First trip to DL

I am planning my families first trip to Disneyland this summer. Two days, park hoppers, decided on Disneyland Hotel. I have no idea where to start!

I do have a few questions and I think I’ll just add to this thread as things come up. Any advice you have— I would love to hear it!

  1. What car service have you used? At WDW we use Tiffany tow car- looking for something like that to drive us to and from the airport.
  2. Stroller rental- is there a designated company I should order from at Disneyland? I’d prefer not to use the park stroller.
  3. With only two days, dining reservation seems like less of a priority. Any must doss we should make time for? (Different then WDW)

Thanks!

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Welcome to the West Coast!

  1. Here is a recent thread about transportation/car services Transportation from LAX to the DL Hotel
  2. I do know they exist, but I can’t remember any specific names & I didn’t find any recommendations in past threads.
  3. With 2 days I agree less priority. If anyone absolutely love characters the DL Hotel and Grand Californian both each have a very fun character meal. There is a fun character meal inside DL too (Plaza Inn), but with 2 days I’d have a hard time dedicating 1.5-2 hrs to sitting down to eat. Unless you would otherwise want to spend that much time seeing characters. Plaza Inn used to be Pooh and friends plus some other random and rare and very fun characters, but they have lately moved to being more Minnie & friends in seasonal outfits.

Please do ask away with all the questions and happy planning!

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Thanks for the transportation link! Yea I might skip dining— the QS looks like some different options than we have at WDW.

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If this is the case, I’d just bring or buy one, personally. The rentals can cost as much as a new one over a few days. A nice umbrella stroller is easy enough. You could even buy one at Walmart when you get to CA if you’d rather not transport it.

But if you prefer rental for whatever reason, I’m sure there are companies that will do it — I just haven’t ever bothered looking into it.

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Thanks— that’s a good idea!

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As my trip gets closer I’m having more questions.

Should I bring our magic bands there? Do they use those?

I’m going to try and get a storyteller reservation—- figure can always cancel- do same rules apply?

I’m thinking about just bringing our own stroller and I think I found a car company to pick us up.

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I brought my magic bands, but since they didn’t automatically link (you need to relink them in MDE for DLR) they weren’t working the first day. I really decided I didn’t want to mess with them as they have only a few interactive spots and we were both adults.

We loved Storytellers. Expect it to take a while.

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DLR only uses the MB+ version, not the older ones. They are only good for admission, tapping in to LL, photos, and the special effects. You cannot use them to open a hotel room door, or charge any purchases (food and shops) to your room. I wore mine, DH used his phone. They do not give out hard cards for admission, you have to use an MB+ or your phone. The hotel gives you a traditional room key card.

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Oh interesting! I think for the whole family will be easier to bring our magic bands then. Good to know!

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Does anyone have a list- before I make one- for the rides that are different in CA compared to Florida?

I think our focus will be what we don’t have in FL. And taking it all in!

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Check out this thread - especially the linked post. It’s a few years old, so it’s missing MMRR, and maybe a few other minor differences. These are my opinions - others shared theirs in replies to this thread. The first post also has a comparison map for size reference.

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This is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks for linking it. Actually quite a lot to focus on if we want just different then WDW.

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I’ll also point out that the Unofficial Guide for Disneyland has a section comparing & constrasting the DL & WDW attractions.

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Thanks- good note!

When I make my ADRs from the east coast— does Disneyland’s open then at 10am Eastern time?

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I’m also planning our 1st visit. We’ll have 3 day hoppers. If I book any dining, I think it will probably be for a dining package for one of the nighttime shows. My kids are older, so I’m not sure if the character meal will be as high value as it was when they were younger. (I mean, it might be, even I still enjoy them!) With only 3 days in the parks, I’m not sure if it’s worth our park time on this trip since I want to see as much as possible. And I hear the QS is much better overall at DLR.

How exciting!

I did make one for Storytellers dinner, but figure will cancel if we don’t want to go.

So far with our planning we used those charts and just wrote out the new or different rides for each park- and which ones we can try for lightening lanes. Our goal is to try and check those off- anything extra will be bonus! It’s actually a lot!

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It’s 6 a.m. Pacific Time. I think we are 3 hours behind East Coast, so 9 a.m. ET.

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FWIW, my DH and DD are not huge character fans but Storytellers was one of their favorite Disney meals ever. Great food and vibe in addition to the characters.

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Thanks! It looks really cute.