Disneyland advice?

[Wines Not Whines]

We'll be at DL in 2 weeks (yay)! We're planning to spend 3 days there. We've been there before, but not since last July, and I haven't really keep up to date with what's new since then. Any recommendations or advice?

Also, my son is turning 6 while we're on the trip. I will do some googling, but does anyone know of any special birthday things we can do while we're there? 

[alleinesein]

There really isn't anything new but there are quite a few attractions and things that are closed due to the Star Wars land construction. Getting around the park in the evening can be quite a PITA since you can no longer cut between Frontierland and Fantasyland; everyone has to use the hub and deal with dodging the parade and the castle being closed during fireworks.

Get a birthday button from guest relations. If you are staying on property you can order a birthday basket to be delivered to your room. If you plan on dining at a full service restaurant you can order a cake.

Custom Cakes and Sweets
No birthday is complete without a tasty treat—custom cakes add a dash of pixie dust to your loved one’s big day.
Eat, sing and blow out the candles—Disney style! Transform special moments into memories that last a lifetime by ordering a custom birthday cake for delivery to select table-service restaurants at Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park or a Disneyland Resort Hotel.

Celebration Cakes
Ring in the auspicious occasion at select table-service restaurants throughout Disneyland Resort with a scrumptious meal and specially created celebration cake:

Select a Mickey or Minnie Mouse-shaped cake, a Disney Princess Cake or a Disney Signature Cake
Choose from a variety of cake, filling and frosting options
Personalize any order with your own unique message
To order a cake or learn more about participating locations, please call (714) 781-DINE or [phone] up to 60 days prior to your visit.

Please note: custom cakes must be ordered at least 3 days prior to your preferred date of delivery.

Are you staying on property or off property?

[alleinesein]

Aug 1, 2016 13:49:05 GMT -5 Loco Coco said:

Definitely a birthday button. You can actually get them from almost any kiosk/store/stand. That was you don't have to wait at guest relations. I get ours as soon as we walk in and there's like a little hat/camera stand that is always empty.

If you haven't seen Paint the Night, definitely do that.

DCA has a kiosk right outside Guest Relations that does nothing but hand out buttons and maps.  It is great because it is right when you walk into the park and it takes less than a minute to get stuff.  

[Wines Not Whines]

Thanks for the advice about birthday buttons! It's good to know we don't need to go to guest relations for that. Do you think our hotel will have them, too? We're staying at the Grand Californian. It's a bit of a splurge, but I fractured my foot and I'm in a boot ( ) so I want to make things as easy as possible.

[TBM]

Aug 1, 2016 14:24:58 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

Thanks for the advice about birthday buttons! It's good to know we don't need to go to guest relations for that. Do you think our hotel will have them, too? We're staying at the Grand Californian. It's a bit of a splurge, but I fractured my foot and I'm in a boot ( ) so I want to make things as easy as possible.

I'm jealous!  I love the lobby and have spent a couple of cold rainy afternoons drying off in front of the fireplace with other soggy people.  Oh, and get the truffle mac and cheese at Napa Rose.  You can't eat in the lounge with kids, but we popped in one night and ate at the bar and had a great time.

I would ask the concierge at the hotel about what you can do for his birthday.  I might be tempted to call now to see what they suggest so that you can plan ahead.

[alleinesein]

Aug 1, 2016 14:24:58 GMT -5 Wines Not Whines said:

Thanks for the advice about birthday buttons! It's good to know we don't need to go to guest relations for that. Do you think our hotel will have them, too? We're staying at the Grand Californian. It's a bit of a splurge, but I fractured my foot and I'm in a boot ( ) so I want to make things as easy as possible.

Ask the front desk when you check in; they have a stash of buttons that they hand out.  You also might want to stop by the concierge desk and let them know it is your kiddos birthday; they have been known to send up an autographed pic of Mickey to your room.

Depending on your mobility you might want to set up getting a wheelchair while you are there.  Disney partners with a local rental company and you can get a basic wheelchair for $10 a day and they will deliver it to the hotel.  Guest services can set this up for you and it is so much easier than dealing with any rental at the park since you can keep it for your entire stay and you can leave the park with it.  If you go the wheelchair route be sure to take advantage of both the FP system and the guest assistance pass.  With a FP you can use the wheelchair line with little to no wait.  The guest assistance pass system is a bit different; there will usually be a cast member at the ride exit or at the start of the line; tell them you are a wheelchair party and they will either put you in line right away or give you a return time (it is usually about 20-30 minutes out).  When they give you a return time they will scan your ticket and you just return at your ride time and the CM will get you on the ride.  This system is not part of the FP system so you can have both at the same time.

Take advantage of extra magic hour while you are there.  One tip for DCA- either get in the hotel line earlier (about 30 minutes prior to park opening) or head over the the main entrance.  The hotel entrance line gets really long for EMH and it can take 30+ minutes to get through the line on busy days b/c they only have 2 ticket turnstiles open and only 2-3 people working security.  Using the main entrance is faster b/c of the multiple security lines and more open turnstiles.  For EMH at DLR you should hit up Fantasyland first and if your child wants to do the Jedi Training academy you want to be at the sign up when the park opens to the public.  When I go up to DLR we can usually hit Space Mountain, Buzz and Star Tours before the park opens.  In Fantasyland you should be able to do 3-5 rides before opening.