So overwhelming

[Casken]

My family and I are going to Disneyland in September so we have plenty of time to read about the parks. But it just seems so overwhelming. Where on earth does a person begin in the park? How did my parents do it with us way back when there was no internet? I don't like to overly plan but I don't like to walk in the gate not knowing anything? What do you like to do when you first walk in the park? I know everyone has their preferences but it would be nice to get some idea.

 

[SeansMom]

Planning can be a lot of fun. It would be helpful to know the ages of your kids to tailor the fit for your vacation. We now have teens, so it's off to all the "mountains" for us after grabbing FP for Indy. It also denpends on the time of day we enter. If our first day is a half day we do things a little different. Usually a fast loading ride like POTC or HM. I know...so many vairables! Hope that helps a bit in your planning.

 

[kaoden39]

First off welcome to Disboards!

Now I am a strange one I don't rush off for the rope drop or any of that on the first day. I like to meander down Main Street and look at all of the windows. I feel like I am saying hello to an old friend as I soak in all of the sights and the smells that are unique to Disneyland.

 

[Misskitty3]

What do I do when I first walk into the park? Either get to Fantasyland as quickly as possible if it is MM or head over to Splash Mt with a quick stop at Pirates.

The info here is incredibly helpful. However, I think reading the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland might be a really good place to start too. Obviously check out Hydroguy's tip (it is one of the stickies at the top of the page).

 

[Dopey's MIL]

I've been to DL more times than I can count...what I wish I would have started was a family tradition.

And it doesn't matter what it is....but figure out what means the most for your family after your first trip and keep the moment going. Whether it's a High 5 and the left side entrance or a full circle ride on the Railroad before you start your day....just make it special.

-J

 

[magicallyDisney001]

Like kaoden39, I like to enjoy walking down Main St. and take tons of pictures when I first enter, and I love browsing around in the stores. Afterward, at the hub, try to go left, toward Adventureland.

Most people tend to go off to the right, toward Fantasyland, so it's good to avoid the crowds by doing that. Then, we'd just make our way through the park, riding rides we come up on, shopping, and eating. Reading the DIS boards is very helpful, too! Have a magical trip!

 

[Casken]

My kids will be 7 and 11. We will be spending four days at the parks for sure. It would be great to go for the evening on the day we arrive. But, I guess that depends on how tired we all are from flying.

From what I remember of Disneyland, I enjoyed the fantasy rides the most, ie. Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, etc.

Thank you for your advice and I do enjoy reading through this fantastic board!

 

[avalon451]

Hi, welcome to the DIS!

Read Hydroguy's Tips Compilation: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483

He explains the best strategies to doing DL without having to wait in long lines, and explains why the strategies work.

You don't have to plan everything down to the minute, but if you just get familiar with what rides get busy the fastest, and how FastPass works, you can go even on a busy day and never wait in a line more than 15 minutes.

I liked the Unofficial Guide, too; it's got some great ideas and tips and was funny, as well. Plus it's a good reference guide for addresses, phone numbers, etc.

Wow, your kids are the perfect age (if there is one); you are going to have a FANTASTIC time! Have fun planning!

 

[LavenderPeach]

Try not to get overwhelmed. Since you have awhile before your trip you should just hang out on the dis boards and read all the threads that sound interesting to you. After you've been on the boards for awhile you'll start to see some of the same topics come up again so all the info will start to sink in. I agree that reading the Unofficial Guide would be helpful too. After you've done some reading you can ask more specific questions if you have any. Have fun planning your trip!

 

[MickeyNikiNaka]

Honestly,

I tried to plan everything and then I realized that's just too crazy! Use the boards as more of a guide! It's way easier that way, I took notes on things that I thought were interesting and kept them in my backpack to consult when I was in the park, but I kept them to like 4 pages!

I know what you mean about being overwhelmed but you'll feel so much better once you get there and feel armed and ready!

 

[disheadz]

The Unofficial Guide is a must, it's great.

 

[mechurchlady]

The Unofficial Guide is a must, it's great.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2132751&page=2

Post 16 of http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2132751
It has a lot of mistakes and that thread came up with over 4 dozen of which most are well known things like closures of stores and failure to include stuff. It is a fun book but does have so many errors.

 

[Snow Orange]

Ditto on read Unofficial Disneyland 2009 - Amazon or local book store
Ditto HydroGuy was my first guide (and very helpful)
Ditto Use everything as just a guide
Ditto Stay on line and someone else will probably have the same question as you.

 

[TINKERIFIC]

Have your kids help you, they are old enough.

For my DD's first trip to WDW (8YO), we looked at each park and she made a top ten list of her favorites for each park, whether it be a show, ride, character, restaurant, etc. We did those first, in her order, as best we could. We did not care about fastpasses (although we grabbed them if we could), rope drops (our DD was our alarm clock), dashing for rides, etc. That was the ultimate enjoyment for me. Seeing her enjoy the Disney magic. It made me reflect on when I was growing up and going to DL with my grandparents every year when I would visit them in So. Cal. When she meet Ariel, it was like watching a teenager at their first rock concert...it was so great I almost cried.

After completing her must do's, we tried to do stuff that we (my DH and I) wanted to do. Although I love Disney with all my heart, the main reason we were there is for our DD.

 

[wvnative]

We generally arrive right around lunch time on our first day. After we check in and get changed, we head for the park. We traditionally stop at the red cart for a corn dog for lunch. We then check the wait board and decide where to go from there.

I think the only other tradition we have is taking a spin in a purple teacup. We do that at least once per trip.

 

[zeitzeuge]

We arrive at rope drop and just wander around mainstreet and the hub, taking pictures and just soaking everything in. We grab some coffee and a cinnamon roll, do a bit of shopping, buy some silly hat or ears and start our pin lanyard before we start checking off the list of attractions to ride. We honestly don't do a lot of planning.

To me personally, it's a small enough park to just wander around and enjoy without having to stick to a time line. We jump on whatever ride we pass if the line doesn't look too long and come back later in the day or at night to see if we can have an easier time getting on. When things get to crowded, we wander over to DCA for a few hours. The only times we're held down to time periods are parades, fantasmic and fireworks.

If we're in the mood for Fantasyland, we tackle that area immediately upon opening one day and get the majority of those rides out of the way. That area gets jam packed quickly. Often we'll run straight to Nemo or Indiana Jones or any other E-ticket we can get on quickly, since those have long wait times within a few hours most of the time.

The odd thing is that I'm SO anal retentive about planning and organizing, but I refuse to do it that much when we go to Disneyland.

 

[azdisneylover]

My family and I are going to Disneyland in September so we have plenty of time to read about the parks. But it just seems so overwhelming. Where on earth does a person begin in the park? How did my parents do it with us way back when there was no internet? I don't like to overly plan but I don't like to walk in the gate not knowing anything? What do you like to do when you first walk in the park? I know everyone has their preferences but it would be nice to get some idea.

Relax, sweetie, you are planning a trip to the happiest place on earth! Once you walk thru the gates and head towards main street, you will feel that special magic only happen at Disneyland! Everyone has a different plan, because every family is different. Maybe you can make a list of what everyone in your family likes, dislikes, must ride, must see, must eat, etc, you get the idea, and go from there. You can break each day to accomidate the things on the MUST DO list, and fill in with the least wants if there is time. How about going thru the food porn thread and the other photo threads to help make your choices? have a great time planning!