We are so excitred! 1st trip to DL, PLEASE, please help us plan our trip

[Daydreamer64]

All advice is welcome!

We are a family of five, myself, Dh, DS 6, DS 16, DS 18.

We have an opportunity of a lifetime for us, well maybe that is a little dramatic , but we are beyond thrilled for this chance to visit another Disney park, much less the origional!

We could never personally afford vacationing at DL as we live on the east coast and do not have much extra money on a regular basis. When we lived in Georgia, we visited WDW every few years as money dictated.

Our last vacation was at WDW 4 years ago for a weekend, as my middle DS had a music festival to attend there.

However, we got a little surprise last week when DH's employer asked if he wanted to attend a conference at the DLH next spring.

The employer then stated that the family could attend, however only Dh was paid for - room, ticket, and food.

I am so excited!!!!!

We have never been to DL, have not gone on a vacation for years, and not to WDW in over 4 years.

We thought that we may bring the kids along and surprise them with this trip.

I am in the process of learning all about DL as I am quite expereinced with WDW but have never been to DL, nor traveled west past Mississippi for that matter, ever.

DH's conference will be at DLH and his employer has stated that the attendees will have a room in the DLH.

I am trying to learn which rooms have the extra couch.

Do all of them have it or is there a special catagory that he has to book for the couch?

My older boys are almost grown and we need two beds and another "place" for one of them to sleep at night to accomodate all five of us.

Any advice is welcome about the couch or any thing else!

There is so much to learn and I am one of those planners that have to know all the "ins and outs" of where we are going to get the most from our vacation.

We will likely never get to visit DL again, we are working hard to get up enough money to cover the airfare, park tickets, and food for the boys and I.

I want this trip to be great~

I feel like the White Rabbit in Alice, "so much to do, so little time".

I have to learn about tickets, food choices ( the little one is allergic to eggs and nuts ), rides not to miss, transportation, and so on....

Thank you for any and all advice that you may wish to share with us!!
__________________

 

[sechelt]

Is cost an issure for you, with the hotel? If only your DH has a room, is he expected to share it with another attendee or is it all to himself? Are you able to stay in the room with him? If his employer doesn't want you and the kids in his room, you could save a bundle by staying on Harbor at one of the Good Neighbour Hotels. They're close enough for your DH to walk to the conference. I'd choose BWPPI and it would be a straight walk to DLH of maybe 10 minutes?? Someone else might be able to help with a more exact time.

Transportation at the resort is 'nil'. Disneyland is a pedestrian resort so you'll be able to walk everywhere, from the hotel, to DL, and to DCA.

There are off-site chain restaurants on Harbor, like McDonald's and Denny's and the Disney hotels have great, although pricey, restaurants too. Of course there are restaurants in the park too. I would expect all of them to meet special dietary needs.

Might be a good idea for the older two to not tour with you. I have a feeling their ride choices might be different than yours. Everything is so close that that they'll be able to find you and the hotel without a problem.

 

[RedRosie]

I am so excited for you! This board is the place to be. So much info, so many helpful people. There is a thread with DL info for WDW vets, so that could be helpful place to start. There is a recent thread with tips on things not to miss on your first visit. All in all, I think DL is so easy to navigate. WDW terrifies me with the 4 parks and hotels so spread out! But DL is super easy. We were in line for a ride and my DH ran back to our hotel to get jackets. Not only was distance easy, but he gets lost easily (it's the family joke! ) and he figured his way around DL the first morning. Park hopping between DCA and DL is also so easy. You can go on rides in DL and then have lunch in DCA and back to rides in DL. Have a wonderful time planning (that's half the fun!).

 

[Cinderpamela]

If you are staying at the DLH they do have a daybed.... depending on how tall your kids are it will most likely work best for the shortest of your children.

If they know you are a party of 5 I would think they should book you accordingly. Paradise Pier also has the daybed/sofas.

As far as research for how to do the parks you need to check out Hydroguys thread on DL for WDW vets... it is full of all the information you will need to transition from touring at WDW to making the most of DL.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

Excited to hear how you guys like it!

 

[PoohsFan1]

Congrats on going...we too are going to be going to DLR for the first time next summer and are beyond excited about it. Like you, I feel overwhelmed when it comes to planning a DLR trip, we go to WDW all the time (once a year if not twice a year) so I have that planning down to a science. However, DLR is so new to me that I keep reading the DL boards and try to find good DLR books to help me plan. I agree with the PP that the sticky at the top of the page referring to the Newbie guide to DLR for a WDW vet is awesome and very useful. Good luck with your planning and have a great time .

 

[Daydreamer64]

Thanks you guys for the info so far!

To answer the first question:

We will be able to share DH's room, he is the only one sleeping in it so we are able to make it our temporary home for a few days without any problems, hence the couch question.

The couch will be fine for our 6 year old son. He is still little enough that he can sleep just about anywhere but the 18 and 16 year olds are a bit on the tall side- both over 6 feet and wearing 12.5 men's shoes and still growing!

We will not have a car so food costs may be high if we eat solely in the parks.

I found the "Vons" info and may order breakfast, snacks, and water to be delivered to our room on our arrival day.

I read tha the parks are in the city so to speak, is food near the parks within walking distance- like McDonalds...?

Cost is always an issue for us. We work and do the best that we can to save money so this opportunity is a wonderful surprise for the family.

I have priced plane tickets and so far the best airfare will be around $1000 roundtrip for the four of us.

I do not know the first thing about discounts for conference tickets or if Dh will be able to get them through DL for us?

I am such a newby with Dl that I am a bit overwhelmed at his time.

It's a good thing that I have my IDs friends to help me out!

 

[Daydreamer64]

Oh yes, the older two- they are just little kids in a big kid's body!!

I casually mentioned the idea of a WDW vacation with them sometime in the next few YEARS and they were over the moon excited- they have no clue that we may be going next spring.

They were practically fighting over who would ride with their little brother!

They can have him, Dh and I will go our own way-

Just kidding about seperating.

Dh and I can go on the trip by our selves, Grandma has offered to stay with the boys, well the little one, the big ones take care of themselves!

Based on their reaction when we brought up the idea that we were thinking of a Disney vacation, I don't think there will be any need for Grandma to come over.

For what it's worth, the little one will be 7 by the time that the trip rolls around and he is a rollercoaster junkie!

That kid scares me sometimes. He has gone to the local parks and wants nothing to do with the kiddie rides but asks over and over to ride the spinning, looping, speedy rides- he makes me want to hurl sometimes. We have to switch off riders for him as he makes everyone ride over and over till they are all sick!

Our older DS asked if we could ride Peter Pan first and the 16yo said we had to make sure to ride Pooh too!!!

If big brothers think something is cool then our little one is all in, so I have no worries about the slower classics with him either!

They are Disney nuts just like their parents, just little kids in big kid's bodies!

It is so exciting to post with you guys as you all understand the excitment level that I am feeling right now!

 

[anc876]

What an amazing surprise! Glad that you all get the chance to experience the DL magic! Our first trip with our son is coming up, and we are even more excited to go than before he came along!

 

[scoker]

I think you will find ways to make the trip affordable. My boss stayed at the DLH recently and said the rooms are a good size. They had four adults and a child and everyone fit fine. If the room is booked for 5 they will get you a room with two queens and a daybed as PP said.

If you fly into SNA your least expensive transport from the airport is probably a taxi van. I've heard it is around $40 one way. If you fly to LAX I've heard a taxi is more like $100 one way. The super shuttle or Disneyland express would probably be less expensive from LAX. The link at mousesavers has a lot of the transportation info all in one spot. Most people will agree that flying into SNA is easier if it doesn't cost a lot more and it doesn't add an extra connection to your flight.

http://www.mousesavers.com/transpor...-on-airport-shuttles-for-disney-vacations/#dl

You can definitely save money by stocking the room with breakfast stuff and snacks. Another thing we did in the parks was ask any counter service restaurant for a cup of water. They will give it to you even if you don't buy anything. Just look for a short line. I don't particularly like water so I brought little flavor pouches with me. There are also non-disney places to eat within easy walking distance. I'm more familiar with the places on Harbor which is in the opposite direction of the DLH. There is an IHOP very close and McDonalds. I also know that while the official policy is no outside food or drink that people report no problems carrying in small soft side coolers or backpacks with snacks, bottled water, sandwiches ect.

As far as I know there is no great way to get tickets at a greatly reduced price that is legal. There are folks that sell you partial use of a multi day park hopper but it sounds like DLR is really trying to crack down on that and if you get caught with one of those tickets you might have a very un-magical moment. So I would stay away from ebay, craigslist ect. For my next trip to DLR I only have to buy one park hopper but I'm going to use disney gift cards to purchase it. I'm going to buy the gift cards at a local grocery store that gives bonus points for buying gift cards that can be used towards money off gas. Tickets can be purchased online, at a local disney store or at the resort.

Once you get yourself to DL the two areas that will save you the most is how you dine and how much you shop. Depending on appetites and stuff people can give you recommendations about meals that can be shared and stuff. The fried chicken dinner served at the Plaza Inn in DL can easily feed either myself and my mom or me and my daughter. I've seen lots of people post info like that so if you are interested I know the folks on the board can point you in the right direction.

I hope you can make the trip as a family.

 

[KateDrake]

If you can swing it, I would totally look into getting the SoCal City Pass and extending your trip a bit. There is so much to see in California besides Disneyland, and it sounds like this might be your only chance! If you are flying out here anyway, you might be able to put together a few more days for relatively little. I'd say maybe a week would get you enough time to see Disney quickly, maybe visit Sea World and the San Diego Zoo, and maybe have some beach time or see LA.

I don't know if that will fit into your budget, but it's certainly worth looking into! You could also switch to an off-site hotel for your non-Disney days, that will literally save you hundreds of dollars.

I'd also recommend heading to your library and picking up a copy of "The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland." Very similar to the WDW version, and has info on all the ticket options, hotels, etc.

You guys will have so much fun! You're going to love the West, I wouldn't be surprised if you come back again!

 

[scoker]

I'd also recommend heading to your library and picking up a copy of "The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland." Very similar to the WDW version, and has info on all the ticket options, hotels, etc.

You guys will have so much fun! You're going to love the West, I wouldn't be surprised if you come back again!

I second the recommendation for "the unofficial guide". Using the related website is inexpensive. I think it is less than $10.

www.touringplans.com

It has crowd calendars and can help you plan your days but it also has some other info also about hotels, restaurants, attractions, fastpass use ect.

 

[pikaboo27]

Be sure you order a case of water or other drinks for the room. DLH rooms have fridges, and the bottled drinks in the parks are $3 each! We take our infant son, so we usually order things like formula and baby food from diapers.com to be shipped to the hotel, but we also order bottled water and gatorade from them. It was waiting at the hotel when we arrived and we saved a bundle. They also carry snacks like granola bars, etc, for snacks and you can usually google discount codes that can make it a little cheaper than vons (plus no sales tax!)

As for what not to miss, you want to be sure to do attrations that are (at least for now) West Coast exclusive:
Matterhorn (not as awesome as it used to be, stupid single rider bobsleds, but
still a Disneyland classic)
Mr. Toad's Wild ride
Snow White's Scary Adventures
Storybookland Canal Boats
All of Carsland
Indiana Jones

And then of course you will want to do POTC (we have two drops!) and HM and be sure to check out our Splash since it's a bit different from the WDW one.

For inexpensive meals, there is a McDonald's nearby but it is on the opposit side of the esplanade from the DLH. You would have to walk through DTD, go thru security, walk across the esplanade, and past the transporation area and then cross the street and turn left and go about a block. It's a little much. Downtown Disney has some sensibly priced options, as does White Water snacks if you want to pop into the GCH for breakfast. It's very near the hotel guest entrance to DCA (especially convenient for MM at DCA). DCA also has there are plenty of counter service options for breakfast lunch and dinner. Check out the menus for Boardwalk pizza and pasta and Taste Pilot's grill at Allears.net and there is a Boudin's cafe that serves soups and salads in yummy sourdough bread bowls which is counter service as well. For breakfast, Tomorrowland Terrace at DL has delicious breakfast burritos.

ok, that should do for now. lol

Hope this helps,

 

[Cinderpamela]

Answered your question in green below:

Thanks you guys for the info so far!

I read tha the parks are in the city so to speak, is food near the parks within walking distance- like McDonalds...?
Yes there are a bunch of restaurants just across the street on Harbor Blvd, including a McD's. There are also more restaurants within walking distance at the Citywalk (an outdoor mall) about a mile away. Plus all the places to each at Downtown Disney right by the parks.
They are putting in an Earl of Sandwich right by the DLH.

I have priced plane tickets and so far the best airfare will be around $1000 roundtrip for the four of us. WOW!! Thats a great rate from the east coast!

 

[tchrrx]

Could you announce the trip as a Christmas present? That would help you save a little money, and it might encourage your kids to save for souvenirs & stuff. Plus, it would allow them a couple of months to help out with the planning.

 

[Daydreamer64]

WOW, YOU GUYS ARE GREAT!

I am very happy to find that the rooms will have enough beds for all of us!

I will make sure to have water and snacks ordered and delivered to our hotel.

Thank you for the information and names of places to order from.

The airport information is very helpfull as we need all the guidence that we can get- also because it saves us some money it is really appreciated.

I will make a trip to the book store today to get the guide!

We have already decided that we will make sure to experience the "ONLY at DL" rides first then the duplicates as they are somewhat different- gosh I can hardly type as I am so hyper about the trip- my fingers can't keep up with my brain!

I would love to extend the vacation time however, we are pulling both our college freshman and our high school junior out of school for the trip- it is not in their best interest to miss more days then two or so, as they will not be excused and they will not be able to make up their work for grades.

We have never pulled them out of school for a non-emergency, such as vacation, as they are both straight "A" students.

I'm ok with it but they are not.

At least they want to make good grades and I don't want to discourage it!

However, we will be making this decision for them and they will have to get through it!

I've already talked to people in the HS office and they said to take the trip but it was unexcused and if any teachers were going to be a problem it would be best to keep it short.

Our college DS will have to speak to his professors ahead of time- he is grown now and that is his job. I will have to tell him before the other kids but it's good a as he is a world class secret keeper!

Our first grade child has the ok and "go and have a good time" from his teacher for the week.

Dh and I may take our LO and stay for the week.

DH's conference is from Thursday through Sat- so we are thinking of flying Dh, myself, and YDS in on Monday night- we three will visit the parks Tues/Weds, YDS and I will swim and do DTD and so on Thursday/Friday.

We might fly the older boys to DL on Friday night so they can do the parks Sat and Sun with us as a family.

If I take the little one before the conference days and get all the kid rides and shows done, then the ODS's can do all the thrill rides with us on the weekend and fly home on Monday missing only one day.

I know the weekends are very busy but it's the only way that they can join us, that we can figure out at this time, that allows them to miss very little school.

Not the dream vacation but fun none the less. Also, that gives YDS a break on Thur/Fri from getting up so early for rope drop and Mom a break from all the walking!

Well, maybe I should amend that statement: up so early- isn't the west coast like three hours behind us here on the east coast?

That means that we will be bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6am wc time as it will be 9am ect?! That's even better!

I've read all the links previously mentioned and am gettiing a feel for DL- I hope!

So, thankyou for all your advice again! It is very helpful!

It's all still in the works but we are determined that we are going to make this happen.

 

[Daydreamer64]

Oh yes, as far as tickets go, I would never do something illegal nor would I buy any from the net except for official sites- I know that dishonest people feed of off unknowing ticket buyers.

I would be very upset to get to the gate and be told that the tickets weren't good.

I think there may be discount conference tickets that we can buy, I was hoping that someone knew how that worked and could share the information with me.

If the boys join us at the end of vacation and there is a MMorning on one of those days, can they get in early too? Should I have Dh add them to the room- it will be an upcharge as one of them is 18 now. I'd hate to pay a daily upcharge for the days that the 18yo is not with us.

How would I have to purchase tickets so that they were included without buying a 4 day ticket for each of them? I know that we would have the 4 day ticket for Dh, myself, and our lo, but the older boys will never use the two extra days and I don't want to spend the extra $ on them.

 

[Disneylandfanatic]

I am really enjoying reading you excitement regarding your upcoming trip!!! I will try to answer a couple of questions for you.

Convention tickets should be available to purchase from the people putting on the convention themselves. I would look at their website or give them a call regarding their ticketing information. You should not have a problem buying some tickets with four days and other tickets for two.... If you can't get them at the convention price (which I am not sure why you wouldn't) then just buy them through the Disneyland website.

As far as early entry for hotel guests... It is my understanding that one hotel key is good for up to 6 guests to enter into the park. This may have changed but this is what we did in march when we were saying in the grand and our friends were staying off site. They were able to use our early entry with us because the one room key was good for six people... Mate someone can clarify if this is still the case??

To save money on food in dtd... Eat at the side kitchens! They have good food and are so much cheaper than sitting down at the actual restaurant. Jazz kitchen, tortilla joes, and Naples have the side kitchens. Our favorite are the nachos at tortilla joes and he beignets at jazz kitchen.

I believe someone mentioned that the "official rule" is no outside food or drinks. Outside food and drink is certainly allowed, just have To be in a soft side cooler or in your backpack and no glass. We bring in water and snacks etc. all the time, no problems.

For an "upscale" dining experience without totally breaking the bank... Hit up steakhouse 55 for breakfast, right in your hotel. Great food, atmosphere, and service for very reasonable prices!!! We think this place is a hidden gem for breakfast.

Your trip will be amazing!

 

[Cinderpamela]

So many good questions I dont know where to start!

I think there may be discount conference tickets that we can buy, I was hoping that someone knew how that worked and could share the information with me.

Tickets- in a lot of situations you can buy tickets through the conference. For example with the Gay Days event there was a special link that folks associated with it were sent to be able to purchase their tickets through Disney events at a special discounted price. I would have your hubby check in with his company or the conference info to see. I would think that since the company is springing for rooms at the DLH there would be a good chance that they may have something worked out for this.

If the boys join us at the end of vacation and there is a MMorning on one of those days, can they get in early too? Should I have Dh add them to the room- it will be an upcharge as one of them is 18 now. I'd hate to pay a daily upcharge for the days that the 18yo is not with us.

In the past for early entry they have just required the adults in the group to show their room key. I say that but that was having done it when my boys were younger so they were clearly with Mom and Dad.... with older boys it may be different. But someone else may be able to address this who has been there more recently. I would definitely request 4 room keys (since 2 of your boys are under 18) and then give 2 of those to to the older boys. How much more is it to pay the upcharge for the extra person in the room fee?

How would I have to purchase tickets so that they were included without buying a 4 day ticket for each of them? I know that we would have the 4 day ticket for Dh, myself, and our lo, but the older boys will never use the two extra days and I don't want to spend the extra $ on them.

I would only buy tickets for the days that they are going to be there. No need to buy them more days. When you order them you just specify 3- 4 day tickets and 2- 2 day tickets... or whatever it might be...

Oh yes, as far as tickets go, I would never do something illegal nor would I buy any from the net except for official sites- I know that dishonest people feed of off unknowing ticket buyers.

The discount tickets that I have seen on reputable places such as ares travel are usually only a few dollars less, so I have always just went ahead and pre purchased online through the Disneyland website. It wasn't worth the $5 savings to me to hastle with outside sellers. But some folks really like to do it that way.

The ticket vouchers you get through Disneyland can just be printed up right at home, then you take them to the front ticket gate on your first day. They scan them. Print out actual tickets for you right there at the turnstyle... and then you are in the park! For me its worth it for the ease and to know my tickets are legit and straight from Disney.

Also, be sure to print up an extra copy of the voucher's as proof of purchase in case you loose a ticket , makes it so much easier for Disney to issue a replacement (trust me on this... oh the stories I could tell...).

I would love to extend the vacation time however, we are pulling both our college freshman and our high school junior out of school for the trip- it is not in their best interest to miss more days then two or so, as they will not be excused and they will not be able to make up their work for grades.

I can totally relate, we have a HS Sophmore and are pulling him out for the Mon and Tues after Thanksgiving. He is an A student and will have no problem making it up... I am tempted to just call in sick for those two days.... but it would be nice for him to get the homework done in advance so I think he is just gonna have to talk to the teachers.

I know families who have done exactly what you are thinking and flew the older kids in for the weekend only. You are not alone in planning it this way for sure!

 

[kkmcan]

Your trip sounds amazing! I love the idea of you and your dh and your lo flying out a couple of days early. Then having the older kids fly in together over the weekend. Sounds perfect!

 

[sasywtch]

Your trip sounds like mine years ago when I had a free room and didn't have a lot of funds.
Breakfast, definitely in the room. I packed sturdy plastic bowls in my suitcase and bought the cereal, milk and juice at the store on arrival. My kids also drank soda at the time (their dad was in management at Coke so it was difficult), so I bought a few 2 ltrs and they got a class when we went back to the room only. In the parks, it was water. If you are a coffee drinker, the Market place on Main St gives free refills during the day if you keep your receipt.

We went over to McD's for lunch. It's just out the crosswalk on Harbor. IHOP is the most expensive IHOP I've ever been to. There is also a Subway and Dennys right by there. Do NOT eat at Cptn Kids. Depending on the hours of the parks, you could buy sandwich stuff and go back to the room, make a sandwich and swim for an hour.

Our problem is treats. I made cookies and rice krispe treats at home and packed them in a large Tupperware container in my luggage. I had a small container in my overly large purse so I put a few in the small container when we went to the parks. Free treats.

If you can, I would order a Disney gift card and put money on it every payday.
Just fyi===in DCA you can order the soup in a bowl and ask for the sour dough bread in a bag separately.