Questions need suggestions

[LovestoDisney]

Back in August I decided I was going to plan a trip to San Diego, California for my youngest nephews graduation from Marine boot camp. The trip is schedulled for Nov. 17-22, 2010. The first two days we are there are filled with marine base activities. Saturday and Sunday will be fun days.
I guess we have decided to go to Disneyland on Sunday 11/21/10.

Does anybody know what the crowds are normally like for this time of year?

For some in our group it will be there first time to DL & CA. I would like to make it special for them but I am on a limited budget. Suggestions would be great!

One more question:
My sister thinks we need a park hopper pass for 1 day. Good or bad idea? California Adventure was just being built last time I was at Disney Land.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

My recollection of Sunday before Thanksgiving last year is that the parks were very busy. Many people will be starting their vacations and only the holders of the least expensive APs will be blocked out. Despite the crowds, the parks are very fun this time of year because they are all dressed up for the holidays. I would be inclined to suggest that you do just Disneyland even though I really like California Adventure too. With only one day during the holidays, you will find more than enough to do at Disneyland, and you did indicate that budget is a concern. You should definitely browse around these boards and the official Disneyland website and figure out what rides and attractions are going to be important to your group so you can make a plan. Learn about how to use fastpass to minimize your wait times. Be at the park gates before the 8 AM opening. Holiday offerings like the overlays on Small World and Haunted Mansion will have longer lines later in the day, so although it goes against the common wisdom for the rest of the year touring, you want to put these on your list for earlier in the day during a holiday trip. The fireworks are fabulous front and center of the castle, but with only one day, don't rule out other viewing locations such as near the Small World ride to free up more time for other activities.

This might help. Here's Hydroguy's tips compilations:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483

 

[LovestoDisney]

Is that saturday pretty busy as well?

 

[LovestoDisney]

Why is my signature not showing up all the way. UGH!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Is that saturday pretty busy as well?

I think as a rule, weekends at Disney are considered busy, especially during the holiday time. Crowd perception is very subjective. Our family goes during busy times often though, and sometimes, for whatever reason, I have found Saturdays less busy than Sundays. Hard to say what the crowds will be like on a week by week basis. Either day, you will have the best, easiest time touring early in the day. We generally start to notice the uptick in crowds around 10 or 11 AM. It is best to ride things in the morning and gather fastpasses in between rides. You can use the fastpasses later in the day when the park gets crowded. Afternoon time is also a good time to watch shows, take a break, or eat.

 

[Mexikolla]

Here is something you may want to look into....

http://www.mccsmiramar.com/pdfs/MCAS-M_ITT_Price_List.pdf

its the discount ticket list for the military. You have to purchase your tickets on base but at times you can get awesome deals.

If you do decide to go to DLR on Saturday and Sunday I would say to use the MWR/ITT Ticket Office for your tickets. Right now they have three day park hoppers for $99 (vs $206 at DLR).

The also have vouchers for discounts at some offsite hotels. Although you can call just about any hotel in the area and request a military discount too. Personally I like the Candy Cane Inn, they offer a good military rate and they are close enough to walk in to the park, PARKING ALONE is $15 a day.

We are a military family down in San Diego and use the MWR/ITT Ticket office for discounts all the time! Oh here is the link to the main MWR site at Miramar (Marine Base about 20 minutes north of MCRD). http://www.mccsmiramar.com/itt-travel_office.html

HTH

 

[bumbershoot]

Look at the disneyland website, check out the rides and attractions. Decide which ones you want to do. If you find yourself wanting to ride things in DCA, get the hopper. If not, don't!

The number one, key, IMPORTANT thing to do is to get there EARLY. Coming from San Diego that means an early early start. But it's crucial, especially on a weekend when people have Magic Morning (which means that some people with 3+ day tickets and the people staying onsite have access to Fantasyland and parts of Tomorrowland the hour before the park opens) and will be filling the lines in parts of the parks even before you set foot in the park. Those early hours are SO important to have a great day!

My brother and his wife live in SD, and they sometimes have a hard time getting out of the house early enough (my brother is fine, but my awesome sis in law is a lazybones on the weekends/when she doesn't have to work), which kept getting us to DL well after the parks opened. The only thing that saved our days was that there was a rainstorm the first time we went, and...I can't remember the second time (though I did have a strong plan to keep the day going)...but normally, getting there an hour or two after the gates opened isn't at all the best way to start your ONE day at DLR.