Disneyland Planning Questions

[wendybeth75]

Hi all!
I have been to WDW several times but have never been to Disneyland! DH and I were considering going during Spring Break (ours is the week of Easter April 6-10). I have a few questions....which "good neighbor" hotel do you recommend? We would like to walk if possible. Should I book direct with the hotel or a package through Dis? Should I involve a Travel Agent? What are my airport choices and is one better than the other? I know that it is a lot of questions but I am feeling overwhelmed. We already have 2 trips to WDW planned for next year so we want to keep costs down as much as possible. Thanks in advance!

 

[HydroGuy]

Hi all!
I have been to WDW several times but have never been to Disneyland! DH and I were considering going during Spring Break (ours is the week of Easter April 6-10). I have a few questions....which "good neighbor" hotel do you recommend? We would like to walk if possible. Should I book direct with the hotel or a package through Dis? Should I involve a Travel Agent? What are my airport choices and is one better than the other? I know that it is a lot of questions but I am feeling overwhelmed. We already have 2 trips to WDW planned for next year so we want to keep costs down as much as possible. Thanks in advance!

Here are some places to start:

"A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

If at all possible SNA (John Wayne) is the best airport option. But for DLR you have six options. See "Airport Proximity to DLR and Ground Transportation Information" by 3TinksAndAnEeyore www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2318297

There are lots of options for GN hotels. Popular choices around here are Best Western PPI, Candy Cane Inn and Hojo's.

Next year is DL's 60th anniversary and that will mean lots of refurbs in the Spring. Lots! See What to expect for DL's 60th anniversary in 2015

I find that booking directly with a hotel and getting park tickets directly works best and is least expensive. We can help you make a good decision if you keep engaged here.

You are on the BEST FORUM IN THE WORLD for WDW vets going to DLR. Let us help you and you will have a great trip!

 

[planningjollyholiday]

The three main airports to fly into are Los Angeles (LAX),
Orange county/john wayne (SNA), and long beach (LGB). I would avoid lax if possible. It is the biggest and farthest away which means the most hectic and most expensive to find transportation to disneyland. Both lgb and sna are significantly smaller and both almost the same short distance away. They are easier to navigate, less hectic and both cheaper to find transportation to disneyland. It is very smart to want to stay within walking distance. We like the hojo for its fun pool areas and great staff. It is usually cheaper NOT to book a package with disney and just do it yourself. Sometimes travel agents whom speccialize in disneyland can help you get a good deal.

 

[wendybeth75]

Thank You so much! I feel so lost and will probably be asking a lot of questions over the next couple of months. I will definitely check out those links! We are DVC owners but didn't want to use points for this trip, and it would not have mattered because I looked just for funzies and GC was full. Let me ask this...Part of the "Disney Magic" for us has always been staying onsite at WDW. Will staying across the street at DL "detract" from that? If I understand correctly it's all pretty compact and easy to get to? It was just a BIG price difference from onsite to the GN hotels from what I could see. Also do the GN hotels participate in Magical Mornings?

 

[Eddygirl]

This is he best place for info! Def check out Hydro Guys threads and links. They were invaluable to me when we planned our first trip! We had our first trip to DW this past May and I now really understand how compact DL is to DW! We have stayed at GN hotels during our trips to DL. We stayed onsite at DW. On our next trip to DL this March we will stay at a GN again and are perfectly happy with it. We can not justify the extra cost at DL for onsite for this trip. We would def stay onsite again at DW. We like the Sheraton Park. It is about a 15 min walk to the park. The hotel itself is great! If it is warm enough to swim the pool there is wonderful... You really feel immersed in a tropical resort.... Not like you are swimming in the middle of a parking lot like so many other local hotels. That was a huge plus for us!

 

[HydroGuy]

Thank You so much! I feel so lost and will probably be asking a lot of questions over the next couple of months. I will definitely check out those links! We are DVC owners but didn't want to use points for this trip, and it would not have mattered because I looked just for funzies and GC was full. Let me ask this...Part of the "Disney Magic" for us has always been staying onsite at WDW. Will staying across the street at DL "detract" from that? If I understand correctly it's all pretty compact and easy to get to? It was just a BIG price difference from onsite to the GN hotels from what I could see. Also do the GN hotels participate in Magical Mornings?

You are trying to compare apples and oranges. Really, read the WDW vets thread and then come back after. You will be in a better position to know what the right questions are you should be asking.

Bottom line is DLR has plenty of Disney magic but it is not the same as WDW. Don't make the mistake of saying "this is what worked at WDW for us" and then try to look for that at DLR. You will only frustrate yourself when you see differences and may become so distracted you miss the things about DLR that make it special.

 

[TheDoleWhipper]

If you are worried about the Disney immersion, stay as close as possible to the parks. If you stay somewhere right across the street, like the Tropicana, the Park Vue Inn, or specifically the Best Western Plus Park Inn, you will be so close that it will hardly feel that you have ever left the disney magic at all! Mind you, these are simply motels, their pools are small and amenities are few, and do not have the same resort feel as any of the WDW hotels. So if the hotel really is a big part of your vacation, you might want to reconsider your choice. But I do agree, the onsite hotels are super expensive and just not worth it for some people. Let's admit it, you WILL be less immersed in disney magic by staying offsite. But you CAN change your outlook and spend minimal time at the hotel, and be at the parks all day. Then the hotel really WILL be only a place to sleep and shower, and you do not need to use it otherwise. There is absolutely no need to spend 1000s of dollars more on hotels if you are only using the place to sleep. You can explore the three onsite hotels, hang out in downtown disney, or even rent a cabana at the DLH or GCH for an afternoon (to get full use of the pool). Really, you can have the same type of experience as those staying at those expensive onsite hotels for 1000s of dollars less if you plan correctly! The only difference is you won't have Mickey's face plastered around your bed when you sleep! And those extra magic hour thingies.... which you can easily plan around!

Feel free to ask other questions if the need arises. We are always eager to help!

 

[TheDoleWhipper]

And also, yes, you do get magic morning if you stay offsite, as long as you buy a three day or more ticket. You can enter DL park one hour early on 1 of your days on either a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday. They are great for getting stuff done! And about travel agents, we are using one for our trip in June. Ours didn't try to give us deals or anything, but later on, when we needed to make changes to our plans, we simply emailed her and she would make the all changes without charging us anymore $. So simple! But if you can find one that gives you deals, then go for it! Ours booked with Disney. If you just want to get it done fast, then book with disney, as they are simple and reliable, but not necessarily cheap (obviously!). I recommend just booking the flight with the cheapest price/ favoured time, whatever is important to you. I say do not let the airport choice constrain you! They are all nice to some degree, but SNA (John Wayne) is the best, overall. It is small, super close, and easy to navigate. DISer's do not usually like LAX, but it is popular with travelers and usually has the most flights (and the cheapest ones too)!

 

[princessmocha]

Hydro guys links are a wonderful resource. Definitely start there... We too are WDW vets. I went to DL several times as a child/teenager because I had an aunt that lived close, but my Dh and kids have never been. We debated a lot before we booked on whether to stay at a Disney hotel or book a GN hotel. Ultimately the DLH won. We aren't sure if we will ever get back to DL with the kids in tow so we wanted to immerse ourselves a little more. However, if we do go again we would definitely stay at a GN hotel. It depends on what you want... (I'm pretty sure the headboards at the DLH tipped the scales in favor of staying there! LOL)

 

[VandVsmama]

Hydroguy's tips are totally spot on. You can get a Magic Morning entry to DL without staying at any hotel...the Magic Morning comes with 3-day or more park hoppers. So you could camp or stay in an RV and it would still work.

It is a huge cost savings to stay at one of the motels across the street. Some include free breakfast, some don't. Some include free parking, some charge extra for parking. Some have decent pools, some have pools that are hardly more than a water-filled concrete hole in the middle of the parking lot. Lol!

You will not be able to make ADR's six months in advance. It's like a couple of month ahead at DL....much different than WDW. At DL, the monorail is more of a ride than it is transportation like at WDW. DL and DCA are pretty compact. Park hopping is really easy...you don't have to go through bag check all over again. You just walk across the esplanade.

You can eat lunch or dinner INSIDE ONE OF THE ATTRACTIONS! Pretty cool.

Hojos Anaheim has a 15% off rate from the Mousesavers website. You can also sign up for their email list and periodically they have 50% off room rates only for people on the email distribution list.

AAA members get 10% off at Candy Cane Inn...same discount as for annual pass holders.

 

[luulu1999]

we stayed at Park Vue Inn it is literally right across the street and the breakfast is great!! Free parking free wifi fridge and microwave in the rooms ice cream parlor in the front of the building my kids LOVED the pool and hot tub rooms were clean we got one with bunk beds and it was at the front of the complex, I would most def stay there again!!

 

[Indiana Scott]

we stayed at Park Vue Inn it is literally right across the street and the breakfast is great!! Free parking free wifi fridge and microwave in the rooms ice cream parlor in the front of the building my kids LOVED the pool and hot tub rooms were clean we got one with bunk beds and it was at the front of the complex, I would most def stay there again!!

One of the best parts of staying there is having breakfast outside on the roof of the office in the sun and gazing over into DL and watching the waterfall of the Matterhorn.

To the OP, the neighboring hotels are full of the Disney spirit as well and have everything from decorations to tickets and souvenirs.

 

[AmberStar]

We just got back from 5 days at the parks. We stayed across the street at the Desert Inn and Suites. It was clean and close. We felt "in the bubble" still. In fact my husbands fave part of our trip was never needing to drive anywhere. I'm certain that if we had to get in a car it would have lost some of the magic. We were in the parks all day long each day so until it was time to sleep we were completely immersed in disney. I did bring some decorations to decorate our room so that helped keep us in the bubble too.

 

[pennym]

We will be there at the same time, and although we always stay at HoJo, I tried to book there for our April stay a year ago and it was booked solid. So that is probably a no go! We ended up booking at the Candy Cane Inn, the pluses there are the free shuttle and the free breakfast. The rooms are a lot smaller though, and the corridors are outside not inside. Although most Harbour Boulevard hotels are within 10 mins walking distance of Disney, saving your feet at the beginning and end of the day really helps! So a shuttle service is a real bonus. Candy Cane Inn and HoJo are the 2nd and 3rd ranked on Trip Advisor (the 1st is a lot further away from Disney.) Hope that helps.