First time Disneyland with teens

[amymomof5]

I am a single mom of five kids ages 10,13,15,16, and 18. My oldest daughter is graduating high school in June and we are planning a graduation trip to California and Oregon immediately afterward. I have been to Disney World but never Disneyland and would really like to make this special for them while keeping the cost as reasonable as possible.

We are flying in from Texas on Saturday or Sunday- the girls would like to see Hollywood, so will also take any advice on coordinating that. I would really rather not rent a vehicle but there will be six of us. Looking to stay near Disneyland Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights and visit the park on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday we will take Amtrak up the coast to Klamath Falls, Oregon and meet some friends for RV camping up the coast.

I will take any and every bit of advice anyone can give me for planning the California part of this!

 

[dshimel]

This is a tough nut to crack.

I've not done SoCal without a car, so can't answer that portion.

I have done Hollywood, but again with a car. The Chinese Theater is not very close to Rodeo Drive which isn't really close to stars homes, etc. You're likely going to have to do a bus tour, or have a mini-van and drive yourself around.

Personally, I would consider getting a mini-van the first day, doing Hollywood, then dropping everyone else at the hotel before returning the rental to the airport, and then only having to pay transportation for 1 from airport to hotel.

I have tried to rent a room for 6. Those close to DLR can be tough to find, and almost as expensive as just getting 2 rooms. For the 2nd bathroom, I found it better to just get 2, connecting, rooms.

BEWARE of "resort fees" that a lot of hotels near DLR add to the listed price you will see on search tools. I find I have to call each hotel I am considering to ask what the resort and parking fees are (as I always have car). Can be frustrating when you see a rate call the "no fees rate" only to find out there are $25 in fees per day. If "no fees" doesn't mean no fees, then what does in mean? Well, that is just a marketing term... or missrepresentation, if you prefer.

 

[endy]

Just throwing this out there.... since you would need 2 rooms and are going rv Camping afterwards there are 2 campgrounds close to DL if you are willing to bring a tent or 2 along with you. The ART shuttle stops at both. My first choice is Anaheim RV Resort, second is the one on Harbor. Money wise the one on Harbor is cheaper and you can almost walk to the parks. The other with resort in its name I found was nicer and somewhat safer and more showers. This one is closer to the Amtrak.
By tent camping you would save a good chunk of money vs motel rooms. The weather is great for tenting not to hot or cold.

I also agree renting a minivan would be the way to go for Hollywood part. Check thru Costco for rates. Maybe pickup at airport and drop off at Anaheim if the price allows. Saves extra driving time. Oh and I don't find the traffic that bad in LA. It's bad yes but I find no worse than other cities.

Sounds like fun trip. I would love to take the train someday along the coast.

 

[agamble]

You can get a room for 6 at the Desert Inn and Suites across from DL for a reasonable price. I'm not sure if it has all the privacy, etc. They do have resort and parking fees, but since you're not parking that would save some money.

Since you're only doing two days you can save a ton of money on non hoppers for your family. I think it's $40 to hop and with six people that is $240. I know some people say that hopping is a necessity at DL because it's so close, but you have a large family and every dollar saved helps. There is plenty to do at both parks on the day you could spend at each, especially since your kids are older.

I also recommend renting a car for one day to see Hollywood. It's probably your cheapest option for just seeing Hollywood.

 

[Geemo]

I am a single mom of five kids ages 10,13,15,16, and 18. My oldest daughter is graduating high school in June and we are planning a graduation trip to California and Oregon immediately afterward. I have been to Disney World but never Disneyland and would really like to make this special for them while keeping the cost as reasonable as possible.

We are flying in from Texas on Saturday or Sunday- the girls would like to see Hollywood, so will also take any advice on coordinating that. I would really rather not rent a vehicle but there will be six of us. Looking to stay near Disneyland Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights and visit the park on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday we will take Amtrak up the coast to Klamath Falls, Oregon and meet some friends for RV camping up the coast.

I will take any and every bit of advice anyone can give me for planning the California part of this!

If you get One-Day One-Park tickets instead of Park Hoppers, I'd recommend going to Disneyland on the day with the longest hours.
Disneyland is usually open longer than Disney California Adventure.

I feel it's best renting a mini-van at the airport when you arrive and touring Hollywood before you go on to DLR. There are many rental car agencies in the DLR area where you could drop the car off. I've found Costco to have better rates for rental cars.

Geemo

 

[sasywtch]

I would see if you could get a flight into Burbank instead of LAX, leave early in the am and with the time change, would get you into LA early with time to rent a car and see Hollywood. Since the Chinese theatre (whatever it's called now) with the foot/handprints is an icon, I think it's worth a stop. You can also see where they do the Oscars right there. Lunch at Pinks hot dogs might be fun. My neice HAD to go down Melrose to see the Kardashian store Dash. Personally, we went to Rodeo Drive, parked and walked by Kyle Richards store and thought about having lunch at Lisa Vanderpumps place (which is only a few doors down from Kyle Richards store). It just depends on what your girls want to see.

Then I'd head down to Anaheim. (that short distance on the map took us 1-1/2 hours so be prepared).

 

[SplashMo]

Pick out places to eat and share the menu with the kids to make sure they like the food.

Park hoppers can be good to jump between the parks. Teesn like rides in DCA and DLR and it is nice to jump between the two...