Pre Pre Pre Planning and have ?'s!

[mom2ryandy]

Hi there.
I've been to Disneyland once back in 1981 when I was 9. We spent 1 day and I unfortunately don't have many memories of my visit.
My family of 4 (myself, husband, and 2 sons, 20 and14 ) are frequent vacationers of WDW.
Next year we were thinking of going off our usual course and visit Disneyland.
I'm not sure where to start in planning.
We would be flying in from NYC area.
Our vacation would most likely be in mid to late August.
Some questions I have:
How many days should a decent visit to DL/DCA include?
Should we stay in a Disney hotel or not? Why or why not?
What transportation is available from the airport (LAX) to hotel?
Any offsite things-to-do suggestions?

Feeling like a little bit of a fish out of water.
Looking forward to reading anyone's input and so much more information here to prepare to plan... Thanks!

 

[mchllevns]

following...have similar questions and hoping to visit DL as well!

 

[Cubicleprisoner]

I am also from the East Coast. When I go, I get the 5 day park hopper ticket.
You will want to spend at least two full days in each park to have the full experience. If you can afford it, stay in one of the three Disney hotels especially if you are an early riser and think you may take advantage of early entry privileges. If you are on a budget, then it is really not a big deal to choose one of the many non-Disney hotels available within walking distance. Trip Advisor is a great tool to use in order to find a hotel within your budget that has the amenities you want or need. I always use Super Shuttle to get to and from the airport and have had no problems. There is also a Disneyland Express bus available. I really enjoyed Knott's Berry Farm. Gray Line is a company that offers tours to Universal Studios, the beach, and Hollywood/Downtown L.A. Their website is worth checking out. Have fun planning!

 

[PaintsWindColors]

Hello!
If it's your first time to DLR/DCA then you'll want to get a 3-day park hopper at the very least. Since the expansion for Cars Land, DCA is quite the sizable park and takes a full day or more!
I have never stayed in a Disneyland Resort hotel because 1) they are typically a little more expensive than the WDW Resort hotels and 2) they have limited availability within 1-2 months of our trips. The DLR hotels are still a good 1/2 mile hike to the parks - the same as the parking garages. There are off-site hotels across the street from the pedestrian entrance that are closer (and more budget friendly!)
Orange County airport is the closest (SNA airport code) but if you're flying from LAX then you can get an airport shuttle to any Anaheim hotel.
If you don't have a rental car, then the GardenWalk is a short distance (2 blocks) away from Disneyland and has lots of shops, restaurants, and a movie theater. Here is where you'll find the tourist favorite, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.
If you're able to snag a rental car, I highly recommend a trip to Huntington Beach and a swing through In-n-Out for a burger!

Have a great trip!

 

[Rubygoose]

Hi there.
I've been to Disneyland once back in 1981 when I was 9. We spent 1 day and I unfortunately don't have many memories of my visit.
My family of 4 (myself, husband, and 2 sons, 20 and14 ) are frequent vacationers of WDW.
Next year we were thinking of going off our usual course and visit Disneyland.
I'm not sure where to start in planning.
We would be flying in from NYC area.
Our vacation would most likely be in mid to late August.
Some questions I have:
How many days should a decent visit to DL/DCA include?
Should we stay in a Disney hotel or not? Why or why not?
What transportation is available from the airport (LAX) to hotel?
Any offsite things-to-do suggestions?

Feeling like a little bit of a fish out of water.
Looking forward to reading anyone's input and so much more information here to prepare to plan... Thanks!

I would suggest at least 3 park days, but 4 or 5 would be better. Since you're coming from another time zone, you may want to give yourselves some time to relax on the first day and take it easy.

I haven't been to WDW, so I can't give you any comparisons, but it sounds like staying onsite there is much more important than at DLR. Staying onsite is nice, but it's more expensive and not necessarily closer to the main gates than staying at a motel on Harbor. For our upcoming trip in August, we're starting out at HOJO for 3 nights and then switching over to DLH on Aug 24th when their prices drop significantly. We're leaving on the 28th, which is a Thursday, so the flights were significantly cheaper than flying home on the Friday. Also, there's a marathon during the long weekend, so many of the hotels are booked up starting on the Friday night.

There are a lot of private shuttle companies to choose from for transportation from LAX to the hotels in Anaheim. When you're looking for flights, it's also a good idea to look into the John Wayne Airport (SNA) which is only about 20 minutes away from Disneyland. From our area, flights are usually similar prices into LAX as SNA, but it really depends on the airline. We like SNA because it's closer and much easier to get around with little kids. We flew home from LAX once, and decided to avoid that airport as much as possible in the future unless the prices were significantly lower.

 

[figment_jii]

My family of 4 (myself, husband, and 2 sons, 20 and14 ) are frequent vacationers of WDW.

I would highly recommend you take a look at HydroGuy's Guide to DLR for WDW Vets. It'll help you get a sense of the similiarities and differences between the resorts and might help give you a place to start your planning.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

Our vacation would most likely be in mid to late August.

How tied to August are you? I only ask because by late August, HM will be closed to have it's Halloween overlay installed. If you wait until late-September, you can see both of the Halloween overlays which are unique to DL (Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy).

 

[peterpanandwendy]

hydroguy has a great super thread with TONS of info. I have never been to WDW, but what I understand is that it can take quite some time to get from the Disney Resorts to the parks in WDW (buses etc)… whereas in Disneyland it is literally a 5min walk from the resort hotels to the front gates of Disneyland and DCA. This is also true of the 'good neighbour' hotels. We have always stayed at the Howard Johnson Anaheim, and it is a 7 min walk to the front gate of both parks. We like it because we can actually see the Matterhorn from our hotel window, which is pretty nice! Some people argue that they don't like leaving the Disney 'bubble', but we don't mind at all! It frees up more money to spend in the parks, and we still get the view of the park, and we are just as close as the resort hotels.

We try to book at LEAST 3 days, but 4-5 is better. You really do need at least 2 days in each park to really get everything done. Remember that there are MORE attractions in the 2 Disneyland parks than there are in all of WDW, so don't let the size make you think there is less to do.

We use the Disneyland Resort Anaheim shuttle service from LAX. It is just a bus, but it is cheap and takes us right to our hotel. If you are wanting to do other things in the area you might want to consider renting a car?

I'm not a local, so I don't have any advice on what else to do, but we really love heading down to San Diego for a few days after our Disney trip.

 

[SMD]

I think with teenage and older boys you'll get a lot done in 3 park days. Ask your kids what they want to do in So Cal, let them do some research and make a suggestion. They might not want to spend 5 days in a theme park, or all 5 theme park days at a Disney park.

 

[awinangie]

Welcome back to Disneyland!!!

I went to WDW twice in the 90s and really liked it, but Disneyland is my home park.

As for the number of days, you'll surely get recommendations for anywhere from 3 to 5 days. You can easily hop between the parks multiple times a day which helps to get to things on your priority list more quickly. So you might be "finished" within a few days. However, right now the prices for park-hopper tickets are as follows:

3-day: $265
4-day: $289
5-day: $305

$16 difference between 4 and 5 days... Wowsa. I vote for longer rather than shorter. I just really like to be unhurried at Disneyland.

You can easily fly into any (most?) of the local Los Angeles airports. The closest airport to Disneyland is SNA (aka Santa Ana, Orange County, John Wayne). It's a small airport and easy to fly into and out of... Burbank is further away, but also small and easy. LAX seems to be despised by locals, but I find it an easy trip to Disneyland. I prefer SNA, but will happily fly into LAX to save $$ on airfare or for a better flight time.

We take SuperShuttle when we don't have friends picking us up... $10 per person to (or from) SNA and $16 for the same for LAX. There's also a bus and car service options. Others can guide you on that. I find SuperShuttle to be easy ... Pay ahead online and print voucher at home.

The hotel situation at Disneyland Resort (DLR) is very different than at WDW. You absolutely don't have to stay at a resort hotel to have the full Disney experience. The "Disney Bubble" is something I REALLY enjoyed at WDW, and there are plenty of folks who swear by it at Disneyland too, but it's just not the same.

Search for "Disneyland" on GoogleMaps. When you look at Satellite view, you can see that DLR is in one giant block bordered on the west side by Disneyland Dr and by Harbor Blvd on the east side. Disneyland is in the north part of that block and California Adventure is on the south side. In between the two, you've got Downtown Disney, tram loading/unloading (from parking), and the Grand Californian on the west side. In the center of that middle section is the "Esplande", or entrance area for both parks. The east side has the bus shuttle drop-off and the walkway from the Harbor hotels.

The Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier are across the street on the Disneyland Drive (west) side of the park. On the Harbor Blvd. (east) side of the park, you've got a multitude of options. In my opinion, your best choices are along Harbor Blvd from Manchester Ave. at the north, to Ramada Maingate at Disney Way at the south. However, Howard Johnson (HoJos) is well-loved by many and just north of Manchester on Harbor Blvd. There are also several often recommended hotels on both sides of Harbor Blvd as far south as Katella.

The crosswalk across Harbor into the parks is in the center of the block between Manchester and Disney Way, at IHOP. The closest hotels on either side are Best Western Plus Park Place and Park Vue Inn.

All this to say... If money isn't an object, you can't go wrong but to stay in the resort hotels. But there are so many good options that you certainly aren't limited.

I only go to Disneyland and visit friends when we go to the LA area. Nothing else appeals. But there are many other options, other parks (Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Studios, Magic Mountain) beach options, Hollywood tourism options, historical (the missions, La Brea Tar Pits)... I suspect if you share what types of things interest your family, others can give good advice.

Also, make sure you visit the following thread. It's got links to all kinds of information, including a "Guide to DLR for WDW Vets".

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1072276


Have fun!!!

 

[prgal0715]

Subscribing to this thread! Like OP, I'm a WDW vet but have only been to DL once (in 1999!). I'll be in Anaheim in April for the SW Convention but will also do 3 or 4 separate days at DL/CA. I don't even know where to start with my planning!! Thanks in advance to all the DL experts here!!

 

[GatorChris]

WDW vet here. Let me say first that a stay at a Disney resort in Anaheim is not necessary like it is in Orlando. I can't imagine a trip there without the bus system and everything else. But at DL, the hotels only offer an extra hour in the mornings, and it really doesn't amount to a whole lot in the end.

As for days, try doing 4 days. That will be enough to see all the things you want to see and double up on the good rides.

 

[Carrie772]

We too are thinking about heading to the West Coast to see DL and Yosemite as well as La Brea. Enjoying the planning, but can't believe I can't reserve my room or my dining yet! I am used to 180 days ADRs and having my room reserved a year in advance!

 

[zanzibar138]

I would spend at least 3 days there - one full day for each park, then one to do stuff you've missed or repeat your favourites. If you want a more relaxed trip, I would go for 5 days.

It's much less imperative to stay onsite at DLR. There are no onsite value options - all three of the hotels are more deluxe priced. There are lots of cheaper options just across the street, and many within walking distance. The onsite/offsite thing is highly subjective and is the topic of much heated discussion on the DLR boards. You will find people who are very passionate about either staying onsite or offsite. Personally, I spend so little time at my hotel on a Disney trip, I'd rather save my money for the parks.

Another vote for SuperShuttle. Never had any problems with them. As an international visitor, I always have to fly into LAX, and agree that it's definitely better avoided if possible (but maybe the domestic part isn't as bad as the international part). On my next trip, I'm going interstate afterwards, and am VERY excited to be able to fly out of SNA. I would have paid up to $100 more for the privilege, but it actually turned out to be cheaper.

I'm another who isn't particularly enamoured with LA in general, and always bypass it to go straight to Anaheim. But there is plenty to do and see in the area. Off the top of my head, there's other theme parks (Knotts, Universal, 6 Flags), beaches and beachside sightseeing (eg Queen Mary), Catalina Island, Hollywood sightseeing (eg Hollywood sign, walk of fame, wax museum etc). And if you want to go a bit further afield there's San Diego, with the zoos, SeaWorld, Legoland, and more beaches.

 

[mom2ryandy]

Thanks so much everyone! Loving all the info so far! It's definitely helping!