Our first trip to DL has been booked!

[dabecs]

Hi everyone, long time no see

Well after umming and ahhing I saw the great specials Air NZ have on flights to the USA and we decided to jump on them and plan our first Disneyland trip!

So the details so far.... Flying out of Melbourne on 28th March to LA via Auckland and then leaving LA to return home on Thursday 13th April (17 nights). And that's as far as I've got

This needs to be a budget trip so I was looking at rooms at the Camelot Inn (family room so we have some space) but I haven't booked anything so I'm happy to hear opinions on where to stay.

I'll buy 10 day DL passes before we go.

We also want to visit Universal on this trip, having not been there since I was 6 (which was a while ago!) I need advice on where to stay nearby, how many days to go etc. I would also like to go to the La Brea tar pits and natural history museum and do some shopping. Should we plan those days while staying near Universal (which I think is closer). Is there public transport?

Oh and we booked sky couch on the Air NZ long haul, has anyone been on them before? Any tips?

Anyway it's lovely to be back on the Dis and 'see' all the familiar faces.

ps - this is another surprise trip, so I also have to think of a fun way to tell the girls!

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Yaay. I kept looking at those flights too.

 

[dabecs]

And Qantas have had some good prices too. I was surprised the Air NZ ones included school holidays (Vic dates anyway) so now I don't even have the guilt of pulling the kids out of school. Well they will miss the last 3 days of term but that doesn't count

 

[crazy Cat Lady]

If you can get to the Red Metro line that will take you to universal and past the station (cnr of Wiltshire and something) that you need to jump off at to catch a bus to La Brea (it's a short walk from there to The Grove too) - https://www.metro.net/riding/maps/red-line/ The LA transit website trip planner is pretty user friendly if you want to pump in some options.

Most people are saying that US is a one day park if you go at rope drop, I'm not sure if travelling with kids changes that though. If you buy your tickets online from the US website you can also get in to Harry Potter an hour earlier than other people who've purchased at the gate.

HTH - Enjoy your trip!

 

[Agent 86]

Re: Universal

I recently went in May. Firstly, I'd recommend doing Universal before Disney as it just doesn't compare to the Disney parks. Secondly, I think one day is sufficient. We booked a Gray Line transfer from near Disney to Universal. We arrived after opening and had to leave before closing (as the arrival and departure times are set by the bus company), but we thought that was plenty of time.

The layout of Universal obviously makes it less attractive to move between the upper and lower lots. We wouldn't have minded riding some of the rides in the lower lot a second time, but it took so long to get there and back (as everyone "blocks" the full width of the escalators), it wasn't worth the effort.

All that typed, we're two adults and it sounds like you have two or more daughters, so you may need more time at Universal.

 

[aussie shaz]

And if you like Harry Potter, you may want more time.

 

[zanzibar138]

Welcome back! And yay for booking a trip!

I would also check out Desert Inn & Suites for your Disney trip. It's probably slightly less fun than Camelot in that it's not themed at all, but it was a great place to just shower and sleep. Lovely spacious rooms with plenty of space for all of us.

Last time we went to Universal, we went on a day tour from Anaheim including coach transfers. We didn't even get there at rope drop, and also decided to stop by CityWalk first for some breakfast, and we were still bored by about 2pm and wanted to go 'home' lol! Of course we managed to fill in the rest of the day, and we didn't do many shows or anything so if you're into them it will take up a bit more of your time. This was also before Harry Potter (back in 2011), so it could very well be a multi day park now depending on your interests and touring style. I wouldn't spend more than 2 days there though. I agree with the PP too, that it would probably be better to aim to do this park before Disneyland.

 

[dabecs]

Thanks for all the info everyone!

Crazy Cat Lady - thanks for the public transport info, that was exactly the kind of advice I was looking for

Agent 86 - I will definitely look at putting US first. We are Harry Potter Fans (especially my daughter who will be 11 on the trip) so I think we probably will need more time than non Potter fans. And travelling with kids always slows things down!

Aussie Shaz - yes I think we will need time to soak up the Harry Potter atmosphere

Zanzibar - thanks, it feels good to be back! Also easier now because I bought a new laptop, my ipad doesn't like the Disboards so it became too hard to pop on and catch up with everyone. I don't think Camelot has any great theming to speak of, I just liked the location and that we could get a suite which was 2 rooms so we had more space (and the price!). I will add Desert Inn to my research list.

So should we just stay near Disney and travel to Universal/La Brea/shopping or should we stay at two locations? One in Anaheim and one closer to the city?

 

[crazy Cat Lady]

We split our stays when we do LA. For the Disney portion we stay in Anaheim and then for the LA bit we stay closer to the action. For our next trip we'll be at the Holiday Inn for the Disney days and then probably the Hilton @ US for that portion (the red metro is close and that gets us to everything else we want to do).

While it might cost more in $$ for accom, it will save us in travel time.

 

[zanzibar138]

We had one of the biggest suites at Desert Inn, that had 2 separate bedrooms, both with 2 queen beds. It also had 2 full bathrooms (one ensuite for each bedroom) and a little separate sitting area. It was great, especially for a trip centred around running lol! It was very well priced, but there are even cheaper options if you don't need two bathrooms. It does include a very basic breakfast too.

It sounds like you've got quite a lot that you want to do in LA, so I would do a split stay. Maybe 2 or 3 nights up there (depending on how long you think you'll want at Universal), then head down to Anaheim.

 

[Agent 86]

Agent 86 - I will definitely look at putting US first. We are Harry Potter Fans (especially my daughter who will be 11 on the trip) so I think we probably will need more time than non Potter fans. And travelling with kids always slows things down!

I don't want to rain on your parade, but personally I wasn't too impressed by the Harry Potter area. Unfortunately the theming wasn't as strong as at Orlando (i.e. various commercial buildings, stages, other areas of the park, etc were visible most of the time). Forbidden Journey is a great ride - possibly one of the greatest (if not the greatest) I've ever been on. We went there as soon as we arrived and ride it twice in a row before the wait times jumped to 60 minutes. The small coaster was very disappointing.

Three Broomsticks was excellent - we ate there for both lunch and dinner. The wait for lunch was longer than the wait for Forbidden Journey. We didn't do Olivander's, but that always seemed to have a really long line. The Butterbeer carts also had long lines all of the time, which was a shame as I love Butterbeer.

I could see the Harry Potter area taking maybe half a day if you wanted to do everything multiple times and eat there, but it wasn't a huge area. And when it's crowded, it quickly becomes difficult to move (making it a less than pleasant place to be). All IMHO of course.

 

[dabecs]

Crazy Cat Lady - I think a split stay makes sense

Zanzibar - had a look and the Desert Inn suites look great! And i love an included breakfast

Agent 86 - We haven't been to US Orlando so I'm sure we will love it. 

 

[PrincessInOz]

Welcome back.....and what a way to come back with style. Sounds like a great trip!! Hope you have fun.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

I agree that if you bus to La Brea Museum it's a short walk from there along the road to your right I think (with La Brea behind you-check on google maps - download LA before you go) and up a cross road and you are at the Grove and the Farmers Markets - 15 mins tops or most buses that drop you at La Brea keep going there. Next to La Brea also is LACMA art gallery which looked interesting depending on what was showing at the time. Easy to catch a bus from there back to wherever you are staying or to the red line station. We found the LA Transit Planner useful too but did find the buses were a bit dodgy timing depending on the time of day ( arrived a bit early or sometimes ran quite late). Can't comment on Universal as haven't made it to the LA one yet (except the old one in 1984-lol!!).

 

[aussie shaz]

I'll go the other way and say that on our 2 trips, we hired a car. Couldn't have gone without it. We stayed only in Anaheim and did day trips to wherever else we were going. The traffic wasn't a problem at all. We like to be able to come and go as we liked. We did the VIP tour at Universal (before Harry Potter) and I would have loved another half day there. That's probably because we had a longer backlot tour, but we also got onto rides immediately. We stayed until closing.
We just came back from Japan and did Harry Potter at Universal Osaka. I haven't checked, but I think they're pretty much the same. My kids love Harry Potter and loved the theming at the park. I'd also say it's a few hours, but we had Express Passes for the rides, so didn't have a long wait. We did the Olivanders wand show which was cute. We only had to wait about 15mins for it. I wouldn't have waited any longer than that. The poor little girl who was chosen to have her wand picked for her left the shop afterwards in tears because she couldn't have the wand! I would have thought they might give her one.
Anyway, whichever way you decide to go, you'll have a ball.

 

[Tigerlily75]

Hollywood area is a good base for things like Universal Studios & other LA attractions, it's a quick 10 minute subway from Hollywood & Highland to US, and very reasonable accommodation options such as Hollywood Orchid Suites, surrounded by restaurants.

We skipped US last time, but we are spending our last day there on our trip in September, I'm very excited for Harry Potter and the new Walking Dead attraction.

I would split the stay between Anaheim/Hollywood.

 

[LivingforDisney]

Have stayed at Hollywood Orchid Suites twice. Few minutes walk to the train and then 1 stop to UStudios.
Also you can get a bus to The Grove and The Tar Pits.
The staff are really friendly and helpful with directions.

 

[dabecs]

PiO - it's good to be back

Aussie Wendy - I'll add LACMA to my 'check out' list

Aussie Shaz - it's always good to hear a differing opinion, I will keep an open mind on car hire

Tigerlily and LivingforDisney - wow 2 recommendations for Orchid Suites, will definitely look them up!

 

[LeanneDownUnder]

Our last two trips we did a split stay. Check out the Magic Castle Hotel in Hollywood, my kids who are older and not really kids (teens) loved it, they give free snacks!!
I also hired a car and did all the driving it was also cheaper for me to hire a car for 10 days than to get us all down to DL via transport (5) so I got the car for 10 days. Unfortunately Harry potter was not open on our last trip last November but we only spent 1/2 day at Universal, my guys were over it by about 2.
My guys Loved the Warner Bros back lot Tour and I love to visit Santa Monica.

We have stayed twice at the Del Sol Inn. It's basic but suits our needs as we don't really spend any time in the room just sleeping and the location is fantastic, right across the road from the gates. The rooms have always been good and include breakfast, the parking for the car is about $11 a day.

Welcome back your trip sounds great!!

 

[Tigerlily75]

We stayed at Magic Castle Hotel too, I didn't mention it because it was really quite expensive, so not really budget, but it is fantastic. Not only free snacks/sodas (as much as you want), but also free DVD movie hires (with popcorn!), and my favourite - they do your washing for you. For free! Washed, dried, folded, nicely wrapped with sticks of lavender. Amazing. We had a whole garbage bag full by the time we arrived and they did it all. I did leave a decent tip!