God help me-- Disney Land

[High Plains Drifter 11092]

or Disney world, which ever one is in California.

 

Wife has informed me that we are going and taking the young 'un (and a friend of hers) this summer.

Give me your hot tips. Rides to ride or avoid, beating the crowds, beating the lines, what you got? Stay in the resort or nearby?

[mdmost 43344]

https://www.surlyhorns.com/board/index.php?/topic/317-tall-encompassing-disney-thread/page/16/

Ask here

Edited December 3, 2021 by mdmost

[High Plains Drifter 11092]

 

Isweartogod I looked.

 

Ban. Delete.

 

 

[Superhero 8904]

Depends on the age of your kids.

Disneyland side is for younger kids except for the Star Wars stuff.

On the California Adventures side, mu company built the Cars ride, and more recently the Guardians of the Galaxy ride, Incredicoaster and the new Avengers campus.

I took the kids for my daughter’s birthday several years ago. They were 7 and 4 at the time and still had more fun on the CA side. 

[LW Goatman 1125]

Don't be a bitch about this, Disney can be a lot of fun. There is some good food around, plenty of booze, and some fun rides. Your kid will have a blast, enjoy that.

F going in the summer though, I try to only go in off peak times. 

[LW Goatman 1125]

26 minutes ago, Superhero said:

Depends on the age of your kids.

Disneyland side is for younger kids except for the Star Wars stuff.

On the California Adventures side, mu company built the Cars ride, and more recently the Guardians of the Galaxy ride, Incredicoaster and the new Avengers campus.

I took the kids for my daughter’s birthday several years ago. They were 7 and 4 at the time and still had more fun on the CA side. 

Radiator Springs is incredible...kudos to your team on that ride. 

[Francisco 2.0 32442]

Been to both.  Because I'm an old and lazy, I prefer Disneyland due to the size.  Disneyworld is a damned marathon combined with a beating on top of a shitshow, mixed in with Florida's humidity.

However, we are going next summer, unless super-max Covid is out and about by then.

 

 

[pops 7044]

If staying on property, grand Californian is the answer. If not,  Marriott at the convention center or embassy suites down the road. 

Get the 3 day park hopper at a minimum. I dont know what they are doing with covid but just know it will be packed. I know they got rid of or are getting rid of fast pass and doing something else where I think you can pay to skip the line. Do it. 

Take your time,  pick a few rides you want to hit each day and hit a couple in the morning,  go back to the hotel and swim,  get lunch,  then come back later. Trying to pack everything into a day or two is a beating. 

They let too many people in so just go on knowing it is basically like walking out of the red River into the fair all day long. 

California adventure used to be less crowded and it was awesome. Don't think that's the case anymore. 

Hang gliding ride, radiator springs and whatever the Hollywood tower of terror is called now on the CA side are must hits. 

On Disneyland side my kids were partial to star wars stuff, pirates and whatever had the shortest line. Matterhorn is nostalgic,  so are Peter Pan and toad. 

Sit back,  watch your kid smile and head out to get drinks between the parks as often as necessary. 

[4th&Five 41729]

In-laws took our kids in September and FIL said it was the most packed he’d ever seen it. Have fun!

[RPM 26435]

Jokes on you, Pal. There is no God. Mouse out front...

[workswithseed 2135]

2 hours ago, RPM said:

Jokes on you, Pal. There is no God. Mouse out front...

Mouse out front is your God. Mouse out front...

[Incredulity 11744]

17 hours ago, LW Goatman said:

F going in the summer though, I try to only go in off peak times

This, this, this.

[CooterBrown 18151]

Hyatt Regency down the street has a private shuttle every hour. They also have family suites for under $200/night so the kids have bunk beds in their own room so you can half heartedly bang the missus. We’ve stayed here a dozen times.

If you opt to rent a house, the Uber stop is about 200 yards from the gate. We’ve done this when traveling with friends.

If it’s your first time, pay the $20 to sign up for touringplans.com. Enter all the info and it’ll give you a schedule. They have a team of statisticians that have analyzed 50 years of daily attendance data. I’ve done this 2-3 times until we developed our own plan and it works extremely well.

[Pato del Muerto 52995]

Just want to let the OP know that we took the kids to Disneyland a couple of years ago and I was shocked at the amount of fun I had. 
 

star tours (this is in Tomorrowland not the Star Wars edge of the galaxy land) and guardians breakout are amazing, as is the big Cars race ride.  Indiana Jones one is fun, though it’s not a thrill ride per se. 
 

space mountain is always fun. They were rebranding the one area in CA as Pixar pier so the coaster (formerly california screamin) wasn’t open, and the Star Wars land wasn’t open yet. 

biggest advice is use the app to get your fast passes, and plan which fast pass rides you want.  
 

We got the the park at open, did regular line for the first big ride while the park was still not full, did a fast pass on the way to that (you attach your ticket the app and once you are scanned in you can get your first fast pass and it tells you when you can get the next one), and set alarms for when the next fast pass will be available and then looked at fast pass times for different rides to see what worked best. 
 

the night time show fantasmic is great and worth the time but it is currently not running as a consequence of their Covid policy. Might be back when you go. Have to get tix from an auto kiosk. Near the entrance to the park, so plan on doing that on the way to your first ride one day. 
 

oh, and the Pizza Press across the street from the entrance has great pizza.  We are there after both days after leaving the parks. 

Edited December 4, 2021 by Pato del Muerto

[mdmost 43344]

June isn't that bad. We've gone early June before and it was fine. It all comes down to how early you get there. If you wait till after 10, you're going to miss a lot of low waits. Covid and the new Keyholder program is a real wildcard though. 

Unless you want Disney theming, there's no great reason to stay at a Disney hotel at DLR. There's not an early entry benefit currently. You can stay across the street off Harbor Blvd and walk to the gate in 10 minutes. We stay at the Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance which has two queen beds, a set of bunk beds, and 2 showers. It's a lot cheaper than staying at a Disney hotel. Also has water slides and a pool.

There are no Fastpasses right now. Those went away when the park reopened after Covid so everything is standby only right now. They should have the Genie+ system up and running by then. You pay $20 per person per day to have either walk on ability or low waits using the DLR app. Some of the rides are not necessary to have a Fastpass for but why wait in a line when you can pay not to? For the most popular rides like Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Racers, you'll have to pay individually for the Genie+ selections on top of the $20 per person per day. If you went all the time, it wouldn't be worth it. If you only go once every couple of years, definitely worth it. $28-$40 to not wait in an 1hr+ line. 

We usually do 3 days minimum. 1 at Disneyland, 1 at CA, and 1 that's a mix of favorites and things we don't always do. The park hopper is worth it for the flexibility. You can change parks at 1pm. As far as rides, unless you're keeping it a secret, I'd have your kids take a look at the rides and make a list of what they can and cannot do. Then make a plan of how you want to accomplish those rides. If you're into Star Wars, you're going to need to add some extra time or plan 1/2 a day for the Star Wars Land as it's pretty immersive. This is a good site for beginners as this lady goes to parks often and tries to find ways to get the lowest waits. https://disneylanddaily.com/disneyland-park-strategies-for-days-without-fastpasses-rise-of-the-resistance/

Fantasmic should be back by then but there's no guarantee as a lot of things have been shelved because of Covid. 

 

[closetohumping 17577]

Wife and daughter have the annual pass

 

 

the Star Wars ride is a must.  Incredible

[yoladu 4172]

If you want to be very efficient and do as much as humanly possible, there are aps that will create a ride itinerary based on the rides you would like to do in a given day.

I assume there is some voodoo algorithm they use based on historical wait times, the actual date you plan to attend, how far to walk between rides, etc.

It was pretty cool. We did a marathon day.. 6am to midnight of both Disneyland and California Adventure.

At the end of the day, that may be the most tired i have ever been (and i have run marathons), but the memories are priceless.

we stayed at a "cheapish" motel on the eastern strip that borders the park. It's not like you spend any time there. just need a place to crash.

 

Edited December 7, 2021 by yoladu

[RexWilson 1470]

Originally for tomorrow, we were going to rope drop Resistance (with everyone else). But with Genie+ starting tomorrow, thinking might drop Space Mountain and pay the a la carte for RoR. 🤔

[Brew 3049]

On 12/4/2021 at 1:06 PM, mdmost said:

June isn't that bad. We've gone early June before and it was fine. It all comes down to how early you get there. If you wait till after 10, you're going to miss a lot of low waits. Covid and the new Keyholder program is a real wildcard though. 

Unless you want Disney theming, there's no great reason to stay at a Disney hotel at DLR. There's not an early entry benefit currently. You can stay across the street off Harbor Blvd and walk to the gate in 10 minutes. We stay at the Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance which has two queen beds, a set of bunk beds, and 2 showers. It's a lot cheaper than staying at a Disney hotel. Also has water slides and a pool.

There are no Fastpasses right now. Those went away when the park reopened after Covid so everything is standby only right now. They should have the Genie+ system up and running by then. You pay $20 per person per day to have either walk on ability or low waits using the DLR app. Some of the rides are not necessary to have a Fastpass for but why wait in a line when you can pay not to? For the most popular rides like Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Racers, you'll have to pay individually for the Genie+ selections on top of the $20 per person per day. If you went all the time, it wouldn't be worth it. If you only go once every couple of years, definitely worth it. $28-$40 to not wait in an 1hr+ line. 

We usually do 3 days minimum. 1 at Disneyland, 1 at CA, and 1 that's a mix of favorites and things we don't always do. The park hopper is worth it for the flexibility. You can change parks at 1pm. As far as rides, unless you're keeping it a secret, I'd have your kids take a look at the rides and make a list of what they can and cannot do. Then make a plan of how you want to accomplish those rides. If you're into Star Wars, you're going to need to add some extra time or plan 1/2 a day for the Star Wars Land as it's pretty immersive. This is a good site for beginners as this lady goes to parks often and tries to find ways to get the lowest waits. https://disneylanddaily.com/disneyland-park-strategies-for-days-without-fastpasses-rise-of-the-resistance/

Fantasmic should be back by then but there's no guarantee as a lot of things have been shelved because of Covid. 

 

Only thing I would disagree with is that for a first trip I would skip park hopper and just do one park a day. The layout of DL is conducive to moving around the park easily and I would just focus on one each day to keep it simple. We’ve tried local hotels, renting a house, and the Grand Californian and I’m still partial to just renting a local house with a pool. It gives everyone room to spread out when you are done each day and it’s super easy to get back and forth.

[High Plains Drifter 11092]

 

Thanks for the responses and tips. I've also been perusing the original thread.

One question-- I thought that if you stayed at the resort, you could enter the park earlier than the general mob?

 

edit: just saw this answer to my question:

Quote

Unless you want Disney theming, there's no great reason to stay at a Disney hotel at DLR. There's not an early entry benefit currently. You can stay across the street off Harbor Blvd and walk to the gate in 10 minutes. We stay at the Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance which has two queen beds, a set of bunk beds, and 2 showers. It's a lot cheaper than staying at a Disney hotel. Also has water slides and a pool.

 

Is this a temporary covid  thing? @mdmost?

Edited December 9, 2021 by High Plains Drifter

[mdmost 43344]

Doesn't seem temporary any more. It may come back but I'd imagine it's more due to staffing issues. When we last went, if you bought a 4 day ticket, you could get one early entry morning on select days. It was an hour before normal park opening. Currently, the only benefit of being onsite is a closer walk to the gate if you're at Grand Californian. 

[JCHIL 414]

Disney Pro Tip - If you have any knee surgeries or other medical issues that will require you to be on crutches, I would suggest you have it done right before you go, just make sure you are on crutches.  Then, upon entry, go to Guest Services and request handicap status.  Its better than a fast pass!   10 years ago my wife had knee surgery about 6 months before we went and she donned her knee brace and crutches to prepare for the arduous trek across the Park with our then 12 and 10 year olds.  Shortly after we entered the Park, a Guest Services employee noticed my wife hobbling around on crutches and told her to follow her to Guest Services, we couldnt believe when they offered the Handicap Pass to us and we initially refused but they would not take NO for an answer so we obliged and rode about 30 rides that day waiting no more than 1-2 minutes at a time - best Disney experience ever!  CSB

[Johnny Sack 8397]

I prefer Disneyland to DisneyWorld.  Smaller and easier to get around.  Perfect weather and rarely rains.  And so much other stuff to do in California.  I like visiting California a lot, especially in summer to get away from heat.  Florida is as bad or worse than Houston in the summer.

[High Plains Drifter 11092]

On 12/9/2021 at 3:43 PM, Johnny Sack said:

I prefer Disneyland to DisneyWorld.  Smaller and easier to get around.  Perfect weather and rarely rains.  And so much other stuff to do in California.  I like visiting California a lot, especially in summer to get away from heat.  Florida is as bad or worse than Houston in the summer.

 

Yeah, agree 100% on the weather. We will be visiting friends and a few other things as well. Two days at Disney land is for the kid's b-day.

(We don't have any friends in Florida. Strange how that works out.)

 

[LW Goatman 1125]

On 12/9/2021 at 3:37 PM, JCHIL said:

Disney Pro Tip - If you have any knee surgeries or other medical issues that will require you to be on crutches, I would suggest you have it done right before you go, just make sure you are on crutches.  Then, upon entry, go to Guest Services and request handicap status.  Its better than a fast pass!   10 years ago my wife had knee surgery about 6 months before we went and she donned her knee brace and crutches to prepare for the arduous trek across the Park with our then 12 and 10 year olds.  Shortly after we entered the Park, a Guest Services employee noticed my wife hobbling around on crutches and told her to follow her to Guest Services, we couldnt believe when they offered the Handicap Pass to us and we initially refused but they would not take NO for an answer so we obliged and rode about 30 rides that day waiting no more than 1-2 minutes at a time - best Disney experience ever!  CSB

https://nypost.com/2013/05/14/rich-manhattan-moms-hire-handicapped-tour-guides-so-kids-can-cut-lines-at-disney-world/#:~:text=Some wealthy Manhattan moms have,front%2C The Post has learned.&text=The “black-market Disney guides,for an eight-hour day.

 

[Sbbruin 21943]

On 12/3/2021 at 3:32 PM, LW Goatman said:

Don't be a bitch about this, Disney can be a lot of fun. There is some good food around, plenty of booze, and some fun rides. Your kid will have a blast, enjoy that.

F going in the summer though, I try to only go in off peak times. 

Last time we went, maybe 5 years ago, we picked a random midweek early March day figuring that had to be as off peak as it gets.  It was still crowded af.  I've been dozens of times, but that was the last time for a long time.

As far as recommendations, the best time I ever had there was Grad night, where they close the park to all but HS seniors.  And at least back then you had to have a jacket and tie.  We proceeded to take serious mind-altering drugs.  It was heavy duty.  But I'm guessing that's not the recommendation you were looking for.

[Sbbruin 21943]

On 12/4/2021 at 1:07 AM, RPM said:

Jokes on you, Pal. There is no God. Mouse out front...

[CooterBrown 18151]

There aren’t off times anymore. It’s packed all the time. You can find certain days with a light morning but crowds are there every day now.

I have heard super bowl Sunday is still the best day to go.

[mdmost 43344]

I'd imagine the best times are when the Magic Keys holders are blocked out but who knows anymore. Mid January, February, and May are supposed to be the low times.