help a DL newbie

[princess lovers mom]

we have been to WDW 6 times with our girls and feel very comfortable there - feel like pros with rides, FP,s; rope drop; dining; transportation etc...

we are considering a trip to California 12/26-1/2 - DH wants to see the Rose Bowl parade and I thought it would be fun to do the ther Disney: while we are right there....NEED HELP...feel really lost

at WDW we usually stay in a deluxe hotel on the monorail and do the dining plan...what resort would you suggest at DL that would be similiar

how many days should we alot to the parks - it could be up to 6 - do we need that many?

 

[Gothemi]

Alot of people like the Grand Californian since you can walk right into California Adventure. The hotel is like an upscale Wilderness Lodge, however I feel it lacks the Disney touches that the Disneyland Hotel offers. I prefer to stay at the Disneyland Hotel in the Dreams Tower. Just a short walk away is the Downtown Disney Monorail station, which will take you straight into Tomorrowland. However, if the Monorail is down (which happens more here than WDW) it's a bit of a walk through Downtown Disney to reach the main gates. Staying at the Disney Hotel allows you to use the Grand Californian Hotel gate for California Adventure (guests staying at other hotels cannot use this gate during early mornings sometimes).

The Disneyland Hotel is undergoing a huge renovation, but the Dreams tower might be ready by then. In its current state the Disneyland Hotel is not as "deluxe" as the GCH.

I usually plan on 2 days in Disneyland and 1 is Cal. Adv.

 

[princess lovers mom]

thanks !

 

[HydroGuy]

we have been to WDW 6 times with our girls and feel very comfortable there - feel like pros with rides, FP,s; rope drop; dining; transportation etc...

we are considering a trip to California 12/26-1/2 - DH wants to see the Rose Bowl parade and I thought it would be fun to do the ther Disney: while we are right there....NEED HELP...feel really lost

at WDW we usually stay in a deluxe hotel on the monorail and do the dining plan...what resort would you suggest at DL that would be similiar

how many days should we alot to the parks - it could be up to 6 - do we need that many?

Three days is considered the minimum to get in a solid visit and is roughly comparable to doing 6-7 days at WDW. Four days at DLR is considered better.

Over the course of 3-4 days you will probably spend 20-35% of your time at DCA - all by parkhopping. At DLR it is best to spend parts of each day at each park. We do not parkhop at WDW. At DLR we do every day.

You will soon learn that DL is a theme park at DLR - the Disneyland Resort. See "Disneyland Resort Lingo for Newbies" - www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2214012

The following link is from some dude named HydroGuy and last time I checked it had been read over 25,000 times - so it gets a lot of mileage around here: "A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

 

[IBLarsen]

I second the 4 days! This gives us time to really enjoy everything about the parks. We will take time to sit and listen to the band on Mainstreet. We go through the shops. We will stand in line to see characters....the 4 days gives us time to do it all. I could easily do more days just because we love it so much, but we can do and see everything in 4 days and not feel rushed.

 

[goldies 5]

Stay as many as you can. You are going at a very busy time.