Planning first time to DL but may not go now. : (

[taben]

Well, been considering a trip all the way out to CA (live in St. Louis) to go to Disneyland/Universal. We have been to DW 5 times (closer for us, free dining and get decent deals) but always wondered about the original park. We love Disney and thought about going to CA to walk where Walt did and see what it was all about. Heard and seen it on TV all of our lives.

My delimma is....now after a lot of research, the $$$ it will cost for a trip out there is so going against the trip in many ways. What I mean is, we want to go after the kids are in school but just found out that the parks close much earlier AND there's the possibility of Haunted Mansion and Space Mtn. that will be closed PLUS the fireworks are held on the weekends which we will not be going...just through the week. Want to experience all the rides that DW doesn't have of course. DL has Space Mtn. but hear it is a little different than DW. We read trip reviews stating to visit the parks through the week days so you will miss a lot of the crowds that are there on the weekends.

Anyway, we are on the fence about planning a trip out there now. Don't want to get out there and have to deal with heavy crowds (hence, going after the kids go back to school) but if you go later in the year, you chance not seeing fireworks, the two parks closing a lot earlier and rides being closed. So, I am not seeing this will happen. We don't have kids and want to experience both parks (DL/CA) plus a day to Universal and one day for a tour of LA/Beach. With that being said, even staying on "property" isn't a possibility because of all the reviews I have read on several websites where it is closer and CHEAPER to stay at neighboring hotels. GEEZ! I thought doing research for DW was rough. LOL This trip will cost some bucks!!! We are like everyone else on a budget so those dollar signs are a concern.

What kind of advice can you give us? We have never been to CA and to experience a new park/state, etc. would be so much fun but don't want to break the bank for a much smaller park and having to deal with so many people in such a confined space and not getting to ride everything we want. We know too that you cannot compare DL and DW...they both offer their own unique experiences. BUT....that's a long way to go to chance it.

HELP PLEASE and thanks so much!

 

[skiingfast]

I could tell you that some of your assumtions are off base. Instead consider arriving on a Saturday. That will give you Saturday and Sunday to see night shows.

 

[MCSfromWA]

When were you thinking about going?

I have been to both DLR and WDW and enjoy both for different reasons. Although there are only 2 parks at DLR there is still a lot to see. HM does close in September when they are preparing the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay so it matters when you are planning to go. If you plan to go in late September HM is up and running again.

Go to DLR and experience something new. Try and go on a Saturday so that you can see the fireworks and other weekend shows. If you choose to go when the parks close earlier -- that usually means that there are lower crowds and you can see more and do more in a shorter amount of time. I think you will enjoy yourself and get excellent value for your time and money.

 

[tzeitel]

Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain close to decorate them for Halloween. If you plan on going after school starts just go later in Sept once HM & SM open up again.

If you get there so that you have a Sunday in the parks then it won't be so bad and you could catch the fireworks and other shows that might be closed during the week.

Check out the hotels near DLR, they can save you some $$, but if you want to stay on property then wait for special packages. Going in value season means good hotel deals at DLR. Here is really good link that shows where the hotels are in relation to DLR

http://www.accommodationsneardisney.com/Disneyland/default.asp

To me planning for DLR has been a snap, planning for WDW (back in '08) was a huge process - and I had been a CM for years! Those ADRs took some planning!

 

[LisainCalifornia]

We go to Disneyland 2-3 times year as a family, and we have never been there when there are big ride closures or no fireworks. So much of the year has a full schedule up and running (shows each night) than it really shouldn't be so difficult for you to find dates that will work for you. We don't go on the weekends, but go in spring, summer (typically June or July--great time to go!), and Christmas/holiday time. The times that we went in early December (like December 7-10) is a perfect time to visit. Low crowds and full shows! Summer and spring has higher crowds, but it isn't enough to stop us from going. I love summer in disneyland, because the weather is great, and the parks are open till 12:00 each night. You don't have to deal with the humidity of Florida, either!

With all of that said, the Disneyland experience is a much smaller and low key vacation than the Disney World one. I love it for that reason, but that may be why you find it such a disappointment. We go, stay on property if possible, and never really plan our trips. We know the parks intimately, and excessive planning is not necessary!

It seems like there are a lot of DW people who come here already expecting it to be "not as good", and this sort of sets them up for failure when they plan their disneyland trip. If you already are disappointed in the process, then maybe you should stick with disney world.

 

[HydroGuy]

What kind of advice can you give us? We have never been to CA and to experience a new park/state, etc. would be so much fun but don't want to break the bank for a much smaller park and having to deal with so many people in such a confined space and not getting to ride everything we want. We know too that you cannot compare DL and DW...they both offer their own unique experiences. BUT....that's a long way to go to chance it.

HELP PLEASE and thanks so much!

First, see:

"What You Should Know About Off-Season at DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889

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

An excerpt for off-season visits:

Which Days Should You Visit DLR In Off-Season?

My personal opinion is...


1. Three Day Trip and you do not care about entertainment offerings

Go Tuesday-Thursday. At this time Aladdin shows at DCA on Thursday-Sunday so you will need to see it on Thursday if interested.


2. Three Day Trip and you do care about entertainment offerings

Go Thursday-Saturday. On Thursday all day and Friday morning focus on rides. You will have Friday and Saturday night (usually) for full entertainment. If you want to see fireworks do that Friday night - HydroGuy's Fireworks Rule.


3. Four Day Trip and you do not care about entertainment offerings

Go Monday-Thursday. At this time Aladdin shows at DCA on Thursday-Sunday so you will need to see it on Thursday if interested.


4. Four Day Trip and you do care about entertainment offerings

Go Wednesday-Saturday. On Wednesday and Thursday all day and Friday morning focus on rides. You will have Friday and Saturday night (usually) for full entertainment. If you want to see fireworks do that Friday night - HydroGuy's Fireworks Rule.

One key thing to understand about high season at DLR is that DLR is not WDW. High season works differently especially if you have a walking distance hotel. 70% of DLR visitors are locals on day trips. You can use this to your advantage.

Here is how in high season:

1. Go on weekdays - other locals will have to fight horrendous Southern California freeway traffic to actually get to DLR

2. Use your close hotel with a 5-10 minute walk to sleep in and then get to the parks before many others who fight traffic. For example, DL opens at 8AM during high season. You can sleep until 7AM, get a quick shower, head out of the hotel at 7:35 and be in line at the DL gates at 7:40AM.

3. Collect FPs in the morning

4. Take hotel breaks when it gets busiest Noon-5PM. Since it only takes 5-10 minutes to get back and forth to your hotel you have almost no time wasted on transportation - unlike WDW

5. Parkhop everyday - use the FP system and the opening time difference betweent he parks and the crowd patterns to hop to your advantage

We regularly go in high season and rarely wait more than 20 minutes for any ride. And we can easily knock down 20 rides a day - and have done as many as 30.

Are there still crowds in the parks? Of course. But you can avoid the worst of it by being smart. And it is easier to avoid DLR crowds than WDW crowds because of the close hotel and high percentage of day trippers.

Is high season the best approach for everyone? Absolutely not. But for infrequent visitors I do think it offers more advantages than off-season. Off-season offers more advantages for regular visitors (at least twice a year).

My two cents. Err, make that four or five cents.

 

[IBLarsen]

If you go at the end of September or through October, Space Mtn will be opened and HM with the holiday overlay will be opened, and they were running fireworks every night during October when we went the year before last, with special Halloween show. So unless they have changed something, they had just implemented the nightly fireworks through the Halloween season that year (oct 2009). And yes, the park hours are shorter, but if it's just adults and you get started first thing in the am, you will cover a lot throught the day.

I very much think it's worth going, even in the off season, but Halloween time is my favorite time to go

 

[chrissiecutie]

Well, been considering a trip all the way out to CA (live in St. Louis) to go to Disneyland/Universal. We have been to DW 5 times (closer for us, free dining and get decent deals) but always wondered about the original park. We love Disney and thought about going to CA to walk where Walt did and see what it was all about. Heard and seen it on TV all of our lives.

My delimma is....now after a lot of research, the $$$ it will cost for a trip out there is so going against the trip in many ways. What I mean is, we want to go after the kids are in school but just found out that the parks close much earlier AND there's the possibility of Haunted Mansion and Space Mtn. that will be closed PLUS the fireworks are held on the weekends which we will not be going...just through the week. Want to experience all the rides that DW doesn't have of course. DL has Space Mtn. but hear it is a little different than DW. We read trip reviews stating to visit the parks through the week days so you will miss a lot of the crowds that are there on the weekends.

Anyway, we are on the fence about planning a trip out there now. Don't want to get out there and have to deal with heavy crowds (hence, going after the kids go back to school) but if you go later in the year, you chance not seeing fireworks, the two parks closing a lot earlier and rides being closed. So, I am not seeing this will happen. We don't have kids and want to experience both parks (DL/CA) plus a day to Universal and one day for a tour of LA/Beach. With that being said, even staying on "property" isn't a possibility because of all the reviews I have read on several websites where it is closer and CHEAPER to stay at neighboring hotels. GEEZ! I thought doing research for DW was rough. LOL This trip will cost some bucks!!! We are like everyone else on a budget so those dollar signs are a concern.

What kind of advice can you give us? We have never been to CA and to experience a new park/state, etc. would be so much fun but don't want to break the bank for a much smaller park and having to deal with so many people in such a confined space and not getting to ride everything we want. We know too that you cannot compare DL and DW...they both offer their own unique experiences. BUT....that's a long way to go to chance it.

HELP PLEASE and thanks so much!

OP...I gotta say, I'm a bit confused. You say this trip to DL will cost more then WDW?? Am I understanding you correctly??

I've never been to WDW, but have researched it in "hopes" of going someday. Price-wise it just seemed so much more expensive then DL.

My advice to you is to DO IT! I love, love, love DL and since it's the original, I think everyone should visit it at least once!

Here's what I suggest....go in off season. You're right, it does get crowded and I can't compare to WDW, but the pathways do get clogged. DH and I, hate crowds so we try our best to avoid them.

Even if you go in off season, you can still enjoy many of the shows/events found during peak season. Not all but many and the lower crowds are a trade off that I'm willing to accept!

We are heading down next week and will be in the parks during the weekday and 1 weekend day. This allows us the luxury of smaller crowds and with the weekend, we can still see Fireworks and Fantasmic. Excellent trade off, IMO.

Perhaps a Sat to Sat as this will give you some weekend days to enjoy extended hours at DLR.

Here's what I suggest:

Sat- arrival, possible DLR
Sun- Beach
Mon-DLR
Tues-Universal Studios
Wed-DLR
Thurs-Beach/other day trip
Fri- DLR
Sat-home

I recommend not doing DLR back to back, especially if there are other things you want to visit in the area. For your 1st visit, a 4 day PH will be more then enough time to see/do it all, especially during low season. You can of course, switch up days- but you get the basic idea. Allow some weekend time at DLR, shoot for mid-week for Universal (don't waste your weekend time there) and do the beach or other day trips during the week as well.

If you stay off-site and look for good rental car and airline deals, I think price-wise you'll be pleasantly surprised. Also, by having a rental car- you save on shuttle/taxi fees. Sometimes renting a car for a week is actually cheaper then those shuttle/taxi fees- you'd be surprised. Seriously, Priceline just had a mid-sized car rental for $18/day. That's $144 for a week, total! Plus you can drive out of Disney area to restaurants and stop at the grocery store, thus saving you even more money.

Go for it!

My other suggestion is to check out Mousesavers for awesome deals. I bought an Entertainment Card off ebay for $1.50 and I'm able to save 50% off my hotel room and get discounted tickets for Universal and DLR. There's also discounted tours and coupons on the Entertainment Book's website. No need to buy the book, you just need the card. You might also think about getting a CityPass or an LA Go card, depending on what you want to do....

 

[GrandBob]

First, Hydroguy is the go-to guy around here. Definitely read the two articles that he references at the top of his post. His advice is always top-notch.

Second, if it were me, I'd go in summer anyway. Sure, the crowds are higher. But the entertainment plays nightly, and the parks are open long hours. As Hydroguy says, get a hotel/motel in walking distance, go early in the morning to get lots of rides in, and take a mid-day break to relax before heading back for the evening entertainment.

The key to summer is to go when the SoCal APs are blacked out. That makes a huge difference in crowd level. That means planning your trip between July 2 and Aug 20. Take a look at the Disneyland AP Page, scroll down to "Compare Annual Passports", and click on "view calendar" for the two types of SoCal APs. You'll see they're blacked out for July 2 to Aug 20. If you go just before or just after those periods, you'll encounter huge crowds of APers getting in their last/first visits before/after the blackout. Stay in those dates and you'll have an enjoyable vacation.

Have fun at Walt's park!

-Bob

 

[taben]

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who gave so much information and advice....you really put a new light on this possible trip. A lot to think about.

Thanks again!

 

[bumbershoot]

DL has Space Mtn. but hear it is a little different than DW.

Yep, and the general consensus is that DLR's version is WAY better. After having done both, I wholeheartedly concur.



I wouldn't worry too much about kids being in school or not. You're never going to avoid all kids, and while some kids might be recently back to school, others might have gone back in August and are now taking some sort of break. Then you might have all-year school kids who have a break, or you might hit Homeschool Days, etc. It's not something I think you should worry about.

And I've noticed the cost difference, too. It's not always so much the *total*, but rather the perceived value. Apart from travel, with hotels and tickets, the per day cost for WDW can be less than for DLR. You can get more *time* for your money in Orlando.

But...after an 18 day trip to Orlando, I yearned for a quick visit to Anaheim...that's how much I adore DLR.

I'd spend time reading hydroguy's stuff, checking out all the hotels, etc etc. I hope you go, and I hope you don't spend more than you have to.

 

[CrazyDuck]

The cost per day of a DLR trip is always going to be more expensive than WDW, especially if you factor in the cost to eat and the "free dining" that is often offered at WDW. But when you consider that DLR is more compact and you don't have to deal with the annoyances (transportation, weather etc...) at WDW it is a much better experience! The 2 parks, Downtown Disney, all onsite hotels and many offsite hotels are all within walking distance of each other so park hopping is easy as is zipping back to your hotel for a nap or a dip in the pool. Also you can do everything in 3 or 4 days while at WDW requites at least 7 or 8 days!