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Disneyland: Things to know before you go |
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Disneyland: Things to know before you go |
When to Go
On-Season or Off-Season?
One major decision to make is whether or not to go to Disneyland during the
on-season or the off-season? The on-season for Disneyland is generally summer (mid-June through Labor Day), Christmas (the week before Christmas to just after New Year's) and Spring Break. There are advantages and disadvantages to each time of year:
Off-Season:
Also keep in mind, certain holiday periods can be very
crowded at Disneyland including Thanksgiving weekend and most three day weekends. Hours are usually longer, but attraction rehabs usually still occur. If possible, you'll want to avoid Disneyland at these times since you get some of the disadvantages of on- and
off-season without all the advantages. If you must go during these times, try to go on the
last day - e.g. the Monday of three day weekend usually has much smaller crowds than the Saturday and Sunday. Best Day of the Week
Special Considerations
Weather Considerations
How Long To Visit
Flying to Disneyland
Transportation and Parking
Traveling southbound on I-5 (Golden State/Santa Ana freeway):
Traveling northbound on I-5 (Santa Ana freeway):
Traveling eastbound or westbound on the 22 (Garden Grove) freeway:
Traveling westbound on the 91 (Riverside) freeway:
Traveling eastbound on the 91 (Riverside) freeway:
Parking prices:
Guide to the Characters Find the Characters Note: These are common areas to find
characters, but by no means can characters be found there at all times. You found a
character, now what? Meet and Greets Other ways to see characters
Attractions
Here is the lowdown on the principal recreation areas of Disneyland:
A. Main Street U.S.A.
B. Adventureland
C. New Orleans Square
This section recreates the glamour of 19th century New Orleans.
D. Critter Country
A.K.A. Bear Country - this place loosely recreates outdoor wildland adventure.
E. Frontierland
F. Mickey's Toontown
This whole section is based on the very popular movie Roger Rabbit
and is a great place for the youngsters to just run around.
G. Fantasyland
Many of the rides here are designed for small children
and usually have shorter waiting lines than the rest of the park.
H. Tomorrowland
The Most Romantic Places
Take that someone special on a date that he/she will never forget.
These places provide fun and excitement yet at the same time creating
that serene atmosphere where something special begins to happen.
For the first time in Disneyland's 45 year history, a
second park is being added to the resort. This park, Disney's California Adventure, is
themed after the Golden State. In addition to DCA, Disney is building Downtown Disney, a
shopping and dining area and an upscale hotel, Disney's Grand Californian. Disney's California Adventure
Major Tenants
Other Announced Tenants
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel will be built in the Arts
& Crafts style of architecture. There are 750 guest rooms 38 suites. Prices range from
approximate $265 for courtyard views to approximately $400 for park view concierge rooms.
Suite prices vary. Reservations are currently being accepted at: (360) 794-4886. In addition, Disney's Grand Californian Hotel will feature
20,000 square feet of meeting space including 12,000 square foot ballroom. The hotel will feature two restaurants, a lounge:and
poolside snack bar
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel will feature three pools:
Also featured will be the Eureka Springs Health Club with
two spas, two massage rooms, dry and steam saunas and an exercise facility
Because a large percentage of Disneyland's visitors are locals instead of vacationers,
weekends are much more crowded than weekdays. This is less so during the on-season, but
even then Saturday is easily the most crowded day of the week. Disneyland does not release
attendance numbers, but our impression is Saturday is the most crowded day of the week
followed by Sunday, Friday (especially Friday evenings), Monday, then Tuesday through
Thursday. But keep in mind certain entertainment runs on the weekends only, so be sure
check ahead to make sure your favorites will be running.
While the tips above can be helpful in timing your visit, please remember there
are many factors that can make the crowd on any given day be abnormally large or small.
Those considerations include:
Sunny Southern California is usually sunny - but not always. Winter nights can get cold and rain can occur well into spring. Summers can get quite warm though usually not humid, and autumn is usually pleasant.
Month
Low (°F)
High (°F)
Rain (in.)
Snow (in.)
January
47
65
2.9
Trace
February
49
66
2.4
0
March
50
65
2.0
0
April
53
68
0.8
0
May
56
69
0.1
0
June
59
72
0.0
0
July
63
75
Trace
0
August
64
76
0.1
0
September
63
76
0.2
0
October
59
74
0.3
0
November
52
71
1.4
0
December
48
66
1.6
0
Depending on how fast a pace you want to keep, you can see all of Disneyland in two to three days. If you can only visit for one day you'll have to carefully choose what you'd like to see. However, if you're lucky enough to be able to visit for more than three days, you'll be able to revisit many of your favorite attractions and take a leisurely pace to really enjoy all the little things Disneyland has to offer.
Getting to Disneyland by airplane is very simple. There are two airports that commonly serve Disneyland, John Wayne Airport and Los Angeles International Airport. There are also three other airports within 40 miles. You will likely pay more the further airport you use from Disneyland. Your travel agent can advise you on which will be the least expense and what you will have to do to make it work.
Because of its popularity, traveling to the Los Angeles area to visit Disneyland is easy. Flights are available day or night to any of the local airports. Also be on the lookout for "Kids Fly Free" packages, which are very common for trips to Disneyland.
Note: In all the driving directions below, mileages are approximate. All Directions begin with a freeway. In some cases you'll have to travel surface streets to the freeway. Sighs at the airport should direct you to the freeway indicated. Also note none of the routes shown require tolls.
City: Irvine, CA
The most convenient airport to land at for visiting Disneyland .
Driving distance to Disneyland: 12 miles
Directions to Disneyland:
City: Los Angeles, CA
The airport with the most options will be Los Angeles International Airport, the major airport serving Southern California.
Driving distance to Disneyland: 35 miles.
Directions to Disneyland:
If you'll be renting a car we will set it up in your package to e picked up at or near the airport. Remember, car seats are on request bases. You might want to bring your own.
If you prefer not to rent a car we will arrange airport transfers in you package. After picking up your bags at the airport, you will follow the signs to ground transportation. We can arrange bus transfers (least expensive), Supershuttle transfers (faster, but a little more), or even limo transfers (people will think there goes a movie star, for this its not that much more but it is more).
Take I-5 south. Exit Disneyland Drive and turn left (south). Then ...
Take I-5 north. Exit on Katella Avenue and turn left (west). Then ...
Take the 22 freeway. Exit on Harbor Boulevard, and head northbound. Then ...
Take the 57 (Pomona) freeway south. Exit on Katella Avenue and turn right (west). Then ...
Exit Harbor Boulevard. Continue south approximately 3 miles. Turn right on Ball Road and proceed west. Turn left on Disneyland Drive. Then ...
$7.00 for Automobiles
$8.00 for Oversized vehicles, campers
$9.00 for Buses
One of the highlights of any trip to Disneyland is meeting
with the characters. Mickey, Goofy and many of your favorite Disney characters - classic
and recent - can be found in various random and designated spots around the park.
The simplest way to find the characters is to ask the Toon Finder located at the
Information Board at the northwest end of Main Street (right in front of the entrance to
Adventureland). Tell them which character you're looking for and they'll be able to tell
you where to find him. General character schedules can also be found inside the Disneyland
Today map you pick up when you enter Disneyland. Characters can also often be found in the
following locations:
Characters are available for pictures, autographs and - of course - hugs
and kisses. Autograph books can be picked up at many shops including Disneyland. Don't
forget to use a large pen to make it easier for the characters to grip.
To make it easier to get that perfect picture, Disneyland offers meet and greets
for certain characters. At a meet and character guests form a line to meet the character
and only one child or family visits with the character at a time. A Disneyland
photographer is on hand to take pictures for later purchase. You are, of course, free to
take pictures with your own camera as well. Currently Disneyland has meet and greets in
the following locations:
There are also a few other ways to see and/or meet characters at Disneyland
Magic Morning Entry
Basically the only rides you really need to stay away from are the Indiana Jones Adventure or the Rocket Rods.. Otherwise everything else in the park has short lines. This is a good time to go on any of the Mountains or thrill rides, which later in the day lines have lines of at least one hour.
Mornings with Magic Morning Entry
The same tips as above. Be sure to note that the Indiana Jones Adventure and Rocket Rods lines will be long. Everyone tries to hurry to get to these attractions, so they often have long lines. The lines on all the rides will be longer on these days since there is early entry. Even though they are longer, at this point they will still be shorter than later in the day.
Mornings Without Magic Morning Entry
Do not go directly to Indy or the Rocket Rods, unless you are near the front and can get there quickly. Since these are newer rides and are close to the Hub people head to them first. I would recommend trying to get to one of the other Mountains, such as Space Mountain or Splash Mountain. You may have a wait but it will probably be shorter than later in the day. If you don't want to ride Space Mountain I would suggest going to the Autopia, Pirate of the Caribbean or the Haunted Mansion, since they usually have longer lines all day. Maybe try hitting some of the Fantasyland or Toontown rides before their lines grow longer. You could also try the Jungle Cruise so you will have a more energized tour guide.
Midday - Afternoons
This is usually the busiest part of the day. I would recommend relaxing a little during this time since you won't get on too many rides. Take a look at the less popular rides like on of the following.
There are plenty of attractions to see that are not so crowded. This is also your best time to go shopping since most people are on rides. You may also want to take a look at Tom Sawyer's Island. From about noon to four you will hit the longest lines on rides. In the summer this is the hottest part of the day, so you'll want to find somewhere cool to relax like most of the rides listed above.
Evening
It's now getting closer to the big shows (when the park is open late) and people begin getting seats and eating dinner. You may even want to send a family member to stake out seats for a show. Now is a good time to go on the big rides like Big Thunder, Star Tours, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, or Indy, if you're going to watch a show. If your not going to watch a show than wait for Indy and Big Thunder until Fantasmic! has started.
Night
If your not going to watch any shows you've hit the jackpot for short lines. About 30 minutes before to the end of Fantasmic! there are no lines for Big Thunder, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Indy, or the Jungle Cruise. Ride Star Tours and the Matterhorn during the nighttime parade. Space Mountain and Splash Mountain seem to keep their lines long throughout the shows though. Once the shows are over a very large chunk of the crowd leaves and lines are pretty short. Toontown is a good choice (after it's reopened after the fireworks) since there are few little kids. Take your pick of basically anything and you'll find the shortest lines of the day. Note: This is the worst time to shop since everyone "looks" on their way out.
What Line to Choose
Many times rides at Disneyland will have two different lines to choose from, this often confuses people on which line to choose, so they end up following the people in front of them often causing an unnecessary backup. Disney has made two lines to help make your wait shorter and so they can get more people on the ride at one time. Many people also think that the different line means a different ride, which is only true in the case of the Matterhorn, otherwise EVERY other ride in the park has the same ride no matter which line you choose. Here are some tips on which line to choose, by choosing the line I suggest it won't save your hours but maybe a few minutes that might help squeeze an extra ride or two in at the end of the day.
The Child Switch Pass
This is a little gem that is not mentioned anywhere in the official Disneyland information. This pass allows one or two group members to watch a child who cannot ride an attraction while the rest of the group waits in line and rides the ride. Once the majority of the group is done the one or two group members who watched the child can take the Child Switch Pass and walk up the exit to get on the attraction without any wait! This pass really benefits groups or families who have smaller children but still would like to go on the larger attractions that have height and age restrictions.
You can get the pass by finding a Cast Member near the entrance of the ride. Once here tell them that you would like to get a Child Switch Pass, so that one or two members of the group can watch the child(ren) who are not able to go on the ride. They will give the group the pass and you can work from there. If you are traveling with a smaller family some members can even ride twice, first waiting in line and then using the switch pass. Note: This pass only allows one or two people to ride the attraction without waiting, not a large group. It is not given to one or two specific people, so if the person who watched the child decides not to ride a couple people from the group members can ride again without waiting.
The Child Switch Pass is only offered on the larger attractions where there are restrictions on who can and cannot ride. You will be able to find them at rides such as Space Mountain, Star Tours, the Rocket Rods, Indiana Jones, etc. You will not be required to use the pass immediately after your group gets off the attraction, but you will need to use it the same day, since the pass colors change daily to reduce the use of counterfeits. Note: This pass can only be used once anytime during the day. If you wish to ride the attraction again you will need to get another pass a repeat the process. Also the pass is for a given attraction. In other words you cannot use a Star Tours pass on Space Mountain.
Reservations are currently being accepted for Disney's Grand
Californian Hotel as well as all Disney Hotels and Good Neighbor Hotels. To visit The
Disneyland Resort Disney's California Adventure.
Disney's California Adventure, commonly known as DCA, is located directly opposite
Disneyland's main entrance. Separate admission is required for entry. DCA consist of three main
districts along with the entrance plaza. One of the districts, the Golden State, is
further divided into six areas:
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Phone: 360 794-4886 * 800 433-5945 
Fax: 360 794-0311Travel@VacationShop.com * www.VacationShop.com