1 day in Disneyland...

[Stitch1404]

I have been to WDW many, many times, but never Disneyland. I am a 20 year old college student and my sister who is graduating this May is going to an audition for a character role on March 10th in Disneyland. Well, she asked me if I would be willing to tag along. Of course I said yes! We got a great last minute flight deal. We will not get into Los Angeles until late Friday night, then her audition is from 8-6 on Saturday and then we leave early Sunday. I always thought my first visit to Disneyland would be a nice long trip with my family, but I guess I was wrong!

Anyway, I will be all alone in the park on Saturday and I have a ton of questions! First of all, we need to pick a hotel. We are two college students (meaning we don't have much money) so all we really need is a clean room close to Disneyland. We don't want to spend a ton of money on cabs, are there any hotels within walking distance?

How much will a one day pass cost me? Does Disneyland have park hoppers like Disney World so I can go to both of the parks? If not, which park should I go to?

Help me plan my day! Since I have been to WDW so many times and will continue to go back often I don't want to spend time riding anything that is identical to the WDW version. Also, I don't like roller coasters. I do want to plan my day though so I hit all the great attractions and get a lot done. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE shows, parades, fireworks, etc.

I was thinking since this will be an intense day of touring mid-day I will want to do a sit-down lunch to take a break. I want to go somewhere nice, how do I call to make a reservation, and where would you recommend?

Finally, does anyone do Disneyland alone? Am I going to feel really out of place with all the families around?

Hopefully I will get a sense of what Disneyland is and some day I can plan a nice long trip out to California. This is not exactly how I would have chosen for my first Disneyland trip to be, but, hey, I'll take what I can get!

If you have time to answer even one of my questions, it would greatly help me!

Thanks!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Hi Stitch,

You're going to have a great time!

A lot of our Disneyland Board Disers have a lot of good advice, & I am sure they'll be letting you know the best things to do.

As for hotels, I would recommend the Tropicana & Ramada Inn Maingate, which are both within walking distance, but if you can pay a little bit more, then try the Best Western Park Place Inn - closest to the parks entrances. The Howard Johnson is also a nice hotel. Or try Park Inn & Suites, Carousel Inn & Suites... Many will tell you that the Candy Cane Inn is the best.

Disneyland does sell 1-day park hoppers so you can go to both parks. Pirates of the Caribbean will probably be down when your there, but on the off chance that it's still open, have lunch at the Blue Bayou, which is inside the Pirates attraction.

I'll let others give their 2 cents & then I'll chime in again.

 

[Pir8girl]

First off you need to find a good hotel:
www.tripadvisor.com has reviews and prices.
-Candy Cane Inn and Howard Johnsons are two inexpensive favorites. You can either walk to DL from these hotels or I believe there is a shuttle from HoJo's.
- According to the DL calendar Fantasmic, Remember, and Bill Hilly & the Hillbillies will be playing. You definitely want to try and see Fantasmic.
- I use www.ridemax.com when I go to Disneyland. They have a one day useage fee. It runs a computer program to maximize your time so that you can ride as many rides as possible.
-Blue Bayou is my fave restaurant, but unfortunately Pirates and BB will be closed March 6. Try the Plaza Inn or Carnation Cafe for sit down meals.
- DL & CA do have hopper passes. The price for a one day hopper is $79 according to the DL website
- Many, many people go it alone at Disneyland. If you feel uncomfortable going alone, start a thread and see if any disers are going and are interested in meeting up with you.

Have a great time and I hope your sister gets the job.

 

[Stitch1404]

I am going to go with the Carnation Cafe for lunch. Now how do I make a reservation there, or is one even necessary? I am so used to WDW where you have to make all your dining plans weeks if not months in advance! I toyed with the idea of bringing along my four year old daughter for the weekend, but then I figured asking a 4 year old to deal with a 3 hour time change, a 4 hour flight and a long day in a theme park all within 3 days would be asking for disaster! Plus she will have more fun getting spoiled by grandma all weekend! So I am officially going solo!

Can I buy my park pass upon arrival, or should I get it now online or something? I think I am going to just do Disneyland and skip California Adventure. It looks to me like the big draw to CA is the thrill rides which I don't like. At Disneyland I can watch the parades and shows and be much happier. Is this a good choice?

I still need somwhere to stay though. I think I am leaning toward Howard Johnson, it is clean, close, and not too expensive. Is this a good choice?

Thanks!

 

[frozonefan]

If you are worried about being alone in Disneyland you might be interested in this story....I met my parents in WDW about 6 years ago. We planned to spend the whole day together, but it was so crowded my parents decided to go to Downtown Disney. I told them I'd meet them later and I took my park hopper over to MGM, which I hoped was less crowded. It was jampacked, too, but I made the most of it. Actually it was easier to navigate the crowds and I could go in singles lines, etc. I ended up doing many more rides by myself than I would have if I had even one other person with me. It was great. It did take me a couple rides to get used to saying "just one" when the operator asked "How many?"
So now, like you, I have found theat I have a chance to go to Disneyland (by myself) In late April, but I'm psyched! So much to see and nobody that has to stop to go to the bathroom or doesn't like the rides I like, etc. Look at the bright side, you can act like a crazy Disney freak because you'll never ever see any of those people again.

 

[stampinshauna]

Since you just have one day and you don't care for thrill rides, I'd skip California Adventure. That will save you $20. You usually cannot get a discount on a one day admission, so you can just purchase it when you get there. I think it is $59 for just Disneyland. I think the only ride that has a single rider line is Splash Mountain. I enjoy watching Billy Hill & the Hillbillies at the Golden Horsehoe, that would be fun if you want some down time, and they don't have it in Florida. Tiki Room is still the original in Disneyland. Small World and Pirates are bigger. The 50th film at the Opera House is interesting (it has Steve Martin & Donald Duck in it). Enjoy your day!

 

[Stitch1404]

Just booked the Howard Johnson!

 

[Pir8girl]

Wise choice leaving DD home. Better to take her when she's a bit older and you have some time to enjoy the park.
You can make priority seating (reservation) 30 days out. I've read 60, but now I'm not sure. You just call Disney Dining and tell them where you'd like to eat and when (714) 781-DINE (3463).
If you feel uncomfortable eating alone, bring a paperback or a book about the park.
If you really feel like you can't do it alone, book one of the walking tours.
Have fun!