Guide to DLR for WDW Veterans!

Bairstow

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
Can anyone point me to a good post about the pros and cons of staying on site (paradise pier) as opposed to another hotel within walking distance?
 
Californian Elitist

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
Bairstow said:
Can anyone point me to a good post about the pros and cons of staying on site (paradise pier) as opposed to another hotel within walking distance?
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The onsite hotels, including Paradise Pier, are overpriced, and a lot of offsite hotels are not only cheaper, but closer to the actual parks. You can save that extra money and spend it on something else.

There.
 
Figments Friend

Figments Friend

Well-Known Member
Bairstow said:
Can anyone point me to a good post about the pros and cons of staying on site (paradise pier) as opposed to another hotel within walking distance?
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There are absolutely NO 'benefits' to speak of when compared to what you may be used to getting for staying 'On Property' at Walt Disney World.
It is a trap many WDW Vets fall into, feeling they need to 'stay on site' since it is a must for many at the FL Property.
Not so at DLR.
Many book a stay at the DL Hotel or Grand CA and end up realizing it was for the most part a expense they did not need.

The DL Resort Hotels are INSANELY overpriced with NONE of the real 'benefits' a WDW Vet would expect staying at such top tier hotels.
The only real 'benefit' for DL Resort Hotel stays is their version of Extra Magic Hours, but those are much shorter then what a WDW Vet is used to.
Personally, i find it not at all worth it.
Hard to justify the expense when you are not getting the benefits as one does at WDW such as the free airport transfers ( WDWs Magical Express ), extended EMH ( up to three/four hours more at WDW ), recreational options ( non-exsistant at DLR when compared in scope to the FL property ), and other things.

There are much better and more reasonable accommodations literally next door and in some cases directly across the street from the Parks.
Just about every major hotel chain in the US has a location ( or three! ) in the immediate area.
Makes for cashing in frequent stay points a plus, if you are enrolled in any such programs. ;)

It all comes down to personal tastes, and i will admit staying a night or two at the DL Hotel is probably a dream for many.....but if you are more interested in getting more 'bang for your buck', look at some of the stellar 'Off Property' accommodations.

It's California. LOTS of wonderful places to stay, even away from DLR.

:)
 
Bairstow

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
I see.

After more WDW visits than I can count we're planning our first ever trip to California this Spring. The biggest hurdle so far has been finding a 5 day span in late April/early May that doesn't coincide with LA schools spring break, grad nights, or any marathons. Those are all things to avoid, right?
 
Figments Friend

Figments Friend

Well-Known Member
Bairstow said:
I see.

After more WDW visits than I can count we're planning our first ever trip to California this Spring. The biggest hurdle so far has been finding a 5 day span in late April/early May that doesn't coincide with LA schools spring break, grad nights, or any marathons. Those are all things to avoid, right?
Click to expand...

I know exactly what you are going through.
I am also looking at possible dates during that time period, as i would like to avoid most of those obstacles if possible as they do boost attendance numbers.
Trying to squeeze in one more visit before my AP expires on May 4th.

Right now i am looking at a time block starting April 20th.
Crowd calendars i have glanced at suggest this might be the quietest of all the weeks in April.

I went to DL last year in early May thinking it would be slow, but it was much busier then i expected.
This year i am guessing most locals will wait until mid-May to visit to catch the kickoff of the 60th Diamond Anniversary celebration.
 
George Lucas on a Bench

George Lucas on a Bench

Well-Known Member
Ever since I saw the swordfighting pirates from the Paris version, I've felt they should be added to the other versions. Then when I heard that Jack and Barbosa were being added, I just assumed they were going to have the two of them fighting. Could have just been amazing.
 
ght

ght

Well-Known Member
For those planning on trips this spring, I found this list of events and spring breaks posted on another site. I can't vouch for its completeness but it can give you an idea about what is going on. From this, the last week of March and first 2 weeks of April are probably the busiest, since that is when most of the California schools will be out. Of course, with the Diamond Anniversary announcement yesterday, if you already haven't made plans you may want to wait until after May 22nd if possible. It isn't possible for us so we are going to miss out on the celebration stuff, hopefully a lot of people will hold off until later and the year and lessen the crowds in March. Yeah, probably wishful thinking.

Events
March 2015
Mar 1 (Sun): Spring Dapper Days
Mar 1 (Sun): CityRace Disney California Adventure
Mar 1 (Sun): JR Spirit [Cheer] Championship (Held at the Hyperion/Aladdin Theater)
Mar 6-8 (Fri-Sun): Natural Products Expo (Anaheim Convention
Center)
Mar 17 (Tue): St. Patrick's Day
Mar 20-22 (Fri-Sun): United Spirit Association [Cheer] (Anaheim Convention Center)
Mar 21 (Sat): Mini-Gay Days

April 2015
Apr 5 (Sun): Easter Sunday
Apr 6 (Sun): Cesar E. Chavez Day (LAUSD Holiday)
Apr 16-19 (Thu-Sun): Star Wars Celebration VII (Anaheim Convention Center)

May 2015
May 5 (Tue): Cinco De Mayo
May 7-10 (Thu-Fri): Tinker Bell Half Marathon
May 9 (Sat): AIDS Walk Orange County (Irvine, CA)
May 10 (Sun): Mother's Day
May 15-17 (Fri-Sun): CA Democratic Party Conference (Anaheim Convention Center)
May 15 (Fri): Last Day of "Frozen Fun" in DCA [Tentative]
May 22-25 (Fri-Mon): Showstopper [Dance] Regional Competition (Disneyland Hotel)
May 25 (Mon): Memorial Day
May 31 (Sun): Bats Day in the Fun Park
Grad Nights: May 13, 15, 16, 18, 26, 27, 29, and 30

Spring breaks

March 2015 The majority of the reported spring breaks occur between mid-March and early-April.
Mar 9-13: Some British Columbia (Vancouver and Victoria) and Arizona (Gilbert, Scottsdale, and Chandler) Spring Recess
Mar 9-22: Some Arizona (Chandler) Spring Recess
Mar 16-20: Some British Columbia (Richmond) and Arizona (Mesa and Chandler) Spring Recess
Mar 23-27: Many Oregon School District Spring Recess
Mar 30-31: Southern CA (LAUSD, San Diego), Central CA (Fresno), and Northern CA (SF, Sacramento), Las Vegas (Clark County), and Nevada School District Spring Recess

April 2015
Apr 1-3: Southern CA (LAUSD, San Diego), Central CA (Fresno), and Northern CA (SF, Sacramento), Las Vegas (Clark County), and Nevada School District Spring Recess (Cont.)
Apr 6-10: Some Southern California (Long Beach, Capistrano, Saddleback), some Northern CA, and some Nevada School District Spring Recess
Apr 13-17: Some Washington (Seattle) School District Spring Recess

May 2015
May 22 (Fri): Last Day of School (Scottsdale)
 
Bairstow

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
ght said:
For those planning on trips this spring, I found this list of events and spring breaks posted on another site. I can't vouch for its completeness but it can give you an idea about what is going on. From this, the last week of March and first 2 weeks of April are probably the busiest, since that is when most of the California schools will be out. Of course, with the Diamond Anniversary announcement yesterday, if you already haven't made plans you may want to wait until after May 22nd if possible
Click to expand...

Early May is what we were thinking about.
What exactly is planned for afterwards?
 
ght

ght

Well-Known Member
Bairstow said:
Early May is what we were thinking about.
What exactly is planned for afterwards?
Click to expand...
There will be a new nighttime parade, fireworks show and WOC for the 60th anniversary (along with other things like the diamond coverings on the castle and Carthay Circle) that will begin on May 22nd. They announced it last night and it is covered in several of the other posts about it.
 
LWB

LWB

Active Member
Has anything been released about how long the new parade, new fireworks, diamond covering on the castle, etc will last? We will be there for the Half Marathon later in the year and I was curious what we might get to see from the celebration?
 
GiveMeTheMusic

GiveMeTheMusic

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
LWB said:
Has anything been released about how long the new parade, new fireworks, diamond covering on the castle, etc will last? We will be there for the Half Marathon later in the year and I was curious what we might get to see from the celebration?
Click to expand...

The Diamond Celebration will last at least 12 months, and more likely will last 15-18 months.
 
Bairstow

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
ght said:
There will be a new nighttime parade, fireworks show and WOC for the 60th anniversary (along with other things like the diamond coverings on the castle and Carthay Circle) that will begin on May 22nd. They announced it last night and it is covered in several of the other posts about it.
Click to expand...

So is the park going to be full of construction walls and tarps during the weeks leading up to the unveiling of the decorations for the 60th?

Was it like that before the stuff for the 50th was unveiled?

This will be our first trip to Disneyland and possibly only for several years, and I'd for it to be totally compromised by bad timing.
 
GiveMeTheMusic

GiveMeTheMusic

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Bairstow said:
So is the park going to be full of construction walls and tarps during the weeks leading up to the unveiling of the decorations for the 60th?

Was it like that before the stuff for the 50th was unveiled?

This will be our first trip to Disneyland and possibly only for several years, and I'd for it to be totally compromised by bad timing.
Click to expand...

Honestly, early May is pretty awful timing. Any chance you could push it back to be after the celebration commences? There will be a big difference in offerings between early May and late May - like a substantial, OMG difference.
 

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