new to Disnyland vacation...HELP

[dck12ga]

We have always gone to WDW and thought we would like to try DL. If you can please help with some information we would greatly appreciate it... All I know is WDW so... Does DL have different seasons as far as the price of the hotels? ie value moderate,or High? As far as WDW we stay on the property, is there any advantage to staying at one of the three hotels there?? At WDW you have the 4 parks that can take at least a week to go through it, how long will it take to go through the two parks at DL? Will it take a week? Our kids are 10 and 8 years old. Any information would help us out alot!! Thank you!

 

[iceskatejen]

At DL it's not as important to stay onsite. In fact, unless you're going to splurge on the Grand Californian, many off-site hotels are actually closer to the park entrances. I live locally, so I don't know about hotel seasons, but I could tell you about crowd patterns. That may or may not have anything to do with hotel costs, though. Also, be warned that there probably won't be any rooms available mid-July. I think they've been booked up for months for DL's actual b-day. As far as how long you'll need--most agree 3 days is the minimum for 1st timers or those who don't live locally. I don't know if you'll need a week unless you tend to take breaks everyday but 3-5 days would be enough for the DLR, even when it's really busy.

 

[RalphMouth]

I'd buy a Southern California City Pass-

you get 3 days at Disney, 1 at Knotts, 1 at Sea World and the other
at either the San Diego Zoo or Wild Animal Park. Buying it this way saves you
over $80.00 than if you bough the tickets individually.
Costco.com has the best prices for this. Even if you don't belong to Costco, the price is the best.

What's your hotel budget ??
Go to Tripadvisor.com and type in Anaheim. You will see that other than the
Grand Californian, there are some great hotels within an easy 10 min walk to
the park entrances. Howard Johnson is a popular choice among many.

 

[dck12ga]

Thank you Icekatejen and Ralphmouth for your quick response. We are thinking of going to California in the first part of Feb. 2006. How are the crowds in Feb? The weather? What would you suggest as far as hotel close to the entrance. I hear that there is early entrance?? Is that for the people who are staying onsite? What airport? I am sorry I am asking all these questions... If you have any questions I can answer about WDW just let me know.. I know that place pretty good or I know where to find the answer, but as far as DL, I do not know where to start. What websites should I be looking at?? Sorry, I just keep on babbling!

 

[LucyKate]

This website - http://www.scottware.com.au/theme/feature/crowds.htm would indicate that apart from President's week crowds are pretty low in February.

As a rule - weekends are also much busier than weekdays.

We have two girls aged 6 and 9 and founf 2 days was needed to see DL properly and 1 day to DCA - but we used a 4th to revisit our favourite rides in both parks.

No need to stay onsite - many,many motels are alongside the park and with the exception of the Grand Californian, closer than the Disney Hotels.

Depends on your budget but we loved the Howard Johnson - Candy Cane Inn also rates well amongst the moderate priced places. But most here think if you have the money the Grand Californian is the best bet.

Not sure if they have seasons, but I suspect February would be a good time to go for price and crowds.

 

[RalphMouth]

Thank you Icekatejen and Ralphmouth for your quick response. We are thinking of going to California in the first part of Feb. 2006. How are the crowds in Feb? The weather? What would you suggest as far as hotel close to the entrance. I hear that there is early entrance?? Is that for the people who are staying onsite? What airport? I am sorry I am asking all these questions... If you have any questions I can answer about WDW just let me know.. I know that place pretty good or I know where to find the answer, but as far as DL, I do not know where to start. What websites should I be looking at?? Sorry, I just keep on babbling!

January & February is the rainy season in So Cal-
do you remember seeing all the rain & mudslides on the news about California recently? Sure you can have a day in the upper 60's to 70 BUT also 60 and rain as well. Crowds are always worse on the weekends but I know it can get busy around the President's 3 day week as well.

Howard Johnson's or the Fairfield are really good choices right across the street from Disneyland....about a 7-10 min walk from the hotel. Check out tripadvisor for reviews.

As for the airport-

Orange County John Wayne (SNA) is the closest- approx 30 min drive
is the best choice BUT airfare seems to be a bit higher there.

Long Beach is the next closest. Not many flights go there but Jet blue does & they seem to have great airfares.

LAX - Los Angeles International - probably one hour or more drive-
usually good airfares due to lots of competetion, but the airport
is very busy & if you can fly to either Orange County or Long Beach
for the same price or even $10.00 to $15.00 more than LAX...I'd avoid
LAX.

Some people fly to Ontario but IMHO it's too far away-
others like to go to San Diego (2+ hours away) but they usually
will fly into San Diego but out of LA.

 

[iceskatejen]

I think most of the multi-day hoppers now include early entry into Fantasyland. But the Citypass does not.

Yep--this Feb it rained cats and dogs. But I'm sure the rain kept the crowds away. We do tend to get a lot of our rain in February.

 

[Buttercup26]

You don't need to stay onsite. We love the HoJo, I highly recommend it. It is close, clean, well-maintained and has lovely grounds. The two pool areas are great, although it may be too cold to swim in Feb. It is right by a great restaurant, Mimi's, that I also highly recommend.

Weekends, even during off-season are much busier than weekdays. You will want to spend at least 3 days in DL/DCA. You may want to spend more. We always try to spend at least 4 days.

Early Entry comes with different Park Hopper tickets, you don't have to stay onsite to get EE. Check out the different ticket options, for one with EE.

 

[dreamscometrue47]

dck12ga, thanks for this post. We are in the same situation as you (well, sort of!). We are planning a trip that will include 4-5 days at Disneyland/CA in July 2006. I've only been once to DL and that was 15 years ago; we were there for Mother's day. I LOVE DL's Fantasyland; can't wait to visit it again. As for WDW, well, I know that place like the back of my hand. So I'm really nervous about doing this trip right. (We're also going to San Francisco for a few days, and the Grand Canyon for a couple on the way home.)

I'll be buying guide books and checking out this board like crazy as the time gets nearer for me.