Disneyland pricing

[sc123tx]

I'm taking my dad back to Disneyland. I'm 27 and it will be the first time we've gone together since I was 3. I want to take him in Jan or Feb but I'm waiting on discounts. If not discounts I'll still book the DL hotel, but I'd prefer to save. I'm just waiting so I don't buy plane tickets then have to pay to change them again. Also, from the first week in January, to the last week in Feb, when would be the best time to take him when no rides would be under refurbishment. This might be his last time so I want him to ride all his favorites. Thanks for the help. I just want to make it real special for him and to have our first ever (to anywhere) father/son trip. Thanks again!

 

[sierranevada]

What a great trip to make memories!

If you are talking about hotel discounts, I would go ahead and book the DLH - if discounts come up, you can always cancel the hotel. Plane tickets are a little trickier. If you can fly Southwest, you can always make changes with no penalty - you would only have to pay more if the price has gone up.

As far as ride refurbishment, early Jan both IASW & HM are done to remove the holiday overlay. Hopefully others will chime in with what is historically down during those months.

Have a great time!

 

[HydroGuy]

There will almost certainly be ride refurbs that whole time. They usually start in earnest after the first week of January. Be prepared for that and you can avoid disappointment and focus on all of the other good things.

"What You Should Know About Off-Season at DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889

"Historical DLR Park Hours, Entertainment and Refurbs" - www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2291124

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

If you book hotel separately rather than part of a package, you should not have difficulty making adjustments. I would say to go ahead and book the DLH once you have chosen your dates. Then if Disney offers better rates, call back and get an adjustment. We don't usually stay at the Disney hotels, so I don't know the regular patterns, but I have read some recent posts by others suggesting that Disney might put out their winter specials for Jan and Feb sometime in December, so that might be when to start watching for lower rates.

To check on what was down on various dates last year, start here: http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=1&year=2010

This should help with estimating when IASW and HM will be down for the holiday overlay removals. Last year the Rivers of America were drained, so all the river stuff was down. The Rivers won't be drained this year, but it is still possible they may work on some of the river stuff anyway since it is off-season. The Mark Twain just got another refurb though and the canoes don't usually run off-season. Just because something was on last year's refurb schedule doesn't mean it will be on this year's, and the reverse is also true. Star Tours will still be closed in Jan and Feb. The Matterhorn will likely go down for some days here and there for maintenance or possibly even the much rumored car replacement. The California park will still be undergoing massive construction. So something will certainly be down, but there will still be plenty for you two to do! If you're interested in nighttime entertainment, then you will want to include a Friday, Saturday, and/or Sunday in your trip. During off-season, a lot of the entertainment if it runs at all will only run on the weekends.

If you're trying to avoid crowds, you probably want to avoid the week of February 21. All schools will have that day off, and many will give the whole week off for a winter holiday. There will probably be a spike in crowds for that week.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I agree with sierranevada on booking the hotel ONLY now. You can always change it if discounts come out without penalty. Usually around the first of the year they announce the "everyone plays at kids price" promotion. Hopefully that'll return next year.

I'd go with February over January since they will be removing holiday overlays from IASW and HM throughout the month. As Hydroguy said, there will be SOME refurbs no matter when those months. Also I "believe" the ticket promotion usually starts the end of January or into February.

 

[Canadianfamily]

We're also planning a trip in February and I was checking out past rehabs. Matterhorn bobsleds were down in February 2010 while we are planning on being in the park. Is this an annual closure? We haven't been to Disneyland in many many years so would greatly miss the ride!
Just noticed what longtimedisneylurker said. How long/when is Matterhorn down typically? Thanks!

 

[HydroGuy]

We're also planning a trip in February and I was checking out past rehabs. Matterhorn bobsleds were down in February 2010 while we are planning on being in the park. Is this an annual closure? We haven't been to Disneyland in many many years so would greatly miss the ride!
Just noticed what longtimedisneylurker said. How long/when is Matterhorn down typically? Thanks!

Matterhorn is not typically down in February. However, they are in the process of changing bobsled designs. At some point they are going to do the change. Then Matterhorn will go down at that point. Sometime next year probably.

Pretty much every year something major is down at DLR in the Jan-April time frame for and extended refurb.

 

[ConnieB]

I would avoid Martin Luther King Jr weekend....and President's Day weekend. Those are notoriously high crowds.

The pros of going off season are lower crowds and better weather.....but the cons are that more rides will be temporarily closed for refurbishment/maintenance. There really isn't a way to know for sure ahead of time.....I'd suggest you keep checking the calendar and of course websites that keep track of these. Star Tours for instance won't be reopening until May, 2011.....and of course there are a lot of closures due to construction at DCA, some of which won't be open for a year or more.

I believe that Southwest Airlines is the only one that doesn't penalize you for changing flights. Even if you book their "non-refundable" rates (which are usually the cheapest) you can change dates without paying a fee...and if the date change meant a lower rate as well, although the difference isn't refundable, it's a credit in your Southwest account that can be used within a year with no loss.

You can definitely book a hotel only rate and change it if a discount comes along. In off season it's not usually as vital to get a room booked early because they don't sell out quite as quickly as they do in peak season, but since you never know when some convention is going to book in, and it's fully refundable if your plans change...well, I'd just do it so I could have that pixie dust feeling of having my reservation made, lol. You can add the package elements later if you want them.

You say this is your Dad's last time going......I hope that's not the case and that you and he can make a new tradition of going every year or two and reliving the magic from your childhood.

 

[MinnieMama09]

We went at the beginning of this year , the end of January/beg. of Feb. and it was wonderful! The crowds were amazing...almost everything was walk-on or 10 min. or less...even Indiana Jones (my personal favorite)!

And, I do know from experience as others mentioned, if you book hotel only at DLH (that's where we stayed), you can call back once you see the discounts (which most likely they'll have for that time) and get the lower rate. That's what we did and it worked great!

Have a wonderful trip! We absolutely LOVE that time of year at DL!

 

[sc123tx]

Thanks so much for the help. My biggest fears of rehabs are going to be the classics he always loved like, BTMRR, HM, Pirates, Materrhorn. Anything that was there when he was last. It just sucks because I want him to experience it all. I know regardless we'll have a blast. Thanks for the help.

I think I also have my trip pretty much planned.

I found a hotel that says it's right across the street. The name is Carousel INN and Suites. I used a coupon to save 20% on the hotel price. A 5 night stay plus park hopper comes out to 867. I think that would be better than any deal I can get from disney! Thanks again for y'alls help.