DL Newbie -- some ???s, please

[RoyalCanadian]

Hi folks -- I'm more than intimately familiar with WDW but I readily admit that I have no clue about DL and DCA. I'm heading to Berkeley, California for a week-long continuing education in the 2nd week of July and booked an open-jaws FF rewards flight arriving at LAX on July 8 and departing from SFO a week later -- I'll do the SNA-OAK flight with Southwest or Alaska and spend more on that flight than I did on paying the taxes for Executive First on Air Canada.

I'll catch a shuttle in from LAX and use the same shuttle to get to SNA -- no problem there.

I'm looking at staying at Best Western Pavilions. It appears that I can get an amazing rate on this hotel through a Canadian wholesaler (the truth will be learned on 11 Apr).

• Can anyone speak for or against Best Western Pavilions?
• I see it's on the ART route F -- would the ART be necessary for me or can a healthy 37 year old male make the walk to the park entrance?

Sadly, I'll only have about a day and a half to enjoy the parks. I'm planning on a 2-day parkhopper to take advantage of the best DL and DCA can offer me in the short time I'll have -- realizing I'll have to forego many attractions.

• What are your "Never to Be Missed" DL Attractions?

With limited time to enjoy the parks I'm planning on putting the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland Touring Plans to use. They have never steered me wrong at WDW.

• Anyone care to comment on their personal experiences with the DL Touring Plans?

The Golden Ears are already on my shopping list but I'd like to pick up a Princess engraveable name tag for DD5 (just like the ones advertised through Laughing Place).

• Where can I find the engraveable name tags?

I'm rather excited at the opportunity to do this. The availability of reward flights into SFO was horrendous and I checked out the open jaws into LAX and out of SFO and this fell into my lap. DD, DW and I visited Disneyland Paris in Sept. '04; we did our first DVC trip to WDW in Jan. '05 and now the possibility of DL in July '05 is just wonderful.

One last question:

• Am I certifiably crazy for planning to visit DL in July?

 

[iceskatejen]

Can't answer the hotel question, but I'll do my best for everything else.

Not to be missed attractions:
In DL
POTC (much better than at WDW)
Matterhorn
Indiana Jones
Tiki Room (the original show)
Alice in Wonderland
Pinnochio
Storybookland
I'd say Space Mountain, but it doesn't reopen until July 15th
Any rides you'd like to compare/contrast with the WDW versions

DCA
Soarin'
CA Screamin'
Grizzly River Run
Tower of Terror
The Aladdin show

Never used a guidebook for DL. I've been so many times (ok, I practically live there) that I know the park better than I know my way around my neighborhood.

Name tags--in DL go under the right tunnel under the train station from the park entrance--you'll see a souvenir kiosk and they'll engrave one on the spot. They're $5. Or in DCA they have them in a souvenir kiosk called Souvenir 66 in the Paradise Pier area, next to the Corn Dog Castle and the Sunglasses Shack (looks like a giant pink dinosaur).

Not going to DL would be crazy.