Disneyland Tips?

[old-fart]

Your kids are probably too small for much at Universal so you might want to skip it. They will enjoy Disneyland and California Adventure. Make sure take in both the parade at Disneyland and the Block Party in California Adventure. If they like the whole Disney movie thing, they'll really like the parade, and if they like the Pixar thing (Monsters Inc, Cars, Etc) they'll like the block party. Both mine liked them both.

I'd also skip the Zoo in SD. It's bigger than the Calgary zoo, but really... Calgary has a pretty damn good zoo. Sea World is well worth it though. I was concerned that my kids would hate it as it was "a day away from Disneyland", but they loved it.

For the record, I have a 7 year old girl and a 4 year old boy.

[Kipper is King]

Yes, I also remember that the parade held nightly in Disneyland was pretty good!

[Titan]

http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Gui...2741465&sr=8-1

This book really helped us get our value out of disneyland

It is COLD at night. Do not think a shirt is enough.

the fireworks are awesome. WE had good like wathching from in front of the palace by futureland, in the traffic circle. You need to stake out a spot early but it still gets full

I don't think lines will be an issue at all in February

A couple other things:

I don't think it is expensive to eat in the park because most of the portions are easily enough to share with the wife. the actual restaurants make good food and are a good value

I would recomend a character breakfast. the Goofy one is really good, the food is great and the kids get to see a bunch of characters

Book a night at the Rainforest Cafe not Jungle cage. It is outside the park but is a great atmosphere for kids but lines can be long. As soon as your plans are set call and book a night or two. I think it is a good thing to do on the first night as you likely get there late and don't want to burn a day of passes but you still get a really neat experience along the street between dw and CA

If you have two small kids get a double stroller that is sorta portable but allows both kids to sit/sleep in. the HOJO is a bit of a walk by the time you leave the park, go through the tram area and then walk to the hotel.

Get the photo card things and get your picture taken everywhere. They have staff that will take your pic for free then when you get home you can look at the photos online and order the ones you like or even a whole cd. you can also build a photobook. But get you picture taken as much as possible to make it worthwhile. The other benefit is everyone is in the picture and they probably have a better camera.

If the fantasmic show is on it is very very good. It is probably worth the cost to get the reserved seats.

Talk to the cast people, particularly the supervisor type ones. they can give you neat perks if they like you. Show appreciation and respect and it can pay off

I would advise to get 5 day passes and not go to Knots or Lego, at ama as stated. pick them up the first night you get there so you don't waste time in the morning

TAKE YOUR TIME AND ENJOY THE KIDS ENJOYING THE PARK

You can see everything in 4or 5 days so go slow and enjoy it.

If you are doing dW first you may want to not rent a car for the first 4 days. The transfers from the airport can be reasonable and you don't have to worry about the driving.

I thought Universal was pretty good but do be prepared for the kids to not have as much to do. My kids were both under 5 and thought it was ok. they did see Dora and Diego so that went a long way

I thought Sea world was cool and we did not even experience all of it.

I have heard 50/50 on legoland.

[Titan]

Another big thumbs up for the parade. You can check the disneyland website to see what is open and closed for the times you are going. helps manage expectations if something is closed.

[BuzzardsWife]

Take bags and bags of money.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

^ I'm gonna second the "get a GPS" as well if you plan on driving. I also recommend you take your GPS on your carry-on and don't check it in, tons of GPS's get stolen from checked baggage.

GPS's are awesome for exploring a new city. And they can be so small that it doesn't make any sense to not carry them onto the plane with you.

I'd never drive in Montreal without one again.

[me_dennis]

if you end up going to california adventure, make sure to try the corndogs near the entrance.. i have heard many good things about them, but unfortunately did not get a chance to try it.. i quite enjoyed california adventure park.. the rollercoaster was a blast, but i dont think the kids would be able to ride that.. also, i second the dole pineapple whip.. it is DELICIOUS!! also, in Disneyland, you have to try the fried chicken.. it's one of the best fried chickens i've ever had.. huge portions too so you could probalby share with the wife.. and it's not too expensive.. i think it's like 9bucks for a regular portion, which is pretty huge.. comes with veggies, mash potatos, biscuit and 3 pieces of chicken i believe..

we went to both parks in one day, but i wish we had spent a day at each park because we missed a lot of stuff in both parks.. oh well, i'm planning to head there in June again..

[boobaloo]

I'd leave the kids with a babysitter and go have fun yourselves....we took our 5 there a few years back ages 8-16 at the time. The 8 year old was too short for a lot of rides and the teenagers were bored. I'd like to go back without any kids, but we've got a dog now, and he wouldn't do very good in a kennel.

[You Need a Thneed]

Kids under 5? I'd skip Legoland and spend more time at disneyland.

We went back in May, went one day to Disneyland, and day at Legoland, and looking back, we would much rather have spent two days at Disneyland.

They cost about the same amount to get in, and Disneyland is a MUCH better deal. I think kids would need to be 7-10 before there's enough stuff at Legoland to really appeal to them.

Seaworld was good, but we didn't get our money's worth, as we had to leave to go catch our flight home at 2pm. So, even though the main gates open at 10am, some of the attractions only open at noon.

[Ice]

I'd also suggest skipping Legoland. If you don't get down to California that often Sea World is a must. I can't even count how often I've gone there and I still can't get enough of the Shamu shows. All the shows there are totally fun. I skipped on the Walrus and Sea Lion show for years and years because it sounded lame. Once I finally went I never laughed so hard. Those trained seals are really, really funny.

For Disneyland, the less rushed you are, the better. Its nice when you get a four or five day pass because you don't have the pressure to see everything. Sometimes the kids need to get out of the park, go back to your hotel room and relax a little bit. California Adventure can be done in a day, its not very big. Make sure to see the Main Street Electrical parade, even though the technology for that is no longer advanced, its still fun for the kids. There's plenty of decent food inside the parks, and along downtown Disney. Like already mentioned, the prices may seem high, but the portions are big enough to share. Also, take advantage of the fast pass any time you can, you have to plan ahead a little bit, but on the rides with huge lines, its a real timesaver.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Originally Posted by Titan

http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Gui...2741465&sr=8-1

This book really helped us get our value out of disneyland

+1 for this. If you do nothing else get this book. It told us, for example, which line moves fastest to get in, best times for rides, whwere to find decent food (it's all expensive as hell btw)

We went in September with a 2 and 4 year old. I had low expectations but honestly it was awesome.

Stayed at the Sheraton park and walked back and forth. We bought 2 cheap umbrella strollers and gave them to the salvos after. We used 2 $15 tents from ikea for the kids to sleep in plus a slab of foam so they were comfy and tucked away (idea from the book).

if you have any specific questions, pm me.

[PYroMaNiaC]

Good walking shoes are a must. Make sure they are broke in well before you go.

Do not eat meals in any of the parks if you are on a budget and it can be avoided. Take a few snacks and some bottled water in a backpack to tide you over.

If you have some time after Sea World, Mission Beach and Belmont Park are not far away and we had a great time there.

I would think that toddlers would quite enjoy California Adventures. They have a "A Bug's Life" and quite a few other goodies geared towards smaller children.

[Rhettzky]

Originally Posted by Bend it like Bourgeois

+1 for this. If you do nothing else get this book. It told us, for example, which line moves fastest to get in, best times for rides, whwere to find decent food (it's all expensive as hell btw)

We went in September with a 2 and 4 year old. I had low expectations but honestly it was awesome.

Stayed at the Sheraton park and walked back and forth. We bought 2 cheap umbrella strollers and gave them to the salvos after. We used 2 $15 tents from ikea for the kids to sleep in plus a slab of foam so they were comfy and tucked away (idea from the book).

if you have any specific questions, pm me.

Yeah, great advice. Bought that book yesturday, only half way through and already it's a great eye opener and has some tips I never even thought to consider (cycle rides vs. continuous loaders). Haven't yet got to the idea about the tents but that sounds pretty good to me, we were pretty worried about the kids sleeping in the same room and us not wanting to sleep yet. So this sounds pretty interesting.

Think we will skip legoland and hit disneyland for four days. It's cheap to add a day at disney and we were kind of cramming legoland in at the end anyway.

Thanks again for all the advice and keep it coming! We have two weeks before we take off.

[chid]

Originally Posted by Titan

I don't think lines will be an issue at all in February

I believe Family Day weekend is actually one of Disney's busiest times of the year.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Superflyer

I know that posting other boards on here is frowned upon but I don't care. My best advice is to go to http://www.disboards.com/.
This is a forum devoted to nothing but Disney, they can tell you anything and really I do mean anything about Disney. From the parks to the movies to the....well anything. My wife is a member and they helped so much for our trip to WDW that there was so much stuff we would have missed if not for them.

DisBoards is really good for planning a trip to Disney World, but their Disneyland section is a little light. MousePlanet.com, LaughingPlace.com, and MouseInfo.com all have good message boards and information about Disneyland.

Originally Posted by Rhettzky

The only reason we are taking them to Universal Studio's is because we are planning to buy City Passes (3 days disneyland, seaworld, san diego zoo and universal passes included). So we'll probably hit curious george island and do the simpsons ride and then get out of there.

Even if the price is included in the ticket, Universal is still a long drive from Anaheim. You'd likely be on the road for more time than you'd actually be in the park. It's a 45 minute drive (one way) without traffic...and there's always traffic.

On the Zoo's website, they sell a 3-for-1 ticket for the Zoo, Wild Animal Park, and Sea World for $115. AMA has a 5 day DL ticket for $172. Combined, that's $287. The City Pass at AMA is $252, so for an extra $35, you'd get 2 more days at Disneyland, and a day at the Wild Animal Park (which is $35).

If your daughter loves the Calgary Zoo, I think she'd get a lot more enjoyment out of a day at the Wild Animal Park than Universal. They even have a place where you can feed the giraffes.

Originally Posted by Weiser Wonder

Yeah, you can get pretty good deals on park hopper tickets now because California Adventure was deserted for a while. But if you just go up to the gate and buy tickets, it will separate tickets for both parks.

You can buy a one day park hopper ticket for about 1.5 times the price of the single day, single park ticket, but I don't think it'd be worth it for someone who only has one day. All of the multi-day tickets are park hoppers, so there's no reason to avoid California Adventure.

Originally Posted by Titan

It is COLD at night. Do not think a shirt is enough.

Yes. Once the sun goes down, it doesn't matter how warm it was during the day, it can be pretty chilly.

Originally Posted by Titan

Get the photo card things and get your picture taken everywhere. They have staff that will take your pic for free then when you get home you can look at the photos online and order the ones you like or even a whole cd. you can also build a photobook. But get you picture taken as much as possible to make it worthwhile. The other benefit is everyone is in the picture and they probably have a better camera.

The photographers will also take a picture using your own camera if you ask them. The janitors who are abundant throughout the parks will also be glad to take your picture if you want a group photo in front of the castle or something (they all also carry maps and time guides if you ever need one).

Originally Posted by me_dennis

also, i second the dole pineapple whip.. it is DELICIOUS!! also, in Disneyland, you have to try the fried chicken.. it's one of the best fried chickens i've ever had.. huge portions too so you could probalby share with the wife.. and it's not too expensive.. i think it's like 9bucks for a regular portion, which is pretty huge.. comes with veggies, mash potatos, biscuit and 3 pieces of chicken i believe.

Dole Whips are great (although, I like them better at Disney World, where you can get a vanilla/pineapple swirl).

The best fried chicken in Southern California (and possibly the world) is at Knott's Berry Farm, which is only a few miles from Disneyland. They have a sit-down restaurant or a take out counter and you can eat there without entering the theme park (which I wouldn't recommend until the kids are older). If you do go for the chicken, park at the Marketplace and not the theme park parking - Marketplace is free, theme park is not. The boysenberry pie is pretty good too.

Originally Posted by PYroMaNiaC

Do not eat meals in any of the parks if you are on a budget and it can be avoided. Take a few snacks and some bottled water in a backpack to tide you over.

If you have a car, there's a Von's supermarket a few miles north of Disneyland along Harbor Blvd. Von's is owned by Safeway, so if you have a Safeway Club Card, you can use it for the discounts at Von's too. Also, because it isn't really part of the "Resort Area", you'll pay prices that are more reasonable than right around the parks. The room I had at the HoJo had a fridge in it, so you can buy water at Von's and keep it cool in the room.

Originally Posted by chid

I believe Family Day weekend is actually one of Disney's busiest times of the year.

It's President's Day in the States, so it is a holiday weekend. As long as you avoid the actually Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, the crowds shouldn't be too bad. If you are there on the 11th, the Flames do play the Ducks at the Pond, if you didn't already know.

Originally Posted by boobaloo

I'd leave the kids with a babysitter and go have fun yourselves

I don't know about Disneyland, but there are babysitting services offered at Disney World for parents who want to have a night alone in the parks, or a meal at one of the nicer restaurants on property.

If you and the wife want to go to the hockey game, or to the parks to ride some of the rides that the kids are too small for, you might be able to hire a babysitter to come to your hotel room for the night (obviously depending on how well your kids deal with strangers). I'm sure the staff at the HoJo would know if any such service is available in Anaheim.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Originally Posted by Rhettzky

Yeah, great advice. Bought that book yesturday, only half way through and already it's a great eye opener and has some tips I never even thought to consider (cycle rides vs. continuous loaders). Haven't yet got to the idea about the tents but that sounds pretty good to me, we were pretty worried about the kids sleeping in the same room and us not wanting to sleep yet. So this sounds pretty interesting.

You can rent purpose built tents for $70 each or something from Bo bebe.
We grabbed $15 igloo tents from ikea and got a slab of foam cut into 2. Total about $70. The kids went to sleep and we went out on the deck to watch the fireworks.

A couple of other things I thought of:

- good rides allow switching off, so both parents can ride without having to wait in line twice. This rocked, though we were lucky on the timing and there were very few lines.
- our kids loved the pixar play parade.
- the story tellers cafe was our fav spot for meals. Though we spent more on food than anything else.

Rather than a carseat we took these for the plane:
http://www.littletraveller.ca/cares.htm
(not sure it's required, but my wife liked it)

[Rhettzky]

Originally Posted by getbak

It's President's Day in the States, so it is a holiday weekend. As long as you avoid the actually Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, the crowds shouldn't be too bad. If you are there on the 11th, the Flames do play the Ducks at the Pond, if you didn't already know.

I think we are going to hit Disneyland on the weekend before President's Day long weekend. Probably try and do Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and possibly Wednesday (and it's a really good thing we bought that book because there are two rides that are shut down monday and tuesday that we wanted to go on, if we didn't know we might have missed them but now we'll catch them on sunday). Then we have a place booked in San Diego, which will probably make our zoo/seaworld part of the trip a gong show due to the long weekend.

I've also got a buddy that lives in LA so we're going to see the Flames/Kings game on the 12th. We were thinking about taking the kids to the ducks game but now realize that might be a little hard to keep the kids up late after doing four days in a row at disneyland.

[Titan]

I think it is quite neat how different people's perceptions are. You are spending multi-thousands on the trip but $9 for a complete chicken dinner is too expensive? I think it is more expensive to walk all the way out of the park and then spend $25 at mickey d's.

Also, I thought the parade was one of the single greatest things i have seen, if I am thinking of the same parade as mentioned above. I am thinking of the big one with all the characters and giant rides etc. Not criticizing just commenting on people's different perceptions.

A couple other thoughts: The restaurant inside Pirates looks really neat but may not work with little kids.

I do agree with getting water and taking that and snacks into the park.

In California Adventure the kids will love the bug's life area. The 3d show was great but scared my youngest.

By the roller coaster area there are another bunch of really good kids rides.

The princess lunch in the grotto was pretty weak food and atmosphere but worth every penny if you have a girl because all of the princesses go around to every table one at a time and spend time with your kid. If you have a princess dress definately wear it that day as the princesses will comment on it a lot. Your kid could wear one too.

[Rhettzky]

Originally Posted by getbak

On the Zoo's website, they sell a 3-for-1 ticket for the Zoo, Wild Animal Park, and Sea World for $115. AMA has a 5 day DL ticket for $172. Combined, that's $287. The City Pass at AMA is $252, so for an extra $35, you'd get 2 more days at Disneyland, and a day at the Wild Animal Park (which is $35).

This looks like what we may do now. However, I have one final question. The 6-day park hopper for kids price at DL right now is only $179. So it's like $5 more then a 5 day ($174), only $15 more than a 4 day ($164) and $30 over the 3-day hopper ($149). So we thought that's a good enough deal to say scrap legoland and do some extra days at Disney. My question is, is there enough stuff to keep us occupied for six straight days there? Even five days, because for an extra five bucks we'll buy the sixth day just in case.

Obviously I've never been and can't seem to get a handle on how many days would be ideal.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Originally Posted by Rhettzky

This looks like what we may do now. However, I have one final question. The 6-day park hopper for kids price at DL right now is only $179. So it's like $5 more then a 5 day ($174), only $15 more than a 4 day ($164) and $30 over the 3-day hopper ($149). So we thought that's a good enough deal to say scrap legoland and do some extra days at Disney. My question is, is there enough stuff to keep us occupied for six straight days there? Even five days, because for an extra five bucks we'll buy the sixth day just in case.

Obviously I've never been and can't seem to get a handle on how many days would be ideal.

Were were there 1 week and didn't see everything we wanted, nevermind everything we could have. Maybe 50% of the park, and 75% of the age appropriate stuff. ( we also tried to keep our kids nap and sleep schedules though)

You can upgrade passes at the park, adding additonal days for the same price. I don't remember all the details so I'd call but
a) we got an extra early entry because we used ours and got another with the new passes (not sure this was supposed to happen)
b) it was supposed to cost extra because we got our passes through AMA. AMA (any travel agent) gets a kickback for selling. When you upgrade you essentially return the pass and buy a new one, but they only refund the portion disney gets on your original.