Heading to Disneyland 6/7-6/12

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Registered: 07-04-2004
Heading to Disneyland 6/7-6/12
8
Wed, 04-12-2006 - 3:48pm

This will be my children's first visit to Disneyland and my first time back in almost 20 years.

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Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 04-12-2006 - 4:56pm

Let me answer your questions based on my latest visit, which was in March. (I've been to Disneyland many, many times, this was just the most recent).

I've been reading up on the Fantasmic dinner packages and it appears to be a popular option.
- I wasn't aware there was a Fantiamic dinner package. I only knew about the dessert thing that is very expensive. I asked for some opinions on another site and found that not only is it expensive, but the dessert selection isn't that great, and the area where you're seated is crowded and doesn't always provide you a great view.

I think we will plan on eating at Goofy's Kitchen the day we fly down to kick things off before heading to the park the next day. Do I need to make reservations for Goofy's Kitchen?
- Yes you do. Otherwise you may end up waiting a long time, or not getting in at all. You can call 60 days ahead. The number for dining reservations is on the Disneyland website. It's the same number for all of their restaurants. It's actually called "Preferred Seating". We ate their our first night. Again, it was expensive and the food was "okay", but the desserts were great. It was also fun to have some of the characters roaming through the restaurant.

We have 3 day passes to Disneyland so the plan is to go to Disneyland Thursday, Universal Studios Friday, and then Disneyland Saturday and Sunday. Do we need to devote a whole day to California Adventure, say Saturday?
- We did three days, but just did Disneyland and California Adventure. Since we had hopper passes we went back and forth between the parks all three days.

I've heard mixed reviews from people about CA, some say it is more for older kids and those who really like roller coasters. Is that accurate?
- We LOVED California Adventure. Of course it doesn't have as much as Disneyland, but it has some of the best attractions - Soaring Over California, the Hollywood Tower of Terror and the Grizzley River Run. There are really only two roller coasters there. There are definitely areas and attractions that will appeal to younger kids.

Aladdin the Musical looks like fun any reviews on it?
- We saw this and really enjoyed it.

What about the tours are they worth the price?
- Not sure what tours you're referring to. I've never taken a tour at Disneyland and I'm not sure I'd want to.

I suggest you take a look at the Disneyland website. There is great information there about all of the rides and attractions. You may also want to get ahold of one of the tour books on Disneyland. We've found those to be helpful as well.

Have a great trip.

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Registered: 07-04-2004
Thu, 04-13-2006 - 12:46pm

Thanks for the feedback!

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Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 04-13-2006 - 12:57pm
Did you book any of this through Disney? We did (hotel, park tickets and airport shuttle) and by doing that we got some "freebies". The coupon book actually saved us quite a bit and we used it a lot more than I thought. I was able to use it at Goofy's Kitchen, several of the restaurants in Downtown Disney, and at the stores, both inside the park in the DT Disney. The "down" side was that we got free lanyards and ticket holders along with one free pin. That was enough to get my dd started on pin collecting, lol.
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Registered: 07-04-2004
Thu, 04-13-2006 - 1:18pm
We didn't book through Disney with 7 people in our group it was a bit much to do it that way.

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Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 04-13-2006 - 1:53pm

I love searching for deals online as well. We didn't book the flights through Disney, used Southwest as we had at least one free flight coupon. I actually figured I could have booked everything myself (hotel, park tickets, shuttle) and paid about the same, or maybe a little less, but with the discount coupons we got, we actually saved. You don't need to book the "whole" thing through Disney, you can just do pieces of it.

We've been before and never got sucked into the pin thing so you might be safe. What got us was that we had to pick up our lanyards at the big Disney store in DT Disney, in the department where the pins are sold. One of the employees told us how "pin trading" works and my dd was hooked. Of course she ended up buying a lot of pins (and I ended up buying two more) and did some trading as well. It can end up costing you a fortune!

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Thu, 04-13-2006 - 2:13pm
I think I read the Mary Poppin's Tea Party has been cancelled. It was on another website (that I cant seem to find) which had the customer reviews.
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Registered: 07-04-2004
Thu, 04-13-2006 - 3:07pm
Thanks for the heads up, I'm off to see if I can confirm that it has been cancelled or what.
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 04-13-2006 - 3:25pm
It looks like the Fantasmic Dinner Package is an option in Orlando, not at Disneyland. It also sounds like Fantasmic is different. It looks like in Orlando it's in some kind of theater setting, while at Disneyland it's done from Tom Sawyer's Island. Be sure to check the calendar as some of the parades and shows aren't done daily during "off seasons". I'm not sure when the summer season starts, with your dates everything might be going daily. I know when we were there in March Fantasmic and the fireworks were only only done a few nights (Friday for sure and maybe Saturday and Sunday).