I'd appreciate some help planning my daughter's first trip.

[Threehearts]

My daughter is in early 20's as is her boyfriend. Because my child has been ill off and on for her entire life, it's important for me to try and meet her request to help plan her first trip to Disneyland from the 16th through the 21st of February 2015. We live on the east coast so all of our family trips were to DisneyWorld and I am totally uninformed about Disneyland.

The details are this-
1)They are in college and on a budget. My daughter thought they could take a bus from Salt Lake City but I see that it is much too long a trip. I will look at tickets from Salt Lake City to LAX. It looks like there is a SuperShuttle van down to Disneyland. Is that the best way for them to get there?

2)They would like to stay within walking distance of the park(s) as they won't have a car. Can you please recommend a hotel that would work for this. I will help them with this expense so they can probably swing between 100-120 dollars/night. Are there even hotels that are in this price range and are safe and pleasant?

3)Tickets- I assume that they will get there and purchase their 4 day tickets at the park. I thought that I had read that there is a front of the line option. That could be helpful if my daughter isn't feeling well. Would you recommend this? I assume the tickets will be a huge expense as they are in WDW.

4)Meals- Is there a meal plan similar to DisneyWorld's? What would you recommend?

5)Besides Disneyland, are there any other close-by attractions that they shouldn't miss and that they wouldn't need a car to get to?

Thanks so much for your help. The trip will be a bright spot in my child's very difficult life. I am a great researcher but with the trip coming so close, I thought I'd reach out to the experts here while I continue looking through the boards.

Many thanks,

Threehearts

 

[Geemo]

This link will let you know the activities going on at DLR and Convention Center.
http://www.disboards.com/threads/2015-calendar-of-events-school-breaks-and-dlr.3358090/

As you can see here are several things happening. Finding a room near the parks and at a lower rate $$ might be a challenge. With Valentine's the weekend before and Presidents the next weekend, if you find something book it. Looking online will most likely show NO open rooms, so I'd call and ask.

Are there airlines that go SaltLake to SNA or LGB. Both are closer and easier than LAX. I agree with you taking the bus is way to long.
Tickets can be purchased right in the Esplanade between the two parks. The parks have Fast Passes (FP) but not front of the line as some places have.

Geemo

 

[Threehearts]

Thank you very much, Geemo. I will look into some of your great suggestions.

Threehearts

 

[gottalovepluto]

3) There is no front of the line option for DL. As for buying at the gate maybe they should look at buying online. I have seen buy 3 days get one day free DL tickets advertised on Orbitz and way.com also has discounted tickets I think.

You seem to be saying your daughter has health issues. If this is so I encourage you to look at the DL website for info for Guests with Disabilities. If she tires easily she might be eligible for a Disabled Access Service card or should consider a wheelchair rental. The DAS is not a front of the line pass, it just allows those who need to to wait elsewhere (like somewhere they can sit) until it is their turn to ride to do so. The same system is in place at WDW. For more info on this, or suggestions regarding issues she may have at DL health & endurance wise, I highly recommend heading to the disABILITIES board here on the DIS.

4) there are no meal plans at DL. This is for the best. They will just have to be more proactive about their food budget. Sometimes we eat in the parks, sometimes in downtown Disney, sometimes we share counter service meals because they can be huge (Plaza Inn fried chicken for instance).

5) the only major attraction by DL & DCA is Downtown Disney. It is in between the two parks at their entrances (which aren't 2 min apart- highly recommend park hoppers right now btw especially with all the refurbs going on). The Downtown Disney area is fun to window shop through & stroll at night. There are street performers sometimes & Earl of Sandwich provides good size sandwiches at only slightly wince inducing prices food wise.

 

[ADLFAN]

That's so exciting! I have always flown into John Wayne/Santa Ana (SNA) airport, which is about 25-30 minutes from Disneyland, and used Super Shuttle to get to the hotel. I booked our room in the Best Western Park Place Inn way back in October, and it was around 110.00 per night. But when I checked prices again in January, they'd gone up to 139.00 per night. You might find a more affordable hotel further away but on the ART (Anaheim Resort Transit) bus line, which exists to shuttle tourists around to shopping, Knot's Berry Farms, and Medieval Times. I am not familiar with the outlaying hotels, but I'm sure others are. We just bought a pair of 4 day Park Hoppers for 578.00. If you have them stop by the desk of any "Good Neighbor" hotel across the street to buy tickets, it will save a lot of time in line at the beginning of the day. We waited forever because it seemed like no one had considered what they wanted till they got there, or were buying a season pass. There's no Front of the Line ticket option, but most of the rides that usually have long lines use Fastpass, with a paper ticket you receive that tells you when to return to use the much shorter line. No complicated Magic Bands here... Yet! No dining plan either, and the food is a bit costly. But the portions are all so big, and the sun is so warm, that you can easily share meals and enjoy snacks in between. That's what I told my husband we're doing this time, because I threw away too much last trip! Probably 4.00 worth of chimichanga!! I'd recommend staying in that sweet Disney bubble for a short trip. We went to Knot's one day and it was a totally different crowd. Not bad, just less family based and more teenagers on their own. We're going to try Medieval Times this trip, so we'll see how it goes. Have fun planning!

 

[Canuck16]

I agree with the OP try getting a flight into SNA instead of LAX. You will save them a lot of time and stress of not having to get to DL from there......

 

[Aladora]

My daughter is in early 20's as is her boyfriend. Because my child has been ill off and on for her entire life, it's important for me to try and meet her request to help plan her first trip to Disneyland from the 16th through the 21st of February 2015. We live on the east coast so all of our family trips were to DisneyWorld and I am totally uninformed about Disneyland.

The details are this-
1)They are in college and on a budget. My daughter thought they could take a bus from Salt Lake City but I see that it is much too long a trip. I will look at tickets from Salt Lake City to LAX. It looks like there is a SuperShuttle van down to Disneyland. Is that the best way for them to get there?

2)They would like to stay within walking distance of the park(s) as they won't have a car. Can you please recommend a hotel that would work for this. I will help them with this expense so they can probably swing between 100-120 dollars/night. Are there even hotels that are in this price range and are safe and pleasant?

3)Tickets- I assume that they will get there and purchase their 4 day tickets at the park. I thought that I had read that there is a front of the line option. That could be helpful if my daughter isn't feeling well. Would you recommend this? I assume the tickets will be a huge expense as they are in WDW.

4)Meals- Is there a meal plan similar to DisneyWorld's? What would you recommend?

5)Besides Disneyland, are there any other close-by attractions that they shouldn't miss and that they wouldn't need a car to get to?

Thanks so much for your help. The trip will be a bright spot in my child's very difficult life. I am a great researcher but with the trip coming so close, I thought I'd reach out to the experts here while I continue looking through the boards.

Many thanks,

Threehearts

Hi there! You should come and join us in the Feb 2015 thread, we might be able to help out a bit with your planning but let me see if I can answer some of your questions.

1. If the price is right, I would look at having them fly in to either SNA or LGB. Both are closer to Disneyland and the shuttle will be less expensive.

2. Hotels within walking distance sell out a bit in advance but you can use this site to find which places are within your daughter's walking distance and see what is available in her price range. It might end up that in order to get within her budget, she will have to stay further away and take a shuttle to Disneyland. Accomodations near Disney

3. Definitely look at getting her tickets in advance. Right now the best deal seems to be through either orbitz.com, if you use ebates or through way.com if you do not. Like others have posted, there is no front of the line pass at Disneyland. For information about dealing with disabilities at Disneyland, I would definitely look at popping into the DISabilities section of these boards!

4. There is no dining plan at Disneyland that anyone really recommends.

Oh! The link to our February thread is here!

 

[Threehearts]

Oh my gosh, what a friendly crowd on this board!

I will look into flights to the suggested airports. I am very familiar with the old paper fastpasses and no doubt showing my age, miss them at WDW. With 4 or 5 days of park touring, should I be buying say, 3 days at DL and 2 days at California Adventure? I will see about getting on to the Feb. 2015 thread also.

Thanks again everyone. I am very grateful for the tips.

Threehearts

 

[SMD]

1. They could fly into LAX, LGB or SNA and they'd have a few ground transportation options. There are cost factors and personal preferences here. Look into the Grayline Resort Express from LAX or LGB.

2. What is your definition of safe and pleasant? They won't be staying at a Holiday Inn or Sheraton for that price. For a trip in 2 weeks that starts on a holiday weekend you'll have to take what you can get. Some hotels have free shuttles. There is also ART.

3. It's better to buy tickets online in advance. Then you can skip the ticket booths and go to the turnstile. There are also resellers. Try Orbitz, getawaytoday, way.com.

4. No. They will need cash, credit card or gift card for food.

5. They can take ART to Knott's Berry Farm, which is another theme park. Medieval Times and Pirates Dinner Adventure are also popular. For those I'd recommend checking the ART schedule against the show times. Some people end up having to take a cab one way. Many people never leave the immediate resort area. Since they're adults, I'd recommend checking out some of the happy hours at Anaheim GardenWalk.

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

Oh my gosh, what a friendly crowd on this board!

I will look into flights to the suggested airports. I am very familiar with the old paper fastpasses and no doubt showing my age, miss them at WDW. With 4 or 5 days of park touring, should I be buying say, 3 days at DL and 2 days at California Adventure? I will see about getting on to the Feb. 2015 thread also.

Thanks again everyone. I am very grateful for the tips.

Threehearts

I highly recommend getting the park hopper option on the tickets. It will be worth the extra cost. The parks are right across from each other and I often find myself going back and forth throughout the day. I think it is especially important since it is their first time there. For example, I went with my boyfriend last year, who hadn't been since he was a child, and planned to spend one whole day in California Adventure (DCA). However, he didn't enjoy that park nearly as much as Disneyland and by the early afternoon we had done all we really wanted to at DCA and spent the rest of the day and our trip in Disneyland. But some people really love certain rides and DCA and would rather spend more time there. You just don't know until you get there and see what you like.

However, even if you don't go with the park hoppers, you don't need to worry about which parks they will go to now. They can choose whichever park they'd like that morning.

If I was planning the trip, three days at DL and two days at DCA sounds right to me.