Any Tips/advice on Disneyland in Ca???

[biskits Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close biskits]

Will be visiting Disneyland in Ca in 2 weeks for first time...Any tips, suggestions or
other helpful info would be greatly appreciated. We will only be there 1 day so can any one recommend any "must see" attractions???
Anyone know of any discounted tickets available???
Thanks in advance
Paul

[Pstreet1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pstreet1]

The absolute best help you can get for maximizing your one day experience is to purchase (or check out from the library) THE UN-AFFICIAL GUIDE TO DISNEYLAND. The book gives you a way to rate the attractions (for adults, toddlers, teens, etc.) and a one day "plan of attack" to minimize lines, a two day plan of attack, etc. It rates all the restaurants and tells you when they are most/least crowded. It will truly make a difference in the experience you have.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

If your going to do the park I would do the Califorina side which is small enough to do in 1 day and is the ne***r park. Soarin Califorina should be the first ride to go to. There are some nice restaurants just outside the park in Disney Village.

[biskits Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close biskits]

Thanks...

Thanks for your responses

[Denise Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Denise]

How many of you will be going? Will there be kids?

We love all things Disney, have you ever been to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World before? If so, many of the rides are the same, but some are unique to DL. You might check out The DIS Discussion Forums - DISboards.com - Powered by vBulletin and scroll down to the Disneyland section for the latest on the park. Since it is considered low season, there may be some rides closed for refurbishment.

I love the Matterhorn, which is a classic DL ride. Then there is Splash Mountain, Pirates, my favorite Fantasyland ride, Peter Pan, etc. What kinds of rides do you like? I hear that Lilo & Stitch and Buzz Lightyear are fun, but I haven't been on them yet.

[chemteach Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close chemteach]

It makes a big difference how old the kids are. When my kids were little, (up to 6 years old and girls) we would go straight to the fairy tale section, in the back, and arrive within 10 minutes of the park opening. The Peter Pan and Dumbo lines get very long later in the day, so we would do those first. An hour after the park opened, the further back part of the Goofy area (can't remember the official name) would open and we would race over there to the little little roller coaster and ride it a few times. Oh yeah, before we did all this, we would stop somewhere for a fast pass, and then go to the fastpass ride when finished with the roller coaster.

As our kids have gotten older, we've dropped that whole back area and headed to the Matterhorn first thing, getting a fastpass at Space Mountain beforehand.

You have to really plan out the fastpasses. Some rides have 3 hour waits for the fastpass, some have only 1/2 hour waits early in the day. Indiana Jones usually has a really long wait later in the day, so get that one early if you want to do the ride. Splash mountain also has a really long fastpass wait.

Have fun! In a few weeks, the park should not be that crowded, even on the weekend. I think September and October are probably their slowest season, up until they put up the winter holiday decorations.

[3kids4me Super Moderator and Super Mom Find all posts View Profile Close 3kids4me]

I love Soarin' and could go on it over and over all day. I actually find it very relaxing! But my husband and one of my kids hates it.

So...it's hard to give advice and so depends on your tastes and the ages of your children.

Have a great time!

Sharon

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Paul,

If you only have one day for an amusement park I would choose Universal Studios over Disneyland. Both are small enough to do in one day. They are not the over the top Orlando experiences.

D'Land has something D'World doesn't though. Toontown. <Think Roger Rabbit> We much enjoyed that as the classics like Haunted Mansion.

Personal preference. We have always like U Studios better and think it is a better value.

[4ARedOctober Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close 4ARedOctober]

From another post regarding Disneyland and DCA......Both Grizzly River Run and Splash Mountain have long lines due to the hot weather. You will definately want to get your fast passes early for these rides so you can come back when it is warmer in the mid day. You can get completely soaked on GRR so you can put the poncho on right when the ride begins. A poncho will not keep your bottom dry if you take a good splash. So you can always bring a change of clothes and use a locker at the parks.

Nemo subs also has long lines so if you want to go this should be your first ride if you can get up early and go to the park as early as possible. Otherwise the line throughout the day is usually a minimum of one hour or more.