First visit questions

[cal2net]

We are traveling July 14-19, me-DH-DD(14), using 3 day park hopper military tickets (spending 1 day visiting beach or Hollywood area), staying off-site (Embassy Suites South).

1. Do we avoid the park with EMH-MM?
2. Is it necessary to head back to hotel for midday break?
3. Thinking about using the One Day touring plans from the Unofficial Guide Disneyland 2014. Are these pretty good touring plans or should we opt for another?
4. Would it be best to use the ART shuttle, taxi or walk (looking at a mile/30 min walk)?

This will probably be our one and only visit to DLR (DH prefers FL to CA) so would like to make the best of it.
Thank you in advance for comments/suggestions.

 

[luulu1999]

We are traveling July 14-19, me-DH-DD(14), using 3 day park hopper military tickets (spending 1 day visiting beach or Hollywood area), staying off-site (Embassy Suites South).

1. Do we avoid the park with EMH-MM?
2. Is it necessary to head back to hotel for midday break?
3. Thinking about using the One Day touring plans from the Unofficial Guide Disneyland 2014. Are these pretty good touring plans or should we opt for another?
4. Would it be best to use the ART shuttle, taxi or walk (looking at a mile/30 min walk)?

This will probably be our one and only visit to DLR (DH prefers FL to CA) so would like to make the best of it.
Thank you in advance for comments/suggestions.

I would start off your day in the park without MM/EMH because you can get so much done in the mornings but if you got people that has already been there an hour you get a little less done

You don't HAVE to take a midday break if your family can handle being there all day I think people suggest it because it is usually busier and hotter mid day and if you get there at rope drop you can get a lot accomplished in that time

don't know about this one never have used it

if it is a 30 min walk I would DEF take something if there is an ART stop close to your hotel I would use that, I know getawaytoday.com has deals on ART tickets but if for sure would not walk 30 mins there then all day at the park then 30 mins back that would be way to much

 

[Happytotrip2]

i

 

[luulu1999]

Yes we are staying at the Park Vue Inn its about $150 a night free parking free breakfast which I hear is very good and it is RIGHT across the street from the entrance and the reviews on trip advisor are good, IDK if you are set in that hotel for some reason but it is something to consider, we got the one queen with bunk beds

 

[Angrose]

1. You don't have to avoid the park with MM/EMH if you will be arriving later in the morning. For example, if you will arrive at 10am on a 8am opening day then it wouldn't really matter which park you start with.

2. It is not necessary to head back to hotel for a break. And, if you are staying so far away then it may not even be worth it. Last year we stayed at the Marriott Suites and parked in Mickey and Friends structure each day. It was pretty annoying to go back and forth each day for my son's nap. The last day we said forget it and ended up having some quiet time on the sofas at the GCH. That worked out great. Other quiets spots are the Animation Academy at DCA and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln at DL. Sometimes taking in a show and getting off your feet are all that are needed.

3. I love Touring Plans! They are same people who publish the Unofficial Guide. I like it just to play around with different touring schedules. I am a very visual person so I like to see everything layed out in front of me and it helps me stay on track when I'm in the parks.

4. Sounds like you are too far to walk. You could try walking there the first day and see how you do and then take a taxi back in the evening if needed.

Have fun!!

 

[cal2net]

Thank you all for your comments. If I can get my crew up and going, I'd like to be at the parks at rope drop but would rather avoid the park with MM/EMH which happens to be DLR on our first full day in CA.

 

[figment_jii]

1. Do we avoid the park with EMH-MM?

It's not necessary to avoid that park, but if you wanted to ride the most popular rides without a line already being there, then it might make sense to avoid the EMH/MM park. If you only have one day, I would probably aim to start at the non-EMH/MM park, but this only matter if you wanted to do things like RSR or TSMM (at DCA) or Peter Pan or Elsa & Anna M&G (at DLR).

2. Is it necessary to head back to hotel for midday break?

Again, I agree that you need to do what is best for your family. If they need the break, then head back. Otherwise, just keep going. There are some quieter places in the park where you can take a break and do some people watching as an alternative to going all the way back to a hotel room.

3. Thinking about using the One Day touring plans from the Unofficial Guide Disneyland 2014. Are these pretty good touring plans or should we opt for another?

I'm not big into touring plans, but it might be good to look at a few (as in more than one) to see what kinds of itineraries they suggest. In the end, I would not tie myself to a single touring plan all that tightly. Identify which rides sound interesting to you and go for those.

If the Unofficial Guide is based on Touring Plans (the company), then I would take what they say with a grain of salt. Their crowd calendars are notoriously wrong (especially for Disneyland). So I'm not sure I'd put a lot of faith into the rest of their Disneyland planning information.

4. Would it be best to use the ART shuttle, taxi or walk (looking at a mile/30 min walk)?

I would take a taxi or the ART shuttle. I wouldn't want to walk either direction because you already do so much walking in Disneyland. I'd rather save my feet for Disneyland, opposed to the walk to Disneyland!