It's OFFICIAL! I'm going to DisneyLAND!

My flights are booked and my hotel/ticket package is booked!!!

I’m going to Disneyland Feb 20-25!!!

I’m calling it a pseudo-first visit since the ONLY time I’ve been was for the DL Half in 2011 - when Carsland was only just being built, Guardians was still Tower, Avengers Campus was probably still just a Blue Sky idea, the IncrediCoaster was still California Screamin’, and it felt like much of the first area of DCA (and DL to be honest - I know Jolly Holiday was still being built) was Wall City!! So I’m extra excited!!

And extra “OMG, how do I do this???” HAHA!!

I know I’m staying at Hotel Lulu on South Harbor. I fly into LAX and out of SNA (it the less expensive option, plus I don’t have a park planned on the 20th so I won’t be as stressed…plus I figure Sunday can’t be THAT bad traffic-wise (I’m sure I’ll be proven wrong here…) - but I feel like getting to SNA on a Friday evening will DEFINITELY be better than trying to get back to LAX!!). And I have 5-day hoppers. I’m budgeting for Genie+ for sure since it includes Photo Pass at DL - and potentially the paid line depending on what those are there and how bad the crowds are after Monday.

I have sooooooo much homework to do!!!

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Exciting!! Happy planning!!

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Thanks!! I just marked my calendar for the days I can make my park reservations and the days I can make my ADRs. :slight_smile:

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Super exciting! I love DLR so much, so I love it when WDW people decide to make the trip west!

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Me too! When I was watching some youtubers walk through it live the other day it really hit me how much more magical it is for me than WDW. It’s my park of choice. There’s something it has that WDW does not for me.

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Congrats! Getting it on the calendar is the hardest part. :wink:

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For me, it’s “Walt’s park”. That’s his baby. Trained his way and keeping with his ideals more than any other park. While I do love everything about WDW it will never take DL’s place, sentimentally at least, for me.

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Yep. Once I book the flights, it’s REAL. I can book the resort/ticket package, but that’s more easily cancelled. The flights? Not so much.

I’ll likely bump each flight up to the premium economy section (whatever United calls it) over the coming months, but for the moment I’m in the “preferred” area of economy on the aisle, so even if the premium section sells out, I won’t be miserable.

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I think it’s a little like WWOHP in Universal. Yes, the tiny walkways get jammed but they also feel more magical. The huge open concrete spaces ruin then illusion a bit for me. But yes, I also love WDW but Disneyland is it for me.

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I remember my sister and one of our friends and I were on our first trip the one time we went, and our two guy friends who had been before held their hands over our eyes leading up to the castle reveal (we all cocked our heads and said “It’s little!” :rofl:), so that was cool - and I won’t get that “First Glimpse” again, but I’m still super excited.

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It is little. And when I went to WDW last year (after not having been since my first visit in 2012) I was really amazed at the size of the castle! But walking around MK, I realized I kind of like that little castle better! I think it definitely depends on which park you went to first.

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Probably so.

I didn’t dislike DL by any stretch of the imagination - otherwise I wouldn’t be going back. I just feel like I missed SOOOOOO much because we had a limited time!

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Same here. I love it all! I just get extra feels at DL.

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I’m excited to experience it again - hopefully without all the walls that were there my other visit!

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I grew up going to Walt Disney World when it was only Magic Kingdom, then Epcot and MGM Studios came along for my last family trip as a teen. I enjoy WDW now as an adult and like the entire resort but it is A LOT. DLR is just magical and perfectly sized. I thought Disneyland was my favorite of all the parks, but I also love DCA, the pier, Carsland, and GOTG is the best ride ever.

I have only been to DLR by myself and had an awesome trip planned for 2020 with my family that got cancelled. I feel guilty that I totally wish my very nice first big DVC stay to WDW at Christmas was DLR instead. I will get there in 2023!

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Question as I am putting alerts in my reminder/countdown app:

Dining reservations are 60 days out and Park reservations are 120 days out.

Are these one day at a time? Or does the whole window for your stay open on the first day? I’ve booked a package through Disney at a Good Neighbor hotel.

After becoming - as we all are here - expert on WDW over the years, let me say I have found it very unnerving and very much fish-out-of-water trying to plan DLR. Just wrapping my head around the idea of walking from one park to the other is impossible, really, to do.

We are flying into and out of LAX; I’d have preferred one of the other, smaller airports, but the cost and schedules made that not really even considering.

I’ll go in November and warm the place up for you.

I have to say, I’m enjoying all the DLR action that is happening around here recently!

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Yeah. I am into LAX and out of SNA - it was about $100 cheaper to do it that way than in AND out of SNA - and around the same as in AND out of LAX. I just figure getting to SNA on a Friday evening will be much easier than getting to LAX on a Friday evening!!

I’m looking forward to your report!!

And yes - I feel completely out of my depth with this!! I got hoppers since they are so close - not sure if I will use them, but it was not that much more to add them. (Honestly I feel like I am more likely to use them on the days I plan Disneyland and hop to DCA than the other way round.

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I’m listening to a great podcast episode about DCA at night :heart_eyes: on the Trammin podcast
There’s also evidently one about DL park at night :heart_eyes:

Definitely planning to hop to make sure to have night park time at each park

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Yeah. I mean I’ll definitely do one night in DL - probably the first full day there. The other day I’m planning for DL? Could end up at DCA. Lol.

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