NEWBIE HERE: Help with a few questions please...

[scrapbooksue]

Hi everyone!

My husband and I have finally decided to take the kids to Disneyland in 2007! (A dream vacation for our family as we have never been on a vacation before!)..and our oldest daughter graduates high school next year...(we have always wanted to take her!) we have 2 other daughters as well, (aged 6 and 11) and thought if we don't do it now, we won't do it! LOL! But I have no idea where to start...
We live in Canada, and have never been out of the country...I would really appreciate any tips/advice anyone could give me on planning the trip if you have been to California and Disneyland before...here are a few of my questions:

Did you plan the trip your self or use a travel agent?
When is the best time of the year to go?
Is there a book out there somewhere that will help me plan our trip (and budget??)?
How long is needed to enjoy the park? (we want to visit San Diego Zoo and Sea World too while we are there)..
Where is the best place to stay?
What else is a MUST SEE when we are in California?
Do you have any tips on saving money?? (with 3 kids and only one income we need to keep the cost as low as possible, but still have a good time)..

Thanks in advance!! I can't wait to meet Mickey!!
Smiles
Sue

 

[amw]

Sue,

I just left you a long response on the Canadian board

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1134089

 

[Disneyland1084]

Welcome to Disboards! I'm a Disney fanatic, so I can answer some of your questions. For the last few years I've booked my vacations online through Disney.com. It's convenient, you type in the hotel and all the attractions you want to see. You can also purchase airfare through it too. Is it benefical to go to a travel agent? Couldn't tell ya! The best time of year to go is all about whether or not you dislike crowds. Summer is generally the most crowded time of the year to go, along with the holidays during the year. I've always gone to Disneyland in the summers (once in Dec over XMAS, will NEVER do that again) so I'm used to crowds. Last few trips I've been on I went during the last week of July. It wasn't THAT bad crowd wise. I'd plan on at least two days in the park. If you can afford it, definitely stay on sight at a resort hotel. The benefits are great! I'm not sure about a book out there that can help you or other must sees since I live in NV. Hopefully a local can help you on that one! Good luck planning your trip!

 

[Sleeping Jedi Beauty]

I would plan for 2 days at Disneyland and 1 at DCA. DCA is really a half day park. That gives you time to see everything and do the highlights again. As for what to see in California, it all depends on if you want to see cities like San Francisco as part of the trip. We've lived in California since 1989, so we haven't visited the other non-Disney parks that we used to hit before we moved to California since 1988.

 

[Dukland]

We couldn't afford to stay on site, so when we, a family of four, went on our first Disney trip last June, we stayed at the Tropicana. It is literally right across the street from the entrance of Disneyland, and we were able to walk there. It was also convenient to bring my then 19 month old ds back to the room for naps in the afternoon.
Since your kids are all older, you may also consider The Candy Cane Inn, which others here all rave about. It's not far from the entrance, also.

As for money saving tips, just make sure you don't eat every meal in the parks. It racks up quickly. Even just getting something to drink. For a good, filling walk-up meal, I recommend the place in TomorrowLand. Redd Rocket's Pizza Port. I got the pasta there, and the portions are huge. They have pizza there, too, (obviously) and salads. My dd, then 4.5 years old, and I really enjoyed it there.

If you can manage it, I do recommed doing at least one Character meal. That is a blast! We went to Goofy's Kitchen last time, and we loved it. I recommend that meal, it's at the Disneyland Hotel. However, since it's at the Disneyland Hotel, you have to leave the parks to get there, and no one wants to stop their "momentum" of a full day at the parks, so plan accordingly. There are definitely other nice Character Meals, too.

Back to money saving, though, bring drinks in, if you can help it, and snacks.

As for books, I only have Birnbaum's Disneyland Resort, which is the "official" guide. I do like it, as it has a lot of info, and coupons in the back. But others here have lots of good experience and recommendations, so I'm sure someone else will chime in.

Travel Agent or not? Well, last year, we used a travel agent, and it was great. We had everything done in one place. This year, I tried to look around and see what else I could do, and I wound up joining AAA and booking through them. It saved me at least $80, which is nice. Every bit helps. And that is not booking airfare, either, as we are driving.

Since you are asking about a time of year to go, I would suggest maybe April-June. You are in my area, (we are in the Seattle-Tacoma area) and I am sure you would be able to take advantage of Alaska Airlines "Kids Fly Free" deal that they offer every spring. You must travel by, I believe, June 30th, but this is why we went in June last year, instead of July. Every child 17 and under flies free with each adult ticket. Airfare is expensive, so that deal is a definite plus! We got that deal with the travel agent last year, but I'm sure AAA (or in your case, it would be CAA, right?) would be able to get it, too.

I'm not too sure on everything that is "must see" in California, and maybe it wouldn't interest you, but they now have an American Girl store in Los Angeles. If you and your girls have never heard of them, it may not be high on your list. But it's a very nice doll store, where everyone, and their dolls, can have tea and buy clothes, etc. Very nice, but expensive. (So not exactly a budget-saving tip! sorry!)

As for how long is needed to enjoy the park, it partly depends on how long you are there. I think 3 days, at least, with a 4th for California Adventure. You can get hopper tickets, so you can go back and forth, too, which can be helpful as you try to catch all the shows, parades, etc.

Have fun planning! I am really anticipating our visit this year, and trying to talk dh into going again the next 2 years, once for birthdays, and once for Trick or Treating. He thinks I am nuts, but it sounds like a good plan to me!

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I booked my first trip using a travel agent, but after discovering so much great info here on the DIS, I found I'd made several tactical errors.
That trip wound up getting canceled, so when I re-booked for this September, I did it myself through AAA online.

I would definitely recommend reviewing the Stickies at the top of the Disneyland board for arming yourself with as much FAQ info as possible; then you can search on specific topics that may answer some of your remaining questions. And of course ask more questions! There are also a lot of great sections in the WDW portion of this site, such as one for money-saving tips, and another for travelling with kids. Even though for a different park, most of the tips apply to DL as well.

I read several travel guides, and the two I liked best were Birnbaums (lots of photos and detailed descriptions) and the Unofficial Guide to DL (good all-around info, plus good strategies for seeing as much as possible during your stay.) And beware: I had the brilliant idea to save a bit of money and get books from the library, but they were a few years old, much of the info was outdated, and it got very confusing. Get current books!

DH thought our intended 6 nights stay was too long; said we'd be bored after just a few days. But the more I read, the more I worried it wouldn't be ENOUGH time to see all we wanted to see! (After all, this first trip has been more than 10 years in the making, who knows when we'll get back?!) Plus with two young children in tow, we'll be moving at a slower pace, taking lots of breaks, and subject to the whims of a two-year-old. In short, I don't think any amount of time will be 'enough', you won't see it all; just see as much as you can in the time you have.

As Disneyland1084 said, the 'best' time to go depends on what you like and what you are willing to put up with. Summer and US holidays bring crowds, but also longer park hours and more showings of parades and other performances. Off-season means lighter crowds, shorter park hours, and probably parades only on the weekend. Perhaps some shows will not be playing. (We don't like big crowds, so have planned for a quieter period.)

Good luck and have fun with the trip planning!