WOW! I am ignorant.

[Friendly Frog]

I have never been to Disneyland and I really want to go!

I want to take a "cheap" trip and I am VERY directionally impaired. ( I get lost crossing the street. )

I could do WDW on my own...but I am no so sure about DL?

-What is the best airport for arrival?
-Does DL have Magical Express to pick you up at the airport?
-If not, how much should I expect to spend..and what it the best service to use to get from the airport to the hotel?
-Speaking of hotels/Motels, any recommendations? I don't want to be afraid of the room but I plan on spending every moment at the park. Pool is unimportant. Walking distance or shuttle service to the park IS important.


I appreciate any information. (I did read the Mary Jo's thread and it was very helpful...but I am not sure how up to date it is?)

 

[CoolPool]

1) John Wayne, Long Beach, and LAX are all good. Go where you get the best fare.
2) Magic Express equivalent at DLR: Not really in the "free" sense of the word, but you can use Supershuttle, Prime, or various others. There is a bus service too, but I usually prefer the vans as its fewer people to get on/off.
3) My mom paid $16 one way on Supershuttle to LAX
4) Hotel or Motel: does it matter to you? (Hotel=interior corridors/motel=your door swings into the parking lot or an external corridor.) Hotelwise Hojo seems to get the max positive feedback, motelwise its seems to be anybody's game - BWParkPlaceInn, etc....

 

[fairycat]

WDW is about 1000 times harder to navigate then DLR. When we went we had to ask two CM's every time how to get anywhere because the first was always wrong.

With DLR you take the Disney Bus (not free), or a Shuttle (which many seem to like). From their you get to your hotel Howard Johnson's and Candy Cane Lane seem to come highly recommended and are walking distance.

Walking to Disney or talking a shuttle from any Harbor Blvd. Hotel is easy since it is a straight shot down Harbor to the Entrance which has a huge Entrance Sign on Harbor.

Once in the parks you are set. DL is on your right entering from Harbor, DCA is on the left, you literally can see both entrances from the center area and head straight on DTD. It is VERY easy to navigate!

You will be fine and won't even need a GPS system for your new Crocs

 

[cirquelovers]

I prefer to fly into SNA but I think that's because it's smaller and closer to DL. We usually just take a taxi to our hotel, about $35, but for one person it would be cheaper to take a shuttle.

We love to stay at the Candy Cane Inn and they have their own private shuttle to the parks that runs every half hour, or you can just walk the two blocks. They have the nicest breakfast of all the hotels near DL. The beds are very comfy with plenty of pillows!

We have stayed at Dessert Inn and suites and it is just across the street from the DL entrance. It's nothing special but it's close. There a couple others really close too but I can't remember which ones.

 

[Friendly Frog]

Yippppeeee, replies so soon!

Hotel/Motel...doesn't matter to me.

Bottom line is that I am just scared to death of getting lost. At WDW it is so simple. DH puts me on the plane and WDW is waiting for me at arrival. Once at my hotel, it is a simple stroll to the WDW bus for parks/food and I do not have to fear getting lost. When it is time to return home WDW even puts me back on the plane.

Do most of the hotels/motels in the area offer free shuttles to the park?

I gather from Mary Jo's thread that no matter where I stay, fast food is close by?

Do you think I could easily do without a car?

Thanks again!!!

 

[fairycat]

I have heard lots of people do it with out cars. Their is several Restaurants and Fast Food places on Harbor, food is easy to find.

 

[Friendly Frog]

Candy Cane is sounding pretty good. I will have to start looking at airfare to see what specials I can find.

I would love to go in March/April...Is that a good " low crowd" time to go?

If not, I might just have to wait till the Nightmare overlay is done. (IMO that would be the only thing to make it worth waiting for.)

 

[garate55]

Disneyland is really easy to find your way around, problem is getting around if it is too busy, but really easy to find anything you want.

Airports I think have been covered, besides Burbank(40mi.), LAX is the farthest at 35mi. but it all depends at what time of day you fly in, how long it takes you to get to your hotel/motel. Nov 2007 we came in at 8:00pm and we were at our Motel (Anabella) by 9:00 that includes getting our luggage from baggage claim at LAX.

There are charts somewhere online that show you how far each hotel/motel is from the front entrance of DLR. We have always tried to stay at Best Western Park Place Inn & Suites, sometimes they were booked so had to stay elsewhere. But BW is the shortest walk of all unless you stay in the rooms at the back of the motel, be careful where they put you, if you have a real aversion to walking. True Desert Inn & Suites is by the entrance but it is by the parking lot entrance so you will either have to catch the parking lot tram or walk the entire parking lot to the entrances(which is a long way & you may get lost as there are turns you will have to navigate(just kidding)).

Take a look at this thread to see a map of the hotel/motels.

 

[bumbershoot]

Yippppeeee, replies so soon!

Hotel/Motel...doesn't matter to me.

Bottom line is that I am just scared to death of getting lost. At WDW it is so simple. DH puts me on the plane and WDW is waiting for me at arrival. Once at my hotel, it is a simple stroll to the WDW bus for parks/food and I do not have to fear getting lost. When it is time to return home WDW even puts me back on the plane.

Do most of the hotels/motels in the area offer free shuttles to the park?

I gather from Mary Jo's thread that no matter where I stay, fast food is close by?

Do you think I could easily do without a car?

Thanks again!!!

Have you seen this map
yet?


The hotels right around there, mainly on Harbor but some on Katella, are in walking distance. If you want to, you can use Anaheim Regional Transit/Transport (ART), which is something like $3 per day.

Everyone at those airports and in Anaheim knows where Disneyland is. If for some reason you get turned around when you come out of your hotel room, just follow the herd or ask someone. Or look for the "mountains" sticking their tops out of the park, or for the Disneyland signs.

(if you're worried, can you imagine how I'm feeling, starting to plan for a family reunion at WDW at the end of this year? )

You should read my solo trip report in my signature.

 

[wdwr]

I know you didn't ask this but if you're really worried about going alone. Why don't you check out the Dis Ladies Only Trip to Disneyland thread.

We are going April 24-28. You'd at least have some other people around. You might even get lucky and have flights around the same time as some of us...so you have people to ride with to and from the airport.

It's something to think about. I'm sure you'll be find. Everything seems really close to DL.

 

[Disneyluvr2]

1) Fly into Orange County (SNA). It's the closest airport to Disneyland (only about 20 minutes on the shuttle), small and easy to navigate.
2) Take a shuttle to DLR. They'll be lined up waiting for you and it's only $10.00.
3) Don't rent a car, You won't need it if you're only going to DLR.
4) There are lots of hotels across the street from the Disneyland entrance on Harbor Blvd. We always at Park Vue Inn which is directly across from the entrance. They have a free breakfast that's pretty nice. There's also an IHOP right next door. There's no way you can get lost! You just walk across the street and you're at the park!

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

If you are taking the supershuttle or something directly to your hotel and are only going to DL then you will do fine without a car. Even if you don't stay at a hotel within walking distance you can take ART. If you do stay on Harbor (across the street from DL) there is a Millie's, Mimi's, McDonalds, Denny's, and IHOP). Plus there are tons of things to eat in the park and DTD.

 

[Quest4fun]

Quick run down.

SNA - Orange County Airport is the easiest to get in and out of. The money you save on transportation to and from typically covers the difference in price between flying into Orange county and flying into LAX or Long Beach. Lines are relatively short so you won't get hung up the day you leave.

Shuttle to Hotel - Supershuttle is usually under $20. Some hotels also have shuttle service.

Anaheim Plaza Hotel - Pretty good motel. It's a very old hotel but the rooms are very clean and have new furnishings. The staff is friendly. It's about a 15 minute walk to the park if you're in decent shape. If you walk on the slower side it may take about 20 minutes. It's less than a mile from the hotel to the turnstyle. They also all have refridgerators and microwaves so you can stock up on food.

Denny's, McDonalds, Mimi's... - Plenty of restaurants nearby. Denny's is on the way to the park. My wife and I usually hit them up for breakfast when we don't feel like eating the food we have in our room. There are many restaurants on Harbor and Katella. You may want to call a cab or a short bus trip to those. Disney transit is another easy way to get around to the different restaurant areas. The Disney busses hit up most of the hotels.

Without a rental car you can manage pretty well. Look for cheap flights and get a hotel as close to the park entrance as possible to ensure short walks.

Good luck and enjoy your trip.

 

[PrincessKell]

Totally doable with out a car. There is plenty of food outside of the park. Or you could even have something delivered!

BW Park place inn , Park Vue Inn are RIGHT across the street. all ya do is walk out and towards the street. and follow the crowds of folks with the ears on.

I much rather do that then stay where I need the shuttle we did that our first time. and I didn't like having to plan an getting up extra extra early to wait for the shuttle to get to DL early enough. For some folks its not an issue. For me it was.

March and April most schools in Ca will be on spring break. So it will be a bit busy.

Good luck have fun!

 

[Friendly Frog]

I know you didn't ask this but if you're really worried about going alone. Why don't you check out the Dis Ladies Only Trip to Disneyland thread.

We are going April 24-28. You'd at least have some other people around. You might even get lucky and have flights around the same time as some of us...so you have people to ride with to and from the airport.

It's something to think about. I'm sure you'll be find. Everything seems really close to DL.

Thanks! I may do just that....oh wait, school is out for spring break March/April?????

RED ALERT< RED ALERT! Maybe I need to look at early May!!!!

Plan B?

By the way, thank you everyone! You have all been so kind and helpful!