Best Current Disneyland Promo?

[Capo]

Hi All,

So it seems there may be a few DL promos floating out there for this year. As such, I'd really appreciate some help in: A) Finding a complete list of all 2010 DL offers and B) Which one is the "best" for us?

Some information to know about us which may be important:

1) We would like to stay for 5 to 7 days.
2) We are flexible with dates.
3) We are two adults, a 2 year old, and a 7 month old.
4) We are currenty Disney Visa Card Members
5) Dining Plan option is definitely nice, but not 100% required.
6) We currently have several Disney WORLD tickets saved-up from prior trips but will consider buying more to bank the tickets if it's a great deal.

Knowing that, what do you all suggest?

 

[BELLEDOZER]

The most popular hotels with the DISers is Howard Johnsons Anaheim, and the Candy Cane Inn. If a pool is more important for you than HOJO's would be a better fit, as they have a Pirate Play area near the front of the hotel that my kids loved. In this enclosed area is the Pirate ship play area, a small kiddie pool and a turtle with small jets shooting above the ground at a low level. There is also a large hottub that is actually hot that will fit at least 20 people. They also give a 15% discount to DIS members, and if you are interested in booking with them the code is R2. We stayed there Feb/09 and the kids loved the pirate pool area, the staff very friendly and always willing to lend a hand, and the place was kept immaculate. As for the dining plan, although I've never used it, have heard that it's overpriced for what you get. You are better off going to MIMI's across the street for food and their food is great, and can't speak highly enough about this restaurant. Also for a word to the wise avoid Captain Kidds restaurant across from the enterance to the parks on Harbor Blvd. People have gotten sick from their food, so you've been warned. Hope that this helps you out a little bit. Have a great day!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

There are packages from all over. On these boards, I usually hear about CostCo, AAA, WDTC, Ares Travel, and Getawaytoday. These often come with "extras" such as ToonTown morning madness tickets, character meal vouchers, pins, etc. The only one I've used is Getawaytoday, but that was quite a while ago. I tend to find that I can do better pricing things out separately these days, especially since we usually have APs now.

Disney is currently running a good 5 for 3 package on their hotel/ticket packages: 5 nights for the price of 3 and 5 day hoppers for the price of 3 days. Disney is also running some good hotel-only specials on something simply called the SUMMER promotion. Sometimes having a Disneyland annual pass can get you the best rate at the Disney hotels. I had the CM on the phone do a side-by-side comparison of SUMMER rate versus AP rate, when I called to inquire about rates. Also, the Howard Johnson, a favorite of mine and many others on this board, offers a 20% discount for AP holders and sometimes even better as shown here: http://www.hojoanaheim.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=29
When you crunch the numbers and compare rates, you may find that having at least one member of your party have an AP is cost effective.

Without an AP, Howard Johnson still offers discounted rates to entertainment card holders and DIS board readers, so you could look into that. There are lots of other motels within easy walking distance of Disneyland, so you might want to do some research here and elsewhere. We have enjoyed the Candy Cane Inn, the Fairfield, and the Tropicana to varying degrees. They were all fine places, but the only one we bothered to repeat was the Candy Cane. Candy Cane doesn't offer a lot of discounts though, AAA sometimes, and doesn't seem to participate in many (or even any) of the packages from the various travel sites I mentioned above. Staying on property isn't necessary unless you particularly want that experience, but I would highly recommend staying within walking distance.

 

[BELLEDOZER]

I haven't used a travel agent in years, simply for the reason that with a little bit of research, that I can find better deals by checking out airline websites, checking for seat sales, and checking hotel prices myself. I caught a cheap deal for my airfare last week for my trip to DL in Oct that was alot cheaper than what I could have gotten at a travel agent. Our family loves HOJO's, and will be staying there for both our trips to DL both this year and next. I'm also picking up an AP when I head down to the mouse in Oct, as the savings far outweight the cost of the AP. Have a great day!

Trish