25 Years Later I Finally Return! Advice To Make It Magical!

[stevehousse]

To all who come to this helpful pre-trip report, welcome!

As the title states, yes, it has been 25 long years! And no I'm not talking about WDW. We actually go there just about every year! I am talking about DISNEYLAND! Yes, Walt's place...

I have been to Disneyland twice in my life. Once when I was 2, and once when I was about 4 1/2. The last time I was there was in 1989!?! I remember so much of that last trip there. Alice in Wonderland and Matterhorn were my favorite rides! The Pinocchio ride scared me for some reason, and I remember chickening out on Space Mountain with my dad. I also remember a very weird parade that had these scarecrow like guys dancing around?!? idk, i just remember that happening...LOL

I cant believe it has taken me this long to head back! When my wife and I first started dating, we made several trips to WDW, as she was a big fan just like me! We always talked about heading out west and seeing the original, but we never did. Almost 9 years later, 3 kids, and a ton of WDW trips under our belts, we finally have decided to head out to California for everyone to finally experience the original!

My wife, 3 kids, and my youngest sister (who is joining us on this trip) have all never been to DL. This pre-trip report is to help guide me in the right direction and obtain as much advice as i can, so i can truly make our trip the most magical ever! Im sure i have many questions to ask and hopefully i will get a lot of answers in return!

Who:
Steve (me) - 29
Megan (wife) - 32
Jade (sis) - 15
Landon (son) - 6
Declan (son)- 3
Kinley (daughter) - 6/7 months at time of vacation (we have yet to meet her...about 6 more weeks!)

When:
As of right now, we have 2 different weeks that work for all of us and our schedules. Either Sunday April 19- Saturday April 25 or Sunday May 17 - Saturday May 23. Now i hear that the weekdays r much better for crowd levels than the weekends at DL. Both weeks work for all our schedules and the crowd calendars all say these r good weekday days to visit, so fingers crossed!!! Obviously i want to go to the 60th celebration, mainly for the new light parade, but I hear that wont start until May, So we are kind of leaning towards then. What are the crowds typically like during these 2 times. Easter is April 5, so we are well after the Easter and Spring Break crowds. Not sure about how May would be.

Where:
This will be the first main topic of discussion. as of right now, we have 3-4 different hotels we r looking at, and would like any and all advice i can get! All 4 of these hotels are located right across the street from DL. The options are;

Best Western Park Place Inn and Suites - $1186

Fairfield Inn - $1422

Camelot Inn and Suites - $1467

Carousel Inn and Suites - $1826

All of the prices shown are for suites. right now its really a toss up between any of them. The price of the Carousel doesn't really peak my interest too much. I will say that the room at Camelot Inn is probably the best amount of space for all of us...I really have no idea so please give me advice on any of these 4 places.

Travel:
How can i get from the airport to my hotel? We will be flying in from SNA so which shuttle is the best and cheapest? We do not want to rent a car, as just about every hotel charges nightly for parking. We are thinking of renting a car for 1 day to go to Universal Studoos Hollywood, but we can get to that later...

So we can start on those things first and see what everyone has to say! I am slowly building an itinerary for our trip, but we need to get the most important stuff out of the way! Again, thank you for reading and any answers you can provide me with! Also keep checking back for more updates and newer questions and discussions to help make our trip magical!

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

First off, do the May dates, for sure. Disneyland Express seems to be a reliable, popular shuttle option from SNA.

 

[stevehousse]

First off, do the May dates, for sure. Disneyland Express seems to be a reliable, popular shuttle option from SNA.

So the shuttle will go to those resorts? I'll admit I didn't really look into it much yet...

And I so want to go in May! I just hope the 60th celebration is going when we go! I really want to see that new parade that is going in! It looks incredible!

 

[Magenta Panther]

To all who come to this helpful pre-trip report, welcome!

As the title states, yes, it has been 25 long years! And no I'm not talking about WDW. We actually go there just about every year! I am talking about DISNEYLAND! Yes, Walt's place...

I have been to Disneyland twice in my life. Once when I was 2, and once when I was about 4 1/2. The last time I was there was in 1989!?! I remember so much of that last trip there. Alice in Wonderland and Matterhorn were my favorite rides! The Pinocchio ride scared me for some reason, and I remember chickening out on Space Mountain with my dad. I also remember a very weird parade that had these scarecrow like guys dancing around?!? idk, i just remember that happening...LOL

I cant believe it has taken me this long to head back! When my wife and I first started dating, we made several trips to WDW, as she was a big fan just like me! We always talked about heading out west and seeing the original, but we never did. Almost 9 years later, 3 kids, and a ton of WDW trips under our belts, we finally have decided to head out to California for everyone to finally experience the original!

My wife, 3 kids, and my youngest sister (who is joining us on this trip) have all never been to DL. This pre-trip report is to help guide me in the right direction and obtain as much advice as i can, so i can truly make our trip the most magical ever! Im sure i have many questions to ask and hopefully i will get a lot of answers in return!

Who:
Steve (me) - 29
Megan (wife) - 32
Jade (sis) - 15
Landon (son) - 6
Declan (son)- 3
Kinley (daughter) - 6/7 months at time of vacation (we have yet to meet her...about 6 more weeks!)

When:
As of right now, we have 2 different weeks that work for all of us and our schedules. Either Sunday April 19- Saturday April 25 or Sunday May 17 - Saturday May 23. Now i hear that the weekdays r much better for crowd levels than the weekends at DL. Both weeks work for all our schedules and the crowd calendars all say these r good weekday days to visit, so fingers crossed!!! Obviously i want to go to the 60th celebration, mainly for the new light parade, but I hear that wont start until May, So we are kind of leaning towards then. What are the crowds typically like during these 2 times. Easter is April 5, so we are well after the Easter and Spring Break crowds. Not sure about how May would be.

Where:
This will be the first main topic of discussion. as of right now, we have 3-4 different hotels we r looking at, and would like any and all advice i can get! All 4 of these hotels are located right across the street from DL. The options are;

Best Western Park Place Inn and Suites - $1186

Fairfield Inn - $1422

Camelot Inn and Suites - $1467

Carousel Inn and Suites - $1826

All of the prices shown are for suites. right now its really a toss up between any of them. The price of the Carousel doesn't really peak my interest too much. I will say that the room at Camelot Inn is probably the best amount of space for all of us...I really have no idea so please give me advice on any of these 4 places.

Travel:
How can i get from the airport to my hotel? We will be flying in from SNA so which shuttle is the best and cheapest? We do not want to rent a car, as just about every hotel charges nightly for parking. We are thinking of renting a car for 1 day to go to Universal Studoos Hollywood, but we can get to that later...

So we can start on those things first and see what everyone has to say! I am slowly building an itinerary for our trip, but we need to get the most important stuff out of the way! Again, thank you for reading and any answers you can provide me with! Also keep checking back for more updates and newer questions and discussions to help make our trip magical!

Congratulations, dude! I'm so glad for you. Have a great time, and let us know what you think about the new Buena Vista Street!

 

[stevehousse]

Thanks! We r so excited to go!

 

[JillC LI]

That's wonderful! It took me 30 years to get back to WDW between childhood and adulthood.

We just went to DL for the first time this past May - the Tuesday and Wednesday after Memorial Day. Crowds were manageable and it was great. We stayed at the Best Western Park Place Inn and Suites, and I highly recommend it. You can't beat the location directly across the street from the park entrance. It was clean and spacious, and a full breakfast at the restaurant next door is included. I recommend you check pricing yourself rather than go with the Good Neighbor pricing. If you have an AAA card, you'll do even better.

 

[stevehousse]

That's wonderful! It took me 30 years to get back to WDW between childhood and adulthood.

We just went to DL for the first time this past May - the Tuesday and Wednesday after Memorial Day. Crowds were manageable and it was great. We stayed at the Best Western Park Place Inn and Suites, and I highly recommend it. You can't beat the location directly across the street from the park entrance. It was clean and spacious, and a full breakfast at the restaurant next door is included. I recommend you check pricing yourself rather than go with the Good Neighbor pricing. If you have an AAA card, you'll do even better.

Thank u! I have been getting the pricing from the actual hotel websites for now...once we make a final decision I was gonna go on the hotel websites (Priceline, orbitz, etc) to see if I could get even a better price!

 

[stevehousse]

As of right now it is either gonna be Best western Park Place or Camelot Inn...at least that is narrowed down!

Question about before park opening breakfast and magic mornings...

Am I able to get into the park for let's say an 815am ADR when the park opens at 9am? I was wondering because since we will be able to get 1 magical morning, would this have to count against that or can I use it for a different day and just use a regular admission for the early breakfast ADR?

 

[TP2000]

Travel:
How can i get from the airport to my hotel? We will be flying in from SNA so which shuttle is the best and cheapest? We do not want to rent a car, as just about every hotel charges nightly for parking. We are thinking of renting a car for 1 day to go to Universal Studoos Hollywood, but we can get to that later...

Definitely look into the Disneyland Resort Express. But it would be faster and more convenient, and might also be cheaper, to just take a cab from John Wayne to your Anaheim hotel. Although that would be ruled out if you aren't bringing a car seat for the little ones. The John Wayne website has lots of info in the Parking & Transportation tab. http://www.ocair.com/

If you are only doing one day away from Anaheim (And avoiding the beach? I assume you live on the East Coast and thus the ocean is not something the kids will care about? Orange County has beautiful beaches that are cleaner and far less "urban" than Los Angeles County)

Laguna Beach, Orange County, 30ish minutes from Disneyland

Oh, sorry. Back to Universal Studios as a day-trip from Anaheim. Have you considered the Gray Line option? Gray Line runs many bus tours from multiple Anaheim hotels, and for about $100 bucks per person they'll drive you up to Universal City including a park ticket into the Studios and then drive you back to Anaheim that evening. You avoid the traffic and LA freeways, and it might be cheaper than renting a car and buying your own Universal Studios tickets. http://www.graylineanaheim.com/toursAna.cfm

I also remember a very weird parade that had these scarecrow like guys dancing around?!? idk, i just remember that happening...LOL

It sounds like you are remembering the Disneyland State Fair parade. At the 4:45 mark in this video the dancing scarecrows show up. Look familiar?

 

[stevehousse]

Definitely look into the Disneyland Resort Express. But it would be faster and more convenient, and might also be cheaper, to just take a cab from John Wayne to your Anaheim hotel. Although that would be ruled out if you aren't bringing a car seat for the little ones. The John Wayne website has lots of info in the Parking & Transportation tab. http://www.ocair.com/

If you are only doing one day away from Anaheim (And avoiding the beach? I assume you live on the East Coast and thus the ocean is not something the kids will care about? Orange County has beautiful beaches that are cleaner and far less "urban" than Los Angeles County)

Laguna Beach, Orange County, 30ish minutes from Disneyland

Oh, sorry. Back to Universal Studios as a day-trip from Anaheim. Have you considered the Gray Line option? Gray Line runs many bus tours from multiple Anaheim hotels, and for about $100 bucks per person they'll drive you up to Universal City including a park ticket into the Studios and then drive you back to Anaheim that evening. You avoid the traffic and LA freeways, and it might be cheaper than renting a car and buying your own Universal Studios tickets. http://www.graylineanaheim.com/toursAna.cfm



It sounds like you are remembering the Disneyland State Fair parade. At the 4:45 mark in this video the dancing scarecrows show up. Look familiar?

Thank u for the advice! We originally did want to go to the Laguna beach area (yes I am about to admit how big of a loser I am, but TV shows like "The OC", "Laguna Beach", "Real Housewives", "The Hills" was all the rage back in high school / college) and do a no park day, but the boys actually saw a commercial on tv about universal studios Hollywood and when we wer discussing going to DL in California, Landon said he really wanted to go there!

So we looked into it and we think it'll be fun! I have only been to IOA once, and never been to the studios in FL...I do still wish we could try and fit a beach day though...

 

[stevehousse]

O and as for the video, I'm not sure if that was the parade or not. Will have to look it up and see what year that is from. The one I saw was from 1989!

So my wife (who loves Disney but hates the planning) and I were talking about the vacation today and she asked for menus of the places I thought would be good for us to try! We always like having a sit down meal at least once a day. I know that dining at DL is very different from WDW, and I would say their QS stuff looks 100x better! I am still trying to decide what to eat for QS as there is just so many different options! It nice to not see the same 3-4 items at every restaurant like wdw QS...

Please give me feedback on the following restaurants;

-Plaza Inn - breakfast
-Blue Bayou - dinner
-Ariel's Grotto - breakfast
-Wine Country Trattoria - dinner
-Steakhouse 55 - dinner

We also are planning on hanging out around DTD on our arrival day. I thought it would be fun to go explore and eat at the Disneyland Hotel! I was thinking of hitting up both Trader Sams and Tangora Terrace for dinner. Is it possible to order from one of the places and bring it over to the other? From what I know I guess they share a kitchen but the seating is separated? I figured I would like to order drinks for us at trader Sams (and maybe some food as well, there is stuff at both places ) i figured we would order and go sit in Tangora to actually eat and such. Is this something that would be possible?

 

[coachwnh]

O and as for the video, I'm not sure if that was the parade or not. Will have to look it up and see what year that is from. The one I saw was from 1989!

So my wife (who loves Disney but hates the planning) and I were talking about the vacation today and she asked for menus of the places I thought would be good for us to try! We always like having a sit down meal at least once a day. I know that dining at DL is very different from WDW, and I would say their QS stuff looks 100x better! I am still trying to decide what to eat for QS as there is just so many different options! It nice to not see the same 3-4 items at every restaurant like wdw QS...

Please give me feedback on the following restaurants;

-Plaza Inn - breakfast
-Blue Bayou - dinner
-Ariel's Grotto - breakfast
-Wine Country Trattoria - dinner
-Steakhouse 55 - dinner

We also are planning on hanging out around DTD on our arrival day. I thought it would be fun to go explore and eat at the Disneyland Hotel! I was thinking of hitting up both Trader Sams and Tangora Terrace for dinner. Is it possible to order from one of the places and bring it over to the other? From what I know I guess they share a kitchen but the seating is separated? I figured I would like to order drinks for us at trader Sams (and maybe some food as well, there is stuff at both places ) i figured we would order and go sit in Tangora to actually eat and such. Is this something that would be possible?

We have been to each of these restaurants except Steakhouse 55. We have had that booked twice but canceled each time. Unlike WDW, I don't feel like I need to do a fancy sit down. As far as your other choices, the Plaza breakfast is by far our favorite character breakfast in either WDW or DL. In less than an hour, you will meet well over 10 characters and many you won't meet in WDW!

We have been to BB twice. The first time it was only ok, but I loved it the second time. My wife enjoyed the dinner their both times. Not sure what I didn't like the first meal there, but we returned and Im glad we did!

We also have been to Ariel's Grotto twice. Once for dinner and once for breakfast. The breakfast )which was this past summer) was excellent. We sat outside. Its so nice to be able to sit along the water and enjoy the views of CA (and not be hot like you would be in WDW).

We also did the Trattoria twice as part of the WOC package. I really don't think its anything special. Id eat there again to get the WOC seats again, but I wasn't overly impressed either time.

Hope this helps.

PS There are some excellent QS options in both parks as well. I think the QS in DL and CA are much better than those in WDW.

 

[stevehousse]

We have been to each of these restaurants except Steakhouse 55. We have had that booked twice but canceled each time. Unlike WDW, I don't feel like I need to do a fancy sit down. As far as your other choices, the Plaza breakfast is by far our favorite character breakfast in either WDW or DL. In less than an hour, you will meet well over 10 characters and many you won't meet in WDW!

We have been to BB twice. The first time it was only ok, but I loved it the second time. My wife enjoyed the dinner their both times. Not sure what I didn't like the first meal there, but we returned and Im glad we did!

We also have been to Ariel's Grotto twice. Once for dinner and once for breakfast. The breakfast )which was this past summer) was excellent. We sat outside. Its so nice to be able to sit along the water and enjoy the views of CA (and not be hot like you would be in WDW).

We also did the Trattoria twice as part of the WOC package. I really don't think its anything special. Id eat there again to get the WOC seats again, but I wasn't overly impressed either time.

Hope this helps.

PS There are some excellent QS options in both parks as well. I think the QS in DL and CA are much better than those in WDW.

Agree on the quick service! It looks so good! Thanks for the restaurant advice. I was actually going to opt not to do a world of color dining package because I didn't really like the limited menus. I would much rather be able to eat what I want!

 

[stevehousse]

Definitely look into the Disneyland Resort Express. But it would be faster and more convenient, and might also be cheaper, to just take a cab from John Wayne to your Anaheim hotel. Although that would be ruled out if you aren't bringing a car seat for the little ones. The John Wayne website has lots of info in the Parking & Transportation tab. http://www.ocair.com/

If you are only doing one day away from Anaheim (And avoiding the beach? I assume you live on the East Coast and thus the ocean is not something the kids will care about? Orange County has beautiful beaches that are cleaner and far less "urban" than Los Angeles County)

Laguna Beach, Orange County, 30ish minutes from Disneyland

Oh, sorry. Back to Universal Studios as a day-trip from Anaheim. Have you considered the Gray Line option? Gray Line runs many bus tours from multiple Anaheim hotels, and for about $100 bucks per person they'll drive you up to Universal City including a park ticket into the Studios and then drive you back to Anaheim that evening. You avoid the traffic and LA freeways, and it might be cheaper than renting a car and buying your own Universal Studios tickets. http://www.graylineanaheim.com/toursAna.cfm



It sounds like you are remembering the Disneyland State Fair parade. At the 4:45 mark in this video the dancing scarecrows show up. Look familiar?

Ok so I finally figured out about the parade I was talking about! It was actually my first trip to Disney World when I was 3, that I saw this parade, The Spirit of America Parade! Those creepy scarecrows come in at 4:15...

Ya too creepy! LOL

 

[JamieD]

I'm so excited for you guys! We went in July for the first time since 2002 and had a ball!

For transportation, I would recommend you consider a taxi. I'm not sure about carseats but it worked for us. We didn't have much luck the DL Express -- although some of it was our fault -- and the taxi was nearly the same price and WAY more convenient. DL Express was $35 for the family and a taxi was $41 plus no dropping off at other hotels or waiting for a scheduled time.

The other thing I would suggest was reconsidering USH. My kids (also 6 & 3) were excited when they saw the Minions and wanted to go. We did some research and figured out there are only 8 or 9 rides total, several which are too mature for them. I was personally excited but thought it would be an expensive disappointment overall.

Other than that, DL and DCA are fantastic! The magic is definitely there!

Enjoy.

 

[stevehousse]

I'm so excited for you guys! We went in July for the first time since 2002 and had a ball!

For transportation, I would recommend you consider a taxi. I'm not sure about carseats but it worked for us. We didn't have much luck the DL Express -- although some of it was our fault -- and the taxi was nearly the same price and WAY more convenient. DL Express was $35 for the family and a taxi was $41 plus no dropping off at other hotels or waiting for a scheduled time.

The other thing I would suggest was reconsidering USH. My kids (also 6 & 3) were excited when they saw the Minions and wanted to go. We did some research and figured out there are only 8 or 9 rides total, several which are too mature for them. I was personally excited but thought it would be an expensive disappointment overall.

Other than that, DL and DCA are fantastic! The magic is definitely there!

Enjoy.

Thank u! I'm still on the fence about Uni but it would be fun! Where did u stay when u went on ur trip?

 

[JamieD]

Thank u! I'm still on the fence about Uni but it would be fun! Where did u stay when u went on ur trip?

We stayed at the HoJo on Harbor. It's a few minutes farther to walk but we really enjoyed it.

 

[RMichael21]

I'm so excited for you guys! We went in July for the first time since 2002 and had a ball!

For transportation, I would recommend you consider a taxi. I'm not sure about carseats but it worked for us. We didn't have much luck the DL Express -- although some of it was our fault -- and the taxi was nearly the same price and WAY more convenient. DL Express was $35 for the family and a taxi was $41 plus no dropping off at other hotels or waiting for a scheduled time.

The other thing I would suggest was reconsidering USH. My kids (also 6 & 3) were excited when they saw the Minions and wanted to go. We did some research and figured out there are only 8 or 9 rides total, several which are too mature for them. I was personally excited but thought it would be an expensive disappointment overall.

Other than that, DL and DCA are fantastic! The magic is definitely there!

Enjoy.

Really? So was I! What dates were you there for?

 

[JamieD]

Really? So was I! What dates were you there for?

July 5 - 11. You?

 

[stevehousse]

How were the crowds there in July? Since I'm going in May I don't think the crowd levels would be too bad except for the 24 hour party if they decide to do it next year again! Would u say you could easily get a lot done in one day?