Disneyland Clueless First Timer

[akclayton]

Hello All!

I'm not really new to the DIS but I'm most familiar with Disney World. Never been to Disneyland nor Anaheim or anywhere in Cali except San Fran.

We wanted to try out a Halloween party and take our niece(8), nephew(10) and daughter (2). He mentioned wanting to try out Disneyland. Now I know how all the Disney World first-timers feel. Clueless and Helpless. I wish I had more time than I do to research things. Full time job, shift working husband and volunteer work in between keep me busy and tired.

I'm wondering a few things. Where are the best places to stay and why? Do any nearby hotels get special perks to the parks? I see there are 3 Disney operated resorts. Is this correct? Do you prefer to stay elsewhere?

I'm flying from Houston. We prefer to fly Southwest. Which airport should we choose? Is there a bus service like ME at WDW to and from airport to resort? Are we better off renting a car?

Are there other things in Anaheim within a decent distance from DL that we can visit? How many days does it take to tour DL?

As far as eating places go.. Suggestions?

Normally I would just ask a Cast Member on online help but I didn't see that feature anywhere on their website.

TIA for any help and insight.

 

[Girimama33]

Welcome and happy planning!
This link should answer most, if not all, of your questions: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

 

[GrandBob]

Welcome to the gentle side of the DIS!

First of all, the standard advice for WDW Vets is to read Hydroguy's masterpiece, A DLR Guide for WDW Vets

A few more answers embedded below:

Hello All!

I'm not really new to the DIS but I'm most familiar with Disney World. Never been to Disneyland nor Anaheim or anywhere in Cali except San Fran.

We wanted to try out a Halloween party and take our niece(8), nephew(10) and daughter (2). He mentioned wanting to try out Disneyland. Now I know how all the Disney World first-timers feel. Clueless and Helpless. I wish I had more time than I do to research things. Full time job, shift working husband and volunteer work in between keep me busy and tired.

I'm wondering a few things. Where are the best places to stay and why? Do any nearby hotels get special perks to the parks? I see there are 3 Disney operated resorts. Is this correct? Do you prefer to stay elsewhere?

Yep, 3 on-site hotels. Grand Californian (GCH), Disneyland Hotel (DLH), and Paradise Pier Hotel (PPH) Staying onsite is nice, but nowhere near as important as it is at WDW. And they're pricey, which is why we generally stay offsite. Still, there are a lot of onsite proponents here. For offsite, there are a number of DISboard favorites. The top 3 are probably HoJo's (Howard Johnson Anaheim), Candy Cane Inn (CCI), and Best Western Park Place Inn (BWPPI)

I'm flying from Houston. We prefer to fly Southwest. Which airport should we choose? Is there a bus service like ME at WDW to and from airport to resort? Are we better off renting a car?

All other things being equal, the favorite airport here is Orange County, aka SNA. However, if you have to pay substantially more for it, or do multiple hops, then it may not be worth it. For those reasons, many people fly into LAX. But since SWA does fly into SNA, check that first. Another good choice is LGB (Long Beach). JetBlue flies there.

Are there other things in Anaheim within a decent distance from DL that we can visit? How many days does it take to tour DL?

As far as eating places go.. Suggestions?

Normally I would just ask a Cast Member on online help but I didn't see that feature anywhere on their website.

TIA for any help and insight.

You're welcome.

-Bob

 

[julieheyer]

Yep, that link above has all the highlights you'll need.
The biggest difference is that there are only 2 parks and they're smaller and closer together. you can really hop back and forth quickly btw. them, making it quite a different, and IMO, more efficient touring option.

This may not be on that thread, not sure how updated it is, but the initial post doesn't mention it:
The DLR hotels offer early entry into DCA to their hotel guests only (Staying in Paradise Pier, GC, or DLH). This is a big advantage with the new Carsland crowds. Many choose that option just to have that extra hour in DCA.

Closest airports are Orange County (SNA) and Los Angeles (LAX). Choose whichever is cheapest, but SNA is a tad closer. There are super shuttles that can take you to the hotel if you don't want to rent a car.

W/i walking distance of DLR is DTD and Anaheim Gardenwalk - restaurants and shopping. Depending on what you want to do while in CA, you can get away w.o. a car if you're there mostly for DL.

HTH!! Enjoy!!

 

[akclayton]

Such great and quick responses. Thanks for all the help. I appreciate it.

 

[plb626]

Being a WDW vet also, we just took a trip to DL to see the new Carsland. We stayed offsite in one of the good neighbor hotels - Holiday Inn. Then took the shuttle (Anaheim Resort Transportation) from the hotel to the parks which wasn't bad but there is a fee associated with it. It picks you up and drops you off at the door step. We did discover the building next to our hotel was the parking garage for Disney but there is a huge wall, so you can't cut through, but several people told us to walk along our street and there is an area where you can cut through and take the tram.

We did both parks in 3 days and one of those days we left at 5 to go to the Angels baseball game.
We got to the park at opening 2 days to guarantee a fast pass and ride on Radiator Springs. The ride is cool and lots of fun but not a 2 hour wait IMO.
The lay out is different but close enough not to matter. The biggest difference we discovered was how you had to either climb stairs through the line (Jungle cruise) or that most were outside (ie when you got to enter Space Mountain you were basically at the point of getting on the ride).

Other things in the area is Knotts Berry Farm. That is only a few minutes away and has a lot of thrill rides. They have Camp Snoopy of the little ones which my son loved. But be careful a lot of their rides are either 48 or 54 inches height requirements, so my older one missed being 54 inches and was upset that he couldn't ride.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Being a WDW vet also, we just took a trip to DL to see the new Carsland. We stayed offsite in one of the good neighbor hotels - Holiday Inn. Then took the shuttle (Anaheim Resort Transportation) from the hotel to the parks which wasn't bad but there is a fee associated with it. It picks you up and drops you off at the door step...

There are Good Neighbor hotels that have their own shuttles (i.e. they do not share their shuttle with other hotels, so there is more room and less waiting, and no fees for shuttle tickets). For example, the Sheraton Anaheim and the Candy Cane Inn have private shuttles with friendly drivers, plenty of room, AND they run on time!