HELP! Planning trip to DL in June & OVERWHELMED!!

[kellidsmith]

Where do we begin! There seems to be so much info and questions!
Here's our scoop:
*Family of four (DS- 8, DD- 6), both parents are school teachers in Texas- any discount?!!?
*We have free airline tickets and have decided to go for 7 days in June. From there, we are stuck!

Who do we book rooms/tickets with- Disney?
Stay onsite or not?
Order meal plans?
Order package deal for room/tickets?
Get rental car?
Knottsberry Farm?
ANY Info would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[Marilynbn]

First off take a deep breath! We are all here for you! The first thing is to decide how much you can afford on hotel room. There really is a wonderful advantage to staying at the Disney hotels. These are my picks in order...Grand Californian, Disney Hotel, Paradise Pier. Book your rooms ASAP to get the best deal and availability. Call hotels directly and ask for specific discounts like, AAA etc. If you call directly you do not have to pay for the room until you get there you just give them a credit card number as a guarantee if you don't show up. Standard cancelllation policy is 72 hours prior to arrival. The Grand CA has some rooms with bunk beds and a queen which might be fun for your kids. This is hands down "THE" hotel to stay in if you can afford it. Just go for the standard view...that is the cheapest.

Once you have that figured out you have lots of time to research. The tickets can be purchased at any time. I think it is best to do these seperately unless you like the little extras they give you with the package like the lanyard or ESPN zone ticket.

I don't believe that there is really any advantage to getting the meal plan, at least not $$ wise.

You do not need a rental car unless you are planning on leaving Disney. Knotts Berry Farm is ok but I would go there first as a build up to Disney....Other parks just do not compare especially in terms of management. There are alot of thrill rides there if you like that.

Get a couple of books. THE BEST is the Disneyland Passporter, lots of info and fun to read! Don't worry these boards will be a tremendous aid in your planning.Think of it as part of the adventure! Marilyn

 

[abby]

To decide where to stay think about what matters to you? short walk? Nice pool? room service or McDonald's? Do you want to be able to go back to the room mid day and hang out? Swim? Or are you going to spend all your time at the parks? (I would suggest a mid day break every day)

Start looking at the different hotel/motel options. The first big question is on site or off. More money on site, but some advantages as well.
Once you decide on or off site, then narrow down your choices. I find once I think about what I want in a place to stay the rest of the decisions are easier. Read the hotel reviews on Trip advisor or expedia, lots of people who write have complaints, but it gives you a feel for the place. Once you have narrowed down your choices, ask here, you will get lots of advice.

We never rent a car, but we don't do anything but Disney. My dd is 7.

 

[mariezp]

Howdy from a fellow Texan! Which part of Texas are you from? We are in Decatur. Anyway, back to topic.....

If your idea of luxury, comfort and staying in a Disney property is what's important to you in lodging, by all means stay on site. Personally, in our past 7 trips we have never stayed on site and have been perfectly happy. We stay for a total of 10 days so cost is definetly a factor in planning our trip. In our case, we would rather stay off site and spend the money saved on souvineers and dining. So you just have to decide what rates highest in your priority requirements for hotels and go from there. Book as early as possible for best deals and to be sure to get the dates you want. You can always cancel if you change plans but you may not be able to book later if your dates fill up.

On our first few trips we took side trips to check out some of the other attractions. (Knott's, Legoland and San Diego Wild Animal Park) We finally decided we were good just to stay at Disneyland the entire time. No bother with rental cars or traffic. (I suppose they were okay once or twice but none of them really offered anything that compares to Disneyland.)

After you get the big stuff settled don't forget to call 60 days out and make priority seating arrangements. This is a big time saver, especially if the day is busy. Also, purchasing tickets in advance saves some time so you won't have to stand in line.

Just keep researching and asking questions. It will all come together and you will have a great time!

 

[Hound 109]

To decide where to stay think about what matters to you? short walk? Nice pool? room service or McDonald's? Do you want to be able to go back to the room mid day and hang out? Swim? Or are you going to spend all your time at the parks? (I would suggest a mid day break every day)

Start looking at the different hotel/motel options. The first big question is on site or off. More money on site, but some advantages as well.
Once you decide on or off site, then narrow down your choices. I find once I think about what I want in a place to stay the rest of the decisions are easier. Read the hotel reviews on Trip advisor or expedia, lots of people who write have complaints, but it gives you a feel for the place. Once you have narrowed down your choices, ask here, you will get lots of advice.

We never rent a car, but we don't do anything but Disney. My dd is 7.

Another Texan here.

Answer the above questions & the following questions:

When in June you'll be traveling?

Have you ever been to LA (or San Diego) before?

Anything that you would like to see or do (the beach? the zoo?)

I wouldn't decide anything until you read several pages of posts here, & HydroGuy's & the other Tip Threads at the top. After a week of reading, it will be ALOT clearer for you. But answer all the questions that have been posted & we'll help.

& as far as lodging expense.....round numbers would be:

GCH - $300 per night.
DH - $250
PP - $200

nice motel across the street - $80 - $100

All get you a DLR experience, but let us know where your budget is.

Have fun planning a trip to Walt's park.

 

[PrincessKell]

HI there. we are leaving in a few days.

We are staying offsite, which is fine with us this time. We arent staying a long time so our hotel isng going to matter for us because it will be for sleeping and relaxing at our mid day breaks. However, we are right across the street. Since we have a five year old a short walk is best for us.

We did get the meal plan (five day one) not because it will save us money, but it makes it so we dont have to worry about spending "extra" money out of the bank. its already paid for. so no worries. Plus it includes character meals, which for our daughter is a must. haha It does save us a little money, but not a great deal but the factor that its easy for us and we dont need the extra cash for food is the selling factor for us.

We booked our trip with Disney itself, which was fine for us. They were great to deal with.

 

[funnygarcia]

There might be discounts on tickets thru your teacher union.

From Mousesavers

Teacher Discounts
Members of the California Teachers Association sometimes qualify for a great price on Disneyland tickets. To check on what's available right now, either visit the benefits web site or call TSA/First Financial Credit Union at (800) 537-8491. Thanks to Diane E for the info!

MouseSavers.com reader Barbara W reports, "First Financial Credit Union may extend this discount to members of other Teachers Associations through their toll-free phone line. (The rep I spoke to had no problem with my parents' membership in a Canadian Association.) These tickets must be shipped to a residential address in the US only."

Another reader reports that they would not allow a teacher from outside California to order. So "your mileage may vary."

 

[kellidsmith]

wow- thanks for the info! We are definitely on a budget and will be trying to save money- as much as I want to stay at GC, I think it's wise for us to stay off-site. (somewhere very close, as DD will be cranky with lots of walking!) Which hotels across street have good pools? I do like the idea of meal plans to save from impulse buys on food. What are best hotels that are closest to Disney and have a good pool?!?!!?

 

[PrincessKell]

if you have a tight budget here is a thread (if you haven't seen it already) to help save money.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1637510

 

[DLR29]

wow- thanks for the info! We are definitely on a budget and will be trying to save money- as much as I want to stay at GC, I think it's wise for us to stay off-site. (somewhere very close, as DD will be cranky with lots of walking!) Which hotels across street have good pools? I do like the idea of meal plans to save from impulse buys on food. What are best hotels that are closest to Disney and have a good pool?!?!!?

Actually if pools are a major aspect, I'd recommend onsite. All have nice pools that many of the offsites don't. I do believe that HOJO's (Howard Johnson's-a favorite on this site) has a decent pool and is only 5-10 minutes walk from the DL gates.

I also strongly urge you to not buy the dining plan. It is not very flexible and only saves convenience, not $ (which is not good for travelling on a budget). Basically it works that each person gets a certain # of vouchers for different dollar increments (20, 10, 5, 1). The problem comes in when that little thing called tax shows up.

Say you want to buy something that costs $9.95. You pay with a $10 voucher, but with the dining plan you don't get change. This might not be so bad ($.05), but when you have things cost $4.10, you have no choice other than to pay with cash or lose that $.90 (which can add up quickly)

 

[abby]

wow- thanks for the info! We are definitely on a budget and will be trying to save money- as much as I want to stay at GC, I think it's wise for us to stay off-site. (somewhere very close, as DD will be cranky with lots of walking!) Which hotels across street have good pools? I do like the idea of meal plans to save from impulse buys on food. What are best hotels that are closest to Disney and have a good pool?!?!!?

Off site HOJO's has the best pool. As for the walk, we stayed when dd was 6 and it was fine, I will say, however, she wanted (and we did) rent a stroller at DL (with my disney visa it was free) and we haven't owned one in years.

 

[farmfresh]

Try and go as early in June as you can. The later you are there, the more crowded it will be. Also you may strike slightly lower hotel rates.

We have stayed both on and offsite, and I do prefer onsite. But staying onsite is not a budget option. Perhaps you might want to think of splitting your trip? Three or four days in the parks will give you good coverage. Knotts is fun but not as polished as Disney, although the thrill rides are fun.

We have never opted for meal plans. Some offsite hotels will provde breakfast, and you can take food into the parks if you wish, both of which save you money.

As for rental cars etc - one thing to consider is which airport you are coming into. If its LAX, then a rental makes good sense, because of the transfoer costs, and you can head off to otherplaces with ease!

 

[HydroGuy]

Try and go as early in June as you can. The later you are there, the more crowded it will be.

I agree and disagree. I agree it will be less crowded in early June, but I disagree the OP should go during that time. Crowds are only part of the consideration. Early June has reduced park hours, grad nights, and reduced entertainment on weekdays. I would encourage the OP to go in mid-to-late June when entertainment offerings increase. It is worth it even though crowds will be a but more.

FWIW, here is some more info that may help improve your trip:

"Getting The Most Out of a Summer Visit To DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319

 

[scanmom]

is a great place to stay, with large rooms that have balconies. I like to sit out there at night when the kids are sleeping. And it is an easy walk to the parks. But no free breakfast. Most of the free breakfasts in the area hotels are pretty limited anyway. Be sure to try to get the Entertainment rate at HoJo's. Sometimes it is as low as $59.00/night!!! You can buy an entertainment book for ANY area, even your hometown, and still get the hotel discount using the card that comes with the book. If you decide on HoJo's, book a room even if the entertainment rate isn't available, and keep checking back to have the rate adjusted if the Ent. rate does become available. And DO NOT MISS FANTASMIC! It is an amazing show. So is Alladin at California Adventure. Have fun!!