Disneyland & Southern California with Kids, 2002-2003 [Paperback]

Michael Knight (Author), Trisa Knight (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 24, 2001 | Series: Travel with Kids

Check Out the New Disneyland® Resort and Get the Most Out of Your Trip!
There has never been a better time for you and your kids to visit Southern California. Inside, you'll explore everything from Disneyland's new California Adventure, Downtown Disney, and Grand Californian Hotel to the fantastic offerings of Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Studios Hollywood, Six Flags Magic Mountain, and LEGOLAND. You'll discover why Southern California is the place for family fun!
Inside You'll Find:
·Great family-friendly places to eat, stay, and play without busting your budget
·Detailed maps of Disneyland and other Southern California Attractions
·Helpful phone numbers and Web sites
·Tips for beating the crowds
·The best rides for kids, including height requirements and scare-factor ratings
·Parades, fireworks, and special shows that first-timers often miss
·And much, much more!

Editorial Reviews

Review

Check Out the New Disneyland® Resort and Get the Most Out of Your Trip!

From the Inside Flap

Check Out the New Disneyland® Resort and Get the Most Out of Your Trip!
There has never been a better time for you and your kids to visit Southern California. Inside, you'll explore everything from Disneyland's new California Adventure, Downtown Disney, and Grand Californian Hotel to the fantastic offerings of Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Studios Hollywood, Six Flags Magic Mountain, and LEGOLAND. You'll discover why Southern California is the place for family fun!
Inside You'll Find:
·Great family-friendly places to eat, stay, and play without busting your budget
·Detailed maps of Disneyland and other Southern California Attractions
·Helpful phone numbers and Web sites
·Tips for beating the crowds
·The best rides for kids, including height requirements and scare-factor ratings
·Parades, fireworks, and special shows that first-timers often miss
·And much, much more!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Fodor's; Revised edition (May 24, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761532625
• ISBN-13: 978-0761532620
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,505,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Disneyland with kids and a budget, July 10, 2001

By 

C. Mayne "DO IT" (Rocklin, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Disneyland & Southern California with Kids, 2002-2003 (Paperback)

We used this book to plan our family trip to Disneyland. We found it to be full of great information and family-oriented advice regarding hotels, places to eat, and most importantly for our older children - how to get the most out of the rides and attractions in the Park.

The helpful hints for rides and how to get the most out of Fast Passes, helped us keep the line waiting down to a minimum - even on days when the park seemed packed with visitors. We were able to plan a balanced adventure for our younger and older children alike - as a family.

Every place to acquire anything edible was reviewed. And with the helpful hints we were able to maximize eating pleasure and budget constraints. Like visiting the Blue Bayou for a late lunch instead of dinner. We had all the ambiance and avoided the dinner costs. Our kids loved it.

If you have children and are going to visit Disneyland, this is the book to get to help you maximize family fun at the "Happiest Place on Earth". It provides sensible information to the entire family to help plan and execute a vacation that everyone will remember for years to come.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Helpful Tips But Out Of Date, February 6, 2002

By 

David Wilson (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Disneyland & Southern California with Kids, 2002-2003 (Paperback)

Disneyland & Southern California with Kids, 2002-2003 contains lots of helpful tips and suggestions. It also includes Disney's California Adventure and Downtown Disney. However, I cannot give it more than 3 stars because it just isn't updated for 2002-2003. To many things changed in 2001 (even early 2001) that should have made it to the book but didn't. For example, Rocket Rods are no more but the book makes numerous references to them. Country Bear Jamboree has closed but you would never know it by looking in this book. All through this book I fell as though I'm reading the 2001 version.

On the plus side, the hotel and restaurant guides are very complete (since the prices are only given in relative terms to each other this section isn't really dated) and the ride reviews are thorough. Also, it does include some limited information on other attractions such as Knots Berry and Universal.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well researched, clearly written, and accurate, December 26, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Disneyland & Southern California with Kids, 2002-2003 (Paperback)

We just got back from Disneyland, on a spur of the moment trip, and picked up this guidebook in LA the day before. We would say it pretty much prevented a disaster from happening.

The main points were made prominently (e.g., do Fantasyland only in the early a.m. or late p.m. to avoid kid-congestion, run to the Blue Bayou first thing in the a.m. for reservations, do Soarin' Over California first as the best ride in the park, don't sit in the back-row wings of Star Tours if you're easily car-sick, etc.).

I would disagree that the info is dated; if some points are (an inevitable risk for all guidebooks), they're far outweighed by the book's strengths.

We don't have kids, but the kid-comments were extremely helpful nonetheless, as they helped us avoid the screaming masses and tripping over parked strollers. (We love kids, but not wall to wall, all day, and on vacation.)

Specific strengths were 1:- suggested itineraries, by time of day and age (these were accurate and well thought out!) 2:- restaurant reviews, in detail 3:- hotel reviews and map 4:- "Insider's Secrets" and other hints on everything from how to best spin the teacups to where to best sit for the fireworks.

It seemed to us that the reviews were objective, pointing out (gently) the negatives along with the positives. Of the rides, restaurants, and events we did, we can vouch for the accuracy of just about every review! Finally, the writing was plain and direct, making it a quick read (we only had a day) with minimal fluff.

Highly recommended.