July 2023 planning and chat thread!

[Philsfan77]

I also recommend the WOC dessert party. It is expensive but in my opinion worth it because the other options to watch WOC involve standing for quite some time… I did it twice with a FP years ago and I had a hard time enjoying the show because my feet hurt because of all the standing… for me there are only 2 options: dessert party or trying to catch it from someplace outside the designated viewing areas.

There are different fantasmic packages but they don’t differ much regarding your viewing experience (besides the tables at riverbelle). I enjoy sitting down and you have a pretty good view with all of them. I did the BB one twice because I wanted to dine there anyways…and really enjoyed it.

If you do the first fantasmic show (giving there are 2) the fireworks are right afterwards. So it is easiest to just stay where you are in your viewing area (maybe shuffle a bit towards the railings). There are projections on the water fountains and you can see the fireworks above thunder mountain. It’s a little different than castle view but pretty nice. That viewing spot ranks second in my personal ratings behind the the viewing location in front of iasw. (I might have mentioned it, I don’t enjoy standing for an extended period of time after a whole day of waking in DL…)
Rushing in front of the castle after fantasmic might be doable but I wouldn’t suggest it, especially if you aren’t solo.

Thank you! Definitely leaning towards dessert party for WOC. We are a group of 8 and 2 of the seniors in our group will be coming off knee surgery. I think they will enjoy the seats and being able to just relax and enjoy the views after a long day of walking. Conversely I am not sure sitting on the ground for Fantasmic is going to work for our group. So I will probably skip that and hope to hit the second showing if they have 2. Is the 2nd showing generally less crowded?

 

[lovethesun12]

Thank you! Definitely leaning towards dessert party for WOC. We are a group of 8 and 2 of the seniors in our group will be coming off knee surgery. I think they will enjoy the seats and being able to just relax and enjoy the views after a long day of walking. Conversely I am not sure sitting on the ground for Fantasmic is going to work for our group. So I will probably skip that and hope to hit the second showing if they have 2. Is the 2nd showing generally less crowded?

I think there is a package for fantasmic seating with Riverbelle terrace. That said, some of the blogs/etc I read are out of date so I can't confirm it still exists for certain.

I've been looking at what's available from restaurants and it seems like this is completely booked lightening fast if it actually exists (lol). I've never seen any availability for it.

 

[lovethesun12]

Welcome! I've added you to the list!

So, I can 100% recommend the WoC dessert party! We've done it a few times and are planning on it for this trip again. The last time we did F! dining package was quite a few years ago, back when Blue Bayou gave out seat cushions...I actually think I still have our somewhere in the basement.

As for things to make sure you don't miss vs things you can skip, there are a few attractions that are basically the same, some that are definitely better in DL and some that are better at WDW.

Off the top of my head and in no particular order, although I will see if I can go through the parks logically counter clockwise.

Tomorrowland:
Astro Orbitor - better at WDW simply because it is on top of a building
Buzz - better at DL, the guns are not fixed to the car so easier to shoot.
Star Tours - basically the same ride inside, WDW wins out because of the entrance.
Space Mountain - MUST do, it is without a doubt better at DL.
Autopia - better at DL
Finding Nemo Subs - unless you are claustrophobic like me, don't skip this

Fantasyland:
Dumbo - same as WDW but with a worse queue
TeaCups - same as WDW but without the benefit of the covered area.
Peter Pan - Similar to WDW, 100% worse queue at DL but the ride itself I think DL has this one.
King Arthur Carrousel - what can I say, it'a a carousel but if you are VERY lucky and quick, you can grab Jingles.
It's a Small World - I debate which is better, TBH. I love the outside of this at DL but I am on the fence about adding the IP characters.
Do not miss the rest of Fantasyland, especially Mr. Toad!

ToonTown:
Well, just don't skip this at all!

Galaxy's Edge:
You are right, the attractions here are basically identical as at WDW although interestingly the rocks that make up the land are different on both coasts to better fit in with the natural landscape of FL and CA.

Critter Country:
Depends on if Splash is still open but if it is, ride it! Not as big a drop as WDW's one had but this might be your last chance before the refurb.
Winnie the Pooh - skippable but it is cute with a typically short line.

New Orleans Square:
Haunted Mansion - slight differences but because DL's has the Hatbox Ghost, don't skip it!
Pirates: 100% the better version! Longer, with scenes the WDW one does not have, and also this one has 2 drops instead of 1.

Frontierland:
Big Thunder - debates all around for which is the better version so don't miss it and make up your own mind!

Adventureland:
Indiana Jones - same basic ride vehicle as Dinosaur but I think much better theming. Long ride queue, even with a LL so be prepared.
Treehouse - Closed for big refurb
Jungle Cruise - WDW takes this one without a doubt! Longer and with scenes that DL does not have.

I think that is all for DL., DCA will be much easier!

The only three rides I can think of off the top of my head that are similar are Little Mermaid, Toy Story Midway Mania, and Soarin'. Keep in mind, if Soarin' happens to be showing the original Soarin' over California, DO NOT SKIP IT!

Other than that, Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout is the same ride vehicle as ToT, but don't skip this, the music and theming is just great!

Phew, that was a short novel but hope it helps!

This is so awesome! Thanks! Do they show Soarin' over California often? Or is it usually just for special events/etc?

 

[Aladora]

This is so awesome! Thanks! Do they show Soarin' over California often? Or is it usually just for special events/etc?

They have brought the original back a few times for limited runs but I really wish they would switch back to showing it all the time at DCA!

 

[PrincessKL]

Glad I found this group! We are going to Disneyland early July and staying three nights at VGC. We have a two year old turning three and it will be our first Disneyland trip. So I have lots of questions.

We are doing three park days. Is park hopper necessary? On the days we go to Disneyland park, is it still still better to use the entrance at Grand Californian through DCA?

Does anyone have experience renting strollers for little ones? Are there companies that like provide similar service like those Orlando stroller companies?

How about shuttle service from LAX to the hotel? We need a car seat, so Uber or Lyft might be tricky to do.

 

[Aladora]

Glad I found this group! We are going to Disneyland early July and staying three nights at VGC. We have a two year old turning three and it will be our first Disneyland trip. So I have lots of questions.

We are doing three park days. Is park hopper necessary? On the days we go to Disneyland park, is it still still better to use the entrance at Grand Californian through DCA?

Does anyone have experience renting strollers for little ones? Are there companies that like provide similar service like those Orlando stroller companies?

How about shuttle service from LAX to the hotel? We need a car seat, so Uber or Lyft might be tricky to do.

Welcome to the thread!

No advice about strollers but we always get hoppers at DLR. The two parks are so close together that it helps to think of them as one big park with the Esplanade between them. So easy to be in DL and decide you want to go ride something in DCA and hop over!

Going into DL, I would use the DTD exit from GCH then walk to the DL entrance.

There are shuttles but if you need a car seat, it might be better to get a car and driver.

 

[PrincessKL]

Welcome to the thread!

No advice about strollers but we always get hoppers at DLR. The two parks are so close together that it helps to think of them as one big park with the Esplanade between them. So easy to be in DL and decide you want to go ride something in DCA and hop over!

Going into DL, I would use the DTD exit from GCH then walk to the DL entrance.

There are shuttles but if you need a car seat, it might be better to get a car and driver.

Thank you! I just learned that California law requires little ones to use a car seat even on a shuttle, the only exemption would be a bus. I need to do more work to learn about Disneyland and California.

 

[Aladora]

Thank you! I just learned that California law requires little ones to use a car seat even on a shuttle, the only exemption would be a bus. I need to do more work to learn about Disneyland and California.

Check out car services, I know many of them provide car seats.

The other option is for you to bring your car seat from home and install it into whatever vehicle you use. All airlines allow you to check a child car seat free, at least I believe all of them do. If it were me and I were not using the car seat on the plane, I would gate check the car seat.

 

[Dismama2boys]

Glad I found this group! We are going to Disneyland early July and staying three nights at VGC. We have a two year old turning three and it will be our first Disneyland trip. So I have lots of questions.

We are doing three park days. Is park hopper necessary? On the days we go to Disneyland park, is it still still better to use the entrance at Grand Californian through DCA?

Does anyone have experience renting strollers for little ones? Are there companies that like provide similar service like those Orlando stroller companies?

How about shuttle service from LAX to the hotel? We need a car seat, so Uber or Lyft might be tricky to do.

We use Lansky car service, and they provide car seats. They’re great!!

 

[PrincessKL]

Does anyone know if we can use the DCA entrance at the Grand Californian Hotel on the day of checking in at around 10 am? We are not trying to do the 30 minutes early entry, and that’s all I can find about online.

We are flying in super early, so we figured we might as well go to the park. But we have to wait for the stroller delivery to the hotel, so being in the park but closer to the hotel would be better. It would be nice if we can use that DCA entrance to hop in and out for the stroller. I understand that you need to show the room card to use that entrance. But if our room is not ready, would we be able to get room cards ahead of time? We have magic band+ and can it be used like at Disney World so that we don’t need a room card?

 

[GoHorns94]

Does anyone know if we can use the DCA entrance at the Grand Californian Hotel on the day of checking in at around 10 am? We are not trying to do the 30 minutes early entry, and that’s all I can find about online.

We are flying in super early, so we figured we might as well go to the park. But we have to wait for the stroller delivery to the hotel, so being in the park but closer to the hotel would be better. It would be nice if we can use that DCA entrance to hop in and out for the stroller. I understand that you need to show the room card to use that entrance. But if our room is not ready, would we be able to get room cards ahead of time? We have magic band+ and can it be used like at Disney World so that we don’t need a room card?

I believe they may only enforce showing your room key at the beginning of each morning, particularly for early entry. Just last May my crew of 5 walked in and out of the DCA GCH entrance a few times and we were not guests of any of the Disney properties - we stayed on Harbor Ave. We used that ‘private’ entry to access Downtown Disney one time and as a shortcut to our Trader Sams reservation one evening.

YMMV but we never had a problem even without a room there, so you surely should not!

 

[Aladora]

Does anyone know if we can use the DCA entrance at the Grand Californian Hotel on the day of checking in at around 10 am? We are not trying to do the 30 minutes early entry, and that’s all I can find about online.

We are flying in super early, so we figured we might as well go to the park. But we have to wait for the stroller delivery to the hotel, so being in the park but closer to the hotel would be better. It would be nice if we can use that DCA entrance to hop in and out for the stroller. I understand that you need to show the room card to use that entrance. But if our room is not ready, would we be able to get room cards ahead of time? We have magic band+ and can it be used like at Disney World so that we don’t need a room card?

I don't believe that Magic Bands+ are used the same way at DL as at WDW. I think that they are only used at DL for park entrance, LL, and Photopass.

If it were me, I would go to the front desk when you get there and check in early. While you are at the front desk, ask them about getting a keycard so you can use the DCA entrance. I am sure you can't be the first person to have this issue!

Worst case scenario, you could always show the CM at the entrance your hotel reservation?

 

[KPeterso]

Does anyone know if we can use the DCA entrance at the Grand Californian Hotel on the day of checking in at around 10 am? We are not trying to do the 30 minutes early entry, and that’s all I can find about online.

We are flying in super early, so we figured we might as well go to the park. But we have to wait for the stroller delivery to the hotel, so being in the park but closer to the hotel would be better. It would be nice if we can use that DCA entrance to hop in and out for the stroller. I understand that you need to show the room card to use that entrance. But if our room is not ready, would we be able to get room cards ahead of time? We have magic band+ and can it be used like at Disney World so that we don’t need a room card?

If you check in when you arrive, they will give you the key cards right away even if the room is not yet ready. Done it many times. I check in between 8-9 AM, get the key cards, and then get a text later with my room number so I can head straight there once the room is ready.

 

[grapefruitjellybean]

Hello!
I just booked our flights to LA for a 12 day trip to visit friends, we will be in LA and San Diego. I was asking my gf what they wanted to do and she casually mentioned Disneyland and I perked up. A Disney trip was not on my radar but since we are already there and my kids and her kids are the same age, plus it's my birthday.............. it just makes sense. I have not committed to anything and the biggest challenge will be to convince my partner. After 3 weeks in Disney World this past fall he's not ready for another Disney trip.
I have not done any research so please hold my hand as I have some questions.

1.a. What are the perks of staying on property? $466.00USD/night for a basic room with beachball decor and brown carpet was the cheapest option of the 3 hotels and that feels outrageous.
1. How close are the good neighbour hotels?
2. Is it weird to walk to the park from your hotel? Is it safe at night? I live in a large city and we walk everywhere but I know that most places in California require a car or Uber and walking down the road is clownish.
3. Any off property hotel recommendations on where to stay? Our group is 4 mid 30's adults and 4 kids aged 5-8. We just need a clean place to sleep that is close/close-ish to the park or a shuttle if walking is not a thing. Also decent pool.
4. Will my magic bands work there?
5. Is DAS the same in DL v. DW?
6. Are 2 full days enough time for both parks?
7. How crazy are the parks during the summer?
8. Feel free to share tips and secrets related to DL.

Thanks and wish me luck.

 

[Aladora]

Hello!
I just booked our flights to LA for a 12 day trip to visit friends, we will be in LA and San Diego. I was asking my gf what they wanted to do and she casually mentioned Disneyland and I perked up. A Disney trip was not on my radar but since we are already there and my kids and her kids are the same age, plus it's my birthday.............. it just makes sense. I have not committed to anything and the biggest challenge will be to convince my partner. After 3 weeks in Disney World this past fall he's not ready for another Disney trip.
I have not done any research so please hold my hand as I have some questions.

1.a. What are the perks of staying on property? $466.00USD/night for a basic room with beachball decor and brown carpet was the cheapest option of the 3 hotels and that feels outrageous.
1. How close are the good neighbour hotels?
2. Is it weird to walk to the park from your hotel? Is it safe at night? I live in a large city and we walk everywhere but I know that most places in California require a car or Uber and walking down the road is clownish.
3. Any off property hotel recommendations on where to stay? Our group is 4 mid 30's adults and 4 kids aged 5-8. We just need a clean place to sleep that is close/close-ish to the park or a shuttle if walking is not a thing. Also decent pool.
4. Will my magic bands work there?
5. Is DAS the same in DL v. DW?
6. Are 2 full days enough time for both parks?
7. How crazy are the parks during the summer?
8. Feel free to share tips and secrets related to DL.

Thanks and wish me luck.

Hi and welcome to the thread! Let me see how many of your questions I can answer!

1.a. What are the perks of staying on property? $466.00USD/night for a basic room with beachball decor and brown carpet was the cheapest option of the 3 hotels and that feels outrageous.

They are bringing back some of the onsite perks. If I remember correctly, the current perks are:
30 minute early entry to both parks.
Charging back to your room.
Next day package delivery to your hotel for purchases in the parks/DTD.
Preferred access to a limited number of dining reservations.

1. How close are the good neighbour hotels?

Very close! Some of the motels on Harbor Blvd are even closer to the park entrance than the Onsite hotels. Be aware that the really close ones are all motel style, so no interior corridors and all rooms open directly outside.

2. Is it weird to walk to the park from your hotel? Is it safe at night? I live in a large city and we walk everywhere but I know that most places in California require a car or Uber and walking down the road is clownish.

This really depends on where you stay. We have stayed on Harbor Blvd many times and never felt strange or unsafe walking.

3. Any off property hotel recommendations on where to stay? Our group is 4 mid 30's adults and 4 kids aged 5-8. We just need a clean place to sleep that is close/close-ish to the park or a shuttle if walking is not a thing. Also decent pool.

We've never really considered a pool as one of our requirements for where to stay but I know that the HoJo has a nice pool area. Also take a look at the Grand Legacy at the Parks. If the pool is not a dealbreaker, given your group I would look at the Desert Inn and Suites, they have suites that sleep up to 10 people in their C2 suite.

4. Will my magic bands work there?

Magic Band+ will work at DL but in a limited capacity. IIRC, they can only be used for scanning into the parks and LL. The bands will also light up with some special effects.

5. Is DAS the same in DL v. DW?

Yes, the systems are basically the same at both parks. There used to be differences but as far as I know, they are now the same.

6. Are 2 full days enough time for both parks?

Oooh, that is an interesting question and you will get all sorts of answers! As you can see from my signature, we have done a bunch of DL trips and we still always get 5 day park hoppers. But, if you don't want to see and do EVERYTHING then you could possibly do what you want to do in 2 full days. It also depends on if you are rope drop to close type people or if you prefer to take a midday break and take things slowly. If you only have 2 days then I would make a list of your must do things and prioritize those.

7. How crazy are the parks during the summer?

We have only gone in Summer at the end of August so I am not sure on this one, hopefully someone else can chime in!

8. Feel free to share tips and secrets related to DL.

There are some attractions that are either identical or nearly identical to those in WDW. There are some attractions that in my opinion are better at DL and some imo that are better at WDW. I posted a long list earlier in this thread so you might want to take a look back and see that post.

Do not miss World of Color! Our favourite way to see it is by attending the WoC Dessert Party, between the treats and seat, it is a must do for us.

Don't miss taking the train all the way around the park, I would start at the Main St. station.

For secrets, there are a ton of sites that can give you some intel but here are a few off the top of my head:

Find the Little Man of Disneyland's house.
Check out the light in Walt's apartment.
Find The Dominguez Tree.
Find the petrified tree.
Look for Disney cats! We usually see one of two in DCA.

Those are the ones that I can think of right this moment but I will add any more if I think of some!

 

[grapefruitjellybean]

@Aladora Thank you so much! What is the closest entrance to the places on Harbour Blvd?
Edit with follow up question - where do the shuttles get dropped off at the parks?

 

[Aladora]

@Aladora Thank you so much! What is the closest entrance to the places on Harbour Blvd?
Edit with follow up question - where do the shuttles get dropped off at the parks?

The Harbour Blvd places are right at the main entrance. Park Vue is one of the closest ones and it is typically only a 5 minute walk from the motel to the main gates!

 

[jimitrout]

First Disneyland trip…July 18th, 19th & 21st. Park hopper and Genie plus. 5 of us going.
Me, DW, DD (age 14), DS (age 12), and friend of my wifes.
Have done trips to WDW (the last being) 2019. I am a planner and have FOMO. So usually try to set realistic expectations, overplan and hope for the best… everything always works out great anyway. How could it not it’s Disney.
Anyway, We are driving. Leaving Iowa the 12th with a few stops along the way.
17th-21st Staying at Dolphin Cove 465 w. Orangewood ave.
21st staying at Fairfield Inn.
Have reservations for DL-18th. DCA-19th.DL-21st. Have personalized general plans (touring plans) for each day. Hoping to Rope drop each day, but mostly day 1. Not sure how tired we are going to be because I hope to enjoy night time there with middle of the afternoon breaks which worked great at WDW but not sure about the walk back to hotel. Looking at the distance. I am thinking it makes more sense to walk to Toy Story Parking Lot and riding bus.
Plan to do Fantasmic Hungry Bear Dining package. And after reading this thread also looking into WOC dessert party on 19th..
I do have a couple questions. We have always used magic bands before. Planning to use mostly phone app. But wondering about paper tickets. Just hoping to hand everyone in our party a ticket, I can set up lighting lanes for everyone, but hoping to then have everyone able to walk into fastpass lane and scan ticket rather than phones. Is this doable or does it not make sense?
Really hoping to do Soarin California rather than Soarin World. Anybody know how to find dates when they do each one. I see its california now.
Any recommendations for beach on our thursday beach day?
Thanks!

 

[Aladora]

First Disneyland trip…July 18th, 19th & 21st. Park hopper and Genie plus. 5 of us going.
Me, DW, DD (age 14), DS (age 12), and friend of my wifes.
Have done trips to WDW (the last being) 2019. I am a planner and have FOMO. So usually try to set realistic expectations, overplan and hope for the best… everything always works out great anyway. How could it not it’s Disney.
Anyway, We are driving. Leaving Iowa the 12th with a few stops along the way.
17th-21st Staying at Dolphin Cove 465 w. Orangewood ave.
21st staying at Fairfield Inn.
Have reservations for DL-18th. DCA-19th.DL-21st. Have personalized general plans (touring plans) for each day. Hoping to Rope drop each day, but mostly day 1. Not sure how tired we are going to be because I hope to enjoy night time there with middle of the afternoon breaks which worked great at WDW but not sure about the walk back to hotel. Looking at the distance. I am thinking it makes more sense to walk to Toy Story Parking Lot and riding bus.
Plan to do Fantasmic Hungry Bear Dining package. And after reading this thread also looking into WOC dessert party on 19th..
I do have a couple questions. We have always used magic bands before. Planning to use mostly phone app. But wondering about paper tickets. Just hoping to hand everyone in our party a ticket, I can set up lighting lanes for everyone, but hoping to then have everyone able to walk into fastpass lane and scan ticket rather than phones. Is this doable or does it not make sense?
Really hoping to do Soarin California rather than Soarin World. Anybody know how to find dates when they do each one. I see its california now.
Any recommendations for beach on our thursday beach day?
Thanks!

Welcome to the thread! As we get closer and closer to July we are gathering more people here!

So, I can try and answer some of your questions but not the one about your beach day.

I don't think they give them out automatically, but you can ask for paper tickets at the turnstiles when you first enter the park. We don't get them, I have all of our group loaded into my Disneyland app and I simply swipe through the tickets when we need them. I do this for both entering the parks and also scanning into LLs. There are 4 of us in our group (me, DH, DS, and my sister) It's really quick for me to do this and it saves everyone else from having to fumble around for their paper ticket!

Sadly you may be out of luck when it comes to Soarin'. Most of the time it is Around the World but they do bring Over California back for limited times. I would work under the assumption that it will be the World version and if it happens to be California then that will be a lovely surprise!

 

[LilyJC]

Really hoping to do Soarin California rather than Soarin World. Anybody know how to find dates when they do each one. I see its california now.
Any recommendations for beach on our thursday beach day?

Soarin’ is only the CA version during our Food & Wine festival which ends on April 25th. I do wish they’d change it back permanently!

Beaches: Corona del Mar is absolutely gorgeous, or Newport closer to Balboa Pier is fun for families too. Some people love Huntington Beach, but I’m not a huge fan personally…