Tell me about DL

[experiment626mom]

DH and I might have the opportunity to go to DL in October. I haven't been there since I was 6. Should we stay onsite? Should we stay in the area? How many days will it take us to go through and enjoy the parks? What about Universal?

Just talk to me like I'm an alien and don't know a thing!!

Thanks!!!

 

[firstcruiser]

We are AP at DL. While staying on site is nice and if you can afford it, go for it. I find we aren't in the rooms enough to make a difference. We always just stay close by. There are many nice hotels a few miles away or across the street. Our favorites are the Crowne Plaza or Portfino Inn (walking distance to DL). I would say you only need two days to see DL and CA. One full day at each park is sufficient. You probably don't even need a full day at CA but you can go back to DL if you get the hopper passes. If you want to take your time and not rush to see everything, I'd make it a 3 day hopper pass. I was just at Univeral on Sunday. We have AP there too. If you've never been, you should go. If you like movies and tv, you'll find it interesting. Some of the shows and rides are a little corny but it is fun. It isn't that far from Disney so you can make it a day trip from your hotel. I think there CityWalk has better restaurants than DD. Hope you enjoy your trip to Southern CA.

 

[Michelle2]

I have to disagree wit the above poster, but everyone's opinion is different when it comes to subjective things like how to do WDW or DL, because every family is different...
In my opinion, I think that 2 days is not enough for both DL and CA. I have known some families that get 7 day hoppers. I like 5 day because it is a good value and can give me as much time as I want or don't want. I would recommend 3 day minimum. Especially depending on the crowds. We have gone in October (beginning, middle and end) almost every year since I was a kid. I have noticed it has become more and more crowded every year...2 days may not be enough especially when you factor in shows and parades, etc....

I also really love staying onsite. It adds alot to the atmospere, and although there are hotels within walking distance, for us, we enjoyed our stays there (onsite) immensely, and have stayed at all 3. The Grand Californian is to die for, and it is a short walk to DL and have our own entrance into CA, with young kids, it was a lifesaver. The other 2 aren't quite as convenient, but I loved being in the midst of DTD, and being so close to all of the restaraunts the hotels have to offer! I love being in the middle of the magic!

I hope you will love DL, because unlike WDW, the best of the best is all combined in 2 parks instead of 4, and are all within a short walk's distance of each other. Pirates and Indiana Jones are unique there as well! I hope you have a good time if you choose to go! It is my favorite Disney park!

 

[raidermatt]

I think you can do most or all of what's worthwhile in DCA in one day, but not DL.

Right now, the 5 day hopper makes a lot of sense because online, its only $10 more than a 4 day hopper, and the 4-day is only $20 more than the $3 day.

With the 5 day, you can pretty much "do it all" without feeling rushed, and even get in some repeats on your favorites.


If you're ok paying for the on-site hotels, that's what I'd do. If not, there are many other hotels/motels nearby, some within walking distance and most with some kind of shuttle service.

 

[LuvTigger]

When I go to WDW, I am one of those who has to stay onsite. At DL, I feel that staying onsite is a luxury, but it won't make or break the trip. I only stay onsite every few years when I can afford it, but because everything at DL is so close together and the atmosphere is quite different from WDW, I will usually stay offsite. If I stay offsite, I like the Howard Johnson across Harbor Blvd. Last year I bid on Priceline and got the Hyatt Regency Orange County for $44, and even though we had to pay for parking, it still came out the same or less than what we would have paid had we stayed at HoJo. It's further away, but in a nice area and with very good shuttle service.

Onsite, I really love the Grand Californian since it reminds me so much of the Wilderness Lodge at WDW, which is my favorite. This year we thought we'd try something different and we're staying at the Disneyland Hotel -- I thought I'd like to splurge this year because of the 50th Anniversary celebration and the special packages they're offering. However, you can get packages at the Good Neighbor Hotels (like HoJo) too.

I would allow a minimum of 3 days to cover the parks, but 4 would be ideal to cover them at a leisurely pace and enjoy the hotels (even if you decide not to stay onsite, the hotels are still worth exploring) and Downtown Disney.

I think you only need one day to go to Universal. You could just drive over there for the day. You might want to stay and have dinner at City Walk since they have lots of interesting things there as well.

You might also want to consider Knott's Berry Farm which is only about 15 minutes away from DL. Even if we don't go into the park at Knott's we still like to make a trip there to enjoy the shopping area and restaurants outside the park (we're Snoopy fans).

 

[experiment626mom]

I guess I need to do more research on this one!! I am so used to staying on site at DW that I guess I figured I would need to do the same at DL. I'll need to look at a ride map too to figure out how many days. Holy Cow!! I feel like a newbie again!

 

[LuvTigger]

Basically, there are some hotels across the street that are just as close (maybe even closer) than the onsite hotels! I think a lot of it depends on your budget. Discounts aren't as easy to get at DL, so it would be easy to spend $200+ per night on a room. The best deals seem to be found on Expedia and Travelocity, but you could probably only be guaranteed a standard room there. I think the lowest I've seen is $120 for Paradise Pier, just to give you an idea of what you're dealing with.

Some place like the HoJo would probably be less than $100 per night (I've stayed there as low as $60, but that was several years ago).

If you can afford to stay onsite, I would say go for it, but you do have a lot of other options that are walking distance (can't say that about WDW!).

Happy planning!

 

[LucyKate]

Another vote for the 5 day pass (although we actually only went 4 days).

From our experience you need at least 2 days to see DL and 1 to see DCA, and then another day or more to redo your favourites.

I DON'T think you need to stay on site - and in recent weeks there have been some very ordinary reviews for the Disney hotels here, and, I notice on trip advisor, reviews are starting to get quite negative about Disney's showpiece hotel, the Grand Californian.

With the exception of the GC, many hotels off site are as close as the Disney hotels and much cheaper.

We stayed at the Howard Johnson and loved it (10 minutes walk), others here have stayed at the Candy Cane and given it similar reviews. Both rate extremely highly on all Disney and hotel forums.