Newbie DL Planning

[MariesMeow]

Hiya all

I am planning a trip to Disney Land sometime in mid September of '09 and had a few questions that i need answering. I'm a newbie to anything disneyland so please be patient with me

I will be traveling through Anaheim during mid September and wanted to stop by DL while visiting. I would like to keep the trip at a maximum of 3 days at Disneyland and I will be traveling with a party of 2 adults and 3 children in total. I have been researching the good neighbor hotels and i think i'm down to 2 candidates.

Portofino and Desert Palms

Now here are my questions on the hotels...

1. What are the distances from both of these hotels to both of the DL parks?
2. Is it possible to walk to the parks from the hotels rather than driving?
3. Which of these hotels do you think has a better overall experience?

Now i'll probably end up going to either of those hotels but i'm curious as to wether you guys think it's worth spending the money on the actual Disneyland resorts. Do you guys think it's worth the extra money to stay at the DL Resorts?

Now my other questions are about tickets. I feel so stupid, but what does a souvenir ticket mean? Does is mean that a 2 day Park Hopper with Souvenir ticket is actually 3 tickets, or something else? I feel like an idiot asking that question

Thanks for all of the help guys, I'm sure i'll be posting more questions along the way so any advice you can give me about traveling to Disneyland would be great! Thanks so much!
-Marie

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

We are staying at Portofino in Sept. They are both about a half a mile from the park per Google maps. We are planning on walking, especially with a double stroller. But we may decide to use ART. I've noticed rates at the resorts went up a lot in September. We will wait until the next trip to stay onsite.

 

[rappaport]

Now my other questions are about tickets. I feel so stupid, but what does a souvenir ticket mean? Does is mean that a 2 day Park Hopper with Souvenir ticket is actually 3 tickets, or something else? I feel like an idiot asking that question

If I'm not mistaken, I'm assuming these are the plastic credit card like park hopper tickets that have various Disney character images on one side, like Mickey or Donald.

 

[Sherry E]

If I'm not mistaken, I'm assuming these are the plastic credit card like park hopper tickets that have various Disney character images on one side, like Mickey or Donald.

Exactly. That was what I was thinking. Based on the last "souvenir park hopper" I got, which, I think, was when I booked a package through the Walt Disney Travel Company a couple of years ago, it was a laminated thing - basically just a slightly more festive version of a regular Park Hopper - for collectible purposes!

 

[HydroGuy]

Helpful Hotel Links

"How Far Is It?" (shows actual distances in feet from hotels to DLR entrance plaza) www.mouseplanet.com/articles.php?art=mm060329as

"Walking Distance Accommodations" (shows hotels within walking distance) http://www.mouseplanet.com/dtp/maps/...g_distance_map

"Bret's Disneyland Lodging Map" (shows hotel locations around DLR) www.geocities.com/ashpsyche/DisneylandLinkMap

From the first link you can see the Candy Cane Inn is 2800-3400 feet. From the third you can see Portofino is a bit further down Harbor and Desert Palm onto Katella. So more like 3/4 of a mile walk.

If it was me I would walk to DLR rather than drive.

Is it worth it to stay at a Disney hotel? Very subjective. At DLR we usually use our hotel only for sleeping and do not get much value out of the hotel. The cost difference is huge. It is fun to splurge on a Disney hotel and it does provide a more inclusive experience. Bottom line is if money is no object, then a Disney hotel is worth it. If money is a huge object then it is usually not. If you are in between you have to weigh the benefits and how much time you might spend at the hotel.

 

[LuLusApple]

Portofino and desert palms are across the street from each other, portofino is on harbour and DP is Katella. I have stayed at both and the walk is relatively the same with the exception of crossing Katella; DP you do not have to cross Katella. Easily walkable 10 minutes. I give portofino the edge because it is nicer IMO.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

We stayed at Desert Palms in Dec last year. We liked it a lot. The walk wasn't horrid, you didn't cross 'the' street. It was shady.

The breakfast was good..esp for a freebie!

The maids were ON THEIR GAME. For real.

No major complaints

 

[MariesMeow]

Thanks for all of the help everyone