My First Disneyland Trip – November 2018

Activity Forums All Things Disney Disneyland My First Disneyland Trip – November 2018

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 51 total)
View New Replies View Legacy Forums Reply to Thread
  • Author
    Posts
  • #48347

    Acamm
    316 XP
    CONTRIBUTOR

    Well, I did it! OMGOSH I can’t belive I did it! I finally booked our very first DISNEYLAND Vacation! :mickey: :minnie: :donald: :daisy: :goofy:

    I’ve been feeling kind of sad, as well as under the weather since we left Walt Disney World on Saturday. I always say that the best remedy for PDD (Post Disney Depression) is booking another trip! :D :ariel: :cinderella: :goofyhat:

    We’ve been talking for several months about going to Disneyland in 2018 since we’ve never been there. We decided that with our CRAZY work schedules, that we are going to take an extended Thanksgiving week vacation by traveling to visit California! :vader: :kylo: :stormtrooper: :yoda: :chewie:

    Here are our plans so far:
    When: Saturday November 17th – Saturday November 24th :mickey:
    Where: 7 nights at the Disneyland Paradise Pier Resort :minnie:
    What: 5 Day Disneyland Park Hopper Passes
    Additionally: Booked airport transportation

    What we still need to do:
    – Look into car rentals for doing a beach day and also a Hollywood / Beverly Hills day
    – Book a Thanksgiving Dinner reservation for someplace special
    – Book Carthay Circle reservation
    – Look into tours such as Walking in Walt’s Footsteps, etc…
    – Find out what the fast pass system is over there?!?! LOL
    – So much more…

    Stay tuned for more updates over the next 431 days! :moana: :maui:

    #48350

    Acamm
    316 XP
    CONTRIBUTOR

    My first update: I think, if it all pans out… that I will be able to meet up with @bexruns on 11/18/17 !! Wooohoooo!! :mickey: :moana: :maui: :belle: :beast: :hatbox: :sparrow:

    #48351

    Nascfan
    499 XP
    SUPPORTER
    MOD

    My first update: I think, if it all pans out… that I will be able to meet up with @bexruns on 11/18/17 !! Wooohoooo!! :mickey: :moana: :maui: :belle: :beast: :hatbox: :sparrow:

    :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up:

    #48352

    Grumpytude
    499 XP

    Sounds fun! :ears: :mbar: :mbar: :dole: :dole: :cupcake: :cupcake: oh and :mint: :mint: :mint: :mint: That is an easy date to remember for me. It’s the day I become the parent of a teenager :p

    #48353

    Acamm
    316 XP
    CONTRIBUTOR

    Sounds fun! :ears: :mbar: :mbar: :dole: :dole: :cupcake: :cupcake: oh and :mint: :mint: :mint: :mint: That is an easy date to remember for me. It’s the day I become the parent of a teenager :p

    Oh thats so awesome! My son will turn 16 while we are there too!

    #48355

    eeyorepoohfan
    499 XP
    SUPPORTER

    EEK!!!!! How exciting!!!! Kid you not, as soon as you posted this, I told Ryan and he started plotting a trip! Of course, everything is tentative! But we figured we could just close our office for Thanksgiving week. Fly to DL on Saturday early morning. Do the parks Saturday November 17th- either Monday or Tuesday November 19th (Ryan’s birthday) or November 20th. We would then fly to WDW to spend the rest of the week there and visit my sister and family! We even looked at hotel costs! I would love to make this happen. We just need time to figure out the logistics of all of that and the expense. We used this years dates to put in flight costs. For 2 people to fly from El Paso, TX to Orange County then to Orlando and then back to El Paso, it is about $1500. Not too bad for two people with going cross country with several destinations AND during Thanksgiving week!


    #48356

    Acamm
    316 XP
    CONTRIBUTOR

    @eeyorepoohfan Holy moly giiiirl! If this comes to be an actual thing… its going to be EPIC! Keep me posted for SURE! I’m going to be using this thread to make plans and post updates!! :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart:

    #48358

    eeyorepoohfan
    499 XP
    SUPPORTER

    I promise to keep you posted!!! So many trips, so little time and money!!! LOL LOL But honestly, we would love to meet you and your family and @bexruns!!!! We had wanted to get out to meet her this year, but our conference to California ended up not working out due to costs, so we switched to WDW. Crazy that it was cheaper to go to WDW for a week than out to Huntington Beach and then DL for a week! The flight out to DL was super cheap on Saturday morning for this year! It was just over $200 for both of us! The flight from SNA to MCO is about what we usually spend round trip for our typical WDW trips. And the leg home was the most expensive since it is Thanksgiving weekend. But honestly, it would be so much fun!!!!!

    #48361

    bexruns
    374 XP

    Does this mean mini D-Cot meet up on 11/18?! OMG!


    @Acamm
    definitely look into the max pass system. I haven’t used it yet but from what I’ve read from my friends who have….they LOVE it. Also, I believe we have a 7 day photo pass option so do that too!(duh!)
    I am so excited for you!!!!

    #48367

    dngnb8
    125 XP
    SUPPORTER
    CONTRIBUTOR

    Okay, this is real long but I think it may be helpful

    Airport Target: If you can, arrive at John Wayne Airport (Closest to park), Burbank second. LAX is your last choice. Traffic in the area suxxors bad. Be prepared for a long drive from LAX and Burbank.

    I suggest 3 days for the parks. Arrive in the evening and do downtown Disney. Next 3 days do the parks, check out next morning (that is 4 nights in hotel). The difference in cost between park property and good neighbor hotels is significant. If you target a park property, I suggest Disneyland Hotel. JMHO, this should be a historical landmark. If not, there are numerous hotels right across the street where you can literally walk across the street and be at the park.

    There are packages that combine Sea World, Knotts Berry Farm (Walt actually helped design some of that park), and Universal Studios (A big disappointment to me). If you pull this sort of package, start at Sea world and do DLR last.

    Knotts, Universal & Sea World are highly over rated if you ask me.

    If you stay off property in a Good Neighbor hotel, I suggest you go to Target (1/4 mile south) and stock your fridge with cold cereal, plastic knives, bowls, milk etc. This will save you a bunch of money.

    DLR places to eat:
    Disneyland: Blue Bayou. This is an absolute must. If you can only eat at one spot, this is it. I prefer lunch because of the Monte Cristo (ranked the best in the country). It is not available at dinner. The other Restaurants are good but not great. Rancho Zocalo is pretty good if you like Mexican.

    CA: First thing is get your fastpass for World of Color. Good seats are a must. If you eat lunch at the Trattoria (Italian) and order off the special menu, if comes with front and center passes to World of Color. Pricey food but very very good food.

    Schedule your trip home on the last day to leave around 4ish. This means you need to be at airport around 1-2. Check out early and go to Downtown Disney. The World of Disney store is incredible (3 hours to view whole store). Then you can do lunch at one of the DD restaurants or Tony Roma’s which is a decent rib place.

    I highly suggest the Walk in Walt’s footsteps tour. You get to visit his private apartment above the Fire Station and they will share with you the significance of the light in the window. Neat story.

    If you wish to explore the area around the city I highly recommend the beach. I personally am particular to the South Bay area (I grew up there). Redondo Beach, Huntington, Manhattan Beach. Del Amo Shopping Mall used to be the largest in the world.

    If you go in winter, Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead are snow areas that are an hour away. 6 Flags Magic Mountain is about 90-120 minutes away up the 5 Freeway depending on traffic. This is a white knuckle park. It doesn’t have the detail DLR has, but will rock your socks if that is your sort of thing.

    The days off you are taking is among the busiest times at the park. Park hits max around noon. In this case the 5 day pass works because you will be spending a lot of time in lines. The Mousewait app is good. Not only do you get wait times and other useful info, but all park crowd index as well.

    Hope this helps

    #48386

    eeyorepoohfan
    499 XP
    SUPPORTER

    @bexruns Maybe so!!! We don’t have our conference schedule for that far our. So that could be the only issue with this. But fingers crossed it will work!!


    @dngnb8
    All great tips!

    #48420

    StupidJudy
    71 XP

    I agree with @dngnb8, Blue Bayou is a must! Also really enjoyed Rancho del Zocalo, I love the star light fixtures at night in there, so pretty! Oh and you can enjoy Dole Whips in the Tiki Room queue!

    On one visit we had booked a room in a cute non Disney hotel which was walking distance and saved a lot of money, that’s what’s fun about Disneyland, everything is walking distance! Another time we got to stay at the Grand Californian for the weekend, oh my gosh that was amazing! Sort of like the Wilderness Lodge, with a view of California Adventure and an entrance right into the park. Definitely go check it out!

    I would try to plan my DL visits for weekdays, it gets so packed on weekends! But since you are planning 5 days I think you will get to see everything, especially since you are a rope drop kinda family! I think DL opens later than WDW if I remember correctly?

    As far as non park days, I would suggest a day trip to San Diego, maybe also see the zoo! Hollywood is so fun, to see the REAL Chinese Theater! We did a double decker bus tour, that was so fun and totally cheesy!

    I haven’t been there in almost 10 years, it will be fun to follow your trip planning! You will have to ride California Screamin’ for me a bunch of times, that is my favorite!! So exciting! I miss California! :heart:

    #48423

    Acamm
    316 XP
    CONTRIBUTOR

    @dngnb8 thank you so much for all of your tips! We are going during a busy time, but we plan on just enjoying ourselves. We spend the week of Christmas before in Walt Disney World, and it was so packed but it was our most favorite WDW vacation EVER!


    @bexruns
    YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS I was just looking into the Maxpass last night! We will be doing that for sure.


    @eeyorepoohfan
    @bexruns if this turns into a Dcot Mini Meet, you KNOW that @nascfan is going to want to come join us too! :up: :up: :up:


    @stupidjudy
    we totally want to to a double decker bus tour in Hollywood! That is something that is on my list for sure!!

    #48453

    bexruns
    374 XP

    I have to echo @dngnb8 on Blue Bayou. We went on our last trip (was James and Taylors first times there and I hadn’t been there in over 20 years) and it was AMAZING.
    Since you are going during one of the busiest times, I think 5 days is good because then you won’t feel like you’re rushing to do everything. You can actually take your time. Especially if you’re doing a tour which will be at a much slower pace than if you were just walking around on your own.
    Download the Disneyland app. I cannot stress this enough. The wait times are almost 100% accurate. And it will tell you what time FP are being given out for so you know ahead of time before you walk all the way over if it’s going to work for you or not. You can also load all of your tickets and photo passes through there as well.

    I stayed at Paradise Pier last year and loved it. While the DLH definitely has the nostalgia, it’s also MUCH busier as it is connected to DTD and a lot of the crowd goes there for SteakHouse 55 (GET A RESERVATION THERE), Trader Sams (TRY TO GO!) and Goofys Kitchen. Paradise Pier is only next door and their buffet is pretty good, pricey, but good.

    #48524

    eeyorepoohfan
    499 XP
    SUPPORTER

    Be sure to try to ride everything!!!! Even the rides with the same names as their WDW counterparts are different! Disneyland has the superior Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad and Pirate’s of the Caribbean, hands down! It’s a Small World is much more prominent at DL and is longer, they also incorporated Disney characters into it! They also have so many attractions unique to DL like the Matterhorn (it will beat you up a bit), Indiana Jones (I prefer this over Dinosaur and can be jerky), Monsters Inc Dark Ride, Alice in Wonderland Dark Ride (it’s two stories tall!!), they still have Mr. Toad’s and Snow White, Storybook Canal boats. They just updated the train so now it curves differently, they added in new bridges and such. But it’s so cool because there is this huge dinosaur scene you go through behind Tomorrowland (of all places)!! World of Color is a must see!!! It’s one of our favorites! They also have a new fireworks show in Disneyland. They just updated Fantasmic. I haven’t seen the new version. The stinky part is that you sit on the ground for this show. I believe they now offer some sort of dining package option or something to reserve a space. Not positive on that since there have been a lot of changes this year. But I feel like this is a far superior version than WDW’s one because this is on the Rivers of America. Whereas WDW’s feel like a stage show to me. Radiator Springs Racers is a very popular attraction and will usually have the longest wait time. FP it at rope drop! They go FAST!!! They do have single rider. So after you’ve ridden it once, you can opt for this. In my experience, you can usually cut the standby time in half. But we’ve had times where we waited nearly as long for single rider as the standby line. Other times we’ve been on in 10 minutes! You never know! All of Cars Land is just WOW!!! You will be blown away!! Be sure to go back in the evening! They do a neon lighting ceremony each night, but we’ve never caught it! But the neon lit at night is just amazing.

    They still have Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln on Main Street. The original Tiki Room with :dole: available from the queue line! Haunted Mansion has a different beginning first two rooms and the rest is pretty similar. The buildings look completely different though! I highly recommend eating at The Plaza Inn for lunch or dinner (meals are large and can be shared), free refills on drinks there but it’s a quick service! Breakfast there is a character breakfast, but not lunch or dinner. The Carnation Cafe is wonderful and some of Walt’s favorite dishes are on the menu there. We finally discovered this gem on one of our last trips and will make it a must do! You should make reservations for this one as walk ups are hard to come by. Their Toontown is so fun! They even have a Roger Rabbit ride back there! Mickey and the Magical map is a great stage show back before Toontown as well! They still have the submarine ride and is Nemo themed. Very cute but the line gets CRAZY long! It’s such a slow loader and mover. Their monorail requires you to disembark at Tomorrowland, no matter what. So I recommend taking a ride on the monorail and loading at Tomorrowland, there is one stop at Downtown Disney, then it goes back to Tomorrowland. If you get on at Downtown, you can’t take the full loop. And don’t be fooled by being able to take the monorail from downtown Disney! We couldn’t see the line from the ground, so we showed our park tickets and went upstairs to the platform. There was a huge line you couldn’t see and we waiting nearly 45 minutes to finally get on one! We could have walked the 10 more minutes to the main gate and been in line for a ride by then.

    OH, you can walk inside and through the castle!! It goes upstairs and you get to walk through the story of Sleeping Beauty! I love doing that!! The cool think about Disneyland is that you will run into characters just walking about! They usually have some up at the hub when you first enter. But you will randomly come across them throughout the parks! One time, my sister and I were in Fantasyland and ran into Mary Poppins and Bert! The line started to block the path just before our turn to meet them. So they had us march behind them singing Supercalifragilisticexpiolidcious! It was such a great memory!! Keep in mind, they don’t have photopass people at most of the characters for the fact that they “free roam”. So have your camera ready! Soarin is the same but the ending is different on each coasts!!! If you like Ferris wheels, they’ve got a big one! You do the swinging gondolas (which I love) or the standard ones! They also have Screamin’ which resembles to old wooden coaster but has a loop! We LOVE this coaster!! I haven’t experienced the new version of Tower now switched to Guardians of the Galaxy. The Frozen musical is amazing! I’m not sick of, nor am I super attached to Frozen. But they did an AMAZING job on this show! I would suggest the first balcony for viewing. They do projections onto the stage itself, so if you sit on the first level, especially close to the front, you lose these effects. The highest balcony is just crazy high!

    I have yet to take the Walk in Walt’s Footsteps tour, but I really want to! I’ve heard it’s so amazing. You hear Walt’s history and Disneyland’s history. They have alternated over the years on if your Tour includes a look into Walt’s apartment above the Fire Station, Club 33 or the Dream Suite above Pirate’s. So you can probably ask what the stop is for your dates. I think they stick with the same spot for a while. But I do know it changed earlier this year. I don’t know how far out you can book it. That’s one thing to keep in mind is that you can’t prebook and plan those things far in advance at DL! Some things are only 30-45 days out! It’s one of the things that is nice about DL is that there is a lot less pre-planning and you can really be more spontaneous!

    As Becky mention, download the official Disneyland app now!!!! That way you are familiar with it! I use it constantly to check wait times. It also tells if attractions still have fastpasses available so you don’t have to walk to the ride to find out that they are gone for the day. We actually booked a last minute dinner reservation at Carnation Cafe while we were in line for Peter Pan! I booked it for about an hour away! The app also lists show times, has restaurant menus, and such.

    Oh, we like to go over to the Grand Californian for lunch once per trip! We go to Storytellers Cafe. They can do everything on their menu gluten free!!!!!! They have a separate kitchen. Lunch comes with a bread service and they even bring out their gluten free flatbread bread. It’s delicious!!!! And prices at lunch are under $18 last time we went. Their burger is fantastic there too!! Dinner is a buffet and we haven’t done that, it’s also $40+ per person. I THINK they do character breakfast there.

    My sisters and I stayed at Paradise Pier several years ago. It’s a great location!! They have a rooftop pool. You can even watch the fireworks from by the pool and they pipe the music in! They have a slide and hot tub up there. You will have to enter the parks by going to the top of Downtown Disney, close to the Disneyland Hotel and go through security there. There are tons of restaurants and shops in Downtown Disney. Park hopping is a breeze and it literally takes 1-2 minutes to walk from Disneyland to California Adventure and Downtown Disney is right there! So it’s very convenient for those park hopping situations or if you want to go to Downtown Disney!


Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 51 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

New Report

Close