First timer to DL - need some advice please

zippy doo dah

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 15, 2007
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Hello all!!

I'm going to DL for the first time July 18-20 :banana: :woohoo: and would appreciate any advice and tips everone has!!! I have been to WDW loads of times and am curious as to how similar and different each park is...

1. Any suggestions on hotels?? (I was thinking about Motel 6, but I read it was about a mile walk and I want to save as much energy for the park so I can do as much as possible)

2. What will crowds and wait times be like during the time frame that I'll be there?

3. Any must do's? Should I avoid anything?

Any and all info is greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks in advance
 
um well if you want to ride nemo i would be at the gate when it opens and get in line, if you dont do it first thing you probley will have to wait 3hours+

Splash and space are usely verry long

dont forget to take friquent stops in shops to get out of the heat

go see aladdin or other inside shows after 1..and you will usley be in side for hotter part the day.

sorring is also another place to hit early.

fast passes can be used any time after the desnated place the same day. so in morrning get fastpasses and if you head back to hotel then when you come back you should be abel to use them.

if you need water ask for ice water at any of the tabel servic palces and they should give it to you.

(im trying to think, ive been reading these boards not to long and learned alot.)
hope ive helped a bit.

also if you can afford it try to go to a hotel right across the street.
 
We stayed at the Candy Cane Inn last month and it was great. It's only a 10 minute walk to the parks, plus they have a shuttle if you do not want to walk. Here is a link to there site.http://candycaneinn.net/

Disneyland must do's : Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Space Mt., Indy Jones, .
DCA - Tower of Terror, Soarin., Monster's Inc, Alladin stage show.
 
We like the Fairfield Inn

We've stayed at Howard Johnson which is of equal quality but a bit of a walk more.

Park Inn was OK, rooms were not very nice

Tropicana was not notable and pricy for the quality

Park Vue was seriously low quality and parking was an unreal hassle during the busy season

anyway... just an opinion but the Fairfield for us is the best balance of quality, price, and location

we even stayed in the Grand Californian once and the room was blah and (at the time) the TV only got like 10 channels with like 4 of them being Disney related
 

The crowds will likely be pretty heavy, so utilize your fast pass (especially on popular rides, like splash mountain, POTC, and the matterhorn, which are all must sees!). Mainstreet is also a really fun; although it is mostly shops, it is very cool looking when they light it up at night!:cutie:
After the park closes, you might want to take a walk into Downtown Disney (which is right outside the gates of DLR and CA), there are some good eat and shop.
 
^ just to clarify PotC and Matterhorn don't have FP.

1. Our family really likes to stay at the Ramada Plaza hotel which is only a 10 minute walk away at very decent rates ($80 during holiday season) for a 3 AAA diamond hotel. If you don't mind quality, I'm sure you can find some very cheap hotels right across the street.

2. As long as you get there early, use FP and ride the popular rides first, you should be fine. Definitely start your day/s off with Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage because that line will be long and hot from mid morning on. Also try and get in Space, Splash, Indy, Peter Pan, and Autopia early at DL and Soarin, Grizzly River Run, and Sun Wheel done fast at DCA. Just a note, California Screamin will not be running until 1pm because of construction so lines shouldn't be bad even in the afternoon. I would estimate that the longest lines (other than Nemo) would be around 60-75 minutes for Splash and/or space.

3. Must do's: Nemo, Matterhorn, Indy, Space, Splash, Buzz Lightyear, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, BTMRR at DL. ToT, Monster's Inc., Soarin, Grizzly River Run, and Screamin at DCA.

Also you may want to check these out since they are unique to DLR: Enchanted Tiki Room (original version), Indy, Pirate's Lair (formerly Tom Sawyer Island), Pinocchio's Daring Journey, Alice in Wonderland, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Matterhorn, Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin, and Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. At DCA there's Monster's INc. Grizzly River Run (similar to Kali River Rapids at AK), All rides in the Paradise Pier and A Bug's World except for It's Tough to be a Bug.
 
Hello all!!

I'm going to DL for the first time July 18-20 :banana: :woohoo: and would appreciate any advice and tips everone has!!! I have been to WDW loads of times and am curious as to how similar and different each park is...

1. Any suggestions on hotels?? (I was thinking about Motel 6, but I read it was about a mile walk and I want to save as much energy for the park so I can do as much as possible)

2. What will crowds and wait times be like during the time frame that I'll be there?

3. Any must do's? Should I avoid anything?

Any and all info is greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks in advance
Here are some other links:

I think someone already posted this link of mine:

A DLR Guide for WDW Vets
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

And others...

Getting The Most Out of a Summer Visit To DLR
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319

HydroGuy's Hotel Rule
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199862

Getting the Most Out of FastPass During High Season
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885132

Also consider RideMax to minimize time in lines: www.ridemax.com
 
Thank you so much for all the advice and info...HydroGuy you are a font of knowledge and information I am amazed to read everything - I can't even imagine how long it took you to organize and finally write everything out (you really should be paid to do all of it :wizard: ) I have bookmarked everything and I'm confident that I'll have a fantastic time and get the most out of my trip!! :banana:

Thanks again :thumbsup2
 
If you go to California Adventure, we like to go over to the bakery and the Mission Tortilla factory. You sample bread and tortillas and see how they are made. It smells wonderful, is cool and is a nice break from the hussle and bustle. Also, in CA, there is Brother Bear play area across from the main water ride. My kids LOVE to play here. We spend hours here. (We have passes so stroll now instead of rush). No Nemo for us though..we are on blackout dates now..
 

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