1st trip to DL in December and need some help

[disneygrandma]

Our 1st trip to DL was the summer of 1977, and then not again until June of 2001, which was our last time. I really wasn't prepared for either trip. So now we're thinking of taking our kids & grandkids for Christmas 2011, and I want to research & plan it out. I feel I'm a pro at WDW, but really don't know much about DL/DCA. Please help!

Best time to go: We want to experience the Christmas decorations, shows & attractions. We also want to see WOC. We've seen Fantasmic! at WDW several times, and aren't really fans of it. Is it the same show at DL? If not, then we might want to include it. So when in Dec is the best time to see things, and have a lower crowd? I'm thinking during the week is better than going on weekends. Is that correct? Are there any attractions that would be shown only on the weekends? Are there certain mornings that the parks open earlier?

Where to stay: At WDW, we like to stay on property. I'm thinking that the family would prefer that at DL also. However, price is a big consideration. If we stay off property, is it reasonable to walk over to DL, or do we need transportation? Will the pricing for the on property hotels be the same all month of Dec? Or will they be cheaper at the beginning of the month? I also noticed that the DL hotel is doing some major rehab. I could really use some recommendations on lodging.

How long to stay: Would 3 days be enough to do all the attractions? (We'll have 6 grandkids, ages 1 - 13.) Would 4 days be more realistic? We've never been to Knotts, and thought maybe the kids would like to spend 1 day there, also. We were at Universal Orlando in Dec, 2009, so I think we'll skip Universal on this trip. The San Diego attractions we want to save for a future trip, probably a summer trip. I'm also wondering if it would be possible to swim during this time of the year, whether or not to include time for that.

Dining options: WDW has the DDP. Does DL have a dining plan? Are there any special restaurants or meals that we should plan on?

Promotions & deals: Is it common or not for DL to have promtions for rooms, tickets, etc during December? If so, where should I watch for these? and when?

Transportation: WDW has ME, which we have used before. However at DL, if we don't rent a car, what is the best way for a family of 12 to get from LAX to DL? How about to Knotts? We're looking for price, and convenience. Will it be cheaper to rent vans ourselves? Except for going to Knotts, and back & forth to LAX, the rental vans would probably just be sitting. We've had a car with us on our past two trips to Calif, so we've never had to think about this issue before. I'm hoping that there are some Dis'ers out there that have had to deal with this, and can give us some advice.

I'm such a rookie when it comes to DL, and I want to find out how to get the most out of this trip. Thanks for all your help!

 

[Goofy_Mom]

Hello, here are my thoughts on your questions

1) Christmas decor is up in full swing two weeks before Thanksgiving. The closer you get to Christmas, the more crowded it will be. You are correct that the crowds will be less intense during the week. If it's raining the parks will be near empty and the rides will be a walk on. I think so far the best time for low crowds is the week or two after Thanksgiving week. Latley the crowds have been bigger than normal so this could be a growing trend and the parks will get more busy or a fluke and the crowds will go back to "normal" levels in the future.

2) If your buget allows for a DL hotel then go for it. I could never justify the cost of staying on site. The "Good Nieghbor" hotels are within walking distance to the parks and in most cases actually closer to the main gates than the DL hotels.

3) I think for your group 4 days would be better. If you can, break up your group for a couple hours so the big kids can do the more thrilling rides and the less adventurous can do the more tame ones. As far as F! goes, I have never been to WDW so can't compare. But I can say that ours has a Peter Pan scean instead of a Pocohantas scean, a dragon (sometimes), and is viewed on the ROA. There is not a dinner package but you can get a dessert package for around $50 a person. I have heard that most prefer our F! to WDW's.

Dinnig Plan: stay clear of it, not worth the money. It's not like WDW's. You pay USD for DL food vouchers with a dollar amount on them, but unlike USD where you get change back, the vouchers don't allow it. So you give a CM a $5.00 for a $4.00 totall you don't get the dollar in change back. The Character breakfast voucher price is based on the more expensive meal found at Ariels and Goofy's Kitchen, so if you choose to eat at the Plaza with Minnie you don't get the full value of the voucher and again lose money. I would plan to buget food money in your plan and go from there. Disney's website will have the cost for buffets and F! dessert seating and an estimate for the table and counter service.

Promotions (if any) come out after Halloween.

I can't help you with the transport from the airport because we always drive.

Have fun on your trip. It doesn't take quite as much planning as a WDW vacation does. You can book your table service meals 60 days out but can usually get a ressie 30 days before your trip. I always call at the 50 day mark and have always gotten the place and time I wanted.

 

[skiingfast]

Best time to go: We want to experience the Christmas decorations, shows & attractions. We also want to see WOC. We've seen Fantasmic! at WDW several times, and aren't really fans of it. Is it the same show at DL? If not, then we might want to include it. So when in Dec is the best time to see things, and have a lower crowd? I'm thinking during the week is better than going on weekends. Is that correct? Are there any attractions that would be shown only on the weekends? Are there certain mornings that the parks open earlier?

Where to stay: At WDW, we like to stay on property. I'm thinking that the family would prefer that at DL also. However, price is a big consideration. If we stay off property, is it reasonable to walk over to DL, or do we need transportation? Will the pricing for the on property hotels be the same all month of Dec? Or will they be cheaper at the beginning of the month? I also noticed that the DL hotel is doing some major rehab. I could really use some recommendations on lodging.

How long to stay: Would 3 days be enough to do all the attractions? (We'll have 6 grandkids, ages 1 - 13.) Would 4 days be more realistic? We've never been to Knotts, and thought maybe the kids would like to spend 1 day there, also.

Dining options: WDW has the DDP. Does DL have a dining plan? Are there any special restaurants or meals that we should plan on?

Promotions & deals: Is it common or not for DL to have promtions for rooms, tickets, etc during December? If so, where should I watch for these? and when?

Transportation: WDW has ME, which we have used before. However at DL, if we don't rent a car, what is the best way for a family of 12 to get from LAX to DL? How about to Knotts? We're looking for price, and convenience. Will it be cheaper to rent vans ourselves? Except for going to Knotts, and back & forth to LAX, the rental vans would probably just be sitting. We've had a car with us on our past two trips to Calif, so we've never had to think about this issue before. I'm hoping that there are some Dis'ers out there that have had to deal with this, and can give us some advice.

I'm such a rookie when it comes to DL, and I want to find out how to get the most out of this trip. Thanks for all your help!

I think you might want to read these links to get going on some intial planning.

Hydroguys DLR for WDW Vest. It will get you back into the DL planning mindset.

WoC Superthead you will surely want to see this new DCA night show.

This is all about travel to the resort, very comprehensive.

Best time to go: I would suggest before rather than after Thanksgiving. As PP noted there is a steady climb in crowds, but other than veterans day weekend and when they film the Christmas Parade the crowds are better in November.

F! in WDW has nice benches to sit on. In DL a much better show, you will want to see this.

Normally night shows in DL don't play or have less showings when the parks are quiet ie; weekdays. But for the holiday period everything will happen more often. There aren't as many different hours as at WDW. Pretty much longer on the weekends shorter on the weekdays.

Where to stay: This will be covered in the links. It's really easy to stay across the street on Harbor. Much cheaper and almost everywhere has a heated pool for the kids to play in.

Promotions & deals: Quite Possibly DLR will have a room deal. Also similar to the hotels on harbor they make offers to get people to extend there nights past 2 or 3.

Transportation: It will be nice to have a rental to get to knots. Not nessecary but nice. 1 Day there will be great. It has some rollercoasters for the older kids.

How long to stay: This is a bit tricky. I would say at least 3. But depending if you want to split up by age groups or not you might want more. Does everyone want to ride dumbo? Also if you are there on a weekend day I would add a day.

 

[splashtastic!]

I'm not sure what they take is from other DISers, but I would recommend flying in to John Wayne airport (SNA) instead of Los Angeles (LAX.) With traffic, waiting for your bus/shuttle, you could end up with some REALLY exhausted little (and big) travelers.

I took a poll from my friends and only one out of the ten of those DL fanatics would rather fly into LAX versus SNA, and that is only because she has inlaws there. (She actually assured me she would RATHER fly in to SNA, but the hubby won't let her pass up the visit to his family.)

Also, I would "book" a hotel soon, on a hotel website; a reservation that you can cancel without penalty and use it as your base amount to try and get a better "deal" elsewhere. If you ultimately end up unable to find a better deal, at least you will have your original choice.
(Just don't forget to cancel it if you don't need it!!)

 

[disneygrandma]

Thank you for the quick replies. I think 4 days is what we'll plan on for DL, and 1 day for Knott's. Hopefully, we will be able to get an early morning flight & then we would only need to stay 5 nts.

I took a quick look at the Good Neighbor Hotels, and many said "across the street". Does that really mean you can walk across the street & in to the park? Which of these hotels would you suggest? Any to shy away from?

So, the Christmas decorations will be up before Thanksgiving, but what about the Christmas parade, fireworks, and other holiday events & attractions? We don't want to miss any of those, including IASW and Haunted Mansion. Will the reindeers be there before Thanksgiving?

I'll need to find a major block of time when I'll be able to read thru all the threads that you listed......hopefully tonight, or tomorrow night.

Thanks again.

 

[disneygrandma]

Do certain airlines fly in to that other airport, instead of LAX? We'd be flying from Omaha. I mentioned LAX because I thought that's where most airlines would land.

That's a good idea to book resv's early that could be canceled later if something better shows up. I just need to find out for sure about the special Christmas attractions & shows, whether or not they're all in place before Thanksgiving. Also, some suggestions on what hotels would actually be considered "across the street" for walking to the parks.

Thanks again. I appreciate all the help.

 

[skiingfast]

Do certain airlines fly in to that other airport, instead of LAX? We'd be flying from Omaha. I mentioned LAX because I thought that's where most airlines would land.

That's a good idea to book resv's early that could be canceled later if something better shows up. I just need to find out for sure about the special Christmas attractions & shows, whether or not they're all in place before Thanksgiving. Also, some suggestions on what hotels would actually be considered "across the street" for walking to the parks.

Thanks again. I appreciate all the help.

Yes, almost every airline goes to LAX, but a few go to LGB or SNA instead. Not all go to the last two. Prices may varie a little to each airport too.

Every hotel on Harbor dr. Between Ball and Katella that border the north and south end of DLR is within 10 minutes walk for people with strollers. If you use hotels.com, search for the location Disney's California Adventure and it will list Harbor hotels first. It also has a map view.

 

[HydroGuy]

I took a quick look at the Good Neighbor Hotels, and many said "across the street". Does that really mean you can walk across the street & in to the park? Which of these hotels would you suggest? Any to shy away from?

Good question. Don't believe the "across the street" claims. Yes many hotels are across the street but not near the access points. So you still have to travel a good distance to get to the parks. The Harbor Blvd hotels are the ones truly across the street.

So, the Christmas decorations will be up before Thanksgiving, but what about the Christmas parade, fireworks, and other holiday events & attractions? We don't want to miss any of those, including IASW and Haunted Mansion. Will the reindeers be there before Thanksgiving?

All of the above is up and going in mid-November. The only one of which I am not sure is the reindeer. I think so but am not sure.

 

[pinktink83]

Its def too cold to swim in Dec (unless your hotel has a heated pool!).

I would look into Knotts more and make sure its worth the drive and extra cost. I've heard its really not that great anymore, and there aren't many rides for the younger kids. So unless the 13 yo is super into rollercoasters, it may not be worth it.

Best time to go: I would try to go before Thanksgiving if possible. Weekdays are best. Most night shows will still be playing for the holidays, but double check. You may want to include one Friday just to make sure you catch everything. They have Magic Morning/Early Entry 3 mornings a week...Sunday, Tues and Thursday. You get 1 pass if you buy 3 day hoppers through Disney. You get 2 passes if you buy it through Getawaytoday.com. You get to go in early every day its offered if you stay on site. Early Entry really is worth it. You can do all of Fantasyland in that first hour before the crowds come and it makes the rest of the day so much easier! We always do that, then go grab breakfast!


Where to stay: Even staying "on site" includes some walking. In fact, the DH and PP are farther than some Good Neighbor hotels, which are literally across the street from the entrance. See this map: http://www.accommodationsneardisney.com/Disneyland/default.asp. So the only reason to pay the extra would be the "atmosphere" and the extra magic mornings (but only if you'll be there Sun-Thurs to use them). I've never stayed on site, but I always figure I'd rather spend the extra $$ on food and gifts, since we only sleep there anywhere (we never use the hotel amenities, etc). Even the hotels further down the street will have a shuttle to take you. Its cheap and easy, you just have to plan to wake up a bit earlier. (But I'd try to get right by the entrance if you can) Anywhere between Manchester st & Freedman st is super close. We've walked from Katella ave, but I don't recommend it!

Dining options: No dining plans, and from what I've heard DL food isn't up to snuff with WDW. But there are still some fun places to go. Definitely do a character meal! Our fav is the Minnie & Friends Breakfast at the Plaza Inn. Biggest advantage- its the only one inside the park. Once I'm there, I don't want to leave and have to walk back to a hotel.

 

[GrandBob]

I took a quick look at the Good Neighbor Hotels, and many said "across the street". Does that really mean you can walk across the street & in to the park? Which of these hotels would you suggest? Any to shy away from?

So, the Christmas decorations will be up before Thanksgiving, but what about the Christmas parade, fireworks, and other holiday events & attractions? We don't want to miss any of those, including IASW and Haunted Mansion. Will the reindeers be there before Thanksgiving?

Check out http://www.accommodationsneardisney.com/Disneyland/default.asp
The ones in the green area are easily walkable to Disney. The others, not so much. HoJo's (Howard Johnson's) is a DISboard favorite, especially if you can get their Entertainment Card Rate. It's just a so-so deal without it.

Yes, all the Christmas stuff is up when after the official start of the holiday season, which is typically 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. Even the reindeer.

While SNA is more convenient than LAX, you won't find a lot of airlines that will go there non-stop from the midwest. IMHO, the extra stopover/plane change negates any value for flying into SNA. If you can get non-stop into LAX, it will almost surely be cheaper; and I'd go with that.

-Bob

 

[disneygrandma]

I just read a blog on the Reindeers, and that's a must do! So for sure the reindeers will be there before Thanksgiving? The Christmas parade is also a must do, and from what I'm reading here, the parade should be going on before Thanksgiving. I read that the parade is taped in early Nov, but the parade doesn't actually start until the holiday season opens. Since those dates are not avail yet for 2011, I need to be confident that they actually will take place before Thanksgiving.

I looked at the accomodations map. Thanks for the link! That helped a lot, since I was wondering where the pedestrian entrance was, compared to the location of the hotels. We've pretty much made up our mind to stay "across the street". Is the crosswalk near the pedestrian entrance, or only at the street corners? Is there an overhead skywalk? Or do people cross the street in front of traffic stopped a light?

Re: early entry, is DCA more or less crowded on the days that DL opens early? And if we want to take advantage of the early entry, what time do we need to leave the hotel?

Thanks again for all your help. The more we read about DL, the more excited we get. Once we get our dates pinned down, I'll book the rooms. That will give us plenty of time to study our dining options before making ADR's. Can't wait!

 

[HydroGuy]

I looked at the accomodations map. Thanks for the link! That helped a lot, since I was wondering where the pedestrian entrance was, compared to the location of the hotels. We've pretty much made up our mind to stay "across the street". Is the crosswalk near the pedestrian entrance, or only at the street corners? Is there an overhead skywalk? Or do people cross the street in front of traffic stopped a light?

No overhead skywalk. The main cross-walk is right at the pedestrian entrance where there is a a street light.

Re: early entry, is DCA more or less crowded on the days that DL opens early? And if we want to take advantage of the early entry, what time do we need to leave the hotel?

Early Entry is officially called Magic Morning and it has no effect on DCA. Your question sounds like a WDW-type question and if so, MM at DLR does not have much in common with EMH at WDW except that they both involve extra park hours.

For more info on this see:

"Magic Morning (Early Entry) Super Thread" by DLR29 www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1675403

 

[pinktink83]

Early Entry: its about the same game plan as any normal opening time- best case scenario you want to be there an hour before the gates open to get in line. Depending on how "early" Early Entry is that particular day (in slow season the park opens later, so "early" could mean 9am, in busy season it could mean 7am!) it could mean setting your alarm at 5:30am to be there by 6am to stand in line. It takes about 10 min to walk over there from "across the street" hotels, so however much longer it takes you to get up, dressed, fed, etc. You could even just send one person from your party to hold your place in line, and the rest of you can get there 15 min before the gates open.

In our experiences, when Early Entry is earlier in the morning, less people take advantage of it, so if you really can't wake up that early, you can just be there 15 min. before the gate opens. No, you won't be first in line for Peter Pan, but it won't screw up your day too much.

However, when its later in the morning, like 9am, there are a LOT more people who do it. So I'd definitely go at least an hour early to wait in line.

Our fav game plan is to hit up Fantasyland first, ride everything there, hop over to Tomorrowland, grab fast passes for Space Mountain, ride all the other rides there, and then go eat breakfast (preferably Minnie & Friends at Plaza Inn or Mickey Pancakes at River Belle Terrace). Then we head over to Adventureland, ride everything except Indy, get fast passes for it and go to New Orleans for Pirates & Haunted Mansion. We send a runner to grab Fast Passes for Splash Mountain (unless we have a little one who wants to ride Pooh), get Fast Passes for Thunder Mountain if we can. And then sometimes we head over to DCA, as by this time the afternoon crowd is starting to show up. Then when DCA closes, we come back to DL and watch the parades, etc and use our fast passes from earlier in the day!

 

[mellers]

Our 1st trip to DL was the summer of 1977, and then not again until June of 2001, which was our last time. I really wasn't prepared for either trip. So now we're thinking of taking our kids & grandkids for Christmas 2011, and I want to research & plan it out. I feel I'm a pro at WDW, but really don't know much about DL/DCA. Please help!

Best time to go: We want to experience the Christmas decorations, shows & attractions. We also want to see WOC. We've seen Fantasmic! at WDW several times, and aren't really fans of it. Is it the same show at DL? If not, then we might want to include it. So when in Dec is the best time to see things, and have a lower crowd? I'm thinking during the week is better than going on weekends. Is that correct? Are there any attractions that would be shown only on the weekends? Are there certain mornings that the parks open earlier?

Where to stay: At WDW, we like to stay on property. I'm thinking that the family would prefer that at DL also. However, price is a big consideration. If we stay off property, is it reasonable to walk over to DL, or do we need transportation? Will the pricing for the on property hotels be the same all month of Dec? Or will they be cheaper at the beginning of the month? I also noticed that the DL hotel is doing some major rehab. I could really use some recommendations on lodging.

How long to stay: Would 3 days be enough to do all the attractions? (We'll have 6 grandkids, ages 1 - 13.) Would 4 days be more realistic? We've never been to Knotts, and thought maybe the kids would like to spend 1 day there, also. We were at Universal Orlando in Dec, 2009, so I think we'll skip Universal on this trip. The San Diego attractions we want to save for a future trip, probably a summer trip. I'm also wondering if it would be possible to swim during this time of the year, whether or not to include time for that.

Dining options: WDW has the DDP. Does DL have a dining plan? Are there any special restaurants or meals that we should plan on?

Promotions & deals: Is it common or not for DL to have promtions for rooms, tickets, etc during December? If so, where should I watch for these? and when?

Transportation: WDW has ME, which we have used before. However at DL, if we don't rent a car, what is the best way for a family of 12 to get from LAX to DL? How about to Knotts? We're looking for price, and convenience. Will it be cheaper to rent vans ourselves? Except for going to Knotts, and back & forth to LAX, the rental vans would probably just be sitting. We've had a car with us on our past two trips to Calif, so we've never had to think about this issue before. I'm hoping that there are some Dis'ers out there that have had to deal with this, and can give us some advice.

I'm such a rookie when it comes to DL, and I want to find out how to get the most out of this trip. Thanks for all your help!

My recommendation? Go before Christmas, if possible--the longer before, the better. Christmas week will be crazy.

Don't bother staying on Disneyland property--unlike at WDW, it's very easy to find a lovely, clean place that will let you walk right to Disneyland's front gate--particularly if you can get an Entertainment discount, I'd recommend the Howard Johnson's Anaheim:

http://www.hojoanaheim.com/

They have their own mini water park, a nice little restaurant called Mimi's Cafe (sign up, a couple of weeks before, for their coupon--it's well worth it). Use the money you save on lodging to treat yourself to some Character meals--I just got a wonderful tip from MouseSavers--go to http://arestravel.com/722_DisneylandResort.html#distop , and pre-order meal vouchers (AFTER you make reservations--usually about 60 days out)

4 days is definitely more realistic--particularly with little ones.

If you have someone with access to Recreation Connection (public employee, employee benefit program, etc)., you might be able to get discounted tickets not only to Disneyland, but also discounted vouchers to the Castle Inn, which is also a good place to stay.

 

[{Kat}]

Check out http://www.accommodationsneardisney.com/Disneyland/default.asp
The ones in the green area are easily walkable to Disney. The others, not so much. HoJo's (Howard Johnson's) is a DISboard favorite, especially if you can get their Entertainment Card Rate. It's just a so-so deal without it.

Yes, all the Christmas stuff is up when after the official start of the holiday season, which is typically 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. Even the reindeer.

While SNA is more convenient than LAX, you won't find a lot of airlines that will go there non-stop from the midwest. IMHO, the extra stopover/plane change negates any value for flying into SNA. If you can get non-stop into LAX, it will almost surely be cheaper; and I'd go with that.

-Bob

We're flying into that one because we are not doing a rental car to see any other attractions in the California area, and because of where we both live we would have to change over from our first plane regardless. Everyone does from our locations. It is worth looking into for this person too, since SNA is so close it is one trip to a Good Neighbor Hotel, and walking or ART if need be.

I'd recommend checking out the cost involved, and checking on transit time from LAX to the hotel, and also SNA to the hotel.

Time saved with little ones, regardless of change over might be helpful.

I could see where a person who is getting a rental car might find LAX to be a better choice, but it all depends what your plans are ---- how many days in the park, if you're going to the zoo or Knott's.

Since we plan to only do Disney on this trip we want to save time, money by cutting out the trip from LAX, and rental car fee's. Not to mention the time it takes to get the car, and drive everywhere.

It all depends on what your focus is for the trip I think.

 

[disneygrandma]

I was wondering if the Magical Morning / Early Entry would affect the crowds, because it does affect the WDW parks. As I said, I consider myself somewhat of a WDW pro, but a DL rookie. So I'm glad to learn that it is different at DL/DCA. We'll definately plan to take advantage of it.

Thanks for all the tips & info that has been posted. I've been doing a lot of reading, and things all seem much clearer now.

As far as lodging, I think we've eliminated HoJo. The water park looks great for kids, and if we were going in warmer months, we would probably go for it. (or if the water park was inside) I have read some bad reviews about how close it is to the freeway, as well as other noise factors. Has anyone had experience with Park Vue Inn or Ramada Maingate? They both seem farther away from the freeway, and the reviews I've read on TA seem pretty good. But I would like to find out if any of the DIS readers have stayed there, and what their thoughts are.

Thanks again for all your help.

 

[tzeitel]

PinkTink83 thanks so much for that accomodations link! that map is awesome and I've been looking for something like that for days now