Upcoming Trip

Disneyland
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Hi, I have an upcoming trip in April, Does anyone have any tips?

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That’s kind of asking a library if they have any books… :smile:

LOTS of tips available here, but a slightly more narrowly defined questions would help us out…

NUMBER ONE TIP: Get a copy of “The Unofficial Guide To the Disneyland Resort”; this is an invaluable book for planning and getting the most out of a trip to DLR.

A few general tips:

  1. Be at the gates at least 30 minutes before opening time. Find out which parks Have Early opening for resort guests, and if you DON’T have this option, go to the other park.

  2. Study the park maps in advance and learn where everything is so you don’t have to figure it out once you’re there.

  3. You can typically see/do most, if not all of California Adventure in a single day. You can NOT see all of Disneyland in a single day. I typically plan 3 days; one full day for each park and a third day to “finish up” DL, and go back to favorites in DCA. Make use of single rider lines whenever possible (especially for Radiator Springs Racers, Grizzly River Run, and Splash Mountain).

  4. All of the night-time shows are excellent. DO NOT miss World of Color in DCA and Paint the Night Parade and Fireworks in DL. If you have a 3rd night, see Fantasmic! in DL as well.

  5. Use a Touring Plan to plan your day. These are available under the “Touring Plans” section of the website, and in print in the Unofficial Guide. These can be customized (not always an “intuitive” process), but if you are a first time visitor, going with the pre-made plans will be easier, and will still put you way ahead of someone who goes without a touring plan.

Here is a link to a 12-part blog I did after my last trip to DLR (in 2012). Some of the details may be slightly out of date, but it still gives you a pretty solid overview of the resort.

www.bswan26dl.blogspot.com

This is best viewed on a PC; the posts should be read in order.

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Fantasmic is closed until sometime in 2017, so that won’t be an option this trip. As said above, do not miss World of Color, Paint the Night parade, or the 60th anniversary fireworks. They are all great! There are quite a few things closed this year so you might want to spend a little time researching that on the google machine.

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Oh, that’s right… I haven’t been following the SW-related DL closures very closely. I may be getting a “mini” trip sometime late Spring or early Summer, so I probably need to start researching… :smile:

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Cool! I have the book, and I plan to be going for 5 days. Also, I agree that the book is a usefull resource. Thank you for your help. :grinning:

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My tip is to peruse these forums! There is so much invaluable information and so many tips from a ton of experts who have all been there, done that. They are all a wealth of knowledge and, thanks to this forum, you can pick and choose what’s important to you- shows, dining, lodging, attractions, etc.

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