Never Been to Disneyland

[My2Angels]

My family lives in Georgia and have never been to Disneyland before. We are planning a trip for the summer of 2012. So, I wondered if you experienced Disers could give me some advice. Which hotel would you recommend? Do they have a dining plan? If so, which type is best? How many days do I need to get through the 2 parks? If we traveled in early June, would this be a good time?
Thanks for any advice!!

 

[Goofy_Mom]

In past years, early June is a good time to travel. DCA will be finishing carsland in 2012 but I'm not sure when. The new Star Tours ride will be running as will the Mermaid ride. Stay clear of the dinning plan, it's nothing like WDW, a complete waste of money. You exchange your USD for disney food vouchers, but when you spend the food vouchers, you don't get change back if your total is less than the value of the dollar. Just budget in food money into your vacation.

Hydroguy has a thread for WDW vets and one for DL newbies, give those a look. Have fun

 

[disneychrista]

Disneyland does not have a dinning plan, similar to that of WDW. They give you vouchers with a dollar value and you pay pretty close to that value. If you do not use the full value then you lose money. You are much better off paying OOP for meals at Disneyland.

I would say at least 3 days. If you can do more then even better.

Early June can be BUSY. Not sure when local schools get out (used to be mid-June) but Elementry schools tend to have end of year field trips to Disneyland, making the parks VERY busy during this time of year.

 

[PinkBudgie]

Many schools are starting to get out at the end of May now. Also in early June you have several early closings for Grad Night. Middle schools also have end of the year trips. In years past DLR didn't start their summer schedule until mid June, so that might affect the availability of shows. AND, the Socal APs are not blocked for the summer yet, so all of those people want to get in a last trip or two while they can. If the new rides are up and running by then like they are supposed to, that will bring even more locals.

All of this is why we prefer to go in July. We we went for a week one year with half of the days before Socal APs got blocked and half after they were blocked. The difference was like night and day as far a crowds.

 

[HydroGuy]

Many schools are starting to get out at the end of May now. Also in early June you have several early closings for Grad Night. Middle schools also have end of the year trips. In years past DLR didn't start their summer schedule until mid June, so that might affect the availability of shows. AND, the Socal APs are not blocked for the summer yet, so all of those people want to get in a last trip or two while they can. If the new rides are up and running by then like they are supposed to, that will bring even more locals.

All of this is why we prefer to go in July. We we went for a week one year with half of the days before Socal APs got blocked and half after they were blocked. The difference was like night and day as far a crowds.

FWIW see

"Understanding AP Blockouts and Impact on Crowds" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2365983

"The Scoop on Grad Nights at DLR in May and June" - www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2298400

 

[Angel Ariel]

Re: a hotel - DH and I last stayed at the Tropicana Inn on Harbor, and we really liked it. Cheaper than Disney hotels, a very close walk to the turnstiles...we'd stay there again in a heartbeat!

 

[clairabell29]

There are many great hotels on Harbor that are a lot less expensive then the disney hotels, and some are actually a lot closer. A lot of people on this board like the HOJO. I have stayed at the HOJO, Camelot, Park Vue, Del Sol, and Ramada-Main Gate. They are all nice hotels. As far as room size and style, I prefered the HOJO and Camelot. HOJO doesn't offer breakfast, but they do have ET rates, which will off set this, if you can get it.

As far as food, only vouchers I would buy before getting to the parks would be character meals, other then that OOP is best.

As far as how many days, I always prefer 5. You can go at an easier pace, make sure you catch all the shows, spend time finding characters, looking around main street, and ride every ride, no matter how busy it is. I think 3 days seems very rushed and you feel like you missed something. That being said, you can see most of the things you want in 3 days.

 

[jforever52]

We went in June last year and stayed at the Embassey Suites. It was very nice...having a complementary breakfast in the morning was a big plus and cut down on our food expenses big time!
I would check out the blackout dates for the annual passholders for the weekends in June to see if locals will be crowding the parks or not. When we went, the busiest day was actually Monday because of the weekend blackout dates for annual passholders. That Monday was a MESS it was so busy. We ended up hanging out at the hotel most of the day and going back in the evening for World of Color.
I wouldn't recomend the dining plan...we've done it before and did not see any real savings.

 

[My2Angels]

Thank you all so much for your advice! You have been very helpful!

 

[mellers]

My family lives in Georgia and have never been to Disneyland before. We are planning a trip for the summer of 2012. So, I wondered if you experienced Disers could give me some advice. Which hotel would you recommend? Do they have a dining plan? If so, which type is best? How many days do I need to get through the 2 parks? If we traveled in early June, would this be a good time?
Thanks for any advice!!

I would have to go with the Howard Johnson's Anaheim, particularly if you can get an Entertainment rate. It's as close to the main gate as the Disneyland hotel--unlike WDW, it's quite easy to stay off-property and walk over to the park. Meal plans are likewise not necessary here, although I would make reservations for at least one character meal and for the World of Color picnic.

Here's the website for the HoJo's

http://www.hojoanaheim.com/

 

[AmericanItGirl]

Depending on the days you go, it might be advantageous to stay in a Disney hotel because of MM and the Grand Californian entrance into California Adventure. However, there are ways to get these advantages without staying in "on property." You can sometimes purchase vacation packages that will include one MM (if you are staying 3+ days, you might find that one MM is not enough). Also, if you dine at Storyteller's Cafe, you can usually show your receipt in order to be able to use the Grand Californian entrance for that day.

 

[mystic_path]

Early June is fabulous. The earlier the better. I usually go the first week before the schools let out. There are grad nights however most Thursdays where the park closes early so the grads come in and take over the park for the night. I generally make that day a day where I go to Universal or do something else. Also park hours are extended so during the week the park closes at 11, and midnight on weekends, and all the shows like the fireworks, fantasmic, etc. will be in full swing as long as they arnt on refurb. But most refurbs are done before the summer hits, so unless something expected goes down your gonna be able to see it all.

I would say for your first time, especially in early June make sure you have a 4+ day hopper. 5-6 days are probably best. We had a 6 day the first time and we saw most of both parks, but not everything. You will find your favorite things and keep going back.

As for hotels, if you want to stay offsite you will find some good budget friendly hotels directly across from the main gate. Here is a map. Look on the right hand side. Anything between The Howard Johnson and the Ramada Main Gate is exceptional. Its directly at the Disneyland crosswalk or a 2 minute walk away. If you stay at hotels off this strip, you may have to use shuttles and its just a hassle in my opinion. I have stayed at the Howard Johnson, the Carousel, and the Tropicana, and a friend of mine stayed at Park Vue. My favorite was the Tropicana and Carousel. But others on here would rant and rave about the Howard Johnson.

http://anaheim-attractions.10-best.info/disney_map.pdf

As for dining plans... No its not like WDW where there is one. However there are Character meals that you can make reservations for (Starting at 60 days prior to your vacation). Both parks also have some nice places to eat, and Downtown Disney also has some wonderful restaurants. Here is a link to both DTD and the parks.

http://allears.net/dlr/din/menu/menus.htm

But if you stay on the harbor strip, there are restaurants all around the hotels. Dennys, Ihop, Millies, Mimis, Tony Romas, then there is the Anaheim Garden Walk with the Cheesecake factory, Bubba Gumps etc.

 

[yupikgal]

mysticpath, glad to hear that early june is fabulous! That's exactly when we will be there, from 5/31-6/4, but now I'm considering us going to Universal on the grad night day (Thursday) and just using our last day when we return from our coastal trip, since we'll have about 2.5 days left before we come home. I'm happy that the 2 new rides will be opening, but afraid that it will probably affect the crowds, that's why we're considering staying onsite for the last few nights of our stay, if they have good discounts. Thanks for your help!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I have heard/read that early June has historically been a fabulous time to go, especially with regard to crowds and weather. We have yet to see what this summer will be like though with the opening of Star Tours and Little Mermaid on June 3. It also is very difficult to judge what to expect for summer 2012 with the further coming changes. Will Carsland be open by early June 2012? Will it just be opening then and therefore causing a huge surge in crowds? If Carsland isn't open by early June 2012, then there is the potential for early June to follow more typical lower crowd patterns, but then you miss Carsland. What about the front entrance work, the makeover of the hub, the red car trolley? When will this work be completed? Do you want to see a completed California Adventure park or do you not mind being in a park still under construction? It doesn't personally bother me to see all the construction; I actually like to check out each new phase since we last went, but we have the opportunity to visit more often, and your trip sounds a little more "once in a lifetime". It's too far out to know if Disney will stay on schedule with all these projects and what they will pick as their opening dates for various new attractions, but you should at least think about if any of this is likely to impact your enjoyment of the experience.

 

[mellers]

mysticpath, glad to hear that early june is fabulous! That's exactly when we will be there, from 5/31-6/4, but now I'm considering us going to Universal on the grad night day (Thursday) and just using our last day when we return from our coastal trip, since we'll have about 2.5 days left before we come home. I'm happy that the 2 new rides will be opening, but afraid that it will probably affect the crowds, that's why we're considering staying onsite for the last few nights of our stay, if they have good discounts. Thanks for your help!

Staying onsite really isn't the advantage at Disneyland that it is at Walt Disney World. The hotel rooms are very expensive, and the hotels are not closer (and sometimes not AS close) as some of the off-site hotels. If you stay at the BWPPI, you will be considerably closer to the park than the Disneyland hotel.

 

[mystic_path]

mysticpath, glad to hear that early june is fabulous! That's exactly when we will be there, from 5/31-6/4, but now I'm considering us going to Universal on the grad night day (Thursday) and just using our last day when we return from our coastal trip, since we'll have about 2.5 days left before we come home. I'm happy that the 2 new rides will be opening, but afraid that it will probably affect the crowds, that's why we're considering staying onsite for the last few nights of our stay, if they have good discounts. Thanks for your help!

Yeah its a really nice time to go. We did change our dates this year to November instead of May/June just because of the 2 rides opening. The crowd levels will probably be very high, maybe even doubled. I really dont know what to expect for this year. If you do find it very busy, please dont think that is what late May / Early June is like. Normally rides can be 20 minute waits, and up to 45 for the major rides. We take use of Fast passes for the major rides. So it's not bad, it's not peak season either where rides are well over an hour long.