Hi! So we are FINALLY going to take our girls to Disneyland in the fall. Yay!
I've been researching hotels, packages etc. and I'm totally overwhelmed and ready to give up lol
Here is what I need help with: 1. WHERE TO STAY? I am lost. It will be us and our 2 girls and then my MIL so it's either got to be two connecting rooms (which probably is better because 2 bathrooms) or some type of suite. I feel like this puts Disneyland Hotel out of range pricewise. If it was just one room I'd be ok with it, but they don't seem to have a set-up like a small suite or whatever. We love to swim. We are planning to go for 6-7 nights and do a 3-day park hopper and spend plenty of time at the pool. That being said we want a place with a fun pool area.
2. My kids are 5 and almost 8. They are too big for strollers of course but their legs tire out KWIM? So if we stay off property I need a place that has a really good shuttle or is close to the entrance.
3. What's up with the Halloween stuff? We def want to do that but I'm seeing all sorts of confusing stuff. Do I need to buy tickets to that like now? Is it a show? A parade?
4. Costco travel? Getawaytoday.com? They seem to have the best deals, yeah? I'm looking at packages that include tickets through these two sites but my husband is a veteran so maybe I could get discounted tix better somewhere else?
HELP. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING LOL
I went to Disneyworld once when I was 8 - this is totally foreign to me!
As far as Halloween, it's a separately ticketed event at California Adventure that includes trick or treating, a special parade and World of Color and other entertainment. It runs from six to eleven but you can get in three hours early on Tuesdays and Thursdays and four hours early on Sundays.
Tickets go on sale starting on the 23rd for DVC mbers and Disney Visa members and then a few days later for everyone else. From what I've heard in the past the events do sell out so I'd buy them now if you know the date and you're really wanting to go.
For the hotel, we stayed at the Homewood suites next to the parking area last year. It was nice because we only had to walk to the end of the block and grab the bus. The breakfast was nice as was the kitchen but the pool area was pretty simple.
I prefer the S Harbor Blvd hotels. Howard Johnson (has a water park), there are 2 best westerns (some have suite set ups) and more, and the crosswalk to the park is right across from IHOP if you look at a map. Super easy 5 minute walk to the gates.
We booked our fall package through Costco because it gave us a $185 Disney gift card for food and such. Not sure how that compares to any military pricing.
We booked our fall package through Costco because it gave us a $185 Disney gift card for food and such. Not sure how that compares to any military pricing.
Yes! They are offering gift cards with reservations which seems like an awesome deal.
I prefer the S Harbor Blvd hotels. Howard Johnson (has a water park), there are 2 best westerns (some have suite set ups) and more, and the crosswalk to the park is right across from IHOP if you look at a map. Super easy 5 minute walk to the gates.
We booked our fall package through Costco because it gave us a $185 Disney gift card for food and such. Not sure how that compares to any military pricing.
Yes! They are offering gift cards with reservations which seems like an awesome deal.
I thought so too. I would price it out doing the hotel on your own and tickets through the base and see which way comes out better.
I prefer the S Harbor Blvd hotels. Howard Johnson (has a water park), there are 2 best westerns (some have suite set ups) and more, and the crosswalk to the park is right across from IHOP if you look at a map. Super easy 5 minute walk to the gates.
So the IHOP on Harbor Blvd yes?
Yup! By Best Western Park Place Plus. We’ve stayed at both the Best Westerns and liked them. The one a few hotels south has a nice suite option for families. It was a room with 2 doubles or queens and connected to a room with 1 double or queen. (Can’t remember if it was queens or not) so we put the 2 bigger kids in there and kept the baby with us in the room with 2 beds. The bathroom is in the room with the 2 queen beds only though.
Oh and my current 7 year old has been kicked out the stroller since she was 4 and has always done fine. It’s so much easier without stroller. You can do the train or monorail to get a break and sit for awhile or sit and eat. My whiny 4 year old was ok with no stroller too and whined minimally.
There are no direct shuttle to park buses anymore. The city did away with it years ago. You can take the ART bus but you have to ride it the whole way around depending on your hotel location/route. We did it once and I thought it was annoying so I just stay close enough to walk now. Lol.
We stayed across the street in a Best Western. We planned to swim but it was soooo cold (end of May) so be prepared for a potential cold day or two. I didn’t think it’d be super warm but we had multiple days in the 60’s. The Marriott and Howard Johnson across the street are close and have nice pool areas.
We found Disneyland pretty small so my 6 year old didn’t need a stroller. Most all the hotels across the street were pretty close walking distance to the entrance.
Our last trip we stayed at Great Wolf Lodge and it was perfect. If you catch a sale it is similarly priced to the other hotels. We mixed swimming at the water park with Disney. They have a shuttle to Disney but reserve it early.
I would rent a condo. There are a ton just to the west of Disneyland that are very nice, and there's a pool. Parks are walkable, you have more room, and a place to not eat out.
Post by alleinesein on Apr 20, 2019 0:35:25 GMT -5
Del Sol Inn is across the street from the park, has connecting rooms, and is budget friendly. Each room also has a microwave and mini-fridge; they also have a small continental breakfast in the morning. It is behind Denny's and it has a small pool. No frills but the staff is awesome, you get cookies when you check in and it is super convenient to the park.
Hit me up with all of your Disneyland questions; I am up there quite a bit. I just got home from a day trip an hour ago.
Halloween party info disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2019/04/new-oogie-boogie-bash-a-disney-halloween-party-coming-to-disney-california-adventure-park-tickets-on-sale-beginning-next-week/ Sunday, Oct 13th will probably sell out first because some people have Oct 14th off. Most of the entertainment will be party specific and that is a separate ticket. I would recommend buying a party ticket and having that be your lazy day where you all sleep in and then head into the park in the afternoon; they usually let party guests into the park 3 hours prior to the event (if the event starts at 7 pm, you can get into the park at 4 pm). The Halloween overlays for rides will be accessible to everyone.
A basic gameplan for doing the park. Get up early and get to the park when it opens. Do not screw around wasting time eating a big breakfast first thing in the morning. Plan to spend 90-120 minutes doing rides before you eat breakfast. You can knock out a ton of rides in the first 2-3 hours. Just to give you an idea- we got into the park at 9 am today (it opened at 8 am) and walked onto Star Tours, Space Mountain, Buzz, and small world. We grabbed a FP for Space Mountain when we went on it so we rode it again so by 10:15 we had done five rides. The early bird gets all the fun rides!! Spend your afternoons doing shows and character meet and greets before you head back for a nap. Don't over plan your day; stuff will break down and your kids may have a meltdown. Let the kids dictate the pace for the day and please do not drag them around the park when they are obviously done for the day.
Military tickets have a really good deal but for the super discounted tickets, the active duty or retired vet has to be there when you first enter the park. So if he isn't joining you, you wont be able to take advantage of the good discount (it is around $200 for a 4 day park hopper). They can buy tickets at a slight discount that do not require him to be there when you use them but the discount is really small. You can still look into the offers that Disney has for military to price them out.
Post by Doggy Mommy on Apr 20, 2019 8:48:44 GMT -5
The Halloween party is a separate ticketed event, but in the parks you will see Halloween decor, special rides (Haunted Mansion has a nightmare before Christmas overlay that time of year which is wonderful!), Halloween food etc. The party is fun because you can all dress up, there’s trick or treating, a special parade, and this year there’s a special villain-themed World of Color show. The party is new at DCA this year so it’s hard to say what it will be like. I went to the party at DL last year and it was a lot of fun. I’d use that as your park day and sleep in, go to the pool etc. It will sell out eventually but not right away when tickets go on sale. It’ll probably take a couple months.
I wouldn’t worry about a shuttle. Just grab a Lyft if needed. They are everywhere, super easy, cost about 6 bucks.
I haven’t stayed there but the Howard Johnson with the water park looks great. We’ve stayed at peacock suites when we’ve needed 2 bedrooms, but the pool isn’t great.
Post by sandandsea on Apr 20, 2019 10:54:18 GMT -5
We have stayed at the Hilton several times and it’s a little walk to the parks but totally doable. There is also a DL parking lot across the street with a free shuttle you can ride if you want. We got Starbucks in the hotel and drank it along the walk. They have a nice pool and kids water area.
This year we are staying at the Marriott courtyard that is closer and also has a nice water playground.
Both are good neighbor hotels so you can book through Disney and get a magic morning.
I don’t think you need a stroller or anything for 5-8 yos. It’s not that big and the hotels are all close enough to walk to the park.