Early June Trip--Any Advice?

[pvcoasterguy]

My family and I are traveling on our first vacation to the Disneyland Resort on June 2nd and leaving June 8th. I was wondering if you had any advice for a group of first-timers. Do you have any strategies for the parks? Avoiding crowd? Any useful Fastpass tips? What are the not-to-miss attractions? What do you think the crowds will be like?

If you can provide any information, any at all, I would greatly appreciate it! We're very excited for our trip.

(Oh, and by the way, we're staying at the Paradise Pier Hotel with a six-day park hopper. Does anyone know how the early entry to Fantasyland works?)

[DisneyIPresume]

IMHO 6 days is a bit too much for the DLR. For people who have never been, DL can be done in 2 days or 3 days max, and DCA in 1-1.5 max. If I were you I would take a day and go to the beach or do something relaxing so you don't go too crazy! ;-)

[pvcoasterguy]

^ Yeah, we are planning to go to Knott's Berry Farm on one of the days as well. The price difference between the five/six day ticket was not very large, so we decided just to get it just in case.

We also may do something else as well.

[fo'c's'le swab]

Darkbeer's FASTPASS thread is a great source for the inside scoop: http://www.micechat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5720
Also, I am in agreement with the presumptuous DisneyIPresume--three to four days is plenty for the Parks, even with summer crowding. Have a great time!

[The Mad Hatter]

Do you have any strategies for the parks? Avoiding crowd?

It will be tough to avoid crowds in June. Get there at park opening and do all the big rides (Indy, Pirates, Splash, etc). If you go straight to the big attractions first thing you can do alot within the first hour. Many mill around on Main St. as they walk to their first destination...you can do this later. Go back to you're room mid-day to avoid some of the heat. If you're eating in the parks, have an early lunch (11ish) and an early dinner (4ish) to avoid some of the lunch and dinner crowds.

Bring plenty of water as it will be hot, and don't forget your sunscreen.

[penguinsoda]

I don't think most of the So Cal schools get out for the summer until closer to mid June, so early mornings during the week might not be as bad. Like everyone else has said, pace yourself. You have plenty of time to see everything and then some. Spend some time relaxing by the pool. Enjoy the ambiance and street music/street scene of Downtown Disney at night.

And be sure to stop by the Hub at noon on June 3rd and meet other MiceChatters!!! That is a MUST of any Disney vacation!!!

[ni_teach]

What are the age's for your family... With young kids you will spend more time in fantasyland and with older kids you will spend more time doing the coasters.

[Princess Buttercup]

[QUOTE=pvcoasterguy;1583923]My family and I are traveling on our first vacation to the Disneyland Resort on June 2nd and leaving June 8th. I was wondering if you had any advice for a group of first-timers. Do you have any strategies for the parks? Avoiding crowd? Any useful Fastpass tips? What are the not-to-miss attractions? What do you think the crowds will be like?

I think the dates you are going are pretty good as far as there not being too big of crowds since most California schools get out after that! If it is crowded, I think your best bet is to go into the parks as early as you can and/or stay as late as you can, but take breaks in the middle of the day to nap or swim at your hotel.


(Oh, and by the way, we're staying at the Paradise Pier Hotel with a six-day park hopper. Does anyone know how the early entry to Fantasyland works?)

The Paradise Pier Hotel has darling rooms and a really nice pool area. Plus, the Yamabuki is downstairs and it is awesome if you like Japanese food. The character breakfast in the main restaurant there is really good too! I think you are going to have a great time!

[pvcoasterguy]

What are the age's for your family... With young kids you will spend more time in fantasyland and with older kids you will spend more time doing the coasters.

I'm 16, with a brother who is nearly 13. So our family will definitely be hitting up the coasters, though we enjoy the dark rides as well.

And be sure to stop by the Hub at noon on June 3rd and meet other MiceChatters!!! That is a MUST of any Disney vacation!!!

That would be really fun! I'm definitely going to try to make it.

Anyway, thanks for all of your help! It seems like we picked a good time to go and a good hotel. Your advice is greatly appreciated... keep it coming!

[HydroGuy]

When I was a teen I usually skipped shows and fireworks, but since you have so many days there you may want to take some time to see them.

The Remember Dreams Come True fireworks show is awesome and in early June it is only offered on Fri/Sat/Sun nights. As June 2 is a Saturday, you may want to try and see it the very first night.

Another great show is Fantasmic, but it is closed until June 14. As a teen you may or may not like Aladdin at DCA, and Block Party Bash at DCA.

Teens like to sleep in, but DLR is not the place to do it. At least not every day. On most of your days it is best to get to the park gates 20-30 minutes before the park opens. And with your stay at the PPH, you will have Early Entry priviliges which you can take advantage of on Sat/Mon/Tues/Thurs. For EE certain parts of DL will open one hour early. On EE days it is best to get to the gates 20-30 minutes before EE itself starts.

The weekends will be especially crowded, and with the longer park hours on those days they are good days to get to the parks early, take a break back to your hotel mid-day for a swim and maybe a nap. A nap will get you refreshed so you can stay out at DL until midnight on the weekends.

During weekdays it will be less crowded, but the park hours will be shorter. On those days it may not be worth it to take a mid-day break.

You will be able to get more done if you know how to use Fastpass, and understand everything in Darkbeer's link provided by another post above.

You may have fun playing around with RideMax (www.ridemax.com). But with six days you will be able to see everything thoroughly. If you play around with RideMax and read their tips, you can get a better feel for how to avoid longer lines. The basic strategy is to get to the parks early, ride the slowest loading rides first (like say Peter Pan), and then ride the faster loading rides later (like POTC and HM). And collect those Fastpasses in the morning as well.

The headliner rides you will want to ride are pretty much common knowledge:

At DL
- Space Mtn
- Splash Mtn
- Indiana Jones
- Big Thunder Mtn RR
- Matterhorn
- POTC
- HM
- Star Tours
- Buzz Lightyear

At DCA
- California Screamin
- Soarin Over California
- Grizzly River Run
- Tower of Terror

[pvcoasterguy]

So what do you think about Aladdin? I've heard mixed reviews about it.

Also, are there any attractions/cool things that are easy to overlook but are very cool?

[DisneyIPresume]

Oh, so you're a kid? I thought you were like 45 or something!

So, where are you visiting from? Just out of curiosity.

[HydroGuy]

So what do you think about Aladdin? I've heard mixed reviews about it.

Also, are there any attractions/cool things that are easy to overlook but are very cool?

Most people (including me) consider Aladdin to be an excellent show.

A teen might define "cool but easy to overlook" different from other age groups. Trying to think like a teen again (wow that hurts!) I would suggest the following:

Honey I Shrunk the Audience (at DL)
Tiki Room (at DL - corny but lovable)
Jungle Cruise (at DL - corny but good for some laughs)
Turtle Talk With Crush (at DCA)
Its Tough To Be A Bug (at DCA)

[Micoofy Duck]

Ohhh please do make note of how far one has to walk from Paradise Pier to Disneyland's main gate because I may be staying at your hotel in December with family for a 5 day trip... I'd love to know the distance/time it takes for an average family to get from Point A [Paradise Pier] to Point B [Disneyland].

And be sure to make good use of the monorails found in Downtown Disney if you are heading back to your hotel during the middle of the day.