thinking of going-a few questions

tracyandalex

tracyandalex

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
hey all,

we've been to wdw many times, but for our trip the end of april/beginning of may we are considering going to DL. after reading the other threads we understand that only about 3-4 days are needed to see everything, which we like cause we've never been to cali, so we plan to see other things (suggestions are appreciated). our question is how far in advance do they release the packages and or deals? is there a planning video because we have searched everwhere and can't find one? oh, and any tips for that time of year are very much appreciated.

thanks in advance

tracy & alex
 
MainSt1993

MainSt1993

New Member
tracyandalex said:
hey all,

we've been to wdw many times, but for our trip the end of april/beginning of may we are considering going to DL. after reading the other threads we understand that only about 3-4 days are needed to see everything, which we like cause we've never been to cali, so we plan to see other things (suggestions are appreciated). our question is how far in advance do they release the packages and or deals? is there a planning video because we have searched everwhere and can't find one? oh, and any tips for that time of year are very much appreciated.

thanks in advance

tracy & alex
Click to expand...

Late April/early May is a great time to visit CA! The later the better, because the new Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage will be opening late Spring next year. IMHO, you can comfortably see the DLR in 3 days. There is tons to do in Southern California, so your decisions for other CA attractions depends a lot on the age(s) of your family members and the type of vacation you want to have. As far as packages, DLR seems to sell them earlier than WDW, but I'm not sure. If you want the Grand Californian, that seems to fill up fastest. You can start pricing packages directly from the website without any committment. Also you may consider the CityPass, which includes Disney as well as other local attractions.

There are a lot of great side trips in LA as well, such as San Diego, Catalina Island, and even Vegas (3 hrs by car). I grew up in SoCal, so let me know what more you might be looking for and I'd be happy to give some more suggestions.
 
tracyandalex

tracyandalex

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
thanks for the info. it will just be the 2 of us (25 yrs old) on our trip and it will be our one year wedding anniversary. we are thinking of stay for 5 days so, i guess 2 day trip would be nice. do you recommend switching hotels for this or just staying at the californian? how far is the beach?

thanks again,

tracy
 
MainSt1993

MainSt1993

New Member
tracyandalex said:
thanks for the info. it will just be the 2 of us (25 yrs old) on our trip and it will be our one year wedding anniversary. we are thinking of stay for 5 days so, i guess 2 day trip would be nice. do you recommend switching hotels for this or just staying at the californian? how far is the beach?

thanks again,

tracy
Click to expand...

I'm going with a friend in September for the 1/2 Marathon, and we're starting with the Lowes Beverly Hills, then moving to the Grand Californian. She and I are both city kids now and don't like commuting. Newport and Hunington Beaches are roughly 30 minutes away from the resort. Los Angeles is about 45-60 minutes, but both can be much worse during rush hour.

Although as a general rule I hate Six Flags anything, Magic Mountain (north of Los Angeles) has some amazing rollercoasters - and lots of them. http://www.sixflags.com/parks/magicmountain/index.asp Just about 10 minutes away from Disney is Knott's Berry Farm www.knotts.com. They have super cheap tickets after 4 pm, and you can totally see everything worth seeing in an evening. Universal Studios is very different from the FL parks, and worthy of a visit.

To the south, Laguna Beach is both fun and romantic. Check out Las Brisas http://www.eltorito.com/lasbrisas/ I hate that they were bought by El Torito, but it's a gorgeous restaurant with stunning views. There are all sorts of shops to wander through as well.

Another favorite is Sunday Champagne Brunch on board the RMS Queen Mary, now permanently docked in Long Beach. www.queenmary.org Brunch is served in the first class dining salon, with a number of food stations and a harpist. Oh, and all the champagne you can drink! The cost also gets you admission to the ship for the day (to walk off your buzz), and makes for a great afternoon.

I hope your one year anniversary trip is great! Congratulations!!

-Aaron
 
goofy_fanatic

goofy_fanatic

New Member
I have tips!

I dont know if there are any planning videos, but just going to www.disneyland.com can answer questions for you.

-Some tips I usually give are below-

Ride faster and more popular rides in the morning
Get to restraunts later (like after lunch, about 1-ish) so there wont be a crowd
Fast passes are great

I hope I helped!

Oh ya, you should go to California Adventure, great rides, like California Screamin, Muholland Madness, and Tower of Terror. (If you arent into rides like that, check out Soarin over California or Jumpin Jellyfish)

 
WDWCPF98

WDWCPF98

Member
MainSt1993 said:
...Another favorite is Sunday Champagne Brunch on board the RMS Queen Mary, now permanently docked in Long Beach. www.queenmary.org Brunch is served in the first class dining salon, with a number of food stations and a harpist. Oh, and all the champagne you can drink! The cost also gets you admission to the ship for the day (to walk off your buzz), and makes for a great afternoon...
Click to expand...

I'm also running the 1/2 in September! The Queen Mary sounds like fun!! Thanks for the tip!
 
Shrike

Shrike

New Member
MainSt1993 said:
To the south, Laguna Beach is both fun and romantic. Check out Las Brisas http://www.eltorito.com/lasbrisas/ I hate that they were bought by El Torito, but it's a gorgeous restaurant with stunning views. There are all sorts of shops to wander through as well.

-Aaron
Click to expand...

When the heck did that happen?!?! Watching the sunset on the patio of Las Brisas with a margarita in hand might be one of lifes great pleasures. It's definitely one of the most beautiful views in California. I sure hope El Torito doesn't screw up a great restaurant.
 
tracyandalex

tracyandalex

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
thanks everyone,

we watched our planning video last night and were suprised at how short it was comaperd to the wdw one!!! we hadn't considered laugana beach, it sounds like a good idea. we were thinking of spending a few (like 3 or 4) days in LA becuase we've never been past louisiana (sp?). If anyone has any suggestions on where to stay in either LA or Laguna beach it would be much appreciated.

thanks again everyone,

tracy & alex
 
MainSt1993

MainSt1993

New Member
Shrike said:
When the heck did that happen?!?! Watching the sunset on the patio of Las Brisas with a margarita in hand might be one of lifes great pleasures. It's definitely one of the most beautiful views in California. I sure hope El Torito doesn't screw up a great restaurant.
Click to expand...

If they do, we'll have the angry villiagers and sharpened pitch forks at the ready!! I'll report back in September when I get back from the 1/2 Marathon.
 
P

Poppers

New Member
personally i like the Dsneyland Hotel over the Grand Californian. Its cheaper and feels more "Disney" to me. ijust stayed at the Disneyland Hotel on concierge level and had a great experience. plus theyhave the Neverland Pool!

a neat little secret is that as long as youa re staying at one of the Disney property hotels you can enter California Adventure throughthe Grand Californian and by pass the lines at the entrance.
 
Disneysue

Disneysue

Member
In the Parks
No
A few tips

Make sure you take the Walk in Walts Footsteps Tour. Disneyland is the only place that you can say that. Even a self certified Disney expert, will learn something on that tour. Its about $50 includes a nice lunch at the end, and you get to ride a few original attractions as well. Be prepaired for TONS of walking though.

When staying in LA, make sure you go with a minimum 4 star rating on a hotel. You can get into a iffy hotel in an even iffier area in a heartbeat. My experience has shown me that the better the rating, the better the area.

Enjoy your visit!
 
Figments Friend

Figments Friend

Well-Known Member
Hi All

Just had to stop in and say GREAT THREAD!

I am also thinking of visiting DisneyLand for the first time next year, around the beginning of May. All the info and tips posted here have been good, so a big thanks from me as well!
 

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