Have to cancel HH, how about Disneyland?

[KAMLEM]

We had booked a week at HH in July but we may now have to cancel because there is a good chance that my daughter's futsal team will be going to California. They play at the Anaheim Convention Center which I hear is very close to Disneyland. I don't know where the team will stay but if we travel all the way out there you better be sure that we will stay for an 7-10 days and make a vacation out of it! Will we be able to get a room at a Disneyland resort with about 4 months notice? I haven't looked at the point charts yet so maybe it won't even be worth it. Any recommendations on which Disneyland resort is best?

 

[JohnnyII]

Summer can be very busy out there. I stayed last August for 5 nights on points at the Disneyland hotel. My kids love it, but it is just a nice hotel room, no kithchen or washer and dryer! I suspect you can get a reservation, but I wouldn't wait too long.

After you look at the point chart, I'm sure you will see it is not the best use of points, but it isn't horrible. I have not stayed there but the Grand Californian looks awesome, somewhat similar to the Wilderness Lodge at WDW. The neat thing is that the hotel has an entrance directly into California Grand Adventure park!

Good Luck!

 

[JeffPort]

You can actually walk to the Anaheim convention center from the Disney Hotels. The Paradise Pier Hotel is the closest to the convention center, but the walk will be 5-15 minutes from any of the hotels.

Disneyland occupies much, much less space than Disney World. The incredible use of this tight space gives Walt's park much of its unique charm. It is absolutely amazing how, once you are in that park, you lose all connection to the outside world -- which is only a few yards away. Despite its smaller area, Disneyland has nearly double the number of attractions in comparison to the Magic Kingdom park. In addition, most people agree that the marquee attractions like Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Small World, Fantasmic, and Space Mountain, are superior at the California park. In any case, they are different. (Side note, Space Mountain is currently undergoing a multi-year refurbishment as the the old track was deemed unsafe and is getting replaced.)

If you stay mid-week, your DVC points are a reasonable exchange for the Disneyland hotels. The Grand Californian borrows a lot of its atmosphere from the Wilderness Lodge. That hotel is truly special. You should try to stay there. The topper is the unique private entrance from the hotel right into the new California Adventure park.

Here is a nice link to the Disneyland Resort area. You'll see from the picture the relative location of the Disneyland Hotels in comparison to the Anaheim Convention Center.

http://www.beachcalifornia.com/dlmp.html

 

[DVCTiff]

I'm slightly biased since I grew up in California and my best friend works at California Adventure but .... the Grand Californian is beautiful. I think it's a lot nicer than Wilderness Lodge and I've been to both. Disneyland itself has been looking a little tired but it's still the classic original. I love California Adventure, very fun and original. Soaring Over California is a great ride. You really can't go wrong there. Have a great trip!

 

[wdw4life]

You can also walk to the Convention Center from the parking lot. Just get on the tram for the Pumba & Timon parking , get off at the second stop and take the walkway to the Convention center right across the street. Might be a little easier for you.

I've stayed at the Grand Californian and really enjoyed it. Great atmosphere! They have an entrance to Downtown Disney that's very convenient. Be aware our DD is nothing like WDW DD. It's much smaller and a poor imitation IMO. There are mostly specialty stores such as perfume, candles, make-up. Things like that. The only store I can think of off the top of my head that is specifically Disney related is the World of Disney. I'm very disappointed by by the way they did this.

I also prefer Disneyland to MK. Everytime I go to MK I compare them and think "This ride is better at Disneyland!" I admit I'm biased as I live about 30 minutes away ang grew up going there.

Enjoy your stay!

 

[sparkysfriends]

If you are definitely going to stay on points at one of the Disney hotels, then it is the Grand Californian all the way. It is spectacular. That said, I don't think it is a particularly good use of your points. While the hotel is magnificant, the room, while very nicely decorated, is just a hotel room. We went last summer and 3 summers ago. We stayed at The Candy Cane Inn right next door to the resort. It is walking distance to the park, also has a shuttle, has a continental breakfast buffet (plenty of food), and is very nice and reasonably priced. We did a Character dinner at Chef Mickey's at the Disneyland hotel, which was fun and the prix fixe meal at The Grand Californian (outstanding!). We got to enjoy
the ambience of the resort hotels this way and stayed at a very nice, extremely convenient, well priced place. I highly recommend all of the above.

Have fun!

 

[sparkysfriends]

I just realized I said Chef Mickey's. That's in Disneyworld. I believe in Disneyland it's called Goofy's Kitchen. It is definitely hosted by Goofy and has tons of Characters.

 

[KAMLEM]

Thanks for all the replies, everyone. I actually did a little more research last night on my own, too. The futsal club that my daughter belongs to tends to leave everything to the last minute and I'm afraid that if they do that we may not get to stay where we want so I think that I will just book the Grand Californian on cash and that way if we have to cancel we're not losing any points. We would stay with the team for the tournament dates because my daughter would be devastated if we didn't but then we'd like to stay an extra week right in Disney. Is there enough in the area to keep us busy for a week? I don't want to be busy every second, a little relaxation would be good, too. Out of curiousity, does anyone know if you can stay in a suite on points at the Grand Californian? It's not listed on the chart but I know that they have suites there.

 

[lceggers]

Hi KAMLEM,

There is plenty to do in southern California:
Knott's Berry Farm (10 -15 minutes away)
Knott's Soak City (Across from KBF)
Movie Land Wax Musemum (10 - 15 minutes away)
Six Flags Magic Mountain (1 hour away)
Wild Rivers (20 minutes away)
Universal Studios (30 - 40 minutes away)
Wild Bill's Dinner Show (10 - 15 Minutes)
Newport/Huntington Beach (30 minutes away)
Several Major shopping malls, including South Coast Plaza
within 15 minutes
Lego Land (30 - 40 minutes away) great for little ones

Leslie

 

[mlshields]

Hi- After 25+ visits to WDW my family and I finally visited DL in April of 2003. I fell in love!!!! I think DL is soooooooo much better than MK! You will definitely see the difference in the rides and Space Mountain was closed then and we were told it would be closed to at least the end of 2004 - but the rest of the rides are so wonderful you won't miss it.

Make Ressies at Blue Bayou! We went for lunch and it was wonderful - if you are not familiar the entrance is in New Orleans sq

 

[mlshields]

Hi- After 25+ visits to WDW my family and I finally visited DL in April of 2003. I fell in love!!!! I think DL is soooooooo much better than MK! You will definitely see the difference in the rides and Space Mountain was closed then and we were told it would be closed to at least the end of 2004 - but the rest of the rides are so wonderful you won't miss it.

Make Ressies at Blue Bayou! We went for lunch and it was wonderful - if you are not familiar the entrance is in New Orleans sq

 

[mlshields]

Hi- After 25+ visits to WDW my family and I finally visited DL in April of 2003. I fell in love!!!! I think DL is soooooooo much better than MK! You will definitely see the difference in the rides and Space Mountain was closed then and we were told it would be closed to at least the end of 2004 - but the rest of the rides are so wonderful you won't miss it.

Make Ressies at Blue Bayou! We went for lunch and it was wonderful - if you are not familiar the entrance is in New Orleans square and the inside of the restaurant is the inside of the Pirates of the Carribean ride! It is fantastic to see the riders going by while you are enjoying a delicious meal!

Have a great time.

 

[KAMLEM]

mlshields-

Ok, I heard you - you don't have to keep repeating yourself (just kidding).

Thanks, everyone. Youngest DD was just asked to play in the regional tournament so chances are at least one of them will make a team that will go to the Nationals in California. At first I was disappointed about cancelling HH but now I'm actually looking forward to it. You are all so helpful!

 

[Werner Weiss]

First, congratulations on your daughters' futsal successes. I must admit that I had to look up futsal on the Web to get an idea of what it is.

We're regular visitors to Southern California. There's so much else to see and do, in addition to Disneyland. And the summer climate is much, much better than that of Orlando. The chance of rain is near zero. It's warm and dry.

At the coast, in places like Newport Beach, people live in million dollar homes without air conditioning — because they don't need it. It's fun to walk around Balboa Island and to visit the art festivals and galleries in Laguna Beach.

Your daughters are the perfect age for Legoland, which is an hour or so south of Disneyland (toward San Diego).

You may want to consider extending your trip with a hotel stay in coastal Orange County or San Diego County. You'll spend less money for a good hotel than at the Disneyland Resort, and you'll be closer to many worthwhile attractions.