First Time So Many Questions!

[MCFADDEN5]

We are Disney World professionals, but we have always wanted to see Disneyland. I am trying to surprise my husband with a weekend trip in August. So...
LAX or SNA? Does it really matter? Best was to get to the hotels from the airport.
Which hotel? This is on a tight budget. I would love to be in walking distance, or at least have a shuttle. I have booked the Majestic Garden, but a little on the fence. We have always stayed on property in Disney, so this is out of my comfort zone.
Tickets? We are used to fast passes is the Max Pass needed? Our trip is at the end of August.
Any other advice anyone could give to a World lover to make sure we get the most of our fist time in Disneyland would be so greatly appreciated.
I should note this is an adult trip, just the two of us, for our anniversary!

 

[HydroGuy]

We are Disney World professionals, but we have always wanted to see Disneyland. I am trying to surprise my husband with a weekend trip in August. So...
LAX or SNA? Does it really matter?

For August, not sure if you have flexible dates but pay attention to things coming up like:
- End of AP blockouts on Aug 19 - the week of Aug 19 will likely be super crowded
- CHOC Walk Aug 11

Most folks are like me and would say SNA is just a much more pleasent airport. To me it feels a bit like Orlando MCO. Plus it is closer. I will choose SNA over LAX every time if I can.

LAX is bigger, older, less personal, more crowded, in worse part of town, and has TONS of traffic.

See "Airport Proximity to DLR and Ground Transportation Information" by @3TinksAndAnEeyore www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2318297

Best was to get to the hotels from the airport.

See same thread - "Airport Proximity to DLR and Ground Transportation Information" by @3TinksAndAnEeyore www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2318297

I would just Uber but you can also hire a car. Or others as described above.

Which hotel? This is on a tight budget. I would love to be in walking distance, or at least have a shuttle. I have booked the Majestic Garden, but a little on the fence. We have always stayed on property in Disney, so this is out of my comfort zone.

This may help: "Choosing the Right DLR Area Hotel for You" www.disboards.com/threads/choosing-the-right-hotel-for-you.3656512/

There are tons of choices of course. Popular ones around here are Candy Cane Inn and Hojo's, plus the close ones along Harbor. CCI also has a shuttle.

Tickets? We are used to fast passes is the Max Pass needed? Our trip is at the end of August.

For MP see "Comparing DLR's MaxPass to WDW's FastPass+" - https://www.disboards.com/threads/comparing-dlrs-maxpass-to-wdws-fastpass.3726294/

You are fine buying discount tickets thru Undercover Tourist, Last Minute Travel, Ares and others.

IMO you should be thinking about 4 day tickets at minimum.

Any other advice anyone could give to a World lover to make sure we get the most of our fist time in Disneyland would be so greatly appreciated.
I should note this is an adult trip, just the two of us, for our anniversary!

Here you go - "A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

 

[MCFADDEN5]

Wow! Thank you so much for all the links!! This will super helpful!

 

[Astylla]

We are Disney World professionals, but we have always wanted to see Disneyland. I am trying to surprise my husband with a weekend trip in August. So...
LAX or SNA? Does it really matter? Best was to get to the hotels from the airport.
Which hotel? This is on a tight budget. I would love to be in walking distance, or at least have a shuttle. I have booked the Majestic Garden, but a little on the fence. We have always stayed on property in Disney, so this is out of my comfort zone.
Tickets? We are used to fast passes is the Max Pass needed? Our trip is at the end of August.
Any other advice anyone could give to a World lover to make sure we get the most of our fist time in Disneyland would be so greatly appreciated.
I should note this is an adult trip, just the two of us, for our anniversary!

LAX is a NIGHTMARE - After flying into there for years then randomly trying out SNA or I also do Long Beach often , it is a world of difference. Uber and Lyft now go to and from both so that is what I recommend.

Hotel wise is tricky - do you want an actual hotel - indoor corridors a must or is a nice motel which is most of Harbor and walkign distance okay ?
Hotels with indoor corridors I can recommend are and have stayed at : Howard Johnson Anaheim , Marriott Anaheim , Hilton Anaheim ( These last two are on priceline often for good deals).
Hojo is walking distance , about 8 minutes. Other two are close enough to walk to the Toy Story lot to take a shuttle or walking is about 20 minutes.
Motels I recommend and have stayed at :
Candy Cane Inn - This is a locals and DIS favorite , with a free dedicated shuttle that only serves the guests staying there , also free expanded continental breakfast.
Tropicana Inn and Suites - Across from Disneyland maybe a 5 minute walk , right next to the crosswalk. Recently renovated in 2017/18 and love the rooms there.
Camelot Inn and Suites - Sister property to Tropicana , not as newly remodled but still good.
Castle Inn - About a 10-15 minute walk , nice sized rooms and always have had good service.
Fairfield Inn Anaheim - About a 8 minute walk , near HoJo , nice rooms and a Marriott property. Rooms were refurbished in 2016/17 I think.

Maxpass is LIFE!! The joy of it is not having to run all over for fastpasses and even being able to make the FP selections from your hotel room if taking a midday break , or during lunch in downtown disney etc.
I can't speak enough how valuable it is and have used it on my AP's since launch and love it !

Edit to add : If never at Disneyland I recommend the Blue Bayou fantasmic dinner package. I always have loved Blue Bayou and have gone at least 20 times in the lasdt 9 years and only had one experience that was so-so. You can resderve this about 60 days out but DL sometimes is slow in releasing the entertainment so if it's not open at 60 days keep lookign daily. The second show is my favorite as it's less busy ( if they have two during your visit) , the perk of the first show is being able to stay where you are for fireworks as they put the projections on the rivers of america now too.

If you like to drink at all I recommend Trader Sam's at the Disneyland Hotel but go between 2pm-4pm before it gets really busy.

Explore the Disneyland Hotel , just walk aroudn the grounds and lobby , the Rose Garden Gazebo is beautiful too when not being used for events. Also check out the Grand Californian lobby , its just majestic as well.

 

[FCDub]

LAX isn't that bad.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

If you are going at the end of August you will probably run into people there for D23 Expo as well.

I would recommend staying on Harbor if you want something walkable. I have stayed at the BW Park Place, BW Anaheim Inn and the Howard Johnson and would return to any of time. I hear good things about the Candy Cane and I have a stay booked there for August as well.

As for airports, SNA is the best however LAX isn't bad. I book mine based on price and times. We often take the red-eye home so we can only do that at LAX. We have rented a car, used Lansky car service, and Uber at LAX and the last two are our preferred method of traveling from LAX to Anaheim and back. The only real nightmare we had at LAX was on Thanksgiving weekend when despite leaving 4 hours before our departure time we had to abandon our Uber and walk 1 1/2 to the airport as traffic had only moved about a block length in almost 40 minutes.

Max pass is a wonderful invention and I highly recommend putting out the extra money. You can stack fast passes like you used to be able to do at WDW and all of it is done on your phone so no criss-crossing the park.

 

[VTHappyGirl]

WDW vet who just returned from a February trip and your post sounds a lot like mine from a year ago. You will get great info on this site and I felt very prepared for our trip by using this site. Do not expect to plan at all like you do for WDW which really freaked me out but once at DLR realized its so much smaller and easier to navigate that WDW type of planning just is not needed. Don't stress.

I had decided upon BW Park Place Inn or Tropicana hotel if not on property which was also a big switch from our norm of being on site at WDW. I wanted the shortest walk possible if off site. Keep watching the DLR hotels though...we ended up with a great rate at DLH so ended up onsite after all.

We flew into LAX and out of LGB. To me it was,time,of flights and traffic that would sway that decision. LAX is just a regular large busy airport but I can't imagine 1hr+ in traffic from LAX....but I live in the northeast and not use to traffic like that at all. We used Lansky both ways and very happy with their service.

Max pass is a MUST. It was easy to use, when the app was up, and saved sooooo much time, its $ well spent. Park hopping is very easy so don't hesitate to do it.

We spent the first day doing things unique to DLR to make sure we got all those on our list. Look at not just rides but other attractions such as Animation Academy in DCA , very cool.

Dining is the biggest difference we felt at DLR since a lot less sit down restaurants but many very high quality quick service places. Read menus and don't feel like you have to do the 'must do' places -- the 2 must do restaurants on our list were our 2 least favorite meals.

Plan on time at night in DCA.....Carsland was visually amazing and Pixar Pier. If you get a day of rain take advantage of it! We had 1 day with light rain and maybe 45 degrees out and the place was empty. Rain seems to drive lots of people away and we went on so many rides and CM let people stay on to ride again.

You will have a great time, enjoy your trip!

 

[tarheelalum]

LAX is the pit of misery. Go to SNA if it fits in your budget. Even if it costs more you should still do it. 20 minutes or less to Anaheim from SNA. LAX travel time will depend upon the freeway God's and their mood. Not to mention getting your luggage and walking around that place. Avoid if you can.

Also if you can avoid Majestic Garden, please do so. That place is pretty awful depending on what room you get. Really try to avoid it if you can.

 

[GoingSince1990]

You should absolutely, unhesitatingly, do Maxpass. It’s wonderful.

 

[azdisneylover]

I suggest ordering from Vons, or take an Uber to Target to get a case or two of water, chapstick, sunblock to name a few. August is a warmer month in CA and bottled water in the parks is expensive. Yes, you can ask for a cup of water, but, it is nice to have cold bottles of water in your room too. Have fun planning!

 

[goooof1]

I would suggest staying on Harbor between the Hojo and Candy Cane Inn (see a map of lodging.) Hojo is about the farthest north that you want and Candy Cane is before Katella, so all of the lodgings are easy walking distance. We stayed once on that side of DL (Ball Rd.) and never again! It was just too isolated back there and yes, you can walk to the parking garage and take the tram, but it was a walk and most of the time we kept walking through DTD. Harbor Blvd. is just so much more convenient!

 

[agamble]

Staying on property at DL does not have the same benefits as at WDW. Many off site hotels are closer. The Desert Inn and Park Vue are two other hotels not mentioned that are directly across the street. Seriously a 5 min walk for less than a value WDW resort. However, these are not resorts. They are simply hotel/motels with basic breakfasts and pools. And they often have resort fees, so keep those in mind when comparing prices. If you're planning to spend most of your time at Disney, then any of those locations within walking distance people mentioned should work. If you want a resort feel, you'll have to stay at a Disney owned hotel or look at resorts further away.

 

[MCFADDEN5]

Staying on property at DL does not have the same benefits as at WDW. Many off site hotels are closer. The Desert Inn and Park Vue are two other hotels not mentioned that are directly across the street. Seriously a 5 min walk for less than a value WDW resort. However, these are not resorts. They are simply hotel/motels with basic breakfasts and pools. And they often have resort fees, so keep those in mind when comparing prices. If you're planning to spend most of your time at Disney, then any of those locations within walking distance people mentioned should work. If you want a resort feel, you'll have to stay at a Disney owned hotel or look at resorts further away.

Thanks! I am preparing myself that it is not like WDW. We have only stayed on property, but always for a family vacation of 8-10 nights and we love the disney WDW bubble. This time we will only be there for 3 full days and it's just the my husband and myself. We are planning on spending every minute in the parks, so would like to be in walking distance, and just want a clean comfortable hotel/motel. I have looked at BW stovalls also. It's a little farther, but I would rather have the extra money to spend in the parks, than on a room I wont be in very much. Definitely looking into the max pass. I cant believe how different everything is compared to WDW, but we are so excited to see the original!!

 

[caylene44]

I've done LAX a few times and like previous posters said, it depends on what times you're flying in/out. I usually arrive early (~6am) and leave early (to where we are leaving Anaheim for the airport by 7-8 am) and did not experience any traffic. I have been in LA traffic many times and would not wish that on my worst enemy so if you are planning on flying during peak times, I would look at another airport. However, LAX is usually a lot cheaper so I would say it also depends on budget. I have taken an Uber from LAX each time and it was never more than $40 one way (split between multiple people made it doable). We are flying into SNA in a couple weeks, also planning on using Uber (albeit it should be cheaper this time).

One of my favorite budget hotels is Anaheim Desert Inn. Literally right across from DL entrance, cheap, and clean. Bonus perks: includes breakfast and they have lockers to store suitcases if you arrive before check in/leave after check out. I will caution that if you are looking for something upscale, I wouldn't stay there (my BF is more picky on hotels so we are staying at Grand Legacy at the Park this upcoming trip).

 

[Tasmen]

We avoid LAX for Disney. Have flown into Long Beach and SNA. SNA is going to be closer but Long Beach is also a good option if your preferred airline flies there. It's a SUPER small airport and we found it very easy to get to a Disney hotel from there.

 

[MCFADDEN5]

Thank you so much for all your help I am seriously stress out! Planning for DL is way different than planning for WDW! So we are hoping to fly into sna. Just checking flights to confirm. We cancelled the majestic garden and currently have BW Stovalls and the del sol booked. We will be in The parks the whole time so really don’t want to spend the money on hotel! (Although it looks a lot different than the yacht club! Lol). We are leaning toward del sol just for the location. Anyone stayed there?? We will definitely do the max pass! What about magic bands?? Do they have them?

 

[2019TripIdeas]

Will start by saying- I am totally not an expert (just did my second Disneyland trip, grew up going to Disney World, but familiar with the area because of having lived in LA for a bit).

I would for sure go for SNA over LAX. We flew into ONT on Southwest recently and it was so easy (we were in the parks approximately an hour and a half from the flight landing, and that included picking up rental, the drive, checking into hotel and changing, walking to the park) Getting out of LAX baggage claim could probably take you 40 minutes to an hour to begin with...

I think Candy Cane Inn is the way to go on a budget. It is so bare bones/ no frills but the property is immaculately maintained with nice greenery and the breakfast is decent and included. It's just a nice place with employees who clearly care and go out of their way to be friendly, and the price is fantastic since you've got shuttle, breakfast, parking included. We rarely used the shuttle because its such an easy walk, but it's nice to know it's available. It backs up to CarsLand but the noise is pretty minimal.

I would 100% do MaxPass. It is so convenient with the app and you can make so many. We did 5-6 a day on our last trip with 3 little ones and could've probably done 8-10 if we were all older. I loved the system. We'd bypass people standing in 110 minute line and be on a ride in 5 minutes and I would've happily paid $15 per ride for that feature, nevermind just $15 a day. It is so worth it.

I am much more of a Disney World person than a Disneyland person, and my first trip I reallly did not like the Anaheim experience. Walking out of hte parks and onto a busy road was just such a bummer and felt so strange. I swore I would buck up and stay on site IF we ever did Disneyland again because I could never fully relax or feel "on vacation" but then again we were also out of the park a lot on that trip since our kids were young and couldn't hang too late at night. When the time came to book this trip very last minute, I just couldn't justify the cost of a Disneyland hotel compared to a Disney World moderate....We ended up going back and staying at Candy Cane Inn again and had a totally different experience overall (and an awesome time!) but I think that's more that I went into it knowing it would feel NOTHING like a resort in the same way WDW does.

I also was told on our first Disneyland trip that you "don't need to plan it" in the same way you do Disney World, and while you can 100% be flexible at Disneyland (we totally parkhop back and forth a bunch), I really disagree with "you don't need to plan it". On that first trip, I didn't know where to go for parades, shows, etc. I didn't know how to meet characters. I was totally over my head trying to use the app to figure out where rides were, walking across the park only to find the wait times had increased, not sure of where the fastpass stations were [back before mobile MaxPass]. I didn't know which rides my kids could go on or not right off the bat. I instantly regretted not planning. This trip I didn't have long to plan at all and thanks to some nice commenters on here and some very quick research, we had a fully different, calm, awesome experience that my kids loved. So even if you have been told "not" to plan, I'd say consider your personality and how you do the parks and maybe it's worth putting the same effort into planning if that's your style Enjoy your trip!

 

[HydroGuy]

Thank you so much for all your help I am seriously stress out! Planning for DL is way different than planning for WDW! So we are hoping to fly into sna. Just checking flights to confirm. We cancelled the majestic garden and currently have BW Stovalls and the del sol booked. We will be in The parks the whole time so really don’t want to spend the money on hotel! (Although it looks a lot different than the yacht club! Lol). We are leaning toward del sol just for the location. Anyone stayed there?? We will definitely do the max pass! What about magic bands?? Do they have them?

No Magic Bands, but many folks are like me and wished DLR did have them!

Glad you feel like you are coming to some improved decisions I think those will work out well for you!

 

[agamble]

We have stayed at Del Sol. It is clean and close. Right next to Desert Inn. If we aren't using a time share we look for close and then compare prices.

You don't have to pre plan FP and be strict on a schedule. But get an idea of what you want to do, know the park hours, and take a look at the maps and entertainment schedules. I like to have a rough idea of what I want to accomplish. A good plan is to head to Fantasyland at rope drop. Skip Peter Pan as everyone runs there (creating the first lengthy wait of the day) and walk on all the other rides in Fantasyland. You can use MP to pull your first FP while hanging out in Fantasyland.

Enjoy your trip. Disneyland is special and beautiful. Try to do "it all" while enjoying just being there together.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... I also was told on our first Disneyland trip that you "don't need to plan it" in the same way you do Disney World, and while you can 100% be flexible at Disneyland (we totally parkhop back and forth a bunch), I really disagree with "you don't need to plan it"...

I also disagree with whoever said "you don't need to plan it" for DLR. We never tell that to anyone here! We do tell people that they don't need to overplan and micromanage the magic right out of their trip 6 months to a year in advance. We tell people to do their research (so this would have covered where to go for parades and shows, how to meet characters, how to use the app, how/where to get FP from the machines, height limits for rides, etc.) before their trip, make their best plans (plan A and a backup plan B), then let go and let the magic happen! It is absolutely true that you can't plan DLR the exact same way that you plan for WDW -- dining reservations don't open up 6 months in advance (only 60 days in advance), dining packages aren't exactly the same (e.g. no dessert party for fireworks), party tickets don't go on sale so many months in advance (e.g. MHP dates haven't even been announced, much less tickets put on sale -- but MNSSHP tix have been on sale in WDW for a while now), etc. But not planning exactly the same way does not in any way equal not having a plan at all!
Glad to hear that your second trip to DLR was a much better time than your first trip.