No experience! Planning 2015 trip.

[jkeck3]

Hello all. We are a family of 4 (1yr girl, 6yr boy, mommy, and daddy). We have NO EXPERIENCE with DisneyLand... At all! I started looking over the forums and was just completely overwhelmed, so decided to post. We are looking for the best dates to visit in 2015, best packages, best deals, etc. We are located in Sandusky, OH and would like to go to DL for about 4-5 days. We are Cedar Point vets and will gladly exchange information to anyone visiting Cedar Point (a great amusement park in Sandusky), but have no experience with Disney. Links to other threads and any other advice will be gladly accepted. Thank you in advance!!!

 

[Laz]

Welcome to the DIS Boards! You have come to the right place. I am only about 2.5 hours from Sandusky myself. Have you been to WDW before, or is this your first trip to any Disney park? Hydroguy has an excellent thread on the differences. Begin by figuring out your must do, want to do, and can live without. Then look at your budget. You biggest cost will be plane flights. Then you have to decide on arriving at LAX or John Wayne airport. LAX is farther away, but may save Money on flights. As far as hotels, we like to stay at the DLH, but off site hotels could be a substantial saving and are within walking distance. What other specific questions can we answer?

 

[SMD]

The packages that are offered for DLR really don't save any money. You can usually do better buying your flight, hotel and tickets a la carte from places like Orbitz, AAA or booking directly with hotels. You might consider going through a travel agent for this.

There is no best time to go anymore. Disney has a good system of offering events and promotions to keep the parks full for most of the year. Especially with the 60th coming up you're either looking at crowds, attraction refurbs or both. Find the time that works best for you, or find the best price on a flight. Then plan around the dates you'll be there and what will be happening while you're there.

 

[YukonMommy]

Welcome!

We are looking for the best dates to visit in 2015.. There is no low season anymore, but some months are slower than others. There are a lot of rides in refurb between January and May in preparation for DL 60th anniversary! In October you have the options of Mickeys Not so Scary Halloween Parties (extra cost), Summer months are super high crowds. So I guess in the end you have to decide what you can handle, if you are not a crowd person, how long you could wait in lines, etc.

best packages, best deals, etc.. like a previous poster said it is cheaper to book your airfare and hotel by yourself. There are tonnes of hotels off Disney property (and right across the street) for descent prices. Some to look at are the Howard Johnston, The candy cane inn, the desert palm (to name a few) just do google maps and see all your choices!

4-5 days great amount of time. I suggest Park Hopper tickets.

Other thoughts:
after you figure out your dates here are a few things to look into or ask about on the board.

-height restrictions
-fast passes (FP)
-rider swap
-what to pack in the stroller (and you will need one!)

 

[jkeck3]

Thank you so much for your quick responses! I haven't been to Disney World since 1993 and about the same for my wife. We do not necessarily have any "musts", just looking for a nice experience with both kids. Our budget is not "limited", but we would like to be frugal if possible. I will have to look into Hydroguy's posts, I've seen his name pop up a lot on these forums.

 

[TheDoleWhipper]

So, first of all, disneyland resort is composed of two theme parks, disneyland park and california adventure, a shopping and dining district, downtown disney, three onsite hotels, and several other hotels located offsite. California adventure is a theme park representing aspects of california culture. Some of it's headliners include soarin' over california, radiator springs racers, and tower of terror. Disneyland park is a place where tomorrow, fantasy, and yesterday collide. It has a family friendly ambiance and is the only disney park where Walt actually walked.

As for the best time to go, the months january, february, may, september, and november are the least crowded, but they also have the most ride refurbs. This year, disney is celebrating it's 60th anniversay, so the celebration will bring larger than normal crowds.The celebration will last all summer, but they haven't released much info on it yet. From january until may, there will be larger than normal refurb activity to prepare for the celebration, so I do not recommend going around that time, as you will not get to experience DLR at its best. Also, avoid the two weeks around christmas and new years, as that is the absolute busiest time of the year.

For transportation, the john wayne airport (SNA) s the closest and most convenient and easy to get through, but the los angeles airport is usually the cheapest and has the most flights available.

You cannot make dining reservations unil 60 days in advance. But usually, reservations are still available even a couple of days I advance. Most of the times, you can just walk up and get seated, if it is low-season.

I recommend you start with disneyland.com, disneyland's official website, there is a wealth of information on there, including pictures, advice, and detailed descriptions of the attracions and venues.

4 or 5 days is a perfect amount of time to spend at disneyland! It is such a magical place, and you are bound to have a good time at the happiest place on earth!

 

[Fantaluminishes]

Hello all. We are a family of 4 (1yr girl, 6yr boy, mommy, and daddy). We have NO EXPERIENCE with DisneyLand... At all! I started looking over the forums and was just completely overwhelmed, so decided to post. We are looking for the best dates to visit in 2015, best packages, best deals, etc. We are located in Sandusky, OH and would like to go to DL for about 4-5 days. We are Cedar Point vets and will gladly exchange information to anyone visiting Cedar Point (a great amusement park in Sandusky), but have no experience with Disney. Links to other threads and any other advice will be gladly accepted. Thank you in advance!!!

Your family will have a blast at Disneyland. Don't stress too much. Planning a Disneyland trip is very easy, despite what you may read here. Do you have Cedar Point passes that allow you admission to other Cedar parks? Knott's Berry Farm is about 10 minutes from Disneyland, and I highly recommend a day there. Happy planning!

 

[guynhawaii]

Aloha,

Recommend to read Hydroguy's pinned posts near the top. It will answer about all of your questions.

Recommendations:
-- Visit anytime from June onwards due to all of the refurbs in early 2015 for 60th B-day celebration.
-- Be aware of AP block out dates. DLR crowds are very sensitive to AP visits.
-- Dining reservations can be made 60 days in advance.
-- Staying on property (DLR, GCH, etc...) allows you to enter the parks one hour early.
-- Arrive 30 minutes prior to RD (rope drop). Hit the rides and use FP (Fast Pass) extensively until lunch. Then return to the hotel for rest. Re-enter in the evening to enjoy night. Get up early next day and repeat.
-- Use FP...did I state that again???
-- Plan in advance when and where you want to watch WOC, Fantasmic and the parades.
-- Lastly, RELAX! No visit will ever be perfect. Things happen. Don't get upset. You're sharing DLR with 50,000+ others. Everyone is expecting magic and to be catered.

 

[jkeck3]

Thank you everyone! All of this advice is very helpful! Thanks Fantaluminishes for the advice about Knotts!! I didn't even think of that and we do have season passes to Cedair Fair parks! Keep the advice and recommendations coming. I'm going to go read Hydroguy's posts. Thanks again!

 

[Laz]

Since we all know that the best vacations are when the kids are happy, do you want to do a character meal or meet and greet? If so, what are their favorite characters? Heck, you can even get a picture with the Cars characters. Go early to Fantasyland and get on Peter Pan's flight first. IMO it has the longest lines. The Finding Nemo Submarine ride is good for kids, but is a very slow load. Another ride to do first. The Subs are from the original sub ride.

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

There are so many great tips all over this board, so I will just cover the things that may help you get started with planning:

--As others have said, try to come in the second half of 2015 so that you can experience the 60th anniversary celebrations and do not miss all of the rides that will be undergoing refurbishment in the next few months.
--Get the park hopper option on your tickets, it is a must. The two parks are right across from each other and you will find yourself going back and forth throughout the day.
--You will likely want to book hotel, flight, and tickets separately.
--Don't feel it necessary to stay at one of the Disney hotels, as the neighboring hotels along Harbor Blvd. are very good options (and much easier on the budget). Many are RIGHT across the street from the parks. Try to get one as close to the parks as possible-it makes a big difference when you are tired at the end of the day!
--Figure out how FastPasses work, and use them often!
--Try to book a hotel with a fridge/microwave in the room. When I go, I eat breakfast and dinner in the hotel using groceries brought with me, and usually one big meal around lunch time in the parks. Often I also make sandwiches in the morning in the room and bring them into the park. Disney is notoriously lax about allowing food into the parks (though their rules technically state it isn't allowed).
--Wear comfortable shoes!

 

[DahliaRW]

There are so many great tips all over this board, so I will just cover the things that may help you get started with planning:

--As others have said, try to come in the second half of 2015 so that you can experience the 60th anniversary celebrations and do not miss all of the rides that will be undergoing refurbishment in the next few months.
--Get the park hopper option on your tickets, it is a must. The two parks are right across from each other and you will find yourself going back and forth throughout the day.
--You will likely want to book hotel, flight, and tickets separately.
--Don't feel it necessary to stay at one of the Disney hotels, as the neighboring hotels along Harbor Blvd. are very good options (and much easier on the budget). Many are RIGHT across the street from the parks. Try to get one as close to the parks as possible-it makes a big difference when you are tired at the end of the day!
--Figure out how FastPasses work, and use them often!
--Try to book a hotel with a fridge/microwave in the room. When I go, I eat breakfast and dinner in the hotel using groceries brought with me, and usually one big meal around lunch time in the parks. Often I also make sandwiches in the morning in the room and bring them into the park. Disney is notoriously lax about allowing food into the parks (though their rules technically state it isn't allowed).
--Wear comfortable shoes!

Several of the hotels across the street are a closer walk than the Disneyland Hotel or Paradise Pier hotel! You can save a TON of money by staying offsite, and it's not any less convenient really. Many of the hotels offer a continental breakfast as well, which will at least get you going in the morning. I know with my kids, they need to eat withing 20 minutes or so of waking up or they are CRANKY!

Since you have a 1 year old, a stroller is a must. Keep non-valuable things in the stroller (water bottles, light jackets, etc). But, if you have a good baby carrier, like an Ergo, bring that too. Then you can park the stroller and wear the baby to avoid having to push the stroller all the time. You can also wear the baby in lines. Also, look into rider swap and use it. Your husband can ride once with your 6yo, then you can go back whenever with the rider swap pass and ride with your 6yo and he'll get to ride twice! You can pair this with 2 fp to make rides fairly quick!