For the first time in forever...

[mlegerto]

Long story short, like the rest of you I am Disney obsessed. I have been lucky enough to have enjoyed countless (literally) trips to Walt Disney World in my lifetime - my first trip was when I was only 8 months old. We went at least once a year and then my parents bought into the DVC program back in 1998 when the only resort was OKW. Needless to say, our trip count continued to grow.

My parents haven't actually used the points in 10+ years and instead allow my brother and I to use them each year - I'd say I get to use them 95% of the time and my brother 5%, he says he doesn't like the heat (okay then, more Disney for me!).

Anyways, this year my brother asked to use the points and since I always get them, I couldn't really say no. This means no planned trip to Disney World for me this year...one sad girl over here.

My hubby is NOT the Disney lover that I am. I'd say that he is more a tolerater of my love and even though he has a good time when we visit, he craves visiting places other than Disney - those places exist? Interesting. I asked him if we could book a trip to WDW for my birthday at the end of August and got his usual response "really? Disney, again? Can't we go else where?" We then started talking about maybe going to Disneyland instead this time.

He has never been to Disneyland or California. I've been the Disneyland twice before, but this was 15+ years ago and I know things have really changed. Hubby says that if we go to Disneyland he also wants to explore some non-Disney things in the area. Since I am not familiar with Disneyland at all (so weird for me since I know Disney World like the back of my hand) I've come to you!

I've taken a look at the hotel prices for on-site at Disneyland and I think they may be a bit out of our price range for an unplanned trip, so we've got to look at offsite locations.

I know there are some hotels that are "offsite" that are actually closer to the parks than some of the onsite hotels. What hotels are there? What are your recommendations for offsite hotels?

I've never gone to Disney World and stayed offsite...will I miss being immersed in the Disney bubble by staying offsite in Disneyland?

What would you suggest as "must do's" in the California area for someone who has not been there?



Thanks in advance everyone!!!

 

[figment_jii]

The "Disney Bubble" isn't as strong at DLR as it as WDW, even if you stay onsite. The resorts itself is surrounded by a regular city and you can hear (and occasionally see) the "real world" from within the parks (e.g., if you ride the monorail, you'll see Harbor Blvd). So in that way, there is less of a Disney Bubble at DLR regardless of where you stay.

Yes, some of the motels along Harbor Blvd are actually closer to the main entrance than PPH or DLH. I usually stay at the Best Western Park Place Inn because it's one of the two closest locations to the parks. The BWPPI is a motel, so there is nothing fancy or exceptional about it. I've also stayed at the new Courtyard Theme Park Entrance, which is a very nice hotel (interior corridors, valet parking (no self parking), fun water park, etc.), the Fairfield Inn, the Ramada (now the Grand Legacy), and the Hilton down by the Convention Center (very nice, but not within what I'd call walking distance).

Some distances:
Center of the Esplanade to BWPPI Lobby: 0.24 miles
Center of the Esplanade to Fairfield Lobby: 0.43 miles
Center of the Esplanade to GCH Lobby (via DTD): 0.27 miles
Center of the Esplanade to PPH Lobby (via GCH): 0.48 miles
Center of the Esplanade to DLH Lobby (via DTD): 0.46 miles

 

[Lothlórien]

You walk right out of Disneyland Hotel into Downtown Disney. "Almost" the same for Paradise Pier. The Grand Californian lands you either in Downtown Disney or California Adventure. You cannot get much closer than that.

 

[Abbey1]

If you've never been to California before, I'd suggest staying a few extra days in a beach town. We really love the Newport Beach area, as well as San Diego (La Jolla in particular). We love visiting Balboa Park. I would definitely go to San Diego Zoo too. Or the Wild Aninal Park.

 

[GrandBob]

http://accommodationsneardisney.com

Recommend you stay in the green area, walking distance. Though if you stay further down Harbor near Convention Way (Sheraton Park, Clarion, Hyatt) you can use the shuttle at the Toy Story parking lot. It's free.

Bob

 

[Bebella]

Stay a few days in San Diego...it's so beautiful! It's my favorite city. We're going in May, spending 2 nights (3 days) at DLR (staying at the Disneyland Hotel) and then 5 nights in San Diego. You could do the San Diego Zoo, La Jolla, Sunset Cliff, Mount Soledad. We like Seaport Village for some shopping and entertainment. Have dinner in Little Italy. If you or your husband haven't been to LA, it's too close not to check out ...Santa Monica is nice, and you could always do the Hollywood thing, see the Chinese Theater. Go to Griffith Observatory, see the Hollywood Sign. There is also Univeral Studios Hollywood if you wanted to do another park. We stay with friends there so I can't really recommend a place to stay.

 

[LizzyS]

I second San Diego! We did a bike tour of La Jolla when we went and it was so gorgeous. The San Diego Zoo is great, too.

We always stay at the Red Lion in Anaheim unless we are staying onsite; a lot of people find that too far of a walk for their liking, but we don't. It's very close to the Toy Story lot, so you can always take the bus back from the parks if you'd like, though I haven't tried it yet.

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

There's a lot to do in that area of course, though I think the one thing that LA lacks is a lot of sightseeing landmarks IMO. There's the Hollywood stuff I guess, but there's really nothing that I would say you really need to "see" from a traditional sightseeing point of view vs. say the Golden Gate Bridge in SF or the Statue of Liberty in NYC. Probably the Getty Museum and the Griffith Observatory are the most famous outside of the Hollywood sign and the Walk of Fame. There is a lot to do down there though, beaches, national parks, nightlife, restaurants, etc. I agree with others that San Diego is a nice place to visit as well.

I think it depends on what kind of stuff you like to do, how long you plan to stay, and also how far you are willing to travel (e.g. would you go to Northern California as well?).

 

[theluckyrabbit]

This thread will give you helpful info for the DLR part of your trip: A DLR Guide for WDW Vets