new to disneyland...

[LoveMyDisneyCats]

Been to WDW plenty, but never been to DL. Family wedding next summer (07/2008) in CA...thinking of making it a DL trip too. Here's my questions:
1. What about crowds? Is summer as busy in DL as WDW? Are parks open later in summer?
2. CA summer weather averages (I'm sure it's hot, but is it humid and unbearable like FL summers)
2. Staying on property? Suggestions? (always stay DVC in WDW)
3. Number of days to do ALL things? Like I said never been there and probably won't frequent it as much as we do WDW so want to see it all...2 days per park? Or more time if busy time of year?
4. If not a good time to go, when's better? Also thinking of just doing wedding in short weekend trip and then doing DL at better time of year if there's better ticket/room deals or weather is better?
5. Are there special things happening in summer or is there a better time for that kind of thing too? (not like Halloween or Christmas- we do that at WDW, more along the lines of Star Wars Weekends, Food & Wine, etc.- extra things that I might not be able to see at WDW)

Please leave feedback on your experiences!!! We don't know what to do.
Thanks!

 

[mystic_path]

1. What about crowds? Is summer as busy in DL as WDW? Are parks open later in summer?
Yep the parks are usually open till 11pm on week days and 12 or 1230 on weekends, and definately expect there to be crowds. It would be peak season and the kids are out for summer during that time. If you get over 3 days hoppers you get an early entry, which gets you into fantasyland & Tomorrowland an hour earlier then the general public.

2. CA summer weather averages (I'm sure it's hot, but is it humid and unbearable like FL summers)
Its hot, but I heard nothing like florida hot. Still bring shorts, tshirts, sandles, bathing suits and a ton of sun screen and take advantage of water rides when you can. its just refreshing.

2. Staying on property? Suggestions? (always stay DVC in WDW)
There are some really awesome onsite hotels "Disneyland hotel, the Grand Californian, and Paradise Pier". These hotels will be quite expensive during peak season, but to be honest there are hotels closer then the resorts and disneyland parking lot right across the street from Disneyland that are a whole lot cheaper. I would say the Candy Cane inn, Best Western Park place Inn or the Tropicana.

3. Number of days to do ALL things? Like I said never been there and probably won't frequent it as much as we do WDW so want to see it all...2 days per park? Or more time if busy time of year?

Disneylands main park I would definately say a GOOD 3-4 SOLID DAYS. But as for California adventure, you can see that intire park in about 4-5 hours. I would suggest going to that park during the hours of 12-4 as those are the busy times for the main park.

4. If not a good time to go, when's better? Also thinking of just doing wedding in short weekend trip and then doing DL at better time of year if there's better ticket/room deals or weather is better?
If you consider another awesome time to go I would say the first week of October or the first week of June. Those are my 2 favorite times to go as the crowd levels arnt too bad and the weather is beautiful and all the rides are opperating. The 2 first 2 weeks of November are brilliant as the rides are all opperating. Some people like to go in the first few months of the year but during that time there are a lot of referbs going on and I kind of like to take everything in.

As for tickets my trick is to go to "getawaytoday.com" they have awesome ticket deals there for all year round and are much cheaper then going to the ticket booths at the main gate or even other travel agents. Disney stores do carry tickets as well but they are really expensive.

5. Are there special things happening in summer or is there a better time for that kind of thing too? (not like Halloween or Christmas- we do that at WDW, more along the lines of Star Wars Weekends, Food & Wine, etc.- extra things that I might not be able to see at WDW)

I would suggest looking at the Disneyland calender. They always have entertainers coming into the park and it all depends if there is a disney movie coming out to celebrate such as "Star Wars" although they do have the jeti acadamy training for kids.

 

[HydroGuy]

1. What about crowds? Is summer as busy in DL as WDW? Are parks open later in summer?

Yes and yes. See "Getting The Most Out of a Summer Visit To DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319.

2. CA summer weather averages (I'm sure it's hot, but is it humid and unbearable like FL summers)

No comparison. WDW is miserable in the summer. DLR can be warm, but follow good touring advice and get a nearby walking distance hotel and it is not bad IMO. Here is an excerpt from the link above:

How Hot Is It Really in Anaheim, CA?

From this link: www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ca0192 (Period of Record: 8/1/1989 to 12/31/2005)

June: Average High 80.2F (26.8C), Average Low 60.5F (15.8C)
July: Average High 84.4F (29.1C), Average Low 63.7F (17.6C)
August: Average High 86.8F (30.4C), Average Low 64.2F (17.9C)

On occasion, it does reach 100 degrees F (37.8C) at DLR. But overall it is more typical for the high temperatures to be in the low to mid-80’s. Some people are very sensitive to heat, and these temperatures are too warm. But most people would not consider these temperatures excessively hot. Even so, if you follow good touring strategies you will not experience these high temperatures. The following graph appears to match the above link fairly well.

2. Staying on property? Suggestions? (always stay DVC in WDW)

Staying at Disney hotels at DLR does not carry the same benefits as at WDW. Also, there are closer non-Disney hotels to the DLR gates than the DLH and PPH. The GCH is closest.

We have done both, and have been at non-Disney "good neighbor" hotel on recent trips because our family of six does not fit into the DLR hotels very well.

See the links in this thread for hotel locations and walking distances:

"HydroGuy's Hotel Rule" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199862

3. Number of days to do ALL things? Like I said never been there and probably won't frequent it as much as we do WDW so want to see it all...2 days per park? Or more time if busy time of year?

You will want four days to do DLR thoroughly. If you want to see it all, as in go on every single ride and see very single show, then you may need more days. Note than DLR's two parks are packed with rides - they have almost as many rides at DLR as WDW's four parks put together.

4. If not a good time to go, when's better? Also thinking of just doing wedding in short weekend trip and then doing DL at better time of year if there's better ticket/room deals or weather is better?

Personally I love summer visits at DLR. But not everyone does. If you go in the summer then schedule your trip on weekdays as much as possible. If you decide to go at a different time of year, then understand the downsides: "What You Should Know About Off-Season at DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889

5. Are there special things happening in summer or is there a better time for that kind of thing too? (not like Halloween or Christmas- we do that at WDW, more along the lines of Star Wars Weekends, Food & Wine, etc.- extra things that I might not be able to see at WDW)

Not really. Others may chime in about Wine Festivals, etc. Holidays and Halloween work roughly similar to WDW I believe. No Star Wars weekends at all, although that is being discussed.

Check out this lengthy topic of more info:

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

 

[mattmommy]

Been to WDW plenty, but never been to DL. Family wedding next summer (07/2008) in CA...thinking of making it a DL trip too. Here's my questions:
1. What about crowds? Is summer as busy in DL as WDW? Are parks open later in summer?

The lines for rides don't seem as bad as WDW, but the park seems more crowded because there's less space between everything.


2. CA summer weather averages (I'm sure it's hot, but is it humid and unbearable like FL summers)

We got back from DL about 2 weeks ago during a big heat spell. It's not as humid as WDW, but hot is hot. Also DL doesn't have as much shade as WDW does by a long shot. e.g. Small World (although beautiful) -- the que is outside in the blazing sun as well as loading.


2. Staying on property? Suggestions? (always stay DVC in WDW)

We prefer the Contemporary, but usually go POFQ or our Hilton timeshare. We stayed at the Candy Cane Inn and LOVED it. The grounds are beautiful and the staff is wonderful. They have a dedicated bus every half hour. It's literally closer than DLH.


3. Number of days to do ALL things? Like I said never been there and probably won't frequent it as much as we do WDW so want to see it all...2 days per park? Or more time if busy time of year?

We had an 8 day hopper and used 7 days. We needed a day of rest in the middle. Although it is smaller, it's still a lot of walking. And like you we go to WDW at least once a year and haven't been to DL in about 15 years. We wanted to take in every detail. DCA you can spin with your arms open and not hit another person.


Not sure how much of a ride person you are, but dh, myself and ds6 LOVED Indiana Jones. During Fantasmic, you can literally walk on the ride. I'd say we averaged about 20+ rides on it. Used the advice on FP and how RRCS isn't connected and neither are the parks and GR at DCA. We were FP experts. We only got to see Nemo once during an EE day. It was very cute, but not worth the 3 hours people were torturing their kids with.

There are some great things on the attractions that are missing at WDW and vice versa. It's great to see the nuances both parks have.

There doesn't seem to be as many CM's at DL, but they were great.

 

[fairycat]

Everyone for the most part gave you good advice. But thought I would add first as more gets added to DCA it is no longer a quick day trip unless you want it to be it has some great rides, shows and activities and if your plan is next summer the new Toy Story ride should be open when you visit.

Also I wanted to let you know Halloween/Christmas hoilday does have one feature that WDW does not have, Haunted Holiday at the HM its a very cool overlay of the Nightmare Before Christmas movie theme. I personally think its worth the trip just to see it, especially since its such a rare treat.

I also think that IASW is so worth seeing for the holidays, with its very large and dramatic location it is very beautiful to see and very unlike WDW.

 

[brenda1966]

Great advice above! Check out all of Hydroguy's links as he is the expert.

I do beg to differ on the comment above that California Adventure can be seen in 4-5 hours. Not true at all for us. We easily can spend 1.5 - 2 days there. If you have small kids, they will want to spend a lot of time in the "Bugs Life" area and also on some of the midway rides in the back. There's also the Brother Bear play area. There's the Aladdin show, the Block party parade, and the Electric parade. We spent a fair amount of time in the Animation building. We also like to ride Soarin several times.

One very big downside of going to DL in the offseason is the lack of the Electric Parade. That's what prompted me to go in July. I found it to be hot, but it was tolerable.