decent spot you prob want a spot on a rail so the kids can see better Easter will prob be busy I also dont know if you have the WB tour booked yet but some of those tours dont allow kids under like 8 so you may double check that, I was wanting to do one and that was the case but I dont remember if it was WB

 

[SMD]

You've got a good 6-8 hours of driving on your 3 non-Disney days, depending on traffic and stops. Does your family like to spend that much time in the car? You'd be better off getting a hotel in LA, doing the touristy stuff and beach there and then doing 3 straight DLR days. I also don't really think you need more than 1 day to do Hollywood stuff, especially since your kids are too young for all the studio tours. You could do a beach day on your arrival day and add another one in OC mid trip or add a 4th park day. If you want to do a character meal on Easter, be ready to book it the day the window opens.

 

[sherilaine]

I have to agree with SMD. I think one day going to Hollywood is plenty. I would also suggest you get well acquainted with maps of the area (google maps is great) and track out the driving you are going to do - leaving LAX, then going to Hollywood, then heading to Anaheim, and arriving before 2, you must have an early flight!

Going during likely the busiest time over spring break I'd also look into meals for viewing PTN - they will likely sell out during that time so book as soon as your window opens, which should be quite soon. Otherwise I have no idea how long you might have to wait for a decent spot to watch a 15 minute parade.

The very first booking for Surf's Up would be at 7 - we have spent a good hour or more at this breakfast - that will take you to past park opening. I would highly recommend doing that character breakfast on a day you want to go to the beach after or head to Hollywood rather than have it eat into rope drop on one of your park days. Going when it's busy, the best way to get the most out of your time is to be there really early and get close to that rope before it drops.

You will see the 60th celebration fireworks - Disney will not have hours and shows listed until 6 weeks out from your dates - then you can know for certain all that will show and at what time.

Have fun.

 

[Butterfly123]

You've got a good 6-8 hours of driving on your 3 non-Disney days, depending on traffic and stops. Does your family like to spend that much time in the car? You'd be better off getting a hotel in LA, doing the touristy stuff and beach there and then doing 3 straight DLR days. I also don't really think you need more than 1 day to do Hollywood stuff, especially since your kids are too young for all the studio tours. You could do a beach day on your arrival day and add another one in OC mid trip or add a 4th park day. If you want to do a character meal on Easter, be ready to book it the day the window opens.

I agree with all of SMD's suggestions. I was going to reply to your post, but I think everything I was going to say was already said!

I will edit this to add I also agree with sherilaine...she posted while I was writing!

 

[Skiton]

The only thing I'd point out is that Sunday is an CA EMH day for those staying onsite. (I'm 99% sure of this, but double check.) That means that the park will already have a lot of people there before you can even get in, and both Radiator Springs Racers and Toy Story Mania could have a heck of a line. You might consider changing that park day to Monday and do your multi-park day on Sunday, instead. You could hit DL again first thing and be the first ones in, ride all your favorites or try something new, and then head over to CA and use fast passes/ride the less popular rides. Then Monday you can be among the first in CA to at rope drop and head straight to Radiator Springs racers for a short line, and then zip right over to Toy Story Mania. (I don't know if you have little boys but if you do, the will love TSM and want to do it at least twice. If you're there first thing ride it 2 times in a row because the line gets crazy long and there are no fastpasses for it.)

 

[ashley0139]

I agree with others. I'd do two days of the Hollywood/beach stuff in LA and then head down to Disneyland and do all your Disneyland days in a row there. Driving back and forth to Anaheim is rough even without the driving in between.

 

[angela25]

Are your kids girls or boys? I might suggest getting one of the dining packages for Paint the Night otherwise you will have to wait for hours for a decent spot, Blue Bayou has a package with reserved spots on main street then you can move out and up on the street for fireworks maybe instead of Ariels, WoC has fps but you still have to get there early to get a decent spot you prob want a spot on a rail so the kids can see better Easter will prob be busy I also dont know if you have the WB tour booked yet but some of those tours dont allow kids under like 8 so you may double check that, I was wanting to do one and that was the case but I dont remember if it was WB

Thanks for the reply!

I have 2 girls and then the 2 year old is a boy.

It's just my mom and I doing the studio tour. My husband is going to take the kids somewhere else while we do that bc you have to be 8 to do the tour.

 

[angela25]

You've got a good 6-8 hours of driving on your 3 non-Disney days, depending on traffic and stops. Does your family like to spend that much time in the car? You'd be better off getting a hotel in LA, doing the touristy stuff and beach there and then doing 3 straight DLR days. I also don't really think you need more than 1 day to do Hollywood stuff, especially since your kids are too young for all the studio tours. You could do a beach day on your arrival day and add another one in OC mid trip or add a 4th park day. If you want to do a character meal on Easter, be ready to book it the day the window opens.

6-8 hours each day or total over the 3 days!!? I booked our hotel in Anaheim in August and it's sold out now so I'm afraid to change our reservation. I know we want to break up our Disney days at least once for a rest. I am ready to book! It should be open in the next couple of days!!! I've been checking every day the last week or so lol

 

[angela25]

I have to agree with SMD. I think one day going to Hollywood is plenty. I would also suggest you get well acquainted with maps of the area (google maps is great) and track out the driving you are going to do - leaving LAX, then going to Hollywood, then heading to Anaheim, and arriving before 2, you must have an early flight!

Going during likely the busiest time over spring break I'd also look into meals for viewing PTN - they will likely sell out during that time so book as soon as your window opens, which should be quite soon. Otherwise I have no idea how long you might have to wait for a decent spot to watch a 15 minute parade.

The very first booking for Surf's Up would be at 7 - we have spent a good hour or more at this breakfast - that will take you to past park opening. I would highly recommend doing that character breakfast on a day you want to go to the beach after or head to Hollywood rather than have it eat into rope drop on one of your park days. Going when it's busy, the best way to get the most out of your time is to be there really early and get close to that rope before it drops.

You will see the 60th celebration fireworks - Disney will not have hours and shows listed until 6 weeks out from your dates - then you can know for certain all that will show and at what time.

Have fun.

Thank you!!!

We have a lot to stop and see as we are big tv/movie buffs and want to check some filming spots out and stores and resturants certain people own. I think one day would be Beverly Hills (maybe arrival day?) and one day Hollywood.

What characters are at surfs up? I only had a character dining on Easter morning in mind bc it's Easter and we wanted something special to do!

 

[angela25]

The only thing I'd point out is that Sunday is an CA EMH day for those staying onsite. (I'm 99% sure of this, but double check.) That means that the park will already have a lot of people there before you can even get in, and both Radiator Springs Racers and Toy Story Mania could have a heck of a line. You might consider changing that park day to Monday and do your multi-park day on Sunday, instead. You could hit DL again first thing and be the first ones in, ride all your favorites or try something new, and then head over to CA and use fast passes/ride the less popular rides. Then Monday you can be among the first in CA to at rope drop and head straight to Radiator Springs racers for a short line, and then zip right over to Toy Story Mania. (I don't know if you have little boys but if you do, the will love TSM and want to do it at least twice. If you're there first thing ride it 2 times in a row because the line gets crazy long and there are no fastpasses for it.)

CRAP!!! I wanted to do each park one day first and use the third park day to go back and do what we wanted to again or didn't get to do the first time around. I do have one little boy and he loves toy story! I feel like I had such a good plan in mind then I started second guessing it and now I'm not sure what to do! Lol I only need to know now bc my days to book character dinings are coming up tomorrow and then in a couple days.

 

[angela25]

I agree with others. I'd do two days of the Hollywood/beach stuff in LA and then head down to Disneyland and do all your Disneyland days in a row there. Driving back and forth to Anaheim is rough even without the driving in between.

Hmmmm. We already have our Anaheim hotel booked, it's right across from Disney and it's sold out for our dates. I'm afraid to change anything and we wanted to break up at least one Disney day for a rest.

 

[angela25]

I just thought of another question.

Are there different lines for magic morning and people who don't have that?

 

[SMD]

6-8 hours each day or total over the 3 days!!? I booked our hotel in Anaheim in August and it's sold out now so I'm afraid to change our reservation. I know we want to break up our Disney days at least once for a rest. I am ready to book! It should be open in the next couple of days!!! I've been checking every day the last week or so lol

You're looking at minimum of 1 hour to get to and from Anaheim and Hollywood/Burbank/Santa Monica each way plus additional time driving between attractions in LA and potential added time for traffic. LAX to Hollywood is going to be anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes, then Hollywood to Anaheim will be a minimum of another hour. Add in at least another hour on your departure day to get back to LAX.

Day 1 - 2 hours commute time + additional touring time.
Day 3 - 2.5 hours commute time + additional touring time.
Day 4 - 2 hours commute time + additional parking time. (Venice or SM)
Day 7 - 1 hour commute time

That's 7.5 hours sitting in a car just to get to your first stop of the day and back to the hotel from your last stop.

It's not impossible, but just know what you're getting into. It might be worth calling the hotel to see if they can cancel at minimum the first night and still honor your rate. Also, definitely look into an OC beach. It might not save a lot on time, but the farther you're going, the more traffic and delays you might potentially encounter.

 

[angela25]

You're looking at minimum of 1 hour to get to and from Anaheim and Hollywood/Burbank/Santa Monica each way plus additional time driving between attractions in LA and potential added time for traffic. LAX to Hollywood is going to be anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes, then Hollywood to Anaheim will be a minimum of another hour. Add in at least another hour on your departure day to get back to LAX.

Day 1 - 2 hours commute time + additional touring time.
Day 3 - 2.5 hours commute time + additional touring time.
Day 4 - 2 hours commute time + additional parking time. (Venice or SM)
Day 7 - 1 hour commute time

That's 7.5 hours sitting in a car just to get to your first stop of the day and back to the hotel from your last stop.

It's not impossible, but just know what you're getting into. It might be worth calling the hotel to see if they can cancel at minimum the first night and still honor your rate. Also, definitely look into an OC beach. It might not save a lot on time, but the farther you're going, the more traffic and delays you might potentially encounter.

Oh yeah we are fine with that, it would allow time for naps for the kids I am going into this fully expecting crowds & traffic. I will see about doing that for the first day though, thanks for the tip!

 

[ashley0139]

Honestly I think SMD's estimates are conservative, personally. As he said, those are minimum amounts of time and likely to be much longer. Your plan doesn't make a whole lot of sense distance/driving wise, but if that's how you want to break it up, do it. Just be prepared.

 

[wanderlust7]

2. Really want to do carsland at night using a fast pass. Any suggestions on what time to get that at? Im sure it varies each day but any tips would be great!

Since you have little kids, you can get a rider swap ticket, which is good anytime that day, and use that for your night time ride. It's good for 3 people, so depending on how many people want to ride again, you'll have to figure out how to split up your group to get 2 rider swap tickets.

 

[Skiton]

CRAP!!! I wanted to do each park one day first and use the third park day to go back and do what we wanted to again or didn't get to do the first time around. I do have one little boy and he loves toy story! I feel like I had such a good plan in mind then I started second guessing it and now I'm not sure what to do! Lol I only need to know now bc my days to book character dinings are coming up tomorrow and then in a couple days.

I'm sorry, I hate to be the bearer of bad news. It's just that in my experience, the morning hours are the best time to take advantage of rides that usually have long lines. The conventional wisdom is, if there is an EMH at one park and you can't take advantage of it, don't go to that park. It just doesn't make sense to get there for the regular rope drop and have a ton of people already there ahead of you. Honestly, though, I don't think it would be such a big deal to swap Sunday and Monday. You could have a whole morning at DL (most of the stuff you list is there, anyway) and still head over to CA sometime after lunch and get a lot of things done. You could see the Pixar Parade, World of Color, possibly get a fast pass for Radiator Springs for that night, and get through most of Bug's Land (it's never been all that busy when we've gone). Or you could even do two full days at DL and one day at CA.

 

[mfleeting]

Are the kids going to be doing the WB tour as well? The minimum age is 8 and it was the only studio that went that young when we looked in November 2014. It is very nice though - we loved the Batman and Harry Potter areas though and going onto 2 of the TV sets. But since you are actually walking onto a working TV set (we went onto the set of the fosters) and around props they don't want young children who will be inclined to touch things.

Unless you have a lot of touristy things to do or wants to spend a lot of time at the beach you could probably do all of that in one day and spend another day at Disney (which you could use especially with younger kids needing breaks). We did the WB tour, Griffith observatory, Santa Monica pier, going around the walk of fame and everything in one day. The beach is nice but it's also very cold (we did go in November but it was still 80 outside and I've been told the water it always really cold) so not always feasible for kids to spend lots of time playing in the water.

We did ariels grotto on our DCA day and glad we did. Truthfully we didn't spend all day at DCA and managed to do everything we wanted except soaring because we decided to go play in the pool. We enjoyed Ariels though as you get to see so many of the princesses at one time. We also did the photo pass and bought tickets off getaway today.com and was able to receive a bunch of pics with Ariel for free (in 2 different poses as well).

 

[Cats2]

The only thing I'd point out is that Sunday is an CA EMH day for those staying onsite. (I'm 99% sure of this, but double check.) That means that the park will already have a lot of people there before you can even get in, and both Radiator Springs Racers and Toy Story Mania could have a heck of a line. You might consider changing that park day to Monday and do your multi-park day on Sunday, instead. You could hit DL again first thing and be the first ones in, ride all your favorites or try something new, and then head over to CA and use fast passes/ride the less popular rides. Then Monday you can be among the first in CA to at rope drop and head straight to Radiator Springs racers for a short line, and then zip right over to Toy Story Mania.

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but on a typical week, EMH for DCA is on Sun AND Mon, so you don't gain anything with switching your DCA day from Sun to Mon. On site guests will have already been in the parks for an hour. (DCA EMH is usually Sun/Mon/Wed/Fri while DL EMH/MM is Tue/Thur/Sat)