Need advice-- Sept 09 Trip

[MLC2002]

We are thinking of a September 09 trip to Disneyland. We are a family of 4... 2 adults, a 4-yr-old son & a 2-yr-old son.

I've only been to Disneyland/CA Adventure once... for a day trip in 2005.... before we had kids.

I'm searching for your advice/suggestions on...

1) How many days should we plan for the two parks given the ages of our sons, the time of year, etc?

2) Is September a good time of year to visit? What are the crowds/wait times like? What about the weather?

3) Where should we stay given the ages of our sons? On or off property? Any specific deals? Any specific resort suggestions?

4) Any good packages/deals we should check out? (We are DVC members & Disney Visa card holders, if that helps)

5) Any other suggestions for relative newbies at DL?

Thanks, in advance, for your suggestions!

 

[avalon451]

Hi, MLC, welcome!

A really good place to start for advice is Hydroguy's tips thread here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483 Lots of info about off season (which is what September mostly is) and things like where to stay, etc.

I'd also recommend the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland, if you want to pick up a book to reference. There are lots of really good tips and ideas in there, especially for families.

Both of those sources will tell you that with small kids, it's really worth it to stay as close as possible to the parks, so you can walk back to your hotel for mid-day breaks. If you can swing the cost, the Disney hotels are great, but there are wonderful options in the hotels right on Harbor, many of them just as close or closer than DLH (Only GCH is closer than any of them!). Here's a map with links that shows you what's nearby: http://www.geocities.com/ashpsyche/DisneylandLinkMap.html We love HoJo, one block up-- it's the nicest hotel across the street, and it has a new water play area for kids that your kids would love. They have a special rate for the Entertainment book, and I see from their website that it's available for most of September: http://www.hojoanaheim.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=14

Most people agree that 3 days is minimum to see DL; 4 or 5 days is better. That way, you can get there early, take midafternoon breaks to swim and rest at your hotel (and thereby miss the worst of the afternoon crowding) and go back for evening fun and fireworks.

I'm not familiar with DVC and Disney visa perks, other than free stroller rentals and character meet n' greet opportunities.

Hope those links give you a couple of ideas to get started! Good luck and have fun planning!

 

[princessnicchia]

I would agree with the PP, 4 or 5 days is good. Especially if you are going to be spending some time in the pool in the afternoons! I've gone when my children were close in age to yours (5 & 2) and we needed those breaks so the little one could take a nap and the older one could have time that was slightly less stimulating.

I've stayed at the HoJo and the Tropicana. I liked both hotels, if you stay at the Hojo and get the side we stayed in, I'd strongly recommend bringing some sort of white noise with you. I'd heard reports of the traffic noise and didn't think it would bother us...but it was really loud. It was a very nice hotel though with large rooms and for the price I really thought it was lovely.

There are a few restaurants that give you a 10% discount with the Disney Visa, the website should give you the current list. If you book through either Disney vacation or through Dreams unlimited and pay with your Disney Visa, you don't have to pay on the vacation interest free for 6 months (I believe).

I've done the kids fly free through AK Airlines (good if they extend it again this year and if you have to fly) booked everything myself, and also booked through Dreams Unlimited Travel. Booking myself was only cheaper because I got the entertainment rate at HoJo. If you decide that isn't the direction you want to go, Dreams Unlimited was great. They were very helpful and nice, and I did everything by email instead of hanging around on the phone on hold myself, which I found convenient. THEY hung around on hold (I assume) making all our PS and stuff.
Hope some of that helps!