AFter much debate we ended up going to DL despite the words of warnings about gangs and diversity. So far it is just wonderful. We arrived late afternoon and upacked then walked around DTD. We showed our bags once on the way in and once on the way out. It was amazing to see the parks with enterances front to front and DTD in the middle. My first thought is how compact everything is! DTD is just a quick walk straight down and back up. It was very nice. The CM's are so nice here and do remind me of the Cm's at WDW. Cheryl a janitor walked us down to the pin trading booth to get our lanyards and talked to us the entire time. She even told us a secret to enter the park quickly by going to the monorail to get into the park. This morning we all over slept and now have about 1/2 hour to kill for regular entry to the park. I guess you would have to sleep to wake up so technically I have not woken up. The noise at HoJO's is terrible. Trucks all nite long, traffic and noise!!!! We are on the sixth floor facing the park. I did watch and listen to the fireworks from our room last evening, they looked spectacular and I can't wait to see them in person from the park. How lucky people are to see the fireworks from their yards. I really do wish we had a microwave in our room or free breakfast but I don't want to pack and move to new place so it will be just be a few nites of noise. I would not pick HoJo as our first pick. The walk to the park is just a block if that and only 5 minutes. The pool is beautiful and the hotel doesn't have people all over as BWPPI but for the money BWPPI with a free breakfast and micro would have been better for us. JMO. The staff has been very helpful and experienced in tourists. The weather to day is cool but we are just going to wear sweatshirts with t shirts under. I am packing a short outfit for DS but not for me. I met a woman who's family was picked on to open the park for YOMD and had a beautiful story of being picked out, given lanyards, pin and first in line for the entire day. It was so sweet for her to share her story. That is it so far, just waiting for SW ding MCO-SLC so if you see if please pm me. We are off to DL!
Hope you are having a great time. How are the crowds this week, we were in the park Sunday and it was crowded. I must have missed the thread about "Gangs" at Disneyland, we have been Annual Pass Holders for over twenty years and I have never seen any gang issues in the park or the resort itself.
WOW well have a great rest of the time while you are there. It sounds like things are starting off decently dispite the noise of the hotel. Thanks for the review on Hojo. Someone I know has been debating it, and without the Cont breakfast she might pass, as like you said it would be worth it to have it for people who are saving money. Anyways dont worry too much about the noise, by the time you get back from the park tonight your bed will feel like a cloud and you will be out like a light. Something about Disney just makes you exited but it sucks all the energy out of you by the end of the night. Its amazing how you get that energy back first thing the next morning. I hope you come home with a fab trip report. Im already having a great time hearing about it.
Glad you are enjoying your time so far!!! (well minus the noise). Can't wait to hear how the rest goes!
Sorry about your experience at the HoJo. I have had the same experience with Bldg. 1, now I won't stay anywhere but Bldg. 2. Another tip for the noise, make sure you turn the fan to "on". It will keep it at the temp you have set it at, just give you some good white noise to help drown out the traffic. Also, I know they keep a supply of earplugs at the front desk. You could always ask if it is keeping you up. Enjoy the parks!
Okay, who the heck are you getting your information from??? I like the PP above have never had a problem nor heard of problems regarding this. From all the negative info you had gotten before your trip, I'd say someone was trying to scare you off of DL. It's really not bad as you are seeing first hand, just wish all the misinformation about things like this and GAC wasn't around so it didn't scare people off. I mean you almost didn't take your trip and look how great a time you would have missed!!! Okay, glad you are having fun!! Sorry about the HOJO, we have stayed in those exact rooms and I never hear a noise with the balcony door shut. I guess it depends how hard you listen! But glad you like the pool, that's our favorite part. And trust me, you aren't missing anything with the free breakfast, there's a reason it's free!!! Have a great day, hope the crowds aren't too bad and that your DS is doing well and having fun!! Andrea
I'm a little bit confused by this line. What kind of warnings did you get? Surely you didn't believe that there would be gangs at Disneyland? But what I'm more confused about is your including diversity in your comment. It as if diversity and gangs are the same thing. What exactly is diversity to you? Just curious I guess.
I am glad you are having an awesome time!!! Enjoy yourself! PLEASE let us know where these extremely inaccurate suggestions came from. If I were a young mother with no Disney experience, reading those comments just once could turn me off to going to Disney in a heartbeat. No loyal DISer wants that type of false negative information floating around our boards. If you don't want to let us know, please forward it to one of our Mods on the DL boards, so they can research it.
I interpreted the op's statement not to mean she got that stereotypical response from this board, but from other sources. I get much the same where I live though. It's a shame how many people here are willfully ignorant and choose to remain so. It's certainly not most of the people here. But it's a far bigger chunk than I'd like it to be. But I look at it this way. I'm not going to change the mind of the willfully ignorant and each one of them means one less person to get in my way when going to one of the most beautiful and diverse states in the nation.
Glad you're having a great time. I can understand being scared off by the gang situation (if it were true), but you should not let diversity keep you from Disneyland. It's really wonderful going there and meeting people from all over the world. It also helps me figure where I want to go on my next vacation.
There are a surprising lot of people who haven't been near DL in a long time and don't know about Disney's efforts to clean up and revitalize the area immediately surrounding the parks. Ten years ago, I might have had concerns about staying offsite, but definitely not nowadays. I agree that DL has more daytrippers and locals than WDW, and, in my experience, more unruly teens running around by themselves. But this is why I try to go to the parks midweek, when school is in session.
This week school must be out! (at least somewhere) We were at Disneyland yesterday (Monday) and the parks were very crowded. It was like a weekend. I guess spring break is in full swing. Just be prepared for some crowds, use EE and Fast Pass, and you'll have a great time!
I know a majority of AZ schools are out this week. DL is a VERY popular Spring Break destination since the drive is only 6 hours. I know several families who are there right now. Personally, you couldn't pay me to go during a peak time like this.
She must have been referring to Six Flags Magic Mountain. DLR does not have gang problems, and has tons of security people posing as tourists.
About gangs and diversity??? Everytime we are at DL, I have never seen "gangs" and diversity is what America is about. I enjoy seeing people from all walks of life, different countries and differently abled. I have travelled to DL by myself, with my dh and ds and alone with ds and NEVER felt afraid or concerned We stayed at HOJO's park side rooms and did not hear noise other than typical city noise. I hope you have a good trip anyway, and those reading this are not frightened away by the "gang" statement. Have a nice day!!
I actually like the 6th floor in building one facing the parks. We either request that or the home offices in the same building. This weekend we requested the home office in building 2, just for something different. Love the gang reference. Must be talking about me and my posse, that's how we ride.
I dismissed the gang reference as the OP being misinformed. We all know that gang activity typically does not exist at DL. My concern is with the use of the word "diversity". I know that it is normal for some people to over-react when they hear words like this being thrown around in a negative way. Yes. Diversity is what makes this country up. But if you live in the boonies, you might not understand what diversity is. It doesn't help that some personalities on talk radio as well as the media tend to paint a different picture of diversity. I view diversity as inclusion of all people regardless of race, national origin, sexual orientation. But I could not help but notice that the OP's side bar shows their location as being in Wyoming. Having recently lived in Colorado, I learned first hand that some people's views of diversity are different in the midwest and the plain states than it is in the more larger metropolitain areas. I'm just curious as to what the OP was referring to when using diversity AND gangs as warnings NOT to go to Disneyland.
