Starting The Magic: How to Start Planning for Disneyland!
Disclaimer: I'm not a travel agent, Annual Passholder, cast member or associated with the Disney company in any way. The views, as with everything on my blog, expressed here are my own and how I personally begin to plan and will follow through planning. This is to help those who have no idea where to start. Planning is overwhelming. I go into far too much detail with planning, starting a year or more in advance as it's entertaining for me and take a lot of the anxiety out of the trip. I enjoy it and thus spend too much time doing it. I hope that what I have found will help others and reduce the stress of planning their own Disneyland vacations.
You've gone ahead and chosen Walt's original park to have your next vacation - Disneyland in California! An excellent choice and one you won't regret (but who would regret a Disney vacation? Perhaps those who don't plan it properly!) That begs the question: now that you've chosen your destination, where do you begin?
Hi, I'm Aspi! I'm an avid Disneyland fanatic and the purpose of my blog is to share my own knowledge, experiences and mistakes so that you can learn from them and plan your own trip. I want to compile Disneyland tips, tricks, how-to's, suggestions and little bits of magic .. all while removing as much of the stress as possible to help your own trip. Please read my blog disclaimer before continuing!
WHO'S COMING?
One of the most important things is to figure out who is coming, as the people you bring (as well as the number of them) will have the largest impact on the rest of the planning. They present the most variables you need to account for: scheduling, rides, food, budget and more. Everybody has their own way of doing things, so by planning and allowing for that, the process becomes that much easier. Far less meltdowns and stress and much more fun ahead!
When I planned for my sister and I back in 2018, I had no problem getting a rough draft of what to expect. Not only did we grow up together, we share many of the same interests and opinions on Disney and how we prefer our days to go. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses and what would be tough in the park, our sleeping and eating habits, staying all day, remaining in the "disney bubble" and the like! She's been to the park several times before, so it was easy for her to communicate what she did and didn't enjoy about her previous trips. With a year for me to plan, it was more than enough time to figure out what we didn't see eye to eye on and plan a vacation that would be magical - for the both of us! I'm happy to say it was a success, and it meant so much to me when she said I'd been her favourite to visit with and that our trip had been the most magical of all the others she'd been on. In fact, she was even bored of Disneyland and didn't want to go, she just wanted to spend time with me! Now she can't wait to go back.
This time around, I was in more of a pickle as I don't have that experience with the group I'm going with. I want to do for them what I did for my sister; make it magical and memorable. While I've known two of the people I'm travelling with for almost fifteen years, having gone with them to many anime conventions, I know Disneyland puts even the largest con to shame and poses bigger and different problems than struggling to put contacts in or staying up until 3AM to paint scales on a dress. The third person I'm friends with, but I've only known for about three years and haven't had the pleasure of going on a trip with or getting to know as well as I'd like to! I don't know the fourth at all and really wanted for us to connect and get a sense of how well everyone worked together and what their preferences were. More on this in a moment!
WHEN TO GO?
Fortunately for us, the time of year or the amount of days wasn't even a question! It was without hesitation that we wanted to experience the Halloween season and attend Oogie Boogie's Bash on the 31st, with 5 Day Park-Hoppers. Unfortunately, life goes as it does, and several factors such as COVID-19 and a wedding just made those dates not work for us. We've adjusted our dates and will now be visiting in early November, hopefully enjoying the first few days of the Christmas season.
In any other situation, the way I narrow down when to go is factored in by all of the following points, which makes it easy to choose the month and year. I don't tackle these things in specific order or worry about hte exact day, unless there's a specific celebration, as that is narrowed naturally by things like days off of work, openings in hotels, crowd levels, flight prices, Disney tickets, etc.
» Budgeting. Of course, this is a rough ballpark of what you want to spend. I take into account items to purchase as well such as clothes or shoes for the trip, food, tours, character dining, flights, hotel, transportation, gifts and merchandise. I find around $5,000 is my ideal budget without having to worry about money while I'm there and to be more than enough extra, including for emergencies or if something doesn't go as planned. Plus, it feels good to come home realizing you spent $1,500+ less than what you budgeted for! You want to find out what works for you. Take the time to browse prices, what interests you in the parks and how long it takes to raise what you can comfortably afford. It might be a few months, or even a few years. Keep in mind your budget may look different, as I may be interested in different things or you may be driving/have cheaper flights and may not need to factor in conversion rates if Disneyland isn't an international park for you. I'm Canadian, so this is something I need to keep in mind!
» Celebrations/Holidays. These are things that you would like to be, or not to be, in the park for. Consider birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, new ride or land openings, special parades and shows, park events such as Dapper Day, holidays and the like. One of our members comes from a military family, so wasn't wanting to be in the parks on Remembrance Day as it's an important day for her family if we could help it!
» Refurbishments. Consider attractions that would completely ruin your trip if they were unable to be ridden while you were there. I personally have six that I couldn't imagine not riding, but the only ones that would completely ruin my trip would be Indiana Jones and Pirates of the Carribbean. Indiana was originally planned for refurb in 2020, but due to COVID, I'm not expecting that to happen this year; if it did, I would re-schedule in a heartbeat. This happened to me with the Matterhorn in 2018, as I'd never ridden it before and wanted to! I also missed seeing Fantasmic as the last day it was available was our first day there. Make sure to check the schedules!
» Crowd Levels. This, I’m sure, is the major factor for most people. Nobody wants to be elbow-to-elbow walking from point A to point B; but it’s hard to say for sure what the park will be like on any given day. Fortunately for us, there’s plenty of tools out there to help you make educated estimates on levels. While my personal favourite is IsItPacked, you do need to take into account Public Holidays as well as thing like Events or Refurbishments and seasonal holidays such as spring break. There are many websites that have articles on the best and worst times to go, some of them being MouseSavers, IsItPacked, GetAwayToday and DisneyTouristBlog.
» Weather. I will likely lose a lot of you on this one as I don’t mind a rainy day or two or the colder weather and I find it much more comfortable than any amount of heat, but of course nobody likes to be out in line for two hours when it’s sweltering. Take the time to check historical averages and some information on Disneyland during different times of the year. Weather also affects what rides are operating and how long the parks are open, so do take that into account too!
WHERE TO STAY?
Disneyland currently offers three official hotels; Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier & the Grand Californian. However, there are many places to stay right across the street for just a fraction of the cost, some being even closer than the official hotels! With that, I think my opinion on the matter is pretty clear: I don't think it's worth it to stay on-property at Disneyland. Some say the benefits aren't worth losing, but other hotels offer similar amenities for a little extra (but still remain lower than the average night at a Disney hotel.) Some things may be done yourself in "DIY" fashion, or made up for in other areas!
» Extra Magic Hour. The perk of entering earlier every single day of your stay compared to entering early only once is easily made up for with a good itinerary and time management. If you are willing to fork over the extra money just for this, then I recommend the Max Pass as a still-cheaper and even better solution as you have access to all PhotoPass photos, including ride photos.
» Proximity. With the exception of the Grand Californian, several hotels are actually much closer to the parks. Those that aren't are only a few minutes more walking distance, may offer free or low-charge shuttles to and from the parks, or are only a $5-7 Uber ride away; all of which are cheaper than the average nightly rate.
» Theme. Personally, I was less than impressed with the Disneyland Hotel when I visited in 2018. After a meltdown where my sister ducked me into the nearest bathroom to calm down, I was a little disorientated and had to ask where we were.. because the themeing was just so minimal. Apart from the teacup-chairs and headboards in the rooms, the dark carpet and odd texures mixed with historical elements that I feel would be better off highlighted in a tour.. it just felt far too dirty, focusing on quantity rather than quality with no privacy in areas like the pool. It was disenchanting and unwelcoming in comparison to the gorgeous Majestic Garden, offering full-out castle themeing with a rose garden and koi pond, not to mention a fairytale surrounding the hotel with its own Princesses who wanders the halls and tells her story nightly by the fireside and even responds to letters. The Grand Californian was beautiful, but I feel the cost of staying is better put to use with more days in the park at an off-property hotel. We never visited Paradise Pier, though it was almost our hotel of choice, but the cons outweighed the pros. With so many hotels much more beautiful than Disney's, as well as AirBNB's in the area, offering so much more private space and even full kitchens... it's just not worth it, to me. I do think it is more than worth it to take half a day or so to tour the hotels and the lobby, especially during holidays, but I’m not fond of the themes otherwise.
» Character Dining. This is offered in other locations, my favourite being the in-park Minnie's Breakfast At The Plaza Inn.
» Reservation Priority. For most everything you would want to reserve, they may typically be made up to 60 days in advance for non-hotel guests and there is generally no issue with booking if you're early enough.
» In-Room Celebrations. As far as this goes, I will be making a post at a later time in my AddALittleMagic section which presents a DIY Method to bring in a cheaper celebration. Part of what this will mention is various Princess Party businesses, which bring in characters who will do a series of activities. I'm sure if you phone those companies, they'd be more than willing to offer specialized wake-up calls as well, just like the Disney property hotels.
The only benefit I see as worthwhile for staying on Disney property is the Package Express, which delivers items directly to your room for you. Even then, there is something so special to me about choosing a particular item in a store with friends and family. Some of my strongest memories in the parks, including one of my very few memories of my 2004 trip, were choosing items in the store and carrying it around the rest of the day. There are locker rentals for larger and more cumbersome purchases, but I also recommend midday breaks back at your hotel.. which just trumps the benefits of the Package Express. The decision of staying on or off property is completely up to you, but I would much rather buy an extra day or two in the park!
How do I choose where to stay?
I don’t have a fancy way of narrowing down the options which I use, but I am thorough in choosing where to spend the night. The method I use is meticulous, but well worth it. I consider the amenities the people I travel with would like or need, ranging anywhere from free breakfast, pool, gym, suite, connecting rooms as well as a their overall budget.
From there, I search on Google Maps for “Disneyland Hotels” and keep within a few blocks of the park itself to make sure everything is in walking distance or only a short Uber ride away. I use the options to narrow down guests staying, the dates and the price per night. I visit the websites of these hotels and view the rooms, listing pro’s and con’s. I then do similar on the AirBNB website and compare amenities and price! When I’ve narrowed it down to the top 5, I take the list to those I’m staying with and ask them their opinions - voicing what I think the best option for us is.
The most beautiful hotel I found in the area, offering so much for such a ridiculously low price, is the Majestic Garden Hotel where my sister and I stayed in 2018. I have stayed in many a hotel and AirBNB and the service and quality offered here is completely unmatched.
For 2020, my group and I will be staying at the Hyatt House. I was sad to compromise with this, but we would have needed two rooms at the Majestic Garden - which doesn’t offer free breakfast either, so it made more sense costwise and it was important for us to all be in one room. We’ll still be visiting the Majestic Garden during our trip, to tour the hotel and eat the amazing sliders at their bar!
Other places which I haven’t had the pleasure of staying at, but I would have stayed in a heartbeat, is this gorgeous Peter-Pan themed AirBNB. The host also offers several other spaces themed to Disney movies, but I’m a sucker for Peter! There was also this stunning muted pink-and-grey townhouse!
I sincerely hope that this post helped you in some way and would appreciate a follow if you would like to see more! I’ll be making plenty of posts about Disneyland and my planning process. *No affilliate links are featured in this post. All opinions are my own.