Would it be nuts to make a DL resort our home base for a week?

[laura428]

We'll be making our first real trip to DL next April. (We did a last minute day trip three years ago, but we'll be spending 3 or so days there this time.)

I've read that we should try to hit DL mid-week for the lowest crowds, with it being Spring Break, so I was thinking Tuesday through Thursday (maybe Monday, too). We also want a Disney resort so that we can take advantage of EMH (also because of Spring Break, and theming/immersion). Problem with this is that, if we break up our stay, we would fly into hotel #1 on Saturday, check into hotel #2 (Disney) on Tuesday, and then a #3 for Friday and Saturday. This is just way more hassle than we want for vacation!!

So... I'm toying with the idea of just staying at Disney the whole trip. It's more $$$, yes, but easier. UNLESS the traffic makes it a major pain. We'll also want to see La Brae, the Petersen, and probably Santa Monica. Maybe the Walk of Fame and the Getty, too.

Given all this, does a week-long DL stay make sense? Or should we mix it up??

 

[laura428]

I'm also wondering if I buy tickets along with the DL resort, can we wait to use them a few days into our stay? I'm sure once activated, they need to be used consecutive days, right?

 

[Watchtower]

Park tickets don't need to be used consecutive days. I believe they expire 13 days after the first use, so you can split them up however you want.

 

[NewbieMouse]

For the tickets, you don't have to use them consecutively, but do have to use the rest of the days within 13 days of the first day. So you'll be OK.

We go to California every year, with part of our LA area stay in Anaheim and part elsewhere. So I think LA is a place where it can make a lot of sense to switch hotels. It depends where in LA you are looking to go other than Disneyland. We always spend part of our stay in the Farmer's Market area and then go to Disney. So you could pick a west side hotel assuming you wanted to do Santa Monica/Malibu, go to Disney, and then pick a more central one if you were going to do Hollywood, or even the beaches. I would switch it up if it were me, at least once. LA is a big place.

 

[longboard55]

You do not have to stay at a disney hotel, but in gerneral anaheim is the best place to stay for a LA trip. Nice area, prices are not bad, central location. On the days you do not go to disney you can still go to Downtown Disney at night.

 

[SMD]

Use Google Maps to check the routes between DLR and La Brea Tar Pits, Santa Monica, etc at the times of day you expect to travel. I wouldn't want to drive up to LA multiple times or on consecutive days if it's avoidable. Especially during a busy tourist week.

 

[sheetz]

Due to the horrible traffic it's best to think of LA and Anaheim as 2 different cities. If you are visiting LA for more than one day then it makes sense to base yourself there for at least a couple of days.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Due to the horrible traffic it's best to think of LA and Anaheim as 2 different cities. If you are visiting LA for more than one day then it makes sense to base yourself there for at least a couple of days.

We go to California every year, with part of our LA area stay in Anaheim and part elsewhere. So I think LA is a place where it can make a lot of sense to switch hotels. It depends where in LA you are looking to go other than Disneyland. We always spend part of our stay in the Farmer's Market area and then go to Disney. So you could pick a west side hotel assuming you wanted to do Santa Monica/Malibu, go to Disney, and then pick a more central one if you were going to do Hollywood, or even the beaches. I would switch it up if it were me, at least once. LA is a big place.

THIS ^^^^^^^

Like @NewbieMouse I visit California every year and do a split stay. I stay about 4 or 5 days in the LA area and then travel over to Anaheim for Disneyland.

I have stayed in both Santa Monica and Downtown LA

In Santa Monica I have stayed at http://www.comfortinnsantamonica.com/ Great location on Santa Monica Boulevard, about 20 blocks from the main shopping area 3rd Street Promenade and about 30 minutes drive straight to Hollywood Boulevard / Chinese Theatre

In Downtown LA I have stayed at http://www.kawadahotel.com/ Not the best area, hotels further south in Downtown would be better. I stayed here as it was beside the Metro station and bus routes I wanted to use (I dont drive so depend on public transport)

In Anaheim I stay at https://www.motel6.com/en/motels.ca.anaheim.1066.html Unlike Florida, most people stay offsite in California. There are only 3 onsite hotels and they are alot more expensive than the Florida hotels. If you stay offsite, then you dont have to switch hotels in Anaheim and you can just get park tickets for the days you want.

LA driving is crazy and the distances involved are alot more than they seem on the map. If you want to see LA La Brea Tar Pits, Hollywood, Santa Monica, it makes more sense to do a split stay.

 

[Oswald23]

I just did a week at Paradise Pier hotel and it was great. We had 5 parkdays (some half days), did some swimming and Halloween Party. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

 

[laura428]

I just did a week at Paradise Pier hotel and it was great. We had 5 parkdays (some half days), did some swimming and Halloween Party. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Did you go anywhere else during your stay? This is what I'm really wanting to do, but from the sounds of everyone else, the traffic would make it not so worth our while.

 

[Oswald23]

Our situation Maybe a little different because we had a time difference that was 9 hours since we are from the Netherlands.

We did swim 2 times. Went to the Brea mall on 1 occasion, to the walmart en target on another occasion. Als spend a couple of hours in Downtown Disney. We also attended at 3 character breakfast. When driving the roads where busy but I had no problem with the traffic at all. But in the Netherlands you're stuck in traffic all the time

 

[laura428]

THIS ^^^^^^^

Like @NewbieMouse In Anaheim I stay at https://www.motel6.com/en/motels.ca.anaheim.1066.html Unlike Florida, most people stay offsite in California. There are only 3 onsite hotels and they are alot more expensive than the Florida hotels. If you stay offsite, then you dont have to switch hotels in Anaheim and you can just get park tickets for the days you want.

LA driving is crazy and the distances involved are alot more than they seem on the map. If you want to see LA La Brea Tar Pits, Hollywood, Santa Monica, it makes more sense to do a split stay.

This does make sense, but what are the crowds like during busy holiday weeks? I know that DL is very different from WDW, but we've always taken advantage of EMH during high crowds, so I wonder if we'd miss this by staying off-site?

 

[ashley0139]

I would definitely stay in LA for a couple days. LA traffic is no joke, and if you go toward LA in the morning and back to Anaheim in the evening, you will be in the worst of rush hour traffic for 30 miles. No fun.

 

[bumbershoot]

it's best to think of LA and Anaheim as 2 different cities.

It's also best to think of them as different cities since they are, well, two different cities.

so I wonder if we'd miss this by staying off-site?

Just go to the park without the extra hours if you don't have the extra hour. They flipflop each day. So zig when those guests are zagging. Just like EMH is suggested to be used at WDW; if you don't have access, don't go to the EMH park! If you do have it, go for EMH then hop to another less crowded park.


We've stayed 8 nights at DLH, and the only place we went was ONE day to San Diego to see my brother (not sightsee). That was fun but I had the feeling of "we're paying so much to be at DLH and we're not there" in my head the whole time.

I see you're in IN. I've never been there. Think of two big cities that take an hour or so to get between in IN, and ask yourself if you would tell a visitor of one of those places to stay in one while sightseeing in the other. I wouldn't do it.

But a longer visit to DL itself can be fun...just sayin'.

 

[sheetz]

It's also best to think of them as different cities since they are, well, two different cities.

Haha, yeah it should be obvious but you'd be surprised how many people from outside the area see them as the same city. Someone once told me they were "staying in LA" while visiting Disneyland for a few days and when I asked why they would stay so far away it turns out they were actually staying offsite on Harbor.

 

[Epek]

For all the LA stuff you want to do, I'd stay in Hollywood or Santa Monica. It could take 40 mins-2hrs to get to Hollywood from Anaheim. You don't want to do that multiple days! Since you're going during spring break, the crowds aren't going to be much lighter mid week, if even lighter at all. I'd just do LA the first few days and then move on to Anaheim.

 

[laura428]

K - sounds like we really need at least one other place to stay! We'll fly into Orange County on Saturday, landing at 2:50pm, and I think we'll head to Disney first. Stay until Wednesday, move to our second location - still figuring that one out. If we do La Brae, Petersen, Hollywood, I like the looks of the Orlando Hotel - seems nice, good location. Not thinking beach as much anymore because my DH reminded me that this is early April, and it won't be quite as warm as I was thinking! But part of me wants to head south and do San Diego again for a more chill second half of our vaca. We loved it there... decisions, decisions!!

Thanks so much, everyone. This has been really helpful!!