New to Disney land- One day visit

[Rose Paul]

Dear All,

Me and my husband are going on a trip to california and we are going to disney land on Dec 28th. This is my first visit to DL. Can someone please guide me. As where I am supposed to purchase the tickets? What are the shows/parades that I can watch? Which are the specific places in DL worth visiting on one day trip.

Thanks

 

[DisneyMomma81]

*Here's* how we spent one day mid July 2009.

*Show up early - at least 30 minutes prior to park opening - dang it all the 28th is a MM *which you won't have access to unless you stay onsite.

*Collect FPs as often as you can and save 'em for later *they don't expire - use them later when it's more crowded.

*Buy your 1 day hopper *here* - go with the eticket option ~ print your voucher and take it directly to the park entrance *it's scanned and your PH pops out ~ no waiting in line to exchange your voucher to a PH.

*Read the DIS DLR tips ~*~*~

Have fun and good luck ~ it's gonna be busy!

 

[skiingfast]

What are the shows/parades that I can watch? Which are the specific places in DL worth visiting on one day trip.

Just so you are prepared the 28th will be very, very busy.

Take a look at the days entertainment calendar http://disneyland.disney.go.com/calendar/daily/#/default/2010/12/28

As you can see there is a parade in each park, but the times are staggered. So you may be able to see both.

The big night shows are: fireworks, Fantasmic(F!) and World of Color(WoC). If is possible to see all three on you day it will be hard. I would not recomment it for a first timer as you are likely to see each show but just some of each and not from good views.

WoC is particular and you should read the WoC superthread.

Likewise for F! you can reserve a seat with a dessert package. Otherwise for F! and the fireworks you will need to find a spot, and people show up two hours early to get the best spots. Time I doubt you should spare. You should probably aim to only see two of the shows.

I would suggest a park hopper as the previous poster noted so you can go to both DL and DCA.

Get Fast Passes(FPs). Make that a priority for the busiest rides.

In DCA you can get FPs for Soarin, Tower of Terror and California Screemin. You will want to ride these. Toy Story Midway Mania does not have FP and may have a very long wait. If you have seen Aladdin you should see the Aladdin show. Also Grizzly River Rapids will have FP though you might consider how you feel on that day as you could get very wet.

In DL, go either right or left. You will want to ride Space Mountain, Indiana Jones Adventure and Splash Mountain which all have FPs and tend to be the busiest. You will also want to ride the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribean, Jungle Cruise, Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin, Big Thunder Mountain, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, It's a Small World, Dumbo and the Railroad from at least Tommorland Station to MainStreet. There is many more of course.

Here is the list of attractions that have FP unselect the FP box on the left and see all of the attractions for both parks.


Plan to go from open to close, and like the previous poster said be there at 7:30.

I'm sorry that you are going when it's going to be busy but those are the breaks. Have fun.

 

[Sherry E]

You should know that the week between Christmas and New Year's is notoriously busy. I mean crazy busy. It's either THE busiest week of the entire year or the second busiest (with sometime in Summer coming in first). Last year's holiday season was the busiest holiday season in 10 years and 2010 doesn't sound like it's slowing down at all. So far, most of the reports that have come in this year have stated that Disneyland has been extremely crowded. One DIS'er said that she overheard a CM saying that it was the busiest Thanksgiving in 13 years.

So if it has already been extremely crowded before Christmas, then after Christmas you can bet that this will be the case. The reason for this is that all sorts of people all over the U.S. have that week off from work and school. Everyone is finished with family holiday obligations and ready to have some fun at Disney parks.

In fact, Disneyland expects the parks to be so busy during the weeks of Christmas and New Year's that there will be a Magic Morning every day for both of those weeks (with the exception of Wednesdays). Normally, Mondays and Fridays are not MM days, but this year they will be for those two weeks only - it will help a bit with the flow of traffic to get some people into the park earlier.

I'm not telling you this to scare you - not at all. In fact, going to Disneyland during the holiday season is my absolute favorite time to go. I would suggest that anyone goes during that time of year to experience the magic. Things like the nighttime Winter Castle, It's a Small World Holiday, Haunted Mansion Holiday, the snow on Main Street, the Reindeer Round-Up, the Grand California Hotel lobby area, etc. are all great things to see/do and part of what makes the season so special.

But be prepared!! That's the main point. Make lists of priorities. Come to the realization that you may not get to see or do all that you want to do. You can either get a lot done or just kind of leisurely stroll around, taking in the atmosphere and getting very little done. Get to Disneyland when it opens and realize that it may reach capacity for a while during the day, meaning that if you leave Disneyland you may not be able to get back in for a few hours. But, if possible, as previously suggested in this thread, get a Park Hopper so you can head across the Esplanade to California Adventure if the crowds get too heavy in Disneyland.

Check out the "Disney at Christmas" thread for ideas and tips on what else to see or do at Disneyland during the holiday season. Don't worry about the size of the thread - just jump on in and post a question if you have one. And scroll through the photos if you have time.

I might even suggest that you try taking the Holiday Tour. If you have any interest in the Christmas Fantasy Parade, the tour will give you actual reserved seats for the parade. You get a big gingerbread cookie with Mouse ears and hot cocoa. You get a souvenir pin. You get a collectible cup to hold your cocoa. You get samples of different kinds of fudge. You learn how to say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, etc. in different languages. AND - this is very important - you get priority seating on It's a Small World Holiday (just gorgeous) as well as Haunted Mansion Holiday, so you can bypass the hideous lines and get right on those two rides. The tour would eat up a big chunk of your day, BUT it might be worth it to get on those two rides without a wait and to have seats for the parade (IF you are interested in the parade, that is), as well as all the other fun stuff that comes with the holiday tour.