Newbie here!

[shanni]

Hi all!! My name is Shannon, and I have 3 girls. (9, 7, 4) We are starting to plan our first trip to Disneyland. (I should say, I'M starting to plan, dh thinks I'm crazy!!)

So I've got oodles of questions!! We are thinking about going the first week of June 2011. Is that a decent time to go? We really can't go during the school year, so summer is our only option. I was hoping that if we went first thing in the summer we could beat some of the crowds. Am I kidding myself? Is there a better time to go?

Is it too early to start planning this trip? How early do most hotels take reservations? And where would you suggest staying? I've looked around a bit, and I'm leaning toward one of the kidsuites at Hojo, but I'm open to other suggestions.

How long would you stay? We want to do Disney, one day at the beach, and my girls DESPERATELY want to go to American Girl Place in LA, so we'll use one day there. Would 6 nights be too long? Too short? About right?

What other tips would you give to a DL newbie? Must do things? Things to avoid? Sorry for all the questions! I'm just wanting to make sure we make this the best trip we can!

 

[koalagirl5]

Welcome! I'm a newbie too here, so I don't really know any answers, but definitely check out the stickies at the top. They have plenty of great tips.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Hi Shannon ~ I'm Shannon as well

Early June might be OK ~ see ~this~ and really all of ~this~

I'd love to take my DD to the American Girl Store ~ but we haven't made it up there just yet, a new store recently opened in Denver and we have family there. I can't offer much help there, but I'm sure it'd be fun!

Hang around here ~ you'll be a DLR pro in no time.

We love HoJo! Haven't tried a kids suite yet.

 

[tdashgirl]

Yes, check out the sticky threads at the top. The DLR link one by Mary Jo is awesome. You will find tons of information there. As you narrow down your choices and/or have questions just throw them out to the board.

I can talk about the American Girl store since I took my youngest there last summer. It is super cute! The shopping center (The Grove) is really pretty and definitely a California type of experience. I live in the San Francisco bay area and the Grove reminded me a lot of shopping center that we have here (Santana Row) that has upscale stores/restaurants and lovely outdoor setting.

To be aware of: traffic to the Grove from the DL area is SCARY bad. I couldn't believe how long it took us to get there. I purposely left after 10 am hoping to beat rush hour traffic (it was a weekday) and it was awful. The parking garage (pay parking) is pretty easy to find and multi-story. Any spot is good, they have escalators off the garage that bring you to the shopping.

I recommend eating at the cafe when you go the store. It is pricey, and I believe you should make reservations (my daughter and I got lucky on the day we went, it was a weekday and it was only 2 of us - the restaurant was still packed though!) but it is a unique experience. They have special chairs for the dolls. The food was cute and pretty tasty.

 

[skiingfast]

Hi all!! My name is Shannon, and I have 3 girls. (9, 7, 4) We are starting to plan our first trip to Disneyland. (I should say, I'M starting to plan, dh thinks I'm crazy!!)

So I've got oodles of questions!! We are thinking about going the first week of June 2011. Is that a decent time to go? We really can't go during the school year, so summer is our only option. I was hoping that if we went first thing in the summer we could beat some of the crowds. Am I kidding myself? Is there a better time to go?

Is it too early to start planning this trip? How early do most hotels take reservations? And where would you suggest staying? I've looked around a bit, and I'm leaning toward one of the kidsuites at Hojo, but I'm open to other suggestions.

How long would you stay? We want to do Disney, one day at the beach, and my girls DESPERATELY want to go to American Girl Place in LA, so we'll use one day there. Would 6 nights be too long? Too short? About right?

What other tips would you give to a DL newbie? Must do things? Things to avoid? Sorry for all the questions! I'm just wanting to make sure we make this the best trip we can!

I think in a year would be a really prime time to go based on you children's ages.

Personally I think thet very first week of June is a good time to go. Not great, with small crowds. But better than the second week when it is getting truly busy for the whole of Summer. Also the last week of August depending on how Labor day falls. Annual Passholders can throw this all into wack since this is before and after the majority of them are blocked from visiting the parks. But if you can't go when school is in session it's the sacrifice you have to take.

I'd look at the hotel by price and location. Scour www.hotels.com to see what good rates are for a while and bite when they are cheap. the Hojo is ok, nothing on harbor within walking is great, a little far for my taste if it is over $75.

6 days sounds perfect when you spend 4 in the parks and two on side trips.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I would suggest 7 nights in the hotel and getting 5 day Disneyland parkhoppers. Our very first trip to Disneyland we had 3 day passes and did some other stuff during the week, but I really wish we had done 5 Disney days instead so that we could slow our pace down a bit and repeat more favorites.

 

[FlameGirl]

Hi Shannon - welcome!

I don't think a year is too early to start planning. Heck...we went last December and started planning our next trip in the airport on the way back home!

Because it's your first trip, and it will be during more of the peak season, you should allow at least three, possibly four days in the parks. That would give you two extra days to do your other excursions and maybe even take a day off in between.

People here love the HoJo. I've stayed there once, but on a FREAK business trip gone totally awry and after having missed three flights at three different airports trying to get back home. Looked for a hotel in Santa Ana but there were pretty much zero...had just visited DL the week before so I knew there were hotels galore around the resort and I pointed the rental car in that direction and the HoJo welcomed me in. The rooms were nice and big and I could totally stay there with my family.

Our next trip, we are going to check out the Best Western Anaheim Inn. We've actually never stayed off site before on a DL trip, so this will be a first for us.

Anyway, welcome. You will find a wealth of information on these boards and some of the friendliest people around.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Hi from another Disney Shannon!!

If you can handle the heat, I'd say wait until July or early August because the new Little Mermaid ride is due to open in May 2011 (which really means June 2 days before AP block out days!). I'd wait until mid summer to be sure it was open and I could see it.

At least 4 days at Disney and 2 days for the side trips. If you want the HOJOs kid suite, BOOK EARLY! There are only a few and they go quickly.

 

[Jrsy Boy]

I always recommend visiting the library and seeing what the travel section has on Disneyland and southern California. Some of it may be dated, but if there is a decent selection, you can decide which guide you like the best and buy the current version of it.

We've stayed at Hojos and the Ramada Maingate and will be going back to Hojos this year.

I think that a year is probably a reasonable amount of time to get things figured out so that you don't feel overwhelmed.

Have fun! (with planning and with your visit)

 

[HydroGuy]

Hi all!! My name is Shannon, and I have 3 girls. (9, 7, 4) We are starting to plan our first trip to Disneyland. (I should say, I'M starting to plan, dh thinks I'm crazy!!)

So I've got oodles of questions!! We are thinking about going the first week of June 2011. Is that a decent time to go? We really can't go during the school year, so summer is our only option. I was hoping that if we went first thing in the summer we could beat some of the crowds. Am I kidding myself? Is there a better time to go?

Is it too early to start planning this trip? How early do most hotels take reservations? And where would you suggest staying? I've looked around a bit, and I'm leaning toward one of the kidsuites at Hojo, but I'm open to other suggestions.

How long would you stay? We want to do Disney, one day at the beach, and my girls DESPERATELY want to go to American Girl Place in LA, so we'll use one day there. Would 6 nights be too long? Too short? About right?

What other tips would you give to a DL newbie? Must do things? Things to avoid? Sorry for all the questions! I'm just wanting to make sure we make this the best trip we can!

Hi Shannon, welcome to DIS!

June has some good things about it as well as some challenging things. We do not know exactly what will be happening in June 2011 but as a previous poster mentioned a large new Little Mermaid ride will be opening as well as an updated Star Tours ride. Both will probably happen in May 2011.

It is likely June will have some very busy days. That does not mean that you should not go. It does mean, however, that you should be careful picking specific days of the week. If possible, do not lock in dates and be ready to shift things around a little bit as you get closer to next June. If you can do that you can dodge some of the crowds.

If you can't, then you can get lots of advice here that will help you work with the challenges and still have a great trip. Below are some links to get you started:

First is Mary Jo's super sticky thread: * DLR Info/Links - Maps, Hotels, DISer Reviews, Hydroguy's tips, NEWBIE INFO here!

and also...

"Choosing When To Visit DLR: Summary of High and Low Season and When Each Happens " http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=36509602

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

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

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

"Detailed Weather Data for DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=23004158

HTH

 

[Funball]

HI NEWBIE SHANNON!!



I am funball.. but my real name is sara! i hope to see you in the boards!!

 

[Disney Dreams]

Welcome!

First Disneyland trip! How exciting!

If you are going during summer, June's as good a time as any. There are things you can do to plan around the crowds that will make your visit more enjoyable. I always say, "Yes, it will be crowded, but you can still enjoy it!" People here have LOTS of crowd-managing tips. Take them in, process it all, and go with whatever works best for you. Remember, you don't have to see/do everything - then you'd have no excuse to come back.

As for your starter questions:
- 6-7 days would probably be great, give you time not to rush, and allow time for the non-Disney things you've mentioned.
- If you're a planner, nah, it's not too early to start planning. If you're not a planner, it's not too early to just read about stuff, ask questions, and get excited about your Disney trip! (I planned a first-time-in-15 years WDW trip in 6 weeks, so... there's the entire range! )
- Don't apologize for questions. That's what everyone is here for. Welcome.

- Dreams

 

[daneenm]

We have had very good luck with early June. Sure there were crowds, but nothing unmanageable during our visits. We have visited the week school was out (usually mid-June) many times and would do it again in a heartbeat. Of course, we always use the arrive at rope drop, collect lots of FPs, take an afternoon break, go back at dinnertime method so that may help us get through things without feeling like it is too crowded.

 

[shanni]

Wow!! You guys are great!! There's a lot of info there! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction so I know where to start! Looks like I'll be busy reading for a while!