California......I am outnumbered

[npmommie]

My family has outnumbered me and vetoed WDW for next year and they want to do Disneyland.
I am excited to see california and we will make the trip longer to explore other sites in cali besides disney...........
I am excited about that, but i am sooooooooo NOT excited about the plane ride. It will be twice as long as going to florida, and that makes me want to veto the trip.
we flew southwest on our last trip and on the way to florida the man next to me passed gas several times. it was very unpleasant, ( i kept blaming hubby til i figured it out:rotfl: )
then on the flight home a very nice lady sat next to me, but she spilled over into my seat and we were very close for that 2 1/2 hours.

both kids like the window so we split up and each had a child at the window and hubby and i had the middle seats........
i wish there was an airline to fly that had only 2 seats on each side of the rows, or is there and i just don't know which? I would gladly pay extra for that!
we don't fly much.

[npmommie]

Forgot to ask my question!! LOL
I have been over to the disneyland board, but figured I would ask here too.
where do you stay when you go to disneyland?
i want to stay at the grand californian.........hubby doesn't think its worth the money since there are so many less expensive hotels in walking distance.

hmmmm. he also didn't think the Poly was worth the money and I vetoed him on that and he LOVED the Poly and said he would stay there again!
so what do you think for those that have been?

[hematite153]

Don't know about DL, but, there are lots of planes out there that only have 2 seats on a side.

However, these are usually smaller planes and thus take longer to get where you are going. There are also planes where the seats are organized like:

XX XXX XX (i.e. 2 aisles)
(These planes usually get used for longer flights so you might luck out and find them on the flights to LA.)

When you are booking your flights look for information about the aircraft used for the flight and then you could choose your flights based on equipment. (However, they might make changes before you actually fly.)

Slightly OT: I was also once on a plane where the person boarding before me asked, "do I have a window seat, or an aisle seat?" and the flight attendant said, "yes". After a brief pause, he then said, "all of the seats are window seats and all of the seats are aisle seats". It also turned out that he was doing double duty as fight attendant/co-pilot. (And, before anyone says something about where I must have been flying, I was flying with a LARGE airline between cities capable of landing 747s.)

[OrlandoMike]

I've stayed at the Grand Californian, it was very nice, think a smaller Wilderness Lodge.

I've also stayed at the Best Western Hotel and Suites in Buena Park. Excellent choice if your on a budget. About a 15 minute drive to Disneyland and Knotts is right down the street.

Guess it depends on how much is in your budget.

[BarleyJack]

wow...last time we went to California we drove from Chicago. My whole family. My parents, my three brothers and I in a van with inadequate a/c in July through deserts. I'd rather sit on a plane next to a gassy passenger for a few hours than do that drive again! :rotfl:

Oh! And to answer your question: we stayed at my Aunt Alice's house in Roseville :-)

[mickeyfan1]

I have stayed at the Fairfield Inn which is across from the main gate on Harbor and a 10 minute or so walk. I have stayed at the Residence Inn off Katella 2 times and used the ART bus the last time, which was fine for the parks and pretty cheap for a muti day pass. I haven't stayed on site, I have been in the original Disneyland Hotel lobby as well as the GC lobby. For me, Disneyland is so compact and there are so many hotels so close, it didn't seem worth the extra dollars to stay onsite. The Howard Johnson's on Harbor is also very nice as well as the Candy Cane Inn. I don't recommend the Jolly Roger, I was there in 2000 or so and it was really really worn out. Now, it may have been refurbished, but I don't know that.

As far as the seats on planes, as the previous poster wrote, it depends on the plane. If you are going to fly SWA, you will always have 3 and 3. They only fly 737s, and thats the seating arrangement.

[DVC~OKW~96]

We'll be visiting DL for the first time in May. We are staying at the Disneyland Hotel as I needed a two room suite.

That's about as much as I know! We've not made flight arrangements yet, but since there are just the two of us flying out and back we don't worry overmuch about seating.

[hematite153]

Oh! And to answer your question: we stayed at my Aunt Alice's house in Roseville :-)

How much does this cost? What's the driving time from driveway to DL?:rotfl:

[RENThead09]

I love the Carousel Inn and Suites. It is right across the road from the Disneyland entrance and next to a couple different places to eat. Plus it always seems to be at a great price.

[OH 6]

We have stayed at the Disneyland Hotel in the past - we prefer to stay on property when we can get a decent deal on the price. It is so much more convenient. Can't offer any insight on the Grand Californian since we've only visited the lobby - which was beautiful, as usual. :love:

We have stayed at the Comfort Inn nearby (it was a good neighbor hotel) - but it was not within walking distance. Reasonable rates with the usual continental breakfast, but you have to pay for parking at the parks then I think? :confused:

I'd say if the price difference is close enough to splurge and do the onsite, even if it's one of the other DL hotels. :teacher: Anyway you slice you it, you'll be at The Happiest Place on Earth - so you'll enjoy it!:banana:

Oh! and I'll come back later once I talk to Mike about the planes...he works for Delta and can tell me which of their planes are XX XXX XX or XX XXX....which airport would you fly out of? :idea:

[npmommie]

We have stayed at the Disneyland Hotel in the past - we prefer to stay on property when we can get a decent deal on the price. It is so much more convenient. Can't offer any insight on the Grand Californian since we've only visited the lobby - which was beautiful, as usual. :love:

We have stayed at the Comfort Inn nearby (it was a good neighbor hotel) - but it was not within walking distance. Reasonable rates with the usual continental breakfast, but you have to pay for parking at the parks then I think? :confused:

I'd say if the price difference is close enough to splurge and do the onsite, even if it's one of the other DL hotels. :teacher: Anyway you slice you it, you'll be at The Happiest Place on Earth - so you'll enjoy it!:banana:

Oh! and I'll come back later once I talk to Mike about the planes...he works for Delta and can tell me which of their planes are XX XXX XX or XX XXX....which airport would you fly out of? :idea:

oh thanks!! I can fly out of Boston or Providence, I am midway between.

[npmommie]

thanks to all for the hotel suggestions, I like the looks of the Disneyland hotel too, the kids like the pool, that is the first thing they have me check out when I look at hotels..........LOL.........
there are a lot of options to consider!

[OH 6]

From one coast to the other the only plane that Delta has with 2 seats on one side or the other is the 767 (2+3+2). There are a few flights each day from ATL to LAX on 767s - but depending on when next year that could change. BOS or PVD to ATL could be done on an MD-88 which is (2+3). So, what you were looking for and not being in the middle is possible...:cheer2:

When you have any dates or times in mind, PM me and we can look at the schedule to give you some tips. :idea:

[steven_&_daniel]

Before booking a flight, I always check to see what type of plane it is, and what seats are available. Then I check out a website that a friend introduced me to called SeatGuru.com. It lists all the major airlines and the types of planes they use. It tells which seats are good and which should be avoided and why. There's not much you can do about the people who will be sitting near you on a flight. But you can do your homework and, hopefully, stack the chips in your favor. :surfweb:

[Etoile]

JetBlue has seats like that, but they tend to get booked fast, so you'd have to plan well in advance.

We stayed at the Super 8 for like $60/nt and it was clean and safe.

[Bopsmom]

Forgot to ask my question!! LOL
I have been over to the disneyland board, but figured I would ask here too.
where do you stay when you go to disneyland?
i want to stay at the grand californian.........hubby doesn't think its worth the money since there are so many less expensive hotels in walking distance.

hmmmm. he also didn't think the Poly was worth the money and I vetoed him on that and he LOVED the Poly and said he would stay there again!
so what do you think for those that have been?
I don't know how long you plan to stay.
DH's company HQ's in San Diego, we go to DL when we go to CA for a visit. Last year we went over Memorial Day weekend-it was great.
We stayed at the Howard Johnson's http://www.hojoanaheim.com/
It is a 3 minute walk to the Maingate.
It was fantastic for us! Big room, 2 queen beds small balcony where we could see the fireworks-try a request.
We found this place and a discount via Mousesavers http://www.mousesavers.com/ and paid about $119pernight plus tax.
A great family restraunt across the street called Mimi's Cafe. www.mimiscafe.com (they had the best breads,soups and salads.)
There are also other food places between the hotel and the park.
Hope it helps:)

If you are planning to "tour" Southern CA I would highly recommend the City Pass. http://www.hojoanaheim.com/package.htm We got them because we got the 3 day park hopper and we did so many other things in San Diego-SeaWorld, Zoo etc. it was really a good value.
San Diego is only a very easy hour and 15 minute drive from Anaheim.

[DevilDuckie]

We love, love, love the Candy Cane Inn! Very nice and not dreadfully expensive.

[TuckandStuiesMom]

A great family restraunt across the street called Mimi's Cafe. www.mimiscafe.com (they had the best breads,soups and salads.)



Ooooooh -- Check out Mimi's Pain Perdu (yummy). This chain is in Phoenix too -- head and shoulders above Denny's, Village Inn, etc. Reasonable prices too.

[OrlandoMike]

Mimi's has just started moving into the Orlando area in the past year or two, cant get in the place without a 30 minute wait!:eek:

[npmommie]

You guys have given me so many great ideas and suggestions to check out!! My hubby will be thrilled if I come up with a great place to stay that is less expensive..........LOL.
I am off to check them out! thanks again!

[NHdisneylover]

We usually fly Southwest. We seat each kid at a window and then DH and I take the aisles on the same rows (unless we know the flight is sold out). If only the center seat is left, the odds of someone taking it (next to a kid to boot) are teeny. If someone does--then we slide over and give them aisle.

The last time we went to DL was nearly 5 years ago. At that time we stayed at the Anabella. We really liked it and it was an EASY walk to the parks (even with a 4 year old and 6 year old and no stroller). We cut through the Grand Californian's lobby and had breakfast there most days. It was too chilly to swim that week so I have no memory of the pool.

[Stitches glitch]

We drive out there, and usually stay at the best western across the street from DL. I promised myself though, that next time we are staying on site at the GC if it kills me! You can walk straight on grounds to California Adventure from there. We went for 4 days the first time, and for DL it was kinda too much. California Adventure is a one day park, it's small and easy to see everything in a day but it is my favorite park because we always get to spend more time with the charactors, and it seems alot more relaxed. Monorail is only open to people that stay in a Disney hotel, which my son is not very happy about! If you plan on going down to San Diego for Sea World and the San Diego Zoo take a jacket because it does get chilly at night, and be sure to check out Mission Beach too! They have tons of hotels very close to Sea World, I think they call it "Hotel Circle" and it is so easy to get there, a straight shot on the freeway. Just don't make the same mistake I made last year, the weather was only in the 70's so I didn't wear any sunscreen and I came back with the worst sunburn ever!

[Etoile]

The monorail is only open to people who stay in a Disney hotel?? I was sitting outside the Downtown Disney station at one point last week and I was going to get on and ride it into Tomorrowland. I had no idea you have to stay in a Disney hotel to use the monorail.

[mickeyfan1]

The monorail is only open to people who stay in a Disney hotel?? I was sitting outside the Downtown Disney station at one point last week and I was going to get on and ride it into Tomorrowland. I had no idea you have to stay in a Disney hotel to use the monorail.


When I was there last, you had to have a valid admission ticket for the park to get on it at the Hotel end, but nothing else. They also stamped your hand. I can't remember why, unless it was for reentry in tomorrowland. It is quite different from WDW. No AC, the windows were all open, etc.

[npmommie]

We usually fly Southwest. We seat each kid at a window and then DH and I take the aisles on the same rows (unless we know the flight is sold out). If only the center seat is left, the odds of someone taking it (next to a kid to boot) are teeny. If someone does--then we slide over and give them aisle.


Thats what we did, each kid took a window but hubby took the middle seat and so did I , leaving the aisle seats empty.
I did notice though that people went right past our aisle seats farther back........they were taken last, because the flights were fully booked someone had to. guess the ones that passed it by got scared off by the kids :rotfl:
LOL they had no reason to, the flight down when we were getting off some woman commented, "gee we didn't even know there were kids on the plane til we heard them giggle when we landed"

[OrlandoMike]

The Monorail there is a hoot! Windows open, you have to crouch down to get in, and the fact that it goes around and around in Tomorrowland makes it a real treat!

FYI if you plan on doing Nemo, and you should, get there first thing when the park opens and RUN to Nemo!