Disneyland???

[SeattleTink]

Staugie, I think you were just trying to be helpful ....and maybe you were just relying on your past experiences and what you thought would be the appropriate amount of time to do everthing in the parks.

My family LOVES to get a 5 or 6 day hopper and we spend every day in the park. I would recommend anyone who is serious about really experiencing Disneyland spend at least 3 days in the Parks. Even then, only 3 days would not allow you to "do it all!" (REALLY do it all....as Hydroguy said.)

Sorry if you feel hurt by the responses, I know you were only trying to help! Most of us on this board cannot get enough of the Mouse. And more is better!

 

[HydroGuy]

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.

2. How many days do we need to count on for DL? And how many for Universal?

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.

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.

No need to apologize or scurry! Clearly I misunderstood what you were saying. Several others here did too apparently. That is why I said "Not sure what you mean by this...".

Bringing this back to the OP's question it sounds like we are all in agreement that DLR needs 3 or 4 days to have a solid experience. One may or may not "see everything", but I think most of us would agree after 3 or 4 days most visitors would feel satisfied and that they did not miss anything major.

 

[Sharron379]

Thank you everyone for all of your amazing words of wisdom regarding disneyland. I am so excited for our upcoming anniversary trip. Now what restaurants do you suggest for a nice anniversary dinner? I prefer stay all my time in dlr and not go to universal. My dh is a huge movie buff. So we will see!

Thanks for everything and keep the suggestions coming is very helpful!
Sharron

 

[blackjackdelta]

Thank you everyone for all of your amazing words of wisdom regarding disneyland. I am so excited for our upcoming anniversary trip. Now what restaurants do you suggest for a nice anniversary dinner? I prefer stay all my time in dlr and not go to universal. My dh is a huge movie buff. So we will see!

Thanks for everything and keep the suggestions coming is very helpful!
Sharron

I would do Napa Rose or Steakhouse 55. Since it is an anniversary, how about the VIP tour at Universal as a nice gesture. The tour is fun and a must for those who are into film making.

Jack

 

[disney4metoo]

Great info!

 

[Potterswife]

Hi,
We've stayed at the Hilton...it was really nice, they've gone through a major remodel. It is a huuuuge hotel.

We've also stayed across the street from it at the Sheraton Park...our favorite off site hotel, it's also gone through a remodel.

 

[disney4metoo]

For off site we like the Embassy Suites South on Harbor Ave. It is a beautiful hotel, with suites. We also love the made to order breakfast, and the evening manager's reception. The hotel is clean, the food is good and we just like the extra room! A refrigerator, microwave, mini sink, table for 4, pull out couch and in the bedroom either a king or two queen beds. However, you will need to take ATA ( or whatever it is called) bus system to get to Disney ( not very far, just a skip and a jump, but too far to walk.)

If we can get the Entertainment rate HoJo ( Howard Johnson's) is a inexpensive, clean, a great value, within walking distance ( I have never walked it, but many do) and great customer service! It was designed by the same person who designed the Disneyland Hotel and it has the old Disney feel to it. We have stayed at HoJo once, the night before our Grand Californian stay and we were pleasantly surprised.

Our preferred hotel is The Grand Californian Hotel! We love the convenience of easy access into the parks, the Disney immersion, early entry on all early entry days, the overall experience, but it is pricey. We especially love staying in concierge, but that's another story!

Definitely skip the DP! However, make sure to have a corn dog in CA at the Farmer's Market, Tigger Tales in Critter Country, Curros, of course a Dole Whip! I am sure others with chime in on other things not to miss!

If Aladdin is playing (CA), see it, it's very nice! Have a great Trip!

 

[caligirl stuck in va]

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.

I don't know, seems pretty active to me - I believe the OP stated that the original post wasn't in the correct area, maybe?

Don't be dissin' on our DISboards!

I see that lots of info has been posted here, just wante to put my two cents in. Not sure why people have to post negative things. We are all here for the same things - get answers to questions and share our obsession with the mouse.

Have a great trip!

 

[Politzania]

We're going to DLR in :checks calendar: 8 days! for the fifth time since 2000 ( have done WDW 10x in that same period) & I'll throw in my $.02.

If you don't want to have to drive, we've been quite happy with the Howard Johnson Anaheim - IIRC, it's about a half-mile walk to the front gates at the park. Yeah - it sounds like a lot, but it's actually very close to the distance from the Epcot gates to the Pop Century bus stop! They have free wi-fi & fridges in the rooms - the pool is supposed to be very nice (never used it). No free breakfast, but there's a McD's on the way to DLR. Check the MouseSavers website for discounts. (hope it's OK to mention them)

We've also stayed at the Tropicana, which is closer, but didn't like it quite as well. They are both Good Neighbor Hotels, which means you can stay there as part of a Disney travel package.


How many days? Even tho Disneyland is smaller than the Magic Kingdom and California Adventure has a lot of construction going on, I'd say you should plan on 3-4 days if you really want to go on most of rides & spend some time soaking up the atmosphere. There's TONS of live entertainment that is worth your time to stop & enjoy!

I don't have much of an opinion on Universal, so will skip that.

The Dining Plan didn't seem like a good deal the last time I looked at it - plus it's easy to leave the park to get something to eat if you don't want to pay theme park prices. For an anniversary, I highly recommend the Blue Bayou.

Tickets - you can either book a package thru Walt Disney Travel or buy tickets separately. I definitely recommend Park Hoppers - the 2 parks are literally across the "street" (Esplanade) from each other - depending on lines, you may be going from gate to gate within a matter of minutes.


Other Suggestions:
* Ride the Columbia sailing ship if it's running while you're there.
* Take in the Billy Hill & The Hillbillies show
* Explore the nooks & crannies of Main Street
* Check out Fantasmic - show is VERY different from the WDWStudios version!
* Look for the lighted lamp on the second floor of the firehouse - this is where Walt's apartment is & the CM's keep a lamp on during park hours in his memory. (I've gotten to go up there - memories of a lifetime!)

 

[disney4metoo]

We're going to DLR in :checks calendar: 8 days! for the fifth time since 2000 ( have done WDW 10x in that same period) & I'll throw in my $.02.

If you don't want to have to drive, we've been quite happy with the Howard Johnson Anaheim - IIRC, it's about a half-mile walk to the front gates at the park. Yeah - it sounds like a lot, but it's actually very close to the distance from the Epcot gates to the Pop Century bus stop! They have free wi-fi & fridges in the rooms - the pool is supposed to be very nice (never used it). No free breakfast, but there's a McD's on the way to DLR. Check the MouseSavers website for discounts. (hope it's OK to mention them)

We've also stayed at the Tropicana, which is closer, but didn't like it quite as well. They are both Good Neighbor Hotels, which means you can stay there as part of a Disney travel package.


How many days? Even tho Disneyland is smaller than the Magic Kingdom and California Adventure has a lot of construction going on, I'd say you should plan on 3-4 days if you really want to go on most of rides & spend some time soaking up the atmosphere. There's TONS of live entertainment that is worth your time to stop & enjoy!

I don't have much of an opinion on Universal, so will skip that.

The Dining Plan didn't seem like a good deal the last time I looked at it - plus it's easy to leave the park to get something to eat if you don't want to pay theme park prices. For an anniversary, I highly recommend the Blue Bayou.

Tickets - you can either book a package thru Walt Disney Travel or buy tickets separately. I definitely recommend Park Hoppers - the 2 parks are literally across the "street" (Esplanade) from each other - depending on lines, you may be going from gate to gate within a matter of minutes.


Other Suggestions:
* Ride the Columbia sailing ship if it's running while you're there.
* Take in the Billy Hill & The Hillbillies show
* Explore the nooks & crannies of Main Street
* Check out Fantasmic - show is VERY different from the WDWStudios version!
* Look for the lighted lamp on the second floor of the firehouse - this is where Walt's apartment is & the CM's keep a lamp on during park hours in his memory. (I've gotten to go up there - memories of a lifetime!)

I agree!

If you can get the Entertainment rate for HoJo ( $59.00) a night. Buy any Entertainment book and use your card for the discount if the days apply.
http://orange-county.entertainment.com/discount/browse.shtml
2009 books are $9.99. Just press the button to purchase book and in the corner (far left) you will see purchase 2009 book only $9.99.

Good luck!

 

[Hound 109]

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!!

Agree with every word here.


I've been to WDW 4 times & DLR 4 times as a kid & 5 times in the past 3 years. A few random thoughts:

- Definitely stay within walking distance. Either at a DLR hotel or on Harbor Blvd. across the street. (Avoid taking the ART)
- If you're used to Deluxe resorts at WDW, consider the DLH or the GCH (especially if "immersion" is important).
- Park Hop & take a mid day rest every day. (Especially if it's Summer.)
- 2 nights & 3 days absolute bare minimum. (But 3 nights / 4 days would be better).
- Getting to the park early & the time difference (for an east coaster) is compatible. Especially if you're walking distance.
- Know FP very, very well (read HGs tip threads).
- Have a plan the first 2-3 hours every day (which includes FP collection).
- You'll love the lack of humidity & the closeness of DCA, DTD & DL.....no stinkin' busses to catch.
- The castle is very very small.....smaller than you can imagine....no, smaller than that. But it's pretty.


A few things i don't agree with (especially for the first time DLR visitor):

- One (or two) days to do DLR. It can be done, but why? You'll miss out on a lot & you will not qualify for MM (unless you're at a DLR hotel).
- Driving to/from the hotel & parking. (A huge time waster & you won't be first or near the front at opening)....plus it makes it a pain to take a mid day break)
- The assumption that the DLR board isn't active. My experience the first time i posted here was not only was it active, the advice & opinions were consistently more helpful & posters more friendly than the (sometimes) syrupy, passive agressive....(if someone doesn't agree with me, I'll announce that they're unfriendly or rude & leave ) WDW boards).

Have a great time planning a visit to Walt's Park.