Disneyland???

[Sharron379]

I know this is not in the right thread spot but I posted something earlier and no one responded.

I have never been to Disneyland and my dh and I want to take a long weekend away in August and we thought this would be a great to get the Disney vacation but something different too. So if you can please help me out. We do WDW every year with the kiddos but California is a totally different ball game.

1. Where do we stay? If off property, where? We do want something nice but not horribly expensive either?
2. How many days do we need to count on for DL? And how many for Universal?
3. Can we still stay in Anaheim and do Universal?
4. Dining Plan?
5. How do you tickets work considering they have partner hotels?
6. Really I am all open ears to all suggestions!!!

Thank for all of your help
Sharron
CTP March 2008
Poly Feb 20009
Disneyland August 13-16, 2009

 

[mickeyoverload]

im in .... subscribing

 

[mousemom11]

I know this is not in the right thread spot but I posted something earlier and no one responded.

I have never been to Disneyland and my dh and I want to take a long weekend away in August and we thought this would be a great to get the Disney vacation but something different too. So if you can please help me out. We do WDW every year with the kiddos but California is a totally different ball game.

1. Where do we stay? If off property, where? We do want something nice but not horribly expensive either?
2. How many days do we need to count on for DL? And how many for Universal?
3. Can we still stay in Anaheim and do Universal?
4. Dining Plan?
5. How do you tickets work considering they have partner hotels?
6. Really I am all open ears to all suggestions!!!

Thank for all of your help
Sharron
CTP March 2008
Poly Feb 20009
Disneyland August 13-16, 2009

Ooh, ooh. Do I have a post for you! This is Hydroguy's guide to DL for WDW vets.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

I strongly recommend that you go hang out on the DIS Disneyland boards. You will find a wealth of information there. Especially, look at the top sticky. GOBS of info for you in that sticky.

As a DL vet, here are my recommendations in a nutshell.

• Get a hotel within walking distance of DL. The non-Disney favs on the DL board are Howard Johnson, Best Western Park Place, and the Candy Cane Inn.
• My personal Disney favorite is the Grand Californian. It's right next to California Adventure and about a 5 minute walk to the front gates of DL.
• Definitely you want Park Hoppers, as DL and California Adventure are right across the Esplanade from each other.
• Read all of Hydroguy's tips, including his FP tips. He rocks.
• Definitely be there at rope drop. Take an afternoon break. Come back in the evening.

Have fun planning!!

 

[aristocat65]

I know this is not in the right thread spot but I posted something earlier and no one responded.

I have never been to Disneyland and my dh and I want to take a long weekend away in August and we thought this would be a great to get the Disney vacation but something different too. So if you can please help me out. We do WDW every year with the kiddos but California is a totally different ball game.

1. Where do we stay? If off property, where? We do want something nice but not horribly expensive either?
2. How many days do we need to count on for DL? And how many for Universal?
3. Can we still stay in Anaheim and do Universal?
4. Dining Plan?
5. How do you tickets work considering they have partner hotels?
6. Really I am all open ears to all suggestions!!!

Thank for all of your help
Sharron
CTP March 2008
Poly Feb 20009
Disneyland August 13-16, 2009

I'll do my best to help. I agree that the Disneyland board is not terribly active. There are other Disneyland boards that are busier, but I don't know if I'm allowed to mention them.

1. We usually stay at the Embassy Suites South (not north-there are two), but we also usually rent a car and it is about a mile down the road on Harbor Blvd. Candy Cane inn is also nice, but a motel layout. It has the advantage of being walking distance. I don't usually like exterior corridor motels but it is a very nice property. Sheraton Anaheim is also very nice and walking distance (a good walk though) and they have their own shuttle to the park I think. If you will have a car, there is also Ayres Anaheim (not Ayres Orange-once again there are 2). We stayed there a few years back and it is beautiful and reasonably priced. Sort of a boutique style hotel. It's by the Pond and Angels stadium down Katella about a mile. The only reason we haven't stayed there recently is because they charge an extra person for my teenage son and most other places don't. They also cater to a lot of business travellers, so you would get a good rate for the weekend. All these hotels I've mentioned should be in the $100-150 range. I wouldn't go less as there are some dicey places in Anaheim. We always stay on property in WDW but it's not necessary in DL and the hotels there are EXPENSIVE.

2. If you get to the parks at opening and Fastpass you should be ok with 2 days. Keep in mind it will be busy mid August. The good thing is that it is easy to park hop as they are across the walkway from each other.
As for Universal: Don't Bother! If you've been to Universal Orlando you will be very disappointed. It is mostly a working studio, few rides, some shows and that's it. I've warned many friends not to go and when they did anyway, they were sorry they bothered. Spend another day at Disney, or if you really like coasters Knotts Berry Farm is 10 minutes away and has some great ones.

3. If you want to go to Universal anyway (but don't) it is about an hour's drive away.

4. Disneyland doesn't really have a dining plan like WDW. They do have a voucher system you can purchase with the packages but it is not good value and hardly anybody gets it. Dining isn't really the big deal at DL that it is at WDW. There are few table service restaurants, mostly counter service. One table service restaurant we like is Storytellers Cafe in the Grand Californian Hotel. We love to escape the busy parks and go there for lunch. (you can access it through a side exit of California Adventure Park). Cafe Orleans in New Orleans Square (which I always miss at WDW) is also a nice spot.

5. Not sure what you mean by this. So you mean the good neighbor hotels? This doesn't really affect the tickets.

Hope this was some help to you

Have a great trip.

 

[squirrel]

I stayed at the Best Western Park Place Inn-it's located right across the street from DL/DCA. Our room had a fridge and microwave. We also had a buffet breakfast each morning (cereal, toast, danish, donuts, hard boiled eggs, juice, coffee, tea) or you could get a hot breakfast in the restaurant. Found the BWPPI really nice for the price. IHOP was practically next door, and they had kids eat free after 4pm.

As I recall the Disneyland Dining Plan is not very good. You get vouchers in $ amounts and you need to spend all of it or loose the money. If you have a $5 voucher and want some popcorn that is $3 then you either have to get another item or you loose the $2. Cafe Orleans and the Storyteller Cafe are good, went to both. Expect higher prices for the food than WDW.

I went with my niece (3 at the time) we had about 4 days. I would think that adults could do it in 2, but 3 might be nicer-not so rushed.

We had two early entry days durring our stay-I knew we were getting one early entry day, not sure why we got another one.

 

[Sharron379]

Thank you so much for all of your help. I think we are going to book the Hilton Anaheim. Has anyone stayed here or heard things about it. We got a really good rate for the park view room with balcony. Is Universal really worth it??

Thanks
Sharron

 

[cymbaldiva]

Never been to that Universal, but the previous poster seemed pretty clear on their opinion, and I'd most probably have to agree - I personally loved DLR so much that I didn't want to go to the other parks.

 

[staugielady]

I grew up in Southern California and worked at Universal Studios for several years. Universal is great, if you are into the movie making and behind the scenes stuff. If you are going expecting rides like the ones here in Florida, you will be disappointed. But if you like the behind-the-scenes of moviemaking, you will love it. If you like roller-coasters and the like, Knott's Berry Farm is the place to go.

The Hilton Anaheim is a beautiful hotel. It is directly across the street from the parks and next door to the Anaheim Convention Center. I would highly recommend it or Embassy Suites.

A 2 day pass to do Disneyland and California Adventure should be more than enough. I was there last winter for a family reunion and we did both parks in 1 day and didn't miss anything.

Hope this helps!

 

[LimoFam5]

OK dont want to frighten anyone but this is 100% true. It makes NO SENSE and is SO WRONG but it is TRUE.
I live in souther california and they did a whole special about this on the news. Per their investigation they found that ALOT of the hotels that surround Disneyland actually house released sex offenders......these hotels are used as temp. housing for sex offenders that the state pays for.... when the news broke this story there were over 50 sex offenders living within a mile of Disneyland.
You can look up any area sex offender using the Megans Law website. I would enter in the address of the hotel you are thinking of staying at and see what pops up.

I know if it was me going on vacation I would want to know, especially because I have kids. You can never be to SAFE.

 

[staugielady]

OK dont want to frighten anyone but this is 100% true. It makes NO SENSE and is SO WRONG but it is TRUE.
I live in souther california and they did a whole special about this on the news. Per their investigation they found that ALOT of the hotels that surround Disneyland actually house released sex offenders......these hotels are used as temp. housing for sex offenders that the state pays for.... when the news broke this story there were over 50 sex offenders living within a mile of Disneyland.
You can look up any area sex offender using the Megans Law website. I would enter in the address of the hotel you are thinking of staying at and see what pops up.

I know if it was me going on vacation I would want to know, especially because I have kids. You can never be to SAFE.

While this may be true, I highly doubt they are putting them up at the Anaheim Hilton and Towers.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

This thread is really better suited for the Disneyland board, so I've moved it.

 

[Leofoenget]

http://www.accommodationsneardisney.com/Disneyland/default.asp

Are you on a strict budget?

 

[blackjackdelta]

The DISBOARD Disneyland board is very active and you will get a variety opinions. But you need to partcipate and ask all the questions you have and you will get your answers.
USH is about 1-1.5 hrs north of Anaheim and it takes a day to do the park. If you are into movie making, it is a fun place to go.

Jack

 

[mom2ian]

I'll try to give my 2 cents as well.


1. Where do we stay? If off property, where? We do want something nice but not horribly expensive either?
We've stayed at the Marriott Fairfield several times (across from the DL main gate so it is a 5 minute walk. Nice hotel. We did stay once at the Hilton, but it didn't have a laundry room and the walk was a bit long to DL. There was a shuttle to DL.

2. How many days do we need to count on for DL? And how many for Universal?
If this is your first visit to DL, I'd recommend 3 days. That way, you can have 2 days in DL and 1 day in DCA. You still won't see everything (especially during the summer season), but you'll still get a taste! On my last trip, we stayed 4 days and took a little siesta each afternoon so we could stay out late each night without bickering at each other.

Universal is hit or miss. If you want a day without a bunch of rides, you might like it. If you enjoy rides, then I'd either spend the extra day at DL or go for more thrill rides at Knott's. We did a 1 day excursion to Catalina Island for a break from the amusement park scene a few years ago and loved it!

3. Can we still stay in Anaheim and do Universal?
Yes. You can either drive or make arrangements with a shuttle.

4. Dining Plan?
Skip it.

5. How do you tickets work considering they have partner hotels?
You buy park hopper tickets either at DL or in advance. The price is the same whether you are staying at a good neighbor hotel or not, I believe.

6. Really I am all open ears to all suggestions!!!
Have fun! DL is Walt's park!

 

[bumbershoot]

Hilton is either a long walk or you need to drive or take ART in. If you have a car there's a daily parking fee of either 12 or 15 (I can't remember which one it was). If you drive to the parks, there's a similar parking fee. It's a nice convention hotel, and our room was VERY quiet, which was nice since we were there from midnight to 6am and needed to sleep (before getting up early and checking into PPH in time for Magic Morning), though the conventioneers all hung around right outside the doors, smoking, and made our entrance to the hotel noisy and unpleasant. (not the hotel's fault of course)

A 2 day pass to do Disneyland and California Adventure should be more than enough. I was there last winter for a family reunion and we did both parks in 1 day and didn't miss anything.

Oh, I bet you did miss things... With all the trips in my sig, there are still things I haven't done that we want to do.

.... when the news broke this story there were over 50 sex offenders living within a mile of Disneyland.
You can look up any area sex offender using the Megans Law website. I would enter in the address of the hotel you are thinking of staying at and see what pops up.

I know if it was me going on vacation I would want to know, especially because I have kids. You can never be to SAFE.

And there are almost 70 registered inside a mile around my apartment. If we move into the nicer neighborhood, then it drops to 50. There are offenders everywhere.

And I don't believe that any of the resort area hotels are THAT cheap that the govt can pay them to house offenders without jobs...even the Motel 6 starts at $50ish!

 

[HydroGuy]

A 2 day pass to do Disneyland and California Adventure should be more than enough. I was there last winter for a family reunion and we did both parks in 1 day and didn't miss anything.

Wow! Not sure what you mean by this, but it sounds like you mean you went on every ride and saw every show and parade at the two parks in a single day.

Most DLR vets think this is difficult to do with three full days. By my count there are 68 rides at DL and DCA and eight shows/parades (at DL: Fireworks, Fantasmic, a parade, Billy Hill & the Hillbillies, and at DCA: Aladdin, High School Musical 3, Disney Electrical Parade and Pixar Play Parade). This is not to mention the Princess Fantasy Faire and Jedi Training Academy, plus a host of other smaller shows.

On a full single day with long park hours at DL of 8AM-Midnight there will be 16 hours in the day, which allows for 14 minutes per ride including walking time. And that does not allow for any breaks or meals or time to park hop. Just constant rides. Also, the eight major shows I mentioned will take at least four more hours. Even if there were zero lines for everything I cannot imagine being able to come close to doing all of this.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Wow! Not sure what you mean by this, but it sounds like you mean you went on every ride and saw every show and parade at the two parks in a single day.

Most DLR vets think this is difficult to do with three full days. By my count there are 68 rides at DL and DCA and eight shows/parades (at DL: Fireworks, Fantasmic, a parade, Billy Hill & the Hillbillies, and at DCA: Aladdin, High School Musical 3, Disney Electrical Parade and Pixar Play Parade). This is not to mention the Princess Fantasy Faire and Jedi Training Academy, plus a host of other smaller shows.

On a full single day with long park hours at DL of 8AM-Midnight there will be 16 hours in the day, which allows for 14 minutes per ride including walking time. And that does not allow for any breaks or meals or time to park hop. Just constant rides. Also, the eight major shows I mentioned will take at least four more hours. Even if there were zero lines for everything I cannot imagine being able to come close to doing all of this.

I love it when you do the math. Would really love to know the answer.
Jack

 

[staugielady]

Oh, I bet you did miss things... With all the trips in my sig, there are still things I haven't done that we want to do.

LOL, well maybe it is because I grew up there and have been 100+ times, and was there with 2 current cast members (my sister and my niece) that we got around fairly easily. That and it was March and about 50 degrees so the park wasn't that crowded.

 

[staugielady]

Wow! Not sure what you mean by this, but it sounds like you mean you went on every ride and saw every show and parade at the two parks in a single day.

Most DLR vets think this is difficult to do with three full days. By my count there are 68 rides at DL and DCA and eight shows/parades (at DL: Fireworks, Fantasmic, a parade, Billy Hill & the Hillbillies, and at DCA: Aladdin, High School Musical 3, Disney Electrical Parade and Pixar Play Parade). This is not to mention the Princess Fantasy Faire and Jedi Training Academy, plus a host of other smaller shows.

On a full single day with long park hours at DL of 8AM-Midnight there will be 16 hours in the day, which allows for 14 minutes per ride including walking time. And that does not allow for any breaks or meals or time to park hop. Just constant rides. Also, the eight major shows I mentioned will take at least four more hours. Even if there were zero lines for everything I cannot imagine being able to come close to doing all of this.

Wow, people are quick to jump on people over here. I think I mis-spoke on this. What I should have said was that 1 day would be plenty to do Disneyland, and 1 day would be plenty to do California Adventure. Obviously would be impossible to do ABSOLUTELY everything in both parks in one day. If you wanted to see everything in both parks, you would probably want to allow at least 3 or 4 days.

Having grown up there, I automatically jumped to the wrong conclusion that there would be things in each park that wouldn't interest some people that they would want to skip. Personally, I went through everything I wanted to see at California Adventure the first time I went by lunchtime. However, I realize that not everyone has that attitude, I stand humbly chastised, I apologize and will scurry back to the FL boards where I belong.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Wow, people are quick to jump on people over here. I think I mis-spoke on this. What I should have said was that 1 day would be plenty to do Disneyland, and 1 day would be plenty to do California Adventure. Obviously would be impossible to do ABSOLUTELY everything in both parks in one day. If you wanted to see everything in both parks, you would probably want to allow at least 3 or 4 days.

Having grown up there, I automatically jumped to the wrong conclusion that there would be things in each park that wouldn't interest some people that they would want to skip. Personally, I went through everything I wanted to see at California Adventure the first time I went by lunchtime. However, I realize that not everyone has that attitude, I stand humbly chastised, I apologize and will scurry back to the FL boards where I belong.

Actually people over here are much nicer than some of the other boards. I think some found the statement unrealistic and since other folks are looking for honest opinions on how much time it really takes to do both parks and get the most out of the experience. The statement caught a lot of attention becuase it was surreal.

Jack