Heading west!! (Need advice!)

[DancinBear63]

DH and I love to travel with our son (we wish we could do it full time), and we definitely love all things Disney. We have made several trips to Disneyworld (including our honeymoon), and are counting down the days until our second Disney cruise. We live on the east coast, and typically vacation in our time zone, lol.

This morning, we were talking about scheduling Disney trips twice each year. Somehow, a conversation turned into a search here to see what others are doing, and the next thing I know, we've booked a trip to Disneyland for next July!! I haven't been to Disneyland since I was a kid, and DH and DS have never been. I am so excited!!!

What should we see? DS will be 6 when we travel, and is an absolute "Cars" fan, so I know we will probably spend a lot of time at Cars Land! Is there anything else we absolutely can't afford to miss? (We will only be at the parks for 3 days, and using our annual SeaWorld passes for the remaining days.) Help!

 

[RKKUNK]

First of all, Congratulations! How exciting! You might want to start by checking out HydroGuy's thread, DLR for WDW veterans. He has a lot of helpful advice. We are DL vets and have only been to WDW once, this past November when we did a Disney Cruise first and then the parks after.

Okay, so, some rides that are different from WDW or are better at DL: Indiana Jones, PotC, Space Mtn. (soooo much better than WDW), Matterhorn, Calif. Screamn', Toontown, and of course Carsland. I am sure I left some out. I think the shows(PtN parade and the fireworks at DL and WOC at DCA) that are new this year for the 60th will probably still be running next July. Those are really great and by then maybe it won't be so hard to find a place since they will have been around for awhile. Hopefully, the FP system will be the same and you can make use of them and MM or rode drops to get rides done without having to stand in line for a long time. There is so much to see, especially at DL! You will have a blast!

 

[DancinBear63]

Thanks for the great tips!

 

[Nicolette11785]

If you can do more than 3 days at DL I would highly suggest that. 3 days in July usually isn't enough (especially for your first DL trip). I would do at least 4 days and 5 if you are able.

I hope you all have a great time!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I agree about trying to be at DL more than three days. Four or even five will allow you to take things at a more relaxed pace. If you stay at one of DL's hotels, you will have access to early entry (one hour prior to park opening) each day it's available. It alternates between parks, so you'll be able to enter one or the other early each day. If you stay at an offsite hotel and have at least a three day pass, you will get one early entry to Disneyland (California Adventure early entry is only for onsite hotel guests). It's totally worth it to get up early and get into the park by 7:00 a.m. on that one day. Fantasyland and Tomorrowland are open during that time. You can practically walk onto the rides (except for Space Mountain and Peter Pan which most people head to first). You can start collecting Fast Passes at 8:00 a.m. whether you had early entry or not. Be sure to do some planning and get a new Fast Pass as soon as you're eligible.

Carsland is great but not huge. You will want to plan to enter CA at opening and immediately get in line for a Radiator Springs Fast Pass. Some people will go directly to the ride. I like getting a Fast Pass and then hitting some other rides while waiting for the time to come up. Last week, we were able to ride Toy Story and Screamin before going back for Radiator Springs. There is one other ride in Carsland - Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. Luigi's Flying Tires is closed and they're putting in a new ride. The theming in Carsland is amazing. Beside the two rides, there are several little shops and places to eat. Your DS will love it.

I always recommend getting a park hopper since it's so easy and quick to hop between the two parks. After you pass through the security check, you can stand in the entry plaza and see the gate for Disneyland, California Adventure, and Downtown Disney. We hopped several times on our last trip. Also, the onsite and many of the offsite hotels are so close that it's easy to take an afternoon break and go back to a park for the evening. There are also several restaurants outside the parks in case you get tired of park food. DS17 wanted to try the single rider line for Matterhorn. The rest of us wanted to stop by our hotel, change our wet clothes from Splash Mountain, and eat outside the parks. We told DS to meet us at the IHOP across the street. He was able to do what he wanted. We got our clean clothes, and we all got a nice sit-down meal before walking back. It's a different style of trip than WDW.

 

[DancinBear63]

Thanks! I forgot to mention that DS probably won't be going on many rides. He's a sensory seeker, and will want to explore the park, instead of standing on lines. I figured that we could probably be able to cover the parks in three days.