Hi all,
I'm headed to Disney World in October (more than a little excited about that)....but we are thinking about Disney Land in 2013. Well the actual plan is to get married in las Vegas with a small group of friends and family then tack on a few days in Disney for a honeymoon. I think you need atleast a week in Disney world, but do you need that long in Disney land?
From everything I read 2 days is enough. 3 if you wanna feel safe. I haven't been, but I know if we do, were only probably going to do a 4-5 day trip to Disneyland vs. the 6 we do for Disney World
I went for a 3-day trip a few years ago that my grandma won through some sort of sweepstakes, and it was perfect. It was actually very relaxing, which was a huge contrast to my Disney World vacations in the past, and I definitely didn't feel like I needed more days. We stayed on-property at the Grand Californian, which was such a great location (there's an entry into the parks right on hotel grounds!) so it cut down on any travel time. I definitely wouldn't need any more than 3 days--we rode Soarin' at least five times in those 3 days and did pretty much everything else once too! So 2-3 days would probably be perfect; you wouldn't need a week.
Flynn Rider: You were my new dream.
Rapunzel: And you were mine.
Three days is about all you need. CA Adventure will have Cars Land opened up by the time you come, making it a full day park. And Disneyland Park is a one day adventure as well. Then just an extra day for DTD and doing anything you want again.
Perfect....we were planning on 4 days (including the travel day from LV) so I'm glad to hear that our timeline will work out
I just purchased my tix for my upcoming DL trip and went with the 5 day Park Hoppers, I went with 5 days because at my age my get up'n go has got up n' gone. 
So with the walking problems AND knowing that it will possibly be my last trip out west so I want to be sure to see everything. Even if I see some of it twice.
At the end of the game, pawns and kings go back into the same box.
I agree with at least three days but it would be fun to do more. No, there is not as much to see as WDW but with the addition of Cars Land, Buena Vista street there is so much detail it would be nice to have the option to take your time. If you are able to stay on property that would be even better.
It really depends on how you tour. If you're a total comando and go go go, 2 days can be done. I went for 3 nights / 2 park days in 2009 and felt like I missed a lot.
I found my 5 night trip with the kids perfect. We stayed at the Grand Californian, had 3 day parkhoppers, toured at a relaxed pace,took a nap every afternoon, saw all the big shows, and had one break day that we lazed around the hotel and shopped at DTD.
And Disneyland Park is a one day adventure as well.
I just can't manage to get Disneyland done in one day, especially if I want to see the shows. I know, I'm old and feeble, and most snails tour faster than I do. 
LOL... I also really love just hanging out in the parks.
That 2-3 Hour queue time for Fantasmic! and for World of Color is a total time sink. Also, we couldn't figure out how to get Fantasmic!, Magic Memories and You, and the Fireworks all done on one evening. We really needed three nights to see all of those shows.
The best tip I have for DL shows is that if you watch Fantasmic right by Pirates of the Carribean, you can see the fireworks from right where you are sitting. The Magic, Memories and You show...well to be honest...I'm not entirely sure what goes into that . i just know its by Small World...(bad CM I know... 
)
But I guess DL could be a 2 day adventure. Maybe I'm just used to powering through and not stopping to smell the roses!
I'd say at least 4 days to get the feel of both parks, the resorts, and the DTD area. I'd really like to checkout the upgrades to the resorts. I saw WoC for the first time last year and it was AWESOME! I'd like to really enjoy each park and explore the shops and restaurants. I grew up in SoCal and DL is my home park. I now live in Ohio and do WDW at least twice a year. It's become my favorite American resort. 
I can tell you that the HM makeover is fantastic and I wish it would come to FL.
What are your dates in October? I'll be there with 2 first timers the 20-27.
Have a great time on your vacations,
Dee 
Working to pay for my next Disney vacations:
June 2013 quick stay at AKL, then DCL b2b on the Dream Bahamas, June 30th BWI, Oct. 11-20,2013 HKDL and Tokyo DL/DS, June 2014 DCL -Fantasy Western Caribbean, and September 2014 DCL - Magic Southern Caribbean -My Birthday Cruise!!
Silly me I meant to write September (I'll be there sept 11-19)...October is when we are planning for Vegas/DL in 2013
The Magic, Memories and You show...well to be honest...I'm not entirely sure what goes into that . i just know its by Small World...(bad CM I know...
I was REALLY looking forward to seeing MMY on Small World. However honestly, it just doesn't have the same impact as it does at WDW. I think that the show really needs the height of Cinderella Castle. I was disappointed, and I got the impression the locals don't care much for it either, because with as little as 5 minutes before the show, there was only a handful of people waiting to see it. There also seemed not to be any crowd control cast members around where we were (which was sitting on a bench right off the queue entrance)
We weren't able to get in front of the Castle for the fireworks on either night. We should have tried after MMY, but instead we watched from near Dumbo. After Fantasmic the next night we tried to get to the hub, but crowd control was funneling everyone towards Town Square and it was a nightmare to be caught in. That night we watched through them a tree. LOL!
