Help planning trip to Disneyland

[JENR]

I have been to DisneyWorld like 50 times and I am a in the early stages of planning a family trip to Disneyland and I do not know a thing about it. I have some questions.

We are thinking Sept of Oct which would be better?
What airport do we fly into?
Would we need to rent a car?
I have DVC does anyone know if that time of year would be hard to get 4 studios?

Sorry, I am clueless lol.

Thank you.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Late Sept is when they start rolling out Halloween decor, so fun time to be in the parks! Gay days is busy the first wknd of Oct and various fall breaks in Oct can lead to unexpectedly high crowds anytime that month. I'd consider late Sept for Halloween but before fall breaks start, though I don't know about events during this time. Early September can have large amounts of post-summer refurbs but low crowds.

Airports in the area are LAX and SNA. SNA is closest and less busy but LAX can be cheaper.

A car is not necessary at DL at all IF you're staying on site and just doing DL & DCA. If you want to do anything else (beach, Universal, etc) you might want to consider a car rental. There is also a car rental agency in downtown Disney if you want a day rental consider that. Various companies run shuttles to the DL resort area from the airports (including for a fee Magical Express bus LAX to DL resort hotels).

Idk anything about DVC but I seem to remember reading something about it being hard to get DVC rooms at GCH from reading these boards... I'm sure someone else here has more info!

 

[HydroGuy]

I have been to DisneyWorld like 50 times and I am a in the early stages of planning a family trip to Disneyland and I do not know a thing about it. I have some questions.

We are thinking Sept of Oct which would be better?

Better for what? Weather? Crowds? Ride refurbs? Entertainment offerings?

Also, there is a big difference betweem Sept pre-Labor Day, post Labor Day thru mid-Sept, and late Sept.

What airport do we fly into?

If possible, I always try to fly into SNA. So much more comfortable than LAX for sure.

"Airport Proximity to DLR and Ground Transportation Information" by 3TinksAndAnEeyore www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2318297

Would we need to rent a car?

To visit DLR, no car is needed. I always advise folks to stay close enough to walk. DVC would certainly qualify as that.

I have DVC does anyone know if that time of year would be hard to get 4 studios?

Sorry, don't know much about DVC.

Sorry, I am clueless lol.

You have come to the absolute best place for info on DLR. This forum is not the strongest on DLR but it does cater especially to WDW vets and overseas Disney resort vets.

This thread will help you figure out which questions you should be asking. Some of the questions are similar to WDW. Some are not.

See "A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

 

[sechelt]

I have DVC does anyone know if that time of year would be hard to get 4 studios?

Thank you.

VGC is tough to get into at 7 months but it can be done, however, getting 4 studios will be a challenge. I think there are only 23 studios in the entire DVC section and they can also be used for lock-offs, possibly reducing the number of available studios. Have you considered sharing a larger unit? The dedicated 2 bedrooms are usually much easier to get at 7 months and they sleep 9 people aged 3 and older.

DVC points are lowest between Sept 6 and Oct 1 next year. That might help with your planning. Also, Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain will be closed in early September for their Hallowe'en makeovers.

 

[palenskec]

You might also want to consider flying Jet Blue to Long Beach. Small airport, cheap airline, and shuttles are very reasonable to DL from there.

Good luck!

 

[Sherry E]

Halloween Time -- the season -- starts in mid-September (lately it has been starting on the early side of mid-September), but Mickey's Halloween Party (MHP -- the hard ticket equivalent of MNSSHP at WDW) begins in late September. This year, Halloween Time began on 9/12, and MHP began on 9/26.

Next year, something tells me that Halloween Time may not begin on 9/11 -- because 9/11 is just a horrible day to begin a fun season -- but it will begin very close to that date, if not on that date. The MHP could begin on 9/25 or 10/2.


So, if you want to enjoy Halloween Time but don't want to do the actual MHP, I would suggest mid-September. If you don't want to experience Halloween Time at all, go before mid-September.

If you want to experience Halloween Time and MHP, but also want to avoid some of the big "crowd-attracting dates" (Gay Days, CHOC Walk, UEA, Columbus Day, etc.), go after mid-October but before Halloween week.