First time visit to this wonderful land of Disney, and I need lots of help. I live in northeast FL and am lucky enough to have visited Disney world 16 times, though I need lots of help for my upcoming trip to the Disneyland park. I'm attempting to ride everything, (minus a few rides like pooh etc). My top priority is to ride everything not at Disneyworld then try and do the rest. My top #4 are SM, Matterhorn, Indy, and toad ( I'm sorry but some people have a love for the toad, it's shame I never got to ride it in FL)
One more thing we are staying 15 minutes away from the park and are planning on arriving at opening time.
Oh yes i will be at the park August 21st
Last edited by Spacoli; 06-23-2009 at 06:52 PM. Reason: Spelling error
How long do you plan to stay? And how many days do you plan to spend in the parks? What time of year do you plan to visit?
The biggest difference you'll see before you even arrive is the fact Disneyland is in the middle of urban development (houses and businesses), so you will get a different view of concrete instead of swamps on the way in.
You will find a lot of convenience with food choices since you are in a city. If you forget something, don't sweat it. Grocery stores, drug stores, and the like are sure to be nearby.
You'll find parking has it's own unique twist. The Mickey and Friends structure is huge, but the parking is set up the same way with the double stalls. Mickey and Friends has tram service to the parks. I'm not sure about the status of the Lion King Tram since the Timon Lot is closed and they've been working on getting tram service to the Simba Lot. Puumba is to the east of the park and may have shuttles available. Busy days will use other lots like Buzz, Pongo, Anaheim Gardenwalk (a mall) and the Anaheim Convention Center.
Your first day at Disneyland, definitely use the front gate and soak it all in. If you're staying for multiple days, all passports that come with 2 days or more are park hoppers. You'll notice the front gates of both parks face each other. So you can easily walk between the two parks.
If you're looking for attractions you can't ride at WDW, don't forget about the Subs. You'll find Anaheim's Fantasyland is packed full of attractions. Alice in Wonderland and Pinocchio's Daring Journey are not found in WDW (though Pinnochio will be down for refurb when I'm there next month
Must see shows include Magical, which is this summer's fireworks show. Not only will you get to see Tinkerbell fly, but Dumbo is new this year. Fantasmic is also a must see. If you've seen it in WDW, you'll find the original Disneyland version to have major differences. Hopefully you're not attached to the Pocahontas scene since you get a Peter Pan scene staged on the Columbia instead. Even the Mark Twain gets an important starring role in the show's finale. It's held at the Rivers of America. If you'll be park hopping, the Electrical Parade is back again.
Hello and welcome!
Definitely a good idea to arrive at Dl before opening, or as close to opening time as possible.
Fast passes are a great thing to have. One can use them past the time stamp which is printed upon them, for that day.
There are discounts to be had with Disney's AP, Premium Pass, as well as AAA road side service membership.
I recommend highly dining at the Blue Bayou Restaurant. Also recommended, and very highly at that, is to make a p.s. which is not a reservation, but rather a priority seating time. It assures that one will be seated before a walk up guest.
I recommend as well water side seating, this request cannot be made during one's p.s., but rather once checking in at the podium at the Blue Bayou for your p.s. Arrive at least 20 minutes to do this, a bit earlier, if the park is very busy, is even better.
My most favorite rides are the Haunted Mansion, POTC, Indy, BTMRR, and the Matterhorn, and the Jungle Cruise. I like the other rides as well.
I love The Enchanted Tiki Room, please do visit Jose and his wonderful songster feathered friends, Tiki's and flowers. Dole whips are conveniently located at the front of the exterior of the wonderful enchanted room.
Please no flash photography while riding POTC, and the Haunted Mansion. It is Disney policy, and can really irritate if not down right ruin many other park guests ride attraction experience.
There are different buttons that one can request at City Hall, amongst other locations as well, through out the park, and at Disney's resorts. There are first visit buttons, happy birthday buttons, and others. If it is your birthday, you can receive a call from Goofy, at City Hall.
When are you planning your trip for? Do you already have all of your plans made?
These are a few things that I can think of right off,
I hope that you have a wonderful time at Disneyland!
Follies of the Living..............Concerns of the Dead
Have fun on Mr. Toad! The ending sequence is enlightening.
If you have to skip anything, Nemo isn't a bad pick. It's cute and all but definately not worth the usual wait.
Enjoy the detail of the dark rides! They go by fast, so it's your job to get the most out of it!
And lastly be sure to give the fastpass priority to Indy and Space, as those generally turn out with the longest queues and latest FP returns.
Originally Posted by Goover
I especially agree with this advice.
Follies of the Living..............Concerns of the Dead
And if you are going to be there for more than 3 or 4 days, I suggest to take some time away from the resort and going to the beach. Many guests don't realize that Disneyland is only a short 20 minute drive to the nearest beach. So it is a very refreshing way to beat the Anaheim heat in the summer to take a day or a half a day and do that. Even though the beach is about 20 minutes away, the temperatures there are usually 10-15 degrees cooler than in Anaheim.
And one thing you will notice about the DLR is how compact it is. The farthest you will walk will take you about 20 minutes and that would be from TSMM to Toon Town. If your group wants to split up and some go to DCA and the others go to DL it is no problem to meet up somewhere to eat or go back to the hotel or whatever.
Another plus over WDW is that we don't have alligators or snakes, at least not real ones.
Crazy Works For Me!
Yeah, the beach is close. Pacific Ocean instead of the Atlantic. Take a light sweater since even a summer night can get really cool since the nearby ocean can bring cooler temps instead of sticky humidity.
DisneyIPresume is right about the park being compact. The irony of WDW's Magic Kingdom being bigger and better than little Disneyland is the fact that Disneyland has more attractions packed inside than the Magic Kingdom.
I can't believe I forgot one important detail about Disneyland!
This is the only park where Walt walked. No matter how big, or cutting edge, or heavily engorged with theming the other Disney parks may be, the original Disneyland is Walt's park.
When you walk past the firehouse on Main St, look up and you'll see a light was left on for Walt in his apartment window.
in addition to everything else thats been said, rule #1 about going to the Disneyland resort: HAVE FUN
Sadly, I will only be spending one day in the park, but I will be staying in Anaheim for a whole week. I believe the travel agency which I booked with said something about the mickey and friends parking center. I will be visiting the park August 21st. I actually called Disneyland yesterday and they said the only ride that would be down is the opera house, also thank you for all the help so far usually when I'm new to a blog I never even get 1 reply on my first post.
Thank you, and please keep posting
Kasey that is quite true.
Quite trueAnother plus over WDW is that we don't have alligators or snakes, at least not real ones.
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