When Is The Best Time To Be At Disneyland?

When you are planning your disneyland vacation, you should note that some days are better than, others at the park. The days that you choose to be there will depend greatly on whether you are more interested in attractions or entertainment – or both. For instance, Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s, and Thursday’s are the days when you will have shorter l ines for the attractions, because there will be fewer people there. On the other hand, the entertainment on those nights cannot compare to the entertainment that is offered on the weekends. If entertainment is important, plan your visit to disneyland for the weekend. If you will be at disneyland for several days, however, plan to ride the attractions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and then enjoy the entertainment, as well as the other things the park has to offer on the other days. If you are visiting during the off-season, you should note that entertainment usually isn’t offered on weekdays. Also remember that the park really fills up as the day wears on, so try to ride the attractions in the morning if possible!

Where Are The Disneyland Characters

 


A disneyland vacation would not be complete without the Characters that we all know and love so well. Often, however, people leave disneyland disappointed – simply because they never found their favorite character. The key to finding the characters you love is in knowing where to look for them in the first place. Start with the Character Breakfast. Here, you will probably see Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, Mary Poppins, Jasmine, Ariel, Minnie and Mickey Mouse, and many others. If you miss your favorites at the breakfast, don’t despair – simply go find them! Many characters will be on hand, right inside the gates, to greet you as you arrive in the morning as well. Start in Toon Town, where all of the Disney Characters live. Visit their homes to see if you can get a glimpse of them. Go early, while they may still be at home! Be sure to visit Goofy’s Kitchen as well, since many characters pop in and out throughout the day. If you’ve been through Toon Town, and you still haven’t seen your favorite character, your next stop should be Fantasyland. Different characters can be located telling stories throughout Fantasyland.

Tips for Planning a Disneyland Vacation

 


For many people, planning a disneyland vacation is part of the fun of the vacation itself! For others, however, it can be a headache. Before you start planning your vacation, determine whether or not you are really up to planning the trip yourself or not. If you don’t want to plan your own trip, you have several options. Of course, you can have a travel agent make all of the arrangements for you, but for the best disneyland experience, you might be better off using the Disney vacation Planning Services. Either way, you can have every single aspect of your trip planned for you. Once you get there, all you will need to do is follow your Itinerary. If you prefer the fun involved in planning your disneyland vacation yourself, there are some things that you absolutely must not leave out of the planning stage. Before you can decide what you will be doing at disneyland, you must determine which dates you will be there. The parks offer different things at different types of the year, with many different themes and entertainment to choose from. Once you know when you will be at disneyland, the next step is to figure out what you will be doing each day that you are there. Once you’ve set up your travel arrangements and your hotel reservations, there are a few more things you must consider. Food is one thing you might want to arrange in advance. disneyland is a very popular place, and having reservations at some of the more popular restaurants is recommended. These reservations can be made well in advance – before you ever leave home. When planning which attractions at disneyland you want to visit, use a map of disneyland as a guide. This will make it easier to schedule time for attractions that are near each other. You want to see and do as much as possible, so as much walking or travel time as you can. Keep your budget in mind. Often, by making arrangements through travel agents or through the disneyland vacation Planning Services, you will be able to get better deals – which can save you money. Look for these deals, and save as much money as you can on your hotel and food. If you have small children with you, keep their priorities in mind – they have less interest in where they will sleep and the food that they will eat, and more interest in what they will see and do!

The Disneyland Hotel

 


For the ultimate disneyland vacation, you should definitely stay at the disneyland Resort Hotel. With 990 rooms in three high rise towers, this is the original Disney Hotel, located in Downtown Disney. If you want to truly experience all that disneyland has to offer, you must stay at the disneyland Resort Hotel. The guest rooms in the disneyland Hotel are astounding. Offering standard rooms and suites, each room has either a king size bed or two queen size beds, room service, phones with voicemail, irons, ironing boards, refrigerators, hairdryers, make up mirrors, and safes. Cribs and roll away beds are available, as well as smoking and non-smoking rooms. The rooms are even sprinkled with Pixie Dust! For families, the suites are highly recommended. Suites contain one, two, or three bedrooms, and have all of the amenities of a standard room as well. The Concierge service at the disneyland Hotel cannot be topped. Concierge service entitles you to priority check-in, admission to an exclusive lounge, a continental breakfast, an evening wine and cheese reception. Nightly turn-down service is included, as well as DVD players and complimentary movies. You will also have an unlimited supply of bottled water and soft drinks. The Concierge serves to make your vacation as enjoyable and trouble-free as possible. Disney touches are everywhere, and this is the closest you can actually come to living in Never Land. The swimming pool even has a Never Land theme, and there are several cove pools and a sandy beach. The hotel also features a children’s playground, a volleyball court, and Koi fish ponds. The recreational area encompasses a 5000 square foot area inspired by Peter Pan. There are many scenic waterfalls, tropical foliage, and mysterious caves on the property. There is even a Team Mickey work out room full of state-of-the-art gym equipment. At the disneyland Hotel, you will feel like your Disney experience has truly already started as soon as you walk in the door. This is where the famous Goofy’s Kitchen is located, as well as The Captain’s Galley, The Coffee House, Crocs Bits ‘n’ Bites, Granville’s Steak House, Hook’s Pointe, The Wine Cellar, and The Lost Bar. When you stay at the disneyland Hotel, your vacation continues even after a day of sight seeing and attractions in the park. In fact, your disneyland vacation begins each and every morning when you wake up in the magic Kingdom that the disneyland Hotel represents.

Take a Disneyland Tour

No disneyland vacation can be complete without a disneyland tour – especially if it is your first trip to disneyland. There are currently four different tours to choose from, and disneyland park admission is required for all tours. It is strongly advised that you make a reservation for the tours that you wish to go on. disneyland’s Discover the magic Tour may be the most popular of the four. This tour will have you and your family working with disneyland characters to find clues and hunt for treasure. You can literally live out a disneyland fantasy with your family and loveable characters, outsmarting the Disney bad guys! This tour includes lunch and an exclusive gift that can only be obtained on this tour. The Discover the magic Tour lasts for about three hours. There is a two ticket minimum, and the cost is $49 each of the first two tickets, with additional tickets costing $39. The tour is appropriate for the 5 – 9 year old age group, and adults. The tour is not really suitable for children under the age of five, or for children who need strollers. The VIP Tour lasts for about four hours, and costs $75 per hour for a party of up to ten people. You must book this tour well in advance, or there will be an additional twenty dollar fee. The tour is not recommended for children, but is designed more for people who have a true love and interest in Disney and disneyland history. The Welcome to disneyland Tour is absolutely perfect for first timers. There are many benefits to this tour, including priority seating at one of the stage shows, tips and suggestions for getting the most out of your disneyland vacation, a brief history of the park, priority seating at one of the many restaurants, instruction in using FastPass, two bonus FastPass tickets, and much more. This tour lasts about two and a half hours, and costs $25 per person. A Walk in Walt’s Footsteps focuses on the vision of Walt Whitman, and is not really suitable for small children. Filled with history and trivia about the park, this tour lasts for more than three hours, and costs $49 per person. The main feature of this tour is your peek at the exclusive Club 33. Again, you should definitely consider making one of these tours part of your disneyland experience – especially if this will be your first trip to disneyland. You may see things and learn things that you would not see or learn without the benefit of the tour!

Start Your Day At Disneyland in Fantasyland

Any guidebook you read will tell you that you should begin your day at disneyland enjoying the attractions found in Fantasyland. There are several important reasons as to why this advice is given, and it is advice that you should strongly consider following. Fantasyland is one of the most popular areas at disneyland because there are no age or size requirements. The only height restriction is a 35 inch requirement for the Matterhorn. As the day progresses, Fantasyland will fill up. Getting there first thing in the morning will help you avoid the long lines that others will encounter later in the afternoon. None of the attractions in Fantasyland have FastPass. This is another reason as to why you should go there first. FastPass allows you to more or less ‘set an appointment’ to ride certain rides – but none of the attractions in Fantasyland have this option. Cover Fantasyland first, then go get FastPasses for the other attractions that you want to ride. The crowds and the lines will start growing within a few hours of disneyland opening each day. Make sure that you arrive before the park opens so that you can be one of the first ones through the gate – and head straight to Fantasyland before going anywhere else. Since all of the guidebooks suggest this, many other early risers will also be headed for Fantasyland. Even so, the lines won’t get really long for two or three hours, and by then, you will have already ridden all of the rides there. From Fantasyland, you should start collecting FastPass tickets for the other attractions that have FastPass throughout the park. It is best to collect these early in the day – the longer you wait, the l onger it will be before your appointed time comes around, depending on how many FastPasses have been issued for each ride. While you are waiting for the appointed time for your first FastPass, you should enjoy other attractions, visit the shops, or get a snack. Times between FastPass appointments are great for visiting the restrooms or sitting down to rest with a cool beverage. Just remember that in order to enjoy the most attractions at disneyland you should start with Fantasyland, followed by gathering FastPass tickets. Enjoy other attractions between FastPass attractions, but make sure that you don’t put yourself on such a tight schedule or such a rigid itinerary that you forget to have fun! Some people simply like to spend some t ime wandering around the park.

Personal Comfort at Disneyland

There is no better way to ruin your disneyland vacation than trying to walk around with blisters on your feet! It is vitally important that you wear comfortable shoes that are already broken in. You will be doing more walking than you normally would when you visit disneyland. It is also important that you bring a change of clothing. You can rent a locker at disneyland to store your extra clothes. You can rub your thighs raw if you ride water rides in denim shorts, then try to walk around while you dry out! Enjoy the water rides – but then go change into dry clothing! Bring extra shoes as well. Walking around in wet shoes is not only uncomfortable; it can also contribute to blisters. More than blisters can cause discomfort. Some people simply are not used to being on their feet all day. If your feet are tired and sore at the end of the day, soak them in cool water with Epsom salt. This will offer more relief than soaking them in hot or warm water. After a good twenty minute soak, your feet will feel refreshed and ready for more walking!

Pamper Yourself at Disneyland

 

You may think that disneyland is only about fun, excitement, and activity – but you would be wrong. disneyland is also about relaxation and pampering. The pampering you receive at disneyland may not be the same that you would receive at a world class spa, but it is relaxing and makes you feel special just the same. The easiest way to get pampered on your disneyland vacation is to book your room at one of the disneyland resorts, and upgrading your room to one that includes Concierge services. The difference in the price may startle you a bit, with rooms costing up to $300 per night, but the service you receive will be out of this world. First, your room will be much nicer if you have the Concierge service. You will have free bottles of water, soft drinks, coffee, and tea at all times. You will be able to check in and out faster at the Concierge check in counter, and a nightly turndown service is included. Access to the Concierge lounge is where the pampering really starts! You will enjoy a continental breakfast in the lounge each morning. You can also opt to take your breakfast back to your room. In the afternoon, while the kids watch Disney Videos, you will enjoy a wine tasting in the lounge as well. There are many more perks available with the Concierge service, differing at each resort. To determine whether the Concierge service will benefit you and your family, call the resort that you are considering, and simply ask what perks are included with this service. Ask to be connected with the concierge desk to ensure that you are getting accurate information. Again, the cost of this upgrade is a bit high, but when you close your eyes and dream of all of the pampering and special treatment that you and your family will enjoy, and you tally up the cost of the free breakfast and drinks, you may find that the cost is well worth it. In fact, depending on the size of your family, you may even discover that the value of the free breakfast and the free drinks even makes the entire disneyland trip a little less expensive for you! Once you’ve experienced the Concierge Service on a trip to disneyland, you may not be satisfied with anything less on future disneyland trips. The service is out of this world, and can only serve to make your trip more relaxing and enjoyable.

How to Dine With Disneyland Characters

If you really want to delight your child – or yourself – you should arrange to have a disneyland Character meal. This will allow you and your whole family to have quality time with one or more of the disneyland characters. In fact, this is the best way to really get to interact with them for any length of time. Start by making a reservation. This can be done through the disneyland vacation Planning Services Department. Reservations can be made up to sixty days in advance, so don’t leave this to the last minute. Make these

 

reservations while your disneyland vacation is being planned. Character breakfasts take place each morning at the park. You do not need a reservation for these meals. These breakfasts take place in many of the parks restaurants, but Goofy’s Kitchen is a great place to start. It is located in the disneyland Hotel, and there are dishes to please everyone. Children under three years of age get to eat free, which should be considered when you are planning the budget for your trip. Goofy is always there, with Pluto, but other characters come and go all throughout the day. You should definitely make reservations for Goofy’s kitchen, as it is quite popular, and the wait can be very long. If dining with Princesses is important, than Ariel’s Grotto is the place to be. Serving three course meals, this is elegant dining that both kids and adults can enjoy. Each princess will come spend a little time at your table during your meal – one at a time. Reservations for Ariel’s Grotto are also recommended. This is one place in the park where both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are served. The Storyteller’s Café is another place that is highly recommended for Character Meals. Characters are only here during breakfast, however. While time is not spent at each individual table, the Characters do interact with the children as a group. Both buffet and menu dining are available, and again, reservations are recommended. Lilo and Stitch also have a Character Breakfast, as does Minnie Mouse. Breakfast with Minnie and Friends is extremely popular, so make reservations. You should definitely include a Character Meal or two in your disneyland vacation plans. This is something that your child will remember forever and interacting with the famous Disney characters that we all know and love is part of what disneyland is all about! Be sure to make reservations as far in advance as possible.

Getting Around Disneyland with Your Toddler or

 

Baby As a parent, you already know that you don’t want to have to carry your child around in your arms all day. You couldn’t possibly make it through the day! You also can’t expect your child to walk all day long. The obvious choice is to have a way to transport your child – without wearing you or the child completely out. Strollers are not only welcome at disneyland, they are highly recommended. In fact, disneyland rents strollers for a reasonable fee. Strollers can be rented for less than $10 for the day, and you can get a huge discount on a second stroller if it is needed. The strollers are clean and well-maintained, but they do all look alike. Tie something on the stroller, such as a brightly colored ribbon, to help identify it from all of the other strollers in the park. Never leave your child unattended in the stroller, and never leave any material items of any value in the stroller either. Even if you bring your own stroller, you should have some easy way to identify it – there will be other strollers that look just like it at disneyland.

How to Avoid Long Lines at Disneyland

 

One source of frustration for many visitors at disneyland is the long lines for the rides. You can literally spend several hours of the day standing in line to ride popular attractions. These lines can be avoided in one of three ways. Get to the park early. The lines are shorter in the morning when the park first opens. Instead of jumping in line for the first ride you see, head for the rides that you really want to ride the most – the most popular rides. Another option is to purchase FastPass tickets for the rides that offer them. Again, do this early to ensure that you get to ride those rides earlier in the day. The third option to avoid long lines at disneyland is to ride many of the popular rides later in the evening, while the majority of people are enjoying the entertainment. disneyland has nightly entertainment, and this is a good time to find shorter lines. Of course, it will mean that you probably miss the entertainment, so if you can use one of the other options for shorter lines at disneyland, you should probably do so.