First Timer Disneyland- A couple Questions

[ToddB]

Hi everyone! I am still considering a trip to Disneyland in September and would be flying from Pennsylvania. Which airlines would be better to use and which is possibly cheaper with all of the baggage fees and stuff like that? I have looked at Southwest, but it still seems pretty expensive and long(too many stops and plane changes). Anyway, I know I will run into that. Just looking for an opinion on which may be better.

And out of all of the Good Neighbor hotels, which is better? I want to be within walking distance of the parks, and I know there are a ton right across the street, but are they really the better ones? Just not sure. I was looking at the Ramada Maingate, or Del Sol Inn.

Also what kinds of Transportation is available from the airport to the hotel? I keep getting mixed answers on this one when I try to find it.

Thanks for your help! ~Todd

 

[Escape2Disney]

Hi everyone! I am still considering a trip to Disneyland in September and would be flying from Pennsylvania. Which airlines would be better to use and which is possibly cheaper with all of the baggage fees and stuff like that? I have looked at Southwest, but it still seems pretty expensive and long(too many stops and plane changes). Anyway, I know I will run into that. Just looking for an opinion on which may be better.

And out of all of the Good Neighbor hotels, which is better? I want to be within walking distance of the parks, and I know there are a ton right across the street, but are they really the better ones? Just not sure. I was looking at the Ramada Maingate, or Del Sol Inn.

Also what kinds of Transportation is available from the airport to the hotel? I keep getting mixed answers on this one when I try to find it.

Thanks for your help! ~Todd

If JetBlue is available, I'd strongly recommend them for longer flights. They don't charge for the first bag, and they have on-board entertainment. The attendants have also always been really nice! They fly into LGB, which is very close to the parks. It's a super small airport and VERY easy to navigate. Shuttles aren't available at this airport, but a cab ride is about $45. SNA and LAX both have shuttles available.

As far as GN Hotels, I know a lot of people will recommend HOJO. I haven't stayed there, but they get great reviews.

Have a great trip!

 

[skiingfast]

And out of all of the Good Neighbor hotels, which is better? I want to be within walking distance of the parks, and I know there are a ton right across the street, but are they really the better ones? I was looking at the Ramada Maingate, or Del Sol Inn.

Also what kinds of Transportation is available from the airport to the hotel? I keep getting mixed answers on this one when I try to find it.

Ramada Maingate about a 7 minute walk to the games is nicer than the Del Sol, 6 minutes walk.

If you fly to LAX or SNA(better) There is a bus service called Disneyland Resort Express. If flying to LGB where Jet Blue lands, there are shuttle services that serve all three mentioned airports.

 

[nannyz]

I personally think that HoJo is far better than any other hotel, even though the walk is a bit longer.
One thing I learned about the shuttles from LAX is make sure you hire a private shuttle or limousine; otherwise it may take you a couple of hours to get to your hotel because the shuttle will make so many stops.
When we flew from Arizona to Florida a couple of years ago, we flew on Frontier and were very pleased with the service.

 

[KCmike]

Airline of choice is Southwest. There prices always seem to change and usually you can find the best deals on Wednesday's. They also are running two free roundtrip flights if you take their credit card. There is an annual fee of $69 though but you get most that back on your anniversary. From KC they always have non stop flights which is nice. Keep checking the website as you can always find good deals with Southwest.

One other idea is to check airports close to you other than your home airport. We found to fly from Denver this year was $72 each way while from KC it was $190. We always wanted to visit Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak so we are doing that. For some reason this year the prices on all airfare are just crazy high.

Best Good neighbors in my opinion are:
1. Fairfield Inn
2. HOJO
3. Best Western Park Place Inn

Supershuttle is probably the best transportation from the airport to the hotel/parks.

Congrats are deciding to make the trip to Disneyland. There is no equal. It is amazing!

 

[WaltsMartini]

Hi Todd, I'm a fellow PAer myself.

I took my first trip to DLR last year for the Expo. I flew Delta from Harrisburg, pretty long as it went to Cleveland, had a layover, and did the same on the way back. But I think that was the only negative of the trip.

I stayed at the Best Western off site and couldn't believe how convenient it was to the parks. Both the Anabella and the BW are at the corner of Katella and West Street, right across from Paradise Pier. From there I walked to the park through the Grand Californian and then through Downtown Disney - such a nicer walk than along Harbor, and far less people too. I don't think it ever took longer than 15 minutes to get from the DL gate to the hotel, and that's with being tired and lugging souvenirs.

I used Super Shuttle to get to and from the airport. They were very professional and have shuttles on a regular basis. They were also very easy to find when exiting the airport.

Good luck - the great thing about DLR is that there is FAR less planning than a WDW trip! Just book the flights and hotel and the rest will take care of itself

 

[rizzo0904]

If you'll be going out of Philly, check Virgin America. My inlaws live across the river and were going to come with us. Prices were great! But they backed out.

 

[PinkBudgie]

We like Candy Cane Inn. Right next door to DCA- 8 min walk to security in the mornings. "Motel" style but very cute and well maintained. Free breakfast, free shuttle to DLR. They give AAA and AP discounts. Rooms are smallish but clean. We had 4 people ( DH and I and 2 teenage boys) in a Deluxe room. We are getting a standard for just DH and I this trip. You can see my review after my first stay with pics in my sig link.

 

[Malcon10t]

Favorite hotels - Candy Cane, Hojos, Fairfield, and Carousel.

 

[SpaceMan5]

HOJOs and BWPPI are solid options and are within walking distance.

Out of SNA we have used Super Shuttle on all of our trips and have never been disappointed in the service.

 

[elt0307]

Another fellow PA resident here who just returned from DL...in fact my red-eye arrived at 6:20am this morning ha. I flew PHL to LAX on US Airways. They do charge $25 for the first checked bag but round-trip cost was $260, which I thought seemed very reasonable and both flights were non-stop. I shopped around for a bit and couldn't find other airline prices anywhere close to this. Actually I take that back...Virgin now offers non-stop flights from PHL to LAX around that price but US Airways had many more options for flight times, which suited me better.

My primary purpose was a work convention so I stayed in the Anaheim Marriott which is across from the Hilton and right by the convention center...further from other hotels but very nice. And the ART bus system was very convenient to use.

I also used Super Shuttle to/from airport...reasonable prices and good service, it worked for us.

Good luck with planning and have a great time!

 

[taabros]

I am from Delaware. I am going to Disneyland this summer. I got a great deal on nonstop flights on virgin america out of Philadelphia

 

[seagodess]

We ended up going with southwest. Our trip is about 1-1.5 hours longer, but its worth it for us. Price is a big issue with us. We are saving about $200 per ticket + baggage fee's this way. On our way there we have one stop/no plane change, on our way home we have a plane change but the layover is only about 45 minutes.
You can sign up for emails of when the prices go down for the places you want to go. I would suggest this. If possible, be flexible with your dates. Some days are cheaper to fly than others. Also From what I've read ticket prices tend to go down usually tuesday afternoons.