Planning a trip to Disneyland, need some help

[milan15]

Hi all!
I am planning a trip for my wife and myself to go to disneyland some time this summer and was wondering if anybody could help me.
First off: When should we go exactly?
We are going for our 1st year wedding anniversary which is on July 25th. However, I have heard from many that this would probably be the worst time to go because so many people will be there. We want to go for between 3-5 days during the week (we were told that would be the least busy time of the week). Here are a few times we have been considering: June 22nd-26th (3 days at disneyland probably), July 20th-24th (3 days at disneyland there as well), or lastly July 27th-31st (3 days at disnelyand again).
Second: Hotel
We want to keep it cheap but nice at the same time. We are a young couple so we dont have a ton of money, but we dont want to stay at an awful hotel. Really what we are looking for is somewhere within walking distance of the parks or a short shuttle ride, nicer rooms but not so nice that we feel bad for not being in them all day, and somewhere with good staff.
Third: Flights/Driving
We would love to fly, but understand that driving may be a better/cheaper option. Where should we look to book a flight at and should we do a vacation package with them?
We live in Salt Lake City, Utah...

Thanks in advance, I really appreciate it

 

[avalon451]

Hi, Milan, welcome! How nice of you to do the planning for your first anniversary!

First off, up at the top of this forum is Hydroguy's sticky thread, "Hydroguy's Tips Compilation." He has lots of planning tips and ideas for you, especially about the high season time of year, and managing to get the most out of your time with the least waiting in line. Here's the thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483

As far as hotel: HoJo all the way. You'll find a lot of big fans for HoJo on these boards. It's the nicest hotel across the street (one block up) for the price, and if you can get the Entertainment book rate, it can't be beat. Just browse around a bit and you'll see some threads about it. I kind of doubt you can get the Entertainment book rate for the time you will be there (at least they're not showing now, but they often add more dates as it gets closer), but you never know; you can book and still get 15% Dis boards rate anyway, and if they add the the Ent rate for your dates, you can switch right up until you check in and get those rates. Details are here: http://www.hojoanaheim.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=14

Thirdly, I would avoid booking a package deal with flights, because you can often save hundreds of dollars booking yourself, separately. If you want to check it out, try getting an estimate online for a package, then price all the elements out separately, and check the difference. There are a lot of good airline deals out right now, so if you book directly with the airline you might be able to swing it. There's lots of people from Utah on these boards who can help you!

That's my 3 cents Have a great time planning and hope you have a wonderful anniversary! Our 20th is coming up July 1st... geez, time flies.

 

[Laz]

Hi all!
I am planning a trip for my wife and myself to go to disneyland some time this summer and was wondering if anybody could help me.
First off: When should we go exactly?
We are going for our 1st year wedding anniversary which is on July 25th. However, I have heard from many that this would probably be the worst time to go because so many people will be there. We want to go for between 3-5 days during the week (we were told that would be the least busy time of the week). Here are a few times we have been considering: June 22nd-26th (3 days at disneyland probably), July 20th-24th (3 days at disneyland there as well), or lastly July 27th-31st (3 days at disnelyand again).
Second: Hotel
We want to keep it cheap but nice at the same time. We are a young couple so we dont have a ton of money, but we dont want to stay at an awful hotel. Really what we are looking for is somewhere within walking distance of the parks or a short shuttle ride, nicer rooms but not so nice that we feel bad for not being in them all day, and somewhere with good staff.
Third: Flights/Driving
We would love to fly, but understand that driving may be a better/cheaper option. Where should we look to book a flight at and should we do a vacation package with them?
We live in Salt Lake City, Utah...

Thanks in advance, I really appreciate it

FYI: June 25-29, The Future Business Leaders of America will be holding its national conference. At that time you will be joining 8000 high school students and their advisors.

 

[S. S. Columbia]

When should we go exactly?

You mentioned: June 22-26, July 20-24, and July 27-31

Perhaps the parks would be marginally less crowded at the end of July, but I think that any of those dates would be fine. We went to DLR in August '07, on weekdays; the parks were busy, but manageable. This year we're going the last week of June.

I also highly recommend the HydroGuy Tips Compilation.

Here's some general advice:

- Early! Early! Early! (go to the DL/DCA entrance area at least 30 minutes early)
- Take advantage of your Magic Morning early entry (links: Super Thread by DLR29 and Critique by Hound 109)
- Learn how to use FastPass (see the FP threads in the HydroGuy Tips Compilation)
- HydroGuy's "Getting The Most Out of a Summer Visit To DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319
- "HydroGuy's Fireworks Rule" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199851

In the summertime, every night the schedule will have fireworks, 2 Fantasmics, and the Electrical Parade (in DCA).

Second: Hotel

Here are a couple of links:

www.accommodationsneardisney.com (the hotel info may be outdated, but the map is helpful)

"Bret's Disneyland Lodging Map" (shows hotel locations around DLR) www.geocities.com/ashpsyche/DisneylandLinkMap

As a point of reference, the Best Western Park Place Inn (BWPPI) is right next to the "crosswalk" and is a 5-minute walk to the DL/DCA entrance. The Howard Johnson (HoJo Anaheim) is a 10-minute walk, although their sales people and fast-walkers say that it's an 8-minute walk. The Candy Cane Inn (CCI) is a 10-minute walk, although the CCI is one of the few hotels/motels that has a dedicated shuttle that goes "to and fro" twice an hour.

We're staying at the HoJo next June. It wouldn't hurt to call the HoJo (714-776-6120 or 800-422-4228) (ask to speak to "In House" reservations -- they are super helpful). The CCI is also one of the nicer hotels/motels. I enjoyed my stay at the Camelot Inn & Suites, and you'll hear good things about their sister-property, the Tropicana Inn & Suites. You'll also hear good things about the Fairfield Inn and BWPPI.

Third: Flights/Driving

There are 5 airports: LGB (Long Beach), LAX, SNA (John Wayne/Orange County/Santa Ana), ONT (Ontario), and BUR (Burbank).

The lowest price for flights from SLC to LGB that I've seen have been approximately $186 on Orbitz.com. (The $186 is for June 27 (Sat) and July 5 (Sun).) Southwest has some o.k. fares for flights into LAX. It wouldn't hurt to check JetBlue. SNA is a convenient airport, but the fares from SLC seem to be fairly high.

For driving, some people like to drive from SLC to Anaheim in one day -- it's a 10 or 11 hour drive. Some people like to split it up and spend a night in Las Vegas or St. George.

I've always booked my flights and hotel separately. Most people will say that the packages will be more expensive.

If you any more questions... ask away!

Hope this helps.

 

[PinkBudgie]

We went at the end of July last summer. It was busy but not crazy nuts. Morning is great and you can get a lot done. Then go over to DCA for the afternoon. We went Tue, Wed, Th. It would have been great if it wasn't for the earthquake on Wed.

We are going at the end of June this year for our 20th anniversary and staying at the Embassy Suites South for the free breakfast and nice room for a special trip. Can't change the dates so I guess we will just have to put up with the big conference. Won't they be in seminars during the day anyway? Oh well.

 

[tasha99]

FYI: June 25-29, The Future Business Leaders of America will be holding its national conference. At that time you will be joining 8000 high school students and their advisors.

Oh noes! I'm going to be there June 22-27. On the other hand, if they're "future business leaders," I bet they're a bunch of great kids. Just a big bunch . . .

 

[PinkBudgie]

Oh noes! I'm going to be there June 22-27. On the other hand, if they're "future business leaders," I bet they're a bunch of great kids. Just a big bunch . . .

I was thinking the same thing. There have got to be worse groups than this one. If you have to have a big group at least you have some kids with some aspirations.

 

[dare2dream]

I was a member of PBL-Phi Beta Lamda the college version of FBLA-Future Business Leaders of America. I attended a convention in 2007 in Chicago. The convention activities do not leave a lot of free time. The PBL convention is June 20-23 and the FBLA convention is June 25-28. I imagine the worst day in the parks will be Wednesday the 24th, the day between the two conventions.

The official convention hotels are not located within walking distance of the parks. A special offer to attendees with park tickets and transportation at an extra cost is offered Sunday the 19th, Wednesday the 24th and Wednesday the 29th. All other days park tickets are offered at an additional cost with no transportation provided.

Just some info FYI and as mentioned PBL and FBLA members are pretty classy in my opinion.

Have a great adventure!

 

[milan15]

Thank you all for your help.
I have been looking for hotels/flights/tickets seperatly now and I still have a couple questions.
First off:
Has anyone stayed at Del Sol Inn or Best Western Anaheim Inn? and would they be worth saving the 20-80 bucks instead of staying at Howard Johnson?
Secondly:
THANK YOU for telling me to look individually for tickets, Delta tickets are almost 100-200 dollars less than any other airlines (going to SNA from SLC)
Third:
Is there anywhere else to buy park hopper tickets that are cheaper than the actualy disneyland website?
Lastly:
Should we do the character breakfast/dinner? I remember doing it with my family a while back and thought it was fun. However, we wanna ride some rides, so maybe just the dinner? A little help... thanks

Thank you all so much again, I really appreciate it

 

[clairabell29]

First, don't be afraid to fly into Long Beach. Its a great small airport and just about as close as SNA, give or take a mile! I looked up on Farecast.com and found tickets for all your dates on the jetblue website for $173 in June and $179 in July. It says fares are holding steady and its a good time to buy. Jet Blue is a great way to fly. Much nicer then Delta in my opinion. As for the hotels, Hojo is nicer then the other two, but does not have breakfast. If you call IN HOUSE reservations at the hojo and ask for the disboards rate you get 15% off. Also do a search for expedia coupons as well as Orbitz, you can usually find something for $40-$75 off for a 4 night stay at several hotels. They may have coupons for flights too.
You can DEFINATELY get tickets cheaper. Try getaway.com, flightcentre.com, and I know there are others.
As for charactor meals, I have never done one so no advice there. But since it is your anniversary I recomend the BB for at least dessert if not dinner. Let them know its your anniversary both making the PS and when you get there. Also request a seat by the water. It is very romantic and unforgetable.
If you need any more trip planning help feel free to ask. I help plan about 30 trips a year for friends and family and usually can find great deals. Good luck and have a great time!

 

[PinkBudgie]

I was a member of PBL-Phi Beta Lamda the college version of FBLA-Future Business Leaders of America. I attended a convention in 2007 in Chicago. The convention activities do not leave a lot of free time. The PBL convention is June 20-23 and the FBLA convention is June 25-28. I imagine the worst day in the parks will be Wednesday the 24th, the day between the two conventions.

The official convention hotels are not located within walking distance of the parks. A special offer to attendees with park tickets and transportation at an extra cost is offered Sunday the 19th, Wednesday the 24th and Wednesday the 29th. All other days park tickets are offered at an additional cost with no transportation provided.

Just some info FYI and as mentioned PBL and FBLA members are pretty classy in my opinion.

Have a great adventure!

Thanks for that info! We are arriving the 24th and will probably go for afternoon but don't expect to get in anything big that day anyway.

As for the tickets- AAA also sells park hoppers that give you free parking at Mickey and Friends parking lot. If you drive this saves you about $12 a day.

 

[wdhinn89]

Is there a website that lists all the Anaheim conventions, their dates and estimated number to attend?


OOPS. Sorry, I thought I posted a new thread.

 

[milan15]

Well this is becoming quite a lot of work, but really enjoyable work (go figure)
Here is one trip that i have made that i think would work for us... tell me what you think (if we could find it cheaper somewhere else)
July 26th - July 31st
Flight:
Jetblue SLC-Long Beach
$338.40 roundtrip for two
Hotel:
Howard Johnson
$626.75 for 5 nights (i have not made that phone call yet for the 15% discount...)
Disneyland Tickets:
4 day park hopper
$388.00 for two

TOTAL: $1,353.15
if we get that discount that number would drop to 532.74 for the hotel so total would be $1,259.14

Both of those are very reasonable... but one always wants the best deal and I am not sure if I have it just yet.
Any suggetions/help would be very appreciated

 

[Tasscrapper]

You are forgetting about transportation from the airport to your hotel. My dh and I went last August for our 15 year anniversary and flew from SLC to SNA (it was the cheapest). Transfers to the hotel were about $15 each way for each of us plus tip if you do that. We also ended up just leaving a vehicle at the SLC airport so if you don't have someone to drop you off or pick you up you need to factor that parking cost into it as well. For us time was a big factor and that's why we choose to fly. If money is a big concern and time not as much you might want to give more thought to driving. We got annual passes in August and have taken the kids twice since then. The first time we drove during the day and stopped over night in Mesquite both ways. The most recent trip was actually me and my brother and we left about 10pm and drove through the night. We switched off at times sleeping or resting when not driving and it was much better. We spent less money on food while traveling and because I still got some sleep doing Disneyland in the morning was completely fine. I wasn't overly tired at any point that day. Traffic is much better at night although going through Vegas was like our rush hour traffic even in the early hours of the morning. We'll be going again in June and driving through the night again although with an earlier park opening we will start the drive a bit earlier too.

By the way I live in West Jordan. Driving an Odyssey van it cost about $120 round trip in February and gas prices really haven't gone up much since then. Just another option to look at. I would suggest stopping overnight on the trip home if you drive. Vegas, Mesquite or even Saint George if you want to go that far would be good places.

We are going to be staying at the Del Sol the beginning of June and will report back on it. You'll probably have booked by then but it will hopefully help others. We looked at HOJO's which I really do want to try but Del Sol was a lot cheaper for what we wanted and included breakfast with being closer. We've got 5 nights for $391.xx and nothing else came close to that. You're not at the hotel much anyhow so we are giving that a try.

 

[vbecky]

I think the end of July would be fine. I have been there the end of June and the middle of August last year it was busy but very manageable. We always went early and the DL didn't get to busy till around 1 pm. We rode everything that we set out to do and usually twice but I do use Ridemax. We also have flown int John Wayne and Long Beach and I would pick long beach hands down a nice small airport no lines etc.

 

[milan15]

has anyone heard anything about or stayed at the eden roc hotel in anaheim?
for 5 nights (July 26th - 31st) I can get it for $237.50.
From the map it looks like a 10-15 min walk (we can handle that).

 

[clairabell29]

Found you this deal on orbitz:
Jet Blue flight to LGB july 26-31 7:37am-8:25am return 7:25pm-10:07pm all non-stop
Howard Johnson Hotel King Bed
2 4day park hoppers
coupon code: 75orbdot
Total: 1229.88

Change hotel to Hotel Menage (heard good things about, but check tripadvisor.com) about a 12 min walk to crosswalk according to google
total: 1177.81

Change hotel to Annabella w/ queen bed (again heard its good but check tripadvisor.com) says its a 10 min walk to down town disney on google
total 1240.15

I hope this helps!

 

[milan15]

Well I have knocked it down under a grand. Here is how:
July 27th - July 31st (this is looking like the best time for us)

Flight: (pretty locked in on this deal)
Flying to SNA via Delta
$398.40 round trip for two

Hotel: (locked in on this one as well)
Eden Roc Hotel in Anaheim
$202.64 for 4 nights via expedia.com
Also notable, they have a shuttle to and from SNA ($10/person)
so $242.64

Disneyland Tickets: (this one i still need some help on)
3 day park hopper via disney.com
$358.00 for two.

GRAND TOTAL: $999.04

our budget is looking like between 1500 and 2000 for the whole trip so that gives us quite a bit of room, i think, for food, souvenirs, etc...

We could still use some help/suggetions/advice though...
and again, thank you all so much

 

[clairabell29]

Be careful with Eden Roc, have yet to hear good things, although the trip advisor reviews seem to be getting a little better. I thought it was 4 day hoppers..my bad. Have you checked Getaway.com or flightcentre.com? Good luck and have a blast!

 

[milan15]

Be careful with Eden Roc, have yet to hear good things, although the trip advisor reviews seem to be getting a little better. I thought it was 4 day hoppers..my bad. Have you checked Getaway.com or flightcentre.com? Good luck and have a blast!

i had a friend and her boyfriend just go there a few weeks back and they said that it was old, but great for what they needed.
At that price, my expectations wont be very high... just a place to rest at night and in the middle of the day is all we need.

Also I keep getting a server maitanence error on getaway.com whenever i search for attractions in anaheim. Am I doing something wrong or is it really a server error? The flightcentre one is confusing to me as well, I could use a little help