Trip Planning Help

[mom~of~2]

We've decided to plan a Disneyland vacation but don't have a lot of time to plan. We've been to WDW before... and DH and I have been to Disneyland as a couple...before but we've never been to Disneyland as a family. Please help me!

(1) Any recommendations on where we should stay? 2 adults, 2 girls (ages 5 and 3). We won't be staying a long time and are looking for nice & very convenient accommodations. We like the Poly at WDW if that helps for comparison...

(2) Where can we see the princesses? Is there a princess character meal?

TIA!

 

[DLR29]

We've decided to plan a Disneyland vacation but don't have a lot of time to plan. We've been to WDW before... and DH and I have been to Disneyland as a couple...before but we've never been to Disneyland as a family. Please help me!

(1) Any recommendations on where we should stay? 2 adults, 2 girls (ages 5 and 3). We won't be staying a long time and are looking for nice & very convenient accommodations. We like the Poly at WDW if that helps for comparison...

(2) Where can we see the princesses? Is there a princess character meal?

TIA!

1) At DLR, the accommodations are WAY different than at WDW. There are 3 onsite hotels. All three are (in WDW terms) "deluxe" hotels, the nicest being the Grand Californian (think Wilderness Lodge), then the Disneyland Hotel, and the Paradise Pier hotel. However, a lot of people prefer to stay offsite because at DLR, there are a number of offsite hotels closer (walking distance-wise) to the parks (except GCH). While they might not be amazing Disney-style rooms, they are great for saving money.

2) There is a place in DL called the Princess Fantasy Faire that is a character meet and greet for princesses, and the princesses rotate throughout the day. Also, there is Pixie Hollow where you can meet different fairies from the Tinkerbell movie. At DCA, they have a princess character meal at Ariel's Grotto.

 

[farmfresh]

If you like the Poly then perhaps the GCH (like a smaller Wilderness Lodge) would be right for you, or even teh DLH.

Hotel accommodation as the PP said is very different - there is not the same resort type accommodation, huge pools etc etc in DLR. Most people stay outside the resort, and the accommodation is in no way equivalent to the hotels in Florida. Basically you are talking about generic hotel brands (and a few wild cards) on a fairly busy road frontage, unless you opt for one of the three DLR hotels (And people here will tell you why they don't.) I would be prepared for a shift in experience - it is not really a 'resort' in the way WDW is.

I have only stayed in two of the three DLR hotels - GCH and DLH. In general terms I prefer the GCH to its wilderness lodge partner, but of course the setting is very different. But they are hotels rather than resorts. The DLH is fun, but certainly it is no luxury hotel. (On the upside, there aren't any of those nasty food courts). So just be prepared for something a little different , and you'll be fine.

But you will still have a great time. IMHO the parks are more fun, simply because they are crammed full of rides that are very spread out at WDW. And there are no irritating boats/buses to deal with in terms of getting around. Also, DTD is much more a part of the whole atmosphere than in WDW - you can get a sense of that by booking GCH or DLH.

 

[mom~of~2]

Exactly the information I was looking for. Thanks so much!!

 

[heatherleigh]

My first choice would be any of the Disney properties (whichever one you can afford).

If you choose to stay off-campus, I would go with HoJo or the CandyCane Inn.