Disneyland - 1 or 2 days

[iamgrumpy]

We are planning a trip to Scottsdale, Az July 25-29...Is Phoenix the closest airport to fly into? From there we would like to go to the Grand Canyon, Disneyland & possibly Vegas...Which would be the best planning from Scottsdale? Should we fly or drive? How many miles or hours to each destination? How many days should we plan on for Disney? Is it doable in 1 or 2 days or should we plan longer? What are there for hotels around the area that are reasonable....I live in NY so I don't know much about the west coast.....Any information would be appreciated...TYIA

 

[nonstopdisneymom]

I have done the drive from Grand Canyon to Disneyland if I remember right it's about 6 hrs. We did California adventure and Disneyland in 3 days and were quite content with all that we did. If you are only doing Disneyland 1-2 days would be just fine. The first time we went we did just Disneyland and did just about everything there (in off season) in 1 day.

 

[planningjollyholiday]

2 days in july is not enough time. Even though disneyland california only has two parks, there are just as many shows and attractions as all 4 parks combined in disneyworld. A 3 day or longer park hopper gives you one magic morning entry which are very useful, so i would go at least 3 days, more if time and finances allow. Even with 3 days you wont have enough time to see and do everything.

 

[GMU MOM]

I would plan to spend at least 3 days in Disneyland. We visited DL in January on a very slow weekend and 3 full days was just enough time time to see an do everything we wanted but there were lots of ride closures as well. There's really a lot to do.

As for hotels, if you don't plan on staying at one of the Disney properties, try to book one of the hotels that are right across the street from DL. They are so convenient and reasonably priced. Some of them are even a closer walking distance the the DL hotels and much more affordable.

 

[squirrel]

Try and do at least 3 days, 4 or 5 would be better if you can.

I have stayed at the Best Western Park Place Inn, it's right across the street. The breakfast is decent and has a few hot items.

This year we are trying out Desert Inn and Suites, it's a tiny bit further (1 min or so) but we will have two rooms with 4 queen beds, 2 TV's and 1 1/2 bathrooms for less than BWPPI. The breakfast isn't as nice as BWPPI's but with the $ we save we will buy extras for the room. Since there will be 2 adults and 2 kids the extra room will be nice for our 7 night stay. We can put the kid's to bed and my mom and I can watch TV, without disturbing them.

 

[bumbershoot]

What are there for hotels around the area that are reasonable

The Anaheim area? Ah, that question's best answered on the Disneyland forum.


Just in case it expands to Scottsdale, too, last year (July, actually) we got a GREAT deal through hotels.com at the Orange Tree Resort. It's actually a timeshare, but when they have openings, they try to rent them! Our rate was something like $60/night for a HUGE suite. We met a lady at the pool who was escaping the CO fires last summer, and she booked 2 days after us on the same site and got something like $50/night.

In case you don't know, AZ in July is stinkin', seriously, disgustingly hot. LIke if you stop to get gas and you stand on the concrete near your car too long you'll truly wonder if your shins are literally on fire. Like every time you step outside you gasp from the heat. I mean it's HOT.

That said I'm longing to go back! It was HOT, but that area of AZ just did something for me.


(and people are right, 1-2 days won't be enough...realize it'll just whet your whistle and that you'll start planning trips there in the future...also, go to the Disneyland forum and find HydroGuy's DLR tips for WDW vets!)

 

[drinkme]

We've done everything from 1 day to 6 days at DLR. 1 day really isn't enough, so I would recommend staying as long as you can.

We like to stay at Park Vue Inn. It's right across the street and very convenient. Alot of people on the DIS like the Howard Johnson, but in my opinion, it's too long of a walk. However, if you're looking for luxury, then the HJ would be a better choice.

Have a fun trip!!!

 

[girli565]

I went 3 summers ago and we did one park a day, Disneyland one day and California Adventure the next, so two days was more than enough. I was told that summers are awful and crowded but compared to a summer day at WDW it was way less crowded than I was expecting, lol. We got to do pretty much everything we wanted within those two days. The only really crowded thing we did was wait in line for a fastpass for World of Color and that took about an hour, lol.

 

[disneychrista]

I would do 3 days if you can swing it. Less will feel rushed. In July you will need/want to take mid-day breaks, to get out of the heat.

Visit the Disneyland Board to ask all your Disneyland related questions.

 

[squirrel]

I went 3 summers ago and we did one park a day, Disneyland one day and California Adventure the next, so two days was more than enough. I was told that summers are awful and crowded but compared to a summer day at WDW it was way less crowded than I was expecting, lol. We got to do pretty much everything we wanted within those two days. The only really crowded thing we did was wait in line for a fastpass for World of Color and that took about an hour, lol.

That was before Carsland! It's like saying I went to WDW in 1999 and only spent 4 days there did each park and saw everything but WS in Epcot. Oh I forgot to mention we were there during a hurricane so the parks were practically empty.

 

[girli565]

That was before Carsland! It's like saying I went to WDW in 1999 and only spent 4 days there did each park and saw everything but WS in Epcot. Oh I forgot to mention we were there during a hurricane so the parks were practically empty.

True, I have heard the crowds for Carsland are crazy. But I still think the crowds are very different than WDW. maybe I was there on off days. We were there on saturday and Sunday in late July.

 

[damiel]

We are planning a trip to Scottsdale, Az July 25-29...Is Phoenix the closest airport to fly into? From there we would like to go to the Grand Canyon, Disneyland & possibly Vegas...Which would be the best planning from Scottsdale? Should we fly or drive? How many miles or hours to each destination? How many days should we plan on for Disney? Is it doable in 1 or 2 days or should we plan longer? What are there for hotels around the area that are reasonable....I live in NY so I don't know much about the west coast.....Any information would be appreciated...TYIA

My first question is how long do you have? I suggest you plan on two days for the Grand Canyon including driving and 5 days for the Disney portion of your trip including basically two days of driving. 4 days for Vegas including drive time.
We are going to Scottsdale next week for Spring Training and then going to Disneyland for 4 days. Some things to consider: We found it much cheaper to fly into California (SNA) than into Phoenix. (Yes, Phoenix is the airport you will use for Scottsdale.) Also car rental was cheaper in California than Phoenix. So we are flying into SNA and driving to Scottsdale, 5-6 hours. We will spend a week inn Scottsdale and then drive back to Disney for three days in the parks. I am sure that we found the prices so high because spring is Arizonas high tourist time. You may find the opposite because most people do not want to be in Arizona in the summer.
You will want to plan to stay in a hotel close to the Grand Canyon for one night. It is a bit of a drive from Scottsdale. We left in the early morning to drive up to the GC, spent the day at the Grand Canyon (I highly suggest having a sunset dinner and the Lodge.) We then drove to our hotel and went back to Scottsdale the next morning.
We love Arizona and the heat so we have no problem getting adjusted.
Many people on the Disneyland Boards feel you need a week at Disneyland. We go often enough that we feel like three days is perfect. Anything more than that seems to be too much. We have often gone for two days and it is doable if you don't need to spend time at Character meals and waiting for character photos and autographs.
If it were me I would flyinto California (SNA) and spend my 3 days @ Disney. Rent a car and drive to Scottsdale. Drive to Grand Canyon and then to Las Vegas and fly home from Vegas.

 

[ChristaMcD]

The more days the better!

 

[DSNY4ever]

Like other have said with Carsland (plus the new California Adventure in general) I say a minimum of 3 days. 4 would be best.

 

[mnasf]

Minimum is 3 days. One in each park. And the third day would be to go back and see things you missed or to do some things again.

We are planning a trip to Scottsdale, Az July 25-29...Is Phoenix the closest airport to fly into? From there we would like to go to the Grand Canyon, Disneyland & possibly Vegas...Which would be the best planning from Scottsdale? Should we fly or drive? How many miles or hours to each destination? How many days should we plan on for Disney? Is it doable in 1 or 2 days or should we plan longer? What are there for hotels around the area that are reasonable....I live in NY so I don't know much about the west coast.....Any information would be appreciated...TYIA

 

[tzeitel]

We did DLR in 4 days but could have been done in 3 if you get hoppers and it is not crazy busy. We did 2 days at DL, 1 at DCA and then hopped between the two for our last day, this was Oct and it was a little busy but not weekend/Summer crowded.

As far as hotels go there are lots to choose from and they are pretty reasonable. We stayed at the HoJo which was within walking distance from DLR. Here is a very good map that shows nearby hotels -

http://www.accommodationsneardisney.com/Disneyland/default.asp

 

[hpfan100]

We are planning a trip to Scottsdale, Az July 25-29...Is Phoenix the closest airport to fly into? From there we would like to go to the Grand Canyon, Disneyland & possibly Vegas...Which would be the best planning from Scottsdale? Should we fly or drive? How many miles or hours to each destination? How many days should we plan on for Disney? Is it doable in 1 or 2 days or should we plan longer? What are there for hotels around the area that are reasonable....I live in NY so I don't know much about the west coast.....Any information would be appreciated...TYIA

If flying into AZ you'll want to use Phoenix Sky Harbor airport. It takes about 6 hours with bathroom and gas stops to get from Scottsdale to Disneyland. Scottsdale to Vegas would be closer to 5.5 with stops. Check out rentals cars to see if that is a better deal than flying. Usually I find flights to orange county (SNA) from Phoenix for 100 round trip per person. To get to the Canyon you can drive from Scottsdale..takes about 3 hours with stops.

Maybe something like this will work for you? Fly into Sky harbor, visit Scottsdale, drive to Canyon and then onto Vegas. Either drive from Vegas to Cali or hop a flight. Another option is to fly into Phoenix then fly to Vegas and take a tour to the Canyon from Vegas. Then fly to Cali...

Pack your sunscreen, sunglasses, hat and sunshade for the car.

I would say 3 days at DL...make sure to get the park hopper ticket before you get there so you get a magic morning entry. Stay at any fine hotel along Harbor or Katella. If you have a rental car then find a hotel with free parking. It'll be busy at DL that time of year but AZ and Vegas will be very empty. You can get some smoking hotel deals during July.

Good luck and happy travels!

 

[AZMermaid]

I live in Scottsdale- I am about 30 minutes from the Phoenix airport. It is a 5-6 hour drive to Disneyland and 3.5-4 hours to the Grand Canyon. They are basically in opposite directions- but maybe there is a more direct route between the two, cutting that to 7-8 hours, not totally sure. Vegas is about 5 hours and you can sort of combine the Grand Canyon and Vegas into one road trip- not totally direct, but manageable. In Scottsdale, there are CHEAP nice hotels that time of year. We stayed at the Biltmore (technically Phoenix- but gives an idea) which is a Waldorff collection Hilton hotel for $150 a night a few summers ago. Pretty much everywhere offers summer specials and packages. I live close to the Westin and the Princess- both VERY nice hotels which will be running good specials. These are more north Scottsdale though- if you are looking to go to downtown Scottsdale mostly, they aren't the best choice.

As everyone else said, I would go to DL for 3 days if possible, so 2 is better than 1! Hope that helps!

 

[iamgrumpy]

 

[Handbag Lady]

I've stayed in quite a few hotels in the DLR area.

Hojos was good, but their prices just seem to keep going up. Decent walk, there are restaurants on the way to and from the front gates. Good sized rooms in Building 1, some face the fireworks. I stopped going there when they put in the water play area. I LIKED having a pool by the jacuzzi.

Best Western Anaheim Inn- Stayed here short notice once. It was clean.

Anaheim Plaza-Very inexpensive. Can be too inexpensive and started to go downhill. If you are not too picky, you can make your budget stretch here.

Ramada Plaza-Was clean. (That's all my notes say! I guess it wasn't memorable!)

Park Vue Inn- Had HORRIBLE reviews from friends so I would never stay there.

Anaheim Hilton - I LOVED this place!!! Parking was expensive, but totally walking distance using the back alley. It was hard to find parking NEAR the hotel entrance after hours.

Portofino - Was great for kids. Had bunks for kids.

Anaheim Marriott- Was nice

Annabella-Totally great. Very relaxing yet loud enough for families with kids.

Dolphins Cove- Was great for an extended stay. Had family activities.

Ramada Limited - They had hotel families living there. It was clean, but odd.

Grand Californian - Beautiful. I found the rooms smaller than the DLH and check-in and out was problematic. Check-in was delayed by several hours (happened to me once and to friends twice) yet check-out stayed the same. For that price, felt cheated.

Paradise Pier Hotel - One of my most favorites. Great room decorations, less expensive of the three DL hotels, good rates. Nice pool side and restaurant.

DLH- This is my most favorite of them all. Large rooms lots of history, great pool slides, a nice place to get married and we just stayed there again in January.