Travelling to California for first time?

[disneydolphin]

HI ALL!

First of all, although this appears to be my first post here, ive had to re-register as id forgotten what my user name was when i used this forum to plan our holiday to WDW two years ago.

This year we're thinking of travelling to California. The reason for this is that we want to visit the Grand Canyon this time in America and generally see a bit more of 'real' America. We thought, well, we could spend a little time at Disney in CA as that is much more practical than going to WDW and driving for days to the Canyon etc. (lol..thats what we naively thgt we could do last time!)

Has anybody travelled from the Uk to the disney in CA and explored beyond the gates? Any tips or worthwhile things to consider?

We are hoping to go in the Easter hols (last minute mary i should be called!) and are planning on going for 14 days.
Are the onsite hotels on disney CA as cool as WDW?

Questions, questions and yet more questions. Im sure someone can help here cos last time i was here i was overwhelmed and we ended up not having to queue for ANY rides we were so well organised.

 

[maleficent_man]

Hi

I spent three days at Disneyland in the summer of 2001 - can't speak for the Disneyland hotels as I didn't visit any of them. When you visit you'll see why Walt was so keen to get as much space as he did in Orlando. The hotels and eateries are soo close to the entrance of the park it is unreal. We stayed in a Hotel 8 just round the corner. Downtown Disney is much smaller here as well. DCA is a nice park and with the addition of ToT you'll not be short on stuff to do.

Outside of the Resort, I also spent time at Universal. To me, this was very poor compared to its Orlando relative. We also did tours at Warner Bros Studios (which was excellent) and Paramount (which wasn't!)

The Grand Canyon is stunning - make sure you leave enough time to really take this in. If you can, take a helicopter trip down to the bottom.

I would also recommend some time in Vegas - it is like nothing else on this planet!!

The Disneyland park is perhaps my single favourite park out of all of the ones I have visited. Indy is spectacular and the whole vibe of the park is awesome. The new Space Mountain should open soon and there is of course the lure of Matterhorn.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

 

[maleficent_man]

Oh yeah - forgot to add - you'll need a car - without question (unless you plan staying at Disney for the whole time).

 

[Verity Chambers]

Hi. I haven't been to Ca but have been to Vegas and the Grand Canyon. Las vegas is defenately something quite out of this world and has to be seen to be believed!!!! The canyon is awesome and I too would recommend a trip in a helicopter down to the bottom.....just amazing!

Verity.xx

 

[disneydolphin]

Hi
Thanks for the quick replies.

We are in the very early stages of planning so nothing is being ruled out and everything is being considered, if you know what i mean! We dont know how close everything is, so for example, how far is it from DL to the Grand Canyon? Would it make more sense to stay for a few days at DL, then relocate to somewhere nearer the Canyon, maybe even in LA?

We have two children too, boy aged 15, girl aged 11. We would love to do the helicopter ride in the Canyon and have seen packages online which incorporate that such as www.sundancehelicopters.com, are there any better ones that you know of?

maleficant-man,
We hired a car last time in Florida and got a good deal. My husband is a taxi driver here so driving is a doddle for him. We were glad of the car last time.
You mentioned Warner Bros and Universal, I hadnt realised they were there too! I can see the need for my total immersion in these boards again. How far are they from DL then?

Verity,
Thanks for the info. We cant wait to see the Canyon. Did you stay in the area when you visited?

If either of you (or anyone else) think of something you've done/visited in the area please feel free to chuck it all at me..the more ideas as regards to where to stay and how the various 'must see' bits fit together to become do-able in a fortnight the better.

Thanks for helping so far.
PS Are there any areas of Vegas to avoid with youngsters?

 

[maleficent_man]

From Disney to Vegas it's about a solid four/four and a half hour drive - on a good day. I think you're then looking at about 1 and a half/two hours (depending on which part of the Gc you're going to go to - we went on an organised tour). I think the name of the company was Adventure Photo Tours. They have a website somewhere so you might like to try it out!

I would recommend Vegas as a base for your trip to the Grand Canyon - it's what most people do. It's each to their own, but I would find 2 or 3 days in Vegas to be enough.

Universal is close to Bev Hills, so it's about 30/40 minutes north of Anaheim along I-5. Universal has much the same stuff as in Orlando but the layout of the park is weird as its on different levels.

Warner Bros is the tour of the Studio - when I was there we got onto the set of Friends, ER and Angel. It's about 30 minutes away - when I did it, you could book the tour in advance.

Oh the memories!!

If you are into your theme parks, I would also consider a visit to Knott's Berry Farm which is real close to Disney and a fun park (Ghostrider is a cool wooden roller coaster, they have Perilous Plunge, they also have Xcelerator and a new ride opening/opned Silver Bullet - it has one of, if not the largest drop tower (a la Doc Doom but falling rather than launching) - it's lovely.

Also, about an hour or so North is Six Flags Magic Mountain - it and Cedar Point in Ohio like to battle for the title of best theme park in the world (based on number of rollercoasters). They have the amazing X (which wasn't opened when I was there) - the lovely Goliath and some other cool rides.

Hope this helps.

Nick

 

[Sue88UK]

Hi

We were in Vegas and Anaheim last Easter. Flew direct from Manchester to Vegas with My Travel.
Checked hotel rates on line then called the Venetian direct to book rooms.
Got good rates. Keep checking on line as they sometimes reduce rates depending on demand. Try to stay during the week, it's much cheaper.
Booked helicopter tour to Grand Canyon at the Venetian, not the cheapest but it had a good safety record, I think it was called Maverick Helicopter Tours. VERY expensive but well worth the money. They had their own landing space at the Canyon and we landed and had drinks and took photos.

Drove to Anaheim, took four and a half hours. We booked car with Avis and rented their GPS (Global Satallite System?), it was a god-send. It literally told us which turning to take etc and if you took the wrong turning it will direct you back on route. It's a mobile phone, you call and tell the person on the other end where you want to go, they programme the information in and then it speaks to you as you start to drive. It was $10 extra per day.

Stayed at the Howard Johnson in Anaheim booked online direct with hotel using Entertainment rate got a big family room for about $55 per night, it was a bargain. Short walk to DL. Drove to Universal, using GPS, took about 45min.

Knotts Berry Farm was such fun. If you like shopping West Coast Plaza is the place to go.

Booked a coach tour to see LA - it was OK.

Drove back to Vegas for 3 more nights then home direct to Manchester.

Hope this helps - happy planning

 

[Verity Chambers]

?

We would love to do the helicopter ride in the Canyon and have seen packages online which incorporate that such as www.sundancehelicopters.com, are there any better ones that you know of?

Verity,
Thanks for the info. We cant wait to see the Canyon. Did you stay in the area when you visited?

IfPS Are there any areas of Vegas to avoid with youngsters?

hello. We used Sun dance helipcopters, through Virgin and they were excellent.
We stayed in Vegas and got the helicopter from their, Sun dance have an office right there in Vegas.

As for areas of Vegas not to take your kids. I guess it all depends on you really. Vegas is pretty racy EVERYWHERE! And i guess it's a personal choice really, you might want to do some research if you were thinking of gping. Saying that, i sae plenty of kids and teenages when I was there.

v.xxx

 

[disneydolphin]

Nick,
Thanks for all that info. I will do a little research into the different theme parks in the area. We liked WDW more than we thgt we would so if we can combine some new parks but leave plenty of time for the Grand Canyon and to see Vegas, then we will all be happy.
I suppose it will make sense then to fly direct to Vegas, stay there for a few days, fly down the Grand Canyon then maybe head off to DL.
Dont suppose there are any water parks ala Blizzard Beach like at WDW are there...or any nearby beaches? Cor i dont ask for much do i! Helicopter trips, Canyon viewing, DL, Vegas AND a beach!
Whereabouts was the hotel 8 you stayed in?

Hi Sue,

Thanks to your post, our plans could be starting to take more shape. It def sounds better to start in Vegas, like ive said above.
I also now have more of an idea where we could stay offsite..will be a new experience for us again, having stayed at ASMovies at WDW in 2003. So Anaheim is the closest place to stay to DL then?

Verity,
Thanks. Racy everywhere huh? Hmm might leave husband at home then.
Seriously tho' yeah i will do a bit of searching online and see what i can find out. Its good to hear a reco for Sundance so it remains an option.

To all of you,
Are the admission prices in DL similar to WDW? I suppose ill have to research into whether it is cheaper to stay offsite or not. Do they do ticket packages..like the 5 day pass or whatever its called at WDW?

Thanks all

ETA Oooh my sig is working!

 

[KayleeUK]

Hi there disneydolphin Welcome Back.

Just moving this over to the UK Community Board as this trip planning forum is for WDW and Florida.

 

[disneydolphin]

Hi there disneydolphin Welcome Back.

Just moving this over to the UK Community Board as this trip planning forum is for WDW and Florida.

Hi Kaylee

Ooops! Sorry about that. I have had a look at the DL bit but wanted UK travellers experiences so put it here.

 

[basas]

"Are the admission prices in DL similar to WDW? I suppose ill have to research into whether it is cheaper to stay offsite or not. Do they do ticket packages..like the 5 day pass or whatever its called at WDW?"

The admission prices are just a bit lower than WDW. I think the one-day at DL is now just above $50 and 2, and 3 day park hoppers are also avaliable. The Disneyland website will have all of the information.

 

[basas]

"Dont suppose there are any water parks ala Blizzard Beach like at WDW are there...or any nearby beaches? "

There are water parks and beaches all over Southern California (although the water-parks aren't 'Disney-style'.

 

[jockey]

Went to CA back in 2001 had 4 nights in LA, 4 nights in vegas and about a week in San Fran - booked it all through Virgin for about £2200. This included internal flights and transfers by limo and supper shuttle. We stayed in the Shearaton Anaheim and it was very handy to disney.

Vegas is fantastic there is soooooo much more to do than gamble and the shopping is great!!! We used

www.scenicairlines.com

for the sight seeing tours of the grand canyon etc - they are very reasonable!!


San Fran is fantastic too we has around a week here but there is lots to do - wineries, national parks etc!!!!

Have a great trip!!!

 

[disneydolphin]

basas,
Thanks for replying.

I've since had a good look and have found that we can get Disney tickets at the kids prices.
OR we could opt for the Southern California City Pass which has i think, from memory, 3 days entry to Disney, one to Knotts Berry Farm (which Nick suggested ) and an entry to San Diego Zoo.
This is something we need to weigh up now and decide which option is better for us..i am erring towards the Citypass.
http://citypass.com/city/socal.html
As of yet still have not checked out water parks etc ..how warm will it be in late March/early April...warm enough to swim?

jockey,
Thanks.

That sounds good..only trouble is we wanted to fly from Manchester and Virgin dont offer that unless youre flying direct to Sanford, i think.
If you dont mind my asking, which hotels did you use?
Ive been looking at reviews and stuff all over the place and now my head is a little boggled.
Ive been looking at the HoJo in Anaheim, also the CandyCaneInn. Until ive planned the first bit of the trip and those hotels tho' i cannot do the rest!

Does anyone know of other companies who book the whole deal for you?

 

[basas]

The Citypass sounds like a good option (although San Diego zoo is a bit of a drive but not too bad).

As for the weather, expect highs in the low 70's (lows in the low 50's) for LA, and slightly lower for San Diego. Water temps will still be pretty cold (for beaches).

 

[Joanne UK]

We did this trip a few years ago now and we went LA/San Francisco/Arizona then back to LA. I would definately recomment driving through Yosemite National Park and Death Valley on your way to Grand Canyon, Death Valley especially I found awesome and totally unlike anywhere else you're likely to go. A walk down Rodeo Drive in LA is an eye opener, I didn't do anything but window shopping there though. Sunset Strip in Hollywood is a must.
Went to the theme parks already mentioned apart from Knotsbury Farm and they're all worth a visit. All in all I would say California is the best holiday I've ever had.
I remember going to a tiny bar in LA called Smalls and ordering a Jack Daniels and Coke - they didn't measure, they just poured JD into a large glass and added a splash of Coke. Dont remember anything after that though!

Joanne

 

[disneydolphin]

Hi Joanne

Well that bar sounds like fun!


As for Rodeo Drive i reckon i would only be window shopping too..i wont have the spare cash to fritter away on fashion.

Im still planning!

Been looking at hotels trying to find a good rate and hopefully a kids suite. I noticed one in one hotel, its a queen bed x 2 in one room, with adjoining room with bunkbeds. It would be ideal for us as in WDW we kept each other awake by sharing the queens with the kids....and now they are far too old to share together.
So the latest pester from me is..does anyone know of which hotels bar Comfort Maingate have these kind of rooms? I think that was going for £56 per night. Obviously there were some cheap (£30) standard rooms listed online but we dont really want to share.

Oh yeah, another question (!) i was thinking of maybe flying to the airport in Anaheim (Orange co one or whatever) and spending time at DL first, then driving over to somewhere suitable to visit the Grand Canyon.
So anyone tell me what the airport in Anaheim is like and which car rental firms are there?
And any reccomendations for hotels local for a Grand Canyon visit ?

 

[basas]

Santa Ana? Just a word of warning that the flight was $200 more for me into SNA (Orange County) than into LAX or Ontario so you might want to check and see if the price is the same. Really, LAX isn't that far from Anaheim (maybe an hour or so depending on traffic).

 

[disneydolphin]

Thanks basas

Think we prob will stick with flying into LAX. Im still researching everything.

Im finding the second part of the trip the hardest to organise, obviously we need to be based in Vegas at some point in order to visit the Grand Canyon..how far is it to drive? We would like to see Death Valley/Yosemite Natural pk too if possible.

Is the helicopter/plane trip really worth it everyone? As opposed to just driving around having a look?

Hotels in Vegas (from what ive seen on TripAdvisor) seem to be either too expensive or not rated as nice to stay in at all wheras in Anaheim there seem to be many more moderate (and cheap but clean) choices..or is it just me!

How many days is enough to be based in Vegas d'ya think...considering we are not going to be drinking or gambling etc whilst with the children?

Which other nearby city could i include ...im thinking, 6 days based in Anaheim, 1-2 of them spent in San Diego (Seaworld..dolphins here i come! ) then maybe 3 in Vegas, leaving 5 (depending on flight times etc) to kill.

Would it be worth spending time in LA before journeying to Anaheim?