going to cali.....need help where to stay/go

wiskband

New Member
Original Poster
hi all i am goind to cali. but know nothing about the parks there. i need help. we go to WDW every year but need a littl ebit of a change. we always stay on site but from what i understand the parks are not set up them same. is staying on site a must? are there buses there. we are ona budget so at WDW they have hotels on site that are cheap. they dont seem to be so cheap in cali. also about how long does it take to see it all? where shoudl we eat? any suggestions would be greatly appreiated. thanks
hope to hear from everyone.
renee
 

Maria

New Member
My brother was there last month on honeymoon. He stayed at the Holiday Inn La Mirada which is near the parks. He said the hotel was very nice and the staff very corteous. They provided transportation to and from the parks. I just remember he said they called the hotel to be picked up at DL when they were done there. I´m not sure of the rate though, but they said the rooms were nice and I think they had breakfast included. ;)
 

dizneykev

Member
I have seen rates on Mousesavers for $99/night or less most of the year for Disneyland. We went in October and we stayed on the other side of the city (Beverly Hills) becuae my parents had a vacation club there. I can tell you that if you stay outside the 5 freeway you will have terrible traffic problems in the mornings getting to the park. It is really easy to get around once you are there however. You park in a central Mickey and Friends garage and then walk (sometimes a ways) to the tram stop. From here they take you and drop you off in downtown Disney. This is the start of the parks. I will try to put it in perspective for you. Downtown disney would be about the samne length at it is in Disneyworld. At the end of it, you will find 2 parks one on your left and one on your right (disneyland left). They are right across the street from each other so to speak. We found hopping between the two parks easy during the day. I would suggest staying as close to the parks as possible, just because of the LA traffic if nothing else. Regardless of where you stay I am sure you will love it there.

Dizneykev
 

SirNim

Well-Known Member
Most points in the Disneyland Resort itself are within easy walking distance. Thus, if you want to walk to the parks, a realtively short walk, you can stay onsite, at either the Disneyland Hotel, the Paradise Pier Hotel, or the Grand Californian Resort Hotel...

However, these resorts can get a little pricey...

If you remember one of the reasons why Walt Disney wanted to but so much land in FL for his "Disney World" project, you know that the area surrounding the Disneyland Resort is chock-full of independent hotels, resorts, restaurants, International Drive fare...

Thus, you can get a good room for a relatively low price literally a couple hundred yards away from the boundaries of the Disneyland Resort, and the Resort is very compact, the size of a few city blocks next to each other, not the 47 sq. miles of WDW...

As for the parks, conside this: X's are Hotels, and ___ is Downtown Disney. II is a road...


---II-----------DL
X________
X
---II---X------DCA

Hope that helps!!:D
 

Daannzzz

Well-Known Member
Here is a link that shows Disneyland and DCA. The entrances to each park are just a couple hundred feet from each other. You can see that the 3 Disney hotels are located very close to the parks . At the bottom of the picture is Harbor Blvd where all the closest "offsite" motels are.
My favorite off site places are Howard Johnson Plaza and the Candy Cane Inn. The Candy Cane is not marked on the map but it is there. On the map locate the Four Points (which is now a Ramada by the way). Half an inch above that, acroos harbor blvd you will see a large U shaped motel. That is the Candy Cane www.candycaneinn.net. Use the internet to check out the different places. Most of them are decent to good. The closest to the walk way across Harbor Blvd are
The Park Place Inn
The Desrt Inn and Suites
The Tropicana
The Carousel
The Park Inn
The Best Inn
The walks from these places to the parks are 5-12 minutes.

http://www.beachcalifornia.com/dlmp.html
 

Grumpy56

Member
We have stayed at several places around DL over the years, the main problem with doing it is transportation. The traffic is so bad sometimes it can take 45 min just to go a few blocks. If staying at a non Disney hotel, I'd recommend a place you can walk to and from if possible, or a place that has their own transportation. Some of the hotels share a bus line, we did that once NEVER AGAIN! We enjoyed the Anaheim Sheraton the last time we were there, they have their own buses, very comfortable and releiable. There are several places directly across the street, like the Best Western Park Place and the Candy Cane Inn, that look like they would be fine. Try the Mouseplanet site for reader reviews.
As for food, you must try the Blue Bayou which is inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Great atmosphere, food is good-it's an absolute must for a first trip to DL.
Have fun!
 

Pioneer Hall

Well-Known Member
Originally posted by wiskband
hi all i am goind to cali. but know nothing about the parks there. i need help. we go to WDW every year but need a littl ebit of a change. we always stay on site but from what i understand the parks are not set up them same. is staying on site a must? are there buses there. we are ona budget so at WDW they have hotels on site that are cheap. they dont seem to be so cheap in cali. also about how long does it take to see it all? where shoudl we eat? any suggestions would be greatly appreiated. thanks
hope to hear from everyone.
renee

I sent you a PM concerning this...take a look at it and drop me an email.
 

wellie4

New Member
I've stayed at all three of the Disneyland Resorts. Being a local it's a little easier to pick dates when the rates are lower, plus being a AP helps too. Paradise Pier is the cheapest and they always seem to have rooms available. Grand California is nice, but really isn't worth what you pay. Disneyland Hotel is the Best of both worlds. It's large. They have a really nicely themed pool and the cost is less than GF, but the rooms are nicer than PP. But you probably could stay at any of the little hotels around the property. I think they all have shuttle service back and forth to the park. And they're all really close. You wouldn't have to add more than 10 to 15 minutes to your walk.
 

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
Keep in mind that with the Paradise Pier Hotel, you can use all of the Disneyland Resort Hotel's amenities (pool, Fantasy Waters show), plus you have your own, private entrance to Disney's California Adventure...and you can get some the best views on property, of Paradise Pier.
 

BRER STITCH

Well-Known Member
I stayed at the Hilton right outside Disney Land when I went last summer.
Great hotel and free transportation to the Park, though it was close enough to walk home from Downtown Disney at night after the Hotel shuttle stopped.
If you have a Hilton Points card, you could even get a discounted or free room there at certain times of the year!
Good Luck!
:)
 

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
In regards to you other question, you should at least spend a few days on property to see everything--I would say three days, as a minimum. It takes more than a day to see all of Disneyland Park, as it does have more attractions than the Magic Kingdom. Views of California Adventure are, of course, mixed--but I would say that a day there would probably be necessary. I see you are from New York, so it would be tough to get there and have a full day in the parks, due to the 6 hour flight to LA. Therefore, I think with three nights, you could spend the first night looking through the hotels and Downtown Disney, the first full day at Disneyland, the second day at California Adventure, and the third day wherever you wanted...probably mostly at Disneyland, but maybe split between the two parks depending on your ticket. Then, you could hop on an overnight flight back home, pay a little less due to the time of the flight, and not have to needlessly pay for another night in the hotels. Of course, you could also do this with two night--get a really early flight (like 6am), so you would arrive in Anaheim early, have three park days with only two nights in the hotel, and have the overnight flight home. All a matter of preference, but it is a bit tough to stay out too late after a day of flying, obviously (the time change makes it feel much later). But, I'm thinking with only two nights, you could perhaps afford one of the Disneyland Resort Hotels, and still see and do it all. Of course, if you have a bit more money, consider adding area attractions, considering you will be in one of the busiest places in the world. Regardless, three days in the parks would be enough to see everything in both parks at least once.
 

wiskband

New Member
Original Poster
thank you all for your input. think we re gonna stay on site. may as well i dont get out to the west coast often maybe never again who knows. anyway im sure closer to vacation date i will ask many more Q's
thanks again
:animwink:
 

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