Hello there and welcome to planDisney!
How exciting to hear that you're planning a visit to the Disneyland Resort early next year! Ahh, love and romance will be in the air during your visit and if we're fortunate, Disney will announce the return of
Disneyland After Dark: Sweethearts Nite later this year. I would recommend following the
Disney Parks Blog and, if announced for next year, to be ready for ticket sales to begin around mid-December.
I would totally love to help you develop a 5 day itinerary for your trip, but I'm afraid that would be beyond the scope of a single answer here at planDisney. We don't have the ability to book reservations for you, but we'll happily impart advice based on our experiences. I'll start by throwing out some general tips and ideas for you and if you want clarification or more detail, feel free to
write back to me personally to continue the dialogue!
First of all, if you're going to build a trip around Sweethearts Nite, we need to make sure you get admission to this separately ticketed event. Disney has not yet formally announced its return, but tickets usually go on sale in December for dates from late January to mid February. I realize that might make planning the rest of your trip difficult but you could consider changing the reservation dates on your regular
Theme Park Tickets later if needed. If there are any children in your party, then you're in luck because this
Kids' Special Ticket Offer will save you a lot of money during that time!
For these Disneyland After Dark Events, you'll be able to enter the Park early to mingle with regular Park guests for a few hours. I would take full advantage of that time to enjoy shopping, attractions, meals, and shows. You might even consider not using one of your precious Park tickets that day because you'll get 7 hours in the Park that evening with a much lower crowd level. And remember that you'll be allowed to don a fun costume for the event, as long as you follow the
guidelines!
Disneyland After Dark Events often have so much to offer that it's nearly impossible to see everything, so plan accordingly and rank your must-do items to focus on during the evening. If there is a character interaction or photo op that you want to see, you may often begin queuing up for it just before the event formally begins. And if you see any merchandise that you would like, I would urge you to purchase it right there because items related to special events often sell out quickly.
For the rest of your trip, you'll need to purchase either a 4 or 5 day ticket and don't forget to make your dining reservations up to 60 days in advance. My favorite restaurants are the
Lamplight Lounge in Disney California Adventure and the
Blue Bayou Restaurant in Disneyland Park. And be sure to download the
Disneyland Mobile App before your visit.
That was plenty of information but I hope some of it was helpful. There's so much more we could go over! Feel free to write back again anytime because you're always welcome at planDisney! Until next time!
Wishing You a Great, Big, Beautiful Tomorrow!
-Al