Help planning our trip PLEASE

[Bugsmom73]

DH has a conference in LA at the end of may. The kids would end up missing a day of school or two at the end of the year but lets face it, what do you really do the last few days anyway. DH is done late Friday afternoon. The kids and I could fly out either Friday or Saturday. Our plan is to stay until Wednesday or Thursday. This would be Friday May 30th. We have been to Disney World Many times and I have never been to Southern California before.

Budget is a concern. Ease of transportation is a must too.

It is DH and I. Your average 30 something's who love their kids too much.

DD7 - Disney lover to the extreme. Her fondest desire is to Live at Disney World. She loves anything Disney. Princesses, High School Musical, etc.

DS4- Loves the classic characters. He is on a special diet. Gluten Free Casein Free. He has Autism, he is very high functioning. He is an escape artist. A hotel with internal corridors is probably a must.

WHat are our best options?

Package, everything separate?

Dining Plan?

Any books you would recommend??

Thanks.

 

[EMAW]

When I priced out our trip for that time, it was way cheaper to book everything seperately but I'm sure it depends on where you are flying from and what your budget is. I've also heard that the dining plan for DL isn't as beneficial as WDW but I could be wrong on that.

The only offsite hotel I can think of that has interior corridors is the HoJos, which has some good rates. Maybe someone knows of more, or there are the three onsite hotels but if budget is a factor then they probably wouldn't be the best option.

The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland is great, but I'm not sure I learned anything from it that I hadn't already read on this board!

Have fun!

 

[tortugaverde]

I am by no means an expert, but I just finished researching and booking our own trip for spring break

I started by pricing packages through disney, getawaytoday and costco. Then I used Kayak.com (a GREAT travel site) to price out things individually. All the while using tripadvisor.com for hotel reviews... I like their review format best for some reason. I also checked hotel prices by calling hotels and online.
I found the BEST prices on kayak.com for hotels and air. I found the BEST package prices on getawaytoday.com. I found the hotel websites to be overpriced in general... and the same when I called the hotel itself, nobody was really willing to negotiate a price with me but we are going during spring break... so perhaps you would have better luck. When calling hotels after they give you "their" rate.. ask for their BEST rate, it will always be lower... then say "is that as low as you can go?".

Hotels I found that were inexpensive that got fairly good reviews on tripadvisor were:
good nite inn, buena park (not walkable, obviously $50.00 per night
super 8, near disney (probably walkable if you have no super little ones) 80.00 per night

We settled on a package with getaway, we like their cancellation policy AND we got two MM, which will be worth it to us going during a really busy time.

Good luck

 

[Brady's Mom]

We have used getawaytoday.com for good prices and because it is easy to use. I think with the info on this board though, I could plan a trip even a little cheaper. We have never used the dining plan and always bring a lot of our own snacks and treats into the park. That way I can control how much sugar and artificial color my kids have.

We have done our trips very budget concious and have been please with the results. Now if I could just keep my DH from buying all those souvenirs.

We have always stayed off site. We always have a car and we always park in the mickey and friends structure. After reading this board, I think next time we go (maybe Dec.) we will stay at Desert Inn and Suites and walk to DLR every day.

 

[DSNY4ever]

I also recommend the Howard Johnson because it is in walking distance of the park (few hotels in walking distance have inside corridors). And if you are on a budget, the Disney hotels are pretty much out of the question. I also suggest booking everything separate to save money. And we never do the dining plan because we eat breakfast in our hotel room, and often bring snack and PB&J into the parks and then we just eat dinner there. And you can also eat at some of the chains just around the park such as Coco's, Denny's Mimi's etc (Downtown Disney is a little more expensive for dining). Almost all nearby hotels have a fridge that you can keep snacks and drinks in to save money. Make sure you shop around on all of the hotel deal sites before you book and also check the hotel's actual website in case it is cheaper to book directly through them.

If you are planning to go elsewhere in So Cal check out the forum for southern california on here there are lots of good tips. The San Diego Zoo is really great and there are lots of good beaches to check out in SD too. I suggest at least 2 days in the DLR before you head off to see the rest of So. Cal.

Maybe fly out, meet your DH and see some of So. Cal and then go to the DLR on the weekdays when it will be less crowded.

Hope this helps, good luck.

 

[DLR29]

I strongly suggest NOT using the dinng plan.

a) It doesn't save you money. Most people who've experienced it break pretty close to even.

b) You don't get change back with the vouchers. So if something costs $4.95 and you pay with a $5 voucher, you lose 5 cents, no big deal. But if something costs $4.95 and you have already run out of $5 vouchers, you either need to pay with cash (which is the exact opposite point of using the dining plan) or pay with a $10 voucher and lose $5.05 (which can add up very quickly)

c) You can't use the vouchers at Downtown Disney restaurants, which is where there are a lot of good dining (counter service and table service) options.

 

[Golfing Goofy]

I strongly suggest NOT using the dinng plan.

a) It doesn't save you money. Most people who've experienced it break pretty close to even.

b) You don't get change back with the vouchers. So if something costs $4.95 and you pay with a $5 voucher, you lose 5 cents, no big deal. But if something costs $4.95 and you have already run out of $5 vouchers, you either need to pay with cash (which is the exact opposite point of using the dining plan) or pay with a $10 voucher and lose $5.05 (which can add up very quickly)

c) You can't use the vouchers at Downtown Disney restaurants, which is where there are a lot of good dining (counter service and table service) options.

I agree with DLR29!! The dining plan is not worth it, INHO. If you prefer not to use a credit card or cash, I suggest purchasing a Disney Gift Card. It is prepaid and most spots take it (although you might need to double check with some of the DTD resteraunts). The Gift Cards come in various amounts and you can purchase them off the DL website, if you do not have a Disney Store nearby.

As for special diet needs, look at the menus available on-line. There is a dining number you can call (I've seen it listed on the boards recently). They should be able to answer your questions regarding that.


Hope that helps. Have fun planning!

 

[minniebeth]

We are WDW veterans and I could plan any trip, on any budget there to a "T". My DH now travels out to the west coast and we just did our first real family vacation in DLR this past October. (We were there one other time when our older two were very little and it was a two day business trip.)
It was a blast. We so loved it! I have to say a lot was in part that I researched everything well beforehand so that I could be prepared and know what to expect. It is a very different experience than WDW. It is very hard to compare the two directly. DLR has so much of its own charm to it.

To Plan: Budget is a relative term...you would need to research what is in your price range, and then research the hotels within that category. Also, there are trade-offs to price, such as ammenities, location, etc.
I would definately look at pricing things out separate rather than a package. We went with a package, and I only saved about $150 when it was all said and done, which is a nice amount, but I hoped on several occasions I had the flexibility I wanted and didn't have.
We ended up staying at the Disneyland Hotel and yes, it is expensive! But we were going for the total Disney experience and we were so happy we did! It was awesome!
For more in the moderate (for Calif! sheesh! everything is so $$$$!!!)
my DH loves the Marriott Courtyard Anaheim Disneyland Resort. We priced it out for the 2nd week in June and it is $169 a night. It is 2 blocks from DLR within a good walking distance to the parks and has a nice pool. It has bunk bed rooms for the kids.

The food at the parks is not like WDW. There are fewer choices and sorry, DLR, just not as good. There are some good finds if you research what your tastes are. Sharing meals is definately the way to go, bringing your own snacks and waters, etc. (Micky Bars are $4.00!) Many restaurants are accomodating with food allergies/restrictions/special diets. My one DD has a severe peanut/tree nut allergy and we were accomodated very nicely.
Downtown Disney restaurants were very expensive and we had long lines and waits but the food was good and they were good with food restrictions as well. There are a lot of good off-site places...MiMi's is our favorite. We wento to a store beforehand and stocked up on drinks, snacks and breakfast items.

This is an awesome place to ask questions and get info., also allearsnet.com is a great website. I researched from the books: Passporter Disneyland Resort and SoCal Attractions, The Unofficial Guide Disneyland 2007 and Disneyland and SoCal with Kids (Fodor's ). You can get these books from a library or read for an afternoon at Barnes and Noble or the like (I did both).
There is so much to see and do in SoCal, but if you are true Disney fans, there IS enough to do there for 4-5 days with younger kids and tickets get cheaper with the more days you add on.

If you have any specific questions, or need ideas, just ask, you will get a lot of info here!

 

[nun69]

I booked my trip last year all seperately and this year I decided to go with AAA...don't know if there was a real big difference {even though I think I saved by booking seperately...we drive, not fly}...but it totally depends on what your budget is and the dining plan is NOTHING like the one at WDW...it is not worth it {you get vouchers and don't get anything back change wise if you don't use the full amount of the voucher}...see what you could find by booking a package through AAA/Costco/Getawaytoday.com/Disney Travel and then take and compare if you price the same things seprately will you do better? I went with the AAA becuase I did not want to do all the research and wanted some of the added perks you get with booking a package through them {$11.25 parking a day for the DLH for 5 days can add up and parking is free if you book through AAA}...so those are just my thoughts...