Disneyland and Universal -pricing a trip

[nuttyliser]

Hi everyone! I'm trying to price out a trip to Disneyland and Universal for sometime around the end of June and/or sometime in July. We are a family of 5, retired military, with kids that would be 18, 14 and 11 at the time of travel. We have never been to Disneyland, but have been to Disney World several times. Never done Universal at all. We do LOVE being onsite at WDW and would never consider not staying at a resort there now but, from the research I have done, it does not seem as necessary to stay onsite at Disneyland and I believe we would be ok to stay offsite as long as we were within walking distance. Do you have any suggestions on where to start looking to price this out? Hotel suggestions?

 

[DahliaRW]

Bring up Disneyland on google maps. Look at Harbor Boulevard. There is a crosswalk right in front of the Best Western Park Place Inn. That is the closest offsite hotel, you get a bit further away to either side. I would recommend booking now. I booked a room for 5 at the Best Western Plus Anaheim Inn (just a few hotels down) because they have a free hot breakfast and we were able to get a two room suite, but we got the last one for our week in July! So don't delay!

Be aware, it's 40 minutes without traffic to Universal. With it can be up to 90 minutes. We play to stay by DL, and have a long day to/from Universal. But if you're going to do other stuff over that way you may want to split your stay.

 

[Ndusmama]

Congrats on making your first Disneyland trip. First decide on dates. Then call Disneyland and see what discounts they may have. Military ID can get up to 40% off room rates. The bonus to staying on site is early admission to parks. If you get military three day hopper and stay somewhere else you don't get that extra hour. That extra hour comes in handy during summer months when it gets crowded in afternoon and evenings. Currently for the year the rates are $140 per person. Your local MWR will have prices listed online. If you stay off property there are a ton of hotels within walking distance. I personally like the marriotts for the buffet breakfasts? And most have shuttles to park. The Hilton is decent but a mile walking and the pool gets crowded in summer. If you buy any souvenirs staying onsite will be nice to have delivered to your room.
So the next question is will you be renting a car? All hotels in Anaheim charge a per night parking fee of a minimum $15 dollars. If you choose not to rent a car take Disney shuttle to airport and then shuttle to universal. Or get an uber. LA drivers can be crazy (I know I used to be one), and the two really aren't close. If you do get a car though you could get to the beach one day.
Make sure to plan for 3 days Disney and 2 universal.

 

[smartlabelprint]

We don't rent a car.