PDA

View Full Version : First trip



nancym717
06-23-2006, 06:42 AM
I'm leaving on Sunday for my first trip to the DL resort! Any words of wisdom?? :)

stan4d_steph
06-23-2006, 06:47 AM
Check out the MousePlanet Disneyland Resort Guide (http://www.mouseplanet.com/guide.php?pg=A00000).
Read through this forum! :)

Gone2Disneyland
06-23-2006, 07:18 AM
Have some patience and possibly lowered expectations. You happen to be going the day after a big red carpet event for "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" film, and bleachers and big screens will likely still be being torn down in New Orleans Square and the Rivers of America. So that area will probably be more difficult to get through than usual.

Also, it's supposed to be HOT this weekend. So here are my favorite air conditioned attractions I'm sure you'll enjoy: The Enchanted Tiki Room and The Disneyland Story in the Main Street Opera House. The Golden Horseshoe offers shade, food and Billy Hill and the Hillbillies; every time I bring in friends for their first experience of this show, they leave entertained.

Have a great time. :D

tinkgrl81
06-23-2006, 08:59 AM
Learn and utilize the fastpass system!!!!! I have become a self proclamied fast pass master and trust me it will make you trip a lot easier if you use them wisley!:D

nancym717
06-23-2006, 11:16 AM
thanks for the tips!

Micki0624
06-23-2006, 11:27 AM
To maximize the rides be there when the gates open and when the park is closing. You will be able to ride the most during those two times of the day because of light crowds.

DianeM
06-23-2006, 11:30 AM
Summer at DL = Crowds + Heat. You can have a good time, but be patient. Start your day as early as possible - the crowds start to peak around 11 in the morning. At 2 or so, take the afternoon off and go back to the hotel for a rest/swimming. Battling crowds all day is exhausting, and the afternoons are the worst. Come back for dinner and then enjoy the park as the crowds thin. Use the fastpass system, and be flexible - if you see a short line, get in it. It doesn't matter what it is - you'll probably enjoy it. The crowds tend to think out later in the evening, especially in Fantasyland (the kiddies get pretty grumpy after a long day at the park). If you want to ride Fantasyland rides, go very late at night - the lines tend to be shorter.

Lines are part of the adventure. Be prepared with some games to play when you're in line. My husband and I like to play word games - for example, he'll pick a subject, like "trees" or "countries" and we have to go through the alphabet thinking of a word that matches that subject - Ash, Beech, Cottonwood... . Or you can play first letter/last letter. Pick a category. Say a word, and the next person has to make another word in the category that starts with the last letter of that word. Take a Disney Guide into the park with you and read things aloud to your party. Look around - Disney really puts a lot of little details in the ride lines. Sometimes when I travel in the fall I miss getting to see the little details.

Carry water. It's going to be hot. You can refill the water at Disney's drinking fountains. Anaheim water is not wonderful, but I always get used to it pretty fast. Water will be available in bottles, but it's pricey, which can discourage you from drinking enough. Dehydration will really sap you of energy, and it's amazing how much water you need to drink when temps are in the 90's-100. Wear a hat and sunglasses, and don't forget suncreen (wasn't there a song about that?). Dole Whips are your friend. You don't have to plan on buying anything to wander through a nice, shaded, air-conditioned, uncrowded store.

Enjoy your first visit. If you like it, but hate the lines, visit again during the spring or fall (not spring break time!) to see what it's like with fewer people. An awful lot of people enjoy DL even when it's crowded in the summer, though, so be patient, plan well, and enjoy!


I'm leaving on Sunday for my first trip to the DL resort! Any words of wisdom?? :)