first timer with tons of ?'s

[cocobkids]

We're going to DL!! I have so many ?'s I don't know where to begin! first ? is where do I start? how do I find out the cost? time of year to go? things to see? whats closed down and when? Can anyone help me? I've never been to DL and neither has anyone thats going with me! Thanks so much!!

 

[DizNee Luver]

the first place I'd start is disneyland.com you can see what both parks offer for rides, entertainment & dining options. They also have park hours listed (just not very far in advance right now). You can price out packages thru Disney Travel but you don't have to book thru them.
That should at least get you started, then come back & read the different topics here & ask specific questions.....lots of Disneyland lovers here that are more than willing to help!!

 

[Sherwin]

Haha, it's okay. We're all here to help you. This is a big one to tackle but you'll learn sooo much more as you spend time here. There are also a lot of stickied threads that will help you find more info about lodging and such.

First, you have to decide when you can find to go. Right now is what we consider the off-peak season, where DL does all its refurbishments and has shortened hours. The summer peak season generally starts in June, where the DL park will open until midnight and where the fireworks and Fantasmic show run daily. It will be crowded, though. Usually, sometime in the Spring, April (outside of Easter week and school spring breaks) and May are generally favored to be better times to go. The DL website has a calendar that shows the park hours, entertainment schedule, and what's open and closed for up to 2 months in advance.

Second, you have to decide how long you're going to stay. Since you've never been to DLR before, you may want to consider an extended stay. Around a week or so should be plenty of time for you to take things at a leisurely beginners pace.

Then, decide where you want to stay. Disneyland has its own sanctioned list of hotels which it calls the 'Good Neighbor' hotels. These are generally close to the resort and easily accessible. Again, visit the stickied threads to choose a good place to stay. A forum favorite is Hojo (or Howard Johnson). It's right across Harbor BLVD from the park and the biggest bonus is that they offer an entertainment rate on select days for which you can get rooms down to 59 a night (or 69? someone refresh my memory). You should also think about where you want to book. Most of us choose not to do packages. Some cheap sites to think about are Ares Travel, GAT (Getawaytoday).

There's plenty more information, but this is all my brain can fart out now. Just keep asking questions and within time you'll be a Disney expert!

 

[MouseketeerCole]

Other people will be able to answer your questions better than me, but I just wanted to say Woo XD I'm so excited for you! You're gonna love it!

And you HAVE to do... Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, It's a Small World, Snow White, Peter Pan, Dumbo, Space Mountain, Nemo Submarines *keeps going on and on on* XD!

 

[HydroGuy]

We're going to DL!! I have so many ?'s I don't know where to begin! first ? is where do I start? how do I find out the cost? time of year to go? things to see? whats closed down and when? Can anyone help me? I've never been to DL and neither has anyone thats going with me! Thanks so much!!

My hotel advice is summarized in the following thread:

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

As others have said about time of year, it really depends. Personally I love visiting DLR in the summer. But I am in the minority. See

"HydroGuy's High Season/Off Season Tradeoff Rule" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199852

"What You Should Know About Off-Season at DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889

After you make some head way on time of year and how many days you need (at least three - four is better), you can then choose a hotel.

After you get these items decided you can move on to understanding how to tour the parks.

If you have sufficient interest, just hang around this forum regularly and read posts that seem interesting. In a short time your knowledge level will grow tremendously.

 

[PinkBudgie]

As others have said about time of year, it really depends. Personally I love visiting DLR in the summer. But I am in the minority.

I like the summer too! I have noticed that quite a few 1st timers who go during the off season come back on the board and say how disappointed they were in DLR. Rides were closed, shows were not running, walls are up for construction here and there, etc. These things happen during the off season. They have to fix things up sometime so it isn't really fair to complain about that. If you go during off season just expect you might not get to see somethings that you really wanted to.

I know how crowd levels feel is personal, but I don't think the crowds are horrible in the summer. The holiday season was much worse! In my opinion, if you want to experience DLR in full, go during the summer. Go for at least 3 days min, but if you can do more, you won't feel so rushed.

 

[HydroGuy]

I like the summer too! I have noticed that quite a few 1st timers who go during the off season come back on the board and say how disappointed they were in DLR. Rides were closed, shows were not running, walls are up for construction here and there, etc. These things happen during the off season. They have to fix things up sometime so it isn't really fair to complain about that. If you go during off season just expect you might not get to see somethings that you really wanted to.

Yep, it is an inevitable process. Newbies come around here posting "When is a good time to go?" by which they mean when are the lowest crowds. Then before they leave for the trip they see the refurb list. And they start a new thread about how they are "devastated". It is why I started my "HydroGuy's High Season/Off Season Tradeoff Rule" thread which I post liberally whenever I see people going down this road.

I have no problem with people preferring off-season. Just do not come back to complain when you see the refurb list. It is sort of like choosing to go in winter and then being surprised about cold weather.

ETA: FWIW, for people who visit DLR with some regularity then off-season works out great. Whatever is under refurb today they can hit next time. But for those like me who visit once every year or two, off-season really has too many downsides. I will take the crowds and longer park hours in order to have evrything operating.

 

[cocobkids]

Thanks so much for all your help! I'm gona start digging through the threads . Sounds like I shoud have a tablet of paper and keep track of what I learn!!!

 

[Cranky Duck]

We are going to Disneyland in the middle of June
Can someone tell me what type of weather to expect?
Never been to SOCAL before
so this will be a big learning experience for us
Ready to step out of the World
and on to the rest

 

[Teki]

Start with Disneyland.com there is tons of info there. Later the disboards, page on DLR has a lot of good info as well. If you cant find everything your looking for then ask questions here!

 

[HydroGuy]

We are going to Disneyland in the middle of June

Can someone tell me what type of weather to expect?

Never been to SOCAL before

so this will be a big learning experience for us

Ready to step out of the World

and on to the rest

See "Detailed Weather History for DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=23004158