*Going to DL for first time in Oct...help me plan!!!*

[aliciahageman]

Myself, DH and 14 month old son will be going to DL in October. We are going with another group of about 10 as well. We would like to stay at a good neighbor hotel, but want to be within walking distance of the park. We will be staying for 6 nights, 3 days at DL, then hoping to go to SD zoo, US, etc.

Where do i start?

Where should we stay? (We are on a budget)

Is it cheaper to get tickets with the hotel, or buy them separately?

Bascially, I HAVE NO IDEA what I'm doing. Any and ALL help will be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

~Al

 

[avalon451]

Hi, Al, welcome to the DIS boards! Lots of friendly and helpful people here and lots of good information to help you plan.

First thing you might want to do is go up to the top of the forum page and look at the sticky threads, which contain lots of good information. Particularly useful is Hydroguy's Tips compilation: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483

Here's a map with all the hotels close by, with links to them:http://www.geocities.com/ashpsyche/DisneylandLinkMap.html
Howard Johnson's and Candy Cane Inn are very popular with DISers, as are several of the ones directly across the street (more popular with the "I just need a place to sleep and shower" crowd, rather than the ones who like nicer rooms and bigger pools).

Staying at a good neighbor hotel is a good way to go, since many of them are just as close or even closer than the 3 DL hotels. The one big advantage to the DL hotels (besides being close and being "immersed" in the Disney experience) is that you get to take advantage of Magic Mornings (one hour early entry to DL park) every day it's offered, which is Sun, Tue, Thurs, Sat. If you stay offsite and purchase 3-day or more parkhoppers separately, you get one MM. The one exception to this is purchasing tickets through GetAwayToday (another very popular website on these boards) which offer the parkhoppers at the same price as DL or the hotels, but you get 2 MMs. If you do this, purchase them online and use the discount code "podcast" which will waive the $10 processing fee.

Meanwhile, page back through a few pages of this forum and read... you'll find lots of tips and links. Then come back and ask away! We love to help!

Have fun planning, planning is half the fun!

 

[Cali_Sparrow]

Just to let you know, the San Diego Zoo is not as close to Anaheim as you might think, especially with traffic! But it's an excellent world-class zoo that I highly recommend. If you do go to San Diego Zoo, I would recommend that if you can go there the first day and then stay in the Escondido area and go to the sister park San Diego Wild Animal Park the next day. It is an AMAZING experience, kind of like a zoo, a safari, and a game preserve all in one. You can take a tram tour safari, watch cheetahs run, feed lorikeets, take a balloon ride, etc. It's my favorite place to see animals and I actually prefer and recommend it over the San Diego Zoo, which is just a zoo (although very large and famous). The San Diego Wild Animal Park is the same cost as the San Diego Zoo. (Adults $34).

Or to save gasoline money, you can visit the Los Angeles Zoo in Griffith Park, and then drive around and see the Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Sign. Los Angeles Zoo is much cheaper (Adults $12 and your 14 month old would be Free), almost as large at San Diego Zoo, with much less of a hilly landscape. They just added a new gorilla exhibit that is wonderful.
I also highly recommend the Los Angeles Zoo.

Universal Studios might be tough with such a young child, there's really not much at all to do for them, but it's loads of fun for adults. If you go, it's only a one day park, usually I can get it done in a half of a day.

I can answer any more questions you might have concerning California zoos and aquariums. C:

Hope we can help you plan a memorable trip that doesn't break your bank account!

 

[honeymom]

We used to live in LA and loved the LA Zoo and could never understand why it wasn't as publicized as the San Diego Zoo. I think it is because the LA Zoo is a publicly held zoo and SD Zoo is privately owned. But, it is almost as large as the SD Zoo and many ways more intimate.

 

[tofubeast]

I agree, if heading down to San Diego, with traffic and all, I would just spend a night down there too. There is lots to see and it is a pretty city. You could also hit up Sea World.

Another neat attraction is the Aquarium of the Pacific. That is in Long Beach.

 

[wazowskiLOVER:)]

In terms of a good neighbor hotel, when I'm budgeting we stay at the Desert
Inn & Suites. Its not amazing, but its fairly clean, right across from the park,
and is generally good priced. I hope you have an awesome time !