Planning a roadtrip for ages 18-20 (Help!)

[SuperGeek]

So four or five friends and myself are planning a road trip to Disneyland sometime in March/possibly April. Three of us will be 19, the youngest 18 (if she ends up being able to go at all), and the oldest two will be only 20. We're not sure if we're going to be able to find a hotel that will allow under-21's to make a reservation, so we're looking into getting a space at an RV park (though we're not sure if they'll allow us either).

[On a less important note, of 4/5 going, I am the only one who has been to Disneyland multiple times; one of the 20yr olds is a HUGE Disney fan, but he's never been at all. Anything special we can do for him?]

Any advice?

 

[Minnie Loves Mickey]

As long as you are 18 and have a credit card you could stay at the Sheraton park my kids have been staying there since one of there friends turned 18

 

[SuperGeek]

Awesome, thank you!

 

[ArchOwl]

Sounds like fun! I think you should probably call the hotels you might be interested in staying at. A quick check online showed that the minimum age for Marriots in Anaheim seems to be 18 (with a credit card of course). Hiltons and Hyatts seem to have the same policy. So I think that if you called around you might be pleasantly surprised.

I think a friend of mine stayed in the Anaheim area in a hostel, which young people stay at with no problem. You might want to look into that as well.

Make sure your friends get their "1st Visit" buttons at City Hall. And if you are celebrating birthdays or anything else, you can get those buttons as well.

 

[skiingfast]

At 18 and with a credit card you can stay at most hotels in the US. 21 tends to only be an issue in Las Vegas.

Are you coming by RV? If so parking at a hotel can be an issue because it's tight at many of the close Harbor hotels. I'd suggest the Anaheim Plaza because it has plenty of parking room. Also it's close about a 7 minute walk, and cheap too.



As far as driving, I did a couple college Spring Break, car trips that were over 1,000 miles each way. My advice is be really cautious about what everyone can spend, because it's a sensitive topic. Know the fixed costs ahead of time like, hotel and tickets. Plan a budget for food and gas well ahead of time. Also make sure the car owner gets money to cover the cost of the vehicle oil changes and insurance. Also plan a plan for incidentals while traveling, like lossing a room deposit, towing or a new tire. Lots of problem can be cause if one person gets stuck paying the tab for others, or is forced to overspend because the rest of the group wants a nicer dinner.

Also plan the schedule too. Let everyone know and agree on how many days doing what and where. It sucks but is so common that you start fighting and 2 people go one way 2 the other. It doesn't have to be super technical but when you arrive in LA to go to DL and the beach, it can quickly turn from 4 park days 1 beach day to some people wanting to save money and do 1 park day 4 beach days or voting that you leave a day early.


It appears you are aiming at Spring Break. So letting everyone in on park strategies like early hours, FP and eating at off times will help everyone relax in the parks. Don't make yourself be the autocratic leader, AKA the person who drags everyone around. Help people buy into the trip and take interest in what you will do and what will happen. Let them know it will be crowded, and figure out how everyone wants to deal with it.

On my trip we had 2 cars so we kept contact with radios, since it was before cells phones were common. Trips involved, locked keys in the car, two cars off the road, flat tire, one car wanting a different schedule, sitting in the condo all day, driving all night and driver getting on a different sleep schedule. Planning what to stop and see along the way would of helped too.

 

[DLR29]

I am 19 and actually several of the hotels around the DLR area require that you are 21 to make a reservation (HoJo, Park Vue, Tropicana). But the second closest hotel (other than the expensive Grand Californian, which is not in 19 yo budget, I know), the Best Western Park Place Inn, allowed me to check in when I was 18.

 

[miss.potatohead]

Definitely call and ask before you book, Marriott - Residence Inn Maingate is a minimum of 18 years old check in but I'm pretty sure this goes up to minimum 21 years old during Spring Break.

 

[Scribble Kitty]

Don't know how common it is around the DLR area, but some hotels with a 21 check in will let you check in at 18 but charge an extra room deposit.

Also, if you need to rent a car Hertz usually has coupons that remove the fee charged to renters under 25.

 

[Rainasunshine]

My friends and I are doing the same thing (albeit in december rather than spring break) and we are all roughly 18-20 in age. We were able to book our hotel and park tickets together through the Disneyland web page. I am 18 and the reservations are in my name so it works that way. We are staying at the Desert Inn if that helps you guys at all.