Disneyland First Timer

[BeachMouse1]

Hi Disney World veteran here who finally booked a trip to Disneyland!
Our TA suggested Disneyland Hotel over the Grand Californian for the nostalgia plus a couple hundred a night cheaper.
Also got us park hoppers with Genie +. I have never used Genie + in Disney World as we go many times a year and it’s very difficult in Disney World. I have heard it’s excellent in Land. Do you think Park hoppers and Genie are necessary?

I was also considering doing the Adventures By Disney Disneyland escape. I figured if I get the hotel, parks, meals and VIP tours basically all in one price BUT I have heard that it’s not a good way to do Disneyland for a first timer. Thoughts?

I am a Disney history buff and want to see the original the best way I can. Doing 3 1/2 park days the 1/2 day is our arrival day then 3 full nights is this sufficient to do a lot?

looking for must do attractions, shows, experiences. Open to any suggestions please

of course dining please. Would like 1 very nice dinner in World it’s called signature dining?

Do they have VIP tours? If so do you think one is necessary or can we get a full experience on our own in 3 1/2 days?

Any other helpful hints, ideas, suggestions for a first timer absolutely welcome please

 

[Pluto468]

Hi Disney World veteran here who finally booked a trip to Disneyland!
Our TA suggested Disneyland Hotel over the Grand Californian for the nostalgia plus a couple hundred a night cheaper.
Also got us park hoppers with Genie +. I have never used Genie + in Disney World as we go many times a year and it’s very difficult in Disney World. I have heard it’s excellent in Land. Do you think Park hoppers and Genie are necessary?

I was also considering doing the Adventures By Disney Disneyland escape. I figured if I get the hotel, parks, meals and VIP tours basically all in one price BUT I have heard that it’s not a good way to do Disneyland for a first timer. Thoughts?

I am a Disney history buff and want to see the original the best way I can. Doing 3 1/2 park days the 1/2 day is our arrival day then 3 full nights is this sufficient to do a lot?

looking for must do attractions, shows, experiences. Open to any suggestions please

of course dining please. Would like 1 very nice dinner in World it’s called signature dining?

Do they have VIP tours? If so do you think one is necessary or can we get a full experience on our own in 3 1/2 days?

Any other helpful hints, ideas, suggestions for a first timer absolutely welcome please

How exciting! You'll love Disneyland.

I've never heard of Disneyland escape, so I can't speak to that, but to answer some other questions:

Hoppers are great if you want to see more than one park in one day and it really opens up your ADR possibilities. The parks are right across the esplanade from each other, so you can easily hop without busses or other transportation.

I always say the more days the better, but 3 1/2 will be great. We usually go for 5.

Genie+ is super helpful, especially on busy days. Last time we were there for 5 days we only needed Genie+ 3 of the days.

There are a few different VIP tours.

World Of Color dessert party is a wonderful show to do. You get reserved seats and a table for WOC, plus a plate full of desserts, cheese and crackers.

I agree with your travel agent about Disneyland Hotel. It has a very nostalgic feel. It's about a 15 minute walk through Downtown Disney, or you can take the monorail when it's running.
At DLH you might like Fantasy Tower because that's where the lobby with giant teacups is, and also the gift shops. Adventure Tower is closest to DTD and where the E-ticket lounge is if you have a club level room. Frontier is the furthest away, but only by a few minutes.

 

[irlandaise]

That's very exciting that you'll be seeing Disneyland for the very first time!

When are you going? "Fantasmic!" is better at Disneyland but is currently paused and we don't know when it will return.

I think you'd love one of the Disneyland tours so you'll learn more about the place.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/#/park-tours/sort=alpha/

They do have VIP tours but they're a few thousand dollars per day, so unless there are a lot of people in your party the per-person cost can be very high.

 

[BeachMouse1]

That's very exciting that you'll be seeing Disneyland for the very first time!

When are you going? "Fantasmic!" is better at Disneyland but is currently paused and we don't know when it will return.

I think you'd love one of the Disneyland tours so you'll learn more about the place.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/#/park-tours/sort=alpha/

They do have VIP tours but they're a few thousand dollars per day, so unless there are a lot of people in your party the per-person cost can be very high.

We are going in November before thanksgiving during the week. It was suggested by our TA that we go Monday to Friday as crowds should be lower

 

[SpaceMan5]

I am a Disney history buff and want to see the original the best way I can. Doing 3 1/2 park days the 1/2 day is our arrival day then 3 full nights is this sufficient to do a lot?

I totally agree with Pluto486 that if you can stay for more days, do it! I think you would also get an amen from Disney Ron. (going for 10 days with a lot of adult beverages he says)
I feel you can do everything in 3.5 days, just have a game plan from what I have read. For my crew we go for 5 days, 6 nights or is it 6 days and 5 nights?? Not sure, I might have found Capt Jack's secret stash of rum and had a sample before logging in tonight.
One last thought. with you being such a DL history buff you may want to take an extra day or so if your travel plans/$$ allow it. This will give that added time to really explore the nooks, crannies, sights that makes DL so cool.

 

[irlandaise]

I was also considering doing the Adventures By Disney Disneyland escape. I figured if I get the hotel, parks, meals and VIP tours basically all in one price BUT I have heard that it’s not a good way to do Disneyland for a first timer. Thoughts?

That Escape doesn't give you a whole lot of time at the Disneyland Resort. Also, it says you'd stay at the Grand Californian, which is a beautiful hotel but doesn't have the Disney nostalgia you're looking for. However, other than the D23 fan conventions, Adventures by Disney is the only way I know of to tour Disney Studios.

Would your budget allow you to do the Escape and then add on 2-3 days at the DLH and the parks on your own?

 

[LKing]

Disney Studios are in Burbank, not Anaheim. Burbank is about an hour from Disneyland, so would require at least one extra day. D23 has been offering tours to members all year. August & September are currently sold out. They haven't posted October or November dates yet.

 

[merfsko]

Exciting! You are going to have a wonderful time.

I am definitely not a Disneyland expert, but I am a WDW vet who loves Disney history and has done the ABD, so thought I’d share that perspective.

The Adventures by Disney is a fantastic experience, although I did do the full Southern California one as opposed to the Escape. The Studios, Archives & Imagineering (which I believe are included in both) were amazing to visit, and the backstage experiences at Disneyland were very cool. It was also just really nice to be with a big group of people who love Disney and history. I did the ABD in 2016, and I am still friends today with someone I met on the trip.

That being said, I do agree that the ABD is not necessarily a great choice for a first trip to Disneyland. The park days are a bit broken up between group activities and on-your-own time, and you are very much on a schedule that you need to keep to. It was so much fun, don't get me wrong, but it was my third trip to Disneyland when I did it, and I also added on extra days. There were people in my group who were first-timers and they had a fantastic time, so mileage may vary on this.

No matter what you choose, enjoy! Disneyland has such a fun nostalgic feel to it. WDW definitely feels like home to me (and I'm sure, to you), but I always cherish every visit I'm able to make to DLR.

 

[LKing]

Would like 1 very nice dinner in World it’s called signature dining?

You might look at Napa Rose in the Grand Californian. In Disneyland, many people like the ambiance of Blue Bayou. In California Adventure, look at Carthay Circle.

 

[irlandaise]

Disney Studios are in Burbank, not Anaheim. Burbank is about an hour from Disneyland, so would require at least one extra day.

The Escape tour provides transportation to the Studios and other locations on that day's itinerary.

 

[Disney Ron]

Hi Disney World veteran here who finally booked a trip to Disneyland!
Our TA suggested Disneyland Hotel over the Grand Californian for the nostalgia plus a couple hundred a night cheaper.
Also got us park hoppers with Genie +. I have never used Genie + in Disney World as we go many times a year and it’s very difficult in Disney World. I have heard it’s excellent in Land. Do you think Park hoppers and Genie are necessary?

I was also considering doing the Adventures By Disney Disneyland escape. I figured if I get the hotel, parks, meals and VIP tours basically all in one price BUT I have heard that it’s not a good way to do Disneyland for a first timer. Thoughts?

I am a Disney history buff and want to see the original the best way I can. Doing 3 1/2 park days the 1/2 day is our arrival day then 3 full nights is this sufficient to do a lot?

looking for must do attractions, shows, experiences. Open to any suggestions please

of course dining please. Would like 1 very nice dinner in World it’s called signature dining?

Do they have VIP tours? If so do you think one is necessary or can we get a full experience on our own in 3 1/2 days?

Any other helpful hints, ideas, suggestions for a first timer absolutely welcome please

We just got home 3 weeks ago from our first ever DL visit. We are also WDW vets from the east coast but I've always wanted to see the park that Walt built and we were not disappointed. In fact we are now converts and have our 2nd DL visit booked for next summer.

Both hotels are beautiful in their own way. The GCH is like the Wilderness Lodge on steroids just so relaxing and convenient to the parks. DLH definitely has that Disney feel with beautiful grounds, awesome pools and Trader Sams.

We did the 5 day park hopper with Genie+. The Genie+ also includes the photo pass and yes Genie+ was very easy to use at DL and DCA.

Hope you have a great trip!!!

 

[akadada]

Hi Disney World veteran here who finally booked a trip to Disneyland!
Our TA suggested Disneyland Hotel over the Grand Californian for the nostalgia plus a couple hundred a night cheaper.
Also got us park hoppers with Genie +. I have never used Genie + in Disney World as we go many times a year and it’s very difficult in Disney World. I have heard it’s excellent in Land. Do you think Park hoppers and Genie are necessary?

I was also considering doing the Adventures By Disney Disneyland escape. I figured if I get the hotel, parks, meals and VIP tours basically all in one price BUT I have heard that it’s not a good way to do Disneyland for a first timer. Thoughts?

I am a Disney history buff and want to see the original the best way I can. Doing 3 1/2 park days the 1/2 day is our arrival day then 3 full nights is this sufficient to do a lot?

looking for must do attractions, shows, experiences. Open to any suggestions please

of course dining please. Would like 1 very nice dinner in World it’s called signature dining?

Do they have VIP tours? If so do you think one is necessary or can we get a full experience on our own in 3 1/2 days?

Any other helpful hints, ideas, suggestions for a first timer absolutely welcome please

We just got back. We were first timers too and loved it. Way more than WDW. We gave up going to WDW years ago.

1. DL Hotel was nostalgic and awesome. We walked through Californian and it was gorgeous but nothing Disney about it. Definitely would stay at Disneyland hotel again.

2. Yes, definitely Park hopper and genie+. The parks are next door and easy to walk back and forth assuming you are healthy that way. It makes a world of difference in enjoying the parks. Genie+ might suck for WDW because the parks are so far apart. See my post on Genie+ I just wrote a few minutes ago pros and cons.

3. not familiar with adventures.

4. We did 3 1/2 days and got more than everything in. We literally got every ride in and then some and we were able to just walk around and site see. We did not do some of the shows though, but we heard Rogers was super fun. Something for us next time. Also Disneyland hotel has tons of Disney history photos as well (go to store near the elevators for cool pictures).

5. Must do - in 3 1/2 days you'll likely get everything in. For us, all the main rides. Space Mountain is different than WDW and more fun in my opinion (smoother). Pirates and Big Thunder too - a little different. Indiana Jones was one of our favorite rides and not at WDW. The park itself at DL is simply different than WDW and you'll notice it right away. I won't tell you why. But it's just nice because it's different. The CA rides are super fun, especially Guardians and Incredicoaster. You'll get soaked on the grizzly water ride. but so fun. Take your soles out of your shoes and use the free locker before riding. Also, character meet and greets were everywhere and easy to stand in line for (maybe 10 minutes or less even for Mickey).

Also definitely see both night shows. We liked the CA water show better than the fireworks since it was so different. Walk around the star wars land at night v. day. Super cool. Same with California Adventure night v. day especially entrance and Pixar area.

Learn Genie+ in advance and bring a portable phone charger.

6. We did Blue Bayou for our nice dinner. Food was really good. Service was meh. But the ambiance was awesome. Would probably recommend that however we didn't eat sit down otherwise. Rather grab and go or we did do the bar at the Californian and that was awesome food.

7. Everything is super expensive, so if you're eating and want to save money, maybe split a mean. Try to stop at a grocery store before checking in and bring in snacks/food to hotel room. Bring in water bottles to the park and have a back pack.

 

[LKing]

However, other than the D23 fan conventions, Adventures by Disney is the only way I know of to tour Disney Studios.

The Escape tour provides transportation to the Studios and other locations on that day's itinerary.

Yes, I realize that the Escape tour provides transportation. I was replying more to the comment that the only way to tour the Studios is during D23 conventions. The D23 convention is in Florida in 2023. However, D23 has (and is) allowing members (regular or gold) to tour the Burbank studios throughout the year.

 

[DLgal]

We are going in November before thanksgiving during the week. It was suggested by our TA that we go Monday to Friday as crowds should be lower

I'm sorry but your TA is giving you bad advice. This is completely wrong.

Weekdays at Disneyland are FAR busier than weekends. It's not even close. That particular week leading up to Thanksgiving is CRAZY BUSY. If you meant the prior weeks, is it STILL busier during the week. If at all possible, you should visit the parks Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A Wednesday start and Sunday end would be ideal, crowd wise.

Definitely get hoppers and definitely get Genie+.

I wasn't going to say anything about the hotel, but the Grand Californian is far better. Considering you looked into Adventures by Disney, I am going to go ahead and assume a couple hundred dollars a night isn't a make it or break it situation. I'd recommend switching to the Grand Californian. There is a LOT of construction going on in Downtown Disney and having to walk through that every day of your vacation is going to get old.

 

[irlandaise]

I'm sorry but your TA is giving you bad advice. This is completely wrong.

Weekdays at Disneyland are FAR busier than weekends. It's not even close.

DLgal, since that's counterintuitive, can you give a bit more info? Is it because so many DL visitors are locals with annual passes that are blocked out on the weekends so they go during the week?

 

[NorCalFanatic]

Sounds like a great trip!

If you are Disney history buff, stick with DLH. It is full of Disney nostalgia. GCH is very nice, but it’s nice hotel nice, there is very little Disney feel or history about it. The lobby is amazing though and worth walking through. The construction is not a big deal, and the Villas will be done by then. It’s not like you need a hard hat to walk through Downtown Disney, we did the walk a little over a month ago and unless they tore down a bunch of other stuff since then it was not a big deal. DLgal has a thing against DLH like it’s motel 6 or something and always tells people to pick GCH instead. We’ve all got our opinions!
We’ve found Fridays and Saturdays to be pretty busy, Sundays and Mondays lighter. We were there last year the week before Thanksgiving and will be there again this year (in the new tower). It was busy last year but not insanely busy. You’ll probably also be there for the holiday food festival in GCA which always has good food choices, and you’ll get the night before Xmas overlay of the haunted mansion. Since you’re a Disney history fan try and do Walt’s tour. Napa Rose or CC for fine dining. First time visit you should also try and do blue bayou as it is an experience everyone should do at least once. I can’t comment on adventures by Disney. If you can spring for a VIP tour it’s worth it….use that money you’ll save staying at DLH over GCH to book it

 

[DLgal]

DLgal, since that's counterintuitive, can you give a bit more info? Is it because so many DL visitors are locals with annual passes that are blocked out on the weekends so they go during the week?

Yes, and also because of date based one day ticket pricing. Weekends are very expensive. Mondays and Tuesdays are the cheapest weekdays. Wednesday and Thursdays are more expensive. You see crowds highest on Mondays and as the week goes on, they drop considerably. During the Holiday time, a majority of Magic Keys have NO weekend (or at least Saturday) access at all.

This comes as a surprise to a lot of people until you remember that on any given day at Disneyland, somewhere around 80% of guests are locals who came just for the day (either as annual passholders or day ticket guests). When you are paying for a one day ticket, you are gonna choose the cheapest day of the week to come, usually.

 

[irlandaise]

Thank you, DLgal. I think WDW-veteran first-time visitors probably don't realize that attendance patterns at DLR are very different unless a local like you explains it. I know about the AP blockouts but I never travel to DLR for only one day so I'd forgotten about the pricing tiers for one-day tickets.

 

[akadada]

We were just there and the weekends were way more crowded than during the week. Anecdotal, but the weekend was at least twice as crowded.

 

[twodogs]

I agree with a lot of the responses here, other than that GCH has “nothing Disney about it”. I have stayed at both DLH and GCH many, many times. Club level, suites, regular rooms etc. I like both hotels for different reasons, but I think someone must be missing a lot of things to say there is nothing Disney about the GCH. It is more subtle than DLH; you need to look for the hidden Mickey’s in the carpets and wall coverings, search for the Chip and Dale references in the rugs and art work. What stands out easily are the wonderful gingerbread house in the lobby of the GCH for the holidays (which I think would be up by the time you arrive the week of Thanksgiving) with all of the hidden Mickey’s throughout the creation. Storytellers is a very Disney character meal right at the resort. There are Disney characters poolside for the fun pool party in the afternoon. And so on….

The DLH has nostalgia, to be sure. And the pools are great for younger kids with amazing slides. And Trader Sam’s is an awesome place for an after-park drink. But is lacks food options (which is a real problem with the upcoming addition of hundreds of more guests to that resort when the DVC area opens; it is already woefully under-served for food as it is). The rooms look worn, dated and tired (to me). The walk is longer. Period, IMO (others will argue against that). You are in towers which makes me feel like I am in a high rise HOTEL in NYC, not in the bubble of a Disney RESORT. The room sizes are variable, which can either go in your favor or make you feel like you paid a lot to be squeezed into a smaller space.

PHs and G+ are a must to me, with the parks being a 2 minute walk away from each other. LLs are much more available at DL than WDW since many MKs don’t buy G+, and a lot of the guests at DL are MKs, not tourists (like WDW).

We have done several VIP tours at WDW, but I never feel like we need one at DLR since I can do so much with LLs, refresh, MEP. However, the week you are going will likely be very, very busy. So if you can spring for the $4000+ price tag for your group to do a VIP for a day, I would do it!

You will have a great time, staying at either hotel, and doing VIP or not. But I would not sacrifice PHs or G+.