Disneyland accommodation and advice

[LouiseB]

Hi there, I am new here so please forgive me if I am asking questions that have already been asked but I am hoping someone can help me a little bit.

My husband and I are taking our 3 year old daughter to Disneyland Anaheim in October and we are currently trying to decide on accommodation. We are torn between staying in one of the Disneyland hotels (inside the park) or staying at one of the Good Neighbour Hotels. Any recommendations?

Also, what are the essential attractions that we should see whilst in Disneyland itself? My husband reckons that with our daughter being so young that 1 day in Disneyland will be plenty but I tend to disagree with him! We are only going to be in LA for 3-4 days on our way home from Vegas so really need to condense our time.

Thanks in advance and looking forward to getting some great advice I am so overwhelmed at the moment, but very excited -/

Louise

[mushu mama]

Hello Louise and welcome

Firstly, theres a handy dandy parks guide button on the front page of the site which has a great rundown of the 'best of' bits of each of the parks around the world. Having said that, its ALL fabulous so narrowing it down is going to be tough.

As far as the accom goes, I haven't stayed in the Disney hotels but hear they are WONDERFUL, but a tad exy. Again, having said that, there are oodles of really good places to stay right out the front ( close to the park AND food) for a fraction of the price. Many of which other members have stayed in and been happy with.

Just the thought of one day only in DL horrifies me, and I'm sure that once you get your little one in the gates, getting her out again is going to be tricky, particularly when you go anywhere near the princesses and fairy hollow. If she is a fan of the pixar movies ( as many a toddler is) then DCA across the walkway is well worth a visit if you have a park hopper ticket.

A few of the attractions that are popular with the littlies are Dumbo, the Storybook boats, the carousel, Its a Small World, pretty much anything in Fantasyland. Toontown is also somewhere I'd make a bee-line for with a little one - though, the Roger Rabbit ride is quite dark inside.

A few things I like to do in Disney : buy some ears. Eat a mickey icecream and a churro. see a parade. Hug Mickey. Watch the fireworks.

I'm sure you'll get heaps of great ideas from the others as well. Theres heaps of good info in this section ( Disneyland) but if you can't find what you are wondering about, just ask... someone is sure to be able to help

Happy planning...

Lisa.

[churros]

Welcome Louise you have come to the right place. There is nothing we like better than talking about Disneyland!

I have stayed down the road on Harbor Blvde Hampton suites and they were lovely and requires catching the shuttle bus and also across the road in Carousel Suites. Carousel Suites were great, good price and so close - just across the pedestrian crossing!

Of the 3 Disneyland hotels only the Grand Californian is closer as it has its own entrance into DCA.

The reality is you will not spend much time in your hotel so while the Disney hotels give you a wonderful experience they are a lot dearer and unless you are staying for a few days you will not get to enjoy the experience. If you are a pool person the Disney hotels are a lot better.

In terms of how much time you spend at Disneyland, you need to consider that there are actually 2 parks side-by-side. If you intend on only spending 1 day then only do Disneyland and be prepared that you will not see everything. If you and your husband like rides you can swap-off on each ride so that one rides and the other holds the child and waits.

For the uninitiated the closest comparison I can give you as to what to expect is if you have ever been to the Sydney Easter show and know how much there is to see and do and how tired you are at the end - this is nothing! But the experience is so far above the easter show that you will not want to leave and you will want to push yourself (and your cranky 3 year old) and you will want to come back - so will your husband! This is not just a place for small children.
-/

[KeithS]

Hi Louise and welcome aboard! Lisa and Beth have already provided some great advice and now it is my two cents worth

It is a shame that you have such a short period of time to stay there, but one day is better than no days at all

As the others have mentioned, there are two theme parks in the Disneyland Resort, there's the original Disneyland (still the best theme park in the world, even though it is 55 years old!); and immediately next door is Disney California Adventure (which is on the site of the old Disneyland car park). Even with two days, I'd probably be tempted just to spend both days at Disneyland, mainly because of the construction that is happening in DCA these days (they are expanding big time!) - although DCA does have the nightly "World of Color" show which is spectacular.

You will be visiting Disneyland during the Halloween Time festivities, but don't let that concern you - Disney do halloween with a sense of fun and lightheartedness, scares are few and far between.

Definitely head up to Fantasyland when you are there - and don't miss the Princess Fantasy Faire.

As Beth mentioned, you can use the child swap facility if you and Mr Louise both want to go on rides that the little one can't manage (Indiana Jones, Space Mountain etc.). Don't miss the nighttime spectacular "Fantasmic" on the Rivers of America each evening as well!

Wow - there is so much there it is difficult to put it all in words

As for accommodation, we always stay at one of the Harbor Blvd hotels, immediately across the road from the park entrance. The prices are much cheaper than the Disney hotels. The Harbor Blvd hotels are just like an Australian motel that you'd find in a seaside town here - not flash, but adequate.

You might find you can get a bargain rate at the normally expensive Disneyland Hotel at the moment as they are renovating - however note that the renovations are MAJOR and the entire outdoor pool and garden areas etc are closed. The other two Disney owned hotels are the Grand Californian (which is brilliant, has a great location, but very expensive) and the Paradise Pier Hotel which is cheaper but a long way from the Disneyland entrance.

My recommendation is to go to one of Harbor Blvd Hotels near the park entrance: the Tropicana; the Carousel; Best Western Park Place Inn and Mini Suites; Park Vue Inn; and the Desert Inn. They are all in a row. I think my favourite has been The Tropicana, but my partner says she preferred the Carousel - so each to their own I guess!

Keep asking questions - we've got endless advice around here and are not afraid to share it We'll have you fully prepared by October! When do you leave Australia?

[LouiseB]

Wow, you guys are amazing!!!! Thank you SO much!

You have already sold me on staying outside of the Disneyland hotels and I must admit that was the way I was leaning anyway. Would much prefer to be outside and able to choose our eating arrangements rather than have a set few restaurants. Also considering that we are going to be in Vegas for 4-5 days prior we are going to be spending A LOT of time at the pool whilst my hubby is off doing "work stuff" so definitely don't want to be "wasting" our time swimming when there is so much more we could be doing. How much do the shuttles cost from the hotels/suites that are a little bit further away? We are prepared to pay for it but want to consider our spending money and the fact that I will probably go a bit nuts on souveniers Thank you so much for the hotel suggestions too I was getting myself so confused on what were the best ones, I was looking at the Staybridges Suites but they look just that little bit further away.

I am thinking that we may try and do 1 day in Disneyland and 1 day in the Adventure Park. What do you think? My little one is Mickey mad so will definitely love Mickey's Toontown, she is not so huge on the whole princess thing but loves Tinkerbell so is that in Fantasyland? She is also Pixar mad...Cars, Toy Story you name it and she loves it so I think she (well ok us) will be terribly disappointed if she misses out on seeing that part of it too. Hubby and I are not so disappointed if we miss out on the bigger rides as we have done the Gold Coast worlds a few times with our daughter and never really been too fussed about missing out, we like to do stuff together and going on a ride alone is just not the same. We will just have to do another Disneyland trip when little Miss is a bit older and able to come on the rides with us!

I have just bought some maps off Ebay so hope I can do a bit of planning from them.

Keep the advice coming it is all greatly appreciated and making me even more excited with each bit that I read!

[Mel]

Hi Louise and welcome!

I have a 3 year old and a 19 month old and we took them to Tokyo Disneyland in May. We spent six days in the two parks there and could easily have spent more time there - but then again, my husband, 19 month old and myself are all a bit Disney mad!

You will find that nearly ALL Disney rides, especially in Disneyland itself, are going to allow your daughter to ride. The only rides my 3 year old (and he'd JUST turned 3 when we were there) was not allowed on, were Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain. In Anaheim I think you'd add Indiana Jones and maybe the Matterhorn to that. Some rides however might frighten her because there is a lot of darkness. My 3 year old is VERY timid and does not like to try new things (complete opposite to his baby brother!) and although he liked most rides after we dragged him on, he was still adamant that he would NOT do Pirates of the Caribbean or Haunted Mansion again. His baby brother however sat leaning on the safety bar of most rides and exclaiming "Wow!", so I guess it's a personality thing as well.

We spent a LOT of time in Fantasyland. The Teacups and Carrousel were the favourites for my oldest because he could see what he was getting into. Both boys were very good at meeting characters however and my youngest had an absolute ball at the character dinner we had where he had quality time with the characters one-on-one. If you are only going to be there for one or two days, this might not be an option for you though, and I can't remember whether the Anaheim parks even have a meal with Mickey in attendance these days.

The parades are a MUST DO if you have little ones. The boys were in absolute awe, particularily of the night-time electrical parade, which has sadly gone away from California Adventure now. The shows were fantastic too, although even though they loved them, if they were tired, they tended to drift off for a short nap. Fine by us really!

The fireworks at Disneyland are like nothing else you've ever seen. If you can last that long, definitely make an effort to see them.

What else... naps were essential on our trip, as much for me as for the kids! We'd go to the parks at opening and then head out at around lunch time - have lunch and then naps. This allowed us to stay until closing.

Ummm, I can't think of anything else right now - blame it on baby brain!

[sandie]

Hi Lousie,

My kids were 3 and 11 months on their first trip to DL and WDW. At 3 Eloise went on everything - Tower of Terror, the Mountains etc etc.

Park Place Inn is a fine place to stay - on my last trip we got the room for around $40 US a night.

With one child I say skip naps back at the hotel and get a stroller - while she sleeps in there you and your husband can still have fun!

Sandie

[churros]

I can't recall the cost of the shuttle but it wasn't dear but if you are staying outside the park then stay across the road and don't bother with the shuttles.

[KeithS]

My husband and I are taking our 3 year old daughter to Disneyland Anaheim in October

Hey Louise - we haven't heard from you in ages - how is the planning for the trip going?