Disneyland Resort, Universal Studios & D23 Expo 2013!

[Dream.Finder]

Greetings all,

Next year in August my friend and I are going to be making a trip to California to visit Disneyland and the D23 Expo 2013, with a pit-stop off at Universal Studios Hollywood to check out the new stuff there. However, I do have a few questions I'd like to toss out to you guys. Please make suggestions/money saving tips to the plans I am about to explain.

As soon as we get there, we're thinking of renting a car the first few nights. We would get off our flight, get our car and drive out to a hotel in the Universal City area, then take it back to the airport after we're finished visiting Universal. I am not sure if there would be a place to drop of a rental car near Universal, but even if there is, we would need a ride to the Disneyland area and we are not paying for a taxi, that's for sure. My friend will be 21 and I will only be 20. Is 21 a sufficient age to rent cars in California?

So, as far as Universal goes, how many days do you think we will need there to see everything? I am thinking one full day should be sufficient. I am also wondering what hotel would be the closest, nicest, but also as affordable as possible to Universal Hollywood. We were hoping we could park our car at the hotel and skip parking fees by just walking over.

After we visit Universal, we were thinking of taking a day in-between activity to hunt around for 2 lawn chairs at a WAL-MART or something to sit on in lines at the D23 Expo, especially since it requires lining up many, many hours in advance.

Then, as I mentioned above, we would probably drop off our rental car back to the Los Angeles International Airport and hop on the next available Disneyland Express bus to the Anaheim area. I've used this service before and for $30 round-trip, I find it to be wonderful. This day would probably end up being August 8th and we would be stopping at the Anaheim Convention Centre to get our tickets from the D23 roll-call.

A few questions about the D23 Expo itself. I see that the tickets are available now online and that the sorcerer package tickets are all sold out. I am a D23 member and will be purchasing 2 tickets at the early-bird discounted rate for both my friend and myself. My question comes in though after I purchase them, will both my friend and myself be admitted into panels and events at the expo with preferred member access? I attended the expo in 2011 and I remember them admitting sorcerer package members first, D23 Members second and then general guests last. Any tips, tricks or methods you guys could offer up on expo planning?

We will be staying at the Disneyland Hotel for the 5 days after the expo, while we visit the parks, which leads me to my next question... what hotel would you recommend staying at for the 2 nights for the 3 days we are attending the D23 Expo? We are looking for something close to the Anaheim Convention Centre, that is also reasonably priced and comfortable.

Next, I would like to try some new things as far as dining goes. I know I'd like to try the Fantasmic! Dessert Package while there... how much does it cost and how many days out can I book it? I have eaten at the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ, Blue Bayou, Cafe Orleans, Goofy's Kitchen, Goofy's Kitchen, Steakhouse 55 and a few other places so far, most of which I plan to re-visit. Is there any places you'd recommend eating at? Since we will be staying at the Disneyland Hotel, would it be wise to tack on a dining plan of some sort?

I was pricing out a 6 night stay at the Disneyland Hotel with a 5-day Park Hopper ticket and it was roughly $3,500 for the both of us. What is the best way to buy tickets and such? Is it best to buy a vacation package on www.disneyland.com or buy things separately? What are some of the perks of staying at the Disneyland Hotel? Anything we should check out there? I know they have an awesome new pool and Trader Sam's, so we plan to check those out for sure.

Finally, we may consider booking a tour or something if we have enough time. Anything you guys would recommend doing? I have only been on the Happiest Haunts Tour before and that was alright. Looking for something more behind-the-scenes-ish if any such thing exists in the California theme parks.

Thanks for any help you can bring forth!

 

[Dream.Finder]

*BUMP*

 

[sheetz]

Wow, way too many questions for my brain to handle, but I can help answer a few about the rental car. Most major car rental agencies will allow renters age 21-24 but will charge an extra fee. However sometimes you can have the fees waived through various coupon codes or by being a member of certain organizations. In addition some independent agencies may not charge more for underaged drivers.

The only two hotels within walking distance to USH are the Hilton and Sheraton, although there are also many hotels in Hollywood that are a short subway ride away. Do you have a budget in mind?

If you are mainly interested in seeing USH or Hollywood and are not planning on going anywhere else then public transit is an option to consider. All you need to do is take the Flyaway bus from LAX to Union Station in Downtown LA and then transfer to the Red Line subway to Hollywood. Fares are $7 for the Flyaway to Union Station and $1.50 for the subway to Hollywood. If you need a rental car for shopping you might try renting one for just one day and dropping it off in Anaheim. The dropoff fee would likely not cost any more than the price for 2 people on the Disneyland Express.

 

[redboxcar]

I'll try to answer as much as possible.

As far as the D23 Expo goes... I don't remember there being any preferred entry to the panels for regular D23 members versus non-members. I am also a member and have been to the last two Expos. The only priority entry I remember is the sorcerer's... someone check me on that though, cuz I'm not 100% sure, but that's what I remember.

Personally, I wouldn't want to carry lawn chairs around the expo all day. Even though there is a lot of waiting in lines, there's also a lot of walking around. Once you get inside some of the panels, it may be hard to find a decent place to fold up your chairs and set them aside... just something to consider.

The convention center and Disneyland are so close, you can honestly just pick one hotel and stay there the whole duration of (that portion of) your trip. Something like the Alpine Inn (just an example) is kinda right in between walking distance of the convention center and disneyland esplanade... maybe 10 minutes walk in either direction. At the last expo, we stayed about a mile away from disneyland, but were able to walk to both the expo and the parks during the whole trip.

Hope I was able to help a little!

 

[krispin41]

Fantasmic dessert is currently $60 per person, and you book 30 days out.

 

[pinksand]

I'll try to answer as much as possible.

As far as the D23 Expo goes... I don't remember there being any preferred entry to the panels for regular D23 members versus non-members. I am also a member and have been to the last two Expos. The only priority entry I remember is the sorcerer's... someone check me on that though, cuz I'm not 100% sure, but that's what I remember.

I wasn't a D23 Member when I went to the expo last year, and I distinctly remember waiting outside the convention center first thing in the AM on Saturday in the non-members line behind the Sorcerer's and D23 members for the big Disney Studios panel. [We didn't get in - I don't think any non-members did.]

I don't know that D23 members were given priority for all the panels, but for for that one they did for sure. I don't remember if it was that stratified for the smaller panels.

 

[redboxcar]

I wasn't a D23 Member when I went to the expo last year, and I distinctly remember waiting outside the convention center first thing in the AM on Saturday in the non-members line behind the Sorcerer's and D23 members for the big Disney Studios panel. [We didn't get in - I don't think any non-members did.]

I don't know that D23 members were given priority for all the panels, but for for that one they did for sure. I don't remember if it was that stratified for the smaller panels.

OH, now that you mention it - I know what you're talking about.

D23 members don't get priority entrance into panels SPECIFICALLY, but they do get early entry into the convention itself!

If you were a D23 member, you got an extra hour early entry into the convention, and thus - for panels such as the one in the arena that started right when the expo opened for the day - it would appear that D23 members got priority entry to that panel.

So in general, I don't think standard D23 members get priority admission into specific panels and things, but they DO get early admission into the Expo itself, which often lends itself to being first/early in line for the presentations. And since there are so many D23 members who go, as well as limited seating and high demand in the presentations, there were a times when panels filled to capacity before non-members were able to even get a chance.

 

[nunzia]

what a fun trip! This year they are planning on handing out wrist bands for the presentations so there won't be a need to wait in lines if you don't care where you sit. If you have a wristband you'll at least get in. Are you planning on doing the parks on the same days as the Expo? We have found that there is too much going on at the Expo to combine the two,so having specific park days and specific Expo days would work better IMO. In that same vein, we found that we wanted to stay right by the Convention Center on Expo days and then move to a park hotel for park days, so maybe consider a close and cheaper hotel during the Expo (we've stayed twice at the Jolly Roger during the Expo and it was fine, but movin on up to the Hilton this next time). I don't know how they handle people with D23 tickets or general tickets. Would your friend be willing to just get the Silver membership so you'd both be D23?

 

[Dream.Finder]

Thanks all. You've all been helpful! It is appreciated! But yah, that's the question I really want to figure out. If I buy tickets for my friend and myself with my D23 Membership, will my friend still get in early with me? Or does he need a membership too? I just don't think he'd want a subscription. Do the expo staff do a membership card check or do they just look at your expo badge and check if you bought it with an expo membership? Maybe you're allowed to bring guests that are non-members in with you, as long as they have an ticket and your a D23 Member?

 

[nunzia]

Thanks all. You've all been helpful! It is appreciated! But yah, that's the question I really want to figure out. If I buy tickets for my friend and myself with my D23 Membership, will my friend still get in early with me? Or does he need a membership too? I just don't think he'd want a subscription. Do the expo staff do a membership card check or do they just look at your expo badge and check if you bought it with an expo membership? Maybe you're allowed to bring guests that are non-members in with you, as long as they have an ticket and your a D23 Member?

I really don't know..You can actually email them from the website and they do answer. I would guess they could not get in with the D23 crowd. Your lanyard or wrist band will probably be colored or marked to show what type of a guest you are for entrance.

 

[lurkergirl]

In 2011, both myself (D23 Member) and my guest (non-Member) were allowed entry early to the Convention Center.

I know my credentials designated me as a Member, but I'm not sure if the other set did - I'm going to guess not, since it was person/ticket (day) specific. But they did scan the credentials and there were no issues with both of us getting in.

As for the chairs...I seriously doubt they'll let those in. They would be an issue in Archive Exhibit, for sure.

 

[nunzia]

In 2011, both myself (D23 Member) and my guest (non-Member) were allowed entry early to the Convention Center.

I know my credentials designated me as a Member, but I'm not sure if the other set did - I'm going to guess not, since it was person/ticket (day) specific. But they did scan the credentials and there were no issues with both of us getting in.

As for the chairs...I seriously doubt they'll let those in. They would be an issue in Archive Exhibit, for sure.

Good to know

 

[lurkergirl]

Just a quick update: I did look - both sets of credentials did say Member, even though my guest was *not* a D23 Member.