A critique of my plans thus far, and day 6 adventures

[Travis B]

It's official! We are going to DLR for the first time! We will be there from Sat 5/7-Mon 5/15. Flying in and out of SNA. We will be getting 5 day park passes, and visiting Monday through Friday. We will probably hang around locally the first Saturday evening and Sunday, and do Downtown Disney and perhaps some other things in Anaheim. (Any suggestions?) I would also like to potentially rent a car and do couple day trips or one overnight trip the second weekend (again, would love any suggestions). I do plan on listening to some 'Day 6' podcasts by my beloved MaryJo, but there's so many to go through and I love getting input on the boards as well. It is just my partner and I, both in our mid 30's, no kids. I love theme parks, but would probably not do Knotts or Universal this time around.

As far as hotel, I hemmed and hawed over many choices but ended up booking our entire stay at the Eden Roc. It looks nicely refurbished, simple but clean, and all recent reviews I've seen have been pretty positive. The main selling point is that the rate we got is at least $60 less than the other options - even after adding 3-4 extra days onto our trip, we're still saving money. I don't care about the pool, and can deal with simple accommodations as long as everything is clean and well maintained. Eden Roc also seems to be walkable. We could also utilize ART. Heck, we could Uber back and forth every day and still save money.

I have been thinking a little about doing a split stay - maybe getting one of the S Harbor hotels for a few days at the beginning and switching to Eden Roc mid week, but I don't know if the hassle would be worth it. I'm also open to getting a hotel somewhere else we travel to that last weekend.

Have I made any horrible mistakes?

Any critique or input of what I've planned so far would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[kristabelle13]

I can't speak to the hotel - but you might want to consider Universal - the Harry Potter section will be about a month old, so might be worth checking out?

You're also there for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend which is on the Saturday & Sunday you're arriving and might make negotiating the region a bit challenging in the mornings on those days. (not sure of your arrival time Saturday, but if it's morning, plan for a bit more time than normal).

 

[sherilaine]

My biggest comment would be about doing DLR 5 days straight. I would find that a bit tiring - we like to split up our time and take a couple of days off in between. For example we are there for 8 nights and will go to the parks on Sat, Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri - so we have two days which are off days and we can relax or do something else. Unless you are physically moving to another area, there is really no reason you have to do Disney on consecutive days, unless of course that is your preference.

The hotel should be walkable - I have read of a lot of people who stay at the Anabella and walk down Disneyland Drive, through the GCH into DTD and head to the park gates from there. It would likely take you 15 minutes from door to door but certainly manageable - it's just at the end of the day that any walk can seem longer.

We love renting a car - it's great to be able to pick up groceries, go for a few drives around and just have the freedom that comes with it. Staying somewhere with parking included is a bonus as well. If you are going to rent and have a Costco membership you may find a great rate through them. Also, if you pick a rental car company, becoming a member of their "club" can often speed up picking up your vehicle - although if you are travelling through SNA that is likely less of an issue than LAX.

As to Day 6 ideas - perhaps providing the ages of your party and their interests - if you do not have small kids then places like Universal and Knotts would likely be good - but if you have small kids then a trip to Legoland might be fun for them. Heading to the beach for at least part of the day is nice, we always make sure we do that. We live in the mountains and miss the ocean air from where we grew up!

Have fun planning.

 

[dragonflycurls]

I agree about splitting your trip up. 5 days at Disney will be exhausting. When I spend 4 or more days, I always plan a rest day in the middle

 

[Travis B]

I can't speak to the hotel - but you might want to consider Universal - the Harry Potter section will be about a month old, so might be worth checking out?

You're also there for the Tinker Bell Half Marathon Weekend which is on the Saturday & Sunday you're arriving and might make negotiating the region a bit challenging in the mornings on those days. (not sure of your arrival time Saturday, but if it's morning, plan for a bit more time than normal).

We were just at Universal Orlando in November - so while I'm sure it would be cool to see the new HP stuff, I'm wary of doing it on a weekend - especially when it's so new and will surely be insanely busy.

Good points on the marathon - I was aware of it happening, and that's why I planned to start in the parks on Monday instead of Sunday, hoping the marathoners would leave Sunday evening. It's good to know that I'll need to consider their presence while navigating Anaheim. IIRC we arrive early to mid afternoon. Thanks.

 

[Travis B]

My biggest comment would be about doing DLR 5 days straight. I would find that a bit tiring - we like to split up our time and take a couple of days off in between. For example we are there for 8 nights and will go to the parks on Sat, Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri - so we have two days which are off days and we can relax or do something else. Unless you are physically moving to another area, there is really no reason you have to do Disney on consecutive days, unless of course that is your preference.

The hotel should be walkable - I have read of a lot of people who stay at the Anabella and walk down Disneyland Drive, through the GCH into DTD and head to the park gates from there. It would likely take you 15 minutes from door to door but certainly manageable - it's just at the end of the day that any walk can seem longer.

We love renting a car - it's great to be able to pick up groceries, go for a few drives around and just have the freedom that comes with it. Staying somewhere with parking included is a bonus as well. If you are going to rent and have a Costco membership you may find a great rate through them. Also, if you pick a rental car company, becoming a member of their "club" can often speed up picking up your vehicle - although if you are travelling through SNA that is likely less of an issue than LAX.

As to Day 6 ideas - perhaps providing the ages of your party and their interests - if you do not have small kids then places like Universal and Knotts would likely be good - but if you have small kids then a trip to Legoland might be fun for them. Heading to the beach for at least part of the day is nice, we always make sure we do that. We live in the mountains and miss the ocean air from where we grew up!

Have fun planning.

My main reason for doing the parks all 5 days is so hit them during the week, and avoiding weekend crowds. That Friday is the first grad night, and I believe the Saturday is a grad night as well. When we're at WDW we do parks everyday, and generally manage just fine. I should note, though, we're not rope drop to close style people. I will consider maybe taking that Wednesday off as a break day. Either way, I'm all about mid-day naps, and not pushing it too hard.

I had heard you can't enter through the GCH before 11 am - do you know if that's true?

I thought having a car would be fun, too. We would probably only get one for a couple days at the beginning and end of the trip so we can do day trips. I'm thinking of using the rentals for our airport transportation as well.

For day 6 stuff - like I said it's just my partner and I, and we're in our mid 30's. Interests - food, shopping, culture, nature to some degree. I was thinking about maybe San Diego, maybe Catalina Island... I seem to recall hearing about an Amtrak that goes down the coast, and that could be fun as well.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[ktlm]

We do 5 days in a row in the parks and love it! (We are open to close type people though) We typically spend the first half of our week at DLR, and then we take a rental car down to the San Diego area and spend a few days in that area. We really enjoy the San Diego Zoo Safari park. Balboa Island/Newport Beach is a fun little area that isn't too far from DLR. They have Harbor boat tours. They also have whale watching tours that set out from that area. That might be a fun place for a day trip.

 

[Niltiac]

I had heard you can't enter through the GCH before 11 am - do you know if that's true?

What I've heard pretty consistently (I haven't tried personally) is that you usually can't use the GCH entrance directly into the CA before 11am unless you're on on-site guest. But what you can do, which I think is what PP was suggesting, is walk through the GCH hallways and exit into DTD, then use the regular park entrance. So you wouldn't be using a special park entrance, you'd just be walking through instead of around the hotel on your way to the main entrance.

 

[sherilaine]

I was not suggesting you enter DCA through GCH - just going through the hotel into DTD - anyone can do that.

 

[Girimama33]

I stayed at Eden Roc for the first time last month during the Star Wars races. I got a really good rate, and wanted to be on that side of the resort...still within walking distance. I was really hesitant at first, given the past poor reviews, but thought I would give it a shot with the recent updating. The updates were nice. Our room was very clean, and we had no issues...except it sometimes took a minute to get the hot water going.
I booked it again for our last minute Easter trip
As mentioned, the walk is easy across Katella, down Disneyland Dr to the GCH, follow the signs through the lobby to DTD/Disneyland, turn right and make your way through security to the esplanade.

I am kind with you OP...get your days in before the Grad Nights get on full swing.

I think you have a lot of options, and have been given some great suggestions so far. So. Cal has so many options.

 

[Travis B]

I was not suggesting you enter DCA through GCH - just going through the hotel into DTD - anyone can do that.

Sorry, I'm pretty ignorant of the details of the geography there. I was not thinking about the fact that one could enter DCA directly through the GCH - I didn't even know that.
So if I'm getting it right, I can enter into DTD and head over to the park entrances (is that area the esplanade?) at any time. I can enter DCA through the GCH, but not until 11 am unless I'm a guest of the hotel. Did I get it right?

 

[Travis B]

We do 5 days in a row in the parks and love it! (We are open to close type people though) We typically spend the first half of our week at DLR, and then we take a rental car down to the San Diego area and spend a few days in that area. We really enjoy the San Diego Zoo Safari park. Balboa Island/Newport Beach is a fun little area that isn't too far from DLR. They have Harbor boat tours. They also have whale watching tours that set out from that area. That might be a fun place for a day trip.

I was thinking about San Diego, and those are some great ideas and places for me to look into. Thanks.

 

[Travis B]

I stayed at Eden Roc for the first time last month during the Star Wars races. I got a really good rate, and wanted to be on that side of the resort...still within walking distance. I was really hesitant at first, given the past poor reviews, but thought I would give it a shot with the recent updating. The updates were nice. Our room was very clean, and we had no issues...except it sometimes took a minute to get the hot water going.
I booked it again for our last minute Easter trip
As mentioned, the walk is easy across Katella, down Disneyland Dr to the GCH, follow the signs through the lobby to DTD/Disneyland, turn right and make your way through security to the esplanade.

I am kind with you OP...get your days in before the Grad Nights get on full swing.

I think you have a lot of options, and have been given some great suggestions so far. So. Cal has so many options.

Thanks for the hotel info, I appreciate it. The rate was so good compared to the other options I'd been looking that - I'm ok with simpler accommodations if it gets me more days in CA, budget for day trips, etc.

 

[sherilaine]

Sorry, I'm pretty ignorant of the details of the geography there. I was not thinking about the fact that one could enter DCA directly through the GCH - I didn't even know that.
So if I'm getting it right, I can enter into DTD and head over to the park entrances (is that area the esplanade?) at any time. I can enter DCA through the GCH, but not until 11 am unless I'm a guest of the hotel. Did I get it right?

Not ignorant at all - ignorant people don't come here looking for information before their trip!! Yes, I believe you have it straight now. We have never tried going through the DCA entrance at GCH, but from what I have read, later in the day it's not an issue for off site guests.