Need advice for AZ family visiting DL in summer!?!

[SeiterClan]

Hi fellow DISers!!!

Wondering if you have any tips for me about visiting DL in the summer??? 1-As Arizonans will we be ok with the temps??? Specifically we will be there the end of July/beginning of August & we will have 3 day-1 park/day passes. I know we should get hoppers but we are going because I won a trip for our family & I'm pretty sure those tickets can't be upgraded, but it's still Disneyland! 2 - Is it doable without PH's during that time? 3 - Also, wondering if anyone knows of any possible discounts or ways to get even slightly cheaper rates on any of the on site Disney resorts for that time frame??? We are a large family--2 adults with 6 kids ages 4 to 16 & will need to book another room at whichever resort we get the other room as part of the contest win. I'm looking at the prices & my husband is going to go ballistic if we are paying & $400-$600+ per night for one room that will only fit half our family! Any advice would be so appreciated

 

[tarheelalum]

If you are from southern AZ the heat in Anaheim will be a great relief. But if your from the northern part of the state, its hot. Bring sunscreen and drink a lot of water. Take a break during the middle part of the day and go back to your hotel to swim or nap. And you should seriously consider staying off property. Disneyland's hotels are very expensive for a group your size. I suggest you check out some of the hotels on Harbor blvd that are within a short walk. For a place with a great pool for the kids you should check out the Howard Johnson near the main gate. Its a short walk and a lot cheaper than any of Disney's hotels. Also many other hotels on Harbor blvd you should consider but the Hojo is the only one I know of with a big pool that is within a short walk. And park hoppers are great but if the cost is an issue you can do without them. If cost is not an issue I would get the hoppers.

 

[Geemo]

Hi fellow DISers!!!

Wondering if you have any tips for me about visiting DL in the summer???
1-As Arizonans will we be ok with the temps??? Specifically we will be there the end of July/beginning of August & we will have 3 day-1 park/day passes. I know we should get hoppers but we are going because I won a trip for our family & I'm pretty sure those tickets can't be upgraded, but it's still Disneyland!
2 - Is it doable without PH's during that time?
3 - Also, wondering if anyone knows of any possible discounts or ways to get even slightly cheaper rates on any of the on site Disney resorts for that time frame??? We are a large family--2 adults with 6 kids ages 4 to 16 & will need to book another room at whichever resort we get the other room as part of the contest win. I'm looking at the prices & my husband is going to go ballistic if we are paying & $400-$600+ per night for one room that will only fit half our family! Any advice would be so appreciated

With 3day/1park tickets - To get the most out of your trip.... I'd book for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as the park days.
Disneyland on Tuesday(EE) and Thursday(EE). Wednesday would be DCA(EE).
Staying onsite will give you EE on those days, which is extremely beneficial.

Disney Room discounts during your time frame is a tough one.
If a Special Room Promotion pops up, the number of rooms in the category will be limited and will go fast.
Not sure when a summer promotion would post but I'd expect if there was one, it would be around May or early June.

I will often book a room at a regular rate and wait for a promotion. If one comes along, I call and make adjustments to the reservation.
Which hotels are you pricing out? When you do, keep in mind the price you see, may not have TAX & fees (17%) added to the nightly rate.

If your prize assigns you to a hotel other than Paradise Pier Hotel, have you thought about a split-family stay while you're there?
The only way to keep the rate as low as possible, is to pay for a room at the PPH.
While not ideal, it is a way to save on the hotel portion of the trip.

When you get the park tickets as part of your prize, make sure they are (age 10+) Adult tickets.
You'll save a little buying the (3yr-9yr) Children tickets.

Good luck

Geemo

 

[NannyBeBe]

We live in southern Arizona and have been going to DLR for almost 40 years. We always go in the summer and have never been bothered by the heat. In fact, I always pack a light jacket because I need it in the evenings after the sun goes down. As to the tickets, I would definitely recommend getting park hoppers if at all possible. And for the room, there are usually 8 or 9 of us and we always stay at the HoJo in two connecting rooms. Their pool area for kids is great.

 

[SeiterClan]

With 3day/1park tickets - To get the most out of your trip.... I'd book for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as the park days.
Disneyland on Tuesday(EE) and Thursday(EE). Wednesday would be DCA(EE).
Staying onsite will give you EE on those days, which is extremely beneficial.

That is our plan either to do Tues-Thurs or Thurs-Sat & do the parks in that order!

Disney Room discounts during your time frame is a tough one.
If a Special Room Promotion pops up, the number of rooms in the category will be limited and will go fast.
Not sure when a summer promotion would post but I'd expect if there was one, it would be around May or early June.

Was there a summer promotion for Disney resorts offered last summer?

I will often book a room at a regular rate and wait for a promotion. If one comes along, I call and make adjustments to the reservation.
Which hotels are you pricing out? When you do, keep in mind the price you see, may not have TAX & fees (17%) added to the nightly rate.

This is probably what I will do as soon as they confirm dates & what resort for our contest prize.

If your prize assigns you to a hotel other than Paradise Pier Hotel, have you thought about a split-family stay while you're there?
The only way to keep the rate as low as possible, is to pay for a room at the PPH.
While not ideal, it is a way to save on the hotel portion of the trip.

A split stay is something I've considered but it's not really ideal...my parents did offer to help pay for a room but I feel bad having them do that but we will see!

When you get the park tickets as part of your prize, make sure they are (age 10+) Adult tickets.
You'll save a little buying the (3yr-9yr) Children tickets.

Great minds think alike as I was planning on doing exactly this! I heard a rumor that LMT won't let you buy only child tickets without at least one adult ticket...is this true???

Thanks for your help & advice @Geemo!


Good luck

Geemo

 

[MonocularVision]

Also, wondering if anyone knows of any possible discounts or ways to get even slightly cheaper rates on any of the on site Disney resorts for that time frame??? We are a large family--2 adults with 6 kids ages 4 to 16 & will need to book another room at whichever resort we get the other room as part of the contest win. I'm looking at the prices & my husband is going to go ballistic if we are paying & $400-$600+ per night for one room that will only fit half our family! Any advice would be so appreciated

We are in Phoenix and generally find the summers in Anaheim to be a relief from what we have back home.

As for rooms, for a decent deal for that sized family I would look at the family suite at the Residence Inn nearest the convention center. We have stayed there and it comfortably fit 8. You get basically two bedrooms (one with bunks and the other with two queens) each with a bathroom and a pull out sofa bed. Plus you get a pretty good breakfast included. The walk is slightly challenging but we did it with our 6 & 8 year olds.

 

[HydroGuy]

Hi fellow DISers!!!

Wondering if you have any tips for me about visiting DL in the summer??? 1-As Arizonans will we be ok with the temps??? Specifically we will be there the end of July/beginning of August & we will have 3 day-1 park/day passes. I know we should get hoppers but we are going because I won a trip for our family & I'm pretty sure those tickets can't be upgraded, but it's still Disneyland! 2 - Is it doable without PH's during that time? 3 - Also, wondering if anyone knows of any possible discounts or ways to get even slightly cheaper rates on any of the on site Disney resorts for that time frame??? We are a large family--2 adults with 6 kids ages 4 to 16 & will need to book another room at whichever resort we get the other room as part of the contest win. I'm looking at the prices & my husband is going to go ballistic if we are paying & $400-$600+ per night for one room that will only fit half our family! Any advice would be so appreciated

This may help: "Getting The Most Out of a Summer Visit To DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319

You sound like a good candidate for a good neighbor hotel. You can get two rooms at BWPPI - the closest hotel to the parks aside from Disney hotels. I met a man last month at DLR who was from Phoenix (he worked for the department) and he said they always book special rooms at the Tropicana (not sure what they are called) which have kitchens and allow him to come with his two sons and their families and grandchildren. The Tropicana is right next door to BWPPI.

 

[SeiterClan]

This may help: "Getting The Most Out of a Summer Visit To DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319

You sound like a good candidate for a good neighbor hotel. You can get two rooms at BWPPI - the closest hotel to the parks aside from Disney hotels. I met a man last month at DLR who was from Phoenix (he worked for the department) and he said they always book special rooms at the Tropicana (not sure what they are called) which have kitchens and allow him to come with his two sons and their families and grandchildren. The Tropicana is right next door to BWPPI.

Thank you for the link...I actually just looked it up the other day! I remember awhile ago(like around 2008)we went in October during Fall Break & it was insanely hot, crowded with very short hours so I'm wondering how summer compares to that???

Yes we always stay offsite or rent a house through VRBO but because I won a contest it would mean only half of our large family(2 adults & 6 kids!)could stay onsite...just wondering if there are any summer discounts for the Disney resorts around the end of July/beginning of August??? We would like to stay together & get connecting rooms & take advantage of EMH since I'm assuming it will be busy!!! For us, we don't go often(like every 3+ years) because it is so so expensive for our large family & would never consider on-site but kind of need to now & looking for any ideas or discounts that would help for the onsite hotels! I have no idea at this point where Disney will put us for the contest win but hoping for PPH because it's the cheapest. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated! TIA

 

[CayBoo]

Oh how exciting! I hope you guys have so much fun!
1- When I was living in SoCal, August and September were always the hottest months for me. It's a humid heat too which can be pretty miserable if you're used to a dryer climate. But in the evenings it can cool down to where you might want to bring a light jacket.
2- I've gone to the parks using 3 day 1 park/day passes, and it's definitely doable. I'm personally not a huge fam of DCA, so I'll go to Disneyland all 3 days. But doing 2 days at Disneyland and 1 day at DCA is definitely a good option.
3- Have you ever considered renting DVC points? The Grand Californian is the only home hotel offered in Cali, so you really only have one option for saving money. And the window of availability shrinks considerably the longer you wait. But you could save hundreds/thousands for a 3 bedroom villa depending on how many points are needed for your specific weekend. My husband and I saved over 60% on a studio villa for our trip this fall. We're so excited!

 

[Geemo]

Yes we always stay offsite or rent a house through VRBO but because I won a contest it would mean only half of our large family(2 adults & 6 kids!)could stay onsite...just wondering if there are any summer discounts for the Disney resorts around the end of July/beginning of August??? We would like to stay together & get connecting rooms & take advantage of EMH since I'm assuming it will be busy!!! For us, we don't go often(like every 3+ years) because it is so so expensive for our large family & would never consider on-site but kind of need to now & looking for any ideas or discounts that would help for the onsite hotels! I have no idea at this point where Disney will put us for the contest win but hoping for PPH because it's the cheapest. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated! TIA

Looking at the Disney website for PPH rates the end of July and beginning of Aug this is what I have found
July - Aug 15 $392/nt ($459 w/Fees and Tax)
Aug 17th - Aug 25 $316/nt ($370 w/Taxes)
Aug 26th - Aug 28 $324/nt ($379w/Taxes)

Can you slide your dates to Aug 17th? It's the least expensive time to go.

G

 

[HydroGuy]

Thank you for the link...I actually just looked it up the other day! I remember awhile ago(like around 2008)we went in October during Fall Break & it was insanely hot, crowded with very short hours so I'm wondering how summer compares to that???

Yes we always stay offsite or rent a house through VRBO but because I won a contest it would mean only half of our large family(2 adults & 6 kids!)could stay onsite...just wondering if there are any summer discounts for the Disney resorts around the end of July/beginning of August??? We would like to stay together & get connecting rooms & take advantage of EMH since I'm assuming it will be busy!!! For us, we don't go often(like every 3+ years) because it is so so expensive for our large family & would never consider on-site but kind of need to now & looking for any ideas or discounts that would help for the onsite hotels! I have no idea at this point where Disney will put us for the contest win but hoping for PPH because it's the cheapest. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated! TIA

Sorry, I missed the part about the contest including an onsite hotel. I thought it was only the tickets or something.

Being onsite, well that is a pickle for sure. The best I can usually find in recent years during summer for onsite is through special offers on Orbit. But that is usually not that big of a discount.

 

[SeiterClan]

Looking at the Disney website for PPH rates the end of July and beginning of Aug this is what I have found
July - Aug 15 $392/nt ($459 w/Fees and Tax)
Aug 17th - Aug 25 $316/nt ($370 w/Taxes)
Aug 26th - Aug 28 $324/nt ($379w/Taxes)

Can you slide your dates to Aug 17th? It's the least expensive time to go.

G
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I wish we could move it later but here in AZ school start August 8th & I will have my oldest in high school which is too hard to pull them out of school to miss at that age unfortunately! Thanks for looking for me!