Help for a Newbie?

[brookiethecookie]

Hi all
I am so excited to be going to Disneyland/CA from November 6 - 10 for the first time ever! It will be myself, dh, 8 year old DD and 4 year old DD. Any and all advice and suggestions are welcome. I have been reading through these forums ever since we made our reservations and can't wait!

1. What kind of line waiting times can we expect at that time of year?
2. Typical weather in southern CA then?
3. I think I've figured out what a fastpass is, but where do we get them/how many etc.
4. At that time of year do I need to make reservations for the character meals or would we be ok just showing up? My girls are not really into princesses but I think they will go nuts for chip n dale, my youngest demanded her soccer team name themselves "The Squirrels" (her fave animal), so chipmunks will be loved as well.

I have spent hours at the disneyland.com website, it's overwhelming!

Oh, and my 8 year old wants to know if the Matterhorn is scary, she said it looks fun but she might not want to see the yeti. I was so bummed to see that Pirates OTC is going to be closed, as well as IASW. Those were the two that I really wanted to see. I am sure we will be so busy having fun though, that I won't even notice.

 

[alicia1506]

hi, i will be at DLR at the same time, so i hope you have a truly magical time we also have been planning and researching for our trip, and it is overwhelming.

there are some great threads on here for the FP rides, there is a superthread here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1186052&highlight=fastpass

as this will be our first ever trip to DLR, i'm not sure about wait times or reservations (though i think reservations might be a smart move, as that is what we have done just to be safe )

but in relation to weather, i just googled it, and it's telling me it will be around 25degrees celcius max and around 15degrees celcius min, which should be relatively nice weather, just right for jeans & a light jacket or cardi. in farenheit, i think that works out to about 70 degrees max and about 54 min. i have heard it might also rain, so a poncho or umbrella may be useful.

 

[skiingfast]

1. Crowd wise it's a great time of year to be there. You probably won't see any waits longer than 45 minutes and most waits 5-15 minutes. Sunday will be a lot busier than your other days.

2. It will be mild to cold. Check the weather before you leave home in case you need rain wear or an unmbrella. You can see the typical weather conditions in the thread below.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=23004158

3. Probably won't be a big deal during your visit with low crowds. Anyhow you get the FPs near an FP attraction entrance. Indy is harder to find, it's next to the Jungle Cruise entrance. And Stay Tours FPs are across the path, opposite the entrance. You get one for each person and it will show a return time on it. You can get another one when the return time comes up or 2 hours after getting the previous FP, whichever is sooner.
FP attractions in the link below.
http://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/list/#/fastpass-pass-service
A simple decription of how to get them and use them below.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1186052

4. I would suggest the Plaza Inn, you can usually find Chip and Dale there. It's a great experience. For back up Storytellers with Chip and Dale, it's located in the Grand Californian Hotel. Make reservations if you are set on a time so you can get that time, and avoid waits at the door. You can make the reservation a week or day out, except for Sunday you should have little trouble getting what you want.

5. Don't plan on it, but it's possible IASW will open during your visit. As you go by the attraction ask a CM if they know when?

 

[ArchOwl]

First, welcome! And yay for a Disneyland trip! I am sure you will have a great time.

To answer your questions:

1. You are going during a lower crowd time, although I hesitate to use the word "off-season" as I don't think it applies to Disneyland any more! I would expect moderate wait times, completely manageable by use of Fastpass and a good touring plan. The only downside to this is that some of the shows will probably not be running during the week. So make sure you plan to see what you want on Sunday.

2. The weather should be nice, pleasant during the day (70s) and a little chilly at night (50s).

3. A Fastpass is really a reservation ticket. Let me show you a picture:

Close to every ride with a Fastpass system will be a Fastpass Distribution area. You must insert your ticket into the machine and it will spit out a FP like the one above. As you can see, it will tell you exactly when you return. However, you may continue to use your FP at any time after the first time listed. This means you do not have to return to the ride exactly when it says. For example, the Indiana Jones FP in the picture above says "Return Anytime between 8:30 and 9:30 pm". But you really can return ANYTIME at all after 8:30pm. When you do decide to return to the ride, there will be a specially marked line for FP Return. A Cast Member will be there to make sure you are there AFTER the first time listed. You will then be allowed in the FP line which will be substantially shorter than the regular, or standby, line.

To maximize your FP collecting, you must get to the park early and start collecting them. You will notice in the picture that the FP will tell you when you can get another FP. In the morning, the time you may obtain another FP will be shorter. This means in the morning, you can collect several FPs and then use them throughout the day as you like. So keep in mind when a next FP is available and then obtain a new one. The more popular rides in high season can run out of FPs as the day goes on, especially Star Tours.

Additionally, there are rides that are "disconnected" from the regular FP system. For example, in the picture above, I collected the Indiana Jones FP first (the time I collected is in tiny print in the lower right hand corner) and even though the Indy FP says I must wait until 8:30 to get another FP, I went to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and got a FP 4 minutes later. That is because Big Thunder and Roger Rabbit are "disconnected" and don't "talk" to the main FP system. However, Big Thunder FPs are turned off during slower times, so I wouldn't be surprised if you only have Big Thunder on Sunday and maybe Monday.

4. I would make a reservation for the character dining, just because it does get busy and I would hate for you to have to wait. Chip and Dale I have seen at the Storyteller's breakfast and at Minnie's Breakfast in the Park.

The Matterhorn does have its thrilling parts for sure. Maybe you could watch a video of the ride on Youtube and see what you think. It is hard because every child is so different.

And it is a bummer those two rides will be down, but you have such a great attitude I know you will have a good time regardless. Have fun!

 

[brookiethecookie]

Thank you all so much! So helpful! We are driving down from Oregon, so will probably need to bring a variety of clothes anyway.

I think I'm starting to understand the fastpasses...So you get so many with your entrance ticket? Or do you have to pay extra for them?

 

[sonnyjane]

Thank you all so much! So helpful! We are driving down from Oregon, so will probably need to bring a variety of clothes anyway.

I think I'm starting to understand the fastpasses...So you get so many with your entrance ticket? Or do you have to pay extra for them?

Hmmm, make sure you read this thread that ski posted for you earlier: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1186052

FP's are free. You get them by putting your park ticket into a machine for your desired FP ride. There is no limit to how many you get each day, just on how soon you can get another one after getting the previous.

 

[starshine514]

You don't automatically get any FPs at DL, but they are free. You take your ticket, insert it into the FP machine and it will return your ticket and give you a FP. On the FP, there will be a time listed when you can get another FP, so you'll have to wait until then to get another FP from a 'connected' ride. You can use the FP anytime after its return time.

Their is no set limit on how many FPs you can get in a day, except for the time constraints themselves.