Thinking about planning FIRST trip to DL - need advice please

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

I've been to WDW numerous times but never Disneyland. My DH and I are both in our early 30's and it will be just the 2 of us traveling. We are looking at doing the 3-2 deal they have going on now. Possibly going Aug 13-18 (due to DH work schedule).

We have been considering a few places to stay: Red Lion Hotel, Hotel Menage and maybe the Hyatt Regency (it sounds like it's far away though but the price is that of a moderate).

Anyone have a place they recommend?

How does the ART work? Does it take long to get to the parks?

What type of service should we use to get from the airport to the hotel?

What are the crowds like? (we go to WDW in Sept when the crowds are down)

What kind of wait times should I expect?

We love dining in Disney. Any places that we should try in DL?

I know there are a lot of silly questions but I'd feel a little better about booking this trip if I knew kinda what I was getting into.

This is a trip by DH and I have been talking about for a few years but haven't done. I'm familiar with WDW and have no anxiety because I know what to expect. However I'd love to surprise him with a trip to DL. He just watched "Disneyland: Imagineering the Magic" so now he wants to go more than ever.

Thanks for any help you can give me!

 

[DLR29]

First thing that you should do is definitely read the wonderful "DLR Guide for WDW vets" created by our wonderful Hydroguy: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

It has everything and more to know about DLR.

As for hotels, most of us on these boards prefer to stay right across the street from the parks, and those hotels are not that close to the parks. One of the main advantages of DLR over WDW is the ability to walk from your hotel to the parks. However, taking ART is not horrible. I think out of those 3 hotels you mentioned, Hotel Menage is probably the most recommended on these boards, and ART will only take a couple minutes to get to the parks, but some ART routes stop at multiple hotels, so you may want to look into that.

As for transportation from the airport to your hotel, I can't help you because we drive every time.

I've been multiple times in mid-late August (see my TRs) and crowds are definitely there, but not so much that you can't get anything done. Lines for the major rides like Space, Splash, and Indy can reach 60 minutes or maybe more, but using FP and other techniques you do not have to wait that long for those rides.

DLR does not have the wide variety of restaurants like WDW, but the Blue Bayou is a good restaurant which is actually inside of the PotC ride. It's known for its famous Monte Cristo sandwich at lunch. Unlike WDW, at DLR Downtown Disney is within walking distance of everything, which gives a ton more options for meals. Also just down the street from the resort is the Anaheim Gardenwalk which also has a good variety of restaurants.

Hope that helps a little!

 

[charl526]

Thanks DLR29, you actually helped me also since I am planning a first time trip to DL for Aug 9-14. Very excited as I have never been there before and trying to find out everything I can before I go so I can plan it right. Just worried about the crowd level at that time.

 

[disneyobsessed808]

Just a heads up...If you are considering the Hyatt Regency Orange County, you may want to try bidding on Priceline. I'm staying from the 7-12 of August, right before your trip and was able to get a room for $41/night.

As far as dining on Disney Property, make sure you try the Napa Rose. It's my favorite restaurant I've been to at all Disney resorts.

Hope you have a good trip.

 

[DSNY4ever]

DLR29 has given you good advice. Some of the "walking distance" hotels that are frequently discussed on these boards are Hojos (Howard Johnson), Dessert Inn and Suites, Candy Cane Inn, Carousel Inn. They are all good choices and close to the parks. My sister loves the Hyatt (you have to use the shuttle). She stays there because they have a Starbucks inside and she is not as anal as I am about being at the park at opening . We also like the Anabella, two adults can walk from there easily by cutting through the Grand Californian hotel. The Sheraton is also nice if you are looking for something a little nicer, and they have a shuttle.

For getting form the airport you can by a pass for the Disneyland Shuttle Bus. Just make sure when you walk out with your ticket you get on the right bus because at LAX other shuttle drivers will try to flag you down to get your business, but if you tell them you already have a ticket they won't bother you. We always use Super Shuttle and book a shared van ride and it is fast and just a couple dollars cheaper (it is faster and better service from SNA rather than LAX).

Like DLR29 said the dining experience is quite different than in WDW (I have to admit the seated dining is not as fun). But we like the Wine Country Trattoria in DCA, and Steakhouse 55 in the Disneyland Hotel is supposed to be great too. For counter service we like the Plaza Inn in DL and the Wharf area in DCA for a yummy bread bowl soup. We have also had good food at the Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen. And off property Mimi's is pretty good- we haven't been to Gardenwalk yet, but they have some good "chain" options. There is a Food pictures thread for Disneyland too (on these boards) if you want to start checking out what the food is like.

And yes, it will be crowded- it's summer! Weekends are the worst and weekdays are better. It will also be quite hot, but you will have a great time. Good luck with the planning, these boards are a great place for tips

 

[HydroGuy]

What are the crowds like? (we go to WDW in Sept when the crowds are down)

What kind of wait times should I expect?

Lots of good advice so far.. Especially the advice about that HydroGuy.

I would add that if you take our advice and stay within easy walking distance you take a lot of the pain out of crowds at DLR. It is not like WDW in that respect. DLR is a locals park. 85% of the visitors at WDW are from out of the area while only 30% are at DLR. So there are many more day trippers. With DL's longer opening hours in the summer (8AM-Midnight) vs. a typical 9AM-11PM at MK, the mid-day break is just much more effective at DLR because so many day trippers head out late afternoon or early evening due to exhaustion.

Further, the easy parkhopping between DL and DCA means you can fit in even more. For instance, at WDW once folks have finished the day at say AK (which closes at 7 or 8PM) they will likely head back to the hotel because of more complicated parkhopping at WDW also because AK shorter hours and hotel distance make it hard to take mid-day breaks. At DLR folks will just hop into DL after DCA closes. So it is like having park hours of 8AM-Midnight every day of your trip - plus the Magic Mornings.

To read more about how DLR differs from WDW in this regard take a look at this link:

"Getting The Most Out of a Summer Visit To DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319

 

[charl526]

Thanks everyone for all the tips...I have decided to stay at the Grand Californian and will be flying into Long Beach so will get a shuttle. It will be my adult son, grandson and myself. I needed something close as I do have some medical issues plus truth be told I was longing to stay at the GCH One question if anyone has the answer, my son is of a somewhat large size. Will he have any problems with any of the rides?

 

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

Thanks for all of the info!

The links to the other posts are great! However I have more questions. Sorry.

I was looking at the link for DLR for WDW vets guide, the link included to the one about the hotels within walking distant.... it lists Best Western Stovall. So I looked at this on Google Maps satellite images and it appears to be about the same distance as Red Lion Hotel. Am I wrong? They both appear to be about 1/2 mile walk.

If this is true and it's around 1/2 mile walk. Say we decide to stay and walk to the park. Then at night we don't want to walk back and get a cab. From what I see online it would be about a $4 cab ride back. Correct?

I recently took a trip to Europe where we walked 7-10 miles a day so walking 1/2 mile to the park doesn't seem so bad.

I love to stay some place close like HoJo however they cost $330+ more. We have a big WDW trip planned for Sept with DxDDP and all (annual anniversary trip). Otherwise we'd probably just stay at Paradise Pier.

Thanks for the recommendations of Napa Rose, Wine Country and Blue Bayou! I had been looking at those.

 

[HydroGuy]

I was looking at the link for DLR for WDW vets guide, the link included to the one about the hotels within walking distant.... it lists Best Western Stovall. So I looked at this on Google Maps satellite images and it appears to be about the same distance as Red Lion Hotel. Am I wrong? They both appear to be about 1/2 mile walk.

If this is true and it's around 1/2 mile walk. Say we decide to stay and walk to the park. Then at night we don't want to walk back and get a cab. From what I see online it would be about a $4 cab ride back. Correct?

Sorry but I do not know where Red Lion is located and have not heard about it near DLR.

I have found that cab drivers do not want a $4 fare and will refuse you. They usually want $10 minimum. I would plan for that in a pinch.

 

[DSNY4ever]

I don't know the Red lion either and I haven't stayed at the BW stovalls, but I have stayed at the Anabella which is right next to that and the walk was fine, we never took a cab or ART (cut through Grand Californian hotel and out onto Downtown Disney an then to the parks).

 

[S. S. Columbia]

The Red Lion (1850 S. Harbor Blvd.) used to be the Anaheim Maingate Hotel.
(The Red Lion is directly east of the Portofino.)

Here's a wikimap of the Red Lion Hotel:
http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=33.8019936&lon=-117.9143152&z=19&l=0&m=a&v=2

Web-site: http://events.pe.com/anaheim-ca/venues/show/737183-anaheim-maingate-hotel-soon-to-be-red-lion

Using wikimapia (beta), the Red Lion Hotel measured ~ 0.7 miles to the DL/DCA entrance, and the BW Stovall's Inn measured ~ 0.6 miles. Give or take.

HTH