any budget tips for Disneyland ????

[Misty89]

we are going to disneyland!!!!!!!!!


sorry WDW, but CA here we come


anyone have any tips for us? first time to dl.....thank you

Tina

 

[melaniemiller2002]

We were there for 4 nights, 5 days with a 5-day Park Hopper Pass. For the hotel, all taxes, and our Passes, it was around $900 for a family of 4. We stayed at a hotel that was about 2 blocks from the resort and were able to go back and forth during the day without too much trouble. Get a hotel with a microwave and fridge. Ours had both and it saved us a lot of $$. There is an IHOP right outside the park, but beware...they are VERY expensive, service sucked, and you don't even get the drink included with kids' meals!

I can't for the life of me remember what our hotel was named, but it was great. It was on the main street that runs along the outside of the park and was next to a couple of decent restaurants. The rooms were nice and we could see the fireworks from our balcony.

You order everything online and they send you the package. You turn in the paperwork when you check in and get your Passes. I loved using this service and if we go to Disneyland again (or Seaworld, Knott's, etc.) we will definitely use it again. We ran into two other couples in DL who were there using the same service. Both families had used the GetAwayToday several times for their vacations.

Have fun! And make sure to spend some time in California Adventureland. We loved it! It was a great 5 days, although we won't be going back in the summer again....gawd, the crowds!!!! That part wasn't so great, but the FastPasses saved our butts...teehee!!

Melanie

 

[Nik's Mom]

There are several hotels within walking distance to DL. We have aps and go at least once a month. If you don't mind spending $$$, the on site hotels are pretty nice. But the off-site hotels are just a couple of blocks away and a lot cheaper. DL is nothing like WDW. Everything is super close and the parks are much smaller.

 

[Albertan mom]

We stayed at the Park Inn. It is right across the street from the main entrance. It was good to have a continental breakfast. This one had pastries, coffee, juice, milk, cereal, fruit. We put an apple or orange in our pockets for our morning snack. Alot of people complain about the prices of food in the park, but we didn't find it so bad. We would order the pizza/salad meal for around $5, and it would feed two of us. Or we would order three of them for the four of us. We drank water most of the time. We would carry a water bottle and fill it up at the fountains. Or we would ask for a cup of water. Supper was usually outside the park, but the IHOP, Dennys are very expensive. (We decide to have Breakfast there one day, for 3 of us was $35-with water and kids meals!) We ate at Captain Kidds a few times, the kids loved the buffet, and it was $1 for them with the purchase of an adult buffet ($6-7) The food wasn't great, but it was plenty (hotdogs, pizza, macaroni, ham, salads, soups, dessert, potatoes etc...) It was right beside the main entrance of DLand too. At our hotel, the gift shops had t-shirts 3 for $10.
Our holiday was
$750 passes for Disney, Universal and transfers
$1000 flights
$1000 hotel
$1000 food, souveneirs, other
This was for 7 days and nights.

 

[jltwdw]

We are planning a trip to DL 12/16-23 and I cannot decide on how many days we should buy passes for. Will 3 day passes be enough to see the parks or should we get longer (or shorter for that matter?) We have relatives in the area that I know we will be visiting taking up a day or two, but our main reason to go is DL. It isn't settled yet, but we have approx. 9 adults and 2 children (3 & 7). I'm sure the kids would enjoy Sea World for a day also. Can someone help me make up my mind on how many days to plan for DL?

Thanks!!!!

 

[Albertan mom]

We did 5 days, and that was good.
Day 1 was DLand
Day 2 was California Adventure
Day 3 was DLand
Day 4 was California Adventure
Day 5 we went back and re-rode the favorite rides, and went to a few more shows.
The park hopper is really good to have, so you can go catch the parade at one park, go to the fireworks at the other, etc..
I think you could do it in 3, but you would be rushing yourself, and you would miss things. I had it all planned out, so we didn't miss one thing. We still had time to stop for an ice cream break every afternoon and just sit and relax and people watch. On our second day, it was a busy saturday, so we left the park around 2, went to the hotel, slept and swam for 3 hours, ate supper, then went back to watch the electrical parade (CA) and Fantasmic (DL). We went in May, so it was fairly quiet, but weekends are always busy, any time of year. We went to Downtown Disney on day 6 (no pass needed) and spent a few hours shopping and eating at the Rainforest Cafe
We didn't do any character meals, I think those would take a little longer, we mostly ate counter service.
I would definately recommend 5 days. It is worth the few extra dollars.

 

[jltwdw]

Whoa, thanks for the quick reply!! 5 day tickets it will be for us! I know there is a seperate forum for DL, but let me ask one more question...Is it better to stay onsite? We already have a no-penalty cancellable reservation for Portofino Inn, but the pool there looks pretty blah. I'm thinking we should try for something else with a better pool (Hilton Aneheim?) but comperable price. The kid suites were what initially drew us to the Portofino. Also, DMum has walking issues (she is verrrry slow & tires quickly) and will definately require a wheelchair. Should we consider on-site hotel for this reason alone or are the neighboring hotels close enough?

 

[KaitlinsMom]

Melanie - the hotel you are talking about is Howard Johnson's - or HoJo's -

It is a great hotel to stay at - Very affordable, great pools - Very clean -

- Mousesavers also lists a place that sells a great deal on hopper tickets - Check out the web-site to find out - Also Costco is a good place to get them too.

Karen

 

[becky7953]

Try mousesavers.com for lots of tips

 

[PattiPB]

Hello all!

Go to the DL board, everybody there is great!

jtlwdw---you are going in December, right? I wouldn't sweat the pool at all! The only indoor pool I know of is in the Desert Inn and Suites, which is a good hotel right across from the parks.

We don't stay onsite at DL often (AP holders), because it is soooooo expensive, and you don't gain much advantage. Save the money for souvies! LOL!

As for how many days...it's like WDW---NEVER enough! Beware: DL tickets expire in 13 days, so don't overbuy thinking you can use them next year. For a "once in a lifetime" trip, I'd take 5 over 3 days for sure.

 

[Albertan mom]

I wouldnt stay on-site, because it is sooooo expensive, and you don't really get any benefits.
We stayed at the Park Inn, it is across the street. About 8 of the hotels on Harbour Blvd. are very close to the main entrance. The pool there was decent, small, but we only used it 2x, so didn't really care about the pool. Seriously, at the end of the day you are tired, and just need a place to shower and sleep, so don't spend alot of money on perks. Continental breakfast is good to have though, it saves you money on breakfast, and you can grab fruit for later on!

 

[Chicago526]

I went in 2004 and we stayed at the Grand Californian. I loved the hotel but when I go back, I'll stay off-site for the $$$ savings. Other than staying off-site, I find that most $$$ saving tips that work for WDW work for DL.

Have a great trip!

 

[disneyeveryyear]

DH and I went to Anaheim for his convention last year (February).

I was able to get an AP rate at the Grand Californian for $139/night. I thought it was a beautiful hotel at that price with a private entrance to CA.

It was well worth the $ to me. We had a balcony overlooking DD, and I loved to sit out there and people watch.

One $ saving tip if you are a coffee drinker. There is a coffee shop toward the end of Main Street on the right hand side. They give free refills all day. Just keep your receipt in your pocket and you can have as much coffee as you would like. It was a little cool a couple mornings we were there, and I definitely got my $s worth.

 

[ArielsMommy]

I wish we could go too! I almost had DH convinced until the many earthquakes hit the area the other day. Oh, well...maybe next year.