[eklatt]

Hi everyone,

I just registered here.

I've never been a major fan of Disney, but my fiance' is a HUGE one. It's starting to rub off on me and we're planning on visiting Disneyland for two days (as it's hard for us to get away for much longer than that).

From reading some guidebooks, it looks like it's least busy in November or early December, so we'd be going around then. Possibly this year, but most likely in 2005. I'm glad this is a "good" time to go, because I love the Nightmare Before Christmas and read that they deck out the Haunted Mansion in a Nightmare Before Christmas theme. I'd also like to delay the trip in hopes that Space Mountain will be open by Winter 2005.

The most uncrowded time... They say that this time period is the least-crowded, but what does that really mean in terms of how long we'll have to stand in line, etc.?

Disneyland without a budget... We've come into a little money that we've decided to devote to this trip, so we really want to go all out. My question is - what can I do to go all out? Does everyone agree that the Grand Californian is the nicest/best place to stay? Is it within walking distance to Disneyland? Do they have a shuttle from LAX? (We figured we wouldn't need a car). Is there a particular suite in the Grand Californian that's really nice? Are there any "extras" we can buy? I'm pretty sure we can't buy our way into that special club (33?) but what are Disney's nicest places to eat, etc.?

This will be our first trip together, so I'm also looking to add some romance to everything. Any suggestions?

I look forward to hearing what you all have to say and I'm sure I'll be on here a lot with questions! Thanks so much!

-m

[jodilt]

First...I hope you love DL as much as your fiance when you complete your first trip!
Now to attempt to answer your questions:
Lines at the least crowded time of the year are probably 20-25 minutes at the most. If you use fastpass on the popular rides you shouldn't have any trouble seeing everything in 2 days.
As far as staying on property, the GC is the way to go. It is just a short walk from DL and has it's own entrance to DCA. It sits right in the middle of DTD. A great place to stay! I don't know about suites because I can't afford one, but I am sure they have very nice ones!
There are shuttles from LAX and from the Orange County airport which is actually a little closer. Super Shuttle is the one that comes to mind.
As far as "extras", I'm not sure what you mean. If you mean extras as far as nice things to do, there is a dessert buffett offered for the nightly Fantasmic show that looks soooo good! I think it is about $50 per person, but you get some great desserts and a special seat on the balcony of the Disney gallery to view Fantasmic.
You are right....you can't buy your way into Club 33...there is about a 10 year waiting list!
Nice restaurants in the parks: Blue Bayou at DL, and I have heard good things about the restaurant in the vineyard section of DCA. There is also a nice restaurant at the GC.
Hope this helps!

[eklatt]

Hi - thanks for info about that dessert bar thing. That's exactly the kind of thing I'm trying to find out. :)

[anaheimboy]

Originally Posted by eklatt

Hi everyone,

I just registered here.

I've never been a major fan of Disney, but my fiance' is a HUGE one. It's starting to rub off on me and we're planning on visiting Disneyland for two days (as it's hard for us to get away for much longer than that).

From reading some guidebooks, it looks like it's least busy in November or early December, so we'd be going around then. Possibly this year, but most likely in 2005. I'm glad this is a "good" time to go, because I love the Nightmare Before Christmas and read that they deck out the Haunted Mansion in a Nightmare Before Christmas theme. I'd also like to delay the trip in hopes that Space Mountain will be open by Winter 2005.

The most uncrowded time... They say that this time period is the least-crowded, but what does that really mean in terms of how long we'll have to stand in line, etc.?

Disneyland without a budget... We've come into a little money that we've decided to devote to this trip, so we really want to go all out. My question is - what can I do to go all out? Does everyone agree that the Grand Californian is the nicest/best place to stay? Is it within walking distance to Disneyland? Do they have a shuttle from LAX? (We figured we wouldn't need a car). Is there a particular suite in the Grand Californian that's really nice? Are there any "extras" we can buy? I'm pretty sure we can't buy our way into that special club (33?) but what are Disney's nicest places to eat, etc.?

This will be our first trip together, so I'm also looking to add some romance to everything. Any suggestions?

I look forward to hearing what you all have to say and I'm sure I'll be on here a lot with questions! Thanks so much!

-m

you will love Disneyland! Trust me. First off welcome! :-) The Grand Californian is VERY nice and is close to the parks and DTD as is all of the other Disney Hotels. I personally like the Blue Bayou and The Napa Rose, they are very nice resturaunts. The Blue Bayou is inside of Disneyland park and the Napa Rose is inside of The Grand Californian and is very nice and romantic. About the hotel room try to get a deluxe room with a view of DCA, those are very nice rooms. You can also get great info by calling the live Disneyland Resort Cast Member line at (714) 781-7290. I hope you have a great time at The Happiest Place on Earth!

[Disneywife]

Hi everyone,

I just registered here. Welcome!



The most uncrowded time... They say that this time period is the least-crowded, but what does that really mean in terms of how long we'll have to stand in line, etc.?

Does everyone agree that the Grand Californian is the nicest/best place to stay? Most definitely. Is it within walking distance to Disneyland? It's inside California Adventure and about a 1 minute walk from Disneyland's gates. Do they have a shuttle from LAX? (We figured we wouldn't need a car). Probably, but double check. If not you can take Super Shuttle or PrimeTime (airport vans). Is there a particular suite in the Grand Californian that's really nice? There are concierge rooms that overlook Downtown Disney...ask about those. I'm not sure if those are suites though. Are there any "extras" we can buy? I'm pretty sure we can't buy our way into that special club (33?) but what are Disney's nicest places to eat, etc.? Inside the Grand Californian, don't miss the Napa Rose. Expensive (be prepared) - but the food is AMAZING. Inside Disneyland, the Blue Bayou has pretty good food and the atmosphere (inside Pirates) is unbeatable. Inside CA Adventure, I liked the Vineyard. Downtown Disney also has several really good restaurants.

[anaheimboy]

On the shuttle, you may have to get a cab. Because I remember last time there, there were only schedualed shuttles and we missed the last one and the next one didnt arive for like an hour. So we just decided to get a cab...(this was when I flew back from my aunt and cousins and they came along) I decided to take them home a more adventerous way then my mom picking us up, they actually enjoyed it. :-)

[Disneywife]

I forgot - statistically the least crowded times of year are January and February. The holiday time does have some crowds but they aren't nearly as bad as spring and summer.

[anaheimboy]

Originally Posted by Disneywife

I forgot - statistically the least crowded times of year are January and February.The holiday time does have some crowds but they aren't nearly as bad as spring and summer.

Yea, I will have to agree. The MOST crowded months are usually from March-August. Then the crowds slow down around September-October and pick up again around November-January and then they slow down from middile January to Febuary. :-)