[Question] short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

[katloulav]

hey everyone!

im 15 wanted to get some advice from people who have been to disneyland before and what i should do in the short amount of time im there

why so short a trip? well we are just passing through on our way to comic con and figured it would be fun!

i was hoping for tips, insider advice, or just basic "must do's" for a first timer.

thanks so much :love:

[chipndale57]

Re: short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

Hello! Here's what I recommend as far as getting all of the rides in:

DISNEYLAND
-First thing in the morning, get a fast pass for space mountain or star tours. I usually then go to fantasyland (if you want to avoid lines, you have to go in the very early am, or very late pm. peter pan will still be 30 minutes at park closing). Ride Peter pan, dumbo, alice, mr toad, and casey jr first, in that order. then tea cups, snow white, and pinoccio. small world can wait until whenever- it isn't a terrible line to wait in.

-then visit tomorrowland. Get a fast pass for either star tours or space (whichever you didn't get first) then go use your fast pass which should be available now. then ride nemo, autopioa (this line SUCKS during the day- trust me. ride early), buzz, and matterhorn. If your second fast pass is good, go back and ride.

-then visit adventureland & New Orleans. get a fastpass for indy once your fast pass is free. then ride big thunder mountain, jungle cruise, pirates and haunted. Once your fastpass is valid, go get one for splash mountain. (it's great to get a pass for between 1230-130 when it's broiling hot). Ride pirates and then haunted mansion. When you go to do splash, do winnie the pooh if you want.

*** Do not waste your day waiting for pirates or for haunted mansion in the hot sun! The line really shrinks down during fantasmic due to people watching the show, so guaranteed even if it's an hour wait through the day, between 9:45-11, it's much shorter.

Food to try: Bengal BBQ in adventureland macros from indy. Dole whip by the entrance to adventureland


CALIFORNIA ADVENTURES

-If you want to see world of color, go to grizzly river run to get the fast pass for that.

-First thing get a fast pass for radiator springs. Then either ride radiator springs, or go ride the other two attractions. I would honestly get another fast pass for radiator springs before you leave the area... that wait will be insanely long. Then head to the pier to ride screaming, toy story mania, the wheel, goofy's sky school, silly symphony swings, and little mermaid. Then if your fast pass is available, go get another one at soaring over california, and ride radiator springs. next, tower of terror and monsters.

[Quentin]

Re: short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

I disagree with what was said with above. Since you don't have a lot of time and it will be crowded I was ignore the small attractions, especially Dumbo. Hit the big attractions, make sure you are at the park before it opens and you stay till it closes. Lines are shorter in the last hour of the day. FastPass is FREE, and you should get as many as you can. Make sure you do all the major attractions like: Disneyland: Space Mountain, Star Tours, Big Thunder, Matterhorn, Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and above all make sure you do Indiana Jones. If you visit Disney California Adventure Park: get a FastPass for Radiator springs first thing when park opens, Must Rides in California Adventure Park: Tower of Terror, Soarin' over California, Grizzly River Run, California Screemin', Toy Story Mania, Radiator Springs Racers. Once you tackle the main attractions, then focus on the smaller attractions at the resort. Only do Tea Cups and Dumbo like rides if you have time. As they are small and basic rides, you see what you get. Fantasyland rides like Mr. Toads wild ride and Peter Pan should take priority above Dumbo. I would say in all honesty don't waste your time, unless you don't like big rides (roller coasters) and only like smaller attractions.

[katloulav]

Re: short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

thanks so much for the advice! im definitly going to have to take advantage of fast passes. also, does anyone have any advice on what to bring what kind of shoes to wear (sandles, tennis shoes etc..)

thanks again

[Quentin]

Re: short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

thanks so much for the advice! im definitly going to have to take advantage of fast passes. also, does anyone have any advice on what to bring what kind of shoes to wear (sandles, tennis shoes etc..)

thanks again

You will be walking all day! So bring tennis shoes, you can do it if you have comfortable sandals. Plus side with sandals is when you ride Grizzly River Run you won't have wet shoes.

[katloulav]

Re: short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

You will be walking all day! So bring tennis shoes, you can do it if you have comfortable sandals. Plus side with sandals is when you ride Grizzly River Run you won't have wet shoes.

i never even thought of wet shoes! thanks:sweat:

[bigcatrik]

Re: short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

Use single rider line on Matterhorn and anything else that has it. Your group will be broken up but it's worth it. You can talk about the ride after the ride. Usually you ask a cast member about it and they'll give you a slip of paper and direct you where to go.

[chipndale57]

Re: short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

if you are mainly there to hit all the big rides, then certainly skip over fantasyland and go straight for either tomorrowland for space and star tours or adventureland for indy. i have found over the years that i can get through majority of disneyland if you're there at park opening pretty efficently, and fantasyland is a place i strongly dislike being anytime after 10 am. too many kids, and the long waits aren't worth it for me. lol. so i hit there first. i very much agree with quentin- don't miss indy!! one of my favorites for sure.
wear your most comfortable walking shoes! it's a ton of walking

[Quentin]

Re: short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

^ Warning though! If you use single rider line you can not sit in the front! If you wait in the Fastpass line or the regular (standby) line then you can ask to sit in the front! That reminds me, you are going to want to sit in the front on Indiana Jones and ABSOLUTELY for sure ask for the back on Big Thunder Mountain!! the front sucks on thunder mountain. So remember ask for the Front for Indiana Jones, and back for Thunder Mountain! In my opinion it makes a HUGE difference. When you ride thunder mountain you will see what I mean, and see why the back is 100000x more fun on that ride! And on Indiana Jones you can see sooooo much better in the front. That is why I avoid single rider line on Indiana Jones because I can't ask to be in the front.

[katloulav]

Re: short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

so many great tips everyone! and ill for sure ask for front on indy and back on thunder mountain!

[Quentin]

Re: short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

so many great tips everyone! and ill for sure ask for front on indy and back on thunder mountain!

I hope you have an awesome trip! And hope you can go back to see everything a later time! BUT yes those seats make the difference on the ride. It might be a slightly longer wait (2 min. at the most, but boy is it worth it!)

[katloulav]

Re: short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

I hope you have an awesome trip! And hope you can go back to see everything a later time! BUT yes those seats make the difference on the ride. It might be a slightly longer wait (2 min. at the most, but boy is it worth it!)

thank you so much its always great to get help from people who have been there before

[katloulav]

Re: short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

any other tips anyone?

[StarSpeeder]

Re: short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

I went to Disneyland in two days (with my band) and this is how things worked out (with check in times and everything).

Day one-
9 am- 45 min wait for Space Mountian (must go) (HUGE line, 75 mins or longer, if you don't get a fast pass and get it in the morning)
10:15 am- it's a small world (cute ride, a classic)(there's usually a fast moving line)
~~Clinic~~
2:30 pm- Lunch (Harbor Gallery, breadbowl)
3:00 pm- Got 7:00 fastpass for Splash mountian
3:05 pm- Winnie-the-Pooh (cute ride, short line if you want to kill some time)
3:30 pm- Haunted Mansion (really cool ride) (fast moving, but long, line)
4:00 pm- Pirates of the Caribbean (another cool line) (again, fast moving but long line)
~~Check in~~
4:05 pm- Big Thunder Mountain (one of the most underrated Disney rides ever, it's awesome!) (usually a very long line, we got lucky)
5:10 pm- In the Tiki tiki tiki tiki tiki room. (45 minutes of singing birds, you either love it or hate it)
6:00- Jungle Cruise (long but fast moving ride, it's old as the park itself but cool)
7:10- Splash Mountain (we got our fastpasses or it would've been a 75 min wait, SO WORTH IT)
Dinner at Pizza port and we to the hotel at 9.

Day 2-
9:00 am- Star Tours (AWESOME RIDE! WOOP! I happen to be watching Star Wars at the moment) (REALLY LONG LINE!!! Fastpass it)
~~Concerts~~
2:00- Switch parks
2:10- got fastpass for Grizzly River Run
2:30- California Screamin' (the biggest, baddest rollercoaster in Disneyland)
3:45- Grizzly River Run (awesome ride, very very awesome) (long line, so get fastpass)
5:00-7:15 pm- Tower of Terror (we were unable to get a fastpass, so we had to stick it in the 2 hour excrusiatingly slow wait) (it was worth it)
7:30- Toy Story Mania (long one hour wait, there isn't anything you can do)
Dinner (I forgot where)
8:45- Ariel's Undersea Adventure (cool ride, we snuck in while World of Color let out, no wait!)
Went home.

I have several regrets about this trip. I didn't get to go on Indiana Jones or the Mark Twain (must sees). There's so much I missed in California Adventure thanks to the really long Tower of Terror wait, I would've went on the Symphony Swings, Muppets in 3D, Animation Studio, or Soarin' Over California (those are really great). I also would've gotten more fastpasses, but they interfeared with concert/clinic times and there was a limited amount of time in each park. YOU HAVE TO SEE THE FIREWORK SHOW. WORLD OF COLOR IS ALSO AMAZING, BUT YOU NEED A FASTPASS. No matter how long the fastpass line is for World of Color is, stick it out. It's worth it. You would need to go early too (with the fastpass).
Also, Matterhorn was closed for construction and you need to go on that ride. Now Buena Vista Street is open and so is Carsland, so check those out. I'm tired of typing but I'll be glad to add more if you want any more tips (or whatever this essay is).

Have fun

[DARTH MAUL]

Re: short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

Are you going to both parks on just one?

[katloulav]

Re: short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

Are you going to both parks on just one?

both


and if you still are willing to add tips star speeder ill gladly read them)

[3duckgirl3]

Re: short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

I would actually recommend having a couple of pairs of (well-worn in) shoes and switching at least once during the day. I usually switch between a pair of Nike Frees and a pair of cushy flip-flops and end the day with a lot less pain than when I would just stick to one or the other.

I'd also recommend downloading one of the apps that give you wait times (I have three. Which I check often, even when I'm not at the parks, because it somehow makes me feel connected. I realize that's very silly) so that you can plan destinations. Now, they're certainly not infallible, but if someone has just posted that Big Thunder is down, you can save yourself some steps and time by heading to Space instead, etc. Again, the advantage of having more than one is that you have less chance of getting duped by someone posting bogus times. Why someone would do that, I have no idea, but it definitely happens.

Finally, make sure you take advantage of the early and late hours, as well as FastPasses (as others have mentioned). My mom and I were in the parks a couple days before Thanksgiving last year and it was stinkin' busy, but we still got in 20+ rides a day by following those rules. We'd head back to the hotel and nap or relax for a little bit during the afternoon when it was busiest, so we weren't totally exhausted and still were able to hit everything we wanted to.

Most of all, have fun!

[StarSpeeder]

Re: short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

Mk then. Food is important. It's better to go into Downtown Disney and get good quality food than to have questionable quality food in the park (I know the snacks are really sugary and good, but don't live off of them). If you're going on a the water rides (Grizzly River Run and Splash Mountain) it's good to bring an extra change of socks and ponchoes. The ponchoes in the park are about 15 bucks and not that great so I suggest buying them before hand. GO ON THE WATER RIDES EARLY. If you're going to get wet, do it at noon rather than at night. I went on at 7 and 5 but I know how not to get wet. My copanions, on the other hand, weren't so happy. Another thing is, you don't get very wet in Splash Moutian (but it's still a very very nice ride). You can, but it depends where you sit. Grizzly River run, though, you get soaked.
Before I went to Disneyland (because I don't go to Disneyland that often)... this might sound a little crazy, but I got the map online and memorized it. It saves tons of time in the long run.
FASTPASSES DO SAVE YOUR LIFE. You don't want to end up in a 2 hour line. The best lines to get fastpasses for are Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Star Tours, Indiana Jones, Big Thunder Mountain, Tower of Terror, Grizzly River Run, and World of Color. The fastest moving lines are it's a small world, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Ariel's Undersea Adventure, Matterhorn, and California Screamin' (it's a long long long wait, but a fast moving line). Most the shows in Disneyland (Muppets in 3D, Aladdin, Animation, fireworks, fantasmic, and World of Color) are amazing and must sees (including the parades).
Most of the rides in Fantasyland (and a couple more like Winnie-the-Pooh, the Tiki Room, and Finding Nemo) are really cool (like Peter Pan) and pretty awesome if you find yourself waisting time.
I'll be back later.

[Jetlife]

Re: short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

Get there Early.
Chip N Dales advice Post #2 is spot on.
The only thing I would add, is...
Walk slowly up Main street.
Take lots of pictures, even if it is just with your Cell Phone.
Have fun.
Even if you don't get to do everything, I guarantee that you will want to come back sometime in the future.

[katloulav]

Re: short first trip to disneyland! what should i do in 2 days?

.