planning a trip to DL

[holden]

hello. i've been reading the forums for a while but haven't really contributed anything (well, i have, but under a different user name), but now i find myself needing a little assistance and it seems like as good a time as any to jump in

as the topic says, i am a longtime WDW vet planning my first trip to disneyland. i've been to WDW probably 20+ times in my 21 years of existence, and my sister and i have decided this year for my fall break instead of going back to the world we'd like to see what the original disney park has to offer

here are the details of our trip: we are flying in on a thursday in october and have saturday, sunday, and monday to spend doing whatever, with monday as a travel day. we'd like to visit both DL and california adventure as well as universal studios in hollywood if we can. so we'll probably be spending all our time at the parks.

right now we are trying to decide on a place to stay that's in a good location for both.. my sister wants to stay in hollywood because she thinks that will be neat and because it's close to universal studios.

so... i know this is really open-ended, but does anyone have any recommendations or tips that will make our trip more enjoyable? i've never spent much time in CA so i don't really know what to expect any help at all would be greatly appreciated! thanks!

 

[GenerationX]

We went to the Disneyland Resort last year. As to where you should stay, keep this in mind: Traffic is awful. Really awful. And this is coming from someone who commutes in and around the Chicago area every weekday. Where do you see yourself spending more time - in the Hollywood area or Anaheim? If you're going to spend most of your time at Disneyland and California Adventure, stay in Anaheim. One of the three Disney resorts if you can. Alternately, spend two days at a hotel in Anaheim and two days at a hotel near Hollywood.

 

[Welsh Tink]

Having been to WDW many times, we decided to travel a bit further this year and visit California. As we wanted to see as much as we could, we felt we would be better off staying as close to parks as possible in order to avoid getting stuck in traffic. We stayed at Paradise Pier,which we loved. A 5-10 min walk through DD to the parks was all it took.
We also stayed at the Hilton at Universal City which again was a 5 minute walk to the park. We did the park easily in a day, and the next day we were picked up at the hotel for a tour of Hollywood, stars homes, etc ( tacky I know, but it was great fun ). They dropped us off at the Chinese theater and we caught the subway back to the hotel, which was easy, cheap and really clean.
We found this was much easier than fighting through the traffic from Disney to Universal or vice versa.
We had a great time in California, and couldn't believe the lack of waiting for rides compared to our trips to WDW.(And we got to see Orlando Bloom on the backlot tour in Universal as he was filming there!)

 

[TTATraveler]

The first time I went to DL, I stayed at the Paradise Pier Hotel. I went to Universal for a day and took a Coach bus there. At the time, the Walt Disney Travel Company offered bus transportation to Universal. The price was very reasonable. The bus picks you up at your hotel and brings you over to the Coach depot where you board the bus to Universal. On the return trip, they bring you directly back to your hotel. You may want to look into this if it is still offered and you are only going for the day. There is a Walt Diseny Travel Company office in Downtown Disney.

Traffic was insane on the 110 going there and on the 101 coming home. I don't know how people do it out in SoCal.

 

[MainSt1993]

We just returned from a trip with similar parameters. We wanted to go out in LA, but also spend a lot of time at DLR. We booked a hotel in Beverly Hills, which was literally blocks from the various places we wanted to visit in Bev and West Hollywood. It was The Tower at Beverly Hills. The room was a bit compact, but very nicely decorated and the beds (Posteurpedic) were terrific.

We then moved to Disney's Grand Californian. In a word - spectacular!! Our suite looked out at Grizzly Peak, with ToT in the distance. The staff showered us with attention and amazing service. The location really can't be beat - you can't possibly get any closer to the magic.

But if you don't want to fork over THAT much money - my friend stayed at the Best Western on Harbor. He also had a suite, his walk was about the same as ours to the Disneyland gate (but not DCA - there's an entrance to DCA inside the Grand - another nice perk!), and I spent more on breakfast for three days than he spent on his entire hotel bill. So, there are a lot of options with varying degrees of luxury and service, all within walking distance of the Mouse.

You're going to have a fantastic time! We just got back last night, and I'm already planning my next trip back!!

 

[isitingood]

I would try and stay close to the park you will be visiting. If you must drive you will have to leave before 5.00 am or wait until around 10.00 am because traffic is horrible. Always avoid the 110 I always take the 105 to the 710 to the 91 less traffic that way

 

[maharet97a]

If you do decide to stay in Hollywood, Metrolink (the LA train/bus system) has a train that runs from the Anaheim Convention Center (right next to DLR) to basically right at Universal Studios and vice versa. I myslef have never used it as we always stay in Anaheim, but a friend came who came out from Orlando with his roommates a while back used it (Anaheim to Hollywood) and said it was very easy and convenient. It certainly beats having to fight the LA traffic. You can visit the Metrolink site at www.metrolinktrains.com and see schedules, routes and prices. As most have said you'd probably be better off staying in the DLR area. Their Good Neighbor hotels are far less expensive that what you'll find in the Hollywood area (for the same quality). You can always take the train or aforementioned bus serivce to Universal. Have fun on your trip. The family and I will be headed that way on Oct 4th with friends who've never been to a Disney park

 

[TP2000]

The family and I will be headed that way on Oct 4th with friends who've never been to a Disney park

You should stop in at City Hall and get them some of those new buttons to wear that say "My First Visit To Disneyland".

 

[KCBroadway]

Hello! My husband and I just returned from our first trip to Disneyland about a week ago. We were actually there to run the 1/2 marathon last Sunday. We arrived on a Friday and left on Monday. Overall - we had a GREAT time. We are also WDW regulars and were actually a little nervous because so many people had told us we would be disappointed with DL is so much smaller. Well, we were anything BUT disappointed. We stayed at the Grand Californian and LOVED it. It is amazingly close to everything, and the private entrance into California Adventure was definitely nice. We didn't have time to venture off Disney property (except when running...lol) so I don't know too much about the traffic everyone is talking about.

Overall, have a great trip! Don't forget to check out the new Space Mountain - It absolutely BLEW us away - So much better than WDW. Also - the DL TOT is amazing too - a few different effects. Ummmm - Oh, you've got to ride the Indiana Jones ride - also amazing. Ok - I don't want to ramble! Have a great trip!

 

[maharet97a]

You should stop in at City Hall and get them some of those new buttons to wear that say "My First Visit To Disneyland".

Wow...thank you so much. I didn't know they had them. We'll definitely have to do that.

 

[WDWnUt0001]

My wife and I also are planning our first trip to DL. Between the two of us we have been to WDW about 24 times. So should I put my fears aside about the trip not living up to my expectations?

 

[maharet97a]

Rest assured, you should have a wonderful trip. Growing up in Georgia WDW was always THE resort. When my husband got stationed in California we started going to DLR as a substitute and fell in love. Now we're moving back to Florida and are going to sorely miss the charm and character of the Anaheim resort. Make sure to check out all the rides an attractions that you can't find at WDW. Indiana Jones (makes Dinosaur seem like cruel and unusual punishment IMO), Aladdin at DCA, the longer Pirates, the updated Haunted Mansion ( or Haunted Mansion Holiday depending on your trip), the refurbed Space Mountain, etc. And enjoy the shorter lines at your WDW favorites. Hubby and I nearly fainted at Epcot in Feb when we saw the Soarin wait time(120 min). We had never waited more than 15 min at DCA. Just remember that the resorts are different places, they're not clones and each have their pros and cons. Anyways, just have a fun and safe trip. :wave:

 

[atterris]

Hi All,
Im thinkng of going to DL in July. Does anyone know if their any specials or promotions offerd by the disney company usually around this time? I just got back from WDW and had the free dinning plan and it was great.

 

[WDWnUt0001]

Rest assured, you should have a wonderful trip. Growing up in Georgia WDW was always THE resort. When my husband got stationed in California we started going to DLR as a substitute and fell in love. Now we're moving back to Florida and are going to sorely miss the charm and character of the Anaheim resort. Make sure to check out all the rides an attractions that you can't find at WDW. Indiana Jones (makes Dinosaur seem like cruel and unusual punishment IMO), Aladdin at DCA, the longer Pirates, the updated Haunted Mansion ( or Haunted Mansion Holiday depending on your trip), the refurbed Space Mountain, etc. And enjoy the shorter lines at your WDW favorites. Hubby and I nearly fainted at Epcot in Feb when we saw the Soarin wait time(120 min). We had never waited more than 15 min at DCA. Just remember that the resorts are different places, they're not clones and each have their pros and cons. Anyways, just have a fun and safe trip. :wave:

Well thank you for your reply and I will make sure to pass the info to my wife. If you dont mind me asking what branch is or was your husband Im air force. :lol:

 

[maharet97a]

We're Air Force as well, at Edwards AFB in SoCal. We're PCSing to Eglin though in the next two months. We're excited that we'll finally be able to get our WDW AP's, but as I've said we'll really miss Disneyland. If you haven't already, check with ITT for your tickets. If they don't carry them, they can get them for you. A couple of the Good Neighbor hotels also have a military room rate that ITT can get for you. There are several other attractions and parks in the area that offer military discounted tickets. I can get you guys a list if there are other places you're thinking of going. Have a safe trip and enjoy.

 

[holden]

Overall, have a great trip! Don't forget to check out the new Space Mountain - It absolutely BLEW us away - So much better than WDW. Also - the DL TOT is amazing too - a few different effects. Ummmm - Oh, you've got to ride the Indiana Jones ride - also amazing. Ok - I don't want to ramble! Have a great trip!

aw, your enthusiasm is infectious! I'm really excited about it. Thanks so much everyone for the replies - the help you've given has been invaluable. We ended up getting a pretty good rate at the Sheraton Anaheim hotel, which is apparently a short walk to DL and has gotten good reviews from what I've read. (all the DL resort hotels are booked )

I've always wanted to do Indiana Jones, ever since it first came out, so I'm especially excited about that. And I love Space Mountain at WDW, so I can't wait to see what it's like there. And Pirates.. k, I'm the one rambling now.


A family friend told us we'd be disappointed, but I don't think so. I think they were expecting it to be like WDW.. isolated and huge, which it obviously isn't. I'll let everybody know how it went when I get back.

 

[maharet97a]

Ooo.... Besides the ride which is great, the queue for Indiana Jones is wonderful. Definitely take the time to check it out. Read the signs...and always follow directions .....or not .:fork:

 

[WDWnUt0001]

We're Air Force as well, at Edwards AFB in SoCal. We're PCSing to Eglin though in the next two months. We're excited that we'll finally be able to get our WDW AP's, but as I've said we'll really miss Disneyland. If you haven't already, check with ITT for your tickets. If they don't carry them, they can get them for you. A couple of the Good Neighbor hotels also have a military room rate that ITT can get for you. There are several other attractions and parks in the area that offer military discounted tickets. I can get you guys a list if there are other places you're thinking of going. Have a safe trip and enjoy.

Thats crazy I just PCSed from eglin last february. We are at Elmendorf now so any chance to go anywere away from here we do it. We cant wait to go to DL and that would be great if you can get that list. thanks again

 

[crazycalf]

You should stop in at City Hall and get them some of those new buttons to wear that say "My First Visit To Disneyland".

Do they still have buttons. When we went to city hall and told them it was our first trip to DL they just gave us honorary citizen stickers. This was this past week.

 

[crazycalf]

We just got back from our first trip to DL yesterday. It was great. What I liked the best was that the parks and DD are all within walking distance of the Grand CA. There was no Disney transportation to wait for to take you to the park. Also, DL seems more detailed than WDW.
We were there for a week and were able to see everything that we wanted that wasn't closed. We even went down to Huntington Beach. I was surprised that the water is just about as cold as NJ. Hollywood was not what I was expecting. It is like how Times Square used to be. I thought it would be cleaner and more tourist-y.

We want to go back next year, it was great!