Help plan a first trip to disneyland

[thor369]

Hello,

I am trying to plan our first trip to Disneyland and need help.

We are a family of 4 with 2 little kids under age 6. We are from out of state and can visit late July or august. Any reason to go in July vs. august. I guess it will be equally hot right?
We have been to Disneyworld and the kids loved all the parks. For Disneyland we are planning for only 1 park, adeventure land since avengers campus. They live Spider-Man and Ironman. Also, cars ride is in this park as well.

I need help with which hotel to book and also when I go and look at yen tickets and it asks for a date I randomly picked July 28th and it says tier 3, not sure what it means but in fine prints it says can be used until dec 2022 and a lot of excluded dates. Not sure what all that means.

If we have to change our dates, can we do so o line or we have to call? Lastly, will they still maintain 35% capacity. Seen some YouTube videos showing long lines at 6-7am.

Any suggestion for discounted tickets? Trying to save money as we also want to visit universal studies Hollywood.

 

[Matrixleos]

Few quick questions to help you get better information to your questions?

1) How many days are you planning to spend on your vacation, 5-7 days? Will all the days of your hotel stay be all at Anaheim or will you be traveling to other parts of SoCa and staying in hotel rooms like in Los Angeles or San Diego?

2) You mentioned you stayed at WDW in Florida, they have 3 tiers of hotels. The All Star hotels, Intermediate hotels and Premium hotels, which hotel did you stay at Disneyworld or did you stay at off site locations, to help us help you with recommendations for Disneyland Resort area hotels?

3) You mentioned planning for only 1 park DCA to visit Avengers Campus. Is that the only park you want to visit or did you mean planning for 1 park per day, with a day also visiting Disneyland? There are two parks, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure (DCA). So how many day(s) did you want to visit both parks?

Since you did mention Avengers Campus, as your kids are fans of Spider-man and Iron Man, read this thread on Avengers Campus linked below. It's long, 24 pages of posts, replies and updates but it will get you a MUCH better understanding of what to expect and to do when you go there.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/avengers-campus-superthread-–-opening-june-4-2021.3796373/

 

[thor369]

Few quick questions to help you get better information to your questions?

1) How many days are you planning to spend on your vacation, 5-7 days? Will all the days of your hotel stay be all at Anaheim or will you be traveling to other parts of SoCa and staying in hotel rooms like in Los Angeles or San Diego?

2) You mentioned you stayed at WDW in Florida, they have 3 tiers of hotels. The All Star hotels, Intermediate hotels and Premium hotels, which hotel did you stay at Disneyworld or did you stay at off site locations, to help us help you with recommendations for Disneyland Resort area hotels?

3) You mentioned planning for only 1 park DCA to visit Avengers Campus. Is that the only park you want to visit or did you mean planning for 1 park per day, with a day also visiting Disneyland? There are two parks, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure (DCA). So how many day(s) did you want to visit both parks?

Since you did mention Avengers Campus, as your kids are fans of Spider-man and Iron Man, read this thread on Avengers Campus linked below. It's long, 24 pages of posts, replies and updates but it will get you a MUCH better understanding of what to expect and to do when you go there.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/avengers-campus-superthread-–-opening-june-4-2021.3796373/

We just would like to come in the night before and stay the night and spend the next day at Disneyland and hence just the one park. It’s just for one day. We might also consider checking in the hotel in the afternoon and then going back to the park in the evening, if they let people reenter. This will help with kids nap in the afternoon. We will be going back to visit our family from there.

We don’t mid. Staying offsite within walking distance to the park.

I will check out the link you provided

 

[DLRExpert]

We are a family of 4 with 2 little kids under age 6. We are from out of state and can visit late July or august. Any reason to go in July vs. august. I guess it will be equally hot right?

We have been to Disneyworld and the kids loved all the parks. For Disneyland we are planning for only 1 park, adeventure land since avengers campus. They live Spider-Man and Ironman. Also, cars ride is in this park as well.

I need help with which hotel to book and also when I go and look at yen tickets and it asks for a date I randomly picked July 28th and it says tier 3, not sure what it means but in fine prints it says can be used until dec 2022 and a lot of excluded dates. Not sure what all that means.

If we have to change our dates, can we do so o line or we have to call? Lastly, will they still maintain 35% capacity. Seen some YouTube videos showing long lines at 6-7am.

Any suggestion for discounted tickets? Trying to save money as we also want to visit universal studies Hollywood.

August, not because of the weather but because some CA schools are back in session.
Only going to California Adventure?

 

[Matrixleos]

In your first post, you mentioned trying to save money to go to Universal Studios. If you have the option, you might want to do 2 days at both Disneyland Resort Parks, instead of a day at Universal. I'll try to give you my opinions on your questions....

1) July or August? We're also going late July and from very early reports, it should be sunny with highs of 88 and lows of 63 at night. From what I've read, it gets hotter on average for the months of August and September.

2) Cheap Tickets? Honestly, you'll be better off getting them directly through Disney, as they'll automatically get linked to your account, you'll also get prompted to select your Reservation Dates and you won't get charged sales tax/other charges. Some of these discount ticket sites might look cheaper but then you'll be charged all these hidden fees and taxes at check out...…looking right at you T-Mobile Tuesdays!

3) How many days should I get tickets for? Just looked at the last week of July and tickets on Tuesday July 27 and Wednesday July 28 are $124 per person. If you select a weekend, you're looking at a jump up to $154. Since you mentioned about trying to save money, here are prices for Tuesday and Wednesday for 1 park per day tickets (no park hoppers which are an additional $55 per person)

1 Day tickets (2 Adults and 2 Kids) - $482 total and comes out to $120.50 per person
2 Day tickets (2 Adults and 2 Kids) - $910 total and comes out to $113.75 per person

This is also where doing a 2nd day at DLR would even cost you less than doing 1 day at Disney and 1 day at Universal. Just take a look at single day park tickets at Universal, much higher than $113.75 that you'd be paying for 2 days at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

4) Hotels? For your family with two kids below 6 and as you mentioned trying to save money, I'd select Tropicana. It's just a 5 minute walk to the park from you're hotel and is reasonably priced. The walking distance to get back to the hotel mid day if your kids want to take a nap and get out of the summer heat will be worth it for just a 5 minute walk. Then go back to the park after they had their nap and you guys are recharged. There are a bit more expensive options that offer better hotel pool/waterpark but from the sounds of it, you might not even have time for those features anyway if you're only planning a 1-2 night stay. There are also cheaper options but they are also a much longer walk to and from the parks.

5) Which park to go to Disneyland or Disney California Adventure? You already mentioned you wanted to do Avengers Campus, so one day will be spent at DCA. Although with both kids being younger than 6, they will enjoy Disneyland a lot more. There are several more rides at Disneyland geared for their age group, especially Mickey's Toontown which is a whole land dedicated for rides and attractions for younger kids.

Plus fantasyland has all those classic Disney rides that kids those ages enjoy like Snow White, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, Dumbo and Small World. Not to mention your kids at those ages might also enjoy Casey Jr. Circus Train. Also don't forget to go and ride on the Disneyland Railroad. If your kids are even remotely into Star Wars or Pirates, it's a no brainer to select that park....in my opinion.

Personally, a full day at Disneyland would be better than a full day at Universal, whose rides are more geared for teens and young adults.

Hope that info helped.

 

[gpjacobs]

Personally, a full day at Disneyland would be better than a full day at Universal, whose rides are more geared for teens and young adults.

Totally agree with this sentiment. I have a six (almost 7) year old. She's a solid 3+ years away from enjoying Universal, if not more. It's a great park, don't get me wrong, but most of the rides are more intense/"scary" and the entertainment is mostly aimed at tweens, teens and adults.

 

[Kit Jackson]

I agree with what other people have posted. If your kids are that young, they will probably enjoy a second day at Disneyland and getting to see both parks instead of Universal Hollywood.

 

[fac429]

As a big fan of Universal I'm still going to agree with the advice above re: going to DL over Universal. Way more for your kids to do at DL, and logistically Universal isn't exactly close to DL. Another alternative is to do DCA one day and Knotts the second (park is much closer, less expensive admission vs. Universal or DL, lots for kids to do there as well- plus some more thrilling things to do for adults if you're so inclined). But somebody mentioned that Knotts may be raising prices after the 21st so you'd probably want to jump on their current offers. As for when to go, I agree with poster above who mentioned that a lot of schools around here start going back early to mid-August, so the later the better. Weather will be the same, crowds might be a bit lower. Also, the later you go the better the chance that AC will be fully open without the crazy line to get in or relying on getting a WS BG to get into the area.

 

[avalon451]

Count me in on the bandwagon for 2 days at DLR instead of a day at Universal. You really don’t want to miss Disneyland and just do California Adventure. DL is the original and has so much fun stuff for kids. The tier 3 tickets are a cheaper option only for Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so if you can do those, 1park per day option, you’ll save a chunk.
As far as hotels, if you want to stay really close for a reasonable price, the Harbor hotels aren’t fancy but they’re generally clean and reasonably comfortable, and you just can’t beat the proximity- they’re closer than the resort hotels, unless you’re counting the Grand Californian entrance into California Adventure (which I don’t, because even then depending on where your room is in that giant labyrinth of a hotel, it can still be a hike). They are the best for when the heat, the crowds, and the long wait times in the middle of the day just make everybody cranky. Pop back in 5 minutes, take a nap, and come back for late afternoon and evening fun. Desert Inn is frequently the least expensive; I’ve stayed there twice and it was adequate.

 

[thor369]

In your first post, you mentioned trying to save money to go to Universal Studios. If you have the option, you might want to do 2 days at both Disneyland Resort Parks, instead of a day at Universal. I'll try to give you my opinions on your questions....

1) July or August? We're also going late July and from very early reports, it should be sunny with highs of 88 and lows of 63 at night. From what I've read, it gets hotter on average for the months of August and September.

2) Cheap Tickets? Honestly, you'll be better off getting them directly through Disney, as they'll automatically get linked to your account, you'll also get prompted to select your Reservation Dates and you won't get charged sales tax/other charges. Some of these discount ticket sites might look cheaper but then you'll be charged all these hidden fees and taxes at check out...…looking right at you T-Mobile Tuesdays!

3) How many days should I get tickets for? Just looked at the last week of July and tickets on Tuesday July 27 and Wednesday July 28 are $124 per person. If you select a weekend, you're looking at a jump up to $154. Since you mentioned about trying to save money, here are prices for Tuesday and Wednesday for 1 park per day tickets (no park hoppers which are an additional $55 per person)

1 Day tickets (2 Adults and 2 Kids) - $482 total and comes out to $120.50 per person
2 Day tickets (2 Adults and 2 Kids) - $910 total and comes out to $113.75 per person

This is also where doing a 2nd day at DLR would even cost you less than doing 1 day at Disney and 1 day at Universal. Just take a look at single day park tickets at Universal, much higher than $113.75 that you'd be paying for 2 days at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

4) Hotels? For your family with two kids below 6 and as you mentioned trying to save money, I'd select Tropicana. It's just a 5 minute walk to the park from you're hotel and is reasonably priced. The walking distance to get back to the hotel mid day if your kids want to take a nap and get out of the summer heat will be worth it for just a 5 minute walk. Then go back to the park after they had their nap and you guys are recharged. There are a bit more expensive options that offer better hotel pool/waterpark but from the sounds of it, you might not even have time for those features anyway if you're only planning a 1-2 night stay. There are also cheaper options but they are also a much longer walk to and from the parks.

5) Which park to go to Disneyland or Disney California Adventure? You already mentioned you wanted to do Avengers Campus, so one day will be spent at DCA. Although with both kids being younger than 6, they will enjoy Disneyland a lot more. There are several more rides at Disneyland geared for their age group, especially Mickey's Toontown which is a whole land dedicated for rides and attractions for younger kids.

Plus fantasyland has all those classic Disney rides that kids those ages enjoy like Snow White, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, Dumbo and Small World. Not to mention your kids at those ages might also enjoy Casey Jr. Circus Train. Also don't forget to go and ride on the Disneyland Railroad. If your kids are even remotely into Star Wars or Pirates, it's a no brainer to select that park....in my opinion.

Personally, a full day at Disneyland would be better than a full day at Universal, whose rides are more geared for teens and young adults.

Hope that info helped.

thank you for providing a detailed explanation and I hear what you are saying but here is why 1day at the Disney adventure park makes sense for us.

we have been to WDW and have done the classic rides, so want to explore this new park which has the cars ride and the avengers campus. I know they are young but they are into Spider-Man and know most of the superhero’s and would be more excited to see them. Not sure marvels campus has any rides. Also, does the California adventure park have the buzz light year ride, they do like that a lot.

Good suggestion on buying directly from Disney as there is no tax. Also if my youngest is 3.5 years old, will I need a ticket?

I will check out the hotel you suggested. Going by if we go in that Tuesday and reserve our tickets, do we still have to get in line to get inside the park,early in the morning? Trying to figure out what time should we leave from San Diego to be there or should we arrive the night before.

with reservations I am hoping that it’s still I reduced capacity and does that mean shorter lines?


Universal although doesn’t cater most rides for their age, we would still like to go there. If it means we pay for the tickets at this point I have decided so be it.

We also want to go to legoland and wanted to know about buying either a day ticket or should we buy an annual pass since we would be so close to it we could go there multiple times during our visit.

I have heard that a San Diego go pass gives access to bunch of things including legoland and also that sometimes Costco has lego land tickets deals.

 

[mouschievous]

we have been to WDW and have done the classic rides, so want to explore this new park which has the cars ride and the avengers campus. I know they are young but they are into Spider-Man and know most of the superhero’s and would be more excited to see them. Not sure marvels campus has any rides. Also, does the California adventure park have the buzz light year ride, they do like that a lot.

When you say "excited to see the superheros," that made me think meet and greets. Keep in mind that there are no meet and greets with characters right now. I don't know if they're showing up randomly around the campus though.

The Avengers Campus has only one ride, I think - Web Slingers. DCA (Disney's California Adventure) doesn't have Buzz Light Year, but they do have Toy Story Midway Mania. It's a similar ride in style (you shoot things) but the theme is Toy Story instead of specifically Buzz Lightyear.

Also if my youngest is 3.5 years old, will I need a ticket?

Yes

I will check out the hotel you suggested. Going by if we go in that Tuesday and reserve our tickets, do we still have to get in line to get inside the park,early in the morning? Trying to figure out what time should we leave from San Diego to be there or should we arrive the night before.

First you need tickets and a reservation for that day. Then you have to decide what time you want to get there. With only one day, I would plan to be there before they open to get in line. That way you're in the parks as one of the first people and can make the most of your day. They are limiting capacity in Avengers Campus, so if you don't get in there right away I think you have to do a virtual queue to get a time to visit.

I would also plan for a potentially long line for Radiator Springs Racers. I don't know what it's like now, but pre-Covid, it was nearly always a 2 hour wait without a fast pass. Actually, I might change my mind - since RSR is toward the front of the park, I might go do that first (hopefully with a shorter line), then go to Avengers Campus. If it's closed, you get in the virtual queue and go do other things while you wait.

with reservations I am hoping that it’s still I reduced capacity and does that mean shorter lines?

Not necessarily shorter lines. Keep in mind that a lot of things are still closed, so there aren't as many places for people to go, which means more people in each line that is open. I always recommend checking out wait times in the days leading up to your trip so you get an idea of what to expect. DCA's hours are 9am to 9 pm right now, so check periodically throughout the day on the Disneyland app and you'll get an idea of what the lines are like.

Also, to help you plan, you might want to check on any height requirements of rides in DCA. Any attractions not listed don't have a height requirement.


32" (81 cm) or taller

• Mater's Junkyard Jamboree
• Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters

40" (102 cm) or taller

• Jumpin' Jellyfish
• Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT!
• Radiator Springs Racers
• Silly Symphony Swings (tandem swings only)
• Soarin' Around The World

42" (107 cm) or taller

• Goofy's Sky School
• Grizzly River Run
• Redwood Creek Challenge Trail (rock wall and zip line only)

48" (122 cm) or taller

• Incredicoaster
• Silly Symphony Swings (ride in single swing)

(https://disneyland.disney.go.com/faq/parks/height-requirements/)

 

[gpjacobs]

When you say "excited to see the superheros," that made me think meet and greets. Keep in mind that there are no meet and greets with characters right now. I don't know if they're showing up randomly around the campus though.

The Avengers Campus has only one ride, I think - Web Slingers. DCA (Disney's California Adventure) doesn't have Buzz Light Year, but they do have Toy Story Midway Mania. It's a similar ride in style (you shoot things) but the theme is Toy Story instead of specifically Buzz Lightyear.


Yes


First you need tickets and a reservation for that day. Then you have to decide what time you want to get there. With only one day, I would plan to be there before they open to get in line. That way you're in the parks as one of the first people and can make the most of your day. They are limiting capacity in Avengers Campus, so if you don't get in there right away I think you have to do a virtual queue to get a time to visit.

I would also plan for a potentially long line for Radiator Springs Racers. I don't know what it's like now, but pre-Covid, it was nearly always a 2 hour wait without a fast pass. Actually, I might change my mind - since RSR is toward the front of the park, I might go do that first (hopefully with a shorter line), then go to Avengers Campus. If it's closed, you get in the virtual queue and go do other things while you wait.


Not necessarily shorter lines. Keep in mind that a lot of things are still closed, so there aren't as many places for people to go, which means more people in each line that is open. I always recommend checking out wait times in the days leading up to your trip so you get an idea of what to expect. DCA's hours are 9am to 9 pm right now, so check periodically throughout the day on the Disneyland app and you'll get an idea of what the lines are like.

Also, to help you plan, you might want to check on any height requirements of rides in DCA. Any attractions not listed don't have a height requirement.


32" (81 cm) or taller

• Mater's Junkyard Jamboree
• Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters

40" (102 cm) or taller

• Jumpin' Jellyfish
• Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT!
• Radiator Springs Racers
• Silly Symphony Swings (tandem swings only)
• Soarin' Around The World

42" (107 cm) or taller

• Goofy's Sky School
• Grizzly River Run
• Redwood Creek Challenge Trail (rock wall and zip line only)

48" (122 cm) or taller

• Incredicoaster
• Silly Symphony Swings (ride in single swing)

(https://disneyland.disney.go.com/faq/parks/height-requirements/)

This is an excellent response!

 

[Matrixleos]

thank you for providing a detailed explanation and I hear what you are saying but here is why 1day at the Disney adventure park makes sense for us.

we have been to WDW and have done the classic rides, so want to explore this new park which has the cars ride and the avengers campus. I know they are young but they are into Spider-Man and know most of the superhero’s and would be more excited to see them. Not sure marvels campus has any rides. Also, does the California adventure park have the buzz light year ride, they do like that a lot.

Good suggestion on buying directly from Disney as there is no tax. Also if my youngest is 3.5 years old, will I need a ticket?

I will check out the hotel you suggested. Going by if we go in that Tuesday and reserve our tickets, do we still have to get in line to get inside the park,early in the morning? Trying to figure out what time should we leave from San Diego to be there or should we arrive the night before.

with reservations I am hoping that it’s still I reduced capacity and does that mean shorter lines?


Universal although doesn’t cater most rides for their age, we would still like to go there. If it means we pay for the tickets at this point I have decided so be it.

We also want to go to legoland and wanted to know about buying either a day ticket or should we buy an annual pass since we would be so close to it we could go there multiple times during our visit.

I have heard that a San Diego go pass gives access to bunch of things including legoland and also that sometimes Costco has lego land tickets deals.

From your first post, you mentioned you only have time to do one park at Disneyland Resorts and would be selecting DCA because of Avengers Campus and Cars Land. That's great and I think your kids would love that. I was just making a suggestion that at their ages, they would like Disneyland more.

Now if you had time to do one full day in Disneyland and one full day in DCA, that would be my recommendation. Especially if the alternatives are to skip Disneyland in favor of Universal Studios and Legoland. To help answer your other questions....

1) Avengers Campus: It has 2 rides, Webslingers and Mission Breakout. With Webslingers, you need to reserve a spot with a virtual que at 7am and also another opportunity at 12pm. The Boarding Groups go by quickly within a few seconds, so if you miss out, they will not be able to ride Webslingers for that day. I'd recommend reading the many threads on this board on how to get Boarding Groups or at the very minimum, watch some YouTube videos on how the process is.

With Mission Breakout, if you've been to WDW and to Hollywood Studios, it's similar to Tower of Terror ride but with the Guardians of the Galaxy theming. Avengers Campus also has several character shows from Spiderman, Black Widow\Black Panther vs Taskmaster, GotG and Dr. Strange show.

2) Buzz Lightyear ride is in Disneyland but DCA does have Toy Story Midway Mania. Which if you've been to WDW and to Hollywood Studios, they have a similar ride there that you might have rode.

3) Your 3.5 year old will need a ticket.

4) Hotel Check in is totally up to you to decide. If you're only doing one Disney park, then arrive the night before from San Diego. You'll miss out alot of time to drive up, checkin and get to the park, if that will be your only day at the Disneyland parks. As I said below, I'd recommend going to both parks and staying an extra night to get to both parks early.

5) Parks are reduced capacity for now. Should be 35-50% by July. Disney is gearing to go back to 100% capacity by Fall time.

6) Instead of going to Legoland multiple times, look into San Diego Go, linked below...
For just $199.99 you can get a 3-day All-Inclusive Pass and go to Lego Land, Seaworld and San Diego Zoo.

https://gocity.com/san-diego/en-us/products/all-inclusive