Disneyland First-timer Questions

[ZZUB]

We've been to WDW several times but this is our first trip to Disneyland. I have a few questions:

1. We're planning to stay at the Anaheim Hilton. Has anyone stayed there and would you recommend someone else stay there? How does it compare with the Crowne Plaza, Coast Anaheim and Portofino?

2. We're thinking about booking through Getawaytoday because their package deal looks so good. Has anybody else used them? What kind of experience did you have? If I book through them, can I still request a Disneyland view at the Hilton?

3. What's the best way to get from the airport (John Wayne) to our hotel? I'm not planning to rent a car.

3. Any other advice for a Disneyland novice?

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us.

 

[Snurk71]

2. We take Super Shuttle. They're about the cheapest transport. The only downside is you might have to share with dropping a couple others off at diffent hotels. But they do schedule arrivals and departures - so you do have a "guaranteed" timely transport.

3. Others will say it, and it's true. Don't expect a big castle at the end of main street like Cinderella's at WDW. Sleeping Beauty's looks more like a 2 story house than a huge castle.

 

[iceskatejen]

Another piece of advice--don't think just because a ride is at WDW that it's the same ride at DLR (except for Star Tours, that one's exactly the same except for a bit of the queu and the outside of the building). For example POTC is way better at DL. Also, the property is physically way smaller, so you don't have the on-site transportation like at WDW. There is a monorail, but here it's as much a ride as it is a way to get from point A to point B. But DL has more rides than MK, even though it's smaller.

 

[jlmarr]

Originally posted by Snurk71
Don't expect a big castle at the end of main street like Cinderella's at WDW. Sleeping Beauty's looks more like a 2 story house than a huge castle.

That's an exaggeration of course - that would make the SBC 20 feet tall. I found this excerpt from a Disney press release in which they talk about the SB Castle being the centerpiece of DL's 50th anniversary...

"Sleeping Beauty Castle is significantly smaller (77 feet from moat to tallest tower) than its sister castles because during its construction Walt Disney had recalled stories concerning the building of European castles. Often, the huge castles were built to intimidate the peasants. Walt believed a smaller castle would appear friendlier and more appealing. So as the other Disney castles may be spectacular in their height and scale, the stature of Sleeping Beauty Castle is charming and elegant."

I think the WDW Cinderella castle's size is appropriate for what it needs to be - visible from across the Seven Seas Lagoon, but a castle of that size really wouldn't work at DL. For one thing that might have made building the adjacent Matterhorn mountain cost prohibitive in order to scale the mountain correctly.

 

[disney-super-mom]

Hi ZZUB,

I've got maybe the answers you're looking for.

The Anaheim Hilton is a great place to stay and some of their rooms have super views of the Disneyland Parks and the fireworks. Just make sure that you ask them for a Disney View Room (at check in or you can email them, fax them, or call them with your request after booking thru Getawaytoday.
My family stayed there November 2003, and although the rooms were a little small, they were nicely decorated, clean, and the view alone made our stay one of the best in the DL area. The downsides of the Hilton are; the food there is just O.K. and a little pricey, but room service food is excellent. Also, it is a bit of a walk to the Parks (about 15 minutes). We cut across the Disney California Adventure Parking lot and hopped on a Disney tram to take us to the front gate.

As far as Getawaytoday goes, I think they're great! We've booked twice through them. The first time was March 2004 and we booked a package at the Howard Johnson (also a great place to stay, not a fancy as the Hilton, but rooms are nice and it's a much shorter walk (7 minutes tops) to the front gates). The second time we used Getawaytoday was only two weeks ago! This time we're staying the the Disneyland Hotel and we can't wait. Only three weeks before we go! Anyway, I always call them to book a package instead of booking over the internet because I want to make sure we get the hotel we want. If you book using the website, you enter first, second, third, and forth choices for hotels, with no guarantee of getting your first choice. I just call them at 1-800-523-6116, and say I want to book a package for DL, but I only want to stay at a certain hotel, and they can look it up right then to see if there are any rooms left at that particular hotel, and they will book your package over the phone with you. It always nicer to talk to a real person. I know I rambling, but we have no complaints with Getawaytoday vacation packages, they are very helpful and friendly, and I only wish more people knew about them because they do offer the best packages. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be staying at the Disneyland Hotel because we wouldn't be able to afford it. Getawaytoday.com get a big THUMBS UP from me!

I can't help much with transportation for John Wayne to the Disney area, as we are in the same situation. We are planning to just take a taxi, but we only have four in our family. If you have a bigger family, then Super Shuttle would be your best bet.

I've never been to WDW, but I do know that it's much bigger and more spread out than DL. However, most people I've talked to say they like DL because it's less walking and therefor you get to see and do more.

When are you going to DL?

I hope I was helpful. Sorry this is sooooo looonnng.

Have a great time!

 

[ZZUB]

Super Mom,

Thank you for your excellent advice. I didn't know to call Getawaytoday. I would have used the website and been freaked way out when I had to select an order of preference for my hotel. Thanks for that VERY valuable tip. It's also good to hear from someone who has used them. I never book a package when we go to WDW b/c I can book the trip cheaper myself. But in looking at DL, Getawaytoday was the cheapest (other than using Priceline to book the room and I don't want to do that for this trip).

I owe you one. If you ever decide to go to WDW, let me know and I'll return the favor.

And by the way, it's not rambling when you're talking about Disney to a Disneyfan.

 

[disney-super-mom]

Dear ZZUB,

You are so welcome. I'm happy to help!

Actually we were going to go to WDW. We had a room booked at the Port Orleans French Quarter for $85/night (a great rate!), but we cancelled and decided to go to DL instead because we thought the plane trip would be too long for our 17 month old. We live in Washington state, so Orlando is a looooong way away. We are planning to go to WDW in the next year or two when the baby is closer to the age of three. We have a five year old too, but he's young enough that he doesn't care if it's DL or WDW. All he cares about is having FUN!

When we go to WDW, I'll definately want some expert advice for you!

Take care!

 

[disney-super-mom]

Oops,

I meant, when we go to WDW, we'll definately want some expert advice "from" you!

If you haven't already noticed, I'm not the best typist - Oh well (sigh)

 

[ZZUB]

Don't be afraid of the long flight to Orlando. It's not that bad at all. We live in the Pacific NW as well. We first took my DD to WDW when she was only 14 months old. She did great on the flight. We took a redeye and she slept most of the way. In fact she was the only rested one of our group when we landed in Orlando.

It's ironic that you had a trip booked to WDW and cancelled in favor of DL. We did the opposite about a year and half ago. We were planning to go to DL and then when I looked at the price of airfare and hotels, it was about the same to head to WDW. So we cancelled our DL plans and booked for WDW.

This time, however, some friends of ours invited us to join them in DL and we decided we'd do it. We don't have any real expectations. I've been told to think of it as a new Disney park rather than a park that's quite similar to Magic Kingdom.

It looks like you'll be in DL before we head down there, so you will have to post a trip report with your pointers and tips.

 

[disney-super-mom]

Hi again ZZUB,

That's so funny you mention price because we also found that it cost about the same to go to WDW as it does to go to DL. Next time we'll definately go to WDW!

I do have a question for you - What is the best WDW resort to stay at? Here's what we would want: great pool w/slide for kids, nice view, good food, fairly quiet, and convenient location with easy access to transportation. We're not asking for too much, right? Geesh!

We liked the looks of Port Orleans French Quarter because it's a smaller resort compared to the other WDW resorts so we figured it would be quieter, and it had a fun looking pool and slide, but it didn't have any sit down restaurants, only a food court. It got great reviews, but so did several other WDW resorts. What's your opinion on the best WDW resorts?

 

[ZZUB]

Super Mom,

As I'm sure you know, everyone has an opinion on this subject. I think the first factor to consider is price. Once you and have decided how much you want to spend you can pretty much find a resort to fit your needs. When I was a kid we stayed at the Poly and we enjoyed it. But as an adult, we have stayed at PORiverside, Carribean Beach, and ASMovies and Sports. Of those hotels, we liked POR the best. We stayed in a Mansion and it was very quiet and also kind of romantic. We were pre-kids then and romantic mattered more. The room was a good size. They have a pretty nice pool (with slide), good sized food court and plenty of other activities: bikes, boats, carriage rides, etc. They also have a piano player who is puts on a great show. Since my DD was born, we have stayed at ASMovies b/c we thought (correctly as it turns out) she would enjoy the theming better. ASMovies and/or Sports are great with kids (although no slide) and they have I think the best transportation and the best food courts. We were just there in April and if you run a search of my username you can read our trip report.

That is not to recommend ASMovies over POR. If your budget will allow you to stay at POR, by all means, do it. For that matter POFrench Quarter has something to offer in that it is smaller and I believe it is first on the PO bus route. I wouldn't let the lack of a sit down restaurant stop you from staying there. We never ate at Boatwrights at PORiverside. When we stayed at Caribbean Beach we did eat at their sit down restaurant and regretted it. We simply prefer POR to POFQ. I wouldn't purposefully stay at CBR again.

We are planning a week long trip next year and will probably split our stay between ASMovies and either Wilderness Lodge or someother over-priced so-called Deluxe resort. But if wiser heads win out, we'll just plant ourselves at POR for the week.

Can you tell me anything about the Anaheim Hilton? If we go through GAT will I be able to request a DL view? Do I get HHH points?

 

[disney-super-mom]

I have to say that I'm not sure you can request a DL view through GAT. Don't let that stop you from using GAT. I would call them and book the room, ask if you can request a DL view through them and if they say "no", just email the Hilton with your request. That's what we did, and we had a great view of DL/DCA from the 11th floor. It was great because every night we had an awesome view of the fireworks! Make sure you check the Disneyland schedule when you go because we've gone to DL and stayed in a DL view room, but there wasn't any fireworks, and it was even Spring break time, so the parks were packed. I couldn't believe they didn't have fireworks during that time!!

The Hilton has it's good points and bad points (just like any hotel or resort). The rooms are nice, although a little on the small side. They do have a lot of convention people stay there since they're right next to the convention center, so depending on when you go, there probably won't be too many noisy kids running up and down the halls. They have a nice pool area, no slide, but nice pool and about 3 hot tubs, and a nice pool deck with lots of tables and chairs.

I would rate the food there as just O.K., except the food they serve when you order room service is great! I wish the food they served in their restaurant was as good as room service. Crazy

The windows in the rooms are kinda cool because they're floor to ceiling windows, so it really takes advantage of the view.

Here's a big negative if you have a car and need to park it in the Hilton parking structure - it costs $11/day. I don't know about you, but I think if you're a guest staying at the Hilton, you should have free parking, or at least discounted parking. Oh well, whats another $55 when you're on vacation, right?

You could go to www.Hilton.com and take a virtual tour of the rooms and property to see if you like the looks of it. Sometimes they offer specials too.

Also, the rooms didn't have refrigerators or microwaves when we stayed there, although I think you can request a refrigerator, but there is a nightly fee.

I also think that kids under a certain age (11?) eat free.

As I said before, it is a little bit of a walk to the front gates, but there are shuttles that pick up people at the surrounding hotels and drop them off at the front gates and then takes them back to their hotels. But be warned, this is not the sophisticated and convenient WDW-type transportation. These shuttles serve "ALL" the hotels, and you may have to wait a looooong time before one comes by that has enough seats. However, since you're used to WDW, which from what I hear is very big and there is a lot of walking involved, the walk from the Hilton to the front gates will probably seem easy to you.

If you're looking for a little less expensive hotel, but is closer to the front gates (a 7 minute walk at most), I recommend the Howard Johnson. They have nice rooms which are good sized, a nice pool area with a hot tub, a nice shop that sells milk, pop, beer, coolers, snacks, cereal, Disney stuff, etc..., they are close to a nice family restaurant (can't remember the name?), and they also have rooms with DL views, but they only have three or four floors, so even from the top floor, the view is a little obstructed by trees. Also it's very close to the freeway, and although my husband said he didn't hear the traffic, the traffic noise kept me awake at night. Of course I'm kind of a light sleeper. Anyway, I would also check out their web site and take a look at the pictures of their rooms and facilities.

Overall, I like the Hilton a little better than the Howard Johnson because the Hilton feels a little more sophisticated and has a much more spectacular view of DL/DCA. However, for room size, proximity to the parks, and room amenities like a fridge, the Howard Johnson beats out the Hilton.

I know I'm just confusing you right?

Well, check them out and see which one you think you would like better. If you have any questions about either hotel just let me know. I'd be happy to answer if I can.

Good Luck and it's been great talking to you!