Planning a Last-Minute Disneyland Trip

Okay, so you've decided on the spur-of-the-moment that you're going on a trip to Disneyland ...yeah! That's fabulous, but ... now what? Not sure where to start? That's okay, don't worry. It's plenty possible to plan a last-minute Disneyland vacation and there are many resources available to help you do it.

The first thing I would suggest is that you buy a Disneyland guide book, especially if you've never been there or haven't been in quite a while. Personally, I recommend The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland. We've used it on a number of occasions and have found it to be an invaluable vacation-planning resource. Not only are there detailed descriptions and reviews of every hotel, dining establishment, and attraction at or near the Disneyland Resort, but there are tons of useful tips and advice for planning your stay and touring the parks more efficiently.

When planning an impromptu trip, don't expect to be able to fulfill all of your lodging and dining requests, especially if you prefer the resort hotels and restaurants. Some people begin planning their Disneyland Resort vacations over a year in advance, which affords them plenty of time to reserve the room of their choice and make dining reservations.

In the off-season, you stand a much better chance of hotels and restaurants being able to accommodate your last-minute requests, but such is not the case during the busier times of the year. Since many Disneyland restaurants accept reservations up to 60 days in advance, tables are often booked ahead of time, especially in peak season. Still, this doesn't mean that you shouldn't at least try to snag those reservations. You might get lucky and benefit from a last-minute cancellation, but be prepared to make other arrangements if necessary.

Also, with respect to dining, try to plan to some extent where you would like to eat during your trip. Will you be using only table-service restaurants or are you content to grab a quick bite at the parks? This will prevent you from wandering around aimlessly looking for a dining spot, which in turn will save you valuable touring time.

Refer to your Disneyland guide book for the contact information of area hotels and restaurants.

When planning a trip like this on short notice, you might be wondering, "Is it still possible to save on theme park tickets? Are there any last-minute vacation deals available?"

Often there are still ways to save, even at a late date, though some deals are better than others. For easy do-it-yourself planning, you can, of course, go through the Disneyland Resort website, although that's usually not the most cost-effective route. Guide books also have suggestions and tips for saving. My favorite source for Disney vacation deals is Mousesavers.com. Mousesavers is a website dedicated to finding discounts and money-saving deals for all things Disney. There you will find all of the current Disney vacation deals, for lodging both in and around the Disney resorts, including tips for saving money on tickets, dining, transportation, and more.

One issue you might run into when planning a Disneyland getaway is figuring out which Disneyland attractions to patronize and which ones to postpone for another visit. The problem is, with so many rides, attractions, and other entertainment options to choose from, how do you decide where to spend your time?

Here, again, I strongly encourage you to refer to a guide book or the Disneyland website if necessary. Sort through the list of rides and attractions by placing each on one of three lists: MUST-SEE, INTERESTED, NOT INTERESTED. It's important to have each member of your group do this so that everyone's opinion is considered. Then, devise a touring plan based on the "MUST-SEE" list. Be sure to keep the "INTERESTED" list handy, just in case you have extra time at the end of the day to tour some of those attractions as well. Prioritizing is the key here. Knock out those must-see attractions early and visit any others as time allows. You can make even better use of your time by coordinating your lists with the touring plans found in The Unofficial Guide.

Now I realize you might be wondering, "Is all this really necessary? Do you really need to plan your trip ahead of time? Can't you just pack up and go to Disneyland and still have a good time?"

Absolutely. It's Disneyland. Just being there is magical. But why take the chance? Why take the chance of having a "good" time, when, with a little preparation, you could have a fantastic time?

Case in point ...

Several years ago, my mother won a 4-day/3-night trip for four to The Disneyland Resort through a local radio contest. Almost everything was included ... airfare, a room at The Disneyland Hotel, park-hopper tickets, even Disney dollars for spending money. My mom generously invited my husband and I, and our then 4yr old son, to go with her. Boy, were we excited! Compounding our excitement was the fact that we found out about the trip just 3 days in advance! Three days ... talk about last-minute. Anyway, we bought a guide book (not the one mentioned previously), but we didn't have time to read much of it because we were so busy making our last-minute preparations. Since we'd never been to Disneyland, we didn't really know what to expect. So, off we went to California, stumbling blindly around Disneyland, waiting in one long line after another, not knowing a darn thing about fastpasses or touring plans or how to make the most of your visit.

So, what do you think happened? We caught a few parades and one character breakfast, but spent too much time in line at Fantasyland, saw only about one third of California Adventure, and somehow missed every single headliner attraction.

Now, with that said, we still had a great time because we were in Disneyland. However, a few years later, while preparing for another trip, we realized just how much we'd missed the first time around. Needless to say, we did not make that mistake again.