Newbie questions - resorts, food, travel. I've read a lot, but still need help!

[riostoker]

I feel like I know how to plan a WDW trip, but this is our first time to DL, and I'm stumped on so many things! Help!!

1. We have a family of 5 - 2 adults, 2 adult-sized kids (11 and 13), and one 7 year old. I want to find an off-site family suite with plenty of space, walking distance to the parks. I think I've narrowed down my options to these. Are there any others I should consider? If you have stayed at any of the ones below, can you recommend them (or not)? Pros/cons to any of them?
HOJO
Anaheim Portofino Inn and Suites
Desert Palms Inn and Suites
Cortona Inn and Suites
Desert Inn and Suites
Marriott Courtyard (not open yet, supposed to open next month)

2. When planning a WDW trip, half my planning usually seems to revolve around meals. It doesn't seem like that is the case at DL. Are there any "can't miss" restaurants I should book? Also, I'd like to do one character meal. I was thinking either Surf's Up with Mickey at Paradise Pier or Breakfast in the Park with Minnie. Is one better than the other? Or is there another you highly recommend?

3. We are planning on 3-4 days in San Diego (SeaWorld, Zoo, kayaking at La Jolla, hiking, beach, etc) and 3-4 days at DL/DCA. Do you think the vacation flows better with San Diego first? Or DL/DCA first? We are going in September, and there is a date available for Mickey's Halloween Party either way.

Thanks!
Ann

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

1. I have stayed at Desert Inn & Suites, and have no complaints. When I was younger, my family stayed there as a family of 6, and would get the rooms that had two queen beds and then a separate living room alcove area with a pull out sofa. It always seemed like enough room to me, even when us siblings were all teens. I appreciate Desert Inn & Suites because it is one of the closest to the crosswalk you must all use on Harbor, it usually seems to have the best deals if you book in advance, and they have continental breakfast (basic stuff, but that's all we need). It wasn't some amazing resort, but I don't really have any complaints. You should be able to find many threads in this forum reviewing the hotels.

2. It's true that meals will require less planning at DLR. You can book 60 days in advance and it's unlikely that you would need to be right on top of things to book that morning. Usually, I forget about ADRs until a couple of weeks before my trip. It doesn't hurt to make reservations (though there is a $10 cancellation fee per person) so if you already know your schedule then go ahead and book them. I would definitely make reservations for Blue Bayou, though if it's not a really busy day then you may still be able to get in without a reservation. I also make reservations for Big Thunder Ranch BBQ, but others had no problem walking right up when we were there. Also, if you want to do a Fantasmic dinner package, definitely reserve that in advance.

3. I don't think it much matters which order you do it in. DLR can be kind of exhausting by the end of a 3-4 day trip, so you may like having time on the beach in San Diego to kick back and relax. Or, you may want to go straight home after DLR to decompress there.

 

[SMD]

3. We are planning on 3-4 days in San Diego (SeaWorld, Zoo, kayaking at La Jolla, hiking, beach, etc) and 3-4 days at DL/DCA. Do you think the vacation flows better with San Diego first? Or DL/DCA first? We are going in September, and there is a date available for Mickey's Halloween Party either way.

I think it depends on what you're doing on your arrival/departure day. If you do DL first, will you be staying until park closing? Would you stay in Anaheim or drive to SD? And then what would you do that day in SD? Also, check airfare. You may get a better price flying into and out of different airports. If one way out of SD is significantly cheaper, that would be a place to start the itinerary.

 

[Geemo]

We have done DLR and SD on a trip before. We did DLR first and SD second.
From that trip I have learned to always finish at DLR.
Everyone is always Happier in DLR and I like to finish a trip on a Happy Note.

Geemo

 

[starjazz]

Re: #3

I'd do Zoo day first, Sea World second, beach/rest day. Then head up for 4 days of knock your socks off at Disney!

 

[HydroGuy]

1. We have a family of 5 - 2 adults, 2 adult-sized kids (11 and 13), and one 7 year old. I want to find an off-site family suite with plenty of space, walking distance to the parks. I think I've narrowed down my options to these. Are there any others I should consider? If you have stayed at any of the ones below, can you recommend them (or not)? Pros/cons to any of them?
HOJO
Anaheim Portofino Inn and Suites
Desert Palms Inn and Suites
Cortona Inn and Suites
Desert Inn and Suites
Marriott Courtyard (not open yet, supposed to open next month)

Be careful with Portofino, Desert Palms and Cortona as it is a stretch to call these walking distance. Yes you can do it, but they are a hike.

The only one I have stayed at was Hojo's and even that was a bit too far for us as I had to hire a taxi one night to get us back with kids too tired to walk.

2. When planning a WDW trip, half my planning usually seems to revolve around meals. It doesn't seem like that is the case at DL. Are there any "can't miss" restaurants I should book? Also, I'd like to do one character meal. I was thinking either Surf's Up with Mickey at Paradise Pier or Breakfast in the Park with Minnie. Is one better than the other? Or is there another you highly recommend?

My advice is not to over plan your meals at DLR like folks (and even I!) do at WDW.

See "What WDW Vets Need to Know About Dining at DLR" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2914467

3. We are planning on 3-4 days in San Diego (SeaWorld, Zoo, kayaking at La Jolla, hiking, beach, etc) and 3-4 days at DL/DCA. Do you think the vacation flows better with San Diego first? Or DL/DCA first? We are going in September, and there is a date available for Mickey's Halloween Party either way.

Where are you coming from and, more specifically, how many time zones will you be coming through? And which days of the week will be involved?

Because of the time change I would be tempted to do SD first so you will acclimated by the time you get to DLR. But to some degree the days of the week you have will also influence a good choice.

 

[kirstie101]

I feel like I know how to plan a WDW trip, but this is our first time to DL, and I'm stumped on so many things! Help!!

1. We have a family of 5 - 2 adults, 2 adult-sized kids (11 and 13), and one 7 year old. I want to find an off-site family suite with plenty of space, walking distance to the parks. I think I've narrowed down my options to these. Are there any others I should consider? If you have stayed at any of the ones below, can you recommend them (or not)? Pros/cons to any of them?
HOJO
Anaheim Portofino Inn and Suites
Desert Palms Inn and Suites
Cortona Inn and Suites
Desert Inn and Suites
Marriott Courtyard (not open yet, supposed to open next month)

2. When planning a WDW trip, half my planning usually seems to revolve around meals. It doesn't seem like that is the case at DL. Are there any "can't miss" restaurants I should book? Also, I'd like to do one character meal. I was thinking either Surf's Up with Mickey at Paradise Pier or Breakfast in the Park with Minnie. Is one better than the other? Or is there another you highly recommend?

3. We are planning on 3-4 days in San Diego (SeaWorld, Zoo, kayaking at La Jolla, hiking, beach, etc) and 3-4 days at DL/DCA. Do you think the vacation flows better with San Diego first? Or DL/DCA first? We are going in September, and there is a date available for Mickey's Halloween Party either way.

Thanks!
Ann

1. I Have stayed at Hojo's but not in their suites so I can't comment on the rooms themselves for you. But I can say we love this hotel; the beds, the free parking, the staff, the interior corridors. The walk to/from the hotel/parks is under 10 minutes. We have also had great stays at Dessert Inn and Suites in their C2 Family suite which I believe is their largest suite. Theres 2 full bathrooms and 4 queen beds in addition to a sofa bed. Plenty of room for everyone. We've even had firworks views from our rooms here. Its not a fancy resort by any means. We mainly used the room for sleeping and napping. But we'd stay there again without hesitation. The proximity to the parks is great. Your walk is under 5 minutes. The pool is pretty basic and its indoors so keep that in mind if a pool is a priority for you.

2. For the character breakfast I think both of your options are great ones! It just depends on which characters you want to see. At Surfs Up with Mickey you'll see Mickey, Minnie, Stitch, Daisy and Pluto. Its actually the only character meal with Mickey. At Minnies you'll see Minnie of course and then a mix of characters such as Fairy Godmother, Chip, Dale, Rafiki, Pooh, Eeyore, Pearla, Max, Captain Hook. We really enjoy the food at both also. Basically I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

 

[GenGen22]

I have only stayed at HOJO's and the beds are very comfortable. We didn't stay in a suite but loved the pool/hot tub area. They also have Keurig coffee makers in the room which is a great perk. Also, their towels are soft unlike most motels/hotels. It's about a ten minute walk to the parks, not bad. If I were you, I would go to San Diego first because other parks don't have that magical feel & customer service like Disney does & we have done Disney first and then other parks & kinda we're missing something after leaving Disney. That way if you go after San Diego you won't be like but Disney does this or that or has this or that etc. instead you will go home with the magical feeling & can't wait to come back. Just my perception. As far as character meals I have read a lot of great things about Goofys Kitchen. I can't comment on my experience as I have only been to character meals at WDW.

 

[ADisneyFamilyof5]

For character breakfast, we love Goofy's Kitchen. The food is the BEST and now their character interaction has increased since they changed to always having Goofy, Minnie, Pluto, and Chip & Dale. We loved the characters at Surf's Up (only place with Mickey & Stitch) but the food was not as good and the selection was minimal compared to Goofy's Kitchen. We are doing Minnie's next trip, so I can't comment on that yet.

On our last trip, we did Legoland before DL, then SD Zoo and beach days after. I am glad we did Legoland before because it was a big disappointment. However, having more to do in San Diego made leaving DL a little easier for my boys. Previously, we always had crying kids while loading up to return home from DL. But for some reason it was easier for them to leave from the beach. Your kids are a bit older, so I don't know if you would have that problem.

 

[4Mickeys]

We stayed at Desert Inn and Suites last year, we had a Parlour Suite and were very happy with the room and the service whilst there. 2 friends of mine who had stayed in different places on their holiday commented after seeing my photos of our suite that it looked really good and more spacious than their choices. It is a short walk to DL approx. 7 minutes. Denny's is right at the end of the drive way. I would stay here again

 

[figment_jii]

As others have said, making dining reservations at DLR is not nearly as stressful as it is at WDW. That being said, if you know you want to eat some place and/or at a specific time, I would still make an ADR. I have been there when they've been turning away walk-up. You can usually make ADRs much closer to the trip and still get good times and/or venues. Inside the parks, my favorite spots are Blue Bayou (DL), Cafe Orleans (DL), Carnation Cafe (DL), Big Thunder BBQ (DL), and Carthay Circle (DCA).

I've done Surf's Up and it was a lot of fun. We saw Mickey (photo package), Pluto, Daisy, Stitch, and Minnie (we missed her, but I saw her when we entered). The food was okay - kind of standard buffet style breakfast foods - but there were Mickey waffles, so the kids were happy. I posted photos of the food in the Disneyland Dining thread.

When are you going in September? The dates for MHP have not yet been announced, so it's not known when they'll be.

I would go to San Diego first, and then end at DLR. At least that's how I've done it when I've gone down to SD and DLR. I've found that San Diego is a lot of fun, but the days were generally shorter and/or less packed, so I wasn't as tired at the end of the day. I think if I had gone to DLR first, I would have been pretty tired by the time I got to SD.

 

[riostoker]

When are you going in September? The dates for MHP have not yet been announced, so it's not known when they'll be.

I would go to San Diego first, and then end at DLR. At least that's how I've done it when I've gone down to SD and DLR. I've found that San Diego is a lot of fun, but the days were generally shorter and/or less packed, so I wasn't as tired at the end of the day. I think if I had gone to DLR first, I would have been pretty tired by the time I got to SD.

Ugg! You're right. Dates aren't up yet for the Halloween party. I swear I saw them somewhere, but maybe I was seeing MNSSHP dates and thought they were for DL. Rgh. Oh well, hopefully we can make it work regardless.

As for when in September, I was thinking late September since weather might be a tad cooler and we could see the Halloween decorations. Something along the lines of Sept. 18-26. Regardless of what dates we chose, I was going to make sure our DLR days were weekdays and not weekend. Somebody asked where we were coming from... coming from NC, so definitely several time zones (3?).

I think everybody is confirming what my gut was telling me... do SD first, and then DL. My husband kept saying it didn't matter at all, but I think it does!

Thanks for all the great info about hotels and restaurants! It helps a lot!

 

[figment_jii]

Ugg! You're right. Dates aren't up yet for the Halloween party. I swear I saw them somewhere, but maybe I was seeing MNSSHP dates and thought they were for DL. Rgh. Oh well, hopefully we can make it work regardless.

It was probably WDW's MNSSHP. Those dates have already been announced. For the last few years, DLR has not announced the MHP dates until early July. This year with the 60th happening right around then, we might not know until after mid-July. There are all sorts of rumors about potential changes to MHP (e.g., more dates, starting earlier, moving to DCA, etc.), but if the parties follow the same schedule as in the past few years, the first party will be on Friday, September 25th (the last Friday in September). So all the more reason to plan to do DLR in the second half of your trip!

As for when in September, I was thinking late September since weather might be a tad cooler and we could see the Halloween decorations. Something along the lines of Sept. 18-26. Regardless of what dates we chose, I was going to make sure our DLR days were weekdays and not weekend.

It is worth noting that during this time of year, fireworks, F!, and Mad T Party are often only on weekends (Fri to Sun). So if you don't have a Fri, Sat, or Sun planned, you may miss out on those events.

 

[Butterfly123]

We stayed at Portofino a long time ago. It was too long ago to give it an accurate review, but what I can say is that we never stayed that far away from the parks again. We now stay right across the street on Harbor at BWPPI. We are a family of 5 and stay in the minisuites. Now to call it a suite is somewhat misleading...it is really just a long room, and someone sleeps on the sofabed, but we love the proximity.

When we did our SD/DLR trip we did SD first, and then DLR on the way home. It is important to end on the high note! Otherwise you will be so tired for SD, and it will seem like a bit of a letdown.

 

[D1sneyfam1ly]

We love visiting in late September. The Halloween Party was so much fun when we went and we plan to do it again. It is a great time for us. We have stayed at the Cortona, nice motel, good breakfast but the area for eating was a little small. Our main complaint was the walking distance at night, we were tired and walking that far back was not ideal. It wasn't bad at all in the morning but at night our feet were sore and tired. A few times we rode the parking tram from the entrance to the parking lot to cut down the distance and that helped. Never stayed at HOJO but family has and they loved it but I know it doesn't have a breakfast if you want that.

I have also looked into the suites at the Ramada Maingate in their new building. Never stayed there but the new building looks nice and it is a little closer than a few of the other hotels you are looking at. We are staying at Park Vue on our next visit and it gets good review on here. We don't need a big room though so I am not sure if they have suites or not.

Some of our favorite restaurants are Hungry Bear, Plaza Inn, Jolly Holiday and Blue Bayou.

Definitely end on Disneyland.

 

[HydroGuy]

It is worth noting that during this time of year, fireworks, F!, and Mad T Party are often only on weekends (Fri to Sun). So if you don't have a Fri, Sat, or Sun planned, you may miss out on those events.

For example see "What You Should Know About Off-Season at DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889