Thinking of a 2006 trip...LOTS of questions...

[EsmeraldaX]

Hi everyone,

We are considering a trip to Disneyland CA next year. I have never been, though I've been to WDW in FL many, many times. It looks like there are some great rides out in CA that do not exist in WDW. I have a ton of questions, I hope you don't mind. I guess the easiest way is to just list them.

Our party would consist of 2 adults.

1. What is the best time to go and why?

2. What is the cheapest time go and why? (is it due to bad weather, rides being closed etc.)

3. What is the weather typically like?

4. How much time should we go for?

5. Which hotel is the best in your opinion? We would consider any of the Disney hotels.

6. Are there any possible discounts on hotels? We're used to getting nice rates with our WDW APs but with Disneyland, we'd probably have to pay rack rate...any discount would help.

7. Are there character meals like in WDW?

8. How frequently do big rides close? We are most concerned about the Indiana Jones ride and the other big attractions. This is probably a once in a lifetime trip for us, or at least the only Disneyland trip in a loooooong time due to the cost of flying from Boston to CA. So we want to stay at a Disney hotel and make sure we can hit as many rides as possible. We'd probably get trip insurance and wind up postponing the trip if Indiana Jones was shut down when we were going since that ride is what made us want to go.

9. About how much should this all cost? (excluding airfare, which I know will be the biggest cost...I'm still holding out hope that we might be able to get some kind of a deal)

And just generally any other info you have. I know about the Disney Disneyland website, but are there any others with info?

Thanks!
Sheri

 

[darner]

wow, great planning, you'll definitely enjoy your trip... some quick thoughts:

1 & 3) we've always liked spring & fall ... generally lower crowds (we like March & Oct. best... we went in May once and the local school groups were quite overwhelming at times)... otherwise your own personal preference... weather is typically nice all year long warm/hot summer days (July-Sept) but 60's in winter months... rainy season Nov/Dec through March (this year being unusually bad)... If you want to add beach excursions while in So.Calif. you may want to tend towards the summer...

4) Go as long as you can get away for!!! There are 2 parks + DTD... So I'd say 3 days minimum... 4-5 days will allow for a less hectic pace. Also... there are many other things to see and do in So.Calif. that you can add a few days to explore (ideas= Hollywood tours, LA tours, Universal Studios (buses pick you up at the hotels...), Santa Monica/Venice Beaches, San Diego is only 1-1/2 or 2-hr drive and worth 2 days itself.)

5) We've stayed at all 3 Disney properties (DLHotel 2x, GC & PP once each)... I'd say Grand Calif. is the best... best location & best theme (we love the WL at WDW). DLHotel was great, too, and has a great theme pool. PP is good esp. on a "budget" compared to other Dis properties... Location of PP is good too, with separate entrance right across street from Calif.Adv.

6 & 9) There are probably discounts abound all the time, just have to search for them... To get a rough idea of cost, go to Disneyland.com and build a vacation package (hotel, tickets, food packages, etc. to meet your needs)... that'll get you started on price... I'm sure others here will have more suggestions...

7) Yes to the character meals, I think at Goofy's Kitchen...

8) Ride downtime can be hit or miss and may not be able to be predicted so far in advance... Hopefully with the 50th Anniversary still going on for part (all?) of 2006, the major rides will stay operational (or at least no long blocks of downtime). Indiana Jones is a great ride... Dinosaur at AK is similar but I'd say for the thrills -- Indy's got it beat!

I think you'll enjoy the original park, esp. after your trips to WDW. Downtown Disney is great too, many good restaurants, clubs, etc. It is all a very neat environment, so compact yet still carries the Dis magic. This DIS board and others related to DL are great, so is Laughingplace.com... For true nostalgia (and see what you've already missed: http://www.yesterland.com/)

Have a great time planning and better yet, have a great trip...

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Wow! Thank you so much. I really appreciate the info.

 

[pjlla]

Hi...about the airfare... we are flying from LAX to MHT (Manchester, NH) later this summer and we paid $96.74 (base price)/pp one way with Southwest. With all the fees, taxes it came to $117.40. I thought that was VERY reasonable. We booked it the day that they opened up the dates we wanted, probably within the hour that they opened them (yup... I spent LOTS of time on my computer that week ). And the prices have not come down since (but I keep checking!). Best of luck with this trip. We are also East Coasters making our first "pilgrimage" to DL this summer. ..........P

 

[lap3]

Glad to hear that you're making the trip out west! You'll have a great time I'm sure. I can help you with a couple of things and will reiterate what the others have said. Here are my suggestions:

1. What is the best time to go and why?

Since it's 2 adults, I would recommend a September trip. By then, the kids will be back in school and we'll still have some warm Southern California sunshine to enjoy to either lounge at the pool, stroll the parks, or to visit some of our beaches. Also, try and visit the parks during midweek. As I mentioned, the kids are back in school and the adults are at work.

2. What is the cheapest time go and why? (is it due to bad weather, rides being closed etc.)

The cheapest time to go is during the winter months. The problem is that the weather can be hit or miss. Ask Lollipop's Mom(another DISer) as she will attest to the varying weather she encountered back in January. We had a lot of rain but that's not usually the norm for us out here.

3. What is the weather typically like?

It depends. During the month of June, we have what's called "June Gloom". This is typically dark, sometimes rainy weather. However, July through September is warm but not humid like FL. October to December is a bit dry as we can have Santa Ana winds blowing(dry, warm winds). December to March can have it's rainy days mixed with stretches of cold temps.

4. How much time should we go for?

3 days should do the trick for both parks. 2 days for DL and 1 day for CA. If you wish to sightsee other areas of Southern California, you'll have to figure in those additional days and account for driving time.

5. Which hotel is the best in your opinion? We would consider any of the Disney hotels.

I've stayed at both GCH and the DLH. We like them both and they both have their pros. We like the DLH because it's affordable and we feel it captures that Disney "Magic". However, the GCH is nicely decorated(similar to WL @ WDW) and the added convenience of walking out the door to the DCA or DTD is unmatched. You can't go wrong with either one.

6. Are there any possible discounts on hotels? We're used to getting nice rates with our WDW APs but with Disneyland, we'd probably have to pay rack rate...any discount would help.

I don't see much discounts on the Disney hotels. However, check back on this board and maybe someone will post them if there are any.

7. Are there character meals like in WDW?

We've only done Goofy's Kitchen @ the DLH. However, they also have Chip 'N Dale Critter Breakfast at the GCH, the Royal Disney Princess Breakfast at the Plaza Inn @ DL, and Ariel's Grotto at the DCA. These 3 restaurants are on our agenda later this year.

8. How frequently do big rides close? We are most concerned about the Indiana Jones ride and the other big attractions. This is probably a once in a lifetime trip for us, or at least the only Disneyland trip in a loooooong time due to the cost of flying from Boston to CA. So we want to stay at a Disney hotel and make sure we can hit as many rides as possible. We'd probably get trip insurance and wind up postponing the trip if Indiana Jones was shut down when we were going since that ride is what made us want to go.

Don't know about the rides closing so I can't help much here.

9. About how much should this all cost? (excluding airfare, which I know will be the biggest cost...I'm still holding out hope that we might be able to get some kind of a deal)

Tough on to answer as it'll depend on when you go, how long you go, where you stay, etc... I suggest check back on this forum for any specials on DL. You might also want to check out Get Away Today. Some people have said that their prices are competivitive. Also, you know that mousesavers.com is another good source for discounts on Disney stuff in general.

Anyways, I hope this helps a bit. Let me know if you have any other questions...

 

[LucyKate]

Ok, a few ideas to start you with:

1. We went early December and loved it. Warm days, cool nights, no crowds but a complete Christmas makeover - just magic. But check out this website for an idea on crowd patterns http://www.scottware.com.au/theme/feature/crowds.htm

2. Cheapest time seems to match those crowd patterns - accommodation was very cheap in December and we got good deals on passes as well - 5 days for the price of 3. There are also good deals on now, but, surprise! Nothing much on offer for July.

3. When? In December it was warm days cool nights, in January I know it poured down. In summer I imagine it's very hot.

4. We had 5 days there, which seemed about right. Most agree here you need 3 days at least to see the parks properly. More if you want to see LA and other places.

5. Check out tripadvisor.com - that site, and reviewers here consistently rate Disney's Grand Californian the best - it's also the most expensive. DL is not like WDW - "onsite" hotels are actually further away than many off site hotels (apart from the Grand Californian). Good off site hotels, close by, which people here rate highly are the CandyCane and Howard Johnson (trip advisor also has these 2 and 3) We stayed in the HoJo and loved it.

6. Sites like mousesavers.com have some very good discounts.

7. Yep - at least 4 I know of. We did the Princess Breakfast and loved it - but you probably need some young girls with you to get th full benefit. Others here rate Goofy's kitchen the best.

8. I would have thought by 2006 most things would be fine after the big rehab effort for the 50th. But it's too far out to know now. Sites like mouseplanet.com seem to have comprehensive lists.

9. We got a Disney view room at HoJo for $60 per night - not including breakfast. Character meal would probably set the two of you back $50, lunches about $20 - $30 in the park. Dinner at Blue Bayou $80 - $100. % day park hopper $300+ depending on deals. Shuttle to and from airport about $60 return for two. Souvenirs? Photos on rides and with characters are $14 each.

 

[CamColt]

We are taking our first trip to DL this summer. I too felt the same as you that is would be a once in a lifetime thing due to the long flight and cost. However the more I look into it and research everything Im getting more excited and can see us going back.

One thing I can tell you is we are booked on Jet Blue, flying from Logan into Long Beach airport. We got flights for 289.20, round trip and since then Ive seen them go down about $30.00. You might want to check out Jet Blue when the time comes to look for flights.

 

[MinnieM21]

1. I REALLY recommend going in early December. The first couple weeks are great. It's a Small World is completely decked out for the holidays, the outside is covered in lights and the inside is decorated in Christmas decorations. It looks BEAUTIFUL at night. Here it is:

The Haunted Mansion is decorated in the theme of "The Nightmare Before Christmas." It's so much fun and you'll love it if you're a fan of the movie.
Disneyland is completely decorated with Christmas decorations. I love the way New Orleans Square looks at Christmas time!


2. The cheapest time is around early December, the winter months. It is cold outside during the early morning and night. But since you're from MA, it probably will seem warm.

3. The winter months can be somewhat cold. The spring months are very warm. I imagine the summer would be quite hot.

4. I would recommend 4-5 days.

5. We like the Disneyland Hotel. There's Goofy's Kitchen which I haven't been to yet but am looking forward to trying in December. We have APs and get a 10% discount on our room. Also, with the discounts on Disneyland Hotels, you need to call to see when the bigger discounts come out. However, if you don't want to spend too much, there's the Paradise Pier Hotel which is a Disney Hotel. Also, there's the Howard Johnson which is very close to Disneyland and is a great hotel.

6.There's Goofy's Kitchen (at the Disneyland Hotel) which I haven't been to yet but am looking forward to trying in December. The Grand Californian has the Storyteller's Cafe which has a character breakfast with Chip and Dale. Both of these are supposed to be great character meals. Also, the Plaza Inn (inside Disneyland) has a Princess breakfast buffet.

7. The Haunted Mansion will be closed in September because they will be setting up for the "Haunted Mansion Holiday" A lot of refurbishments go on during January, such as the taking down of the Christmas decorations on It's a Small World and the Haunted Mansion.
I've been going a lot during early December and have noticed that none of the major attractions were closed. Only one ride in Fantasyland was closed during that time.

8. I'm not sure how much it will cost but it's much cheaper than WDW. Disneyland has a lot of counter service restaurants which make the trip less expensive. (Love the Bengal Barbeque!) If you don't stay at one of the Disney Hotels, you can also save a lot of money. The Howard Johnson is a great place to stay.


Here is a link to themouseforless which has menus from Disneyland:http://www.themouseforless.com/tripplanning/menus/dl/menus.shtml

Here are some Disneyland websites:

www.mouseinfo.com
www.laughingplace.com
www.mouseplanet.com

Have fun planning!

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Wow. Thank you all so much for the info.

That picture is beautiful. I might look into Dec. It would be a nice escape from the cold of Boston.

 

[LucyKate]

As mentioned above, we went in early December and had a wonderful time - it really is the best time to go. Hardly anything was closed, there were no crowds, few lines and great Christmas rides and decorations. And the weather was warm enough for tee-shirts some days.

Check out our trip diary below for full description of our time at Disneyland in December 04.

 

[karylrocks]

If you are wanting to get in on the 50th Anniversary Celebration, keep in mind that it will end around October 2006 (haven't heard a definite date but I have seen 17 months and 18 months posted).

 

[Alice28]

I lucked out with Expedia last summer; got the DL hotel for $144 a night. But that was booking exactly 14 days out for a Sun- Weds. I cancelled my existing reservation with the hotel with no problem ($210/night).

Saturdays are super crowded no matter what time of year!

I don't think any major rides are due for lengthy rehabs during the 50th celebration....we are heading down this Sept. to enjoy the party!