Planning advice for our October trip

[cooniez]

Hi all! My DH surprised me by suggesting we return to DL to see the park all decked out for Halloween (we were just at DL for the Grand Opening of CL). We stayed at the DLH in June, but of course the rooms were very pricey.

I was hoping I could get some suggestions on the best route to take for discounts...AAA, Costco package, AP?

Also, can anyone recommend the best non-Disney hotel? I really loved our stay at the DLH, but not sure if it's in our budget this time. I am not a hotel snob, but have a bit of OCD so I am not sure if I can handle a motel.

We are thinking to drive down to LA on Friday, Oct. 26 after work so we'll lose a day to driving. DH suggested to spend only a few days in DL since we were there recently and it will be less expensive this way. I wanted to take the kids to San Diego zoo, but DH said we can do this only if we lose 1 DL day.

I would definitely appreciate any suggestions on any aspect of our trip! TIA!

 

[yaya74]

Definitely check with Costco if you are a member. Costco will add on premium character meals and a $20 gift certificate. Some hotels (Crown Plaza, Hilton, Sheraton, Embassy) offers 3rd or 4th night free. But they are not within walking distance so you will have to drive or take ART.

Hope it helps. Have a good trip!

 

[cooniez]

Definitely check with Costco if you are a member. Costco will add on premium character meals and a $20 gift certificate. Some hotels (Crown Plaza, Hilton, Sheraton, Embassy) offers 3rd or 4th night free. But they are not within walking distance so you will have to drive or take ART.

Hope it helps. Have a good trip!

We have always gone with the Costco package in the past, but now that we are planning to have a DL trip at least once a year I am considering getting an AP for the 4 of us (we have 2 girls: 4 & 14 yrs. old). Is there a thread here that helps one with that decision (Costco/AAA vs AP route)?

I loved that we could just walk to the parks when we were at the DLH. In 2010 we stayed at the GCH and that was the best in terms of distance to the parks. Ideally I would prefer to stay onsite to avoid driving to the parks each day, but if we can save a ton of $ then maybe I can research deals that include free parking?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

For this trip, you might want to check Get Away Today, Last Minute Travel, and Ares to compare their prices with Costco and AAA. Off site, we like the Candy Cane Inn (walkable, DLR side on Harbor, and their own shuttle, super friendly staff, breakfast included), the Sheraton Park (walkable if you have not mobility issues), and the Sheraton Anaheim (further away, but also walkable if there are no mobility or health issues, and they also have a private shuttle). Your 4 yo might enjoy the pool at HoJo's. Hope this info helps!

 

[Mary09]

There are off-site hotels closer than the on-site ones even.

The Hilton is more shuttle distance but it should be clean enough for you and it's usually available cheap from the discount sites like Last Minute Travel.

The San Diego Zoo cost is cheaper than a 2nd day at DL, so you'd actually be saving some money if you went there instead, unless you have or buy APs to DL.

I rarely find Costco saves me much. I can usually do better hunting around on my own for discounts. But it's an easy thing to check for yourself. You can get online quotes from their site. You have to 'back out' the ticket cost and compare the hotel cost to what you find on your own.

 

[MinnieMom13]

How wonderful to squeeze in another Disney trip so soon! Guess that's easier to do when you live in CA. I really need to move further south!

You may want to forgo the travel agents a book with a hotel directly. I've found that they often are willing to beat any price I find online. With only 1 or 2 days in the park, having the plethora of perks may not be worth getting a package.

The Tropicana has become our offsite hotel of choice. Close and clean (and not garishly decorated)--that's all I ask.

Perhaps you want to let your kids decide what they'd prefer for this trip: the zoo or a second Disney day?

Enjoy!

 

[cooniez]

For this trip, you might want to check Get Away Today, Last Minute Travel, and Ares to compare their prices with Costco and AAA. Off site, we like the Candy Cane Inn (walkable, DLR side on Harbor, and their own shuttle, super friendly staff, breakfast included), the Sheraton Park (walkable if you have not mobility issues), and the Sheraton Anaheim (further away, but also walkable if there are no mobility or health issues, and they also have a private shuttle). Your 4 yo might enjoy the pool at HoJo's. Hope this info helps!

Hi! I thought I replied to this, but it looks like it did not go through! My only concern with purchasing from sites like GetAwayToday is that I think the purchase is non-refundable and you cannot make changes to the dates (I could be mistaken though). I would consider a shuttle, but we have our stroller so in the past I did prefer to be within walking distance, but I would consider the shuttle to save $.

There are off-site hotels closer than the on-site ones even.

The Hilton is more shuttle distance but it should be clean enough for you and it's usually available cheap from the discount sites like Last Minute Travel.

The San Diego Zoo cost is cheaper than a 2nd day at DL, so you'd actually be saving some money if you went there instead, unless you have or buy APs to DL.

I rarely find Costco saves me much. I can usually do better hunting around on my own for discounts. But it's an easy thing to check for yourself. You can get online quotes from their site. You have to 'back out' the ticket cost and compare the hotel cost to what you find on your own.

I think I am just not very good at this discount hunting! When it comes to couponing on a daily basis I am a master, but searching the travel sites and I can't seem to find the time to really dedicate to researching the best deals for hotels/tickets.

How wonderful to squeeze in another Disney trip so soon! Guess that's easier to do when you live in CA. I really need to move further south!

You may want to forgo the travel agents a book with a hotel directly. I've found that they often are willing to beat any price I find online. With only 1 or 2 days in the park, having the plethora of perks may not be worth getting a package.

The Tropicana has become our offsite hotel of choice. Close and clean (and not garishly decorated)--that's all I ask.

Perhaps you want to let your kids decide what they'd prefer for this trip: the zoo or a second Disney day?

Enjoy!

We live about 6-7 hours away so it is doable, but not so easy. Last time my legs were swollen from the long drive (even though we did make a stop).

Also, I forgot to mention that if we do end up doing a day @ San Diego Zoo then I may have to consider a night at a SD hotel...I don't think the drive is very nice coming from Anaheim to SD. That's a good idea about asking the kids what they want...I think if we do 2 days at DL then it may not be a big deal to do that 3rd day at SD (or 1st day of the trip as SD is further South).

 

[cooniez]

I am running into problems finding any hotels that have my dates! We would leave either Friday night, Oct. 26 or Saturday noon. All of the hotels that match my criteria are booked up it seems. :-(