First time in Disneyland

[parkbr]

Hello,

I've been to WDW three times, know how to use FP+, how Disney Transportation system works, etc.

We have lots of vacation days left and are thinking of doing DL in Anaheim in December (early Dec) and I would like to understand how similar/different it is. If you can please help me, it will be greatly appreciated!

FYI, there are 3 of us, 2 adults + 1 soon-to-be 5 year old child. Our DD is in the small side, so she's about 40.5 ~41 inches.

1. How many days should I get? We normally spend 6 days at WDW from rope-drop to like 10PM - 12PM. (DD naps in a stroller and we take the next day easy, if we have a long day)

2. How does Fastpass work? I heard from a friend that their FastPass system is very different from WDW and there are not that many rides that you can book and you have to wait a lot?

3. How does the transportation work? Should I rent a car? (we'll be hear Long Beach area) or should I just Uber or use the public transit? Do I need a car seat?

4. How does the dining work? Are price more expensive compare to WDW?

5. How much planning is required for DL? I spent good 5 months learning about WDW, and I feel like I don't have enough time to make this DL trip easy and exciting. We can always push it out to next year, if that's the case.

I think these are my questions for now.
Thank you.

 

[FCDub]

Hello,

I've been to WDW three times, know how to use FP+, how Disney Transportation system works, etc.

We have lots of vacation days left and are thinking of doing DL in Anaheim in December (early Dec) and I would like to understand how similar/different it is. If you can please help me, it will be greatly appreciated!

FYI, there are 3 of us, 2 adults + 1 soon-to-be 5 year old child. Our DD is in the small side, so she's about 40.5 ~41 inches.

1. How many days should I get? We normally spend 6 days at WDW from rope-drop to like 10PM - 12PM. (DD naps in a stroller and we take the next day easy, if we have a long day)

2. How does Fastpass work? I heard from a friend that their FastPass system is very different from WDW and there are not that many rides that you can book and you have to wait a lot?

3. How does the transportation work? Should I rent a car? (we'll be hear Long Beach area) or should I just Uber or use the public transit? Do I need a car seat?

4. How does the dining work? Are price more expensive compare to WDW?

5. How much planning is required for DL? I spent good 5 months learning about WDW, and I feel like I don't have enough time to make this DL trip easy and exciting. We can always push it out to next year, if that's the case.

I think these are my questions for now.
Thank you.

2. Fastpass is like the old system in WDW, where you don't pre-book rides in advance but get them one at a time day-of. There's also a digital add-on called MaxPass. Go to YouTube for videos of it in action.
3. You should probably rent a car. Long Beach is some 25 miles from DLR. Those Ubers will get expensive every day. Of course, price both options out and see which one might be cheaper.
4. Menus are available on the DLR website with prices. You can book dining 60 days in advance.
5. Much less than WDW. You will be fine if you start now.

There's some overlap between your questions and those posed here, so check out the replies for some good info: https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...disneyland-la-trip-so-many-questions.3713043/

Have fun!

 

[deannaf87]

1. At least 3

2. DL has Maxpass which is like the old legacy paper Fastpasses but on your phone. I've never used it, but many people have glowing reviews and we plan to use it on all days for our upcoming trip. It is $10 per person per day. Here is a good website to learn about your Fastpass options https://disneylanddaily.com/a-fastpass-guide-for-disneyland-and-california-adventure/

3. Are you planning on staying in Long Beach for the length of your trip? In that case, I'd rent a car. However, I highly recommend staying in a hotel within walking distance as the garages can get congested, especially during holiday times. If the focus of your trip is Disneyland... stay near Disneyland!

4. Dining options are not as plenty as they are in WDW. Pricing is pretty similar but there are less sit down options. I find the counter service to be much better at Disneyland.

5. No much planning is needed. If you're going in December, book your hotel and flight ASAP but the rest can be game time decisions. You can even buy your tickets on site since there is no need to schedule Fastpasses in advance. If you want to buy ahead of time look at Last Minute Travel club, they have great ticket discounts.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Here are some threads with great information for you:
A DLR Guide for WDW Vets -- a great overview of the similarities and differences between WDW and DLR
5 days is the maximum ticket. After that, you either get an AP or add new tickets to get the number of days you want. Highly recommend getting park hoppers since hopping is so easy at DLR and gives you full advantage of MP (should you choose to buy it). 5 days allows for pool time, character meals, shows and parades, plenty of M&Gs, etc. at a relaxed, non-stressed pace
Airport Proximity to DLR and Ground Transportation Information ~ 3TinksAndAnEeyore
Max Pass:
FastPass, MaxPass (make sure to look at the tutorial videos in this thread)
MaxPass
First time MaxPass user...Help with tips and how to use.
Free legacy FP is still in use if you choose not to pay for MP. The above threads should explain the differences between FP and MP.
Choosing a DLR hotel: www.disboards.com/threads/choosing-the-right-hotel-for-you.3656512/
You will need a car seat/booster. If you don't bring your own, some car services will provide one (Lansky's Car Service is one that gets good reviews here). Mifold and Bubblebum travel boosters get high marks here -- both available on Amazon.com. Either of those will allow you to use Uber/Lyft, which can save money over renting a car and paying for parking.
DLR planning: Does Disneyland need strategy?
Dining: there is no dining plan at DLR. Menus can be found here (Menus). If you want to budget for meals, one way is to put your dining money on Disney gift cards. Then use those gift cards for all CS (and DLR has good CS) and TS meals. You'll know exactly how much you're spending as you go along. If you need more money, reload the cards. Non-Disney owned restaurants and ODV carts don't take Disney gift cards, I think.

 

[parkbr]

@deannaf87 and @theluckyrabbit
Thank you so much!!!!

 

[Winnowill]

MaxPass is SO much better than FP+ at WDW. Even the regular DL FP system is better, but MaxPass is the bomb. You buy it as soon as you enter the park for the day, and you can book FPs all day long, whether you're in the parks or not. You're not limited to the number of FPs you can get, either, and there's no worry that the best ones will be gone a month before you even get to the parks. So that's some planning you don't need to do.

Dining isn't the mad dash it is at WDW, either. Yes, the most desirable dining options do fill up fairly quickly, but, in general, there's no need to be on the computer the instant your dining window opens. So that's some more planning that isn't necessary.

I planned a DL trip a year after we did WDW, and I planned the bejeezus out of it...and then discovered that I really didn't need to do that. Know what you want to do, and have a basic plan if you must, but DL is more of a seat-of-the-pants experience.

 

[Catvondita]

For fast pass you either have to physically go to the machines to get the pass and then wait around or you can pay $10 a day to have the convenience of not having to walking up to the machine. It sucks because you have to pay for that but it does save your feet in the long run. (Even though DL is smaller there's still a lot of walking to be done!)

I feel like prices are pretty comparable. You don't have to book 180 days in advance because their window doesn't allow that (think the window is 60 days?) but you should still try to be on top of it like WDW to get a good reservation time.

I'm a big planner who feels like it's all part of the fun. I love getting ready for Disney World because I love doing all the little steps. When I plan for DL I actually try to plan more than I need to because you don't need to plan that much for it. But I always miss the planning of WDW so I try to apply it to DL. (This is just because I'm a weirdo). I do believe anyone should have a basic plan when going to a theme park so I'd advise at least studying the map so you know where things are and get an idea of what you really want to do, what you're okay to skip etc. So you can plan as much or as little as you would like

 

[smartlabelprint]

http://www.disboards.com/threads/choosing-the-right-hotel-for-you.3656512/

This was posted above. Definitely read. Stay at one of the hotels on harbor blvd. It’s one of the hugest perks of dL vs wdw; the short walk to the park.

I like best western park place inn
Homewood suites convention center
Camelot inn

I’ve heard good about residence inn
Spring Hill suites
Country inn & suites
Hojo
Courtyard by Marriott theme park entrance

Budget is desert inn & suites

 

[parkbr]

Thank you all.

I think we are going in March instead as I dont see much hotel availability and I feel I need to be more ready for California trip in general.

We have a family near Long beach, but not sure if we can stay with them for entire week, and if it doesn't work, then we don't have much hotel options.
Looking at March, we have lot more availability.

We might do Disney cruise instead.

Thank you again!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Thank you all.

I think we are going in March instead as I dont see much hotel availability and I feel I need to be more ready for California trip in general.

We have a family near Long beach, but not sure if we can stay with them for entire week, and if it doesn't work, then we don't have much hotel options.
Looking at March, we have lot more availability.

We might do Disney cruise instead.

Thank you again!

I like your plan. Commuting from Long Beach would be really annoying. Between the driving and parking and getting into the parks from the parking structure, it eats up much more time than you might think. If you stuck with that plan I would give yourself about 90 minutes each each way. Staying across the street on Harbor you can be in the parks in minutes. Plus you can pop back to your hotel for mid-day breaks if you want to.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I like your plan. Commuting from Long Beach would be really annoying. Between the driving and parking and getting into the parks from the parking structure, it eats up much more time than you might think. If you stuck with that plan I would give yourself about 90 minutes each each way. Staying across the street on Harbor you can be in the parks in minutes. Plus you can pop back to your hotel for mid-day breaks if you want to.

I think 90 minutes each way is worst case scenario. I live in Carson, which is farther away than Long Beach, and the most it takes me on a Friday afternoon during rush hour is an hour. I would plan for the worst, but I think it would be more like 45 minutes to an hour, including parking in the structure - of course, this is just my experience.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I think 90 minutes each way is worst case scenario. I live in Carson, which is farther away than Long Beach, and the most it takes me on a Friday afternoon during rush hour is an hour. I would plan for the worst, but I think it would be more like 45 minutes to an hour, including parking in the structure - of course, this is just my experience.

Probably depends on where in Long Beach and what time of day they are traveling. I live just a little father from the parks than Long Beach (in the other direction) and it consistently takes me about one hour and 15 minutes to 90 minutes from my door through the gates, and vice verse for the trip home, and I have my plan down to a science. I think for first time visitors not familiar with the parking areas, security, routes to and from the parks, commuting times around the parks, etc, it could be that much time (but hopefully less!).

Everything just always seems to take more time than I think it will. I remember when I first got my annual pass and started going I thought “Oh I live 40 minutes away so I should be in the park in about that much time” but reality is always more. That is just in my experience of course!