Today is the the day!!!!

[Goofy Rocks]

Very excited i will be flying out of orlando to go back to disneyland for my second time ever! This time is more special as my girlfriend her brother, mom, and my bestfriend are all coming along for there first time! my girlfriends mom is in a wheelchair and is hard for her to move around so she is excited disneyland offers transfer vehicles and other things so she can ride some rides she is not normally able to ride here! And as for her brother he loves nightmare before christmas so he can't wait to ride the haunted mansion overlay! And as for my best friend the lover of Indiana Jones i am pumped for him to see this ride! I know he will love it! thanks again guys for all ur advice as always!

 

[yohoyohobloggerslifeforme]

I just got back from DL after not going in almost 20 years. It was amazing trip. You are going to love it! the HM overlay is really cool but it has a wait but worth it I think.

 

[prberk]

Cool. Have a good time. You will really enjoy it.

Will you have time to see anything in Hollywood or other L.A. sites? I would suggest at least going down to Hollywood Boulevard for the real Chinese Theatre (and across the street from Disney's El Capitan Theatre, Disney/Ghirardelli soda fountain/studio store, and Jimmy Kimmel show) and view of the Hollywood sign (looking up Highland St. from corner with Hollywood Boulevard). Also you will recognize some other "real things" from Hollywood that are mimicked in Disney's Hollywood Studios at WDW, such as the "Crossroads of the World" nearby. You can do all of this in half a day, and I recommend it.

 

[Californian Elitist]

It sounds like you've got a good group with you.

I'm letting you know now, it's going to be very hot today. Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated. Hope you all enjoy your day at the parks!

 

[Goofy Rocks]

It sounds like you've got a good group with you.

I'm letting you know now, it's going to be very hot today. Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated. Hope you all enjoy your day at the parks!

thanks raven! were there for a week so i will make sure to drink plenty of water! always a pleasure to hear from you!

 

[Goofy Rocks]

Cool. Have a good time. You will really enjoy it.

Will you have time to see anything in Hollywood or other L.A. sites? I would suggest at least going down to Hollywood Boulevard for the real Chinese Theatre (and across the street from Disney's El Capitan Theatre, Disney/Ghirardelli soda fountain/studio store, and Jimmy Kimmel show) and view of the Hollywood sign (looking up Highland St. from corner with Hollywood Boulevard). Also you will recognize some other "real things" from Hollywood that are mimicked in Disney's Hollywood Studios at WDW, such as the "Crossroads of the World" nearby. You can do all of this in half a day, and I recommend it.

we are there for a week so we are deff going to try to make time to venture out! i will remember these places! thanks!!

 

[Californian Elitist]

thanks raven! were there for a week so i will make sure to drink plenty of water! always a pleasure to hear from you!

You're welcome, and likewise.

Since you're venturing out, check out our "Explore Southern California" thread for some ideas:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/the-official-explore-southern-california-thread.872243/

As much as I enjoy the Chinese Theatre and the El Cap, Hollywood and Highland is a huge tourist trap, so I'd recommend spending your time elsewhere. Will you have a car?

 

[Goofy Rocks]

You're welcome, and likewise.

Since you're venturing out, check out our "Explore Southern California" thread for some ideas:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/the-official-explore-southern-california-thread.872243/

As much as I enjoy the Chinese Theatre and the El Cap, Hollywood and Highland is a huge tourist trap, so I'd recommend spending your time elsewhere. Will you have a car?

we have not decided if we want to get a car or not! but i feel if we venture out we are going to need one!

 

[PacNWTigger]

There are plenty of places to rent a car for a day or two. Just make sure that there isn't an additional parking fee at the hotel you are staying at if you do multiple days with the car.

 

[Californian Elitist]

we have not decided if we want to get a car or not! but i feel if we venture out we are going to need one!

You're correct. Los Angeles is not a ten minute bus ride away from Anaheim, assuming you're going to L.A. You all should put your money together and rent a car. It won't be that bad if you rent it for only a day or two. L.A. is very sprawly, and taking public transportation will eat up a lot of your time.

Rent a car lol.

 

[Goofy Rocks]

You're correct. Los Angeles is not a ten minute bus ride away from Anaheim, assuming you're going to L.A. You all should put your money together and rent a car. It won't be that bad if you rent it for only a day or two. L.A. is very sprawly, and taking public transportation will eat up a lot of your time.

Rent a car lol.

lol alright will do! just by chance how much extra money do you recommend on a trip like this?

 

[prberk]

Another idea for venturing out, if you have time. A good thing to mix with the Hollywood Boulevard time, if you want to make a "Hollywood day" of relatively compact things:

If you have time for real studio tour, and don't have time for (or desire for) Universal Studios Hollywood, consider the Paramount Studios tour. It is in old Hollywood on Melrose Ave., and is still a working studio. It goes back to Lucy and Andy Griffith days (part of it was her studio), and is where Happy Days and Brady Bunch and other things were filmed, as welll as more modern things like The Sopranos and Entertainment Tonight. They offer a relatively short tour that will include lunch.

http://www.paramountstudiotour.com/

Just an idea. It worked for me. I did that studio tour, then went to Hollywood Boulevard and walked around before going back to Anaheim. Made a good Hollywood tourist day.

 

[prberk]

You're correct. Los Angeles is not a ten minute bus ride away from Anaheim, assuming you're going to L.A. You all should put your money together and rent a car. It won't be that bad if you rent it for only a day or two. L.A. is very sprawly, and taking public transportation will eat up a lot of your time.

Rent a car lol.

lol alright will do! just by chance how much extra money do you recommend on a trip like this?

When I was in Anaheim for D23 in August but only needed to leave the area for one day, I rented a car from Budget, which was just down Harbor Boulevard southward from Disneyland, diagonally across from the Doubletree near the convention center. Very reasonable rates. There was also an Alamo and several others all within walking distance of DL hotels.

Very easy. I just walked up and rented a car for one night. It was cheaper than renting at the airport for the week, BUT you may want to consider that as well, since you will need transportation from the airport to the hotel. Cab fare could be put toward renting a car for a week. Even a hotel shuttle can cost in LA. It is worth asking at rental car counters at the airport, and if you have AAA, let them know that. There is usually a discount. And never take the car rental companies' additional insurance if you have a car a home with full coverage. You are usually covered by your own insurance. Theirs is overkill in that situation.

 

[Goofy Rocks]

Another idea for venturing out, if you have time. A good thing to mix with the Hollywood Boulevard time, if you want to make a "Hollywood day" of relatively compact things:

If you have time for real studio tour, and don't have time for (or desire for) Universal Studios Hollywood, consider the Paramount Studios tour. It is in old Hollywood on Melrose Ave., and is still a working studio. It goes back to Lucy and Andy Griffith days (part of it was her studio), and is where Happy Days and Brady Bunch and other things were filmed, as welll as more modern things like The Sopranos and Entertainment Tonight. They offer a relatively short tour that will include lunch.

http://www.paramountstudiotour.com/

Just an idea. It worked for me. I did that studio tour, then went to Hollywood Boulevard and walked around before going back to Anaheim. Made a good Hollywood tourist day.

aww the paramount one sounds awesome as well! the only reason i would really wanna do universals is because of back to the future!

 

[prberk]

aww the paramount one sounds awesome as well! the only reason i would really wanna do universals is because of back to the future!

The difference is that Paramount really is just a real studio tour, no theme park attached. Universal's tour of course is real and the original "studio tour" with a lot of cool things to see, but it is tied in with the theme park. You may want to do it to compare it to Universal Orlando. It is a little North of real Hollywood, as are most of the studios (most in Burbank, further away from Anaheim than Hollywood is), but is something to consider.

Paramount is in real Hollywood, not a far drive from Hollywood Boulevard, which is why I recommended it on a day combined with the Chinese Theatre, etc. But Universal could be topped off or started by a visit to Hollywood Boulevard as well. You will find a shopping center at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Ave. (called "Hollywood and Highland," ironically, LOL) that has a parking garage which I find convenient.

You will need to plan for the drive from Anaheim to Hollywood to be at least an hour and can be two in traffic. Universal and Burbank are just a little farther North.

 

[prberk]

As for DL, be sure to have lunch or dinner at the Big Thunder Ranch while you can. They have a wonderful, sweet stage show with cowboy harmonies while you eat ribs and chicken (similar to the fare at the Hoop-de-Doo in Lake Buena Vista), except it is outside. Woody is available for a meet-n-greet, and there is/was a petting zoo adjacent to it. (The petting zoo, I am told, may already have been closed.)

They are set to close the restaurant/show after the first of the year, to be bulldozed for Star Wars land.

Unlike WDW, you will not need a reservation months out. Just go up to the hostess and get on the list like normal.

This simple, wonderful restaurant with live entertainment is tucked away behind the Big Thunder Mountain attraction, and is a pleasant sit-down -- and after the holiday season will be no more.

 

[Californian Elitist]

lol alright will do! just by chance how much extra money do you recommend on a trip like this?

It depends on how many days you'll be venturing out and what you'll be doing. Talk it over with your group, then report back here.