PDA

View Full Version : Any advice and tips for my trip this weekend. (July 6-8, 2007)



gabbied
07-04-2007, 12:31 PM
i haven't been to disneyland since i was 12-which was a really long time ago!!:fez: i am going this weekend with my friend and our kids. their ages are 2, 3, and 8. we have two day park hopper tickets and are starting with disneyland on saturday. i've been on disneys website and printed all of the 'tips' that i have been able to find, but would really like some input from other families who have been there and maybe know some things that they don't post on line. any advice/tips that anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated.:D[/SIZE]

gabbied
07-04-2007, 12:39 PM
i haven't been to disneyland since i was 12-which was a really long time ago!!:fez: i am going this weekend with my friend and our kids. their ages are 2, 3, and 8. we have two day park hopper tickets and are starting with disneyland on saturday. i've been on disneys website and printed all of the 'tips' that i have been able to find, but would really like some input from other families who have been there and maybe know some things that they don't post on line. any advice/tips that anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated.:D[/SIZE]

tod
07-04-2007, 12:51 PM
Start early.
Stay cool. Use the shade, drink plenty of liquids.
Take a mid-afternoon swin-and-rest break.
Eat off-premises. If you at on-premises, eat at off times. Many people eat lunch around noon, and dinner around six. Don't join them.


--t

PanFan
07-04-2007, 12:55 PM
Hi! Welcome to the board! The best tip I can give you is to know how to utilize FastPass. Since you haven't been in a while, you may not be familiar with this, though it is probably described on the Disneyland website. Basically it's a free service that allows you to do other things while your ticket waits in line for you. You go to an attraction that offers FastPass and put your park ticket into the machine there. It will then print out a little piece of paper that tells you a time to return to the attraction (say 10:30-11:30). Then when you return, you get to skip over a large part of the line, minimizing your wait time. The really cool thing is that you don't have to return by the end time listed--you can come back any time after your window has opened (so if it says come back between 10:30 and 11:30, you can come back at 2:00 and it will still be accepted). There are a lot of nuances to the system and some great strategies for using it are described here (http://www.mouseplanet.com/misc.php?pg=fastpass).

Just a couple of general tips, spend the morning collecting FastPasses and riding lower capacity rides, such as those in Fantasyland. Then when the crowds start to pick up, you can utilize your FastPasses and ride the higher capacity rides (like Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, or Haunted Mansion). Use this busy period to take in some shows as well. Then enjoy the fabulous entertainment offered in the evening--the fireworks display and Fantasmic!

One other thing to keep in mind is that it will be very hot, so drink LOTS of water and stay in the shade as much as possible.

gabbied
07-04-2007, 01:06 PM
i've heard something about a 'baby swap'? do you know anything about that? i guess it's where you stand in line and one parent waits while the other one goes on the ride. than when the first parent gets off the ride the other one gets to go right on without having to wait in the line again? is that right?

PanFan
07-04-2007, 01:15 PM
Yeah, it's for rides with height requirements when you have a child that's not tall enough to ride. What you would do is go to the attraction with the height requirement and ask the cast member there for a rider switch pass. You then wait in line while one member of your party waits outside the attraction with the child who was not tall enough. When you return, the person who was waiting with the child gets to use the rider switch pass to ride without waiting. They can bring one of the people who rode the first time along for a second ride so they don't have to ride alone.

gabbied
07-04-2007, 01:25 PM
thank you so much for the great advice. the fast pass and rider switch are going to make the visit a whole lot better!!! we were sitting here trying to pick and chose which rides we were going to go on because the lines are so long. now we will be able to see much much more!!! thanks again!!;)

Malcon10t
07-04-2007, 01:36 PM
The 8yo will love it, because they can ride with your friend, then with you. Baby swap is great.

gabbied
07-04-2007, 03:56 PM
there will be 5 of us. 2, 3, 8 and 2 adults. what would be a good restaurant that the kids would enjoy? and is there any way to make a reservation there?

Malcon10t
07-04-2007, 05:23 PM
there will be 5 of us. 2, 3, 8 and 2 adults. what would be a good restaurant that the kids would enjoy? and is there any way to make a reservation there?Goofy's for brunch or dinner, or Plaza Inn for breakfast. Both have characters. The 2yo is free. (714-781-3463.) If the 3 are girls, try Ariels for lunch.

Mrs Mouse
07-05-2007, 09:55 AM
Since you have kids (and I'd probably say the same thing even if you didn't!) I would definitely second Malcon10t's suggestion of doing a character breakfast. You'll get a kick out of it. You'll get to experience some great character interaction and the food is usually pretty good at them too.

The only character breakfast we have done is Goofy's Kitchen in the Disneyland Hotel, and based on my experience I would recommend it. There are many folks on here that have done multiple breakfasts, however, so I'm sure you'll get plenty of feedback. Also, if you are interested, do a search on character breakfasts here on Mousepad and you'll find a bunch of discussions as to which one is best.

Happy planning! :D

WestCoastMice
07-06-2007, 02:19 PM
i haven't been to disneyland since i was 12-which was a really long time ago!!:fez: i am going this weekend with my friend and our kids. their ages are 2, 3, and 8. we have two day park hopper tickets and are starting with disneyland on saturday. i've been on disneys website and printed all of the 'tips' that i have been able to find, but would really like some input from other families who have been there and maybe know some things that they don't post on line. any advice/tips that anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated.:D[/SIZE]


At DL (unlike WDW) you can use a Fast Pass hours after its expiration. As long as you return AFTER the window opens, you can use it at any time during the day (this is an unofficial thing, but well known by MPers). What this means is that the most effective way to use FP is to run around in the morning collecting them as fast as you can (often first thing in the morning, the return hour will be 40 minutes later, meaning you can collect another one in 40 minutes) and saving them up for the afternoon and evening when the standby queues are out of control. When we go, we'll collect half a dozen or so before lunch, then when we come back later in the day, we're set for the evening.

Mermaid
07-06-2007, 11:53 PM
I think the best tip is to get there at opening. You can do more in the first 2 hours than in the next 6 on a busy day! have fun!