Last minute trip to DL - easy? possible?

[jenjersnap]

I mean, for DL newbies. We've always talked about it so I have done some research but can we throw something together in a couple weeks? Are restaurant reservations impossible at this late date as they would be at WDW? We'd want a character meal or two. Are there any current hotel specials we could snag last minute? We'd prefer on-site but I realize we are not in any position to be picky but we do need to have a room large enough for 3 kids. Do crowd levels necessitate touring plans (Ridemax, right?) the third week of October?

What actually sparked it was an email from Legoland re: their Halloween events happening the weekend of DS' fall break, then I thought we could throw in two-three days at DL, possibly hit that Halloween party too.

Sorry for all the questions. I need to decide today if this is worth pursuing because the airfare is likely to go up. Thanks!

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

I wouldn't think the parks would be too crowded when you are going but you can certainly use ridemax if you would like.

The only way to find out if it's too late to get a reservation for character meals is to call and find out, hopefully you are not too late.

A lot of the good neighbor hotels as well as Disney hotels are currently running the "4th night free" promo. I know getawaytoday.com is offering it, you can also get your tickets for the park and your character breakfast there at a discounted rate.

I believe all the tickets for Mickey's Halloween Treat have been sold out but you might check e-bay for tickets if you are intereted in that.

 

[Hound 109]

I mean, for DL newbies. We've always talked about it so I have done some research but can we throw something together in a couple weeks? Are restaurant reservations impossible at this late date as they would be at WDW? We'd want a character meal or two. Are there any current hotel specials we could snag last minute? We'd prefer on-site but I realize we are not in any position to be picky but we do need to have a room large enough for 3 kids. Do crowd levels necessitate touring plans (Ridemax, right?) the third week of October?

What actually sparked it was an email from Legoland re: their Halloween events happening the weekend of DS' fall break, then I thought we could throw in two-three days at DL, possibly hit that Halloween party too.

Sorry for all the questions. I need to decide today if this is worth pursuing because the airfare is likely to go up. Thanks!

How many days did you want to dedicate to DLR?

What days of the week were you thinking about going?

(imo - a minimum of 3 days would be best.... & DLR on Mon-Thurs is usually best...but i don't know how the Mickey Halloween events affect this strategy.)

Also the Getaway packages that the previous poster mentioned also are offering TWO EE days at this time. Which would be golden given the late rope drop hours at this time.

Have fun at Walt's Park.

 

[CinderellaDreamer]

Start plugging in those hotel sites! I totally think you could do it!

Start out with getawaytoday.com They can show you some good rates for some nearby hotels with the 4th night free option. They are also offering two early entries if that is important to you. They have a nice package with lanyards, pins, free photos, and a $20 fee. Its about a $50 savings over booking it all yourself, plus the value of the perks.

I ended up getting a good deal at Desert Inn & Suites with a Parlor Suite so that we have 3 beds for our family of 5. They did not book through getawaytoday, but I was tempted to do the Tropicana with 2 queens for $100/night.

I would check out the hotel websites for some of the suites near the entrance. Try the Park Vue Inn and Anaheim Desert Inn for inexpensive suites (around $100). The 4th night free can be done at the Fairfield for a 2Queen room. Same at the Carousel and Camelot. They also have some suites available for close to $200 per night. Park Place Inn and Best Western Anaheim Inn only have double beds and no suites. Anaheim Plaza and Castle Inn are both very inexpensive with 2queens available.

Check out Bret's lodging map for links to all of the nearby hotels.

http://www.geocities.com/ashpsyche/DisneylandLinkMap.html

I imagine you could still get dining reservations. And it should not be a very busy time to go.

Just do it! You'll have a blast! Best wishes!

 

[bumbershoot]

Well, I would definitely try!

I think that I heard that the Halloween treat tickets are sold out now, so I'm not sure you could go to that (it's at DCA, I believe). But there's no harm in trying.

Do you have APs, or do you want to get one? You could call the DL resorts number and see if they have any more AP rates, even the Paradise Pier conceirge AP rates.

Check out this map, http://www.geocities.com/ashpsyche/DisneylandLinkMap.html , and contact some of the off-site places to check out their rates.

Call Disney Dining, SEE if they have anything.

For ride plans, I would read Hydroguy's stuff heavily, especially his DL for WDW "vets" guide. I have done well reading his posts AND reading all the DL guidebooks I could find at the library, blending what one guidebook writer calls the "Dumbo or Die" plan that focuses on kids, with what I want to do on top of that, and things have gone well. Then again, I don't go the weekend before Halloween, but I personally doubt that I would BUY a touring plan at all for DL. Just hasn't yet been my style. And I am FAR from an expert.

Just do it! See if it can be done.

 

[tinkermell]

They still have some Thursday night MHT tickets left I believe. Contrary to what Hound said, try to go on one night over the weekend. (Sorry Bill )The fireworks are not to be missed IMO, and right now I think they are only done on Fri, Sat and Sunday. The best Disney has. Even over Illuminations.

I guess your first step is to check on Hotels and then go from there.

Good luck!!!

 

[jenjersnap]

How many days did you want to dedicate to DLR?

What days of the week were you thinking about going?

(imo - a minimum of 3 days would be best.... & DLR on Mon-Thurs is usually best...but i don't know how the Mickey Halloween events affect this strategy.)

Also the Getaway packages that the previous poster mentioned also are offering TWO EE days at this time. Which would be golden given the late rope drop hours at this time.

Have fun at Walt's Park.

Not sure if we'd have 2 or 3 days at DLR, but, yes, we'd have to spend some time there during the weekend. The trip would be Thursday to Tuesday. Probably best to just do a day trip to Legoland with DLR as our base? Their event is happening both Sat and Sun - would it be better to go to Legoland on a Sat and do DLR on a Sun or vice versa or is it a wash?

The DLR site says Mickey's Treat tickets are available for 10/18.

 

[jenjersnap]

Wow. Very, very tight hotel availability. (Silly of me to think it might be otherwise!) Of the ones mentioned by PP, only the Park Place Inn in a standard room is still available under the getawaytoday promo. Would the room size be very tight there? I know there are only doubles but the baby can go into a pack and play which means the bedding could work for us but I worry about floor space.

How about the Desert Palm Inn? Any opinions? The have suites available, though not with any special.

 

[jenjersnap]

Oh, and thanks for the advice and encouragement!

 

[Hound 109]

They still have some Thursday night MHT tickets left I believe. Contrary to what Hound said, try to go on one night over the weekend. (Sorry Bill )The fireworks are not to be missed IMO, and right now I think they are only done on Fri, Sat and Sunday. The best Disney has. Even over Illuminations.

I guess your first step is to check on Hotels and then go from there.

Good luck!!!

My bad tinkermell.....I assumed with all the Halloween activities, they would have (what is it?....Dreams come true? or sumthen) the fabulous Fireworks show during the week during mid to late October. If they aren't, I highly recommend a Sunday - Tues (Wed) visit.

This is exactly what we did on our last visit. (We did the fireworks & Aladdin on Sunday) & enjoyed EE (& the rest of DLR) on a Mon & Tues. of our 3 day visit (fwiw).

If Getaway has minimal availability, would other agencies (or the hotels directly) have availability?

& yes, read all of HydroGuy's tip threads.

 

[Hound 109]

& let us know if the 7 & 4 y/o are into Star Wars.

 

[jenjersnap]

If Getaway has minimal availability, would other agencies (or the hotels directly) have availability?

Not a single individual hotel has had availability so far, I've just benn trying the places listed on the map. Haven't tried expedia yet. Not looking good!

 

[jenjersnap]

& let us know if the 7 & 4 y/o are into Star Wars.

My oldest just discovered Star Wars! Is there an event or something?

 

[Hound 109]

My oldest just discovered Star Wars! Is there an event or something?

Trip Highlight for DS 8:

www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1478699

(& i mentioned this once before & no one commented, but i came across a you tube video that some guy put to rock music..... if you google (or go to the site) & type "Darth Maul Rocks" there is a great 2-3 minute video of the evil doer. My kid would have been scared silly if he had seen it first. )

AND WHY DON'T YOU REPOST & ASK IF ANYONE CAN GET YOU A ROOM ANYWHERE WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE FOR THE DESIRED DATES. MAYBE A COUPLE OF ODD HOTELS / MOTELS WOULD POP UP. (ANNABELLE, THE MENAGE OR SUMTHIN.)

 

[jenjersnap]

Cool! He would like it. He just so happens to have a SW tee-shirt too, heh.

Trip Highlight for DS 8:

www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1478699

(& i mentioned this once before & no one commented, but i came across a you tube video that some guy put to rock music..... if you google (or go to the site) & type "Darth Maul Rocks" there is a great 2-3 minute video of the evil doer. My kid would have been scared silly if he had seen it first. )

AND WHY DON'T YOU REPOST & ASK IF ANYONE CAN GET YOU A ROOM ANYWHERE WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE FOR THE DESIRED DATES. MAYBE A COUPLE OF ODD HOTELS / MOTELS WOULD POP UP. (ANNABELLE, THE MENAGE OR SUMTHIN.)

 

[jenjersnap]

Ok, Dis'ers, just this last question (in this thread, lol). Can you give me input about going to Legoland on Sat or Sun? I realize this is the DLR forum so I am looking for the perspective of which day at DLR is preferable: Sat or Sun. Or are they both crazy busy and it doesn't really matter? The reason it's urgent is it appears we'd need to check out of one hotel when we head down there and move to another hotel when we return. Scoring the 5-day long reservations seems to be a real issue but I think if we moved I would be able find something. This would work out because it would be the one day we wouldn't be coming back to a room for naps.

 

[CinderellaDreamer]

If the baby is in a p-n-p, then go for the Park Place. Its a great location. Quick trip back to the room (5 min.) for a nap in the afternoon.

From what I have read, Legoland is not that crowded of a place, so I think you would be fine any day there. After going to Disney, it is not a comparison. I've heard Sundays at DL are better than Saturdays for crowds. So that's something to think of. Also Legoland is closed on Tuesdays and Wed.

Just some thoughts.

 

[DLVixen]

We tend to use the Motel 6 on Disney Way, because we're AP holders and it seems so silly to me to pay alot for a room, so it's a trade off, cheap hotel or less trips to DL...Anyhow, we've always gotten clean rooms and have never had a problem with staff. The rooms come with 2 Queen sized beds and there is room for a PnP, plus you can get a fridge/micro in your room for I think like $5 bucks a day extra. Plus the ART is available (3.00) and your kids would be free to ride that. I checked a random date in October, the 18-23rd, they have rooms available for 44.99 if you book online, 49.99 if you call. No matter where you stay I hope you have a great trip! We've done quite a few "out of the blue" trips because I'll find almost any excuse to go to Disney; we'll be there next week Good Luck!

 

[BillyFan]

Just minutes ago, I booked a room for 10/18-21 at the Super 8 on Ball Rd for $55 per night via their web site. There were also rooms available at the Days Inn on Ball. Apparently you can walk to the parking garage and catch the tram to the park from there. We have free parking with our APs, so we may end up driving to the garage. My point is there are rooms available, just not right across the street on Harbor.