Questions from a newbie

[samheatherwhite]

I am in the very beginnings of planning a multi family trip to Disneyland. We have been to Disneyworld and Universal several times so I am not a total newbie. I was looking for some advice from the experts here.
1. I was thinking about using Get Away Today. Any thoughts positive or negative regarding them?
2. We are looking at May or June 2018. When do I need to book for the best rates? We are looking at the offsite hotels that are located right across the street since we will have 2 little guys that will still need naps.
3. We are doing parks only and will not need a rental car. What method do y'all use to get to the hotels, Uber? We will probably fly into John Wayne.
4. We are trying to be budget minded, any tricks or tips that aren't obvious?

Thank so much for any help you give. I appreciate it!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

1. I have used Get Away Today multiple times in the past and never had any negative experiences with them. That said, I would still price everything out separately as well to make sure you are getting the best deal you can.
2. I personally like to book 6-10 months out and then keep an eye on rates, another reason I don't buy packages too often even though Get Away Today is a good company. I like flexibility.
3. We have used taxi and car service from the airport in the past. I would expect Uber to be cheaper. If you have little ones though, there is the car seat issue. If you are not planning to travel with car seats, that limits your choices since California law requires you use them in cars. If you don't have car seats with you, you will need to find a car service that provides them or purchase tickets for the Disneyland Resort Express bus.
4. All my tips and tricks are probably pretty obvious. Biggest expenses you can control once there are food, drink, and souvenirs. Free water cups are available at most food service places plus there you can refill water bottles at First Aid in either park or Rancho del Zocalo restaurant in Disneyland.

 

[Aladora]

I am in the very beginnings of planning a multi family trip to Disneyland. We have been to Disneyworld and Universal several times so I am not a total newbie. I was looking for some advice from the experts here.
1. I was thinking about using Get Away Today. Any thoughts positive or negative regarding them?
2. We are looking at May or June 2018. When do I need to book for the best rates? We are looking at the offsite hotels that are located right across the street since we will have 2 little guys that will still need naps.
3. We are doing parks only and will not need a rental car. What method do y'all use to get to the hotels, Uber? We will probably fly into John Wayne.
4. We are trying to be budget minded, any tricks or tips that aren't obvious?

Thank so much for any help you give. I appreciate it!

1. Never used GAT but if you are looking for a good deal on tickets I would check out Last Minute Travel Club. You can google a promo code for free membership. We used them for our September trip and they were really easy to use!

2. I would book as soon as you can, it seems as though the earlier you book the better the rate. I would check out one of the suites at Desert Inn & Suites, they are directly across the street, very reasonably priced and they have a 48 hour cancellation policy with no deposit.

3. We fly in to John Wayne and used to use a shuttle but have moved to a taxi for the last half dozen trips. The PP talked about car seats laws and I echo that.

4. Avoid buying bottled water in the parks. If you are ok with park water, use their fountains to fill a bottle. If you are like me (and DS) and can't stand the taste of the park water, either get a case of water shipped to your hotel or buy bottles from the little store at the Park Vue Inn for around 1/4 of what it costs in the parks.

 

[MICKEYFIL]

I would add that since you are planning for May or June of 2018 and I would agree with the other statement to book about six months ahead, I would look at booking on cyber monday and seeing what deals you can produce. Many of the airline websites provide great packages during that time.

 

[SplashMtn40inches]

I agree with airline packages having great discounts in May and June especially. It's often overlooked in lieu of Expedia etc.

Looking at Expedia and other similar sites for our trip: flight and hotel for our party of four was about $4000. Instead, we booked a package directly with WestJet with same flight, same hotel and 5 day park hoppers for $4011. We were amazed at the savings.

 

[VandVsmama]

I have a couple of friends who have used Get Away Today and they swear by GAT. They have a layaway plan where you pay each month toward your trip. But the full amount has to be paid in full 30 days before day 1 of your trip. Disney travel has the same rules. You could also consider using Dreams Unlimited Travel (who sponsors DIS boards & DIS Unplugged podcasts). I've heard that their travel agents are really good at constantly looking for good deals and will notify you when a better deal comes up.

 

[VandVsmama]

Re: saving $$ on a DL trip....

How many people are in your group and are there any kids?

Closest place to stay that won't break the bank would be Best Western Park Place Inn (BWPPI). They include free hot breakfast. Since you won't have a car, you won't get hit with the $11-$12/night parking fee. BWPPI opens its reservations 12 months beforehand, so the best way to get the cheapest rate there would be to look on their website 12 months ahead of time. If you're a AAA member, you can get a AAA discount on their room rates. Same thing for a lot of other hotels (i.e., AAA discount).

In terms of airport transfers, some people use Uber, but I've also read on DIS Boards that several people have used Lansky's towncar/limo service quite successfully and their rate (which is ~$100) includes 1 ~20-min stop at a grocery store, Target, or Walmart (which is handy if you'd like to stop between airport & hotel to get affordable snacks & drinks).

Other ways to save $$:

1. Buy your Disney gift cards at Target using a Target Red card. You'll get 5% back.
2. Bring a water bottle w/you into DL & fill it with free ice water from CS (counter service) restaurants. The ice water doesn't taste bad. It's not like Florida swamp water.
3. Don't ever buy soda inside the parks. $3 a piece adds up really fast. If you want your water to be flavored, bring those Crystal Light (or similar brand) flavor packets.
4. Eat a 'grab & go' breakfast in your hotel room or stay at a hotel with free breakfast.
5. If you stay at a hotel with free breakfast, take 1 piece of fruit per person and bring it w/you into the park as a mid morning snack when you get hungry in line.
6. Always bring grab & go snacks w/you, especially for kids. And especially for kids who might be picky about their snacks. If need be, pack some of those snacks in your luggage. If you have kids, think of how many snacks they eat at school each day. So if your kids eat 1 snack in the am and 1 in the afternoon, then plan on 2 snacks per day for each day you will be there.
7. If you're a WDW veteran, you might have had experience with the Disney Dining Plan. DL doesn't have anything like that. But you can do what I consider a DL equivalent....put all of your DL food money on some Disney gift cards and pay for your park meals with Disney gift cards. I don't think you can use them for gratuity, though. If you don't want to bring a million gift cards with you, just get 1 gift card from the grocery store and then add $$ to it each paycheck or each month through Disney's gift card/store website.
8. Leave the park and go across the street to have lunch at Pizza Press.
9. Have lunch or dinner delivered to your hotel room from Marri's Pizza Pasta. Their portions are huge and the food is good AND if you like leftovers and have a microwave in your hotel room, you can get another meal out of it.

 

[VandVsmama]

One lifesaver for our family in terms of budgeting how much for food is to go look at the menus & prices at Allears.net (http://allears.net/dlr/dining/menus.htm).

Also, at CS restaurants, adults can order kids' meals for themselves. CMs won't ever ask you if you have your child with you. That's one way to save on $$ and it can add up.

 

[VandVsmama]

If your kids are age 6 and under and if you won't be bringing a stroller with you...and if you decide that you will need a stroller when you're there, rent a stroller from Anaheim City Strollers. I've used them before. It was less expensive than renting each day from DL itself and they delivered the stroller to the hotel and picked it up from the hotel at the end of our trip. It was really great.

 

[Penguinmom98]

We are WDW vets taking our first trip to DL this summer. We are a family of 8 and decided on renting a house 2 blocks from DL property through VRBO. It was cheaper than 2 hotel rooms and we'll have a kitchen.

 

[kathy040690]

For the no rental car situation we never get a vehicle.

we use Golansky for shuttles to and from the airport and then stay across the street so we can walk back and fourth to the parks

 

[little tess]

Another newbi: learn from my mistake. DO NOT book flights through JustFly. Tons of fees that are not at clear. And I read everything in triplicate!