2 Nights/1 Day Disney - Help me out!

Hi Guys %26amp; Gals!

Looking for some help with planning the Anaheim and Disney leg of our US trip (visitng from UK):

Our itenary

Tues 30th Sept - Drive from San Luis Obispo to Anaheim via Sunset Blvrd (photo%26#39;s) aiming to arrive later afternoon.

Weds 1st October - Disney Park/s

Thurs 2nd October - Drive to LAX for flight home (arrive by 2pm)

We are a mid-twenties couple and will be staying in The Staybridge Suites, have already purchased a one day park hopper ticket online.

Any advice on where to visit in Anaheim and how to structure our day at the Park/s would be appreciated.

I know people suggest only do 1 park but I wanted to purchase tickets in advacne and have the option of both.

Thanks!

2 Nights/1 Day Disney - Help me out!

I don%26#39;t see anything happening that day, so the crowds should be light. With Disneyland, get a good night sleep before and be at the gates 20-30 minutes before opening. You can get a lot done in the first couple of hours when Disneyland first opens (lot of walking, wear a comfortable pair of shoes). When the rope drops, every one runs to the Nemo ride, I like to head to Space Mountain! The rides not to miss are:

Space Mountain

Star Tours

Buzz Lightyear

Astro Orbiter (if short wait)

Nemo (only if wait time is 30 minutes or less)

Matterhorn

Peter Pan

Mr Toads Wild Ride

Tea Cups (if short wait)

Dumbo (if short wait)

Casey Jr (ride in Caboose)(if short wait)

Storybook Land boats (if short wait)

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Indian Jones

Pirates of the Caribbean

Haunted Mansion

Splash Mountain

Roger Rabbit Car Toon Spin

Gadget%26#39;s Coaster (very short ride, less than a minute, but fun)(if short wait)

Parade of Dreams 7:00 PM

Early in the morning, if these rides are a walk on, grab a fast pass for later and ride them again!

Billy Hill plays in the Golden Horseshoe, fun show and you can catch a bite to eat there. Cafe Orleans has good food, try the Pomme Frites and the Monte Cristo sandwich, yum. Carnation Cafe has good food also, it is on Main Street. The Refreshment Corner on Main Street has good chili dogs. There is a cart between Star Tours and Space Mountain that has good pretzels. Rancho de Zocalo, try the carne dinner. And Redd Rockets if you want pizza or pasta.

At noon or early afternoon, if it starts to get too busy at Disneyland, head over to California Adventure. The rides that are not to miss are:

Soarin%26#39; over California (awesome)

Monster, Inc

Tower of Terror (I don%26#39;t like heights, but love it)

Grizzly River Rapids (weather depending)

California Screamin%26#39;

Maliboomer (not for faint of heart)

Mulholland Madness

Toy Story Mania

Pixar Parade 5:15 PM

Disneyland is open 10AM-8PM

California Adventure is open 10AM-6PM

After parks close, head over to Downtown Disney for a little shopping at the World of Disney and dinner. You have the House of Blues, Jazz Kitchen, and ESPN Zone.

It will be a long day, but so worth it.

Enjoy!!

2 Nights/1 Day Disney - Help me out!

Thanks for your lep and words of advice.

We were intially planning to stay in %26#39;Hollywood%26#39; the night before our Disney day but thought it better to arrive to ensure that we can get into the park as soon as it opens.

Any thoughts on how long it will be to drive to the airport?

Do I need a Disneyland ticket to access Downtown Disney (presume not?) thinking of what we can do when we arrive later afternoon and early morning before heading home!

Downtown Disney is open to the public, no tickets needed. Luckily you don%26#39;t have to arrive at the airport till 2 PM, lot of people have to fly out real, real early in the morning! I would plan on leaving by noon, use car pool lanes, and you should have plenty of time.

I like the prevous list of rides, one to add to the list is the Enchanted Tiki Room in Adventureland. Have fun! :)

The night before, I would definitely hit Downtown Disney, there are plenty places to eat and shop. You can stroll over and check out the Disneyland Hotel and The Grand Californian (a beautiful place).

Wow, thanks for all the replies - My Mrs is constantly telling me I need to post my reviews and experiences on here. After all the valuable insights from the different forums (Im visiting Vegas/San Fran/Anaheim)that I%26#39;ve gleaned I must start posting!

Quick questions:

*Anyone have any experience of the Staybridge Suites? The other hotel I was looking at was the Crowne Plaze Garden Grove - Needs to be a IHG hotel :)

*Car Pool lane? Is this for hire car%26#39;s etc? Never heard of one...

A car pool lane is a lane on some portions of the freeway system that is designated only for people with two or more people in their vehicle. Usually it flows better than the other lanes because there are less people using it. It is the lane furthest to the left, next to the median. A driver may only enter or exit the car pool lane when there is NOT a steady unbroken yellow line. If there is a steady unbroken line and you attempt to enter you would risk a collision or a traffic ticket. If you do not feel comfortable driving next to a cement wall (median) and/or driving in a lane that is far away from freeway exits, I won%26#39;t recommend driving in the car pool lanes. In my humble opinion, I would drive in the second lane from the right or use change from second and third, as one or the other lanes clear a bit. This way you can see and reach your exit easier. The first lane on the right on a freeway is considered the merging lane, where vehicles coming onto the freeway will merge with vehicles already on the freeway. It%26#39;s best to avoid driving in that lane until you are preparing to exit.

I look at some of your posts and see that you are a mid-20%26#39;s couple traveling without children. Therefore, I would create a somewhat different list of rides for you. But instead of doing that, I%26#39;m going to post a link that you can go to look at the ride descriptions and decide for yourself.

www.visionsfantastic.com/page-resortmap.html

Oh, yes, I forgot...

I have stayed at the Crowne Plaza - in 2002. It is a nice hotel and they have comfy beds. You may wish to consider, though, something within walking distance to the main gate. There are several choices there.

Also, if the French Market restaurant is open in New Orleans Square (in Disneyland) I would recommend that for nice outdoor views and good, reasonably prices food. They have great jambayala. There may be a jazz band playing there in the afternoon. If it is not open, try the Cafe Orleans for somewhat similar outdoor views and table service.

Crow99-

I have stayed at Staybridge Suites twice now and have loved both experiences. Stayed several times on the strip that is walking distance to Disneyland but I just found the standards going further and further down...

Staybride suites was VERY roomy and VERY comfortable! Beautifully decorated too might I add. They provide an awesome complimentry breakfast in the mornings (waffles, toast, donuts, cereal, etc.) Theyve got a great gym to use aswell as a huge swimming pool and hottub. Another bonus is that the suites have a kitchen. We found it a great alternative to be able to make some of our own food instead of paying big bucks to eat out 2 meals a day.

It is about a 10 minutes drive from the Disney parks, but their was a reliable shuttle to get back and forth every half an hour or so that left from the front of the hotel.

I would absolutely return here for another stay.

- Carolyn

Thanks everyone for your help!

It sounds like we are doing ok with our travel plans.

Planning on using the shuttle from the hotel to Disneyland.

On the second night we will be eating in Disneyland, any recommendations on where in Downtown Disney or Anaheim to eat on the first night?

Thanks for the car pool details, Im quite confident driving in the UK and around any walls etc.. so will have to see how I feel in the states but a car pool lane could be ideal!