disneyland newbie with a few questions...

[neville04]

any and all help would be great!... which out of the two hotels is better and why.... paradise pier or disneyland hotel?... which is closer in walking distance- which has more dining choices ?.

also what are the crowds like at the end of october into november? is that considered "off" or low season for disney land?

We will have a 6 year old and a 4 ( just 4) year old when we go- how much time do you think is needed for us to see and enjoy almost everything?

also - is there transportation avail if we wanted to go to the beach for the day or santa monica pier- or is it to far to do that?


thanks for any and all help!

 

[larina]

any and all help would be great!... which out of the two hotels is better and why.... paradise pier or disneyland hotel?... which is closer in walking distance- which has more dining choices ?...

This is a question only you can answer for your family/group. You will likely see about even responses preferring each one. That said, I/we prefer the Paradise Pier. It is just a bit closer, the rooms are bigger and we prefer the lighter decor (lighter wood, carpets, etc!). We find the DLH is just too dark for us. That said, I'd love to stay in the newly remodeled DLH at some point. If you can swing it, check it out. Oh, and the DLH has more dining choices, we just don't prefer them either. LOL But remember, lots of people do prefer them...

 

[fitzaboo]

also what are the crowds like at the end of october into november? is that considered "off" or low season for disney land?

!

I have found the first two weeks of November to be low crowds. But odds are Small World will be having its holiday overlay put on, and that was a favorite with my son at both 4 and 6 years old. Shoot for the first week of Holiday time at DLR if you can.

 

[skiingfast]

also what are the crowds like at the end of october into november? is that considered "off" or low season for disney land?

We will have a 6 year old and a 4 ( just 4) year old when we go- how much time do you think is needed for us to see and enjoy almost everything?

also - is there transportation avail if we wanted to go to the beach for the day or santa monica pier- or is it to far to do that?

The end of October crowds will depend on Halloween parties, thier schedule will probably be out in early Summer. That last weekend will be busy, 26th-28th. Tuesday and Wednesday, the 30th and 31st may both host Mickey's Halloween Parties and be ok in the morning but very bust in the evening.

November will be quiet during the week but have busy weekends while the park changes from Halloween to Holidays.

When the Holidays begin, which won't be known when until mid summer. It won't get much busier again except on the weekends. It may be the 9th, 12th or 16th.

You will probably want to visit 3 days if during the switchover time, or 4 days if including October. You can do and October visit with 3 park days and one Party night. The parties require a separate ticket, but it's not as much as a normal park ticket and let you in late afternoon. That can be nice because even though it's crowded during the party it's a lot of hours to be in the park for the price.

To go to a beach, you could of course take a bus, which isn't comfortable travel for many and takes a long time. You would be better off renting a car. Plus it most likely will be cold.

Because of the ages of your kids, for a non Disney day I would suggest Legoland. It's great for little kids and you can get a ticket/bus transport package from the DLR area through grayline.