Canadian needs help planning DL trip

[Drivercan]

We (DH, DD-10, DS-8 and me) Canadians have been to DisneyWorld in 2004 and 2006 and got the 5 day pass both times.

Thinking about going to Disneyland, California in June/July 2007 for 7 days. Any ideas re:

- how many days do you need at Disneyland - is the 3 day pass enough?

- any suggestions re hotels or vacation condo's - we want a kitchen because we like to cook our own meals - we can't stomach restaurant food everyday - DS and I have sensitive tummies

- also thinking about going to Legoland - anyone been? - it's about 1 hour away from Disneyland right?

- any good waterparks?

- any cheap direct flights from Toronto? - Air Canada was $3200 for the 4 of us -yikes! - found a direct flight from Cleveland for $1400 CAD for the 4 of us - but would have to add hotel stay for the night before and car parking costs + gas

- how far is LAX to Disneyland?

We would rent a car so can drive anywhere within reason.

Anything else worthwhile to see?


Thanks!

 

[Albort]

We (DH, DD-10, DS-8 and me) Canadians have been to DisneyWorld in 2004 and 2006 and got the 5 day pass both times.

Thinking about going to Disneyland, California in June/July 2007 for 7 days. Any ideas re:

- how many days do you need at Disneyland - is the 3 day pass enough? (I really think 2 days is enough, it really depends on you... if you want to get on every ride, i would then pace it out over the 3 days. DCA wont take long to explore, and most of those rides are a bit more extreme. There is also some advantages with 3 days such as early entry)
- any suggestions re hotels or vacation condo's - we want a kitchen because we like to cook our own meals - we can't stomach restaurant food everyday - DS and I have sensitive tummies (umm, it might cost you more though, i think Marriott has a suite in Garden Grove (10-20miles away). I really suggest living at one of the Disneyland resorts.)

- also thinking about going to Legoland - anyone been? - it's about 1 hour away from Disneyland right? (yes, its about right, 1- 2hour drive depending on traffic... I havent been to Legoland yet but i was told its small and more for kids)
- any good waterparks? (we have i think the 8th ranked in the nation... Raging waters... we also have Knott's berry farm's Soak City and also Wild River... im not sure if they are open though, its a tab cold here now)

- any cheap direct flights from Toronto? - Air Canada was $3200 for the 4 of us -yikes! - found a direct flight from Cleveland for $1400 CAD for the 4 of us - but would have to add hotel stay for the night before and car parking costs + gas (i would check travelzoo (i dont knwo why i cant post URLs, really weird))

- how far is LAX to Disneyland? (its around 30-40 miles away, it takes about 30 min to get there without traffic, with traffic ranging from 30 min - 2 hours)

We would rent a car so can drive anywhere within reason. (snipe it with priceline)

Anything else worthwhile to see? Irvine regional park? (depends on what you want to look)


Thanks! (hope that helps!)

 

[shellyof4]

Hello fellow Canadian! There are lots on this board! I live in Seattle now but my sis lives in Toronto...

But anyway, to answer a couple of your questions:

1. If you were happy with 5 days at Disneyworld, then you will be happy with 3 at Disneyland. That's about the equivalent I would say...maybe slightly more laid back schedule than your World trip was. But it will be summer so three days should ensure you see everything you want to see.

2. I can't give a specific suggestion for a suite hotel but there are quite a few and some are even within walking distance. Just keep searching the web and you'll find reviews on most of them.

3. I'm assuming the 3200$ you quoted for tickets is Canadian dollars, but that's still too much. Just wait and it will go down. I checked from Seattle one day and it was 324 US a ticket...that night it was $199. Just keep checking all the usual websites it will go down closer to your dates.

4. LAX to disneyland I hear is about an hour on average.

Hope you have a great trip!!

 

[jakoky]

We (DH, DD-10, DS-8 and me) Canadians have been to DisneyWorld in 2004 and 2006 and got the 5 day pass both times.
HI there, we live in bc, and also went to WDW in 2004 and then DL in may of this year...we are DH, ME, DD-15, DS-13 and DD-11...

Thinking about going to Disneyland, California in June/July 2007 for 7 days. Any ideas re:

- how many days do you need at Disneyland - is the 3 day pass enough?
When we did WDW we did the 7 day hoppers, which gave us 5 in the parks and then 2 days at the waterparks....if we did it again, we would like to do the 9 day...When we did DL, we did the 5 day hoppers and they were great...it just meant we could relax and got to do everything we wanted many times...I think 3 day you could defintately do it to, it would just be go, go, go especially as you are going during a busier time than we went

- any suggestions re hotels or vacation condo's - we want a kitchen because we like to cook our own meals - we can't stomach restaurant food everyday - DS and I have sensitive tummies
this one i cant help on, we stayed at the candy cane inn(highly recommend it)

- also thinking about going to Legoland - anyone been? - it's about 1 hour away from Disneyland right?
havent been

- any good waterparks?
none were open in may when we were there

- any cheap direct flights from Toronto? - Air Canada was $3200 for the 4 of us -yikes! - found a direct flight from Cleveland for $1400 CAD for the 4 of us - but would have to add hotel stay for the night before and car parking costs + gas
We got a great deal, we flew air canada and for the 5 of us it was 1755 dollars...
- how far is LAX to Disneyland?
we caught a shuttle and with a stop at walmart for drinks and snacks, we were at our motel about an hour after pick-up

We would rent a car so can drive anywhere within reason.

Anything else worthwhile to see?
We didnt have a car, so we did the 5 days at DL, a day at universal(fun), a shopping day, and then a couple of days at the pool and just hanging out(we were there for 10 nights)
HAVE FUN

sharon

 

[HydroGuy]

We (DH, DD-10, DS-8 and me) Canadians have been to DisneyWorld in 2004 and 2006 and got the 5 day pass both times.

Thinking about going to Disneyland, California in June/July 2007 for 7 days.

Lots of advice for WDW vets here: "A DLR Guide for WDW Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

- how many days do you need at Disneyland - is the 3 day pass enough?

Excerpt:

14. How Many Days Do You Need at DLR?

The answer to this question depends on a number of things including the interests of your group and age of any children in the group. If you want to see all or most of the parades and shows, then 3 days would be a minimum amount of days and 4 would be better. If you like to visit the Disney parks at a very leisurely pace then 5 days (or more) may be a good idea. If you decide to attach extra days to visit other Southern California locations (e.g., Hollywood, Universal Studios, Sea World, a beach) then of course additional days are needed. But 3-4 days will be enough for most people.

- any suggestions re hotels or vacation condo's - we want a kitchen because we like to cook our own meals - we can't stomach restaurant food everyday - DS and I have sensitive tummies

In general I would recommend getting a nearby hotel. There are hotels much closer to the parks at DLR as compared to WDW (see HydroGuy's Hotel Rule
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199862)

Not sure which have full kitchens, so you will need to listen to others here and/or do some research. In 2005 we got a mini-suite at Best Western Park Place Inn that had a microwave and mini-fridge, and ate most of our meals at our hotel. But it was definitely not a full kitchen. We had to bring paper plates and plastic bowls, etc., to make it work.

- also thinking about going to Legoland - anyone been? - it's about 1 hour away from Disneyland right?

See section 22 of "A DLR Guide for WDW Vets". It is about 50-60 miles, but how long it takes to get there depends a lot on when you leave. Personally, I would rather go to Sea World in San Diego than LegoLand, but that is just me.

- any good waterparks?

See follow-up discussion in the thread "A DLR Guide for WDW Vets"

- how far is LAX to Disneyland?

Distance is maybe 40 miles. How long it takes depends on time of day - anywhere from 45 minutes to 2+ hours.

 

[LindaM]

Did you try WestJet for plane tickets? I went online almost daily with WestJet and Air Canada, I found WestJet had alot more seat sales than Air Canada, and purchased ours for our trip this past May and saved about $500 for 4 of us.

3 days is enough for Disneyland/California Adventure, we purchased 5 day hopper passes, and felt that was a little too much.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[PapaLR]

When we booked our recent trip through AAA, the agent had just returned from a DL trip and had a 3 day hopper pass which she felt was a little rushed - her son had also recently gone and had a 5 day hopper and ended up not using the 5th day, so we purchased 4 day hopper and it felt just right. Even without having to wait in lines (like you will have to do in June/July) we had plenty of time to enjoy both parks without having to rush. It left us time for shopping, parades, and shows, plus riding our favorite rides several times. When we go again I'll definitely go with the 4 day hopper again.
Knott's Berry farm opened a large water park last year located right next to their park (you could also get a fried chicken dinner while your there!) Knott's is about 10 minutes away from DLR.
Good Luck on your planning

 

[jemilah]

Marriot residence inn resort are has a full kitchen with full size fridge and pots and pans, utensils ....everything but the food.
It is right outside an ART stop if you need it and is super clean and has a full breakfast buffet in the morning!