Disneyland gets my money this year. Need recc’s

[LuciousBDragon]

HROT,

Need any and all advice for a Disneyland trip for the fam. Two elementary age kids and one spouse (no pics).

Looking at October for 3-4 nights (midweek) and have been told it is worth it to stay on site so under orders to only consider that type of options.

Any and all fiduciary, psychological, health advice needed to survive this coming ordeal please and thanks!

 

[3boysmom]

Alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol. Onsite is not really as big of a deal at Disneyland but if the wife says you're staying on site do it. I dislike Disney immensely so I will leave the other good advice to those who can offer something other than don't do it.

 

[ping72]

Don’t grope the princesses; they’re all pretentious B’s.

But the rough looking woman with a broom is 90% down for giving you a handy in the bathroom. But everything is more expensive at Disney...will cost you at least $40.

 

[Big Hawk D-Port]

We go to Disney World quite a bit, and my wife is amazed at the amount of planning I do. I tell her there are two kinds of people at Disney, those who plan and those that wait in line.

I am a big fan of the touring plans web site. There is a ton of data on it but it also has software that will tell you, based on your days of attendance and what rides you want to go on, what order to ride things in order to avoid lines. The crazy thing is it really works.

One general piece of advice is to wake up early and be there before the park opens. You will ride more in the first two hour than the rest of the day. Go back to your resort at about 2PM and nap or sit by the pool and come back for the fireworks and lighter evening crowds.

Disney is awesome but crowds ruin it.

 

[RunRonnieRun]

Use a VIP guide service. Disney has their own, and you can find independents if you search around.

 

[Funky Bunch]

Day trip to Compton

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

Be sure to park at the back of the parking lot so you can get out quicker.

 

[ThorneStockton]

Fabricate a terminal illness for one or both of your children and get the full VIP experience.

 

[QChawks]

Taking the family for spring break, only because we are visiting my in-laws that live 5 miles from Disneyland.

I have two middle school kids that aren't big into Disney movies, but they like to do rides.

How much time do you think we need?

Online it says most spend 3-4 days which seems crazy.
We are going to rent an Airbrb and spend the rest of the time at the beach and sight-seeing around Orange County.

 

[stout1]

HROT,

Need any and all advice for a Disneyland trip for the fam. Two elementary age kids and one spouse (no pics).

Looking at October for 3-4 nights (midweek) and have been told it is worth it to stay on site so under orders to only consider that type of options.

Any and all fiduciary, psychological, health advice needed to survive this coming ordeal please and thanks!

Onsite is not nearly as important as it is at DisneyWorld. At least it wasn't for us in 2017 when our boys were 15, 13, and 11.
Ihave spent an unfortunate amount of time at DisneyWorld, and I preferred Disneyland.

 

[Herky T Hawk]

Taking the family for spring break, only because we are visiting my in-laws that live 5 miles from Disneyland.

I have two middle school kids that aren't big into Disney movies, but they like to do rides.

How much time do you think we need?

Online it says most spend 3-4 days which seems crazy.
We are going to rent an Airbrb and spend the rest of the time at the beach and sight-seeing around Orange County.

We did Disneyland with the kids the week of MLK Day three years ago when they were 6 and 9 respectively. We spent 2 days at Disneyland and 1 day at California Adventure. This was during one of the lightest times of the year for crowds at the parks. We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel.

Spring break will likely be a busier time at the parks, meaning more waiting in line. So if you only go for a day at each park expect to not get to do everything. Also, just plan on spending money on the Lightning Lane Multi Pass as part of your budget. You'll need to research what that is, but it will help you avoid some long lines for rides.

My general advice. Staying on-site is actually nicer in California than in Florida because you can just walk everywhere. We took an Uber from the airport to the hotel and then another one back at the end of our trip. Other than that we just walked. From any of the three hotels you end up walking through Downtown Disney to get to the parks. The Disneyland hotel is decent enough. Not high end, but it was clean and didn't seem to have any issues. Our room had 2 queen size beds, so keep that in mind with middle schoolers. The pool was nice and had the famous monorail water slides. There's a few places to eat at the hotel and you're a short walk to many other restaurants. At Trader Sam's you can get an alcoholic Dole Whip float, adding your choice of rum. Expensive but delicious after being on your feet all day at a park.

Everything in the parks takes Apple Pay, except for any sit down restaurant with wait staff. So we didn't bring our wallets with us until the last day when we had a reservation at Cafe Orleans. Of course I forgot to bring my wallet with me that day and didn't realize it until about an hour before our reservation, so I had to walk back to the hotel. Doing that from the middle of the park to the hotel and back only took me about 30 minutes while my family did a ride without me. One of the perks of staying on site and walking distance.

My wife is a big Disney World fan, having gone there a bunch as a kid since she lived in Florida for several years. After this trip she said she preferred Disneyland more. The compact design of the entire resort and the food options are just some of the reasons. I agree with her.

 

[onlyTheObvious]

We asked our kids a few times growing up if they wanted to go to Disneyland or a beach vacation. They always chose the beach vacation. Not going to lie, saved a lot of money.

I have been there as a kid.

I am not a fan of paying money to see fake crap and wait in line to do it.

From what I have been told, staying on the property makes life a lot easier with kids. If you are going to do it. Go all the way.

 

[luvmyhawks]

Taking the family for spring break, only because we are visiting my in-laws that live 5 miles from Disneyland.

I have two middle school kids that aren't big into Disney movies, but they like to do rides.

How much time do you think we need?

Online it says most spend 3-4 days which seems crazy.
We are going to rent an Airbrb and spend the rest of the time at the beach and sight-seeing around Orange County.

I was there about a year and a half ago with my 12, 13 and 16 year old. I really don't understand the hate for Disneyland. Yes, it is busy, but they are great at what they do. We loved it and my kids keep asking to go back.

We had no problem seeing both parks in full and riding all the rides we wanted to in 2 days. But, again, my kids were older so we weren't wasting time on the smaller rides.

The star wars ride and Indian Jones were awesome.

 

[Mister_Man]

Taking the family for spring break, only because we are visiting my in-laws that live 5 miles from Disneyland.

I have two middle school kids that aren't big into Disney movies, but they like to do rides.

How much time do you think we need?

Online it says most spend 3-4 days which seems crazy.
We are going to rent an Airbrb and spend the rest of the time at the beach and sight-seeing around Orange County.

Middle school… May want to split with Universal

 

[QChawks]

I was there about a year and a half ago with my 12, 13 and 16 year old. I really don't understand the hate for Disneyland. Yes, it is busy, but they are great at what they do. We loved it and my kids keep asking to go back.

We had no problem seeing both parks in full and riding all the rides we wanted to in 2 days. But, again, my kids were older so we weren't wasting time on the smaller rides.

The star wars ride and Indian Jones were awesome.

Thanks, good advice.

We fly in on a Tuesday and were thinking about going on Wednesday & Thursday. Trying to decide if those two says would be enough and to avoid the weekend if possible.

Right now, I'm leaning towards one day at each park since we won't be staying onsite, they would be full days.

 

[luvmyhawks]

Thanks, good advice.

We fly in on a Tuesday and were thinking about going on Wednesday & Thursday. Trying to decide if those two says would be enough and to avoid the weekend if possible.

Right now, I'm leaning towards one day at each park since we won't be staying onsite, they would be full days.

So, we were there over fall break. So a Thursday and Friday and maybe not quite as busy as spring break. We had no problems with 1 day at each park. We were there right at the opening of the park and it was a full day for sure. We could have probably spent another day to just wander around and sight see the things we didn't stop to look at but whatevs.

We had a blast. We also did a day at universal. Fun but no where near as much to do there. We were done by 5:30 at universal.

Edit to add. Make sure to get the fast passes or whatever they are called and figure out how to use them before you get there.