First Time So Many Questions!

[HydroGuy]

I also was told on our first Disneyland trip that you "don't need to plan it" in the same way you do Disney World, and while you can 100% be flexible at Disneyland (we totally parkhop back and forth a bunch), I really disagree with "you don't need to plan it". On that first trip, I didn't know where to go for parades, shows, etc. I didn't know how to meet characters. I was totally over my head trying to use the app to figure out where rides were, walking across the park only to find the wait times had increased, not sure of where the fastpass stations were [back before mobile MaxPass]. I didn't know which rides my kids could go on or not right off the bat. I instantly regretted not planning. This trip I didn't have long to plan at all and thanks to some nice commenters on here and some very quick research, we had a fully different, calm, awesome experience that my kids loved. So even if you have been told "not" to plan, I'd say consider your personality and how you do the parks and maybe it's worth putting the same effort into planning if that's your style Enjoy your trip!

I also disagree with whoever said "you don't need to plan it" for DLR. We never tell that to anyone here! We do tell people that they don't need to overplan and micromanage the magic right out of their trip 6 months to a year in advance. We tell people to do their research (so this would have covered where to go for parades and shows, how to meet characters, how to use the app, how/where to get FP from the machines, height limits for rides, etc.) before their trip, make their best plans (plan A and a backup plan B), then let go and let the magic happen! It is absolutely true that you can't plan DLR the exact same way that you plan for WDW -- dining reservations don't open up 6 months in advance (only 60 days in advance), dining packages aren't exactly the same (e.g. no dessert party for fireworks), party tickets don't go on sale so many months in advance (e.g. MHP dates haven't even been announced, much less tickets put on sale -- but MNSSHP tix have been on sale in WDW for a while now), etc. But not planning exactly the same way does not in any way equal not having a plan at all!
Glad to hear that your second trip to DLR was a much better time than your first trip.

I think people say that you do not need to plan for DLR, which is not saying you shouldn't. It is possible to show up at DLR with no plan and be fine. That does not mean you will be on equal ground with every one else. First time visitors definitely should spend some time planning a bit. Repeat visitors do not need to as much if at all.

Whatever level of planning is involved, it is 10% (at most) compared to WDW.

 

[jaqsdad]

I think the Quality Inn and Suites on Manchester is overlooked by most, probably because it isn't directly on Harbor. Yes, it is a bit dated but I have always found it to be clean and the staff to be friendly. The free breakfast doesn't hurt either.

I've never heard the freeway noise some people complain about and it is only about a 10 minute walk to Disneyland.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I think people say that you do not need to plan for DLR, which is not saying you shouldn't. It is possible to show up at DLR with no plan and be fine. That does not mean you will be on equal ground with every one else. First time visitors definitely should spend some time planning a bit. Repeat visitors do not need to as much if at all.

Whatever level of planning is involved, it is 10% (at most) compared to WDW.

Well said -- not needing to plan/overplan does not mean that you shouldn't have any plan. Even on the days when we decide to just wing it in the parks, we still have a very loose plan -- winging it = playing the parks by ear = riding the crowd wave, not drowning in it, because we know the parks well enough to do so. We can change our plan on a dime because we have that depth of experience. For someone coming to DLR without that background, having some kind of plan, no matter how relaxed, is important, especially when small children are involved.

 

[mousiemom]

Thank you so much for all your help I am seriously stress out! Planning for DL is way different than planning for WDW! So we are hoping to fly into sna. Just checking flights to confirm. We cancelled the majestic garden and currently have BW Stovalls and the del sol booked. We will be in The parks the whole time so really don’t want to spend the money on hotel! (Although it looks a lot different than the yacht club! Lol). We are leaning toward del sol just for the location. Anyone stayed there?? We will definitely do the max pass! What about magic bands?? Do they have them?

it was our first DL trip too and we were amazed how easy it was to walk into each park, we are so used to taking all the buses to the parks in DW. DTD is very small compared to disney springs. we only spent 3 days there cause that's all you really need. it's neat how they have mostly all our rides but just in 2 parks. i'm very excited about carsland cause they were building it when we were there 10yrs ago. we flew into SNA, so easy and smooth, and took a shuttle bus to HOJOs. we did blue bayou and trattoria restaurant last time, it's so different from all our restaurants @ DW. i would love to stay on property but it's so expensive and we are pop century people no values there. but it's so easy getting around the neighbor hotels are great and like u said we just sleep there.

 

[ChrissyLou]

We only fly into John Wayne (VERY CONVENIENT), we've never stayed at the Del Sol, and comparing STEPS alone into the parks, Del Sol has Best Western Stovall's beat for sure, however as a WDW veteran you probably wouldn't bat an eye at the walk. But we LOVE Stovall's. What you might expend in a few extra steps could save you time and annoyance not having to deal with the security lines on Harbor - which sometimes are ridiculous.

From Stovall's you walk past Paradise Pier to the downtown Disney entrance by the Disneyland Hotel. If the park is open you can scan your park ticket and hop on the monorail and you're in the park already - you don't need to stand in line at the main DL gate! You can leave the same way. (Only works going into/out of DL as the monorail doesn't stop in CA). For breaks during the day if you take them or at the end of the day, you can either use the monorail back to DTD for the walk back to Stovall's or cut through the DTD Grand California Hotel entrance/exit by Sephora and walk back to Stovall's that way. If you're in CA, walk out through the GCH exit/entrance near Grizzly River Rapids and back to Stovall's.

So there are some shortcuts that help lessen the walk. Besides the fact that for a very small price you could UBER if you were really exhausted or try the ART shuttle which is right in front of Stovall's. I like that Stovall's affords several inexpensive options (which bypass Harbor security) and we love the complimentary breakfast, beautiful pool area with view of CA, have always had clean rooms (with ample storage), refrigerator, and great customer service -- you said you won't be in the room much (neither are we), but I still love a nice pool area.

Check out Last Minute Travel Club for park tickets -- we use them exclusively now and they get good reviews on these boards. You will save money! Since you're only there three days, I'd probably spend a little more for the Hoppers. We have never used MaxPass, but we are always in line early and have all our main attractions ridden before noon, however August is after Star Wars opens, so I would not be surprised if the next time we go (September) we might need MaxPass. If I was there for the first time for a few days, I'd get it. I hope you love it!

 

[MCFADDEN5]

We ended up booking flights into lax. Not want we would prefer but the flight times were so much Better and it’s a direct flight. We are coming from Ontario and there were no direct flights at all! With most layovers being 3 hours. So I hope we don’t regret it. We will do the resort express or just Uber it.

 

[agamble]

I think the Quality Inn and Suites on Manchester is overlooked by most, probably because it isn't directly on Harbor. Yes, it is a bit dated but I have always found it to be clean and the staff to be friendly. The free breakfast doesn't hurt either.

I've never heard the freeway noise some people complain about and it is only about a 10 minute walk to Disneyland.

We have stayed here as well as the QI on Katella. The QI on Manchester is as walkable as HOJO and the breakfast is better than most places on Harbor as they have make your own waffles and a few other warm items. BUT they are usually more expensive than Desert Inn and the walk is noticeably further.