Disneyland trip (2005 Christmas) and some tips
This is our third trip to Disneyland. We always seems to learn something new every time. This time I would like to add this to blog and see the next time when we go. I hope this is also helpful for others.
Unlike most other trips, tickets for disneyland are the most expensive part. We thought we would be able to find some cheap tickets but they seem to be uniformly priced. But still there is one trick which may not be allowed by Disney ( which we were not able to use because of the short time).
Basically Disneyland sells four/five-day tickets cheaper per day. But Disneyland wants you to use those tickets within 14 days after the first use. But Disneyland right now does not enforce any photo-id for this. So if you can find somebody else to visit following your visit, then you both can save a lot. In fact these tickets seem to be sold on ebay on regular basis. For whatever reason, it seems to work in sellers favor rather than buyers. One way this can work for you is to buy a 5-day ticket and sell one or two days to someone else.
One mistake most visitors make is to try see everything. It is important to realize that it is impossible to cover most of the attractions in a single day in one park. Dont even think about going to two parks on the same day unless you have a plan.
The next thing you should plan is if you are interested in watching the parades (The Disney Character parade in Disneyland and the electric parade in California Adventures ) orthe nightly show Fantasmic or the fireworks occassionally. If you are interested, you might want to sit comfortably an hour or two before in the parade route. The place can get packed and you may not be having a good view for these. Also since these happen late in the day, kids might be getting impatient. Dont be deceived even if traffic appears to be light. There are a lot of season ticket holders in LA area who will just show up for these.
The third thing is to make very good use of fast pass in Disneyland. "Fast pass" rides are typically very popular and are considered must-see. You only are allowed to hold one fast pass until the time mentioned in it. (You can get the next fast pass before you finish the ride for the first one but only after you have passed the beginning time of the first fast pass) We followed the strategy of get the next fast pass and during the time do something near-by. Additionally only one parent with tickets need to go to the fast pass distribution center for the ride(usually this is near the ride itself). Without this, you will be wasting lot of time if you want to see one of the "fast pass" rides.
Here is an order that worked very well for us in Disneyland( We skipped lot of fantasyland rides but both my kids no longer are interested in them) Please note some of these rides are not allowed for under-5 kids.
California adventures appear to be less crowded than Disneyland and you might be able to see most of the fast pass rides. We basically had a strategy to see Alladdin show and Electric Parade and all the fast pass rides. Here is an order we followed
We skipped "California Screaming"(both my kids did not show interest) but that also has fast pass.
Unlike most other trips, tickets for disneyland are the most expensive part. We thought we would be able to find some cheap tickets but they seem to be uniformly priced. But still there is one trick which may not be allowed by Disney ( which we were not able to use because of the short time).
Basically Disneyland sells four/five-day tickets cheaper per day. But Disneyland wants you to use those tickets within 14 days after the first use. But Disneyland right now does not enforce any photo-id for this. So if you can find somebody else to visit following your visit, then you both can save a lot. In fact these tickets seem to be sold on ebay on regular basis. For whatever reason, it seems to work in sellers favor rather than buyers. One way this can work for you is to buy a 5-day ticket and sell one or two days to someone else.
One mistake most visitors make is to try see everything. It is important to realize that it is impossible to cover most of the attractions in a single day in one park. Dont even think about going to two parks on the same day unless you have a plan.
The next thing you should plan is if you are interested in watching the parades (The Disney Character parade in Disneyland and the electric parade in California Adventures ) orthe nightly show Fantasmic or the fireworks occassionally. If you are interested, you might want to sit comfortably an hour or two before in the parade route. The place can get packed and you may not be having a good view for these. Also since these happen late in the day, kids might be getting impatient. Dont be deceived even if traffic appears to be light. There are a lot of season ticket holders in LA area who will just show up for these.
The third thing is to make very good use of fast pass in Disneyland. "Fast pass" rides are typically very popular and are considered must-see. You only are allowed to hold one fast pass until the time mentioned in it. (You can get the next fast pass before you finish the ride for the first one but only after you have passed the beginning time of the first fast pass) We followed the strategy of get the next fast pass and during the time do something near-by. Additionally only one parent with tickets need to go to the fast pass distribution center for the ride(usually this is near the ride itself). Without this, you will be wasting lot of time if you want to see one of the "fast pass" rides.
Here is an order that worked very well for us in Disneyland( We skipped lot of fantasyland rides but both my kids no longer are interested in them) Please note some of these rides are not allowed for under-5 kids.
- Buzz Light year astro attacks
- Autopia
- Space Mountain (48" tall only)
- Big thunder mountain rail road
- Indiana Jones
- Haunted Mansion
- Splash Mountain
California adventures appear to be less crowded than Disneyland and you might be able to see most of the fast pass rides. We basically had a strategy to see Alladdin show and Electric Parade and all the fast pass rides. Here is an order we followed
- Soaring Over California
- Grizzly River Run ( Prepare to get soaked )
- Mulholland Madness
- Tower of Terror
- Alladdin ( 1 hr show )
- Electric parade
We skipped "California Screaming"(both my kids did not show interest) but that also has fast pass.
posted by jagadish at
12:50 PM
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