Go to DL! As everyone has said already, it is amazing and perfect for younger kids. Get 5 day tickets so you have plenty of time to see it all and relax some too. My kids are teens, so I will leave the ride recommendations to those with younger kids, but I have lots of recommendations for food and hotels, and knowing when to visit for lowest crowds (hint, it is not the same as WDW and best days to visit are days there are lots of Annual pass blocks, Saturday is often less crowded than a Monday for example). Disneyland visitors are mostly local AP holders, and they don’t really ride that much so the ride lines are generally short. But, the walkways are small and crowded, so it will feel crowded, even when it really isn’t.
This complaint shows up on Chat a lot…“It is so crowded here, I cannot move. How can this be a crowd level 1, it has to be a 10! Oh, and we rode 56 rides and never waited more than 5 minutes for anything.” People struggle with the crowd levels and the line length…if you never waited more than 5 minutes, it’s a 1 despite how many people were in your way. That seems to be very difficult for frequent WDW visitors to wrap their head around when they visit DL.
On my phone not laptop today so I will be brief(er)!!
To everything above & the consensus of GO especially while they are little & will love DLR, I agree 1000%.
There’s a great thread here about a lot of your questions. The link above is my specific response & includes (scroll down to where the bold text starts) a comparison of DLR & WDW rides, all with little kids in kind as the whole thread is about taking kids to DLR.
Any other specific questions, ask away!!!
Wow, great writeup!
What are the best times to go? I’d be looking at 5 nights. Sometime in September/October/November 2020 would be ideal for us, but we may be able to make other times work if those are bad months to go to DLR.
Also, which days of the week are best? We have flexibility on that.
This is great! Thanks! So much detail on the rides!
My inclination is to stay at the Grand Californian due to proximity to the parks and being in the “bubble”. I know it’s pricey, but we can make it work for 5 nights in our vacation budget and I love the idea of being so close to the parks with the two little ones. Other than price, is there a reason to prefer one of the other hotels?
I’ve stayed in all three of the properties and though The Disneyland Hotel is a little bit more of a walk to the parks, it’s my favorite hotel. I love the theming and the nostalgia. The pool is great too.
Staying at the GCH is amazing. I have only stayed twice (both times 2 nights each) and both times was great! Depending on where you are in the hotel, you can be a 2-5 minute walk from your hotel room to inside the DCA. The first time we stayed and I counted 47 steps from our elevator to the private park entrance. This can be especially helpful for those with littles (and bigs) who may need a nap or rest. I love getting EE (early entry) for every morning of your stay. This is especially nice at DCA, where only DLR guests have access. At DL guests who get a 3 day park hopper get one EMH for their stay, so it can be more crowded when access EE at DL
I will be honest I have stayed at all three onsite hotels and like each for different reasons. The grounds and pool at DLH cannot be beat and I love the displays at each tower, and Traders Sam’s, need I say more? Paradise Pier usually has the best price, although it is the furthest away and the most inconvenient of the “on-site parks.” I do like the brightness of the rooms and the amazing views of DCA. To get the most “in the bubble feel” GCH is your best bet IMO, So if it is in your budget, I say go for it.
Many of the DLR regulars say that there is not as much of Disney bubble feel as there is at WDW, but for me it was the opposite. I think for me, having to travel so far to go from one park to another, it felt like I was going to a different park/resort. Having everything so close together at DLR gives me that “bubble” feel. It is different for everyone I suppose.
As far as when, traditionally to avoid crowds, I would say early September or early November. Take into consideration that some rides may be down for holiday overlays though. We had a great trip this last year the week before thanksgiving. The crowds were manageable and we got to see DLR decorated for Christmas, which is my favorite time of year there (Halloween is a close second). I normally won’t ride IASW, but after dark during the holidays it is a must do!
Totally agree with this…I lived 25 min from DL for 45 years, and have visited WDw twice. Every time (May 2019 was our last) I go to MK I am constantly reminded how much better DL is!
As SoCal natives, we started taking our two children to DLR when they were 2-1/2 and 6 mos. We have the best memories. Fantasyland is amazing so quaint and intricate. New Orleans Square is lovely too. The park is better laid out than MK so you don’t have as much walking and wasted space. I’d say 4-5 nights is good because there is California Adventure too. If you can stay on site at the Disneyland Hotel, Grand Californian, or Paradise Pier, it adds to the magic. But staying off site is less expensive and easy. We were about a mile away and used Uber/Lyft for less than $7 to get to parks. Consider an extra day to go to Knott’s Berry Farm which is America’s first theme park.
So jealous!
That’s what I’m afraid is going to happen on my next WDW trip coming up.
We stayed 15 minutes away and had no trouble going to or leaving from the parks.
Ok. I have convinced DW … we are going to plan for DLR fall 2020 for 5 nights.
I was looking at last years park hours and it looks like in October the parks generally opened around 8 an while in November it was more like 10 am. Does that sound right?
I have read crowds are lower in November than October but given the 2 hours time change for us, I suspect my kids will be waling up around 5 am California time. That makes me think we would be better off going in October with earlier park hours. Then we could keep the kids on a Central time schedule for sleep and meals. Am I thinking about this right?
We will be staying at Grand Californian so we will have access to the early hour too.
My take on crowds at DLR is that you don’t want CL10s, but you don’t want 1s or 2s either, When crowds are lower, they tend to lower staffing and as a result, the park does not run as efficiently. As you are already seeing, the hours are reduced, most entertainment will not be happening. I personally like going when it is a CL of 6,7, or even 8. Keep it mind also that in the first part of November, they will be closing some of the attractions to take off/put on holiday overlays. Rides like IASW and SM are the ones that come to mind. I think that October would also be best for your kids as you described with the time change. My kids were early risers when they were little and no way could they have waited until 10 am to hit the parks! Another reason to go in October is the early entry at 7 am. The early entry at 7 am is much less crowded vs. the early entry at 9am. EE at 7 am alone will get you nearly double the rides that it would at 9 am. Not everyone can get moving that early, but most can make it by 9.
I will always take the extra 2 hours in the morning over a lower CL with a 10am start!!! We aren’t super early risers at home, but at DL we love that morning time & get so much done before we head back for a nap. With a 10am opening we don’t feel we’ve had enough done by 1-2pm to take a midday break & then by 4pm are spent but don’t have the time to really go back for any kind of productive nap in order to come back before an 8 or 9pm close. So yes, you’re thinking right on getting in October instead of November.
Thanks. I feel like I know all the ins and out to a WDW trip, but feel lost in planning for DL. I’m thankful to you and the other posters who are greatly helping me think though the planning for DL!
This is the beauty of DLR. we went last year. First I couldn’t even wrap my mind around the fact that I didn’t have to plan so much. I didn’t even use a touring plan. It’s just that much easier.
I will usually make a touring plan for about half our days or if I plan the full thing, the 2nd half puts repeats of the first half so I know we have room to pick up things if we don’t get along as planned.
This trip I found myself much less prepared than that having only made 1 touring plan for 5.5 days & honestly what I ended up doing was making a note on my phone of what we wanted to accomplish on the trip put into groups by land and used the DL app to make decisions on where to go next based on what was left to accomplish, checking it off as we went along.
So DW and I have discussed the DLR trip more. We decided that if we are making the “far” trip to DLR, we also want to spend a few days in San Diego. And that led to, let’s do our usual 5 night fall WDW trip again in 2020 and then plan a longer California trip for spring or early summer 2021.
If we are looking in the March 1 through May 31 date range, what would you recommend for when to plan our visit DLR (and San Diego)?
How awesome! 5 nights at the GC would be a blast with two little ones. I personally love the DLH but its a bit of a walk. That extra hour in the morning is very helpful. I think adding San Diego would be amazing. Plus ever extra month you wait, the better chance your littles will remember it more.
We do the same thing. We live in Oregon, so we take regular trips to DLR but our WDW trips are extra long because its such a pita to get there.
For any planning tips on a combo trip, you check out an existing recent-ish thread: DLR and San Diego - first time
As for when to go in March-May- early, early March will be slightly less crowded until Spring Break crowds start which will go until Easter. I don’t mind spring break crowds as they tend to be dispersed over time and April-May has my favorite weather and the parks in the spring are just beautiful. Food & Wine will also usually be going on for some or all of this & that bring a lot of crowds too, especially locals at night but they also do a lot of great live band entertainment and if your’e at all a foodie, the booths (especially with a Sip & Savor pass) are a great way to try lots of new & interesting things (but definitely at a higher price point so it’s always easier to enjoy when you try to forgot that the 3 bites you’re eating were $9).
We’ve also gone several times for Memorial Day weekend and it’s never been too crazy and they usually kick-off the start of the summer with increased nightly entertainment (which is our favorite!) and so a great time for us to go.