odd questions to help our planning

[being-dragged-to-DL]

I have a few odd questions that I cant find info for. Thought Id come here to the experts!

If we stay at the DLH, is there a fee to ride the monorail ? are there hidden fee's that I should prepare for?

Whats the scoop on the food packages? We have two little ones ages 6 and 4 by the time we go. I know we cant make a bunch of reservations. It will have to be whatever whenever. Is there a package that makes sense? We will not have rental car, so we'll be at the mercy of the available stuff.

I am concerned about drinking. I mean, literally, we are used to carrying a diet pepsi or water (mom and dad)/ root beer or juice (kids) around ALL the time. That alone could cost us $200 a day! eeek!

What exactly is a character breakfast? details please! who, how much, worth it? etc.

Are there fireworks/parades in feb,march and april? and are they on sat and sun only?

If we buy too much "stuff' to take home, is there a place to mail/ship it rather than pack it on the plane?

How do we plan for the rain? (we'll be in the park 3 days)

Do you strap a backbck on each kid? I know my kids will have "stuff" to carry.

Whatelse does someone need to know, who knows nothing? Am I worrying about silly things?

We have tentatively gotten a room (DLH) 6th floor or higher, 2 queen beds, no smoking, with a DTD view. Any thing I should know/consider?

First timer... obviously! THANK YOU!!

 

[PrincessSitka]

CAll back DLH they will go over all of this with you.

 

[Barbday62]

Its been a while since I stayed at a disneyland resort but I can help with a few questons you asked:

The monorail is free for all, not just Disneyland hotel guests. Its located in Downtown Disney near Rainforest cafe and not too far a walk for you. Hotel guest do get a special line for return trip so they get priority getting back to hotel. Hoever if its crowded they will still let the other line in some too.

When we stayed at Paradise pier (Disney hotel) they charged a parking and recreation fee of $10 a night. We didnt have a car or use any recreation (it was winter and we didnt even use the pool) but they still charge it. I think all three hoels charge that.

Personally I dont like food packages. They never save you money but they do allow you to pre pay you food. My philosophy is what if you just arent hungry for a meal then why pay for it. I say plan out your food budget and pay as you go.

We always carry our own water into the parks. Its way too much to buy and I like Diet pepsi and they dont sell it there so I bring my own. I drink pop in the hotel and water in the parks.

I dont know about mailing things now but Im sure something must be around there to mail back stuff. Maybe disney will ship (I know they do in Florida for a small fee)

A character meal is usually a buffet an the characters rotate around the room to give you a small amount of time for pictures and autographs with out standing in a line. You eat while you wait for them to come to your table.
They cost a lot but I think worth doing at least once.

Your kids could carry a back pack but I dont think I would, not at ages 4 and 6. It will be enough to get their own little bodies around with out extra baggage. If you carry a back pack you could put a lot in it. I say only carry what you need too. Yuc an go back to the hotel if you need something big.

You are not worried about silly in my book. A disney vacation costs a lot and I say better to go prepared than surprised and miss out on everyting you want to do.

Barb

 

[sters]

[It does not cost a fee to ride the monorail above and beyond your DL ticket. At DL, it is considered a "ride" and not the transportation system you'd find at WDW. It goes from Downtown Disney to Tomorrowland and back. However, there are plans for a major reconstruction of the monorail this year, so it's possible it will only be running one way or not at all when you are there. I think there is a $12 a day for parking, regardless of whether you have a car or not, and that fee is called a resort fee.

Don't have any experience with food packages, so can't comment. It' pretty easy to bring your own water bottle in and refill it, or have a couple of juice boxes for the kids tucked away in a belly bag or backpack. As for soda, you'll probably just have to bite the bullet and purchase it on site.

Check at Disneyland.com for the fireworks and parade schedule. I think February and March are already posted.

A character breakfast is usually, but not always, a buffet. Sometimes it's an all-you-care-to eat family service, which is brought to your table. Typically, a set of characters will make the rounds to your table to sign autograph books and take pictures. I think it's worth it, but only you can decide.

I'm sure some of the stores can ship your stuff directly home, if you prefer. I don't know if there is a post office near by, so I'll let others address that.

You may want to purchase a guide book or two to assist with your planning.

 

[Rivergallery]

As for the water... Most of the time I was there it was just me and my DS 3 1/2 I normally drink alot of water during the day, So I just packed ONE water bottle, and shared it with my son. When it was empty I refilled it out of the water fountains.. Not the Best water, but cheap and better than none. The only thing I noticed was it tasted soft. You could also refill for free if you get ice water.

Another option is have a case of water delivered to your hotel for you. keep in your fridge on the coldest setting, and carry 2-4 around with you.. depending on if you care about sharing or not, or plan to go back to the hotel to retrieve some.

as for kids and backpacks I would say nope. What are they going to want to carry? I put everything my ds and I needed, plus had tons of room for everything we bought everyday. And by the last day I had to carry our hats, his new buzzlightyear sunglasses and his buzzlightyear gun, along with a change of clothes for each of us (he is tiny, and I put in my very this running pants that have the zipper sides and a tee-shirt. And our waterbottle, energy bars, a bagel and jam, wipes, 1 pull-up. And itenerary and a notepad.. oh and cell phone (usually in my pocket though) . At the middle of the day our jackets , A thin fleece for me and a fleece for him were in my backpack also.

If your kids want to carry their own water, snack, I suggest a fanny pack, a backpack is hard because you have to take it on and off. It is ok for an adult but I wouldn't make a kid carry it. .

 

[denyd]

I'd also consider renting a stroller ($7 with $10 refundable deposit) to serve as a pack mule for the day. If you schlep in a backpack of water, snacks and clothes, you won't have to worry about carrying them around all day.

 

[abby]

I would agree with the stroller idea. My dd was not quite 5 when we were there and used a stroller, even tho we don't own one anymore. We are going back soon and plan to do the stroller thing again.

No to the kid backpacks, unless you want to end up carring them.

Loved the DLH, great with kids.

Character meal is expensive but worth it, we did the princess breakfast and dd loved all the characters we saw.

a few hints, get to the parks when they open, you can do lots of the kid rides in the first hour with little or no lines.

We flew and I packed some water bottles, and snacks. Gave us room then in the suitcases to bring home our purchases.

Take a break mid day and go back to the hotel and relax, swim, nap (me not the kid) then go back.

 

[victorandbellasmom]

We usually buy a case from a grocery store and freeze it overnight in the hotel room refrigferator. We'd normally pack 2-3 bottles and refill throughout the day. My dh carries a backpack full of stuff, While I carry a little camera bag that holds lip gloss, Id's, cc, parkhoppers/ap , and camera.
The first time we went ds was 6 and dd was almost 3, we brought a long an umbrella double stroller. dd could take a nap at the park while in her stroller while ds and dh rode rides. we stayed at the tropicana and both children would fall asleep on the walk back (we'd stay open to close).
If you have a disney visa card you can rent 2 strollers a day for free. we did this last year. dd was 4 and dh was 7. we'd occassionally get him one too. for free, it can't be beat.
I'm not sure if we can post links to other websites or not, but www.dlresortinfo.com has links onn the left side of the home page that shows the menus for restaurant in dl, dca, gch, dlh,pp, downtown disneyland neighboring retsaurant with prices. i used this website to plan priority seating reservations. It'll give you an good idea about food budget as well. Character meals menus are in here too.
Whenw e went in oct '05, you could buy a refillable mug at the whitewater snacks inside GCH for about $7 . we stayed there so it was rather easy for dh to grab some coffee or soda before we went into the parks.
Have a great time on your trip

 

[JLSM97]

Someone already suggested buying a travel guide, which I agree with. My wife likes to get several of them. Among our favorites:

1. Passporter
2. The Unofficial Guide
3. Birnbaum's

Our favorite is the Passporter. Unfortunately, the 06 version will not come out till after our February trip. There are other good ones, too.

Vic

 

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

Water--as others have said, I take a small water bottle into the park and refill it from the fountains.

The wait for food was ridiculous. After the first day, I took some snacks (peanuts, protein bars) so I wouldn't pass out from hunger if food wasn't available.

Rain--I was there this past New Year's Eve/Day & both were quite rainy. I took a rain poncho & travel umbrella with me in my backpack and used both. People were storming the shops trying to buy ponchos and they ran out. Check the weather reports and come prepared w/dollar store ponchos if necessary--cheap insurance. You can drape them over the strollers, too. Innoventions (in Tomorrowland) is a good place to spend some time if it's rainy.

I take a Neat Sheet to use as a ground cloth for parades, fireworks, etc. Takes up much less space than a blanket or quilt and is waterproof.

I take a glasses case so I can stash my glasses in a safe place on wet/fast rides.

I bought some thick socks at the dollar store and used them to protect my cameras in my backpack (a sock will hold a digital camera or a small camcorder, keeps them from getting scratched and takes up less room than a case).

Get some cheap badge holders that go around your neck (at WalMart, etc.) to hold your tickets and fast passes and keep them handy.

Use the thread "search" feature to find a multitude of tips, DL secrets, favorite restaurants, strategies for parade & fireworks viewing, traveling with kids etc. etc. These boards contain a wealth of info!

Good luck & have fun!
I'm sure you've already thought of wet wipes &/or hand sanitizer.

 

[dopeyfanatic]

We bring our own sodas in. The 20oz plastic bottles. You can get a 6 pack for about the price of one in DL. Worth it to me to pack a few of those in your suitcases. Even if they only last you two days, that's two days worth of soda you didn't have to buy.

Ditto the backpacks...they won't last.

Rent a stroller. Even at 4 your child will want a break by the end of the day for sure, and it's nice for pushing around your stuff and not needing a locker.

I don't find that DL has so much info that you need a book. I would consider getting one at the library first before you buy one.

As for the food packages at DL, they aren't nearly as good as the ones for WDW. I can almost guarantee you'll spend less money on food if you just pay as you go.

You'll love you room. That's about where I was back in June.

As for the rain, you can bring ponchos. We all just prefer our regular jackets. I don't like ponchos.

About the fireworks, they will most like only be Fri-Sun. We're going mid February and they're not doing them on the weekdays when we go. You can go to the website and check on the calendar for your dates and see if they have it up...