I'm going to Disneyland!!!!! (and other parts of CA)

[Pkdcoastrs]

Well I have awesome news! (for myself at least!).....

I'm going to Disneyland. For one of our last "family" vacations you could say, my parents have decided to head to California for about a week this summer. Both my sister and I have never been to California. The last time my parents went was right after they were married, so this is a new experience basically for all of us. I'm pretty excited after going to WDW 7 times, now I get to experience the original. It's odd though because I'm so familiar with everything WDW but when it comes to Disneyland, I'm pretty lacking. Can any of you reccomend any good planning sites or just overall good Disneyland sites!
We will probally go to Disneyland for two days, since I feel after so many visits to WDW, my parents need a more "relaxed" sightseeing,etc... type vacation. I'm dissaointed that Space Mountain will be closed and also there will be lots of construction for the 50th Anniversary, but hey I can always head back in a few years again!

I've ordered various guides related to California which sould arrive in a few weeks.... We really want to stay in nice hotels, maybe stay a night or two at one of the Disney hotels and then the rest near LA. Or is it a short enough drive from Disneyland to LA that we could just stay near Disney the whole time?

Sorry for all the questions, etc... But if anyone could help us out, that would be great

Mike

 

[Firefly777]

Some goods sites are:
Mouseinfo
Laughingplace
Utilidors

Yeah, there will probably be lots of refurbishments throughout the year, but hopefully it will all be worth it by the time the Anniversary rolls around.

I don't have much experience here, but I would recommend splitting your stay instead of staying around Disneyland the whole time. Disneyland is a little bit of a drive to LA and there will most likely be traffic along the way.

Have a great time!(I'm sure you will )

 

[Dana_Buckley]

Do you have plans for LA? I live in San Diego, and would suggest looking into spending half your trip here. We have the SD Zoo, Wild Animal Park (although it gets very hot in summer) Balboa Park, which has about 20 museums, fountains, walkways (it's very beautiful) not to mention SeaWorld and Coronado and Old Town and La Jolla...just a few things you might want to look into.

Happy Planning!

 

[Davids-Coco]

Driving around in that area is bad enough... I would definately stay near disney for your disney days. LA is NOT a fun drive!!!

Sorry I can't help with a good hotel in LA, but that isn't where we usually go. I grew up about an hour north of Santa Ana and my grandparents still live about ten minutes from Disney. Usually we stay with them, but if we don't we like to stay in Newport Beach at the new Hilton there. Its really nice.

 

[Captain_Nemo]

This all depends on what sights you want to see.

Even though DL is fairly close to the LA county boarder, LA county is big and I think that most of the more interesting sights in LA are in the northern part of the county. Also, the better beaches (my opinion only) tend to face West rather than South. All of this is on the opposite side of the county, so I would strongly recommend moving to a different hotel after seeing everything near DL.

Captain_Nemo

Disneyland - times beyond counting (last 5/2/04)
Port Orleans - March 2000 (maybe again someday)

 

[LuvTigger]

I like www.mouseinfo.com too, especially for the menus (they may not all be up to date, but at least it'll give you an idea). They also have some great pictures of the Grand Californian, which I LOVE! If you like the Wilderness Lodge at WDW, I think you'll like GC. It's also very convenient to the parks (though the Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier are all walking distance, unlike WDW hotels).

We usually just stay at or near DL, and drive. The drive to say, Universal Studios, can take 45 minutes to 1 hr., depending on traffic. Like the above poster said, it depends where you plan to go. Next to Universal, there is a Sheraton, and I think a Hilton, which I've heard are very nice. The Universal area is closer to the beaches, and there are some nice malls in the area if you want to go shopping, or you can go sightseeing in the Hollywood area (including the Disney studios).

I would also consider maybe 2 nights in San Diego, if it fits within your plans. Sea World is very different from the one in Orlando, right on the bay, and I think the San Diego Zoo is great too. San Diego is just a beautiful place. Might be more of the "relaxed" atmosphere your parents are looking for, but will probably suit your taste as well. (If you want to splurge, you could stay at the Hotel Del Coronado!)