Planning my first disneyland trip in 14 years

[tigger248]

So, I'm heading to Disneyland sometime in 2006 (looking at mid-March) for the first time since June of 1991. I'm very excited about this trip, but have a few questions about planning that I was hoping some of you here could answer.

I'm wanting to go on the "Walk in Walt's Footsteps" tour. Does anyone know how far in advance you can book it? How far in advance would you recommend booking it?

How far in advance can you book priority seatings? Do they accept them in Disneyland?

Which of the Disneyland hotels is best? I'm thinking Disneyland hotel because of the historical significance. But, is Paradise Pier better?

Anyone know if the rumored POTC rehab is true? I saw tentative closing dates starting like March 6. We'd be arriving around the 13th. I really don't want to miss POTC, so I was just curious if anyone knows how official it is.

If POTC is down when we're there, will the restaurant inside the ride still be open? I've wanted to eat at the Bayou Cafe since I was a small child on my first ever visit to Disneyland in November 1988. I was looking forward to eating there in March, before I read about the rumored rehab.

Thanks in advance! :wave: On a side note, I apologize if any of this has been asked/answered before. I tried searching for all of these questions, but didn't find anything. So, I'm sorry if I overlooked anything.

 

[stranger]

Walk in Walt's Footsteps and all tours can be booked up to 30 days in advance. As far as priority seating, you can make them 60 days in advance!
I’ve never stayed at the DLH, but I did stay at the Paradise Pier Hotel and it was very comfortable and easy access to the parks. It even has its own entrance to DCA! I can’t say if one is better than the other.

 

[Disneydude55]

Disneyland hotel all the way!! It's close to the monorail and is a great a hotel! I really like the Grand Califorinan the best though. Anyways on mouseplanet it says that POTC will be closed from March 6 to June 16 but I dont know if that is right.

 

[xfkirsten]

That's the rumor going around, yes. Apparently it's for a big overhaul and some new stuff.

 

[Nyte]

yeah you can eat at the bayou resteraunt place but its ALWAYS booked like hell. i just went in august and im going again in November if you need any help just PM me

 

[Dizneyana]

Changes...

Wow, you are not going to recognize the place.. :lookaroun

I would definitely try to eat at Blue Bayou. Shouldn't be a problem getting PS's for as long as you are going to be there. I can't imagine that even if POTC is down for refurb that they would muck with the part that affects Blue Bayou. I would make your ressies as soon as you are able for both the Blue Bayou and Walt's Footsteps.

As far as hotels go, yes DLH is nice due to the monorail being right there, but as far as theming, and Disney ambiance goes, I would have to choose the Grand Californian. DLH is very plain. And while DLH has the monorail, access from the GC dumps you right in the middle of Downtown Disney. So, I guess it depends on what you are looking for accessibility wise. I can't give you info on PPH, so I won't pretend to.

Have fun planning your trip!!

 

[MickeyTigg]

Dlr

As far as location....The Grand Californian is the best. Like Tracey said, you walk out and you're in the middle of Downtown Disney and GCH as an exclusive entrance to DCA. With that being said, Paradise Pier is across the street from DCA and the Disneyland Hotel is at the end of Downtown Disney, so all three give you excellent access to the parks and Downtown Disney.

If you've been to WDW, GCH will remind you a lot of the Wilderness Lodge in theming. Other than eating at the restaurants, we really didn't look at the PPH or DLH so I can't speak about their theming.

All three have excellent restaurants.

Another thing to know...GCH is the most expensive of the three, in case that's a factor.

We had some unpleasant experiences with the organization of the Front Desk and the Housekeeping staff of the GCH and frankly wouldn't have recommended the hotel back in June....after some time I think the GCH is probably the best hotel of the bunch.

So...did I help you much?

Thought so...

:brick:

 

[tigger248]

Thank you all for the responses. It's all been helpful!

Grand Californian is a little bit out of our budget, so we're mainly considering the other two. But, I'm considering all options. Are there discounts available for the Disneyland hotels like the WDW hotels? Since it's been a while since I've been there and who knows when I'll get back, I really want to stay in a disney hotel (at least while we're at disneyland, after Disneyland we'll probably move elsewhere).

My dad comes home from Africa tommorrow, so we should start planning soon...hopefully :brick: .

 

[Kwit35]

So, I'm heading to Disneyland sometime in 2006 (looking at mid-March) for the first time since June of 1991. I'm very excited about this trip, but have a few questions about planning that I was hoping some of you here could answer.

I'm wanting to go on the "Walk in Walt's Footsteps" tour. Does anyone know how far in advance you can book it? How far in advance would you recommend booking it?

How far in advance can you book priority seatings? Do they accept them in Disneyland?

Which of the Disneyland hotels is best? I'm thinking Disneyland hotel because of the historical significance. But, is Paradise Pier better?

Anyone know if the rumored POTC rehab is true? I saw tentative closing dates starting like March 6. We'd be arriving around the 13th. I really don't want to miss POTC, so I was just curious if anyone knows how official it is.

If POTC is down when we're there, will the restaurant inside the ride still be open? I've wanted to eat at the Bayou Cafe since I was a small child on my first ever visit to Disneyland in November 1988. I was looking forward to eating there in March, before I read about the rumored rehab.

Thanks in advance! :wave: On a side note, I apologize if any of this has been asked/answered before. I tried searching for all of these questions, but didn't find anything. So, I'm sorry if I overlooked anything.

I am glad you asked these questions. We are possibly going in July 2006. Have not been since about '77. Can't wait.
My biggest question is where to eat? At WDW, we love Liberty Tree, Boma, and the castle. So something along those lines would be great. We are only coming in for the day, so very limited time.

 

[ScrapIron]

I have never been able to justify staying at a Disney hotel since you can get a suite on Harbor Blvd. 10 minutes walking from the gates to both parks for $80-150 per night.

Cheers.

 

[tigger248]

My dad finally booked the flight, so we're officially going! :sohappy: He was able to use his frequent flyer miles, which was great. We're going in May, instead of March (March was too booked, only one flight and it had horrible connections).

Out of curiosity, does Disneyland do anything special for birthdays (like WDW)? My birthday is the 1st and we're going the second week and I was just curious if they had birthday pins like WDW does. And if they do, if it's close enough to my birthday to get one.

 

[xfkirsten]

Yup! You can get a birthday button at the front desk if you're staying in one of the Disney hotels. If not, head to City Hall on Main Street for a birthday sticker. There's no special birthday stuff at DL Park (besides lots of "happy birthday"s from CMs!) that I know of, but over at DCA there is. The Mission Tortilla Factory will give you a whole package of free, fresh tortillas (YUM!!) instead of just one, and the McDonalds place (don't recall the name of it offhand, it's in Paradise Pier) will give you a free McFlurry.