Planning mode - Disneyland Hotels

[Wendy L]

I think Chris and I will probably be going to LA, the surrounding areas and Vegas in September. I have been talked into it and the doc says it will be alright - give me something to work towards . We are still in the "talking stage" because Iive said I would like to go to Disney and Hawaii but I don't think the funds will stretch that far :blush:.

Anyway, I have been on Disney's website and have been looking at their hotels, Disneyland Hotel and Disneys Grand Californian, has anyone stayed in either of these? Or could you recommend a nice hotel that we could stay in. I think when we go to Vegas, I fancy the Bellagio or MGM unless you have any other suggestions.

No doubt there will be plenty more questions laster on.

Oooh I've got another one already, what is the weather like then, we will probably be going 10th - 24th Sept.

[Johnie]

Sounds like a fun trip Wendy! I know dcfromva has stayed at the Grand Californian and she loved it (she's in WDW now but I am sure she will chime in when she gets back).

[OKWTink]

September is a beautiful month. The air is clear, with little humidity and the trees have started to turn color (well, the leaves of course!) and make the scenery beautiful.

Although I've been to California, the Disneyland area, I've never been to the park. It's in Anaheim, and I've always been headed further north. California is a racy, high paced sort of place. I get a kick out of folks calling it the laid back California lifestyle. :) It moves faster than NYC in many ways!

Las Vegas, I've only been through. When driving across country one time, I came up on Vegas in the night. It was a huge, brilliantly lit stretch of humanity in a dark desert. As I drove straight through, I remember craning to see all the lights and marquees while trying to keep the vehicle on the road! It was a glitzy, shimmering place.

I hope you have a wonderful time planning! That is always the first part of any holiday, isn't it? You'll have to research and visit all sorts of places on the web, and maybe even purchase a book or two for study! :)

You'll be our official reporter on both places, ok? (Heeee heeeee, look out! I'm setting you up for one HECK of a trip report! How many installments did Dawn have...)? :D

[Relishy]

Hi Wendy,
Based on the reviews on Tripadvisor and elsewhere I have booked theHoward Johnson's which is just opposite DL. Grand Californian was very tempting but as Disney is only a small part of our adventure this time I couldn't justify the money. Next time perhaps :D For our stay in Las vegas I am looking at the Bellagio or the Venetian. We go in the heat in mid-July. September should be much more pleasant temp. wise. I have bought the Rough Guide and borrowed lots of books from friends and the library

[Wendy L]

Thanks Johnie I shall wait for DCs return and see what she has to say.

You'll be our official reporter on both places, ok? (Heeee heeeee, look out! I'm setting you up for one HECK of a trip report! How many installments did Dawn have...)? :D

:eek: Don't mention trip reports, I still haven't written my last one yet :blush:


I looked at the Howard Johnson Relishy but I do really fancy one of the Disney hotels, even if it is just for a few days - wow have I got some creeping to do to try and convince Chris.

[OKWTink]

Well then. I guess we can forgive you for not getting to the last one, but you will have to make up for it on your Wendy and Peter Who Is Really Chris Tour America one, ok? :D

Do go with your heart WendyL! If you have a particular place you want to try, then do so! If as you say, it is for only a few days. As long as it doesn't cut into the length of your trip, of course! :eek: :wink:

[JuniorMickey]

I totally agree with Tink. I really really wanted to stay at AKL but I couldn't do it for a long visit. So my BF and I did it on a short visit and love it :) Go with your heart

[tajainaz]

September in Orange County, CA, usually is mild--sometimes warm to hot, other times a bit cooler. A lot depends on morning smog--or whatever they call it these days! Things tend to heat up as it burns off.

The leaves don't "turn" in the lower elevations in southern California--at least, not in the sense that they do in New England. Most of those trees don't grow well in the warmer climate, so most deciduous trees just lose their leaves and become dormant part of the winter. In September, they'll probably look pretty much the way they did all summer!

I've stayed at the Disneyland Hotel a couple of times, but it was a long time ago (over 20 years). I know it has been updated and renovated several times, so it should be a good choice.

Las Vegas still will be hot in September, although nights/early mornings will begin to cool down a bit. Expect daytime highs around 100 degrees, possibly up to 105. Could be warmer or cooler. Cold fronts occasionally, blow through, but it's fairly rare.

Both the Bellagio and Venetian are terrific resorts, but a bit pricey. Go for it, if you can afford it! If not, the MGM Grand is nice, and on the southernmost end of the new Las Vegas monorail (there is a fee for use of it, though). If you're looking for a moderate, I also like the Monte Carlo and the Flamingo. Although "moderate" prices can escalate to "out of this world" if there is a convention or other large event in progress!

Enjoy your planning and your trip!


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[tajainaz]

Oh, and school should be back in session, so check the park hours. Like WDW, DLR changes their schedules regularly.


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[Wendy L]

Well then. I guess we can forgive you for not getting to the last one, but you will have to make up for it on your Wendy and Peter Who Is Really Chris Tour America one, ok? :D

:rotfl: :rotfl: Red really has started something here with Peter Pan, I told my friends little boys and James who is 5 and so very cheeky thinks it is very funny, he used to call Chris, Chrissy Wissy now he calls him Peter Pan and asks where his green tights are. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: boys will be boys :lol: :lol:




Las Vegas still will be hot in September, although nights/early mornings will begin to cool down a bit. Expect daytime highs around 100 degrees, possibly up to 105. Could be warmer or cooler. Cold fronts occasionally, blow through, but it's fairly rare.


:eek: I had hoped it would be a little cooler than this, that's one of the reasons why we decided against July (and because I thought September would be quieter).

[tajainaz]

Wendy, Las Vegas is in the high desert. It cools off a wee bit more at night in warmer weather than the low desert, but days tend to be just as hot. And as the Las Vegas Strip has grown, so has the thermal mass that retains heat.

September usually has less humidity, so even though it's likely to be hot, it won't feel as bad as WDW with it's humidity! And, if you're lucky, temperatures will be in the 90s instead around 100. Just be prepared for all possibilities!


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[dcfromva]

Wendy L,
Did someone say "Grand Californian" ?! This is one of my top favorite resorts (of anywhere :) ). Usually, the best rates for this hotel are Sun thru Thurs stays and oddly enough, the parks are not as crowded on the weekdays as they are on the weekends.
I have stayed off-property a couple of times. I will say this about the motels near DL: You can have easy walking distance to the parks from some of them (there are some that are closer to the parks than the DL hotel). (This is one of the things I love so much about DL/CA. You can have a top notch access at a variety of pricing levels. )
What do I find so attractive about the GC?
1. I love the styling and design. It is in the Craftman style (I LOVE the marble accents--they have a flower design in pink marble in the lobby and the same design --only smaller in the elevators)
2. It is inside the California Adventure. You have your own entrance into the park (and at opening time, "Soaring Over California" is one of the closest rides).
3. The GC entrance is also close to the river rapids ride--very convenient if you happen to get completely soaked on that ride and you want to go back to your room for a quick change of clothes. :)
4. Despite being inside a theme park, the GC has a very relaxed atmosphere. It is a wonderful place to come back for a rest away from the hustle and bustle of the parks. In the evening, they have a storyteller at the huge fireplace in the lobby. (They even have a lovely garden area outside that has a fireplace.) They also have activities at the hotel. (Last year, one of the activities was "how to make towel animals".)
5. The rooms are very comfortable and I love the room decor. We always opt for the standard view rooms (I am always just tickled to be staying in the GC and any view is great for me!).
6. There are several very good restaurants at the GC. The Storyteller Cafe is a favorite for breakfast. Storyteller also has a good menu for lunch and dinner. The Napa Rose is there for you, if you like a really fancy dinner.
7. You have easy access to Downtown Disney and all the lovely restuarants available there.
We spent 7 nights there last year (about this same time of the year :) ). We had such a lovely time that even though we had been there for a week, I still did not want to leave.
-DC :ears:

[Wendy L]

Thanks for that dcfromva. I have been trying to convince Chris to stay here or the Disneyland Hotel for a few days. Do you book the meal package as well and if so how does this work and would you book the room now or is it better to wait until closer the time in case they have any special offers on?

I think what we will probably do is to stay here at the beginning of the holiday and then when we come back after Las Vegas stay somewhere else. Do you have any suggestions?

How many days would we need in Disney?

Sorry, there are so many questions.

In Las Vegas how many days would you suggest? We are not into gambling we are just going to see what it's all about.

[dcfromva]

Do you book the meal package as well and if so how does this work and would you book the room now or is it better to wait until closer the time in case they have any special offers on?

Wendy L,
I came really close to booking the meal package last year...but, it doesn't match up with our park touring style. We are using Disney Vacation Club points for our upcoming stay in June, so we couldn't use a meal plan even if we wanted...
How many days would we need in Disney?

Minimum of two days (and that would be commando style touring). We like to go back to the hotel and take a break mid-day (WDW kind of got us in that habbit :) ). We also enjoyed going to the Disney park in the morning and going out to see something else during the middle part of the day and then coming back to DL/CA during the evening although I admit this is not the most efficient way to see DL/CA...

-DC :ears:

[dcfromva]

In Las Vegas how many days would you suggest? We are not into gambling we are just going to see what it's all about.

Wendy,
Ref Las Vegas: we are not gamblers, either, but we spent 5 days in Las Vegas. We booked shows in the evening which we LOVE! If you want to see Cirque Du Soleil (they have two different shows "O" (http://www.bellagio.com/pages/ent_main.asp) and Mystere (http://www.treasureisland.com/pages/ent_mystere.asp) ), you will want to book your tickets in advance. We've never seen"O" (http://www.bellagio.com/pages/ent_main.asp), due to one reason or another, but everyone that I know that has seen it has raved about the show. We saw Mystere (http://www.treasureisland.com/pages/ent_mystere.asp) and it was an excellant show. We also saw Blue Man Group (http://www.luxor.com/entertainment/index-flash.php3) . They were really weird, but it was a very good show. We also saw the Tournament of Kings (http://www.excalibur.com/entertainment/tok.php) at the ExCalibur--DS really enjoyed that.
There is all sorts of entertainment at the hotels in the day time, too. (Like the Star Trek Experience (http://www.startrekexp.com/) over at the Hilton)...
We also made side trips to Death Valley (http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm) and Hoover D amn (this was pre- 9-11, so I'm not sure about what they offer tour wise now).
We could have stayed longer because there is tons to do.
Ref the hotels: We have stayed at the Aladdin (the old one not the new one--that is where DH and I met! :D ), Mandalay Bay-- (it was okay--not the tremendous experience I anticipated, though) and MGM (http://www.mgmgrand.com/pages/index_flash.asp) --which we enjoyed a lot (we didn't have any big expectations). I loved all the shops at the MGM (there were zillions of shops)... all in air conditioned comfort. :)
There are quite a few guys with whom I work that go to Las Vegas regularly... They typically go to the actual hotel web site to check for discount rates. (The Luxor is quite popular with them because they can get upgrades for a minimal cost...)

-DC :ears:

[tajainaz]

Wendy, keep in mind that Las Vegas hotel rates usually are lower for Sunday night through Thursday night, unless there is a very large convention, rodeo, etc., where hotel rooms are in very high demand.

I'm not a big gambler--$20 goes a very long way for me--, but there is a lot to do. How long you want to stay depends on what you want to do and your budget.

Walking and gawking at the hotels (comfortable pace, no shopping or gambling)--probably at least 2 days on the main part of the strip.

Shopping: how much money and time do you have? All of the major hotels have shopping centers. MGM Grand has Avenue of the Stars (I think that's what it's called) and another area that was under construction last year due to the new monorail. The Aladdin has Desert Passage, Paris and Bally's have a shopping center that connects the two properties, and Bally's has another smaller shopping center. Continuing north on the east side of Las Vegas Boulevard, the next major shopping venue is the Canal Shoppes at the Venetian. Beyond that (recommend the trolley--or check the completion rate and stops for the new monorail) is a major mall that seems to have been under renovation every time I've been there for the past 3 years! It's actually on the west side of Las Vegas Boulevard. Fashion Show Mall? I'm not good with names!

Southbound on Las Vegas Boulevard you'll find the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, then the shops at Bellagio. Be sure to check out the conservatory at the Bellagio--it's gorgeous (and free!) There is (if it is operating) a monorail connecting the Bellagio to the Monte Carlo. There are a few shops there, including a microbrewery (seems to do a lot of business), but it was looking a bit sad a year ago. Hopefully, they have more tenants now.

Continuing south, the next stop is New York, New York, with one entire section devoted to dining and shops. Again, it was being renovated when we were there a year ago, so hopefully it's back to normal. Next is the Excalibur (medieval theme) with so-so shopping (to me). There is a monorail from here to the Luxor and Mandalay Bay, both of which are must-see properties. The monorail is a bit funky. In one direction (I think it is northbound), it goes only from Mandalay Bay to Excalibur; in the other direction you transfer at the Luxor to Mandalay Bay. Ask the attendant--they aren't Disney CMs, but most of them are very nice.

Food: take your pick of everything from standard McDonald's fast food to elegant dining at any of the major--and some of the minor--hotels. Just avoid the seafood buffet at the Rio--it's okay, but overpriced (or it was last year) for what you get. Save your money for a good seafood house.

Shows: you name it, they have it! Everything from children-friendly shows such as Cirque de Soleil's Mystere and O to adult shows such as Cique de Soleil's Zumanity. Lance Burton at the Monte Carlo does a terrifc magic show, involving a number of children from the audience. Avoid Penn & Teller if anyone has tender ears. Very good show, but... Jubilee, a traditional Las Vegas revue, has--or had--a covered (i.e., not topless) early show. Costumes are gorgeous! As DC said, Blue Man Group is terrific--but very loud! I carry those little foam ear plugs (the lower rated ones help to muffle the excessively loud sound systems) for shows that reason!

Oh--and a tour of Boulder--sorry--Hoover ***, it you can fit it in. It's a day-long tour by coach, with a stop in Boulder City (or used to be). There are several companies now (Grayline used to be the only one) that offer tours, so check to see which one offers the best selection for your interests.

Fremont Street Experience--downtown old Las Vegas. You need to be there at night to see the light & laser show, so take a taxi if you aren't driving. Check out the older, elegant casinos, as well as some of the newer ones. The Golden Gate Hotel (might be the oldest continuously operated hotel in Las Vegas, but I'm not sure) has a very good, inexpensive coffee shop. If you like breakfast, this is a good place to go (possibly 24 hour breakfast--not sure). I think they have a website.

If you're interested, you also can take a helicoptor flight just over Las Vegas or into the Grand Canyon. It's a bit expensive, particularly for the Grand Canyon flight, but absolutely gorgeous. Several companies offer flights.

Determine your budget, what you want to do, the area you want to stay and then plan more than you've ever planned for WDW! Everything is booked separately (unless you're in a tour group), but it's part of the fun.

I'll be glad to answer any questions I can. I think victorlowe is familiar with Las Vegas, and Britchick was there last year. PA (Psycho Alice) also may have some words of wisdom, since she lives on the left coast.

Enjoy your planning!


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[Wendy L]

Wow thanks for all the info. Oh my am I confused now :shrug:, I never realised there was so much to do. DH and I thought we'd only need 3 days at the most. Don't think that will be enough somehow. I have looked at some of the shows already and wondered how to decide which ones to see.

Where have you stayed? I have looked at some of the bigger hotels, MGM, Mirage, Luxor but I am wondering whether to stay in more moderate accommodation and see if I can talk Chris into going away for 3 weeks instead of 2 that way we can spend longer in different places. I might need some help here convincing him though. :wink:

On another point, we will be driving. We had thought about driving down to the Grand Canyon and staying overnight and then carrying on along the road. DH also wants to go to Yosemite and San Francisco and then drive back to LA to fly home. I think it will be too much travelling and we'd spend most of the time driving. I think we'd be better off going to San Francisco at another time, but men will be men :rolleyes:

Do you know where I can get a good map of the area? I can then show him just how many miles it will mean travelling

[Wendy L]

DC thanks for the information. We would arrive in LA on a Friday afternoon, so we had thought about staying for 4 nights in one of the Disney Hotels and paying for 3 days food. Do you know if you can eat anywhere on Disney property or are you confined to the hotel as obviously this would be a bind then.


Minimum of two days (and that would be commando style touring). We like to go back to the hotel and take a break mid-day (WDW kind of got us in that habbit :) ). We also enjoyed going to the Disney park in the morning and going out to see something else during the middle part of the day and then coming back to DL/CA during the evening although I admit this is not the most efficient way to see DL/CA...
-DC :ears:

That's the way we always do it at WDW so we would probably break off just after mid-day. The only thing is our dates will be 10 Sept onwards for 2 or 3 weeks (depends if I can talk him into it and if the funds will stretch!!) :) I assume that DL will be like WDW and be closing early in the evenings, so we may be better to do full days I really don't know.

After this we were going to go to Las Vegas for a few days and then drive to other areas and come back to LA for the last 2 - 3 days before we fly home.

What hotels have you stayed at in Vegas and is it better to book direct with them or with Expedia or someone like that?

Somehow, I have a feeling I will need a holiday after this :lol: :lol:

[dcfromva]

DC thanks for the information. We would arrive in LA on a Friday afternoon, so we had thought about staying for 4 nights in one of the Disney Hotels and paying for 3 days food. Do you know if you can eat anywhere on Disney property or are you confined to the hotel as obviously this would be a bind then.

Wendy L,
I'm pretty sure, you are not confined to the hotel. But, I don't think it extends to the places in downtown Disney (but, I really don't know for sure since I haven't actually used the program).
There are not a lot of fine eating places inside the DL/CA parks, but the Disney Hotels have some really nice places. For fast food, we like the food court over at DCA--especially the sourdough place!
-DC :ears:

[Relishy]

Hi Wendy
You sound like me :confused: and with planning fatigue. We had so much planned at first but after heeding the good advice from folks on here have cut back somewhat. We have 21 days and are going to DL. San Francisco, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon and last of all Las Vegas. We changed our flight plans so we fly into LA and out of Las Vegas to cut down on the overall driving. We are going mid-July which is why some must sees (Death Valley for one)have been dropped and at least 3 days are free so we can change plans if we can't face driving.
Left to book are San Francisco and Las Vegas. I have a good idea from Tripadvisor and advice here on which hotels I would like and will keep looking out for any bargains. A work colleague is in Las Vegas this week and staying at the Venetian, Circus Circus and I think Alladin? so she will give me a trip report next Tuesday.
One hotel I have booked at is the Desert Pearl Inn in Springdale which looks lovely and has good reviews on Tripadvisor. This one was easy to book direct, very good e-mail service.
Overall though the planning is good fun, should be doing lesson planning etc. but this is much more fun :D We are both upping our exercise and trying to diet seriously now the Easter eggs have gone in readiness for waling etc. in the heat.
Shirley

[tajainaz]

Hmmmm-maps. An Atlas of the western U.S. would be useful. Rand McNally or something similar. Does Amazon have a UK site? Or do you have map shops (i.e., World of Maps, Wide World of Maps or similar). Do you belong to an automobile club with a travel/map department? If they don't have something available, they may have an agreement with a US club to obtain maps at a discount. No guarantee, but it's a thought!

Beyond that, using MapQuest to plot your point-to-point destinations might work. It's harder to visualize, but it will give you distance and approximate driving times (moderate traffic).

San Francisco is another terrific place to visit. You could easily spend a week there and wish you had more time and money! Very expensive to drive and almost impossible to park a vehicle there (parking is very limited and extremely expensive--including at the hotels). The climate there is very different than the Anaheim/Los Angeles area. It can be sunny and very warm, but if the fog rolls in, it becomes absolutely cold! It can change from one extreme to the other within a few hours, so be prepared!

Las Vegas has a lot of hotel options. One of my favorites, primarily due to its location is the Monte Carlo (http://www.monte-carlo.com/intro-flash.php3), which is located between New York, New York and the Bellagio. It's convenient for going north or south on the strip without a vehicle, and is next to a Carrow's restaurant (similar to Perkins--great place for breakfast) and near two pharmacies: CVS (just north) and Walgreen's (across the strip and slightly north). They're great for picking up snacks, bottled water and forgotton items!

Another favorite is the Flamingo, which is on the opposite side of the strip (east), across from Caesars. Park Place Entertainment (http://www.caesars.com/Corporate/LasVegas ) owns and operates Bally's, Caesars, Flamingo, and Las Vegas Hilton (ignore the Flamingo, Laughlin--you won't be going there! :hehe: ).

If your timing is right, you might be able to get a standard room (Sunday - Thursday) for $69 to $89--sometimes even around $49, if things are slow. Unlike WDW, you can't call and have a new rate applied to your reservation (well, maybe you can--didn't used to be able to!). You have to book a new reservation at the new rate and cancel the old one (refunded to your card in about 2 weeks).

You might be able to book for less through Expedia, Priceline, etc., but they usually are prepaid with no cancellation option. As with WDW, booking directly with the hotel property (online or via telephone) does require the first night's rate plus tax (about 12%) as a deposit for room only. You might want to check the website for each property to see if they have any specials. Those frequently require prepayment without cancellation options. Cancellation policies vary--usually at least 48 to 72 hours. Check with each hotel for their policy.

Don't forget that rates around the Independence Day (July 4th) and Labor Day (September 6th in 2004), will be higher than other periods--as will all holiday and heavy convention periods.

I'm fading fast and I want to check a few other forums. You have a little more food for thought, so it's time to get to work!


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[Relishy]

Wendy,
I have found some very good, cheap books on e-bay including one that arrived today, an 'inside out' San Francisco guide which is handbag size. I also got a Geocenter map of California and the canyons for half the retail price
Shirley

[BevW]

When we go to Anaheim, we don't stay on property. Mainly because there are so many other hotels that are more reasonable and within walking distance to the parks. We stayed at the Park Inn the last time (March 2003) and it's right across the street from the parks.
We walked around the Grand California resort and it's gorgeous, but we couldn't afford to stay there.

[nyck]

Try and avoid weekends at las vegas if you want to save a bit of money.We stayed at the Mandalay bay $99 a night, weekends it went upto $259 a night.

we got back last monday from las vegas 3 nights Anaheim 10 night .

It all fresh in my head if you need any info but be quick i easly forget.

nyck

[tajainaz]

Another thought.

Since you're considering a separate trip to Hawaii, what about going to San Francisco that trip? It used to be a primary stopping off point for people travelling to Hawaii (pre-jumbo jet days), so I'm not sure if it still is. You'll need to do some (more!) research!

I just have crazy thoughts at times!


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[Relishy]

Nyck,
What did you think of the Mandalay Bay? The beach looks very good with the lazy river etc. Did you manage to visit any of the other hotels? Any thoughts on Las Vegas very welcome :D :D
Shirley