First Trip to Disneyland

[frozengirl]

We thought that the VIP tour at Universal was worth it. You start in a quiet area at the front of the park (feels like the Delta lounge). They will literally take you everywhere. And all of the characters know them so they came right up to us. For lunch, they provided a giant lunch in Harry Potter. I would say that with a vip guide you can absolutely do the park in one day. We did this right before covid so some things may have changed.

 

[BrianLa]

We thought that the VIP tour at Universal was worth it. You start in a quiet area at the front of the park (feels like the Delta lounge). They will literally take you everywhere. And all of the characters know them so they came right up to us. For lunch, they provided a giant lunch in Harry Potter. I would say that with a vip guide you can absolutely do the park in one day. We did this right before covid so some things may have changed.

Thanks

 

[ktlm]

We are going 7/8/23 to 7/15/23

We've gone the week after the 4th of July week several times. We like July in the parks-- you miss early June last day before passholder blockout crowds -- and I know things are different now, but July was ALOT less crowded than our October 2021 trip. Mondays have always been the most crowded in that time period--- maybe because most people arrive on the weekend and assume that Monday will be less crowded than the weekend dates? Saturday and Sunday have oddly always been our least crowded days. If you are going to make a day trip to the San Diego zoo or Safari Park or even Universal-- Monday wouldn't be a bad day to plan one of those. We typically do park days Saturday (in by about 1:00 p.m. on arrival day) - Wednesday (leave around 3:00 to miss traffic as we head to San Diego or LA for the rest of the week). Monday is usually the most crowded. Tuesday better, but still more crowded than the weekend days. Wednesday is usually less crowded than Monday or Tuesday and I am not wanting to leave at 3:00!

In the middle of the summer, you will have all the evening entertainment every day. The only thing that can be an issue is that sometimes the fireworks get cancelled due to wind (not the kind of wind that is going to affect your park day in any way-- the kind that because they are in the middle of a busy area stops the fireworks). If you want to splurge, you should think about the World of Color dessert package. WOC is different than anything at WDW. There are also dinner packages where you get a pass to go into a premium viewing area--- BUT-- you are still talking a major time drain to get a good spot in that area AND the show is standing only so if you have anyone short, you can be looking at the back of someone's head. If you do the dessert party, it is farther back- but the views are great and you get a chair and food and drinks and usually a pretty unobstructed view. We prefer Fantasmic at DLR to WDW-- it is special being on the Rivers of America. BUT-- there is no auditorium like at WDW--- that one can also be a time drain. The dining packages for that one are better than WOC because you get to sit on the ground during the show- so anywhere in the viewing area is usually decent. If you ever liked the animation academy at WDW, it still exists at DLR-- it is a lot of fun---it is the only place I can actually draw anything that looks remotely like what I am trying to draw.

 

[BrianLa]

I think 5 days in the park is perfect, especially if you want to take breaks during the middle of the day, or if there are days you want to sleep in.

This is cheesy and nerdy, but also takes less than five minutes, so it's worth considering. Stand in the hub in Disneyland near the partners statue. Look around and see the paths leading to the different lands. Remember this what Walt Disney imagined and not only lived to see come to life, but is still with us today. This is the park that Walk Disney not only created but also walked around in.

CarsLand is one of the absolute best things in Disneyland. It is a retro neon delight after it gets dark. It looks amazing during the daytime too. If you can manage to ride RSR racers during the daytime and the nighttime do it. The ride is amazing any time of day, but it is a different experience based on when you ride it.

Pirates is not a carbon copy clone, so that is absolutely worth riding.

I would say start in DL for the nostalgia and the feeling of seeing what Walt envisioned and supervised the creation of.

If you are into guidebooks, this one is fantastic. https://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Guide-Disneyland-2023-Guides/dp/1628091339/ref=sr_1_1?crid=Z0F6YOWEZ969&keywords=The+Unofficial+Guide+to+Disneyland+2023&qid=1670527617&s=books&sprefix=the+unofficial+guide+to+disneyland+2023,stripbooks,77&sr=1-1

I purchased the guidebook. Thanks for the recomendation