Just booked 5/16-5/19/22-need HELP!

[AUTUMNSAM]

Very new to Disneyland, haven't been in almost 20 years. I just booked Homewood Suites Conv. Ctr. for 3 nights, I bought 2 day hoppers with Genie plus. As my dates were filling up fast in the reservations. I linked tickets and made resssies to start 5/17 in DCA and 5/18 in DL.

Questions:

I have no idea what Genie + is or how to use it. I tried searching but got lost in old trip reports. Can someone give me a basic idea of how to use it? Note, I don't do roller coasters, I love the parades, fireworks and shows.

What is the best way to get to the parks from Homewood Suites? It states walking distance? Any thing I should know?

This is a solo trip, my first one, so any suggestions, much appreciated!

Best or good places to eat? Any tips on good dinner packages for events? Do any do this? What do I need to know or book right away?

Arriving after a tour of the CA coast, Redwood and Yosemite Park so arriving late morning/afternoon on 5/16, any tips what to do without entering parks? Places to eat near by, any shopping close? Any tips?

Will not have a car, so any tips on getting to hotel from LA and from hotel to LAX. I just started searching as all last minute Thanks in advance for any help!!!

Also any do NOT miss things, especially compared to Disney World?

 

[gelatoni fan]

The hotel is within walking distance but you could also walk to the Toy Story Parking Lot and take the trams. From my testing, it typically takes a few minutes longer if you wait for the tram (or a lot longer if they have abnormally long lines) but at least you don't have to walk.

If you're not doing the thrill rides, Genie+ may not be worth it unless you also like photopass.

As for things not to miss, just look at the attractions and do what's not at WDW. At Disneyland there's rides like Alice in Wonderland, Storybookland, Casey Jr, etc. Winnie the Pooh is quite a bit different also. Most of California Adventure will be different.

The night shows will be returning just before your visit so we don't have any information yet on how they will work and what dinner packages will be available.

For food, you could go check out GardenWalk. If you don't feel like walking, you could go eat at the Anaheim Marriott or Hilton. I do like the food at the Marriott. If there happens to be a convention going on, there may be additional food trucks in that area in front of the convention center as well.

I typically just take an Uber to LAX which costs like $60.

 

[smartlabelprint]

This is where we typically stay. It’s about a 20 minute walk. It takes about the same amount of time going to the toy story lot, but saves steps.

 

[Pluto468]

Very new to Disneyland, haven't been in almost 20 years. I just booked Homewood Suites Conv. Ctr. for 3 nights, I bought 2 day hoppers with Genie plus. As my dates were filling up fast in the reservations. I linked tickets and made resssies to start 5/17 in DCA and 5/18 in DL.

Questions:

I have no idea what Genie + is or how to use it. I tried searching but got lost in old trip reports. Can someone give me a basic idea of how to use it? Note, I don't do roller coasters, I love the parades, fireworks and shows.

What is the best way to get to the parks from Homewood Suites? It states walking distance? Any thing I should know?

This is a solo trip, my first one, so any suggestions, much appreciated!

Best or good places to eat? Any tips on good dinner packages for events? Do any do this? What do I need to know or book right away?

Arriving after a tour of the CA coast, Redwood and Yosemite Park so arriving late morning/afternoon on 5/16, any tips what to do without entering parks? Places to eat near by, any shopping close? Any tips?

Will not have a car, so any tips on getting to hotel from LA and from hotel to LAX. I just started searching as all last minute Thanks in advance for any help!!!

Also any do NOT miss things, especially compared to Disney World?

You could easily spend alot of time in Downtown Disney on your arrival day. There are plenty of shops and restaurants. You don't need a ticket to get in.

Genie+ is like fastpass. You can come back to the ride at an appointed time instead of waiting in a super long line. I haven't used it yet but if you google it you can find tons of sites describing how to use it.

I don't think there are any dining events at the moment, but the parade dining package will be available soon, and hopefully the World Of Color dessert party will be back.

Dining reservations really depends on what you like. It's kind of late to book for mind-May, but if there's a restaurant you want to try you could check the reservation page periodically, or set up an alert.

Just a few popular restaurants that need a reservation:
Oga's
Cafe Orleans
Napa Rose
Carnation Cafe
Plaza Inn Character breakfast

I'd suggest taking a look at menus on the dining page to get an idea of what you want to try. There are many restaurants that don't require reservations.

Be sure to check out Carsland at DCA! Also Galaxy's edge in Disneyland.

Have fun!

 

[Kit Jackson]

CarsLand is amazing. Even if you do not want to go on the ride, the theming of the area is fantastic, and is especially wonderful at night. Pirates is a different ride at Disneyland. It is not the exact same ride at WDW. If you have been to Galaxy's Edge in WDW, I think you can probably skip the Disneyland version.

 

[AUTUMNSAM]

Thanks for all the great info.

 

[twodogs]

There is a superthread on this board that shows you about G+.

 

[Epicnemesis]

Just a few popular restaurants that need a reservation:
Oga's
Cafe Orleans
Napa Rose
Carnation Cafe
Plaza Inn Character breakfast

This list is a lot shorter than my list would be. Do you know something I don’t? Is day of booking viable? I’ve never actually tried since I assumed it would take forever to get.