How long to stay?

[missyintx]

Out of the blue we are looking at taking my daughter to Disneyland for her 13th birthday. Looking at the end of june.

How long do I really want to stay? There are the 5 for 3 deals but I am not sure about 5 whole days at Disney. Wow. It will be our first trip (I did WDW about 23 years ago) and want to make it memorable, not miserable.

What do you think?

Missy

 

[hsembrick]

Five days is what we always do!! It will give you a day at each park and then a day to return to your favorite park or try a water park. Just remember that you won't see everything in one day at any of the parks. We usually do a day at each park and then the last day is always spent at MK bc it's our favorite!! Happy Planning!!!

 

[jernysgirl]

Five days is what we always do!! It will give you a day at each park and then a day to return to your favorite park or try a water park. Just remember that you won't see everything in one day at any of the parks. We usually do a day at each park and then the last day is always spent at MK bc it's our favorite!! Happy Planning!!!

I think that hsembrixk is talking about WDW, where there is four parks and the water parks.

At DLR, there are only two parks, (no water parks). However, we always spend five days there. There is plenty to keep you busy. And keep in mind that you would be going during high season, which means it may be busy. That is not necessarily a bad thing though. Just know that there are increased crowds, but that also means a full entertainment schedule. With more people and the warm weather, you may move a little slower through the parks. Remember too, that you can also take a break mid-day and got back to the hotel to swim, relax, and nap. Taking that all into account, you could easily fill five days. If you don't think you could do five, I would say you need AT LEAST three days, preferably four.

 

[Lissame]

I personally would go for the 5 days. You could always have a backup plan--like Universal or the beach one of the days in case you feel you're getting Disney overload.

That would never happen to me though, we went for 7 straight days last summer at the end of June/early July and it wasn't even enough.

 

[aussiejen]

We just got back from DLR last weekend & we had a 5 day Disney pass and still didnt get through everything we would have liked to. We only had 1 day at California Adventure Park then other 4 days at Disneyland. There were only a few rides we did twice also.
i recommend the 5 day pass as the others have done. Have Fun!!

 

[SarahDISer]

My rule of thumb for going to Disneyland is simple.

Go as often as possible for as long as possible.

 

[DTDkettleCORNfan]

We usually do a 3 day pass.....but if we got 2 days added on at no extra cost, we would go into the park the first evening we arrive instead of hanging out in Downtown Disney. I echo the previous posters who say at least 3 days.

 

[missyintx]

So it looks like 5 days. Now to find a cheap hotel.
Thanks


Missy

 

[mrosen]

I see the postings here and sounds like a recommendation of 3 days minimum for Disneyland with 5 being better. We've never been to DisneyLand but we have taken our 2 kids to Disney World 11 times already with most stays being 7 days, some longer, some a little shorter like 5 or 6 days.

How different is Disneyland except for being alot smaller? Given how many times we have taken ours to Disney World, would going to DisneyLand for 2 days mean we really can't get to most rides? I could cover all the theme parks in 2 days at WDW and feel good about a visit given my prior experiences so wondering from someone who has been to both how different they are and would I feel 2 days was too short in DisneyLand? Our kids would lbe 11 and 12 at the time of our trip I'm asking as we are considering a Disney Mexican Riveria cruise and would add few days to stop at DisneyLand so due to cost and # of vacation days, trying to balance # of days at Disneyland.

Also with the renovations going on in DisneyLand that I think open in 2012(?) are things closed or just areas that we will see construction for future things but everything else is operational? Asking about this tied to # of days and even timing of a visit as we are considering this Cruise/Disneyland combo 2011 for either late Jan, first week of Feb or late Oct, first week of Nov. Any opinions on this tied to weather, crowds or the renovations going on based on anyone's experiences who is more familiar with LA area and Disneyland would be greatly welcomed!

 

[HydroGuy]

I see the postings here and sounds like a recommendation of 3 days minimum for Disneyland with 5 being better. We've never been to DisneyLand but we have taken our 2 kids to Disney World 11 times already with most stays being 7 days, some longer, some a little shorter like 5 or 6 days.

How different is Disneyland except for being alot smaller? Given how many times we have taken ours to Disney World, would going to DisneyLand for 2 days mean we really can't get to most rides? I could cover all the theme parks in 2 days at WDW and feel good about a visit given my prior experiences so wondering from someone who has been to both how different they are and would I feel 2 days was too short in DisneyLand? Our kids would lbe 11 and 12 at the time of our trip I'm asking as we are considering a Disney Mexican Riveria cruise and would add few days to stop at DisneyLand so due to cost and # of vacation days, trying to balance # of days at Disneyland.

Also with the renovations going on in DisneyLand that I think open in 2012(?) are things closed or just areas that we will see construction for future things but everything else is operational? Asking about this tied to # of days and even timing of a visit as we are considering this Cruise/Disneyland combo 2011 for either late Jan, first week of Feb or late Oct, first week of Nov. Any opinions on this tied to weather, crowds or the renovations going on based on anyone's experiences who is more familiar with LA area and Disneyland would be greatly welcomed!

OK, this link is probably a good place for to start. It answers many of your questions and others you should ask but have not realized it yet.

"A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

IMO three days at DLR would feel like seven days at WDW. Enough time to experience a lot but not nearly enough to see everything.

Yes, there is lots of construction going on but they keeps the parks functional. But there is talk of even more construction at DL and DCA after 2012 so I would not delay on that account.

Be careful about visiting in Feb or Nov as those off-season dates do not work the same at DLR as WDW - see

"What You Should Know About Off-Season at DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889 and

"Choosing When To Visit DLR: Summary of High and Low Season and When Each Happens " http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=36509602

For weather see "Comparison of Weather For WDW and DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1711098