Where should we stay??

[SumerP]

We are coming to CA over the Thanksgiving Holiday 2010. We will be staying in LA for most of the trip, but were considering coming to Disneyland on Wednsday before Thanksgiving and spending that Thurs and Fri at the park. We would probably stay Wed and Thursday night for sure, and maybe Friday night too. Should we stay on Disney property or off site? Do they have transportaion to the parks like at Orlando? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[JustAKid]

My advice would be to read the stickys and other posts as MANY are about this very topic!

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

It's sometimes hard to know where to start on the DISboards, isn't it? There's a wealth of information here and it sounds as though you'll have lots of time to get some planning completed prior to your trip. The nice thing about starting now is that you'll see lots of people asking questions about Thansgiving trips (many you might not have thought to ask yourself!). In the meantime, I would recommend starting with the Stickey threads at the top of the main page. In particular, I would recommend that you read HydroGuy's many excellent tips: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1520483 . If you read through all of his threads, you will be much more prepared than the average visitor to DLR.

Have fun planning!

 

[poohbear luvs grumpy]

I prefer to stay off sight the prices for hotels are half. The true experience is in the park. My sister has stayed in the Grand Californian but do to the economy she is looking at other options. DH our kids and I stayed at the Hampton Inn in April it was wonderful. We have also stayed in the Fairfield the Holiday Inn the HoJo and the Tropicana. My #1 would be Hampton Inn. Transportation is available through ART at an additional fee. I believe it was $3 a person, if you choose offsite and not across from the park it is worth the cost. We always get great discounts through getawaytoday.com. I have tried to put my own package together but I can't touch the discounts that they provide. They have packages for Disney hotels and offsite hotels we have been using them for at least 10 years and have never had a problem. HTH.

 

[Hound 109]

Definitely read all of HydroGuy's stickys for good info for the WDW vet.

Other comments below:

We are coming to CA over the Thanksgiving Holiday 2010.

How many days total in greater LA? Any other days you can visit DLR besides the Thurs & Fri. of Thanksgiving Holiday?

We will be staying in LA for most of the trip, but were considering coming to Disneyland on Wednsday before Thanksgiving and spending that Thurs and Fri at the park. We would probably stay Wed and Thursday night for sure, and maybe Friday night too. Should we stay on Disney property or off site?

Depends.....where do you stay at WDW? & how much do you want to pay (per night) at DLR? How many in your family?

Do they have transportaion to the parks like at Orlando?

You don't need "transportation to the parks" if you stay on site or on Harbor Blvd (nearby). Unlike WDW....one doesn't have to endure a bus ride line, a bus ride to the park.... or a return bus ride line & a return bus ride to your hotel, at DLR. Those in the know....use their feet.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[IBLarsen]

Hi, Yes you will get a ton of info from the stickys recommended. BUT to get you started with your question, there are 3 onsite hotels that are all pricey. there are a lot of hotels right across the street from the DLR entrance, that are all very walkable. There is no disney shuttle service to take you around the DLR property. You just walk. We stayed at Fairfield last year and are staying again in 2 weeks. We have small children and it's a 5 minute walk, not a big deal at all. A favorite on here is Hojo's (howard johnson).

So in a nutshell you can choose any of the hotels along Harbor and they are all 'across the street' from DLR. There are some hotels that are not as walkable and that is where you can do the ART shuttle for a fee, but it's not Disney shuttle, it's a city service.

Here's a map that has been posted on here before, that is helpful for you to get an idea of the layout and some hotel choices.
http://www.geocities.com/ashpsyche/DisneylandLinkMap.html

Hope that helps get you started!

 

[SumerP]

Thanks for the helpful tips! We just returned from WDW in Orlando last week. We stayed at POP Century and enjoyed it very much. We are coming to LA for an anniversary party the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We were considering trying to squeeze in a small Disneyland trip to see the Christmas decorations since we would be close. Sounds like staying across the street would be a good idea!