Ermagherd! I'm going to Disneyland!

[BriarRose0708]

I am SO excited! On a family trip to California this summer my mom, sister and I are building in a day at DISNEYLAND!!!!! We will only have time and budget for one park on one day and of course we're going to the original and will save CA for another trip. The only downside - I know NOTHING about DL. I can plan a WDW trip in 2 seconds but I am so completely lost on this west coast deal.

Here are the only details I know about our trip so far:
We are staying in San Diego for about a week sometime in early July 2013 with our friends. On a weekday we will get up super early and be there in time for park opening. I am thinking we'll book a hotel for one night so we don't have to drive back to SD after a long day, and we'll have somewhere to go to take a break midday.

What are some tips and tricks to Disneyland I need to know? What hotels should I look at that are affordable? From reading other threads here there seem to be a lot of budget-friendly ones very close to the park entrance.

Other than attractions, what else should we check out, if we wanted to make an ADR where is a good place?

Edited to add a couple other questions: What will the weather be like? Will it be hot and humid, or just hot? Hot to us is anything over 80! Does it rain frequently? What are crowd levels usually like on a weekday in July?

Thanks in advance for all your help!!!

[Dopey's Girl]

I have no real advice, having only been there once, but wanted to say Hi and YEAH!

[BriarRose0708]

I have no real advice, having only been there once, but wanted to say Hi and YEAH!

HI! Thanks! What was your trip like? What do you remember liking the best?

[dvcmember83]

We went once last summer! The best part about California weather was NO HUMIDITY!!!! It stayed in the low 80's during our trip. The sun can be strong, so do wear sunscreen. I stayed at the Grand Californian, so I really have no hotel recommendations. You can make all dining reservations 60 days before. I highly recommend Blue Bayou in the New Orleans section. You will notice that there are differences in the rides compared to Disney World. They have a haunted mansion but it is totally different. In some ways I liked it better than Florida.

[Dsnygirl]

We haven't been (yet ) so no real advice, just wanted to say YEAH!! Have fun planning, and an even better time in Cali!

[bruin1344]

I went this past August for the first time. Make sure you go on Indiana Jones, Pirates, and Space Mountain. Those blow out their Florida counterparts.

I stayed at Red Lion hotel. It was pretty good, not too expensive (we got a deal on orbitz) and within walking distance of the park.

One flaw about DL in comparison to WDW: the table service restaurants are bad. We had difficulty finding decent restaurants under $30 a plate and the ones we tried were mediocre at best. I tried looking at yelp, tripadvisor, etc. ahead of time and they all got not so good reviews and even the few Disneyland employees I talked to admitted that the restaurants are not good. Maybe someone on intercot had a better experience at one of the DL restaurants that can vouch for one but I cant.

The weather was beautiful every day and did not get any rain. I did not find the California heat an issue. The weather was more humid in Boston than Anaheim in August so it felt good.

Have fun on the trip.

[Cinderelley]

It will be BUSY!!!!!

For food, I would highly recomend Blue Bayou - the restaurant inside of Pirates of the Caribbean. I honestly don't remember the food, but I LOVE the atmosphere. It is Cajun and Creole food.

If you are going to stay the night nearby anyway, you should just go back the next day.

[Melanie]

Well just off the top of my head regarding food, I think there are plenty of nice TS restaurants at the Resort, but maybe not necessarily within Disneyland Park itself. Yes, Blue Bayou is the big one (but even that's not a must for me). Cafe Orleans and Carnation Cafe are two other ones I enjoy. And there are plenty of nice options in Downtown Disney, which you know is just a hop, skip and jump from the Disneyland turnstiles.

One day is going to be tough to get everything in. Agreed that Space, Pirates, Indiana Jones are not misses. You'll never look at Pirates in Florida the same way again. Other not misses - Matterhorn and pretty much all of Fantasyland. Not taking into account the new Fantasyland in Florida, DL's Fantasyland really has superior attractions, along with Mr. Toad, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland and now Snow White, which aren't in Florida. And It's a Small World has the Disney characters integrated into the ride. It's so cute!

If you have to skip things, I'd suggest Star Tours, Jungle Cruise, Splash and maybe even Buzz Lightyear (even though I prefer Astro Blasters to Space Ranger Spin).

I'm very excited for you Nikki! Be be warned, one trip and you'll be planning your next trip back. It's !

ETA: I forgot about hotels. I've stayed at the Fairfield Inn and the Best Western on S. Harbor and both are so convenient and close, it's crazy. I'd recommend either.

[Ed]

Mel, did you REALLY write this ?

And It's a Small World has the Disney characters integrated into the ride. It's so cute!

Seriously, your detailed post makes me want to go back. We've been there twice but haven't been since the CA renovation was completed. I'll add one other ride that we liked - Finding Nemo.

Nikki, have a great time. As others have said, you'll find it quite a different experience compared to WDW.

[MelissaW]

Since most folks are telling you the table service restaurants are not that great. You might considering just grabbing a bite to each between attractions. Since there is so much to do and see and you are trying to get it all in within a day - this might be the trip you try that "Turkey Leg" while walking from one attraction to the next. While I am the first to plan my trips around the meals this might be the trip to skip the full sit down meal.... So much Disney and so little time.... Have fun on your trip!

[Dopey's Girl]

HI! Thanks! What was your trip like? What do you remember liking the best?

I loved Pirates...WDW's is pathetic in comparison. I also loved the matterhorn. It was just fun to have something totally different. They also still have Mr. Toad, which I had to ride twice. Even though I dispise IASW (that dang song!) theirs is better too. And the Indiana Jones ride. Loved that! Their space was more fun too.

It's just so very charming. You will love it!

[IwannabeinNarnia]

I pretty much echo what everyone else has said. Pirates at DL is waaaaayyyy better than then one at WDW. And don't miss Finding Nemo! LOVE that ride! I've been to Florida and to California, and I would actually choose going to Disneyland over WDW.. there's a different feel out in California.. and everything is in walking distance.. Love not having to bother with buses. Like Melanie said, you will be planning another trip back very soon! Food is much more pricey out in California. We went to Cafe Orleans for lunch.. LOVED it! Their pommes frites are out of this world! We had the monte cristo sandwich, and well, I'm glad I split it with my friend.. by the time we had a salad, the frites and split the sandwich it was more than enough food. Oh. and the beignets for dessert! YUM!