WDW family needs help with DL

[Dogslider]

We have been to Disney World seveeral times and know pretty much the ins and outs. We will be traveling to CA in June for my nephews graduation and have decided to make a side trip to Disneyland.
We be flying into LAX (first time flying) renting a car there (first time for this also) and going to my sisters first (staying in Camarillo) and then heading to Disney on June 19th.
The questions:

1. Should I go ahead and get our tickets now, or might they come out with another deal when the current on is over in April?

2. From what I have read the Howard Johnsons sounds like a clean, close affordable place to stay. Any other opinions or things I should know about them?


3. We will be taking 4 yr old gs and 1 1/2 year old gs with us. The 4yr old used a sroller at WDW (was 3 at the time) will they both need strollers or is the layout better at DL?

4. Will they enjoy DCA or should we stick to DL. WIll be there 2 or 3 days.

5. Are Guest of Honor Badges for DL. Grandson got a big kick out of his at DW.

4. Is there somewhere to order a map of the parks ahead of time?


5. Looking for at least one character meal. Goofy's Kitchen seems to be mentioned most. Other opinions? Has anyone been to the Pooh one?


6. Can you buy Disneyland passes at the Disney Store? If so can you use Disney Dollars to do so?

Okay, I probably should have spread this out over several threads, but I am sure I will have more questions later. There just seems to be so much more information out there on WDW, menus etc.... or I just not looking in the right places.


Thanks for any help,

Pam

 

[AFMom]

On the way out the door, but real quick - if you have time, definately do DCA - lots of things for little ones, amd my kids really enjoy it over there.
Goofys is where we're going in April - but I also recommend Ariel's - we really enjoyed our lunch there.
Strollers (at least for the youngest) are a good bet. Your 4 year old gs may not need one . Mine were both out of strollers at 3 for DL.
I've heard nothing bad about HoJo's! Haven't personally stayed there, though. I can say that if you're interested in staying there - call them now! Things are booking fast and filling up. If they are full - my recommendation is the Candy Cane Inn.
You can buy the passes at the Disney store, and you can use Disney Dollars, but don't plan on any discounts - not with the 50th going on. In fact - ticket prices are going up. Certainly pre-purchase, though, you will save some money that way.

Hope that helped!

 

[iceskatejen]

I'll try to answer as best I can.

1. My guess is that once the anniversary starts there won't be much in the way of ticket deals, but the discounted tickets available now may have an April 30 expiration, meaning they wouldn't get you into the park when you're there.

2. Never stayed there (or in any other hotel near DL), but I've heard nothing but good things. If I were going to stay in the area, I'd probably pick the HoJo.

3. DL is smaller than MK at WDW, but I'd still get the 3yo a stroller.

4. Definetely spend some time in both parks.

5. Yes they do. In DL you can get them at a little souvenir kiosk just inside DL near the right tunnel under the train. At DCA there's a souvenir stand in the Paradise Pier area that has them.

6. Not that I know of, but I or someone else could pick them up and mail them to you easily enough.

7. No more Pooh breakfast--it's princesses now. Goofy's is good and I've heard good stuff about Storytellers (has Chip & Dale, Meeko, Koda & Kenai).

8. I know you can at our local ones (we can buy WDW passes too). I don't know if you can use Disney Dollars at the Disney Store anymore (though I know you can buy them there).

 

[disneychrista]

1. Should I go ahead and get our tickets now, or might they come out with another deal when the current on is over in April? Disneyland generally comes out with tickets for the year in January. Do not expect any specials after April.

2. From what I have read the Howard Johnsons sounds like a clean, close affordable place to stay. Any other opinions or things I should know about them? Hojo does seem to be popular but it is further down on Harbor then some of the other hotels. The Best Western Park Place Inn and the Carousel Inn also get mostly good reviews and are closer, right accross from the crooss walk.


3. We will be taking 4 yr old gs and 1 1/2 year old gs with us. The 4yr old used a sroller at WDW (was 3 at the time) will they both need strollers or is the layout better at DL? When I took my girls the first time my youngest was 3 and she did not need a stroller. So I wouldn't get one unless you find he needs it.

4. Will they enjoy DCA or should we stick to DL. WIll be there 2 or 3 days. I would go at least 3 days and see both parks, since I am sure you will be getting park hoppers anyway. If nothing else I am sure your DGS would enjoy the Playhouse Disney show.

5. Are Guest of Honor Badges for DL. Grandson got a big kick out of his at DW. Yes you can find them at the kiosk on the right side as you pass through the RR "tunnel"

4. Is there somewhere to order a map of the parks ahead of time? You may be albe to get one from a nice DIS'er, I know a few who offer to get them, but Disney will not send you an offical park map (which drives me crazy).


5. Looking for at least one character meal. Goofy's Kitchen seems to be mentioned most. Other opinions? Has anyone been to the Pooh one? Goofy's is fun and has a great variety of foods available. Pooh is now a Princess Breakfast.


6. Can you buy Disneyland passes at the Disney Store? If so can you use Disney Dollars to do so? Yes, at least at ours you can purchases Hopper and you should be albe to use DD to do so.

 

[SeansMom]

There is also a pretty decent map in Birnbaum's, as well as some coupons, although I have to say for the "2005" edition I was disappionted to find it not up to date. Specifically...it has no reference to the new rides in DCA for kids. However, it does do a nice job with an overview of where things are, including shops and places to eat.

Have fun!

 

[undertheradar]

Travel Agents or AAA should have maps. The character dining is okay, not great. When Ariels is mentioned- it is inside DCA. Goofy's is located inside the Disneyland Hotel.
DL is much smaller than WDW. My then 4 y. o. asked a CM who shrunk the castle. It would be hard to manuever a stroller around DL(MK), as the pathways are not as wide as WDW. DCA being a much less visited park, the stroller will be easy to use.
You should make a PS for your character dining once you decide where to eat.

 

[Diva of Dragons]

Hi Pam!
I'll be going to Disneyland in the next few days (maybe even today, if I have time ), and I'd be happy to pick up an extra map and send it to you!
You can PM me with your info., if you'd like me to do this!

........Lisa

 

[LucyKate]

1. I'm not a local, so have no experience of this, but would assume that at the busiest time of the year, with the 50th anniversary crowds on top, Disney has no need to offer any discounts.

2. We stayed at HoJos in December and loved it - close, clean, great heated pool, good shop on site and great food across the road at Mimi's - can't recommend it highly enough

3. Our 5 year old had no trouble - the park is much, much smaller than WDW - but if you change your mind you can always hire a stroller.

4. DCA didn't have as much for young kids as DL - though my kids loved the Grizzly River Run and Soarin. However both may be off limits to your kids because of height restrictions. There is, though, the Playhouse Disney show, Muppets 3D and a series of very tame (my kids thought boring) rides in Bugs Life specially designed for very young kids. Worth at least checking out so mum and dad can do Soarin!

5. We did the Princess Breakfast and loved it - but then we have two young girls. Bookin advance and take the first sitting if you do it - it seems to go downhill, as the morning progresses.

 

[Dogslider]

Thanks for all of the help!

I have decided to go ahead and order our tickets now. My sister (who we will be visiting) will be going along for one of the days and offered to get our tickets on base also. But from all that I have read you actually have to be in the military or immediate family and I don't want to take advantage of something I shouldn't be.

We are going to go with the 3 days and check out DCA too.

Will bring a stroller for Andrew (the baby) and I think Will (then to be 4) will be fine. Would hate to be dragging two strollers through the airport anyhow. We have always driven to WDW so any flight tips would be appreciated. We will be going on Southwest with some tickets my other sister is getting. I assume that you must check strollers do they need to have some sort of bag? What about carseats? Andrew will be using his on the plane, will we be better of renting one for Will when we rent the car?
Prices for the car look good at National. Any good or bad comments about them.

Lisa, thanks for the offer and I will send you a PM.

Is Ariels the main one to see Mickey at? Does the 90day PS rule apply at DL as well?

Glad to here all of the good comments on HoJo's and have made reservations there.

I called the closest Disney Store and they said they only have WDW passes, but will just use all of the saved DD for spending money so no biggie there.

Again thanks for all of the help. We were just at WDW in October (minus Andrew) and weren't really planning on this trip. Being that I am a compulsive planner I am starting to worry that I don't know every little detail about the area, but if I could just relax enough that might add to the fun! We will be flying in on Will's birthday and might have to check in with more question on ordering him a cake or something.

Pam

 

[Judy from Boise]

I wouldn't feel bad at all about having your sister buy tickets for all of you at the base! It is a benefit that they expect to be shared with family and out of town guests. Are they stationed at Port Hueneme?

 

[challada]

DL does do PS res for all the character eating places but are 60 days out instead of 90...both Goofy and Ariels are good choices for that age group.

Stroller idea depends on the size of your 4 yo's legs....I have a DS that was able to walk both parks all day by the age of 3 b/c he was a tall kid from early on and could keep up...I have a DD who still needed a stroller at age 4 since she is very small for her age and needed many more steps for each of ours. If you are already bringing one stroller, I would stick w/it and play it by ear in the park...you can always rent one for the older one if he gets tired.

We have not done HoJos but it is a walk from the park, FYI....We have done Candy Cane several times and LOVE it...there are also lots of places w/family suites that might work for you (ie, Portofino, the Deserts, etc).

If you are going airport to DL, I would recommend flying to Orange County instead of LAX...it is MUCH closer and easy drive straight to DL (about 10 minutes) instead of heavy traffic thru LA (about hour drive).

FYI...you can also get the stickers at the guest service kiosk b/w the two parks. They also have a phone to do PS at the park rest (we usually just do them when we get down there and get our stickers there as well).

HAVE FUN!
C

 

[Dogslider]

Actually they are stationed at Port Magu (sp). I did't realize that it was ok to do this. It won't be a problem if she isn't with us on the other 2 days then? I assumed that you needed to show mililtary id.

We are stuck with LAX, the tickets are pretty close to free and that is where we must go, so a we will have to put up with a little inconvience. We will be driving to DL from Oxnard part way through the trip.

Pam

 

[mill4023]

I guess it depends on the kid, but I can't imagine going to DL with a 4 year old without a stroller. I've never been to WDW, so I can't compare, but we do a LOT of walking at DL and if we didn't have a stroller, our 4 year old would be needing carried by the end of the day. But like others mentioned, you could always rent one there, so you could play it by ear and see if he gets tired.

I don't know how close the HoJo is, but I would definitely recommend staying as close as possible to the entrance gate. Walking from the hotel is much easier than having to wait for shuttle buses.

 

[M's_girl]

We love the HoJo and it was the chain's top hotel last year. It is an older hotel, but has been remodeled in the last few years. The pool area is better than other hotels I've stayed at along the same strip. It is about a block away, and there are a few hotels a little closer, but we have not like any of them as much. We often also walk right by the McDonld's on the way in and get breakfast.

They have free hi-speed Internet in all the rooms and a nice little gift shop. A Mimi's Cafe is right across the street and I really like their food. We often go there for dinner.

The hotel has about 5 two-story buildings and 1 six-story tower. The tower is the only one with an elevator--so either request a ground floor or the tower. We had a room in the tower once that looked right across at the Matterhorn. Most of the rooms are pretty large and we have really liked them.

We also like to stay in the two-story building that is next to the large pool that has the kiddie area (there is another quiet pool near the back). I've never had a problem getting the room I requested.

 

[Judy from Boise]

Sorry, just got back from Vegas.......
We have never had to show ID when using military tickets once they are purchased.
My Dad was stationed at Mugu for a while, but since he was a Seabee we were stationed mainly at Hueneme. I was actually born on base at Hueneme, so it has a special place in my heart!