How Many Days to See Disneyland?

[MeganAnne]

I know there have been other people to ask similar questions, but I haven't found a thread that describes a similar situation yet. If I'm wrong, please forgive me and point me in the right direction.

I am currently planning a trip to Disneyland with my partner and am trying to determine how many days we should visit. This will be our first trip to Disneyland, however, whereas I am a Disney fanatic and have been to WDW countless times, my partner has never been to a Disney park and has never shown interest in doing so (I'm pretty sure he's only agreed because he's seen how excited I get when I talk about Disney, well, and he can't think of somewhere else to go instead ). I have absolutely no idea how he will respond to being in the parks. I'm sure I could happily spend 6 days in the park, but am worried that it would be too overwhelming for him.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how many days would be enough to satisfy both a Disney-fanatic and someone just along for the ride? We'd be going in March between the 9th and 15th. ElecTRONica, Fantasmic and WoC are the only shows we plan on seeing (no parades, no fireworks, etc).

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[01spirit750]

How many days?

That can vary a lot.

For us 3-4 days is about right. 3 days is the shortest and after 4 days we are ready to head home.

It depends on the crowds and how much you can do in those days. We are regular visitors so we do not have to do everything because we know we will be back in 6 months.

One time in Tomorrowland, we were walking by a family and they were telling someone that this was their 8th day at the park and they were going home tomorrow. For us 8 days would be too much.

 

[stephe1987]

I would suggest three days if you want to do one thing each day. But if your boyfriend isn't into Disney then maybe just two days. We are going for two days this weekend and we will be able to see plenty of things. If you want shorter lines, March and September are the best times of year (see more in a day, get more for your money).

 

[Susie63]

I dragged my husband to DL last year along with our 8 yr old DD.He was so bad that I finally told him to stay home.But he begrudginly got on the plane. Meanwhile we were bouncing off the walls.Think Eyeore and Tigger. We spent 8 nights in DL,and still didn't see everything.I didn't know there was a Monsters Inc. attraction till I read about it here on the boards.
However,since you have been to WDW a lot, you will not have that standing there with your mouth hanging open trip that we did.
That being said Disneyland is different than WDW so I would stay at least 4 days.
Now back to Eyeore, I mean my husband.He had a BLAST. He would never say that of course,because then I would have been right
Shortly after we arrived back to -40 here in Canada, a WDW commercial came on.I was watching his face light up(without him knowing)and when it said pay for three stay for five at the WDW resort,under his breath I heard him say"Oh...it's for Disneyworld". He was so busted.
Since then,whenever someone mentions that they are going to DL,he starts going on about how cool it is and the architecture and the botony and how you will never find anything like it anywhere,and how everyone who has cutomers queue should have to go to DL and see how they do it.....and so on,and so on.Now this was when ROA was drained and WOC was being built,so he says we NEED to go back to see what we missed

So,I would do the six days. You never know...it could be the start of a magical thing

 

[Disco]

I would say a day in each park if you are worried. No more than 3.
3 days is enough to do everything and if he doesn't like it, he probably won't want to keep going back.
Start with rides you think he'd like most like coasters if a thrill seeker. Frankly I can't see how it is possible for someone not to like DL but I know of such a person.

 

[mydisneymoney]

We took our then 5 year old DS in February of this year and only spent 3 days, 2 in DL and 1 in CA. My son loved but we didn't even come close to seeing it all. So we just went again (last week) and were in california 7 days, 6 in the park and 1 at the beach. We still did not see it all. I think everyone is different and their expectations are different. If you want a laid back trip, the more days the better to really experience it all.

 

[PHXscuba]

Depending on the total amount of time you have for the vacation, you might consider spreading it out ... sleeping in one morning, seeing everything at night, taking a nap or pool break. For that, I'd consider four days. Sometimes I think the reason some people dislike Disney is the thought of long lines, jostling crowds, etc. Only you know what your partner would like.

It's also about compromise -- what does he want to do in California? It's a lot easier to feel good about spending three days doing something you think is amazing when you've spent equal time on something he likes -- Magic Mountain, beach, Hollywood, etc.

PHXscuba

 

[PinkBudgie]

Before all the DCA expansions, we used to go for 3 usually. Now we go for 5 days and still don't seem to get to everything we wanted. Carsland will only add to that. If you want to see F!, WOC, a parade, and Aladdin, it helps to have more days to spread it out. For us, 5 is the new 3.

 

[MrsPinup]

Since there are no kids...I would suggest 3 days

 

[Brady's Mom]

We like 5 days. But, we go with kids, usually. When we go with just us (DH and I) we usually do 3.

When we go with the kids we like to break things up. If I was going with someone who wasn't as into DLR like I am I would plan some things that they would like to do. We try to hit the beach for one afternoon during our 5 days. DH and I are both from California and we miss the beach/ocean in landlocked Utah. There are a ton of other things to do in So. Cal., so I would do a little research and see what's available.

You can sometimes get tickets to attend a taping of a show - Ellen, Tonight Show, David Letterman. Or go to the Aquarium, Hollywood, hockey games (since it's too early for baseball in March). Go see a play. Hang by the pool for the afternoon, hit the UVA bar or Cove Bar. See - tons to do!

Amongst all the other fun things there are to do in So. Cal., you can add some Disney time into the mix. This makes you happy and you can make your partner happy - Win/Win!

 

[snesguy]

It depends on a number of things.

How crowded will it be when you go? If it's low season you'll be able to see things more quickly. It's better to go at an uncrowded time.

How long will the parks be open on the days you are going and how long a touring day are you comfortable with? If you want to do a commando tour you can pack it in less days but it's supposed to be a vacation so it's better to take it easy.

What do you want to see? Are there things you don't care about seeing?

I usually go for 3 day or 4 day trips but I've been many times. In 3 days I can see most things I want to see and ride my favorite rides multiple times, but it feels like a more rushed pace and I there are some places I don't get to, but I know I'll be coming back for another trip and I'll get to see them later. 4 days is about right for me for a nice vacation.

For someone who isn't interested I would guess that 3 days is about all they can take. I would try to find out if he might be interested in some other activity or attraction in the area (there's tons of stuff around), and take a half day or day to go do something he likes and extend your stay.

 

[evandmp]

The first time I went with my husband it was for 4 days. He is a foody so I knew his favorite part would be trying out the different restaurants and snacks there and boy is there a lot of food at Disneyland! He likes Disneyland now

 

[MeganAnne]

Thanks for the advice everyone! Since we'll be going during Spring Break, I'm leaning towards 4-5 days at the parks. This way, we'll be able to take it easy and (hopefully) still get everything done.