Oh, Where to Start!

[my3kids]

Just decided to head out to Disneyland in late June, and I know not where to begin! Disney World.....Disney Cruises....I'm covered. Remove me from the east coast and I'm a lost little lamb. We are a family of 5....which DL hotel will accomodate the family. Is it even possible to get reservations at this late stage? Can Dreams do DL reservations? I read briefly about the 3 day hopper plus with 5 days actually, including multiple fast pass options...that sounded good. Is it as important to say on site in DL as WDW? If we were offsite, which I don't think we want to be, is traffic impossible.....keep in mind we are from a small town with limited traffic lights to begin with, so a state who's interstates are so vital they require an article to name them scares the bejezus out of me to begin with! So, experts...let me have 'em....all your tips, advice, strategies, TA info, reviews of hotels, and where 5 will fit(doesn't even particularly have to be comfortably...I'm not opposed to packing a sleeping bag for one of the kids....incentive to be good on the plane, or be the one left out of a comfy place to sleep.

 

[YaYas_Mom]

We booked 4 nights, 5 days at Paradise Pier, 4 adults 1 child. Got our 4th night at the hotel free and paid 3 days for 5 day park hopper passes. unlimited fass passes, $10 each at ESPN zone, and we added on a character breakfast. I feel like we got a great value for our money, will let you know if I feel different when we come back LOL. The coupons we got with the package will save me a lot of money too.

 

[daannzzz]

The Disneyland Hotel has large rooms with daybeds so will sleep 5. It is an older hotel with towers reminiscent of the Contemporary but with a more tropical feel. http://www.travelhero.com/prophome.cfm/id/108988/hotels/reservations/index.html
Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel sleeps 5 and while nice is a bit bland. i like the room decore but the rest of the hotel is just okay and has no pizazz or grounds to speak of. The pool is just a rectangle on the roof of a section of the hotel. Theme park views from one side of the hotel are awesome though.http://www.travelhero.com/prophome.cfm/id/86289/hotels/reservations/index.html
It shouldn't be to late to book a room here. These hotels don't seem to fill up as fast as at WDW.
Disnney's Grand Calfironina is the nicest of the hotels but only sleeps 4 per room. It is more convenient than any of the WDW hotels as this one is "inside" Disney's California Adventure.http://www.travelhero.com/prophome.cfm/id/127069/hotels/reservations/index.html
But as you can see from the link below. The Disneyland resort is in the middle of the suburbs and there are many motels that are right next door, some of them a comparable walk to the parks as the Disneyland hotel.
http://www.beachcalifornia.com/dlmp.html
It is easy to stay at one of these hotels and walk or take the shuttle to and from the parks. There is no need to stay far away and drive in and pay to park and take a tram over to the parks.
The two parks are right there so park hoping takes only a few minutes.

 

[my3kids]

I looked at the hotel descriptions and the Disneyland Hotel looks like it might be great for the children.....is the pool realy fun? I can get a rate of $187. Does that sound about right, or can I do better? That was room only for the 5 of us in a standard city view room. The ariel view of the area was a great link! Thanks. The DL Hotel looks like it could be more of a hike than some off site places, provided there is a gate on that side. Is it an easy walk to both parks from the DLH with children? Can I buy my Passport Plus tickets(the 3 day with 2 extra days for free) from Dreams? How do you get the 4th night free on site? Is that only offered at PP or would be at DLH, too?

 

[daannzzz]

I don;t know about getting tickets from dreams. I usually buy mine at the hotel or the front gate. $187 if just okay for the Disneyland hotel. Lots of people seem to get dicsounts wit their AP's and such. iIusually book a place and then check Expedia daily as the time approches. Sometimes the prices come down allot but usuallt not until 1 week out. I payed $129 last time I stayed. Expedia also had the 4th night for free deal. I would check all the online hotel sights and call the hotel directly occaisionally to see if there are any deals. Also check the message boards at laughingplace.com regularly and you will find some tips on the Disneyland Vacation Planning thread.
Disneyland hotel is a 5-15 minute walk to the parks, depending on where your room is located and how fast you walk. The Disneyland monorail station is a 4-9 minute walk and you can line up there and the monorail will take you directly into Tomorrowland. They have the turnstyles all set up for this. It can get a little crowded here in the morning. The pool at Disneyland Hotel appears to be fun. I have no experience as I have no kids but it has been crowded and loud when I have walked by. Everyone looked to be having loads of fuun. There is also a quiet pool area in the back with a slight tropical theme to it.
The walk from a few of the hotels on Harbor Blvd is a bit closer than the Disneyland Hotel. There is a crosswalk that leads into the tram loading area and it is easy to navigate. The motel at the crosswalk is the Best Western park Place Inn. The other motels rigght there are the Tropicana, The Park Inn, The Desert Inn and Suites. My Favorites are a hair farther. The Howard Johnson and the Candy Cane Inn which is not marked on the map but is is there on the same block Disneyland and DCA are. Most of these motels go for $59-$99 a night. But I do love the Disneyland hotel. The room interiors are fun. The border paper is pixie dust and glows in the dark for a while after turning the lights off. It is hard to tell but allot of the decor is Disneyland oriented.

 

[my3kids]

Yikes....looked at Expedia. It was $243 for the same room. I'm a DL novice. Just don't know my stuff. Cruises and WDW seem easier to figure out!

 

[daannzzz]

I know. I am about to book my WDW trip for May and am just waiting for possible codes to come out. It is pretty easy. I always call CRO for that.
At Disneyland I have never used or seen codes though I suspect they are there. Mostly on packages. I use to get a good discount in September with the Disney Club but that shrivled up.
Keep your reservation and just keep checking back on Expedia as the trip gets close. I went in December and checked a few times a day. Sometimes the price would change from day to day.

 

[peagreenid]

currently there is a special running for 3 nights hotel and get the 4th night free and buy 3 day passes and get 2 extra days free.
Have you called Disney or an agent to get a quote? I tried booking stuff seperate when we went last year.......and the package was cheaper. Disneyland prices are usually right on for package pricing, unlike WDW where they are elevated.

Patty

 

[my3kids]

Hi Patty!

I checked and the 4th night free promo isn't in effect for June, at least not now....maybe they will add that offer. These tickets are giving me a fit. AAA has no clue and then I read the post above about them sending the wrong tickets. I can order them from DL directly and the price wasn't much more than the regular passport. We really want those unlimited fast passes!

I'm waiting on a quote for the package price from Dreams. When I checked the package price with the DL rep when I finding out about the tickets, the price was higher for the package and it didn't include the same ticket(no unlimited fast passes(can you tell I'm a little fanatical about the fast pass concept ) Hopefully Dreams will come through like they do so often.

Now I have somthing else to obsess about in addition to our next Western Cruise.

 

[disneychrista]

It is NOT necessary to stay onsite at Disneyland. There are MANY hotel/motels right accross the street and actually closer then the Disneland Hotel and Paradise Peir. They are also much cheaper.

Check out

Best Western - Park Place Inn , they are right across the street. The rooms can accomidate 5 guests and includes free continental breakfast.

 

[tink2dw]

Do you remember how far it was from the tram to the turn stiles to enter Ebcot at WDW. Well think of that as a square or a plaza. From Harbor you would walk across the street thru the tram and shuttle stops,you come to the Info booth, which is the first side, just behind it is the 2 Gates, on the right DL, to the Left DCA,the fourth side is the entrance to Downtown Disney. DLH is on the Far side of Downtown Disney. There is a Monorail station in the middle of Downtown Disney.

After going to WDW I was Shocked how close DCA and DL are!! It's practically like crossing the street to the neighbors house!!

 

[hydster]

I agree about not HAVING to stay on-site in order to enjoy DL! There are MANY really nice hotels not too far from DL and if you drive it wont be much of a problem to navigate. There is a Hyatt and a Crowne Plaza both of which are nice. There are also more "motel" type places around which are MUCH cheaper than staying on property. Unlike WDW DL is not 1/2 as massive! We went to WDW last November (2002) and we were amazed at how HUGE WDW was compared to the Anaheim/DL area! We go to Disney at least once a year and never have stayed on property nor had a rental car. We stay at a motel across the street at Desert Inn and Suites and 5 of us stay in the room for really cheap. It is by far not a ***** hotel but it is manageable AND you can walk across the street and to the entry gate at either DL or DCA. SOme people hate the Desert Inn and others like it. The pool isnt great but they have good rates and big rooms for a reasonable price!!! Also you could look into www.getawaytoday.com. They seem to have pretty good rates if you dont want a 5 star hotel. They do have rates for DL hotels. They are also running a promotion right now that if you stay at one of their hotels you get 2 5 day Park Hopper Passes for the price of a 3 day PH pass for 2 adults or children over the age of 10. You also get Kids Free up to 5 in a room using existing beds, one free kids ticket to Universal Studios when you buy an Adult pass to Universal, the same for Knotts Berry Farm, Free Continental Breakfast and most include or dont charge a hotel tax rate. For example at Hampton Inn and Suites for a Suite room you would pay 479.00 for 3 days and 2 nights for all 5 people total and that would include the 2 hopper passes and breakfast for all 5 of you. Anyway it might be worth a look!!! They have prices for DL hotels like the DL Hotel and they start for a 3 day 2 night room at 669.00 for a family of 5 that is only 44 dollars a night per person....pretty good deal and with the DL hotel you get the Universal and Knotts deal, no room tax and a free 300 dollar coupon book.

Anyway there are ways to go cheaper if you want to!
Heidi