Comments on: Disneyland Vacation Tips

By: Jer

Jer — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 04:21:28 +0000

Emi,

Superbowl Sunday is coming up again soon and I’m sure we’ll see the tip again but you’re so right… the park is packed that day and most any other “big game day”. I guess everyone figures it will be empty or maybe it’s just all the people who don’t like football. Either way I say never go on a holiday weekend and the superbowl counts for that too.

By: Emi

Emi — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:56:30 +0000

Also, Super Bowl Sunday is the day to go (I think the Lord would understand that one day…). It’s empty.

Um… I live in Anaheim, and whenever I go on Super Bowl Sunday, it’s PACKED!!! I guess everyone else stole that idea or something, because it’s never been empty when I’ve gone.

By: Jill

Jill — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 02:12:58 +0000

Just got back yesterday. Unofficial guide was SO helpful.
1. Get there before the park opens – DCA was supposed to open at 10 – we got in Presidents Day at 9:30 and walked (well walked fast) straight on to Soaring over California (the only ride we all went on twice) DCA isn’t as crowded and this tactic worked great for us.

2. We used Anaheim Resort Transit – sometimes it was a pain in the butt waiting for the shuttle but we were SO glad we didn’t have a car. We stayed at Marriot Suites – one room for kids one for us. Fridge in room – Red Robin, Outback, and Joe’s Crab shack in the parking lot – Starbucks in the lobby. Across the street from Target. (Oh, we flew Alaska into Ontario and super shuttled to the hotel – we used a booking company – I can’t recommend ours in particular but they gave us some bonuses we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise)

3.We had the 4 year old walk the first day but got a stroller from the park next 2 days ($10 a day).

4. As many have said afternoon naps were really important for us all. Fireworks were at 9:25 one night – way after the kids normal bed times.

5. we did the princess breakfast in DCA and it was totally worth it.

Email me if you have any other things I might help with. I’ll send you a link when I get pictures uploaded….

By: Amy

Amy — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 02:52:56 +0000

I have been a million times in my life (family in San Diego).

Thanksgiving is a great time to go (little early/late for that, but for future reference) – the beautiful Christmas decoration are up and it’s not super busy (a tad chilly, plan accordingly)

Also, Super Bowl Sunday is the day to go (I think the Lord would understand that one day…). It’s empty.

Snack are a must.

Fast pass – Go get a ticket for a ride, return at a specific time and skip all most all the lines. Great, great way to go about it. (I’m not sure if the kiddy rides have this – I know the more adult ones do)

If you get there when it opens, start at the back. The stuff near the front will be packed (get a fast pass for those).

By: Jenn

Jenn — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 20:25:22 +0000

If you are in it for the princesses, you have to eat a Ariel’s Grotto in California Adventure. They serve Lunch and Dinner. You will meet Ariel while checking in and take a picture with her and then while you are eating, 5 other princesses come around to take pictures and give autographs. My daughter LOVES it. We started taking her when she was 3 and everytime we go back, she always asks to eat at Ariel’s grotto. You get more one-on-one time with the princessses, compared to crowds of people elsewhere. The food is very good and worth the price the the experience. Make sure to make reservations well in advance. You can call the Disney Dining line and make reservations for any of the Disney resturants up to 60 days in advance. Well worth planning where you want to eat in advance. Ariel’s grotto is always booked. They do have standby seating, but they don’t guarantee you that you will get in.
Hope you have a great trip. I have a lot of other tips. Just email me if you have any other questions. We have annual passes and have chilren 8,5,and 2.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:17:34 +0000

Not sure if you’re still checking these tips or not…but we had our one day at DisneyLand and here are my tips… I don’t know when you’ll be at the Magic Kingdom, but prepare for cool weather – just in case. It was supposed to be 72 when we went… the clouds moved in and the wind picked up and we froze. Not fun. Having water and snacks in the park was WONDERFUL! Great for the kids inline and for those who didn’t want to ride certain rides… goldfish and grapes were the best. Also, bringing water into the park probably saved us $20 or more. If you’re planning on going to the Princess Pavilion – go early. As soon as the Princesses are supposed to be there. We got there late and waited for over half an hour and then Baby Girl didn’t want to wait any longer. We would have been another 15 minutes or more… they let each kid spend as much time as they want with each princess. So, there’s no way of knowing how long you’ll be in line. One other small thing… we have a Disney Rewards Visa card. We were able to redeem our points for almost $100 to use anywhere in the park. It paid for treats and our meal and we still had money left when we were done. Just a thought

By: jenni

jenni — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 23:52:52 +0000

the wal-marts in the area have GREAT disney souvenirs. sneak out your first night and stock up, bring them with you to the park and when the kids are whining for a $932 talking goofy head you can whip out your cool cheap gizmos and tell them they can still afford lunch that day. there’s also a disney character warehouse outlet on Harbor near the 91 fwy (behind Burlington Coat and Coffee Bean), about 10 min. from the park. we got great mickey and minnie ear hats for $2 apiece (normally $10-12) and all kinds of fun shirts and princess galore souvenirs.

the busiest days are weekends Fri-Monday…but regardless try to get there as early as you can bc the park definitely fills up as the day goes on. If you can, spread your 3 days out over 4 or 5 days so the kids don’t get wacky on you. and HAVE FUN!!!

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:06:31 +0000

The ABSOLUTE BEST thing we did with our 2 year old daughter and her 4 year old friend was pay $20 for the 30 day membership to http://www.ridemaxx.com. We went on EVERY ride we wanted to (we only had one day to make the most of it) and some of them we went on twice. We even ended up with extra ‘fast passes’ at the end of the day. Definitely something to look into–we thought it was WELL worth the $$ to do everything we wanted to.

By: lex

lex — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 01:38:09 +0000

I just went. The Marriott Residence Inn has a full kitchen and is great for families and includes a very extensive FREE breakfast, hot and cold foods. At the park, take kid friendly snacks. Stop at bathrooms as you pass them instead of waiting until nature calls while you’re in line. The Bear Country Restaurant has a Toddler Meal – cheaper and better than the kids meal. It was a little container of rice w/ chicken and applesauce plus a milk/juice. Wait until the end of the day to buy that balloon. Go on the website to find out what rides are closed so you don’t talk up It’s A Small World to the kids only to find it closed. Fantasmic is awesome, though it’s closed for refurbishment right now. I go there a lot, so feel free to email me.

By: novamom

novamom — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 20:17:22 +0000

Bring little paper cups – drinks are huge and expensive. We split everything from drinks to ice cream to yogurt at lunch time and saved money that way. Also, read the unofficial guide to disney land/world with children – it has great tips and websites to check out for discounts.