VERY general ? regarding SoCal travel & Disneyland planning

[tink2020]

You know that place outside the DIS where people think you're crazy for planning a vacation a) so far in advance and b) so detailed? That place where people know their "vacation" is in 6 weeks, and so they're trying to decide where to go?

Yeah, that place makes me crazy.

We're DVC members and frequent WDW, but have never been to DLR. We are planning a trip next fall, that is going to have to (in my expectations) replace the once-in-a-lifetime Transatlantic Cruise we are likely canceling for the same timeframe. Of course, this means I want to dig in and do some research about the area, etc. I already have lots of lists of where we want to go, what we want to do.

My question is this -- with DLR, and more importantly the surrounding attractions in San Diego and the like, how far in advance is it "normal" to book things? When can we expect hotel rooms and packages to be offered for DLR in 2010? Are the other attractions (Legoland, San Diego Zoo, etc) as slow to offer tickets and rooms as our local attractions are (ie, places outside of WDW influence?)?


Thanks in advance... I'm quite sure this is the first of MANY questions to come, but I also see that this section of the DIS has some fantastic looking resources very nicely laid out. I can't wait to spend more time here!

 

[Golfing Goofy]

I don't know if you are planning on staying in a hotel in San Diego, but one thing we have found is that there can be lots of conventions/meetings in San Diego. Sometimes, it can be a little hard to get exactly the room you might want. Usually we try to make our plans about 4-6 months in advance. Of course, when we go down, it is for a meeting and I want to stay in a specific part of town. If you are visiting and have a car, you might be more flexible.

As for DLR, there are others on this board that might be able to help you. They know more about this than I do. This is what I know, just from our experience. We just go down to DLR a few times a year, never go during a holiday, and we have never had a problem getting a hotel room when we plan atleast 2 months in advance. However, a few days ago I had to move our summer reservation and had a very tough time finding a room at the GCH for the middle of July this year. All the packages were sold out for that hotel. Even the room only reservations claimed to be sold out. I would imagine that rooms open up as people cancel or change their reservations??? but I didn't want to take the chance, so I when I finally found a room, I booked it!



Hopefully, some of the DIS experts can weigh in on this. Have fun!

 

[farmgirljen]

We just did Disneyland, Sea world, and Legoland- and we made our plans about 5 months in advance... I would like to suggest a hotel near Legoland- it was amazing! It was called the Inns Of America Suites in Carlsbad.. It was the nicest hotel we stayed at on the whole trip- We went there after spending a day at Seaworld, and we had a casual sunday morning before heading to Legoland(1 mile away)when it opened at 10am....

 

[tink2020]

Thanks so much, both of you! I figured it would be a while before I could really start planning (other than theoretical stuff)... the rest of the world just doesn't work like WDW and DVC reservations! (And even then, I'm ahead of myself I know! ) I bet if I tried to book a hotel in San Diego about a year in advance they would think I was nuts.

Thanks jen for the hotel suggestion! I'll add it to my notes, because we are considering staying over near Legoland!


I suppose I'll have to just plan vacations prior to this trip.... I just wanted something to get excited about before I physically cancel our cruise..