No DL Planning Sub-Forum?

[DryCreek]

If there was one, I would post this question:

Howdy Folks,

Long Time Disney fan, we used to go to WDW just about every year when we lived on the east coast, but now that we "live in the middle" we have more choices.

I have been to DL twice, once while stationed in San Diego (USN '80 to '86) and once again with the DW and DS (who was 3 at the time) in 1992.

I take it that a lot has been added since then? Do I understand that they've added a new theme park (Cali Adv.)?

The DW and I have just returned from a week at WDW. Although I love going to "The World", I noticed that not enough had changed since our last visit in 2004 to make it worthwhile to return any time soon. I got to thinking, "hey, why not DL next?".

OK, so here's the question - we did WDW like we always wanted to, on-site stay, Dining Plan, et.al.

So, does DL offer the same level of service that you can get at WDW? Specifically, do they offer something similar to the DME, Dining Plan, or a choice of lodging levels (value, moderate, deluxe)? We loved FW, so do they have RV sites with full hookups?

I take it that the two parks must be walking distance from each other? If so, then trying to plan around the transportation issue would be moot. If I remember correctly from "the old days" when I last visited DL, the monorail just circled the park with a stop at the Disneyland Hotel - is this still the case?

OK DL fans, help me out here. I have ordered the DL Planning DVD, now I need y'alls input to make this happen for us in 2010.

 

[nemofinder22]

DLR does not offer DME, theres only 3 hotels 2 of which use high towers.

The 2 parks are right across from each other, and the new Mark VII Monorails still go from DLH(well now its DTD) to Tomorrowland.

2010 should be a pretty good year too, its DL's 55th Anniversary, so that should mean brand spankin new parade, fireworks, decorations, World of Color opens at DCA.

 

[Philo]

I'll be in DL for my first ever visit in a couple of weeks. As I understand it, there are Disney hotels but I think they all fall into the Deluxe / High Moderate range. After reading lots of reviews etc, they all seem nice although you can spend a lot less money by going to one of the partner hotels in the nearby area. Most of these seem to be a 10 - 15 min walk away (or less in some cases) and without any major drawbacks.

Transport isn't really an issue as you can walk from park to park in a minute of so and I think it's the same with the Disney hotels (although there is a monorail).

I don't think there are any dining plans or similar although I haven't really checked into it.

The parks don't have Extra Magic hours although they do offer an Extra Morning Hour on select days. This let's you enter the park an hour early. This will come with your tickets (I think you need to buy at least a 3 day pass though) and you do not need to be staying onsite.

Hope that helps - If any of this is wrong let me know - I'm still learning

 

[Bug715]

I'll be in DL for my first ever visit in a couple of weeks. As I understand it, there are Disney hotels but I think they all fall into the Deluxe / High Moderate range. After reading lots of reviews etc, they all seem nice although you can spend a lot less money by going to one of the partner hotels in the nearby area. Most of these seem to be a 10 - 15 min walk away (or less in some cases) and without any major drawbacks.

Transport isn't really an issue as you can walk from park to park in a minute of so and I think it's the same with the Disney hotels (although there is a monorail).

I don't think there are any dining plans or similar although I haven't really checked into it.

The parks don't have Extra Magic hours although they do offer an Extra Morning Hour on select days. This let's you enter the park an hour early. This will come with your tickets (I think you need to buy at least a 3 day pass though) and you do not need to be staying onsite.

Hope that helps - If any of this is wrong let me know - I'm still learning

I thought the Extra Morning thing was if you stayed in a DL hotel? At least I hope so since I'm a CM so I don't have to buy tickets. Does anyone know about this?

 

[Philo]

I *think* you get unlimited Extra Morning Hours if you stay in a DL hotel but with certain ticket packages, you do get one free entry.

This is stated on this page: http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/reserve/ticketListing?name=TicketListingPage

If you have to be staying at a DL hotel to get this then I think Disney need to make that absolutely clear. The blurb at the bottom of the page reads as below:

Magic Morning allows admission into selected attractions at Disneyland® Park before the park opens to the public on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday. Based on availability and subject to restrictions. Applicable days and times of operation and all other elements including, but not limited to, operation of attractions, entertainment, stores and restaurants and appearances of Characters may vary and are subject to change without notice.

 

[DryCreek]

After much

searching and comparison, it looks like it may be a better deal to stay at one of the "Good Neighbor" hotels, and just book a package. I am disappointed that they don't offer the same "total immersion" setting that you can get at WDW, but I also understand that they are in a totally different environment/setting.

Don't get me wrong - if staying on the DL resort properties offered amenities that I couldn't get by purchasing a multi-day pass or staying on-site, I would spring for the extra cost. Although I am not a true tightwad, I still look for value returned for money spent. Otherwise I wouldn't be totally debt-free as I am now.

With a quick check using Travelocity, I can book a room at a nice hotel for less than the nightly rate I just paid at the POR. It looks like there are two Best Westerns and The Carousel Inn & Suites right across the street, as well as a Fairfield Inn and a Holiday Inn too. All of those have been adequate lodging in the past. Anyone have any experience staying at one/all of these motels? How about the Park Inn, Howard Johnsons, The Coast Anaheim or the Portofino Inn & Suites? These were the mid-level options listed, and I see that there are also several economy options such as the Ramada Inn Maingate, Red Roof Inn, Tropicana Inn & Suites or The Jolly Roger.

All of the lodging choices I have quoted are within two blocks or less (most are across the street) from the main gate. I would appreciate any feedback y'all have on any of these properties! These are listed as Good Neighbor hotels - does that title offer any perquisites (i.e. ticket discounts, special dining offers, etc)? My guess is that the ultimate choice will offer continental breakfast, ticket discounts or package deals and a shuttle to/from LAX.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

I've stayed at all of the Disney hotels and several on Harbor Blvd. I love the Disney hotels and I can give you reviews on any of them. I understand wanting to stay in a Good Neighbor hotel too though. Here's some opinions of those:

Best Western Park Place Inn - Directly across the street. It offers a continental breakfast which is not great, but it's free! The pool is fine, the rooms are clean.

Camelot Inn - A very short walk down Harbor Blvd. Rooms are bigger than Best Western. Pool is fine.

Marriott - Too far to walk, but a very nice hotel. The pool is really nice. There is no free breakfast. It participates in the shuttle system.

Homewood Suites - Too far to walk but one of my favorites. The rooms are suites with small kitchens. The breakfast is hot and yummy. There are also hot appetizers Monday through Thursday which are more than enough food for dinner. The pool is fine.

Howard Johnson actually gets some of the best reviews. It's a little far to walk at the end of a long day but certainly doable. It's a big favorite for most people.

The Candy Cane Inn is a little too far to walk but it's very popular and very well reviewed as well.

Disney is offering several discounts right now on both their hotels and the good neighbor hotels. If you would like help looking for something or watching for discounts in 2010, shoot me an email. I'd be happy to help!

 

[Bug715]

One of my friends who is also a CM and has been to DL a lot told me that staying at a good neighbor hotel is better because of the price.

I would love to save the money since I can't believe how much this trip is costing but the friend I'm flying out with is coming home Sunday which is the day another friend and her family is getting there. I'd love to save the money but I want the safety of the Disney Resort plus that where my friend's family is staying.

I'm soooo excited!!!!!!

I read somewhere that you have to get off the Monorail at the DL station when you get on at DTD. Is that true? My friend and I get there around 1 and don't want to use a credit on our IDs for part of a day so we were planning on exploring the resorts, riding the monorail and hitting DTD. Is there anything else we should plan to do?

 

[TinkSassy]

Leaving in 2 weeks for my DL trip. We like the dining at WDW so looked into that at DL. It was not a good deal - instead on dining credits you are given vouchers for the money you spent. Lets you preplan your spending - but if you don't use it all - you're just out. . .

I chose a good neighbor hotel - price was the issue. Picked the Tropicana as it seemed the closest - I'll review it when I get back. We did get one early open and a Toontown early open with our package, as well as priority parade seating (Disney Visa perk).

 

[Mr.EPCOT]

I take it that a lot has been added since then? Do I understand that they've added a new theme park (Cali Adv.)?

I believe I can help a little. Disneyland has had some great expansion since 1992. Here's a quick rundown of the good stuff off of the top of my head:

Mickey's Toontown: May or may not have been open last time you visited. A great land (much better than the Toontown Fair here in Florida) based on the cartoon world from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, featuring Mickey's and Minnie's House, Gadget's Go-Coaster (the west coast equivalent of Goofy's Barnstormer, with a Chip 'n' Dale's Rescue Rangers theme), some quick-service food and a couple of shops, a fun interactive downtown area, and most importantly, Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, an awesome dark ride attraction, like if you combined the Mad Tea Party and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

The Indiana Jones Adventure: My all-time second favorite Disney attraction! This is like Dinosaur! at Animal Kingdom, same type of ride experience, only way more fun. One of the best detailed attractions in the entire world.

Newish Tomorrowland:

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage: An update of the classic submarine ride now with impressive technology featuring the characters from the popular Pixar movie.
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters: A much superior version of our Space Ranger Spin, with much easier to use laser guns and targets.
Innoventions: A corporate-sponsored science and technology pavilion like at EPCOT, worth checking out for the recently opened home of the future on the first floor, and Honda's ASIMO robot on the second floor. You can also see Siemen's Project Tomorrow exhibit, a copy of the new post-show from their update of Spaceship Earth at EPCOT, including the ability to do the whole descent video from the ride!​

Highlights at California Adventure would be Grizzly River Run, Soarin' Over California, Monsters, Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue!, California Screamin', and Toy Story Midway Mania.

So, does DL offer the same level of service that you can get at WDW? Specifically, do they offer something similar to the DME, Dining Plan, or a choice of lodging levels (value, moderate, deluxe)? We loved FW, so do they have RV sites with full hookups?

Disneyland Resort doesn't offer as many of those services simply because there is not as much of an urgent imperative to keep Guests and money within Disney property. Disneyland has publicly great relations with the other businesses and attractions in the area, as opposed to Walt Disney World. So there is nothing quite as good as Magical Express, but there are airport shuttles available for a price. No Dining Plan, either. For the Hotels, all three are nice, but they are considered to be on different levels, just nowhere near to the extent of difference between WDW Resorts. On the lower end is Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel, a tower which was actually non-Disney hotel that they purchased in the mid-1990's, and completely remodeled in 2001-ish to the theme of the Paradise Pier area of the new California Adventure park directly across the street. The Disneyland Hotel is more or less the first hotel, having opened with Disneyland in 1955, built and run by Walt's good friend Jack Wrather. It has some great history behind it, but the long story short is that it is comprised of three tower buildings and a restaurant/convention center complex, with a nice Neverland
pool area nestled in the "U" shape of the three towers. And finally, there's the Grand Californian, the most recent and only hotel that Disney has actually designed and built at Disneyland. It is done by the same architect responsible for the Wilderness Lodge here in WDW, with Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired archtitecture. All three hotels have great restaurants, I'd highly recommend Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel, which I find to be a much superior version of Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary, with more food offerings and way more characters.

I take it that the two parks must be walking distance from each other? If so, then trying to plan around the transportation issue would be moot. If I remember correctly from "the old days" when I last visited DL, the monorail just circled the park with a stop at the Disneyland Hotel - is this still the case?

If you think about yourself standing at The Magic Kingdom park entrance, California Adventure is situated where the Seven Seas Lagoon is, with Downtown Disney wedged in between the two parks to the west, and a secondary Disneyland Resort entrance area to the east. The Disneyland Hotel lost a lot of its property to Downtown Disney, and the Monorail station, while still being in the same spot, is now a Downtown Disney station.

I read somewhere that you have to get off the Monorail at the DL station when you get on at DTD. Is that true? My friend and I get there around 1 and don't want to use a credit on our IDs for part of a day so we were planning on exploring the resorts, riding the monorail and hitting DTD. Is there anything else we should plan to do?

The entire Monorail there is technically an attraction within the Disneyland park, even though it is physically not. You must actually use your park ticket to even enter the station at Downtown Disney. As for whether you have to get off or not, I believe that is entirely dependent on their current operating situation. Sometimes, they even only run the Monorail for Guests staying at the three Disneyland resort hotels.

 

[marsrunner]

Its an unpublisized perk of staying at the Disney hotels that you get unlimited Magic Morning entries. They DO tell you when you check in. They give you an entertainment guide and handwrite the days and times that it is applicable. Heck, even some of the CMs on site (not counting the ones working the turnstiles...they all knew) didn't know.
I can't speak to the Grand Californian or Paradise Pier, because I've not stayed at either one, but the Disneyland Hotel, while nice, seemed like they just slapped a coat of Disney paint and themeing ontop of an existing structure, which is, of course, exactly what happened. The same holds true of the Paradise Pier. Grand Californian was built by Disney, so it might have a touch more of that Disney magic. When I stayed Feb. 6 and 7, the Disneyland hotel was $159 a night for my room (the Grand Californian was $300!). That wasn't that much more than the decent Good Neighbor hotels nearby. Not enough to make a difference to me. But we are looking at going again in March, and the Disneyland hotel is $270 a night, while the Good Neighbor hotels like the Tropciana are only around the $100-$150 range, so we'll definitely be staying off-site this time.

 

[Mr.EPCOT]

Yeah, I forgot to mention that I have always stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. I love it, I think it is a wonderful place to stay. But I would like to stay at the other two sometime, too, because they look nice, especially the Grand Californian.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

The Grand Californian is expensive to be sure, but if you can do it, do it. It is absolutely gorgeous. We stay there whenever we can.

 

[DryCreek]

I will keep this in mind

Disney is offering several discounts right now on both their hotels and the good neighbor hotels. If you would like help looking for something or watching for discounts in 2010, shoot me an email. I'd be happy to help!

I am just looking at pricing and availability now, I haven't been given authorization to proceed (from the DW) yet.

I wanted to be able to present it to her as a package and judge the reaction. The trip wouldn't be until early 2010 anyway, we have made our Disney journey (WDW, 2/1 through 2/7, POR) for the year already!

Thanks for all of the good information and hotel reviews!

 

[DryCreek]

Wow! More good info.

Mickey's Toontown: May or may not have been open last time you visited.

They had just opened that section of the park when we were there. It was mayhem! You actually had to wait to enter, the CMs allowed one person in as one person exited.

Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, an awesome dark ride attraction, like if you combined the Mad Tea Party and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

That sound intriguing! Most of those rides were not in operation when we were there last. They just had the basic stuff - kinda like at MK.

The Indiana Jones Adventure: My all-time second favorite Disney attraction! This is like Dinosaur! at Animal Kingdom, same type of ride experience, only way more fun. One of the best detailed attractions in the entire world.

Another "Not To Miss ride for my list - as well as another reason to go to DL vice WDW next time.

Newish Tomorrowland:

See above!​

And finally, there's the Grand Californian, the most recent and only hotel that Disney has actually designed and built at Disneyland. It is done by the same architect responsible for the Wilderness Lodge here in WDW, with Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired architecture.

Funny, while I was watching the DL Planning DVD I just got, I told her that the GC looked just like the WL with hints of the GF here and there!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

I am just looking at pricing and availability now, I haven't been given authorization to proceed (from the DW) yet.

I wanted to be able to present it to her as a package and judge the reaction. The trip wouldn't be until early 2010 anyway, we have made our Disney journey (WDW, 2/1 through 2/7, POR) for the year already!

Thanks for all of the good information and hotel reviews!

Well you definitely need DW's authorization!!:lol:

But if you have any other questions just ask!

 

[DryCreek]

E-Mail from Mickey....

He really wants me to come visit. Here is the offer I received last night:

[FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]A Dream Offer for the Dry Creek family!

[/FONT] [FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]We're so excited to hear you're thinking about taking another amazing Disneyland® Resort vacation! And you'll be excited to know that the Disney Parks DVD you ordered is on the way. But until it arrives, use the included offer and information to get a head start on the fun - there's plenty of it!

[/FONT] [FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]Since you're interested in coming in April, here's a great offer we picked out for you and your family. It's the best way to open a whole world of Disney dreams and possibilities.

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[FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]Enjoy a 3-day/2-night Disneyland® Resort vacation at the Quality Inn & Suites,
including Theme Park tickets for just
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For stays most nights 2/22/09-3/11/09, 4/26/09-6/17/09, 9/25/09-11/18/09 and 11/29/09-12/16/09.

* Price is per person, per day based on quad occupancy made up 2 Adults (18+), 1 Junior (10-17) and 1 Child (3-9) in a standard room at the Quality Inn & Suites for arrivals 2/22/09-3/11/09, 4/26/09-6/17/09, 9/25/09-11/18/09 and 11/29/09-12/16/09 and includes four (4) 3-Day Disneyland® Resort Park Hopper® souvenir ticket. Advance reservations required. Restrictions apply. These tickets expire thirteen (13) days after first use or 1/17/10, whichever occurs first. Each day of a use of a ticket constitutes one (1) full day of use. Tickets may not be sold or transferred for commercial use. All tickets, offers, events, age ranges, services, attractions and entertainment may be seasonal and are subject to change without notice. Some Blockout Dates apply, subject to availability, restrictions and may change without notice. Walt Disney Travel Company CST# XXXXXX-XX; NVST# XXXX-XXXX [/FONT]​

[FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]

[/FONT]​

[FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]Book online or call 866-57-DISNEY or your Travel Agent today!

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[FONT=Helvetica, Geneva, Arial, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif]This package deal includes great benefits, including an interactive character experience, preferred seating at selected attractions and more! And remember, the closer you stay to the Disneyland® Resort, the closer you'll be to the magic.

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​

Of course it is an off-property hotel, but I think for the price offered it is a bargain. I wonder if they will have the same deals for early spring next year (oh, and a 5 day, 4 night option) for about the same price?

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Wow! He's sending you mail, he really does want you to come see him!

There's no way to know of course what will be offered in the Spring, but Spring and Fall are good times for discounts at Disneyland. The spring usually brings about Southern California resident 2fer offers, and right now the 3rd night free, the 4th night free, the everyone plays for kid's price, etc.