First trip to DL - in the planning stages -?s

[Adi12982]

I am trying to plan DH and my first trip to DL. We are WDW vets - been going since birth, since we grew up living on 3 hours south of WDW.

Anyhow. . . I was wondering a few things. .

1. Is there a calendar that shows when rides at DL/CA will be closed for refurbishment? There are certain DL only things we MUST do and I want to make sure we can do them.

2. When is the best time to go? We are thinking of going in March or April - before or after SB crowds. There is also a bonus now of you arrive between Jan 2 and April 22 they will give ou a $150 gift card.

3. What on-site resort is your favorite? and why? Which are closest to the parks.

4. What are your MUST DO's at DL/CA. . .

THANKS, Adi

 

[Disneyland1084]

I am trying to plan DH and my first trip to DL. We are WDW vets - been going since birth, since we grew up living on 3 hours south of WDW.

Anyhow. . . I was wondering a few things. .

1. Is there a calendar that shows when rides at DL/CA will be closed for refurbishment? There are certain DL only things we MUST do and I want to make sure we can do them.

2. When is the best time to go? We are thinking of going in March or April - before or after SB crowds. There is also a bonus now of you arrive between Jan 2 and April 22 they will give ou a $150 gift card.

3. What on-site resort is your favorite? and why? Which are closest to the parks.

4. What are your MUST DO's at DL/CA. . .

THANKS, Adi

First question-go to www.disneyland.com and click on calendar. Type in the dates you think you want to go. Up will come a list of events, refurbs, hours of operation, etc...

Second question-hmmm....That may be a tough one for me to answer because the last several times I went were over the summer in July during the weekdays. Suprisingly the crowds weren't THAT bad. I can tell you when NOT to go. Christmas break, and any other holiday for that matter. We went over Christmas two years ago and the crowds were a nightmare.

Third question-The best resort hotel...Lets see. Last summer I stayed at Paradise Pier and LOVED it! The rooms were vary spacious. Only downside to my stay was the hot tub's water was lukewarm. I haven't stayed at the Grand Californian yet. I stayed at the DL hotel back in 1990 and will again next summer.

Forth question-The MUST do's at Disneyland is ride Alice In Wonderland, Matterhorn and Splash Mountain. CA Adventure is Tower of Terror.

Have a fun trip and I hope I helped.

 

[HydroGuy]

I am trying to plan DH and my first trip to DL. We are WDW vets - been going since birth, since we grew up living on 3 hours south of WDW.

Anyhow. . . I was wondering a few things. .

1. Is there a calendar that shows when rides at DL/CA will be closed for refurbishment? There are certain DL only things we MUST do and I want to make sure we can do them.

All of these questions and more are answered here: "A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

See www.riderefurbs.com and the MousePlanet weekly park update for DLR here: www.mouseplanet.com for refurb info. I truest MousePlanet the most (even more than the DLR website).

If you want to be sure (or as sure as possible) of being able to do "DL Only" things, consider going in the summer or otherwise during high season. See "HydroGuy's High Season/Off Season Tradeoff Rule"
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199852. Also, be aware that there are credible rumors of POTC going down Spring 2007. See "POTC Ride Down For Refurb #2 - Possibly Feb-May 2007" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1222667

2. When is the best time to go? We are thinking of going in March or April - before or after SB crowds. There is also a bonus now of you arrive between Jan 2 and April 22 they will give ou a $150 gift card.

As mentioned in item 1 above, if you try to avoid the Spring Break crowds you will be going when DLR knows it will be less crowded and they will be more likely to take rides and shows down.

See the DLR Guide link above, section "16. Best Time To Visit DLR" for more details on best time to go to DLR.

3. What on-site resort is your favorite? and why? Which are closest to the parks.

I have only stayed at the PPH for onsite. If money was no object, then the GCH is a no-brainer for me. We're thinking about staying there next summer.

4. What are your MUST DO's at DL/CA. . .

See "21. Not To Be Missed at Disneyland Resort" in the DLR Guide link above.

Have a great trip.

 

[Albort]

hey Hydro, you ever considered making your own website? your guides are really good

 

[HydroGuy]

hey Hydro, you ever considered making your own website? your guides are really good

Thanks. We'll see about the website.

 

[Torjohnson]

I would suggest things that you can"t do in wdw as must sees. In Disneyland there is Indiana Jones,Alice in Wonderland,The Matterhorn, and Mr. Toad for sure.
At california adventure, grizzly river rapids, lots of cali movies, mullholland madness, california screamin, mosters inc, and the aladdin show. I am a Disneyland freako, but you might be dissapointed with Tower of Terror. It is super fun, but in a different way..............

dl is smaller and very doable....
you will have a blast.