Disneyland - need help planning

[Drivercan]

We (DH, DD-10, DS-8 and me) have been to DisneyWorld in 2004 and 2006 and got the 5 day pass both times.

Thinking about going to Disneyland, California in June/July 2007 for 7 days. Any ideas re:

- how many days do you need at Disneyland - is the 3 day pass enough?

- any suggestions re hotels or vacation condo's - we want a kitchen because we like to cook our own meals - we can't stomach restaurant food everyday - DS and me have sensitive tummies

- also thinking about going to Legoland - anyone been? - it's about 1 hour away from Disneyland right?

- any good waterparks?

- any cheap direct flights? - Air Canada was $3200 for the 4 of us -yikes! - found a direct flight from Cleveland for $1400 CAD for the 4 of us - but would have to add hotel stay for the night before and car parking costs + gas

- how far is LAX to Disneyland?

We would rent a car so can drive anywhere within reason.

Anything else worthwhile to see?


Thanks!

 

[drag n' fly]

You might want to go to the Disneyland Dis board as you can get tons of info there!

We like to take it easy and have always got the 5 day pass. Two days at DL and 2 days at DCA and one day to hop both parks, shop and do all the fav rides one more time. Hojo has suites available they are approx 700sq feet and have kitchen facilities and it is an easy 7-10 min walk and reasonably priced. Have never done any waterparks but prefer just to go to Newport beach on our way to San Diego to do Sea World. Have not been to legoland... apparently it is good for kids between 3-10 I hear.

Their are tons of options and answers to your questions and each persons experience will give you a different answer. My only advice is completely avoid both parks on weekends if you can because they are very crowded as they are used by the locals and go to the DL Dis board to get all your questions answered!....Have an awesome time!

 

[amw]

We (DH, DD-10, DS-8 and me) have been to DisneyWorld in 2004 and 2006 and got the 5 day pass both times. Thinking about going to Disneyland, California in June/July 2007 for 7 days. Any ideas re:
- how many days do you need at Disneyland - is the 3 day pass enough?

We're also planning a trip to DLR, and are "residents" on the DL board These replies are based on the info there. We're staying 5 days, but I've heard that 3 days are plenty. We want to spend an extra day shopping at Downtown Disney at the BAB, and going to a leisurely character meal. Since you're going in the summer, I'd suggest avoiding the weekends. DLR visitors tend to be local californians with annual passes -- weekends are the busiest. You'll still have longer hours and all the shows during the week when you're going.

- any suggestions re hotels or vacation condo's - we want a kitchen because we like to cook our own meals - we can't stomach restaurant food everyday - DS and me have sensitive tummies

Like the previous poster mentioned, we booked the King Suite at the HoJos -- not a kitchen, just a microwave and fridge. There's only one suite available, so you have to book it early. Unlike Orlando, there's hardly any condo places in anaheim. There are a couple Residence Inns with full kitchens -- one is called maingate, but netiher are walking distance. Here's a listing of hotel sites and locations:
http://www.geocities.com/ashpsyche/DisneylandLinkMap.html
Check out trip advisor for reports on local places.

- also thinking about going to Legoland - anyone been? - it's about 1 hour away from Disneyland right?

That's right. I'm planning on going. I've heard it's best for the 2-10ish age range. Here's the website:
http://www.legoland.com/california.htm
Check the schedule before you leave as they are closed a couple days a week. It's supposed to be an hour away, but ya never know with CA highway traffic

- any good waterparks?

Haven't done research on that one. Pools don't have the same level of importance as in Orlando. Most hotels only have a small rectangular hole. There is a water park (Soak City USA?) by Knotts Berry Farm. You should be able to find info on their website.

- any cheap direct flights? - Air Canada was $3200 for the 4 of us -yikes! - found a direct flight from Cleveland for $1400 CAD for the 4 of us - but would have to add hotel stay for the night before and car parking costs + gas

Can't help you with that one. We're using our aeroplan miles for the trip.

- how far is LAX to Disneyland?

I think it's 20 miles, but much longer timewise due to LA traffic. I've heard it taking up to 2 hours, but that's in rush-hour traffic. I think an hour would be generous, but you'd have to ask the locals at the DLR board.

- Anything else worthwhile to see?

We're spending 6 nights in Anaheim, and 6 nights in San Diego. We're going to visit Legoland, Seaworld, and the San Diego Zoo, as well as local beaches. Happy planning

 

[dsneygirl]

We had a 3 day pass for DL/DCA with hopping last March and had plenty of time to do everything. DCA usually closed early than DL. I think the drive from LAX to DL was 45-1 hour.

Where do you live? We always fly from Buffalo and the last 2 years have gotten flights for $99 each way.

 

[drag n' fly]

Hojo actually has 2 suites. Their is one suite with a king size bed and another suite with 2 queen size beds. We prefer the queen size suite only because we are a family of five and we like the really long meal counter in the room.

 

[yxe dad]

Hi there, I took my two DS's to Disneyland a couple of years ago now but, I'll try to help as much as I can remember.
If you go with a 5 day pass for WDW then I think a 5 day pass is needed for DL and DCA. There is the same amount of attractions give or take 1 or 2 as WDW but in 2 parks instead of WDW's 4.
As for hotels, I've stayed at the Carousel Inns and Suites as a kid, and loved the roof top pool. I believe it's had a reno in the past few years. Also stayed at the "Travelodge at the park" I wouldn't stay there again, and the Fairfield Inn and enjoyed the pool and staff with clean rooms. None of them had anything to cook a meal though!
We went to legoland and the boy's still talk about wanting go back there instead of DL. It took us about 50 min each way.
As for flights, if you can't get a good deal into lax try flying into John Wayne, or Ontario and maybe San Diego. Drive times from Lax to DL are about 35min to a max of 75min in my experience. My dad has flown into Ontario and made it to DL in about an hour depending on traffic.
If you have any other questions let me know.
Shayne

 

[tribus121]

To help check prices from/to various airports I use kayak.com you may allso want to download DING from the southwest web site but they wont release june /july prices till jan/feb

We stayed at the bestwestern ( several others in that area )on ball rd ( back side of Disney property ) ( there is a shortcut through the parking garage where you can grab a tram to the main gate )

5 days at DL/CA would be lots

Rentals cars can cost alot because of nofault insurance

Hope this helps

 

[pxlbarrel]

We were just in Anaheim in August. We've been many times. We've spent from 1 day to 5 days on our trips. This last time we had a 3 day hopper....we could have done it in 2 days but I wanted the EE so we did 3 days. 1 day for DL, 1 day for DCA ... although we usually only spend part of the day at DCA and then hop back to DL, and the last day to do all the things we enjoyed the first two days.

The airfare should get lower as you get closer to your date. It's way too early to look for flights to LAX right now. Air Canada has a gazillion flights to Los Angeles per day so you shouldn't worry that they'll sell out before a seat sale becomes available. However, average fare to Los Angeles on AC is usually around $600-$650 I think. I wouldn't start looking seriously until the spring. I have found that looking at midnight on a Wednesday evening has turned otu some pretty interesting fares. Maybe it's just a fluke though.

Just like going to Orlando, the earlier you rent a car the cheaper it'll be. Start looking now. I rented our car from National but I only had it for 2 days. We picked it up at LAX, drove to Hollywood to the Disney Soda Fountain and Studio Shopo, then drove to Anaheim. We then returned it to the National location on Katella (right next to the park). They then gave us a shuttle ride to the park entrance. If you're keeping it for a week, you should get some pretty good rates if you start looking now.... Use the same techniques that you would use for Orlando...ie, check often and use all the coupons you can find. LOL You'll find, as I did, that the coupons start for June start appearing in April or so.

It took us exactly 1 hour to drive from Hollywood to Anaheim on a Saturday afternoon. We hit some traffic but it wasn't too bad. I've had worse in Toronto. Your drive from LAX should be about the same. However, I really do recommend you go to Hollywood first. Treat yourself and the kids to some mega ice cream sundaes!!! It's a great way to start the trip.

 

[Pokemom]

We have been to Disneyland several times and have found the 3 day passes to be enough for us. However, if you're planning to leave the park to go back to your hotel to cook lunch and supper, that could take large chunks of time out of your day, so you may want to go with a longer pass. During the summer, it is important to get to the parks as early as possible to beat the crowds. Try to get as many fastpasses as possible in the morning and then use them in the afternoon when the lines are long. Also, Disneyland tends to get crowded by about 11:00 a.m, so when it got crowded and we had used up all our fastpasses, we would head over to California Adventure and do some of the attractions over there for a few hours. CA does not seem to get as crowded as Disneyland.
We went to Legoland when our kids were younger. It was fun and the kids enjoyed it. I would agree it is best for kids under 12. If your husband likes golf, there is a Callaway Golf factory across the street from Legoland that gives tours. My husband spend the day there, while the kids and I went to Legoland.
As for car rentals, you should be able to get a fullsize for about $150/week. Check the mousesavers.com site for discount rental codes. It took us just over 1/2 hour to get to Disneyland after picking up our car. Also, you can add a rider to your own car insurance that covers you for rental cars if you don't have a credit card that covers car insurance.
There is lots to see in Southern California - just depends on your interests. There is Universal Studios, Knotts Berry Farm, Hollywood, Sea World, San Diego Zoo, the beach, etc. Check out the Disneyland Board - lots of info there.

 

[smiley_face2]

3 days! I can't even imagine going for such a short time!! the shortest time we've ever been there for was 8 days just this past July. It was a really last minute trip, fit into a busy summer. We went to the beach for 2 of the days, but only for a few hours and then went into the parks as well. We bought annual passes, because it was cheaper than buying a 5 day hopper and then buying extra days, plus then you get the discount on food etc. One thing I would consider is going in June rather than July if you can. It was so busy in July!! If you could get there before school gets out down there it would probably be easier. We usually stay at Howard Johnsons. Love that place! It is easy walking distance to the gate, and right across the street from it on the way to the park is a Mimi's restaurant. Awesome food!! honestly really good quality, portions are absolutely huge, plenty for 2 adults to share, and they split the plate for you! each person gets their own salad, and entree plate, plus you get a basket of yummy bread, and banana bread that we usually took back to our room for breakfast the next day. We have only ever flown down once, and that was many years ago. We always drive now. This last trip was myself and my 2 daughters, (grad trip for one of them) we had a blast!! You should have seen the car on the way home, we had to really cram stuff in, did way too much shopping!! Hubby and son stayed home this time to go fishing instead highlight of the trip was getting to meet Captain Jack Sparrow!! that's me with him in my sig.