Random thoughts tips and advice from our trip Aug 15-20/09

[mikeinseattle]

Just came back from Disneyland and have some thoughts/tips to share.

1. Best cheese pizza is at Toontown (I'm not fond of the pizza near Space Mountain). The Toontown pizza is quite large for an individual size.

2. The funnel cake with brownie/strawberry is a pretty good food value and fills you up (we shared with a family of 4) and was unable to finish it.

3. We stayed at the Best Western Park Place Inn and was somewhat disappointed with the rooms. I'm not to picky but like rooms to be upto a Marriott Residence Inn quality. The location is awesome (4-5 minute walk to the inside of the park) but it's more of a motel than a hotel. However, the walking distance cannot be beat.

4. Hydroguy's tips are great for touring the parks, but with 2 small children (4yrs old and 7yrs old) it was hard to wake up at 8am.

5. Slipping in and out of Disneyland and California adventure park is not "that easy". Realisitically, round trip it takes about 25 minutes to get a fastpass. It also increases a lot of walking.

6. Fastpasses for Space Mountain and Splash Mountain were gone by 3-4PM and Indiana Jones by a few hours later during the time we were there.

7. Toy Story Midway Mania (DCA), was very busy (45min-1 hour wait), but the single rider line moves very quickly. The seating is 2 and 2 so everytime there is a party of 3, a single rider gets paired up with the 3rd person. Very quick.

8. Wet rides (Griszly Rapid River) were very dead every evening (after 8pm) with a wait of 5 minutes or less.

9. Evening time was quite hard to manoevure with strollers with all the parades and shows going on especially Fantasmic followed by Fireworks.

10. Consider going to Downtown Disney to dine (it's a lot cheaper and has much more variety).

11. We consider Photopass for 60 bucks to be a great value. We got a total of 87 shots, which most of them turned out perfect!

Questions:

Is there any nice hotel that is walking distance to Disney but not on the park?

Best Tip:

Even if you wake up late, if you are willing to hop around the parks for fastpasses, you should be able to do most of the major rides.

Feel Free to ask me any questions, or post any comments about our hotel accomodations or the time that we were at Disney/DCA.

 

[LavenderPeach]

Here's my hotel suggestion: the Candy Cane Inn. It's not as close as the BWPPI but we think it's an easy walk plus they have a free shuttle that runs every 30 minutes if you don't want to walk. They also have free parking and a free breakfast that is nicer than the free breakfasts that you usually get. It is actually a motel too and not really a hotel but they've done a really good job making it look nice. There are a lot of plants and flowers, pavers for the parking lot which looks nicer than cement, a gazebo over the hot tub and a fountain in the front. I think it's one of the nicest looking hotels right there close to DLR on harbor.

A lot of people also like Hojo's (about the same distance from DLR as candy cane inn) but I've never stayed there. The nicest hotels (Hyatt, Embassy Suites, etc) aren't within walking distance but some have shuttles.

Thanks for the mini trip report. Sounds like you had a great trip!

 

[Shelebeen]

We stayed at the Residence by Marriot in May and most recently, HOJO last week. Both are nice hotels. The big tickets for HOJO are the entertainment book rates and the splash park.

The walks are about 8 - 10 minutes from each...

 

[Sherry E]

As for the slipping in and out of the parks... For me, I do think it is very easy to get from the entrance of one park to another. That only takes a few minutes. Now depending on if you encounter lines at either gate or where else you have to go in the parks, it may seem farther. But simply walking across the esplanade from one gate to another is pretty fast. And compared to the layout of WDW, from what everyone here tells me, the DLR layout is a piece of cake.

Otherwise, I totally agree with you about the PhotoPass CD being a good deal! For 87 pictures it is a good deal, but, assuming you did not buy the CD in the park yet and have yet to purchase it online, you can now go on to the PhotoPass site and edit all those pictures you took and save a copy of each version with the different Disney borders and effects, black & white, cropped, close-ups, whatever, and you can multiply the 87 photos into 1087 pictures if you want to and the $60 price really becomes a GREAT deal!!

 

[2wildchildzmom]

Where do I find this funnel cake of which you speak?

 

[mikeinseattle]

There's a place next to the Golden Horseshoe. Usually always a lineup.

Also,

The dole whip outside the Tiki Hut is very reasonably priced and tastes great especially in the heat. (secret: the inside cashier is usually much less busy than the outside cashier. Just go inside the Tiki Hut gate and go to that side of the cashier.

Also,at the Pizza Port in Tommorrow Land,the coke refills are FREE. I confirmed this with the cashier and it's self serve.

 

[HydroGuy]

5. Slipping in and out of Disneyland and California adventure park is not "that easy". Realisitically, round trip it takes about 25 minutes to get a fastpass. It also increases a lot of walking.

Thanks for the mini-report.

I agree the DL to DCA hop for FPs should be used judiciously. FWIW, here is how I approach it:


1. Soarin is the most popular FP. If at DL on an 8AM opening day, I send my kids on Star Tours at about 9:30AM because:

a. It is the one DLR ride that makes me feel sick so I skip it
b. It is one of the closest rides to the DL exit
c. Soarin is the closest FP to the DCA gate to pick up.
d. I can make the round trip in 15 minutes if I power walk
e. Star Tours lines are usually still reasonable at 9:30 (10-15 minutes)

Also, this morning hop used to be more worthwhile when GRR was a disconnected FP ride because you could get Soarin and GRR FPs on a single hop. Now you have to choose one or the other.


2. The only other DCA ride I would make a special hop for is GRR when it is a warm day. CA Screamin rarely needs FP and the ToT standby is usually not that long either.


3. If I am at DCA and want to hop to DL for FPs, the best ones to get IMO are Space Mtn and Indy because they are closer to the DL gate and among the most popular. Splash Mtn is too far of a walk.


4. The best time to hop for FPs is when you are taking afternoon breaks because you are already exiting a park. So when my family makes their way to the swimming pool I almost always make a quick hop for FPs to use after the break. This takes an extra 10 minutes max.

 

[ter-moo]

Questions:

Is there any nice hotel that is walking distance to Disney but not on the park?

There are two Sheratons, one about 1/2 mile or so down Harbor and the other BEHIND Disneyland near the parking structure which are nice hotels. You COULD walk from the one on Harbor, but it's a long walk. The one by the parking structure has a shuttle for guests. I've also heard that some people walk over to the parking structure and take the tram.

They are working on a couple of upscale hotels to go in the new Anaheim GardenWalk shopping center on Katella. (again a longer walk than I'd want to do with small children, but not UNdoable...) They would be Disney-sponsored but not Disney-operated (kinda like the Swan and Dolphin at WDW). I don't know where the progress is on these. I've been to the GardenWalk on the last couple of trips to DL and it's been DESERTED. It's pretty sad to me, since it's so convenient to the parks and it's a nice center.

There's also a Hyatt and a Hilton near the Convention Center. Again--quite a hike, but if you're up to it, it's not unwalkable. There's the ART shuttle that hits several of the farther away hotels--it has a cost, but it's minimal. Many utilize that for places like the Embassy Suites, etc.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

A lot of people also like Hojo's (about the same distance from DLR as candy cane inn) but I've never stayed there. The nicest hotels (Hyatt, Embassy Suites, etc) aren't within walking distance but some have shuttles.

Just adding to this... to my knowledge, the only shuttle used by the Hyatt, Embassy Suites South, et al, would be the ART, and that is shared by different properties, depending on what route you are on.

The Sheraton Anaheim has its own dedicated shuttle, and it is a deluxe hotel.

The Doubletree near the Block @ Orange also has its own shuttle, but it is farther away, and definitely not within walking distance.

 

[LavenderPeach]

Just adding to this... to my knowledge, the only shuttle used by the Hyatt, Embassy Suites South, et al, would be the ART, and that is shared by different properties, depending on what route you are on.

The Sheraton Anaheim has its own dedicated shuttle, and it is a deluxe hotel.

The Doubletree near the Block @ Orange also has its own shuttle, but it is farther away, and definitely not within walking distance.

That's what I thought too but we booked rooms through priceline and got the hyatt and when I went to the hyatt website to see what the hotel looked like it said that they have a free shuttle to DLR. We haven't stayed there yet so I don't know for sure but that's what I saw on the website.

 

[amyup]

That's what I thought too but we booked rooms through priceline and got the hyatt and when I went to the hyatt website to see what the hotel looked like it said that they have a free shuttle to DLR. We haven't stayed there yet so I don't know for sure but that's what I saw on the website.

Hyatt had a free shuttle the last time we stayed there. But that was a couple of years ago.

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

Hyatt had a free shuttle the last time we stayed there. But that was a couple of years ago.

Same for us....however it has been since 2004 that we stayed at the Hyatt. If we were not booked for PPH this time, I would go Hyatt in a heart beat.....shuttle or not!

 

[mikeinseattle]

Judging by other trip reports, staying at the Best Western Park Place Inn might have been a good option as I heard the parking facility was at full capacity.

There is a certain luxury in being able to say "hey, I'd like to catch the electric parade at DCA at 8:45pm" when it's 8:35pm. You can't beat the location.

I wonder if there is some sort of conspiracy to keep hotels across the street mostly motel style. Also, why doesn't anyone open a dairy queen across the street to Disney. They would probably do gangbuster business. (I know there is a marble slab creamery, but dairy queen would rule).

 

[initiation]

in regards to the HYATT -- it does have a shuttle, not the ART. It pulls up in the courtyard every half hour or so.. and is shared with two other hotels. Stayed here for a night in December 2008. Shuttle is free, but can be cramped at closing time trying to leave the park. They do send extra shuttles though, and the drivers let you know what time "last call" is.

I too, priceline'd the hyatt. Nice looking hotel, bathroom and bed was pleasant.. did not like the windows being out into the lobby. Very noisy. Thankfully we were so wiped out that after being awake for about an hour due to noise, once you feel asleep, you stayed asleep. Not bad, unless you're a light sleeper.

but I digress. Shuttle exists. Free. Not exactly on time, but again, free. Hope your stay is quieter than mine was.

 

[PinkBudgie]

I wonder if there is some sort of conspiracy to keep hotels across the street mostly motel style.

This has been a pet peeve of mine for a while. There are no "hotels" near DLR. They are all "motels", but I noticed they call themselves an "inn". Many seem awful expensive for what they are but being walking distance to DLR they can charge it. Usually for not too much more money per night you can get a nice hotel but it is further away. We LOVED the Embassy Suites South when we stayed there for a week. But I decided I would like to try staying walking distance next time, so we will give Candy Cane Inn a try on my sisters recommendation.

We went to Garden Walk on our last trip and ate at the Cheesecake factory. We don't have one near here and it was very nice. I believe the shopping center is empty because there are no interesting stores there. Most of them are some sort of fashion store. If you want to attract people on vacation, that kind of store isn't going to do it. Sure, have a few, but 99%? They also have a candy store- mildly interesting but not as good as Powells around here. And a cigar store. Here is the list of stores.
http://www.anaheimgardenwalk.com/shopping/ If they want to make it work they need a variety of different types of stores.

 

[Docter419]

A must! Especially with monorail access. A sitdown at espn or rainforest can be cheaper then just a regular meal in the park sometimes. And for all you mature travelers the drink selections are great

 

[fairykin]

Thanks for sharing the info about the cheese pizza.. I'm going to have some there the next time I go!