Planning first ever Disneyland trip

[jpolak]

Hey all. So dw and I were discussing heading out west to check out walt's park but we don't even know where to start. So two questions to start off with. When is the best times of year to go crowd/weather wise. And how many days do you really need to really experience it all? Any other info would be much appreciated. TIA.

 

[Lights_Out]

It's obvious, I would avoid summer because it can get really hot and the summer crowds are pretty bad. December through February is our so-called "rainy season," but rain is rare and very unpredictable in California.

Avoid any major holiday and spring break. Here's a very general crowd calendar http://www.isitpacked.com/disneyland-crowd-forecast-predictor-calendar/

If you want a really in-depth experience I would say around 4 days for a family (during off-season). An on-site hotel would heighten the Disney experience (but personally, an on-site hotel isn't really necessary imo and you could save a lot of money). There are like 5 hotels on Harbor Blvd. that are like a 5-7 minute walk to the turnstiles. The "Welcome to Disneyland Tour" gets you VIP seating for Aladdin AND fastpasses for WoC - they are both must-dos (I think it's the "Welcome to Disneyland" one... I'm not 100% sure) and it's not that expensive.

If you're a foodie definitely try some of the great food items that the Disneyland Resort has to offer. Trying Disney-food is like 20% of the fun in our trip, really.

 

[figment_jii]

When is the best times of year to go crowd/weather wise.

That's a tough question to answer because it really depends on what you want to do, what you want to see, and what is important to you. The lowest crowd periods generally mean shorter hours, reduced entertainment, and increased refurbs. The highest crowd periods generally mean longer hours, full entertainment, and fewest refurbs. HydroGuy has a good thread going through the pros/cons of the "seasons" and another one for weather.
Seasons: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=36509602
Weather: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=23004158

And how many days do you really need to really experience it all?

Again, it's a subjective question. I would say between 3 and 5 days depending on what you mean by "really experience it all" and when you are going.

Any other info would be much appreciated. TIA.

HydroGuy has a bunch of helpful threads and links to to helpful threads:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483

 

[jpolak]

Thanks for the info. We're DVC members so we'll probably stay on site. DW and I are both teachers so summer or school vacations are our only options. We usually go to WDW at the end of August. IMO i'd rather have lower crowds and deal with the heat.

 

[sharonabe]

We just did three days the week of Labor Day, but not Labor Day. I thought 3 days would be plenty of time to "do it all," but it wasn't. We did most of what WE really wanted to do, but even some of those things got bypassed.

The biggest reason we didn't get more done is repeat rides. Our teen and tween wanted multiple rides on Radiator Springs Racers and Star Tours, so that took up some time.

We also do not do any character meet and greets, so if that is on your schedule, I think you'll definitely need more than three days. How many more, I don't know.

Some things we missed:
Peter Pan
Alice in Wonderland
All of ToonTown (except Roger Rabbit)
All shows in MK except Mickey's Magical Map
Carousel
Circus Train
Storybook Boats
Treehouse
Main St. vehicles
The little extras like street performers, etc.

DCA
We didn't do any of the little kid type rides in Bugs Land
Tough to be a Bug
The Swings on Paradise Pier
Street performers
Parades

We did see World of Color, Fantasmic, and the Fireworks. We did NOT see the nighttime parade at MK, but we did see most of it in the afternoon.

 

[ClosetDisneyJunkie]

three days will be very, very tight if you go during summer/school breaks. The upside, of course, is that there will be less in the way of refurbishments.

I avoid the "busy season" like the plague (though it's all pretty busy now), so I can't speak to when during summer would be best, but I will just flag that you may very well want more than 3 days. I'd say minimum of four if the parks will be busy.

And in addition to that keep in mind that, if you haven't been to SoCal before, there's a lot of other stuff to check out if you are interested. Beaches, LA, San Diego, other parks (gasp) etc.

 

[llump41]

As always the more days you can stay the better you will feel about your stay. 3 days though is the minimum I would suggest.

Since you really can't go off season I would suggest early June. Weather is great, parks are open late and many of the local schools will still be in session. AVOID Spring break.

 

[rentayenta]

Thanks for the info. We're DVC members so we'll probably stay on site. DW and I are both teachers so summer or school vacations are our only options. We usually go to WDW at the end of August. IMO i'd rather have lower crowds and deal with the heat.

Not sure where your home resort is but the GCV can be tough to get into at 7 months. We've had luck but I'd try to be online or on the phone with MS the minute they open.

 

[corinne76]

I agree that how many days is subjective. My bff says 3 days is enough for her family. I know it's not enough for us. We do the 5 full days. We don't go that often (last time was last year and we're planning again next year) and wehn we do, we like to make sure we have time to repeat the rides the kids liked the best. Plus, my kids are young, so each time we go their favorites will change a little.

 

[jpolak]

Thanks everyone for the info. Since this would be our first trip we really want to try to experience as much as possible. So a short trip may not work. We were thinking the end of August but not sure. Really had no idea there was so many great attractions and shows.

 

[Epek]

If you can do the last week of August, leading up to Labor Day, the crowds are decent. I've been the last two years at this time. It seems only the Fri before is all that packed, and that's due to the marathoners arriving. It was still very manageable that day, though.

 

[bouds]

I agree with a couple of people above that the first week of your summer break or the last week, whichever is most likely to be less crowded, might be your best bet. Check the calendars for AP blackouts dates and try to go when the SoCal passes are blocked. Go midweek, with one weekend evening (eg Sun- Wed or Tue-fri).

We usually go during spring break, and yes, it's crowded but with a strategy, it's still incredibly fun! But I wouldn't recommend Spring Break in 2015 because of the date of Easter I think it will be more crowded than typical spring breaks. But that may depend on when your individual school does spring break. Best to avoid DL the weeks before and after Easter.

Plan to be in the parks at least 2 full days (for both morning low-crowd time and evening entertainment time) and at least 2 partial days (for either morning time or evening time) in other words, at least 4 park days total. This will give you the chance to see almost everything, including shows, have time for repeat rides, and most importantly, have time to relax. 3 full days might be enough, but you'll be exhausted. On the other hand 5 park days wouldn't hurt

 

[MychaelP]

3rd week of August is horrible. When So Cal passholders come off the blocked summer they flock there. BUT the first week of September had amazingly low wait times for rides. Even RSR had fastpasses available most days through 2pm. It can be quite hot that time of year however.
I've experienced low crowds the first week of November too.

February is good, but gets busy if they offer so cal discounted tickets like they did this year.

If you don't mind the heat, my suggestion is first week of September

 

[figment_jii]

It is worth noting that during the first week in September, HM has been historically closed (for installation of the HMH overaly). During the first week of November, it is likely that IaSW will be closed for at least a portion of the week (for installation of the holiday overlay).

 

[jpolak]

Any thoughts on the week of Presidents' Day? Schools here have the entire week off. Also any recommendations on good neighbor hotels just in case we should get shut out of the dvc villas.