DLR California for 14 nights?

[pigby]

Looking to go to the original Disneyland next year - making very vague plans at the moment.

I have spent time looking at posts on the US sites but wondered if anyone had spent 14 nights in an Anaheim hotel? I have read on these boards that some of the onsite hotels are even closer than the Disney ones to the parks and the prices to stay on-site look REALLY expensive!

I am thinking with only 2 parks (and DTD) that we will need to visit lots of other places a. because there is lots to do outside Disney and b. even we might get bored with just 2 parks and 2 weeks.

We aren't planning on getting a car - I already sussed that you get get a bus to Huntington Beach in less than an hour and that there are some really great coach tours available - one goes to Universal Studios and afterwards you get to see the famous sites of LA in the evening. Oh and you can get to Knotts Berry Farm easily enough without a car. Also there is a train station in Anaheim (reachable via a short bus ride) - then you can get to LA and then ride around on the underground (Metro)

Has anyone done any of these things and how feasible are my plans. Oh and after some brief research - the Sheraton Anaheim and the HoJo hotels rea looking good at the moment.

 

[wayneg]

Been twice, 1st time was for 9 nights. I just can't imagine doing 14 nights there without a car, its over 1 hour drive to Universal(over 2 hours back in rush hour) or into LA, everwhere is so far over there. We loved it as we were meeting a lot of American friends who live in Cali. For me 9 nights with a car was enough, not enough to do for 14 nights, I would want a split stay, Vegas or San Fran?.
2nd visit we did 4 nights in Vegas then 5 nights Anahiem, that was perfect but again with a car.
We stayed at Howard Johnson across the road(not like WDW you walk it in 5-10 mins) £38/night and was great, large rooms and free internet, I won't pay £100/night for AKL so not paying DLR prices, they were crazy.

 

[Gaynor]

We are going for the 1st time in 6 weeks. So I can only tell you what we have planned. We are staying 12 nights in Anaheim and will be using this as a base to visit other places we are hiring a car.

We've bought the Southern California City Pass which gives you entry to Disney for 3 days, 1 day Universal, 1 day Seaworld and 1 day San Diego Zoo or Animal park from what I have read this will be enough time for each park.

We are also driving to Las Vegas and staying there for 2 nights.

I am also planning a visit to Newport Beach and Santa Monica and a guided tour of Hollywood maybe an open top bus or similar ( my dh thinks this is cheesy but you can't go all that way without seeing the stars on hollywood Boulevard, the Hollywood sign etc).

I will have to fit in a couple of shopping malls as well

I'm hoping to do a trip report when we get back

 

[wayneg]

We are going for the 1st time in 6 weeks. So I can only tell you what we have planned. We are staying 12 nights in Anaheim and will be using this as a base to visit other places we are hiring a car.

We've bought the Southern California City Pass which gives you entry to Disney for 3 days, 1 day Universal, 1 day Seaworld and 1 day San Diego Zoo or Animal park from what I have read this will be enough time for each park.

We are also driving to Las Vegas and staying there for 2 nights.

I am also planning a visit to Newport Beach and Santa Monica and a guided tour of Hollywood maybe an open top bus or similar ( my dh thinks this is cheesy but you can't go all that way without seeing the stars on hollywood Boulevard, the Hollywood sign etc).

I will have to fit in a couple of shopping malls as well

I'm hoping to do a trip report when we get back

We got the CityPass 1st time, great value, paid £95 each for them, probably gone up now.
Hollywood might be Cheesy but its an amazing place to visit, everywhere you look you recognize something.
A few pics from Oct 07.

1st 2 from Disney Soda Fountain last one is my star, no-one else seems to be able to find it

 

[scottishgirl87]

Can't comment on Anaheim hotels, unfortunately.

I know you said you were looking at public transport, but just to warn that taxis are extortionate!!! We stayed in Redondo Beach (which is really close to LAX airport) last year and it was costing us at least $90 one way to get anywhere (we went to Universal, Walk of Fame etc.). So you're talking like $180 on a taxi round trip! I could be wrong but I think Anaheim is even further out than Redondo Beach.

Sorry I can't be of much more help!

 

[wayneg]

I know you said you were looking at public transport, but just to warn that taxis are extortionate!!! We stayed in Redondo Beach (which is really close to LAX airport) last year and it was costing us at least $90 one way to get anywhere (we went to Universal, Walk of Fame etc.). So you're talking like $180 on a taxi round trip! I could be wrong but I think Anaheim is even further out than Redondo Beach.

Redondo Beach is 8 miles from LAX
Disneyland is 30 miles from LAX.

 

[Lizzybear]

I would seriously consider hiring a car if possible, especially if you're intending to use Anaheim as a base for the full 2 weeks. Anaheim is a fair distance from LA (different county altogether) and if you're planning on spending more than one day there then the journey there and back could get a bit grating: As Wayne mentioned it could easily take 2 hours during peak times. If you really don't want to/can't rent a car then maybe consider a split stay in LA and Anaheim. In Anaheim I would recommend one of the offsite hotels within walking distance of Disneyland.. The Hojo always gets good reviews but it was full for our dates so we chose the Fairfield Inn and really enjoyed our stay, it was great to be able to pop back for a break in the middle of the day
ETA: If you're interested I did a trip report for our California hol last year and the LA/Anaheim section is from 24th September to 1st October.

 

[Chilly]

We did 6 nights and that was enough for us, planning to go back in 2011 for a few nights mainly to do Disney.

 

[Gaynor]

We got the CityPass 1st time, great value, paid £95 each for them, probably gone up now.
Hollywood might be Cheesy but its an amazing place to visit, everywhere you look you recognize something.
A few pics from Oct 07.

1st 2 from Disney Soda Fountain last one is my star, no-one else seems to be able to find it

Great photos Wayne

We've paid £130 for the citypass still a bargain I think.

Did you do the Hollywood sights on your own and if so is everything easy to find or did you do a guided tour?

 

[wayneg]

Great photos Wayne

We've paid £130 for the citypass still a bargain I think.

Did you do the Hollywood sights on your own and if so is everything easy to find or did you do a guided tour?

Didn't do any tour, depends how much time you want to spend there, we just wanted 3-4 hours, only had half a day so not enough time.
Parked here http://www.hollywoodandhighland.com/information_parking.php its right next to the Kodak theatre and everything we wanted to see. Only costs $2 for upto 4 hours with validation, we just bought a coke and they stamped our ticket.

 

[Danauk]

We did a similar trip last year and spent 2 weeks in the LA area, I couldn't imagine doing it without a car. We stayed at the Grand Californian for a week, then at 6 flags Magic Mountain for a few days, then moved for the rest of the week to the Rennaisance in Hollywood. Whilst we were at teh Grand Californian we did the Disney parks and Knotts Berry Farm and then when we were in Hollywood we did the sights, all the studio tours (Paramount was by far my favourite) and Universal (I hightly recommend the VIP tour there, well worth the extra IMHO.)

One thing to bear in mind at the moment with a trip to Disneyland is that California Adventure at the moment is getting a total overhaul, it is basically piece by piece being remodelled and updated so you will not be seeing the park in its best light. If it is going to be a once in a lifetime trip I would wait until after 2012 when the park is completely re done.

If you are thinking of staying at the HoJo in Anaheim I believe they do a dis board rate, the manager from there regularly posts on the Disneyland board.

I thought I would add a couple of pics too!

Me on the Pirates of the Caribbean set:

Taken from our hotel room:

One more; partners at Disneyland

 

[wayneg]

If you are thinking of staying at the HoJo in Anaheim I believe they do a dis board rate, the manager from there regularly posts on the Disneyland board.

They do rates for everything you can think of, DIS, AAA, AP holders etc, we found Alpharooms or hotelopia(with Quidco cashback) to beat them all but that was 2 years ago so every option needs to be checked, Travelsupermarket is a good starting point but its down just now.

 

[simba_one]

Another DLR and SoCal fan here! Been there 3 times now and am going back in September. It's the original and the best imo! I have to agree that a car is an absolute must if you're using Anaheim as a base though. A lot of people seem to think you're crazy staying so far away from everything non-Disney but I like being able to spread Disney out over the 3 weeks. Traffic can be a nightmare but if you leave and come back at the right times, it's not too bad.

I'm going with a friend this September and neither of us will be driving so we're dividing a month in Anaheim and Hollywood (along with Orlando and Vegas). As others have said, if it's at all possible, hire a car. You'll find it so much easier and far more convenient. If you're anything like me, you'll like to take your time sightseeing and leave when you're ready and not when the tour bus is.

It's a bit of a slog visiting SoCal but it's really worth it. I've absolutely fallen in love with the place. Anaheim is a really great base. There's some really nice off-site hotels to choose from. We stayed at the Sheraton Park last summer and won't be staying anywhere else from now on. As you've already discovered, all 3 of the on-site hotels are deluxe and are certainly priced to reflect that. Yes, they're nice but you get the general idea from snooping in their lobbies, dining at their restaurants and shopping in their shops.

I'd have to agree with Danauk when she says visit after 2012 if this is going to be you're only trip to the West Coast. DCA looks a hot mess at the moment and it's not going to get better anytime soon. It's my favourite Disney park so seeing it how it is now, won't do it justice at all.

Anyway, happy planning and have a great trip! I have no doubts you'll absolutely love it!

 

[sharon78]

We've booked for April next year, didn't know about the work going on at CA till now
We have booked car hire as we're driving down from SF.

We're staying at the Sheraton Universal in Hollywood for 3 nights so we can visit Universal studios, then Hyatt Regency Orange County (Anaheim) for six nights. We have a 3 day pass for Disney booked & a LA/Hollywood 10 hour bus tour booked. We're also planing on visiting Redondo Beach, Hermosa, and Newport (Balboa Island)
Happy Planning

 

[heatherbelle]

Over on the Dibb, there is a whole new section dedicated to help with west coast planning.

We are going in a few weeks time.

We have split our stay, with 7 nights in Anaheim, and 7 nights in San Diego.

I have bought the city passes to use for Disney, Universal, SW and the Zoo. I have also purchased tickets for Warner Bros studios these cost 90.00 for the 3 of us. For SD, I have purchased a Go SD card, these cost around 260.00 for 5 days for the 3 of us. It will pay for us to get into Legoland, Knotts Berry farm, Knotts waterpark, and loads of other smaller attractions in SD, including the Zoo.

We will probably have too many tickets!!! We usually do.

There is far too much to do and see in LA, and no doubt will try to cram everything in, and end up exhausted. I have a massive list drawn up of what we want to do.

In A we are staying at the Staybridge Suites, as it's near Disney, and also near the I5. From what I have read, most people prefer to stay on Harbour Boulevard? so they can walk to Disney.

In SD we are staying at Humphries Half Moon Hotel. I chose this, as it holds concerts over the summer and also has nice outlooks. Depending upon who you ask, some people like the Mission Bay area and others don't. Have a look at the Coronado hotel in SD, it looks like the Grand Floridian, with a price tag to match.

 

[pigby]

One thing to bear in mind at the moment with a trip to Disneyland is that California Adventure at the moment is getting a total overhaul, it is basically piece by piece being remodelled and updated so you will not be seeing the park in its best light. If it is going to be a once in a lifetime trip I would wait until after 2012 when the park is completely re done.

[/IMG]

Ah yes we said it was a 'once in a lifetime trip' on our first WDW trip in 2000 - trouble is we've been back 9 more times since! If we do like it, no doubt we will return anyway.

I hear what everyone is saying about getting a car but truth is both of us are extremely nervous about driving in the US (although have no problems over here) - also in a strange city- won't even drive into Manchester - I go on the bus. I thought that we may go, try one or two coach trips and then if absolutely necessary, then hire a car for 4 days or so - what do you think? Our plans are very flexible at the moment. We hired a car for a week once midway through our stay at WDW but didn't enjoy it, if I'm honest and this is one of the main reasons we always stay on site at WDW.

Thanks again for all your honest opinions and advice - I really appreciate it