Going to Disneyland - Please Help Me! Lol

[mjaclyn]

Hello all! I was wondering if someone could help me figure out the best way to plan a vacation to Disneyland. My family and I have been to WDW more times than I can count, but I'd love to visit DLR and DCA as well. We have visited before, but it's been a couple of years. Here is the scenario:

It will be myself, DH and our two children ages 3 and 6. DH's parents live in San Diego and I'm sure they would come as well, so we would need to get two rooms. We want to do both parks, we don't necessarily need hopper tickets, but want to make sure we hit Carsland and anything else that is NOT at WDW or is different. We were thinking of doing 2 days at each park. Is that enough to cover most of it? Also, what time of year is the least crowded? We might possibly come the week after Christmas - the week of New Years. Is it crazy busy then?

Also, is it best for us to book a special that Disney offers or is there anything my in-laws can get some they are SoCal residents? I know they probably wouldn't be able to get us tickets, but what about a room discount? We also have AAA, are D23 and DVC Members and have WDW Annual Passes if any of those gets us a discount. We do not have any more DVC points available so cannot use those.

Any help is greatly appreciated!!

 

[KEmum]

Have fun on your trip! We are in the middle of planning our own trip to DLR. Disney's California Adventure can be done in a day, the second day is probably not necessary. If it were me, I would do the park-hopper. You could go back and ride your favorite rides at DCA and then go to DLR for the rest of the day.

2 days in DLR is perfect, although you can spread it out to more if you take some time to slow down and see some of the magical touches, like touching the brass apple or spending some time beside the Market Shop and listening to the sounds coming from the upper story windows.

January/February and September/October are the least crowded times, please note that the weather in January/February is tricky. On our last trip, this February, it was hot and sunny 4 of the 5 days but we were completely rained out on the Wednesday.

I have been over New Years before and it is insane!! I definitely would think twice about bringing my kids in for that. Another nice thing about the off-season is that the parks close earlier. With my kids it is way easier to get them off to bed when everyone is leaving and it helps us having them well-rested.

You can get deals with all of the above. I find the Disney deals aren't as good as WDW ones but the ticket prices are going to be the same whether you get them from Disney or elsewhere.

 

[Carolwoodpr]

You have definitely chosen the busiest week of the year as your vacation days. It gets busier each day between Christmas and New Years, culminating in full parks on New Years Eve that you can barely move into. People park in the hub from morning until night so it gets super crowded and hard to navigate to different lands. I would consider putting off your trip until the first week of January. You will still have the Christmas decorations, but crowds diminish after the 1st and get lower each day as the week goes on.

I don't consider DCA to be a one day park now. Not with Cars Land. There are now 4 absolute E ticket rides for adults that you can use a baby switch pass on. California Screamin', Soarin', RSR and ToT. Then there are all of the kid rides, like bugs land, Luigi's and Maters rides, Mermaid and Monsters Inc., Disney Junior Stage Show, Muppets, and the Animation building. My son absolutely LOVES to draw the characters in there.

My guess is your kids will have plenty to do there and so will the adults.

 

[mjaclyn]

I want to clarify the dates.. My in-laws are coming to NY over Christmas break to visit us and we were thinking of flying back with them after. We probably wouldn't visit Disneyland until after New Years - most likely the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th. So we definitely wouldn't be going on New Years Eve or Day. Would that make a difference?

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

I want to clarify the dates.. My in-laws are coming to NY over Christmas break to visit us and we were thinking of flying back with them after. We probably wouldn't visit Disneyland until after New Years - most likely the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th. So we definitely wouldn't be going on New Years Eve or Day. Would that make a difference?

Most schools aren't going back until January 7th or later this year. So while your dates may not be as busy as New Year's Eve... They will be plenty busy. The Christmas stuff ends on January 6th too... So you will be able to see that.

I second the hoppers... Much easier to go back and forth then to force yourself to stay in one land all day. Go early, 30 minutes before park open at least, make your dining ressies as soon as you can... Especially for fri/sat/sun dinners, as counter service will be crowded and without a ressie you are likely not to get in to a table service.

 

[damiel]

Yes, your inlaws may be able to get you room discounts if you stay on property. Unlike WDW I find very little benefit to staying onn property. There are many good Hotels within walking distance at a fraction of the price. If anyone in your party is retired or active duty military you can get a great price on tickets through MWR, just be sure the person with military ID is with you the first time you go to the park. Last year my DH's aunt bought us So. Cal. Resident tickets and as long as she came with us to the park we had no problem using them. With young children I would suggest at least three days in the park.

 

[Caseheidi]

We just returned from there with my DD3. I think your plan of two days in each park is good. We did have the hopper, but only used it once. If you are looking to save money, I would avoid getting it. The one time we used it was our last day and amounted to two hours in the second park. We could have saved over $100. We had no problem spending two full days in CDA. With your kids age, there is lots to do there. If only adults, maybe not as much.

I agree with PP about hotels. It is lovely to stay on property, but if you are watching your budget, there are tons of nice places around there. Many of them within walking distance. I would be sure to bring your stroller for your little one for the walk back.

 

[mouseymommy]

I recommend The Best Western Park Place Inn and Suites. It is the closest hotel/motel to the parks. Even closer than the onsite hotels. We stay there every trip because they offer free breakfast, clean rooms, and we think they are spacious for the 5 of us. But we really love the location.
I think you will have a great time with 4 days at the resort. We have been there many times, and there is still stuff we haven't seen! I hope you have a great time, it's our favorite place to take our family right now.

 

[mjaclyn]

Thank you everybody! So I guess I have to weigh the pros and cons for those travel dates. Pros would be that we'd have our in-laws to help us fly across the country with two young kids and that DD6 would only miss 3 days of school. Cons are definitely the crowds and cooler weather.

 

[interstate70s]

I think generally people around here advise 4 days is good 5 is even better to not rush. I believe the Senior discount is 30% off the DLR hotels if your parents can qualify for that. I prefer to stay onsite, EMH would be super helpful going during a crowded time if your budget allows and you never leave the "magic", if not, I agree the Best Western park place inn is a good place to stay. You will be 5 minutes from the turnstyles. Ramada maingate is another good one.