My Very First Time...Disneyland!

[suryanikhalid]

Hi...I am new to this board and I am thankful and glad that I found your discussion board.......

My family & I (me 36, mom 56, sis 35, BIL 40, children: 2,4,8,9,11 & 12 - that makes 10 of us!) will be going to Disneyland this Nov'08, we will be staying in Anaheim from 13 Nov to 23 Nov and this is our first time to Disneyland, also our first time to USA (first oversea trip). My questions are:-

1. We've booked Park Vue for our stays because that's the only hotel that we found their sink is in the bathroom (their room floorplans are in their website) but when we read all threads regarding the hotel, it makes us to think twice whether to stay there or not. Does anyone knows other hotels that has a sink in the bathroom?!! LOL!!

2. We are also planning to visit Seaworld, Universal Studios, and do the LA Tour, i will arrange these visits with greyline.com or allanaheimtours.com, apart from that we would like to do some shoppings by ourselves. How do we get to The Grove and to Metrolink Station by bus? If we take a taxi, what about our children? Do they need a car seat? Or maybe public transportation such as taxis, buses and shuttles were exempt from the carseat law....i don't know....

3. Can someone help me with the itinerary? I don't know which place to start first. Should we spend all of our stays in Anaheim or spend a few nights in San Diego/LA?

I have been waited for so long for the time to come to visit Disneyland....I just can't wait anymore!! I am counting down the days.......

thanks for helping me out!

 

[davidsprincess]

Welcome! Although I am not a DL expert, I would recomend that you spend a minimum of 3 days at DL. There is way to much to see in less time than that, especially when there are children with you. You might want to be at the parks mainly during the week if you are concerned with crowds, but do one day (at least) on the weekend to see the fireworks and Fantasmic if they do not have them during the week.
I can't give you any advice for anything outside of Anaheim because when we go it will be just to DL. We don't have any huge desire to see anything else, but we are not coming from as far away as you, so you may want to make the most of your trip (especially if this is the only trip you will get to make).
Have fun when you get here and enjoy all the planning for your trip. The DIS boards are awsome and the people here will be able to help you a lot!

 

[suryanikhalid]

Welcome! Although I am not a DL expert, I would recomend that you spend a minimum of 3 days at DL. There is way to much to see in less time than that, especially when there are children with you. You might want to be at the parks mainly during the week if you are concerned with crowds, but do one day (at least) on the weekend to see the fireworks and Fantasmic if they do not have them during the week.
I can't give you any advice for anything outside of Anaheim because when we go it will be just to DL. We don't have any huge desire to see anything else, but we are not coming from as far away as you, so you may want to make the most of your trip (especially if this is the only trip you will get to make).
Have fun when you get here and enjoy all the planning for your trip. The DIS boards are awsome and the people here will be able to help you a lot!

Thank you! I didn't expect a very quick reply!

Yes, that's what I thought....spend 2 days on weekdays and 1 one day on weekend, I got to know that during my visit (Nov'08), it is off season so the fireworks might only be on weekends.....

I think this will be my one and only trip in my life....so I better make use of it!!! ... thanks again.....

 

[auntiegem]

1. We've booked Park Vue for our stays because that's the only hotel that we found their sink is in the bathroom (their room floorplans are in their website) but when we read all threads regarding the hotel, it makes us to think twice whether to stay there or not. Does anyone knows other hotels that has a sink in the bathroom?!! LOL!!

I know the rooms at HOJOs have sinks in the bathrooms. Some of them have an additional sink outside of the bathroom . . . but you can just ignore that one. Also, they have rooms that fit 5 people, so that might work out well for your party of 10! If you go to the website for the Anaheim Howard Johnson, you can take a look at the floor plans of all the rooms.

 

[suryanikhalid]

I know the rooms at HOJOs have sinks in the bathrooms. Some of them have an additional sink outside of the bathroom . . . but you can just ignore that one. Also, they have rooms that fit 5 people, so that might work out well for your party of 10! If you go to the website for the Anaheim Howard Johnson, you can take a look at the floor plans of all the rooms.

Auntigem, Thank you...i will check their website....but with 6 kids in the group, I am sure there will be a problem when walking back to the hotel from DL......

 

[stopher1]

WELCOME!! Have a wonderful trip to DL and So. Cal!! Personally I think you should plan 2-3 days for DL. While Anaheim is a good central location for your entire itinerary - you might want to consider a hotel night in the San Diego area. While it's not super long, it's a considerable drive back to an Anaheim hotel after a long day. There are lots of interesting places to visit there, in addition to SW that you wake up and do the next morning, before heading off to your next point of interest...plus there are lots of beautiful beaches along the way back up to central Orange County that you could visit.

Have fun in your planning!

 

[DisneyLover4Ever!]

to the Dis. I usually reccomend 3-4 days minimum @ the parks. In the past my family has learned that 4 days was not quite enough for us but 7 started to become exhausting. I do not know whether the bathrooms @ the Park Vue have sinks the ones at the HoJo do.
Have fun planning and have even more fun on your trip

 

[Disneyluvr2]

You might want to call Park Vue and ask about the sink situation if it means a lot to you to have it in the bathroom. I've been staying at Park Vue for the last 7 years and most of the sinks used to be in the bathrooms but since they've renovated all the rooms, I've only had rooms with the sinks and vanity outside the bathroom. I love Park Vue Inn! You won't find a better location which is the main reason we always stay there. Like I said, the rooms have been renovated just a short time ago so they're in good shape. They expanded the breakfast room also and added more variety to the free breakfast. I don't think you'll be disappointed!

 

[daneenm]

I would absolutely plan for 4 days at DL. This will give you plenty of time to get through all the things you want. If you are big shoppers and plan to spend a lot of time at Downtown Disney, you might want to add a day for that.

As for seeing the San Diego attractions, I would say staying near San Diego is a good idea. Traffic going through the Los Angeles area can be awful and even though something is not very far in distance, it can take you MUCH longer than you think to get there.

In the area near San Diego, I recommend LegoLand. Your children (especially the under 10 set) will love it and it is a wonderful family oriented park. My daughter (now 11) would still love it!

My only caution about touring the LA area is if you are planning to visit Hollywood, you should be prepared that it is not the glamorous place it looks like on TV, for the most part. I know many people who have been so excited to see it and very disappointed in the experience. It is quite run down and not an area I would want my family spending much time. There are many nice areas of LA, it is just that the Hollywood area specifically is not one of them, in my opinion.

Hope you have a great trip!
Daneen

 

[Hound 109]

Hi...I am new to this board and I am thankful and glad that I found your discussion board.......

WELCOME TO THE DL DISBOARD!


My family & I (me 36, mom 56, sis 35, BIL 40, children: 2,4,8,9,11 & 12 - that makes 10 of us!) will be going to Disneyland this Nov'08, we will be staying in Anaheim from 13 Nov to 23 Nov and this is our first time to Disneyland, also our first time to USA (first oversea trip).

YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO HAVE A BLAST.


My questions are:-

1. We've booked Park Vue for our stays because that's the only hotel that we found their sink is in the bathroom (their room floorplans are in their website) but when we read all threads regarding the hotel, it makes us to think twice whether to stay there or not. Does anyone knows other hotels that has a sink in the bathroom?!! LOL!!

I WOULDN'T RULE OUT 6-8 OTHER MOTEL/HOTELS ON HARBOR AT THIS POINT. THE PARK VUE MIGHT BE GOOD....BUT OTHERS MIGHT BE BETTER. ALSO, YOU MIGHT WANT TO SPLIT UP THE TRIP.


2. We are also planning to visit Seaworld, Universal Studios, and do the LA Tour, i will arrange these visits with greyline.com or allanaheimtours.com, apart from that we would like to do some shoppings by ourselves. How do we get to The Grove and to Metrolink Station by bus? If we take a taxi, what about our children? Do they need a car seat? Or maybe public transportation such as taxis, buses and shuttles were exempt from the carseat law....i don't know....

3. Can someone help me with the itinerary? I don't know which place to start first. Should we spend all of our stays in Anaheim or spend a few nights in San Diego/LA?

I REALLY THINK YOU SHOULD DECIDE ON A POSSIBLE ITINERARY PRIOR TO FINALIZING ROOMS. AS OTHERS HAVE SAID, WITH 10+ DAYS IN SO CAL, YOU MIGHT CONSIDER AT LEAST 2 NIGHTS IN SD & POSSIBLY 2 DAYS/NIGHTS IN LA/WEST LA.


I have been waited for so long for the time to come to visit Disneyland....I just can't wait anymore!! I am counting down the days.......

thanks for helping me out!

I think you should start by:

- Deciding what you want to do & how much time you want to dedicate to each.
- (I'm assuming you all don't want to rent a car (or cars).
- I would recommend at least 3 days in SD, 4-5 days at DLR & 2-3 days in LA.
- I would check out the Amtrack train websight as an alternative to the bus lines (i remember that they have weekly or monthly "deals" that might work for you & would be far nicer than a bus...& they would be next to or near most places you want to go).
- If you spend 4 nights at DLR, get a 6 day pass (if 5 nights/get a 7 day pass) You'll want to go your first night & last morning & it doesn't cost much more (if any.)
- You're lucky in that your last day is the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving as opposed to during Thanksgiving.
- Avoid DL on weekends (but maybe include Fri or Sunday night for the Fireworks).
- Travel/tour LA on the weekend (preferably early in the day) for less traffic.
- If you want to do 1) Universal 2) Hollywood etc. 3) The beach & Santa Monica etc....then i would do 2 nights in LA so you don't have to schlepp 90 minutes from Anaheim twice a day.


If i was helping a family member who was visiting SoCal for the first time (with 11 days to play with).....I would recommend the following possible itinerary:

- flying into (lax?) on Thurs 13th. Check into a hotel for 2 nights near Universal/Hollywood.
- Go to Universal on Fri 14th.
- Tour LA (hollywood, Santa Monica etc.) on Sat. 15th.
- Drive (take a train?) to SD on Sunday the 16th. (Maybe do Seaworld or Legoland or the Zoo in the afternoon on Sunday)
- 2 nights in SD (Sunday & Mon)
- Seaworld (or the Zoo) on Monday
- Tuesday - check out hotel in SD. (Either do the zoo, or legoland or take an early train to Anaheim).
- Tuesday night - check into 2-3 rooms at a nice hotel/motel on Harbor Blvd. (you'll get 4-6 good recommendations here).
- If you get in early enough, go to DL that night.
- Tues 18th - Sat 22nd - Disneyland
- Get a 6 day Park Hopper (or the SoCal pass & upgrade to the 6 day DL hopper).....don't worry about it.....it's the last thing you'll need to purchase or worry about at this point.
- Sunday the 23rd - Take a shuttle to the airport (lax?)

This is an example....but the reason i think it makes sense in that:

- You'll want to do DL last.
- Best to tour & travel on your first weekend (& best to avoid DLR on the weekends).
- You'll still be at DLR on a Fri & Sat. (ensuring you'll likely see most parades & firework shows)
- You'll minimize driving/touring in LA traffic.

Things I'd do & find out about:

- the train.
- confirming if legoland, universal, the zoo or seaworld are open on a M-F.
- Are there "LA tours" that you can see what YOU want to see.
- Read all of HydroGuy's Tip threads & all the other stickys at the top of the first page.

Have a great time planning a trip at Walt's Park.


hound -

 

[marlower]

I really like Hound 109's plan, you will definitely want to save DL for the last portion of your trip!!

 

[suryanikhalid]

Wow! your feedback really helps me alot! thank you!

I've checked with Hojo...yup! there's a sink in the bathroom...
At first we thought of spending 2 days at DL but since all of you recommended 3-4days at the parks....we have all agreed to add another day...3 days!! when i told the children (plus my sister's kids) they were all screamin with joy!!!!

I am now looking into Hound109's proposed itinerary...once finalized, i will post in here to see what you all have to say/comments. Maybe, i'll put Las Vegas in because my BIL wants to go there (maybe spend a night there). I'm changing the Hollywood Tour with the shopping tour (LA Shopping Extravaganza)...what do you think?

Getting ideas from all of you are indeed the wisest moves to do!

 

[LoveThatMouse!]

I agree completely with Hound 109 as well !

We just returned from our first trip to Disneyland and our itinerary was wonderful....but a bit rushed....we had 7 days. Here's what we did...

Sat. Flew into SanDiego (because we had family there)
Sun. SeaWorld (but the Zoo is a super choice as well)
Mon. Legoland....what a cute, cute place
Tues. Wed, Thurs, DISNEYLAND and DCA
Fri. Hollywood and back to Disney that evening. (needed more time here)
Sat. Flew out of SanDiego (early am)

I would keep the same order again with the exception of adding one more day to Disneyland and an additional day in Hollywood/LA....

Hotels in San Diego are about double what we paid in Anaheim.
The drive for us from San Diego to Anaheim was just under 2 hours...from Anaheim to Hollywood (cannot gauge because of traffic). Morning took about an hour, evening was closer to 2 1/2.

We were able to rent a car for the whole week for $173. If that's something that would interest you...you could do grocery runs etc. Maybe less expensive that buying train tickets/taxis for everyone. (If someone in your group feels like driving.)

I am soooo very happy for you and your family!
May your trip be sooooo blessed!

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Wow! your feedback really helps me alot! thank you!
I've checked with Hojo...yup! there's a sink in the bathroom...
At first we thought of spending 2 days at DL but since all of you recommended 3-4days at the parks....we have all agreed to add another day...3 days!! when i told the children (plus my sister's kids) they were all screamin with joy!!!!
I am now looking into Hound109's proposed itinerary...once finalized, i will post in here to see what you all have to say/comments. Maybe, i'll put Las Vegas in because my BIL wants to go there (maybe spend a night there). I'm changing the Hollywood Tour with the shopping tour (LA Shopping Extravaganza)...what do you think?
Getting ideas from all of you are indeed the wisest moves to do!

I agree w/ Hound and others, we only get to go once a year to DL, and even then 4 days is too short for us at DL.
Just in case you didn't know, Anaheim to Vegas is at least a 3.5 hour drive and can be a lot longer depending on what day and time you are traveling there and back. One of my friends got stuck in traffic going back to Vegas from DL on a Friday for 11 hours. There were a series of accidents to begin w/ and it seems everyone from Cali wants to go to Vegas on the weekends! You would be better off flying and adding a couple of days to your itinerary if you decide to do this; Southwest often has decent prices, although not usually out of SNA to Vegas, check other regional airports like Long Beach & Burbank or LAX. Another fyi, it's usually a lot colder in Vegas than Anaheim in the winter. A lot of people think it's a Desert so year round 100* temps, but that's not so. I've been there when overnight temps were in the low 30's and with the wind blowing it felt a lot colder than that. (That's fahrenheit, btw.) November is usually warmer than December or January, but just thought I'd give you a heads up on that.
Another thing you may want to consider, Universal is usually (imo) a let down after Disney, so it is better to do it first before Disney. Also Universal doesn't have much for the younger kids to do. I haven't been there in years, but I know that it really pales in comparison to US/IOA in Orlando especially because there just aren't enough things for younger kids to do. Your tweens (8, 9, 10, 11, 12 YO) and adults would probably enjoy it though...However, imo, since Disney has the thrill rides at DCA in addition to Space Mountain, Star Tours, BTMRR, and Matterhorn, the tweens/adults would probably enjoy DL just as much or more than US.
I love Hojos. If you don't mind my asking, (and you don't have to answer if you do mind) why does the sink have to be in the bathroom? Many people prefer having one in and one out to make it easier for multiple people to get ready at the same time. (No waiting to use the sink.) If you stay at Hojos, I would strongly suggest you bring your own strollers for the young ones or buy some cheap $12 type umbrella strollers from a local Kmart, Walmart or Target. Then just give them away when you leave to go home. (I'm sure some parent somewhere would love to have a free stroller while at the parks, especially if they weren't prepared for the long walking distances.)
Hojos is only 7 minutes away from the entry plaza, but when you're 2-4 years old, that's a long walk at the end of the day. (My son used the WDW strollers until he was 9. He only weighed about 50 pounds though, and was small for his age, LOL.) I imagine about 3 of their steps is equal to one of our adult steps, so if our feet are tired, imagine what theirs would feel like at park closing.
Another decent motel option is Best Western Park Place Inn. It's right there at the crosswalk. They have 2 Queen mini suites with a small sofa sleeper. (Not sure about the sink in the bathroom though.) Each room could probably easily hold 4 adults and 1-2 kids. I think the room limit is 5 per room. They also have a free continental breakfast, but I've heard some iffy things about that regarding the quality of things served. (Most of the motels w/ continental breakast leave a lot to be desired.) I've never stayed at BWPPI as my DH likes hotels w/ interior corridors (and Hojos has that), but many friends have, and they liked it and the convenience to the crosswalk.
Good luck and have fun planning!
PS
I always try to go to Vegas and DL on one trip, and since this may be your one and only trip to the USA, it would be fun to consider. Just keep in mind that Vegas doesn't have a lot to offer in terms of entertainment for the kids, and that they aren't allowed on the casino floors other than walking to/from room and restaurants or sightseeing. They can't stand around and wait while the adults gamble, and it's illegal to leave a child under the age of 12 alone in the hotel room w/out an adult. So your BIL and DH may love it, but you and SIS will probably end up sightseeing during the day and staying in the room w/ kids at night. Most of the strip hotels have babysitting services that charge by the hour that they can steer you toward if needed. If you do Vegas, it would be better to do it on the last leg of your trip. That way, if the husbands lose money gambling, all you have left to do is leave and go home; no money worries/issues. Sorry, but that's the reality of gambling. If you plan to lose, it doesn't hurt as much. And if you win, even better!

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Sorry, I wrote a novel above! Just because I'm a woman and I love to shop on the shopping tour. Where does it take you and what company is providing the tour? If you go to Vegas, there are a lot of high end shops there.
Your older kids would probably not care too much for Legoland, but the young ones would probably like it.

 

[Hound 109]

A few thoughts:

- I mainly put the sample itinerary out there in case any SoCal folks (and San Diego folks) see problems in my sample...they could comment & correct me.
- You (we) really need to find out if the zoo/seaworld/universal &/or Legoland is even OPEN during the week.
- DO NOT add Vegas to this trip. Not with kids & not with the amount of time given. If you must do Vegas, drop San Diego.
- If one or two adults want to DO VEGAS....get a two one way flights (or a R/T) on SW airlines for them. DON'T schlepp the entire family (with children) up to VEGAS....a waste of time, energy, & it is NOT kid friendly.
- An adult could leave for Vegas one morning & come back the next day for $50 bucks R/T & another $50 for the room. (& on SW you could fly out of SD & then fly the return to Anaheim or LAX).
- If you think an extra day (night) is needed in LA/Hollywood or in SD.....no problem. Just stay one less day/night at your DLR hotel/motel.
- If you decide to do Legoland, it's (imo) a half day park at best & can easily be done on your way to SD.

Rethink Vegas with the kids. & keep posting....we want you all to have a wonderful visit & you'll get the best info here on the DIS. & even if we disagree, it's a good "knowledgable" cross-section of opinions.

Have fun.

 

[dball213]

Just came back from our trip (Arizona, Dinsyeland and San Diego) with our two little girls (5 and 7). Spend 2 days in the parks (98% in Disneyland Park). Those days started early and ended late. Had a birthday character dinner at Ariel's Grotto in DCA. Pricey. Food was ok. And do Pocohantas and Mulan really count as Princesses? Character Breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen is very good. Met lots of characters. Kids had to double up some autographs on pages in their books.

Our kids don't like the big rides, so two days was fine. I could see spending 3-4 with older kids.

San Diego is awesome. Beautiful city. Would love to go back sans kids to experience some of the finer establishments. But we all had a good time. Zoo is wonderful.

We're from NJ, so our next Disney trip will probably be WDW. But not for a while.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

And do Pocohantas and Mulan really count as Princesses? Character Breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen is very good. Met lots of characters. Kids had to double up some autographs on pages in their books.

Of course Mulan and Pocahantas count as Princesses! (Especially Mulan!) I agree, Goofy's breakfast is good and lots of characters...