Disneyland Here We Go Again!!! Help!!!

[disneymom71]

Hello!!!

My sister in law just called me to let me know she want us to go on a Family Trip with her for X-Mas....She was diagnosed with leukemia last november and this will be her wish as a Family Gathering.....

We just came from our family vacation at WDW (thanks to Disboards) we enjoyed every single minute......of this magical vacations...

I would need suggestions and ideas traveling with my sister in law with special needs and also if the wonderful Meal Plan of WDW is the same as Disneyland...

Which good neighborhood hotels would you recommend??????

Thanks again for all your help!!!

 

[hlbtimes2]

Good neighbor hotels: Candy cane would be first on my list- it offers a free private shuttle, which I would imagine would be good for someone with special needs. Others would be Hojo's (howard johnson) or the fairfield inn. All of them are close enough that it would be easy to go back for an afternoon rest. None of them would require driving, so it would make it easy to split up and have some rest and the others not.

The dinning plan is nothing like WDW. Its a voucher system and offers no $$ savings. Its a good budgeting tool, but not a money saver. We use it simply so we can prepay and not have to worry about having as much out of pocket expense at the time of the trip.

Not sure if it will work for your group, but we really like flying into Long Beach airport (LGB). Its about 15 miles, and is a direct drive down ball road to the park. The airport is tiny, which makes it quick to get in and out of. Its so old and small, you board the plane using stairs outside.

 

[Chicago526]

I'm sorry about your sister-in-law, I hope she beats it!

The meal plan at DLR is not a good deal, it's a voucher program and you really don't save any money, and it looks like it's a bit of a hassle to use, too. You're better off just estimating your meal costs and budgeting accordingly.

DH and I will be staying at the Desert Inn and Suites, located about as close as you can get to DLR without staying on property. We got a regular room for $59 a night but they do have a varity of suites available too. It's nothing fancy, but all the reviews say it's clean, safe, and comfortable. It also has an indoor pool and hot tub. It does include breakfast, but reviews said it wasn't all that great. But there are tons of restaurants just steps away (McD's, Denny's, IHOP, Mimi's to name a few). I haven't stayed here yet, DH and I are booked for a stay next month, but again it's gotten good reviews. http://www.anaheimdesertinn.com/

I always fly in/out of Orange County/John Wayne airport. It's about 30 minutes from DLR, a small enough airport to be easy to get around, but big enough to have all the modern convienances (like jetways to board the plane). I've taken Super Shuttle to get to DLR, it's cheap and convienant. If you have a group you can even rent your own private van rather than sharing a ride with other passengers. www.supershuttle.com

Sometimes Disney runs specials on admission tickets if you order online in advance, you can check their ticket prices out at www.disneyland.com. Right now if you travel by the end of April, adults pay the kids price. Chances are if you're going over Christmas itself, they won't run any deals, but it never hurts to check, and even if they don't have a sale, you can order them ahead of time and save the wait in line when you get there. You can also get tons of info on restaurants, the DLR hotels and DTD. Oh, and once you get closer to departure, show times, and firework times. Oh, and you can price that voucher meal plan if you really want to, but again it doesn't look like a good deal for most people.

Good luck!

 

[colaz]

I've never been to Disneyland (first trip in May), but I just wanted to say I hope it works out for your sister-in-law!

Going to Disneyland will be a magical experience. Good luck!

 

[john2u]

I will keep your sister in law in my prayers

We are going back to Disneyland this May. Simply can not wait. Hope everythings turns out alright.

Have a Disney Day

John