Just booked my first DL trip!!

[Cinderella1122]

I just booked my first Disneyland trip! My sister and I will be staying at Disney's Grand Californian in late may. I already purchased the unoffical guide and started to read it. Are there any other good guides?

 

[cari12]

We are leaving tomorrow for our first trip to DL. I have the unofficial guide which is great for a summary of all the rides and attractions. We have 2 small children so I could look up height restrictions, scare factor etc.
But invaluable are these DIS boards. Read Hydroguys tips and if you have a MM day, read the MM thread. Post questions - people here are most helpful and knowledgeable. I have created a plan based on all this info of what we will do each day (although being flexible depending on crowds and how much the kids can handle). Happy planning!

 

[HydroGuy]

But invaluable are these DIS boards. Read Hydroguys tips and if you have a MM day, read the MM thread.

I happen to agree with everything that HydroGuy says.

It is sad but true that DLR does not have as many good guide books as WDW. The UOG is probably the best but not nearly as respected as their WDW version.

Here are some online links that will complement the UOG. For WDW vets this one gets lots of mileage around here: "A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

Late May will be a great time to go. Weekdays are still considered off-season so be careful picking days of the week. You should seriously consider overlapping a weekend. I would recommend you finish your trip on a Saturday to catch Friday and Saturday night entertainment. Unless you are going over Memorial Day which may change which days are best. See "What You Should Know About Off-Season at DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889 and "Historical DLR Park Hours, Entertainment and Refurbs" - www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2291124.

A new show at DCA will be huge news next Spring. See the OP in this link and the many good posts that follow from other DLR regulars: "Al Lutz - New DLR Prez, World of Color to open April 24, Passes needed to see WoC?" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2307603

See this link for more info on all the new changes at DCA: http://micechat.com/forums/disneyla...alifornia-adventure-project-tracker-viii.html

 

[PinkBudgie]

I have UOG to DL too and I like it but it does have a few things that are wrong in it. Mine is the 2009 version that came out before last summer, I believe. I don't know they have new version that fixed those things are not. For example, it said there was FP at TSMM and there isn't. It said the Tiki Room is Under New Management and it isn't.

In fact, I read the UOG to WDW also and found many of the stories and tips for DLR came directly from the WDW version. It was like they went into the computer and changed only the name of the parks. And it seems they forgot to change somethings that should have been. I was a bit disappointed to see this. It is a good guide but I would have liked to know that it was based on DLR, but it really wasn't. Still, I did find some useful things in it.

Another book I really like but not a guide is The Disneyland Encyclopedia. It has a "blurb" about every attraction and restaurant that ever existed at DL. It goes all the way up to 2007. I hope he does a new edition to include recent attractions, but I don't know if he will. It also explains who all those people are named on the Main Street windows and drew my attention to things I might have over looked. I read it cover to cover, the DL geek that I am, but you can just open it up and start reading anywhere.

 

[Cinderella1122]

Thank you so much for the feed back and links! I am very excited to start learning about all that DL has to offer.