[ssn]

In April we may stop in California for a few days on the way home from another vacation. Never been to DLR so I am soooo clueless. I bought the Unofficial Guide and now I'm even more confused. For starters:

1) how far is LAX from DLR?
2) how do you get from LAX to your hotel?
3) which is the best non-Disney hotel? (read about Annabelle & Candy Cane Inn) we won't have a car & will be walking to parks
4) Is DLH worth the extra cost?

thanks for the help - I'm sure there will be more questions!

[Experiment6-2-6]

Originally Posted by ssn

In April we may stop in California for a few days on the way home from another vacation. Never been to DLR so I am soooo clueless. I bought the Unofficial Guide and now I'm even more confused. For starters:

Never be confused. Disneyland is actually very compact and easily travelled..
April isn't a bad month, actually.. Plenty of time to plan.

Originally Posted by ssn

1) how far is LAX from DLR?

35 miles, give or take..

Originally Posted by ssn

2) how do you get from LAX to your hotel?

I usually rent a car. But there are numerous ways, including the super shuttle for $14 or so.

Originally Posted by ssn

3) which is the best non-Disney hotel? (read about Annabelle & Candy Cane Inn) we won't have a car & will be walking to parks

Annabelle is very nice. And worth the stay. AND within walking distance. I always use Priceline, and go for the best hotels: Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott.. Each of those have either their own shuttle or you can use the Anaheim Trolley as well.

Originally Posted by ssn

4) Is DLH worth the extra cost?

I have never stayed on property. I suppose if you are addicted, it's a non issue. If you have the money, I would use it to stay there.

[Andrea]

Just wanted to add... 35 miles in Southern California... well, depending on the time of day... it once took me two and a half hours to get from a place not far from LAX to Disneyland. Ack!

LAX is crawling with Super Shuttle. If you're only going to Disneyland, I'd stay away from the car rental. Driving out of the LAX area is just nasty.

I always thought it didn't matter if you stayed off-property at Disneyland... but seeing how excited I am about staying at the Disneyland Hotel next month... I agree... if you've got the money, do it.

[anaheimboy]

LAX is about 35 miles from Disneyland, it can take anywhere from 40 minutes to 2 hours to get to the resort depending on traffic and what time of day you go.

If you're just going to Disneyland Resort, I would take advantage of the shuttle system (I forget the name of it) but it drops you and your luggage off a certain hotels and locations around the Anaheim Resort and some Anaheim Resort hotels also offer shuttle systems from LAX. Renting a car is great but sometimes its more trouble than its worth for those who rarely or never have driven in SoCal, etc. So the shuttle is probably more of the way to go if you just plan to go to DLR.

April is a great time to go to the parks as well, it may be a little crowded with spring break crowds but its a wonderful time of the year in SoCal.

The best non-Disney hotel? These are what I would suggest because they are RIGHT across the street from the DLR Harbor Blvd. Pedestrian Entrance and are typically nice:
Park Vue Inn, Best Western, Carousel Inn, Tropicana Inn, Howard Johnson Anaheim, Anaheim Plaza Hotel, Desert Inn & Suites-Disneyland, Anaheim Camelot Inn....just about all of those are right across the street and are a quick walk. The Anabella and Candy Cane Inn are nice but a bit of a walk in comparison to the ones I listed above.

The Disneyland Hotel IMO is worth the money, its always nice to stay on property. Its right at the entrance to Downtown Disney and offers great views. It has lots of great amenities and is full of magic, fun places to eat and shops, etc.

And dont be confused when it comes to Disneyland. Disneyland is so compact with tons and tons to do and you dont have to take a bus, monorail or ferry everywhere like you do at WDW, you can take the monorail but walking is typically the way most people go, Disneyland is considered a "Pedestrian Resort" in Disney terms. There is just as much to do at DLR as there is at WDW and you will have such a fun time! Enjoy!

[WishUponAStar]

I see that all the pros have answered your questions for the most part. I'll just add that I agree, there is NOOOO need to get confused. Don't over-read or over-plan anything. That's the beauty of Disneyland, it's A LOT more 'go with the flow' & easy to figure out compared to WDW.

I'm the jerk who will say that I only like to stay at official Disneyland Resort hotels. I've stayed at others and I just felt different. I like the full immersive experience, but that could be because I grew up in the immersive WDW experience.

The DL resort hotels are awesome, and if we are being completely honest here, the only one I wouldn't spend my money on is the PP Hotel. It's not a BAD place, just not as amazing as the other two. Might as well stay at a 'Good Neighbor' hotel for a better rate than at PP.

Those are just my personal preferences though. The Disneyland Hotel is absolutely adorable & beams with Disney happiness from seam to seam. The Grand Californian is something you HAVE TO do at least once in your life. AMAZING!

Originally Posted by ssn

In April we may stop in California for a few days on the way home from another vacation. Never been to DLR so I am soooo clueless. I bought the Unofficial Guide and now I'm even more confused. For starters:

1) how far is LAX from DLR?
2) how do you get from LAX to your hotel?
3) which is the best non-Disney hotel? (read about Annabelle & Candy Cane Inn) we won't have a car & will be walking to parks
4) Is DLH worth the extra cost?

thanks for the help - I'm sure there will be more questions!

[WishUponAStar]

OH, and I take the Super Shuttle from LAX to DL when we are JUST going to DL. The only time I rent a car is when we are visiting other locations in CA. The ride from LAX to Disneyland has never taken me longer than 45-50 minutes, and that was with traffic issues.

[ssn]

Thanks for all your responses!

We'll be flying in from Hawaii - so my first step is to decide if I want to come in at 5:30 am after an overnight flight or arrive at LAX at 10:30 pm which souds like I wouldn't get to my hotel until after midnight. So that's the 1st decision. Do you make advance reservations for the airport shuttle?

On the way home I am going to fly Southwest, so is it easier to fly out of the Orange County airport? If so is there a shuttle from the hotels to that airport?

I really do want to stay at the DLH. I am going to wait until the rates come out for next year to defiantely decide - but it is only for 3 nights so what the hay!! At WDW I never consider off-property b/c I want the "whole" Disney experience, but from what I read the off-property hotels at DLR are just as good. We'll have to see what the $ difference is. I just don't want to stay at a "yucky" place!

Mousesavers seems to recommend the Howard Johnson's, so I'll have to look into that too.

I'm really looking forward to being able to walk everywhere - that sounds great! We'll only have 2 full days there.

Thanks again for the help and I'm sure I'll have many more questions b/f April !

[Experiment6-2-6]

Originally Posted by ssn

Thanks for all your responses!

We'll be flying in from Hawaii - so my first step is to decide if I want to come in at 5:30 am after an overnight flight or arrive at LAX at 10:30 pm which souds like I wouldn't get to my hotel until after midnight. So that's the 1st decision. Do you make advance reservations for the airport shuttle?

Having flown up from Hawaii for the past fourteen years, you don't want an overnight/redeye right before your first day at Disneyland. Unless you don't mind the half day you'll get before you fall down go boom..

If I were you, enjoy the time in Hawai (something I've never had a problem doing, and arrive to Disneyland late that night. You can make advance reservations online for the airport shuttle. In fact, this would be better, your longest wait would be for your luggage, as traffic and the number of passengers/stops would be minimal at that time.

Originally Posted by ssn

On the way home I am going to fly Southwest, so is it easier to fly out of the Orange County airport? If so is there a shuttle from the hotels to that airport?

You can also grab a shuttle to Orange County. Super Shuttle is great, and worth the expense. While a rental car is neat, Voldemort & I did the shuttle thing. The worst part was not having the "ability" to drive your car to the parking garage. But I had a premium pass, so parking at Disneyland was free. But I did save the "parking fee" from the hotel, so in the end it was a cheaper route to take.

Originally Posted by ssn

I really do want to stay at the DLH. I am going to wait until the rates come out for next year to defiantely decide - but it is only for 3 nights so what the hay!! At WDW I never consider off-property b/c I want the "whole" Disney experience, but from what I read the off-property hotels at DLR are just as good. We'll have to see what the $ difference is. I just don't want to stay at a "yucky" place!

For whatever reason, I have never found a "yucky" place in Anaheim. I think the standards are fairly high, and occupancy is highly desired. Priceline, as I said before, allows five star hotels for a good bit under $100.00 a night. As of three years ago, I was staying for $50.00 a night. It's a bit more now, but cheaper than the Disneyland Hotel.

In the end, the Disneyland Hotel is worth it, if you want the "whole" Disney experience. And while the hotels nearby aren't yucky, they certainly aren't DISNEY. Three nights shouldn't set you back, and if you get a package it will probably be affordable.

Originally Posted by ssn

I'm really looking forward to being able to walk everywhere - that sounds great! We'll only have 2 full days there.

Thanks again for the help and I'm sure I'll have many more questions b/f April !

Two full days should be enough to hit the major rides. My recommendation would be to get there at the rope drop, and get in line for the e-ticket rides, and fast pass as much as possible. Two days will go by way too fast.