1st Disneyland trip In Sept 2011

[april2011bride]

Ok, so we get into CA on Sept 17th.....few questions...

1. Best place to stay for a good rate??
2. should we rent a car?
3. how many days should we spend in the parks??

Thanks for all of your help! We are so excited!

 

[MackSparrow]

I would say it most definitely depends on how many are in your party and what your budget is. But some good places are Howard Johnsons, Candy Cane Inn and I personally like Hotel Menage.

If you are just planning on spending time in the parks and not seeing other sites in Southern California I would say not to rent a car. Everything is in walking distance of each other at Disneyland Resort and if you stay at a hotel with a longer walking distance you could always take the shuttle.

As far as days, I would say for a first timer, 3 days should be minimum. If you can afford it 5 days will give you enough time to see everything without feeling rushed.

 

[Sydnie]

Hi! I hope (and know) you will love Disneyland

1. Best place to stay for a good rate?? Anything on Harbor Boulevard between 1400 and 1600 is right across the street from Disneyland. You can get pretty reasonable rates there and avoid having to use a shuttle.

2. should we rent a car- There really is no need to unless you plan to sightsee around the area.

3. how many days should we spend in the parks?? My standard answer is always 5 days if you can. 3 days is bare minimum to see everything but 5 is enough to do it at a relaxed pace.

ETA- Haha-MackSparrow and I think alike

 

[april2011bride]

Thanks ladies! Im thinking we will spend 3 days in the parks....then we plan to drive to Vegas...and fly home from there...so maybe we will reant a car for the whole time so we can see some of CA. Do you know if the hotels have free parking? Our budge is.....well im not going to say there is none...but I like a deal....I would like to spend anywhere fron 80-150 a night for the hotel.


Our you info is so helpful so far! Thanks!

 

[Sydnie]

Most if not of all of the hotels on Harbor Boulevard offer free parking for a car. As for hotels the only one I have stayed at is the Best Western which was nice and very very close to the park. It comes in at $92.00 a night which is a great value.

You can definitely drive from DL to Vegas, but just as a head's up it's not a super scenic drive. If you do rent a car drive over to Newport Beach for the true California beach scene. (About 30 mins to an hour from DL depending on what time of day/traffic) If I were doing it I would spend some time on the California coast during the day and then drive to Vegas at night when it's cooler. You aren't missing much in the way of scenery and it's really nice to come into Vegas at night time when it's lit up and in its essence.

 

[skiingfast]

Thanks ladies! Im thinking we will spend 3 days in the parks....then we plan to drive to Vegas...and fly home from there...so maybe we will reant a car for the whole time so we can see some of CA. Do you know if the hotels have free parking? Our budge is.....well im not going to say there is none...but I like a deal....I would like to spend anywhere fron 80-150 a night for the hotel.


Our you info is so helpful so far! Thanks!

Don't look for free parking. About half the hotels have it half do not. Just consider the cost into your nightly cost.

PVI is really nice, breakfast, snacks and a light dinner are included there.

To LV, you can rent a car from many places near DLR. Alamo in DTD, Dollar and Avis on that block of Harbor across from the parks and a few more a short ways away. The all have shuttles to thier remote lots.

Also consider Luxbus. Great Review ---> http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2584174

 

[april2011bride]

Don't look for free parking. About half the hotels have it half do not. Just consider the cost into your nightly cost.

PVI is really nice, breakfast, snacks and a light dinner are included there.

To LV, you can rent a car from many places near DLR. Alamo in DTD, Dollar and Avis on that block of Harbor across from the parks and a few more a short ways away. The all have shuttles to thier remote lots.

Also consider Luxbus. Great Review ---> http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2584174

whats PVI??

 

[specialks]

whats PVI??

Park Vue Inn. Right across from the entrance. Also, another vote for the luxbus.

 

[PirateFish989]

Most if not of all of the hotels on Harbor Boulevard offer free parking for a car.

This is not what I found when researching hotels for my September trip. I believe this used to be true, but not so much anymore. There are a couple hotels with free parking (the Park Vue and Candy Cane Inn are the only two I can think of off the top of my head), but most others charge between $4-$12/night for parking. The Anaheim Plaza (where we are staying) is $4/night. Also, most hotels now only allow one parking spot per room.

 

[HydroGuy]

This is not what I found when researching hotels for my September trip. I believe this used to be true, but not so much anymore. There are a couple hotels with free parking (the Park Vue and Candy Cane Inn are the only two I can think of off the top of my head), but most others charge between $4-$12/night for parking. The Anaheim Plaza (where we are staying) is $4/night. Also, most hotels now only allow one parking spot per room.

A year or two ago parking was free at most of the Harbor hotels. But that has been changing. I agree with you.

 

[sonnyjane]

Most if not of all of the hotels on Harbor Boulevard offer free parking for a car. As for hotels the only one I have stayed at is the Best Western which was nice and very very close to the park. It comes in at $92.00 a night which is a great value.

When did you last stay at BW? I have looked into staying there a few times recently and the rate is usually in the $130 range, plus they charge $8 a day for parking.

I also agree with the posters that mentioned that many of the Harbor hotels do currently charge for parking, and I find that those offering "free" parking tend to be priced higher than the competitors to compensate for such.