DL/SoCal ABD Solo Questions

[DisneyWishes14]

I am considering doing the DL/SoCal ABD as a solo later this year. I would be flying in from the East Coast and know, from experience, I'm going to experience some jet lag for at least the first two days after arrival which leads me to think it would be best to fly in two days early to acclimate.

I was thinking of spending two nights in Disneyland before heading into Hollywood to start the ABD. I can't stay post-ABD, so I thought this would give me the opportunity to really explore DL in a super relaxed way before I hit the ground running with the ABD. I'm just curious if anyone else has done this or has any other suggestions of touring in the area as a solo female? I won't be renting a car, so will need to rely on private car services to get me to DL from the airport and then to the Loews Hotel to start the ABD. Does ABD provide transportation from DL to the Loews Hotel? I'm assuming no as it only lists LAX as the pick-up spot for the start of the tour.

Also - a random question - I would like to book the Blue Bayou for lunch on our first, full DL day. Does anyone know what would be a good time to book that lunch after the morning tour portion of the day? This would be Day 4 of the tour.

Thank you for any thoughts you have on doing this ABD solo!

 

[abdgeek]

If you plan to come in early, call ABD and have them note it on your itinerary. It’ll be obvious once you give them your flight info. You can then check with them to see if you can get the transfer to the Loews Hotel if you return to LAX on the day the tour starts. You may also want to ask them how much time each day is spent at DL. That way you’ll know how to plan your time so that you don’t duplicate experiences.

While I haven’t done this ABD, I travel solo all the time with ABD. I always come in early and stay a couple days late. Definitely take of advantage of being in L.A. by going to DL. I would! There’s a lot to do in the area, so check out TripAdvisor or Viator to see what’s around. Enjoy.

 

[sayhello]

Hi! I haven't done this ABD yet, so I can't comment specifically on the timing for the trip. However, I've done tons of ABDs as a solo and I grew up in Southern California, and have been to Disneyland many times as a solo.

First off, check with ABD, I know that people park their cars at the the Grand Californian, so that their cars will be at the Grand Californian at the end of the trip, and ABD will do a group transfer from the Grand Californian to the Loews. So I would think that if you get yourself over to the Grand Californian at the time of that transfer, that you could get a ride to the Loews. I believe I've read where people have done this in the past. Call ABD to find out for sure.

I would *HIGHLY* recommend that you *do* arrive early to get over the jetlag. From everything I've heard, this is a fast-moving trip with a lot of early mornings, and you don't want to start out fatigued! If you don't want to spring for the Grand Californian for your pre-trip days, I've stayed at a hotel called the Hotel Indigo which is a 15 minute walk from door to door from the hotel to the front gate of Disneyland if you decide to do that for your pre-days. It's nothing fancy, but it's nice, has a decent restaurant, free parking (which you don't care about) and a great location. I watched the Disneyland fireworks from my window there a couple of years ago.

If you're relying on a car service (or Lyft or Uber) to get around, there are tons of things in the area; what kinds of things are you looking for?

I know you're aware of the Single Supplement, so I don't have to go into that here.

I'm sure others will chime in here with more specifics, as a lot of folks have taken this trip. I know I will some day, but I just haven't done it yet. (I think being an ex-local is part of the reason why).

Sayhello

 

[hilarys]

We are one of the people that SayHello referred to that left our car at the Grand California Hotel pre trip. We live in Northern Calif so we drove down to Southern Calif and did a few pre-days on our own at Universal and then on the first day of our ABD we drove to the Grand, parked our car and had a car service to the Loews through ABD. Our travel agent coordinated all of this ahead of time and the pick up at the Grand was included. I would highly recommend trying to book your Blue Bayou lunch for one of your pre-days - the schedule of the ABD tours is really pretty fluid and I would hate to miss something or be worried about the timing for lunch. If I remember correctly on our first DL day, we really did not have a very long lunch break - we did break for lunch but then reconvened for afternoon activities. If you do book it for that day, just check in with your guides on your very first day and let them know - they can probably ballpark it. My family is frequent DL visitors so happy to help with any other DL planning.

 

[Miss SD]

Ask ABD for a pickup from the Grand Californian the day your adventure starts. The car arrives at 1 p.m. or so. You’ll need to schedule a car to LAX for the last day of the tour. (I drove to the GCH, so I didn’t need a ride to the airport.)

As for solo touring, are you looking for ideas for LA or Anaheim? You won’t have much on-your-own time in Hollywood if you’re arriving at the Loews that Sunday. I think it’s just Monday late afternoon/evening, right? I love the restaurant Papilles on Franklin. It’s in an unassuming strip mall, but it’s fabulous (easy Uber from hotel). Even my snobby mother-in-law approves. Uber back, walk up to Yamashiro and have a drink while enjoying the spectacular view (I don’t care for the food there anymore, unfortunately). There’s always the Grove/Farmer Market, which is popular among ABDers. Or, if you’re comfortable on public transportation and don’t mind urban grittiness, head to the Grand Central Market in downtown LA.

As for the Blue Bayou, I’d suggest eating there on one of your pre-days, so you’re not stressed. Book the earliest lunch time and ask for a waterfront table.

I’ve taken this tour with family and solo, and I enjoyed it a lot.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Wow! Thank you SO much everyone! You have given such tremendous advice and insight! I think I will plan on two, pre-days at DL. I haven't priced it out yet, but I will probably just stay onsite at one of the DL hotels to keep things simple. I'm having images of simply strolling through Downtown Disney and the parks and just having a super leisurely two days pre-ABD. Now why didn't I think of eating at Blue Bayou on one of my pre-days? - brilliant, thank you! And I will speak to ABD regarding the car service from GC to Loews - that would be perfect!

Thank you so much!