Planning our first Disneyland trip for May 2018...a couple of questions --

[Born 2B a Princess]

I'm planning our first Disneyland trip. I used to live in CA and went several times when I was growing up, but the last time was 1989 for grad night, so it's been a while! This will be the first trip for my daughters. I think my husband and our son-in-law will be staying home so it will just be a girls' trip. We will be driving to CA (most likely) and I think we'll stay off-site at one of the good neighbor hotels, hopefully within walking distance of the parks. I'd prefer to park at the hotel and not get in the car again until it's time to leave.

Based on our schedule and commitments, it looks like May is the only time we can go -- probably sometime between May 16 and 27 -- it's a pretty small window. I was planning three park days -- do you think that's enough? We could probably do four, but no more than that based on the timeframe.

Also, with grad nights going on in May and it not being summer yet, will there be any evening fireworks? That's one of our favorite things at Disney World. I'm a bit concerned about the impact of grad nights, but we'll just have to work around that. We just don't have an option on the timing.

Any tips/suggestions/recommendations? I'm finding this to be almost as overwhelming as planning a Disney World trip, with the exception of not having to make ADRs and FP+ reservations in advance!

 

[figment_jii]

There are Grad Nights scheduled for May 16, 18, 22, and 23 within the time window you've listed. The Grad Nights won't impact fireworks because the actual event is in DCA.

I think three days is enough to do a lot, but it won't be enough time to do everything, so you'll need to do some prioritization of which shows, attractions, characters, dining locations, etc. you want to do the most.

Crowds are hard to predict, other to just assume that there will always be crowds. The current Southern California ticket deal expires on May 24, so there is a chance that the parks will be very crowded on May 19/20 because that's the last weekend when those discounted tickets are valid. The next weekend is Memorial Day weekend, which has traditionally been the kick-off to the summer season. If it was me, I would probably aim for the Memorial Day weekend period (Wed to Fri or Thu to Sat), just because that stands the best chance of fireworks/WoC/F! and longest hours. Crowds will be high, but comes with being a weekend.

They're debuting a new fireworks show on April 13, but they have not yet announced whether it will be presented nightly from then on or only on weekends (Fri-Sun) until summer season kicks in. Until they announce the schedule, I would plan on fireworks only being offered on Fri, Sat, and Sun nights until Memorial Day weekend.

In terms of ADRs...while they are not nearly as hard to come by as in WDW, I would still recommend making an ADR if you know you want to eat at a specific TS location. While they do often take walk-ups, the waits can be long and some of the more popular places (e.g., Blue Bayou) may be not be able to accommodate walk-ups. ADRs open up 60-days in advance, one day a time, but you can often find prime dining ADRs with less than a week to do. The exceptions are the F! dining packages and WoC Dessert Party, which tend to fill up in advance (not on the 60-day mark).

 

[Niltiac]

Also, with grad nights going on in May and it not being summer yet, will there be any evening fireworks?

Even when it's not Summer they have fireworks on the weekends (weather permitting). I've never been during grad nights so I might be wrong, but I think the actual event takes place in DCA so it shouldn't impact fireworks. Pixar Fest will have started by then and it includes a new fireworks show, so I don't know if there are any plans to have fireworks nightly for the new show or if it will be weekends only until Summer.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

If you can swing 4 days, I would recommend it. That way you will have a more relaxed trip with time to do what everyone wants to do at least once, if not more than that. Also, you can hit shows, parades, dining, etc. DLR has changed SO MUCH since you were there last, so give yourself plenty of time to enjoy taking in everything at an easy pace.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I was in the parks last year on the last day the special SoCal tickets were valid and it was a total madhouse. I'd avoid the 24th if possible.

 

[ebenmax]

We are trying to make plans for a late May trip. How far in advance does Disneyland release their schedule of parades, fireworks, etc.?

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

This is all very helpful information -- thank you! We definitely want an ADR at Blue Bayou -- anywhere else you would recommend? We're not really big eaters so we don't do a lot of table service dining, but we do want to go to Blue Bayou.

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

Oh -- another question -- does Disney do many package deals for rooms/tickets? I know there are only the 2-3 on-site resorts, but if they run specials I'd love to look into staying on-site just for that experience. We definitely prefer staying onsite at WDW.

 

[sherilaine]

Oh -- another question -- does Disney do many package deals for rooms/tickets? I know there are only the 2-3 on-site resorts, but if they run specials I'd love to look into staying on-site just for that experience. We definitely prefer staying onsite at WDW.

We would love to stay onsite as well - the fact is the deals are few and far between and are still much more expensive than staying off site. There is no incentive to a package though - in fact many people buy their tickets elsewhere than through Disney to get a deal.

There are hotels that are considered "off site" which are actually a shorter walk than some of the onsite hotels. We stay across the street on Harbor and it's like 8 minutes from our hotel to security!

Are you going to just sleep at the hotel or will you want to enjoy pool time as well - that is where you'd see some real luxury staying at say the Grand Californian. The real benefit though for onsite is the early hour entrance each day of your stay - if you are only staying a few nights I think the onsite experience would add some value - however be honest with yourself first that you can be at the park gates early enough to enjoy that early hour - which can mean being through security by around 6:45 on a day when the parks regular opening hours are 8AM.

 

[figment_jii]

We are trying to make plans for a late May trip. How far in advance does Disneyland release their schedule of parades, fireworks, etc.?

DLR usually posts their operating calendar about 45-days in advance, with entertainment being added at any point afterwards (and subject to change). For some things, like WoC and F!, the schedule can begin to be guessed at the 60-day mark when dining reservations become available (if they're offering the WOC dining or dessert party packages or F! dining packages, there is a good chance that the show is being offered that night).

This is all very helpful information -- thank you! We definitely want an ADR at Blue Bayou -- anywhere else you would recommend? We're not really big eaters so we don't do a lot of table service dining, but we do want to go to Blue Bayou.

For TS locations, I really like Cafe Orleans (although with Blue Bayou, I'd probably forgo this one this time), Carnation Cafe, Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen, and RBT. For CS locations, my family likes Plaza Inn, French Market, and Red Rose Tavern.