Disneyland First Trip

[dizgirl14]

HI! We are heading to DL for the first time (I've been/Kids haven't). Kids are teen boys, We got to WDW several times a year and an open/close type of family. We are going over the summer, still trying to figure out which hotel to stay in, typically we do Moderate at WDW, need 3 beds and want to stay on property.
So, my questions are:
what hotel would you recommend? Is PP good, is it a far walk?
how many days - I have 5 days booked, but was thinking of doing something else while we are out there.
and with that...what else...Universal, Knotts, Hollywood? what is the best for teen boys. been to Universal Orlando so don't want to waste a day if its not that different.
Also, I am concerned about driving around and the atmosphere out there now. It will be just me and my sons.
Thanks

 

[DLRExpert]

Paradise Pier Hotel is okay, if you only plan to sleep at the hotel. I would pick a nearby hotel over this hotel though.
Disneyland Hotel and Grand Californian Hotel are best if you have plans to take breaks in between park visits. DLH overall, GCH if you want to be near the DCA entrance.

You want at least 3 days at the parks.
Knott's is great for a blend of Disney and Six Flags.
If you LOVE ALL coasters go to Magic Mountain.
Universal great trip, VERY DIFFEERENT from what is available in Orlando (size wise). GREAT if you like movies, ESPECIALLY GREAT if you can do the VIP Experience.

Driving should be fine.

 

[xipotec]

We are trying the Camelot , its directly across the street, and recently renovated. Its a good neighbor hotel, and has suites.

 

[gelatoni fan]

I don't recommend PP. I strongly prefer not staying at a Disney property and would generally recommend the Hyatt House when I don't know anything about a person. It has free breakfast, decent sized rooms and is reasonably priced.

If your boys want a bit more thrill than Disney offers, Knotts is great.

I'm not sure what about the driving atmosphere you'd be worried about. If you actually go all the way into Los Angeles such as to Hollywood, parking could potentially be more difficult to find?

 

[dizgirl14]

I don't recommend PP. I strongly prefer not staying at a Disney property and would generally recommend the Hyatt House when I don't know anything about a person. It has free breakfast, decent sized rooms and is reasonably priced.

If your boys want a bit more thrill than Disney offers, Knotts is great.

I'm not sure what about the driving atmosphere you'd be worried about. If you actually go all the way into Los Angeles such as to Hollywood, parking could potentially be more difficult to find?

Is Hyatt House in waking distance to be able to go back an forth during the day? By atmosphere, I mean I don't necessarily want to be walking around through homeless camps with my kids. And California has had it's share of crime lately so don't really want to walk into that either.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Is Hyatt House in waking distance to be able to go back an forth during the day? By atmosphere, I mean I don't necessarily want to be walking around through homeless camps with my kids. And California has had it's share of crime lately so don't really want to walk into that either.

It's about the same distance to walk to the Hyatt House as Paradise Pier. If you could pass through walls, Hyatt House would be diagonally across the street from California Adventure but since that's impossible, you cross the street and walk one long block to the entrance.

There aren't really homeless camps in that area although it's possible you may see a couple of homeless people outside of the 7-eleven at the street corner. Crime is not a problem as you are so close to the park that there will always be a lot of people around you.

If it is absolutely essential to minimize seeing homeless people at all, I'd recommend the Westin. It's a slightly further walk than PP but leagues more luxurious and will cost less too. It's more luxurious than the Disneyland hotel and only the Grand Californian and JW Marriott would compare.

 

[chezcurrie]

My 3 boys loved the DLH pool and I loved the atmosphere and being in the bubble (having a dole whip with rum while in the hot tub doesn’t hurt, either). They do have rooms with 2 queens and a pull down bed that would fit a small teenager (My 12 year old is already 5’11” which is why I qualify that.

I did a solo trip with my 2 eldest at stayed at the Hojo, no issues walking back and forth on Harbour.

I like at least 4 park days, with hoppers so that I don’t feel rushed. I usually add a non park day in the middle to sleep in, have a big brunch and chill at the pool and DTD.

If you’ve been to USOrlando I would skip US Hollywood - its a long drive from Anaheim and would be hard to do open to close without eating into disney or downtime. It’s very small compared to Orlando. What are your boys into - beach, coasters, movies, etc?

 

[ktlm]

We are or, at least were, WDW people. After Fast Pass + started and created so many limitations on WDW trips, we found ourselves leaning more towards DLR. We found that being used to the WDW bubble, on property at DLR was worth it for us. We had to stay off property one night when we came in a day early due to a storm and the Disney hotels had no availability. While the hotel was fine and the staff was great, we did not like being out of the bubble. DH said never again-- he decided the price of the DLR hotels was worth it. We love the DLH and the fact the walk to the parks is entirely through DTD. Not sure what it is like with the construction right now. I think for people not used to the WDW bubble those other hotels are fine-- but if you have been going to WDW for years like we had and are used to the bubble experience, you may not like being outside.

I have a teen girl. We usually spend 3 full days and 2 half (or over half) days, our arrival and departure days in the parks. To go to Universal, you have to drive through LA, and it can take an hour and a half or 2 hours in our experience, even outside of rush hours. Universal is a lot smaller than Orlando, BUT you do have the studio tour "ride" and it takes you through actual filming areas. If your boys are film buffs, they might love that. Along that line, the Warner Brothers studio tour is great if they are interested in film and tv. My teen loved it. Hollywood is a few hour thing probably, and since it sound like you are a little nervous about "atmosphere", I would say be out of that area well before dark. If the teens are into science at all, Griffith Observatory is pretty great. If you are looking at things in those areas, you might want to consider moving to a hotel in that area for a couple of nights.

If you want to stick not too far from DLR, Newport beach is nice if you want some beach time. We also enjoy going down towards San Diego. It is a lot more laid back than going the LA direction. There is a lot to do in the San Diego area too, and a lot of great beaches.

 

[Wesley815]

....If you want to stick not too far from DLR, Newport beach is nice if you want some beach time. We also enjoy going down towards San Diego. It is a lot more laid back than going the LA direction. There is a lot to do in the San Diego area too, and a lot of great beaches.

Great tips! I also suggest people use Google Maps and try a few fake driving directions prior to trip; test different times during day (weekday/weekend/rush hours) and 'to and from' where you're planning to go. This can show you how spread out southern CA is compared to other states. Have a safe and fun trip!

 

[duckboyone]

HI! We are heading to DL for the first time (I've been/Kids haven't). Kids are teen boys, We got to WDW several times a year and an open/close type of family. We are going over the summer, still trying to figure out which hotel to stay in, typically we do Moderate at WDW, need 3 beds and want to stay on property.
So, my questions are:
what hotel would you recommend? Is PP good, is it a far walk?
how many days - I have 5 days booked, but was thinking of doing something else while we are out there.
and with that...what else...Universal, Knotts, Hollywood? what is the best for teen boys. been to Universal Orlando so don't want to waste a day if its not that different.
Also, I am concerned about driving around and the atmosphere out there now. It will be just me and my sons.
Thanks

There are a lot of good options right across Harbor as far as hotels. They have a pretty good variety of prices and qualities, but are all as close as you can get when it comes to walking distance, plus all kinds of different restaurants.

We always do at least 5 days, but that's because we usually don't go to other parks. We like to park at the hotel, then just walk back and forth all week, rather than try to drive around the LA area. Especially now with gas so expensive, we're not leaving our parking spot once we get there lol. But again, we are more "Disney" people, and not too adventurous. Plus, we have a Six Flags down the road where we live. Do your sons prefer more thrill rides?

 

[dizgirl14]

It's about the same distance to walk to the Hyatt House as Paradise Pier. If you could pass through walls, Hyatt House would be diagonally across the street from California Adventure but since that's impossible, you cross the street and walk one long block to the entrance.

There aren't really homeless camps in that area although it's possible you may see a couple of homeless people outside of the 7-eleven at the street corner. Crime is not a problem as you are so close to the park that there will always be a lot of people around you.

If it is absolutely essential to minimize seeing homeless people at all, I'd recommend the Westin. It's a slightly further walk than PP but leagues more luxurious and will cost less too. It's more luxurious than the Disneyland hotel and only the Grand Californian and JW Marriott would compare.

It's not absolutely essential, and I was more talking about the atmosphere driving and walking around Hollywood and siteseeing, not around DL.

 

[dizgirl14]

My 3 boys loved the DLH pool and I loved the atmosphere and being in the bubble (having a dole whip with rum while in the hot tub doesn’t hurt, either). They do have rooms with 2 queens and a pull down bed that would fit a small teenager (My 12 year old is already 5’11” which is why I qualify that.

I did a solo trip with my 2 eldest at stayed at the Hojo, no issues walking back and forth on Harbour.

I like at least 4 park days, with hoppers so that I don’t feel rushed. I usually add a non park day in the middle to sleep in, have a big brunch and chill at the pool and DTD.

If you’ve been to USOrlando I would skip US Hollywood - its a long drive from Anaheim and would be hard to do open to close without eating into disney or downtime. It’s very small compared to Orlando. What are your boys into - beach, coasters, movies, etc?

They are not into the beach, or really coaster, very Disney/Marvel, and movies. But would like them to see more of just Disney. And thanks on the bed, my son is 5'6 and I was wondering about the bed. I'm thinking about DLH but I don't want to get stuck on the pull down, so that makes me feel better. Thank you!

 

[dizgirl14]

There are a lot of good options right across Harbor as far as hotels. They have a pretty good variety of prices and qualities, but are all as close as you can get when it comes to walking distance, plus all kinds of different restaurants.

We always do at least 5 days, but that's because we usually don't go to other parks. We like to park at the hotel, then just walk back and forth all week, rather than try to drive around the LA area. Especially now with gas so expensive, we're not leaving our parking spot once we get there lol. But again, we are more "Disney" people, and not too adventurous. Plus, we have a Six Flags down the road where we live. Do your sons prefer more thrill rides?

They don't do the thrill rides and we are definitely Disney people. I can't get them to go anywhere but Disney. Which is okay, but I was trying to see what else was around that they might be interested in.

 

[duckboyone]

They don't do the thrill rides and we are definitely Disney people. I can't get them to go anywhere but Disney. Which is okay, but I was trying to see what else was around that they might be interested in.

Sounds like staying put might be the best option for ya'll as well. Since you are Disney people, there is plenty to do in 5 days at the parks. We used to actually get the 7-day pass when they had it, and we'd get close to being "Disney'ed out" with that one, but 5 days seems to be a sweet spot, 3 days at DL and 2 at DCA, for us anyway.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

I don't recommend PP. I strongly prefer not staying at a Disney property and would generally recommend the Hyatt House when I don't know anything about a person. It has free breakfast, decent sized rooms and is reasonably priced.

If your boys want a bit more thrill than Disney offers, Knotts is great.

I'm not sure what about the driving atmosphere you'd be worried about. If you actually go all the way into Los Angeles such as to Hollywood, parking could potentially be more difficult to find?

How far is the Hyatt? Our biggest issue is my mom requires a scooter due to arthritis and bakers cyst issues. Walking is kind of a no no if we can avoid it

 

[dizgirl14]

How far is the Hyatt? Our biggest issue is my mom requires a scooter due to arthritis and bakers cyst issues. Walking is kind of a no no if we can avoid it

I'm kinda in the same boat, arthritis in the knees, so the closer the resort the better. Hoping not to need a scooter, but needed one the last visit to WDW.

 

[lvdis]

I like doing 4 or 5 day park hoppers when possible so we can take our time and soak it all in!

For something different to do, you might want to look at the tours offered by Anaheim Tour Company. My friend and I did one of their tours back in 2017 and really enjoyed it. I booked another tour with them for my family and I that includes the Warner Brother's studio tour for later this month. It's great because it's typically a small group, they pick you up at and return you to your Disneyland area hotel and do all the driving for you!

Oh, and we are staying at the Castle Inn & Suites, which is within walking distance and has a family suite with 3 beds, 2 in a separate room. I haven't stayed there yet, but have read good things about them.

 

[gelatoni fan]

How far is the Hyatt? Our biggest issue is my mom requires a scooter due to arthritis and bakers cyst issues. Walking is kind of a no no if we can avoid it

You cross the street and walk one long block. It's about 0.6 miles and I can get from the lobby to inside the parks in about 15 minutes although it'll probably take you a little longer.

If you want to be as close as possible, you could do the Grand Californian which is usually the most expensive option. There are also some places just across the street from the park that could save about 5 minutes of walking compared to the Hyatt House but most of these are lower quality and more expensive.

Of the places accross the street, I think the Fairfield is more reasonable in terms of price/quality. You don't get free breakfast but there is a Panera right outside.

 

[Kit Jackson]

If they like movies, The Warner Brothers Studio tour gives you a look behind the scenes at a working movie studio. There is also the new Academy Museum, which I have heard is amazing and haven't been yet. There's also the handprints/footprints in front of the TCL Chinese theater.

Spending the entire trip at Disneyland is a totally valid option. Sleep in, don't worry about rope drop, go at a nice relaxing pace and still get to do all the shows/rides/food/shopping you want, maybe even more than once.