DL first timer needs help

[rubyrain]

Hi all!!!
just booked my disneyland vacation and am so excited!! our family has never been to disneyland or wdw for that matter!! we are leaving april 1 and staying for 4 nights at the paridise pier hotel. after much consideration we decided to splurge and stay there since this is our first time . i have a few questions and was wondering if anyone could please help,

1. we got a package deal for 4 nights at pp hotel and 3 day hopper tickets
for all of us for 1,070.00. do u think this was a good deal?

2. from pp how do u get in the park, do u have to cross the street or is there a monarail that goes to the hotel and how long if we do have to walk is it to the park?

3. does pp have a lounge were you can go at night and get drinks?

4. from the pool area can u see the fireworks at night or where is the best place to see them?

And #5 any tips would be greatly appreciated!!! THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE HELP!

CAN'T WAIT TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[sahbushka]

Congrats on your first trip! It will be magical. As far as your questions go...yes, I think it was a decent deal for the pp plus your tickets. Yes, you do have to cross the street to get there but the crossings are at lights so it really isn't too much of an issue. You can walk to the monorail and use that to get into the magic kingdom, or you can walk through downtown disney and go through the front gate of either magic kingdom or california adventure park. Also, pp guests can use the Grand Californian hotel entrance into California Adventure park. I don't remember about a lounge at pp but I wasn't really looking for one, and the pool faces a parking lot, so I doubt if you would be able to see the fireworks from there. As far as tips are concerned, it all depends on the ages of the people going! But make sure to use fast passes if it is busy! Are you booked in a park view room or a standard one? We had a standard but had toilet leak problems in our room so we were moved to a park view room and it was fantastic! Absolutely beautiful seeing all the lights from Paradise Peir of DCA park!
Sarah

 

[rubyrain]

Congrats on your first trip! It will be magical. As far as your questions go...yes, I think it was a decent deal for the pp plus your tickets. Yes, you do have to cross the street to get there but the crossings are at lights so it really isn't too much of an issue. You can walk to the monorail and use that to get into the magic kingdom, or you can walk through downtown disney and go through the front gate of either magic kingdom or california adventure park. Also, pp guests can use the Grand Californian hotel entrance into California Adventure park. I don't remember about a lounge at pp but I wasn't really looking for one, and the pool faces a parking lot, so I doubt if you would be able to see the fireworks from there. As far as tips are concerned, it all depends on view the ages of the people going! But make sure to use fast passes if it is busy! Are you booked in a park room or a standard one? We had a standard but had toilet leak problems in our room so we were moved to a park view room and it was fantastic! Absolutely beautiful seeing all the lights from Paradise Peir of DCA park!
Sarah

thanks alot sarah for the info. we have a standard room but i did request a room that has a view, weather we get it i dont know. and also we live in washington and will be checking in late around 8-10 at night , so we will probably get the bottom of the barrel room. lol i have 2 girls 8 and 9 that are very excited and would love if we got a room with a view. so all i can do is pray. either way i know we will still have fun!!!!!
thanks again,
ruby

 

[Amy&Dan]

We have stayed at Paradise Pier twice and enjoyed both stays. PP does have two restaurants, I think the Japanese one Yamabuki has a lounge, not completely sure however! They do have a pool bar, both times we have been it has not been open but those trips were off season. That is during the spring break season for your visit so it might be open. One option is Downtown Disney. There are multiple restaurants and clubs (some with live music). You have to walk right through Downtown Disney on your way to and from the hotel. It is a nice way to unwind at the end of the day. They are all perfect for families, we take our kids to Tortilla Joes, have a margarita sometimes dinner and review our fun day at least once or twice each trip! The Disneyland Hotel also has an outdoor bar called the Lost Boys Bar where you can have drinks and there is a small takeout place that has appetizers, bugers etc right there as well. You don't have to be a guest of the hotel to take advantage of that. Also, that is a piece of cake to get to as you walk back from the parks in the evening. Just head straight into the Disneyland Hotel grounds and you can't miss it. It is a short walk from the Paradise Pier Hotel and not much out of the way as you walk back from the parks.

The walk from the hotel is 10-15 minutes depending how fast you walk. It is a pleasant walk up Downtown Disney. There is only one street you cross with any type of car traffic and that is just an entrance to the hotel parking lot, not a busy street. Downtown Disney is actually really fun to walk through, at night they have live music, there are lots of stores with plenty of window shopping opportunities. They have nice restaurants and also places that sell ice cream, pretzels and hot dogs. Something for everybody.

If this is your first Disneyland trip I would really recommend a guide book like Birnbaums or the Unoffcial Guide (or both for that matter). You can buy them for under $20 each or check them out at the library. They will give you tips on fastpass, dining options and rides. They will also give you the height requirements for each ride. Measure your kids, look up the various rides and then you can tell before you ever leave home if that is something they can or can't ride. That can save some tears and disappointment! I was so glad I had bought Birnbaums before our first trip, my kids really enjoyed looking at it and it helped familiarize me with Disneyland a bit, I had only been once as a kid and didn't know what to expect! This board is also a wealth of information. Do a search and find Hydroguy's tips on fastpass. He is a poster who really has that down pat. If you put his name (hyrdoguy) on the search option, his posts will come up. I wish I knew how to link that for you, maybe somebody else can do that!

I would also suggest you do a character meal. We love Goofy's Kitchen which is inside the Disneyland Hotel and also Paradise Pier has a very fun character breakfast each day featuring Lilo and Stitch. If you have Disney princess fans, there is a princess lunch/dinner at Ariel's Grotto inside the California Adventure park. Character meals aren't cheap but they are sure a great way to meet characters in a fun and more personal setting. You can call Disney Dining 60 days prior to your trip and make priority seatings. The number is 714-781-3463. There is information on each restaurant in Disneyland, California Adventure, Downtown Disney and the three resort hotels in both of those above mentioned books. You can also go to www.allearsnet.com for menus on Disneyland restaurants. Click on "50th Anniversary" and information on Disneyland will come up (this site is mostly for Disneyworld but under that 50th section is quite a bit on Disneyland).

Good luck, I know your family will have a great time!

P.S. I just remembered, on our second stay at Paradise Pier I called to see how much an upgrade to a theme park view would be. It was $23 a night and well worth it. You might call the hotel and ask them what a view might cost you if that is something you would like to have.

 

[Judy from Boise]

I agree about calling and asking how much to lock in the view. PP has two sides one has great views of DCA, one has not so great urban views.

 

[Pir8girl]

I haven't stayed at PP, but it is very close to Disneyland hotel and the Grand Californian and as op have said, it is not a very long walk to the park.
If this is your first time I would highly recommend using ridemax - a computer program that helps you manage your time and get the most bang for your buck: www.ridemax.com

I grew up in So. Cal and know DL very well and I use this program. (I have no connection to this website) I like it because we can plan our day and have time to go back to the hotel and swim.
Enjoy your trip!

 

[sahbushka]

I totally agree about the character meal and the birnbaum book. I get the updated one every year, just because I love looking through it and reminiscing about all the great times I have had. I bought mine online this last year for about $9 but I think you can buy them for about $13 normally! Also, if this is your first time, I would suggest starting off with some of the smaller rides. I was a travel agent for 4 years and had one client who took their kid on space mountain first and he refused to go on any more rides during their whole 5 day trip....and I mean NO rides...not even dumbo! But of course you know your kids' limits better then anyone, so just take thier personalities into consideration. It is such a magical experience! Oh, I also heard that Ariel's grotto is really great and if you eat there around dusk, the view is spectacular!
Wish I was going!
Sarah

 

[Shelebeen]

THe walk to the main gates if you cross the streets at the lights and go through the GCH was maybe 8 minutes or so? not long at all and the GC lobby is beautiful. THe walk around to the monorail allows you to skip crossing the street, but depending on the schedule and how full the monorails are, it could take up to 20 minutes. We walked to the monorail - maybe 7 minutes or so, then waited through 2 monorails (7 minutes apart) which were both full so we ended up deciding to walk and we were in the park much quicker. Plus walking in the main gates is so magical.

Not sure about the lounge - we were only there one night and it was late...

YES! you can see the fireworks from the pool deck - they even pipe in the music - an awesome alternative spot to watch from - of course see them from in front of the castle at least once. But we liked that we could watch the fireworks on the deck with the kids in PJ's and then zip right up to the room.. no herding through the crowds!