One day at DL?

[bunny213]

We are planning a trip to DL for one day. What ideas or suggestions do you have to make this a good enjoyable visit? We are two families...children ages 2 - 16. We'd love to spend two days...but right now - we can't swing it financially. Any help or suggestions you can give us will be so wonderful...
Thanks in advance, Meagan

 

[HydroGuy]

We are planning a trip to DL for one day. What ideas or suggestions do you have to make this a good enjoyable visit? We are two families...children ages 2 - 16. We'd love to spend two days...but right now - we can't swing it financially. Any help or suggestions you can give us will be so wonderful...

Hi Meagan. There are many answers to your question. We can give you better advice if you can tell us...

1. Do you have a date set yet? If so, when?

2. Have you or your group been to DL before?

3. Do you want to pack as much into one day as possible, or do you want to leisurely experience DL?

4. What would you say is higher priority: going on rides or seeing shows and parades?

 

[bunny213]

Thank you for your quick and kind reply.....
my Mother had posted on 9/13 and you had some wonderful advice for us then..so did zukeeper. I don't really know if we can afford to spend the night as much as we would like to. We are just back last December from doing 4 years in England (military) and our good Brit friends are coming over on their school holiday - thus two families, we have 4 children and they have 6. Needless to say we are on a tight budget.
We would be going sometime between 10/24 and 11/8. We did take our children to DL once, at Christmas time last year. It was their Christmas gift. Our friends have never been to the US - muchless Disney. We would like to make the most of our day that is why we are asking for help. When we went at Christmas it was very very crowded and we were absolutely blown away with the beautiful decorations. Thank you so much for taking the time and interest in us....we are stationed in Lompoc now...hubby is career man and will be leaving for Iraq in early February. Have a wonderful day...and thank you again. Meg

 

[HydroGuy]

Best wishes for your husband's upcoming deployment to Iraq. I went to UCSB a ...cough cough ... few years ago. Just down the road from Lompoc. He must be at Vandenberg.

Have you made a final decision on a day trip vs. two-day trip? It sounds like you have decided on one day.

Since you were there at DL recently, you know a bit what to expect. The time frame you are going should not be very crowded, except for perhaps around Halloween. There are several Halloween "nights" for which I think you need special tickets. I have not paid attention to these but you should research this so you do not get surprised and go on the "wrong" day.

With the age range of the kids, it sounds like you may need to consider breaking into two groups for at least part of the day. The younger ones will like FantasyLand of course, and the teenagers will want to go on the thrill rides.

Space Mtn just reopened in July (we went on it four times during our August trip) and it is really cool. It is the most popular ride now, and depending on which day you go it can get pretty crowded.

You will probably want to get FastPasses for Space Mtn and some of the other rides. While your time frame is not high season, you may be able to learn something from my FastPass "thesis" Getting the Most Out of FastPass During High Season - http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885132

Small World will be closed from Oct 24-Nov 10 to add the Holiday overlay. So you will miss that. It appears that everything else will be up and running.

If you are planning to drive all the way from Lompoc on the morning of your DL visit, that will make it hard to get there early. But you should try very hard to get there as early as possible, as you can get on a lot of rides first thing in the morning.

For about $15 you can buy a 3-month RideMax subscription, which will help you schedule rides. See my feedback RideMax Critique Plus Conventional and Unconventional Usage on August 1-4 Trip http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885134

If you go mid-week DL may not be showing Fantasmic or the new fireworks show. If you go Fri-Sun they will. Check the DL website schedule. If you have not seen Fantasmic, I would recommend that. If you have, the fireworks are spectacular but are best viewed from the hub where it can be very crowded. You may need to get there at least an hour early.

Have a wonderful trip.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Hi Barbara,

I recommend going on a Friday, if possible. You will have longer hours then, and the park should be relatively uncrowded until the afternoon, when locals get out of school/work, and it may not be crowded then either. (My coworker just went last Friday, and another one went on a Thursday & there were no crowds)

Since you're on a budget, you may just want to concentrate on Disneyland, and not go to California Adventure. If you do decide to do that, you're looking at about an additional $20 per person to do both parks. You'll probably be able to get a Southern California discount (about $5 off) on your park tickets per person when you go.

I agree with the others, get there early if you can. I also recommend a couple of things - start at one land & go on the attractions there before moving on to the next land - you will waste time running back & forth from one end of the park to the other. Also, use Fastpass, as HydroGuy says. I always use it, but he has it down to an art (he's talented that way). I recommend choosing your Must Do's, Nice-to-Do's, and Do-when-time-allows. You might want to give the kids their choices, and make a big deal when you go on "their" rides. Makes them a part of the planning team, which has always been fun for my family. Then make sure you take the time to do the Must-Dos. When you're waiting in line, shopping, or having a bite to eat, have someone go get Fastpasses, instead of everyone going. Pay attention to the elapsed time that will allow you go get another Fastpass. Disneyland is usually pretty good when it comes to letting people go after the return time. I've never had a problem with it.

Make sure you get a picture from Buzz Lightyear - that is a free souvenir.

Pick the locations you're going to eat, and then make Priority Seating arrangements (714) 781-3463 if the restaurant accepts them. That will give you a chance to have at least one meal together at a relatively nice Disney restaurant, or one at Downtown Disney.

Happy Planning