DL newbie here... I need your help.... please?!?!

[karebear1]

OK- first off, this is a little embarassing for me to ask- I know so much about WDW- but practically NOTHING about DL. Yes- it's true! I am a Disneyland Virgin!!

DH and I have just moved to northern California. We thought we might take a long weekend and go down to LA and see what DL is all about. We would love to hear your opinions on the following:

Where do I find DL ticket/room deals?? Do they have them for DL like they do for WDW???

What are the resorts that are owned by Disney down there?

Which one do you prefer and why?

What's the closest non Disney hotel to DL?

How many days at the very least would you say we can see DL in?

This is just for starters! I'm positive I'll be back with more!!

THANKS everyone for your insights!! I truly appreciate it

 

[Hound 109]

Read the Hydroguy thread (& the links in that thread) that i just bumped "DLR for WDW Vets". Answers to all of your questions & to dozens of others will be found in that thread.

From one WDW vet to another.....you're gonna love Walt's original park.

 

[karebear1]

Thanks Hound! I'll check it out.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

karebear welcome to the DL side of the forums what part of cali did you move to???? I think you will find DL a much nicer pace than wdw...hotels and motels surround the entire park unlike wdw...there are more people that stay offsite than at wdw...the 3 disney owned properties are Paradise Pier, Disneyland Hotel and the Grand Califonian which is tailored after the wildnerness lodge somewhat but it is the most luxurious of the 3 and the most expensive ....my favorite offsite hotel is Sheraton Anaheim...very very nice and they have their own shuttle...alot of people like Candy Cane Inn as they have breakfast and a shuttle as well but it is a motel and very small rooms but prices are too high imo for what you get...Hojo is another favorite...check out trip advisor for anaheim hotels as well and you will get a good idea plus traveler taken pics as well of each place...if you are a member of Costco or AAA you can get room/ticket deals and also a favorite of alot of people are getawaytoday.com...I would say for your first time to take at least 3 days minimum...but again, being used to wdw you need to clear your mind of everything your used to because DL cannot be compared to wdw in anything!! and everything here is much closer and more compact than when you are in wdw....feel free to ask anything on here and as previous poster said, definitely read hydroguys thread once again

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Where do I find DL ticket/room deals?? Do they have them for DL like they do for WDW???

Not as many great deals like at WDW. But they do have 4 for 3 from time to time and they also have Everyone plays at Kid's price. They did have a kids fly free going on too. They also have AP rates but these are not as deep as at WDW. DL's dining plan stinks and they haven't ever handed it out free.
Mousesavers.com lists many of them.
Also, there is a city pass that gets you 3 days at DLR, and a day at various other places in the LA and San Diego areas.

What's the closest non Disney hotel to DL?

There are several hotels a 5-10 minute walk across the street.
These are usually bigger rooms than the values at WDW and usually can be had at the same and sometimes better rates. Popular ones on this site include the Carousel, and the Tropicana, .
In addition, The Park View in, the Desert Inn and Suites, and the Del Sol Inn are also right there.
I'm missing one or two but they'll be on the map I link you up to.
Within about a 15 minute walk are another couple favorites on this board, the Candy Cane Inn and the Howard Johnson's.

One huge caveat. Several hotels will advertise they are "right next to Disney." Well that is technically true but that doesn't mean within Walking distance to the gate. Also next to (fill in the blank)/Disney usually means the other side of (fill in the blank) from Disney and you will have to walk all the way past (fill in the blank) to even get to Disney property which probably won't at that point be itself walking distance to the gate.

For my money, I'd rather spend just a few extra bucks (It really isn't that much extra), Walk to the gate, and not have to hassle with parking or shuttles.

Here is a good map.
http://www.geocities.com/ashpsyche/DisneylandLinkMap.html
Look to the right of where it says entrance Plaza. These are the walking distance hotels. The ones up on Ball or down on Katella are indeed next to Disney. But they aren't in prime walking distance to the gates,

What are the resorts that are owned by Disney down there?

The Paradise Pier Hotel, the Disneyland Hotel, and the Grand Californian.
The former two are above Moderates at WDW in amenities and price, but below the deluxes. They also have a more obvious Disney feel to them. But not so much as the Values at WDW which we absolutely love but others describe as "Disney in your face." The Grand Californian is about equal to some of the deluxes in Amenities and Price. The GC has its own entrance to DCA and is walking distance to DL. The other two are about a 10 minute walk. But DL Hotel has the monorail. Note also that Disney maintains relations with other hotels called "Good neighbor hotels." Disney also offers packages where you stay at one of these. Not all of these are in walking distance, however. A current list appears on Disneyland.com. I'm not sure how current it is, but this here site we are on loads much much quicker.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/disneyland-resorts/#gold-disneyland-resorts

How many days at the very least would you say we can see DL in?

If you skipped stuff you know from WDW and only hit common rides that are better and any unique rides about 1-2. But to cover most everything 3-4.

If you want to see everything, 3-4 days.

Which one do you prefer and why?

We go Value at WDW and use the hotel to pretty much crash for the night. Our favorite parts of the deluxes except the pools, we could access without staying in them. Same is true of these. Hence you can guess where we're going at DLR. Across the street. Your wants may be different.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

I would also say you need at least 3-4 days, minimum. G during the week if you can, there will likely be less of a crowd.

For deals check:
getawaytoday.com (in the fall they usua;;y start offering 4th night free promo
costco.com
Those are where I have found the best deals. Do not book directly through Disneyland.com, their prices will be much higher.

We never stay on the property. We feel it's too expensive and would rather have the extra money for things in the park. Plus I think staying at one of the places right accross the street is just as close, if not closer the the Disneyland Hotel. We are staying at the Desert Inn and Suites in Dec. I have heard good things about that place, Park Place Inn, Tropicana and Carousel.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

One thing I failed to mention. Contrary to the hype on these boards, we found Day of the week didn't matter much at WDW relative to other things.
At DLR on the other hand, Day of the week matters a bunch. Because 70% of the business is either local or Weekend warrior distance away at DLR, vs only 20% at WDW, Saturdays are killer at DLR and Sundays are better, but still not optimal. You're far better off just coming in on a Saturday, hitting the beach or something Sunday, and doing the parks Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Obviously, you won't want to be doing them on a 3 day weekend.
Of course this works against you in the off season as some of the big shows and fireworks are only open on weekends and there are a lot of refurbs going on. In those cases, I say overlap a weekend.

Obviously though, if a weekend is all you can do, well the worst day at Disney is better than a whole lot of best days not at Disney.

 

[karebear1]

You all are so great here on this board!! What a fantastic amount of insight you've given me. Thanks so much!!!

Can anyone tell me if there is early entry or extra magic hours at the DL resorts? What about the resorts that are "good neighbor" resorts? Do they get EE??

 

[Hound 109]

Regarding Hotels - Since i haven't stayed "on property", I can't comment on the 3 DL owned hotels. I will say that we stayed "across the street" on Harbor, & it took 10-12 minutes to walk from our standard issue motel room to the DL front gate. This was a VERY cool feature of visiting DLR...no bus waits & no bus rides. (We stayed at a Marriot Fairfield because we had Marriot points, which was fine for us).

Regarding Deals - If you stay on site, you get to do Early Entry on all days it is offered. BUT even if you stay across the street, you can get a 3 day Park Hopper (or 4 day) & you will be able to go to Early Entry on ONE of the days that it's offered (EE only offered on a 3 day or longer park hopper ticket AND ONLY GOOD ONE TIME (if you aren't staying at the DL owned Hotels). Plus the 3 day Park Hopper is (of course) cheaper than 3 (1 day) Hoppers.

If you're like me, it will take a day to weed thru (& assimilate) all the DL info....but since you're a Disney nut, you'll weed through it.

But then you'll be a semi expert & you'll be back asking all those "dailed in" / "inside info" questions for your family's perfect 3-5 day trip.

 

[HydroGuy]

You all are so great here on this board!! What a fantastic amount of insight you've given me. Thanks so much!!!

Can anyone tell me if there is early entry or extra magic hours at the DL resorts? What about the resorts that are "good neighbor" resorts? Do they get EE??

Hound referred to this thread and bumped it for you: "A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599. There is a lot of info there so it will take time to wade through it all, but your questions above are answered in Section 17: "Early Entry at DLR vs. Extra Magic Hours at WDW"

 

[Judy from Boise]

Let me encourage you to read our planning section. It is located at the top of the page , and consists of brown links that leads you to tons of info ! Also just read 5-7 pages of posts as many people are in the same boat, so there are many threads addressing your questions. Happy Planning!

 

[karebear1]

Hound referred to this thread and bumped it for you: "A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599. There is a lot of info there so it will take time to wade through it all, but your questions above are answered in Section 17: "Early Entry at DLR vs. Extra Magic Hours at WDW"

I have started reading this thread, but MAN!!!! There's a lot of info on there!! It's gonna take some time to go through all that! LOL!

 

[karebear1]

Let me encourage you to read our planning section. It is located at the top of the page , and consists of brown links that leads you to tons of info ! Also just read 5-7 pages of posts as many people are in the same boat, so there are many threads addressing your questions. Happy Planning!

I will do this as well.

Thanks for the links folks! It's nice to have people take you in and give you all the places to go!

 

[HydroGuy]

I have started reading this thread, but MAN!!!! There's a lot of info on there!! It's gonna take some time to go through all that! LOL!

Let us know when you are done reading and I will send you the test.

 

[karebear1]

Let us know when you are done reading and I will send you the test.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! NOT the TEST!!!!

 

[Judy from Boise]

But we do have a special avatar for those who pass with 100 % !

 

[bethbuchall]

This is great, because I am just starting to plan a Summer 2008 trip. I feel completely lost right now, but I will go read HydroGuy's guide to get started.

Beth

 

[Hound 109]

Let me encourage you to read our planning section. It is located at the top of the page , and consists of brown links that leads you to tons of info ! Also just read 5-7 pages of posts as many people are in the same boat, so there are many threads addressing your questions. Happy Planning!

Yes, I should have mentioned that there is lots of great information in the planning section sticky (it says DLR FAQs etc.) near the top of the page 1. (Thanks Judy from Boise... )


Regarding a test on the planning section & Hydroguy's threads.....When I failed my first test, they made me go to LegoLand our first 2 days in SoCal. (kidding - )


Regarding the top secret Avatar one gets for getting a 100% on the test.....I want it, I want it. I want to take the test!!!


Is this the Avatar??


hound

 

[karebear1]

I'm getting nervous-er and nervous-er about this test!! LOL!!

I hope you'll all give me an extension on my study time though. My DH father is in the hopsital. We are leaving in about an hour to and I won't be back for at least a week.

Thanks for all your help on the subject. I'll post again when I return.

 

[HydroGuy]

This is great, because I am just starting to plan a Summer 2008 trip. I feel completely lost right now, but I will go read HydroGuy's guide to get started.

Beth

There is a lot of good info on the DIS links (I use them myself).

FWIW, my thread everyone is talking about is geared to put DLR in perspective for WDW vets - while DIS information is for the general DLR visitors who may or may not have WDW experience.

Here are some more links you might find handy:

Getting The Most Out of a Summer Visit To DLR
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319

HydroGuy's Hotel Rule
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199862

The Joy of FASTPASS - details and secrets
www.micechat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5720

Getting the Most Out of FastPass During High Season
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=885132

HydroGuy's Fireworks Rule
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199851