Disneyland here we come... I have a bunch of pretrip questions... which I would appreciate, If you could please supply some answers...

[LovesTimone]

Hi everyone... WDW veteran, Florida Resident AP holder here... DH and I have been to Disneyland once almost 9 years ago...

We have a large air fare credit with Delta that we have to use... So we decided to take our Sweet Grandson to Disneyland he will have just turned 7 at the time of the trip ... then we realized that we still have more credit to use up...So we invited our DD his mom to come along to... Our son in law just started a new job, so he doesn't have any vacation time so he won't be joining us this trip...

When DH and I visited about 9 years ago we stayed offsite, at Majestic Gardens... which was pretty nice, it was just the 2 of us. It had a free shuttle to and from the parks so that's one of the reason that we picked it, as well as price... very reasonable...

We are not park commandos, we like to wander around and just soak it up... so we are planning 5 nights... Especially with a 7 year old with us, we will go at his pace for sure... We are visiting in March 2022...

So I priced out staying on site... and that's just ridiculous... I gasped when I saw the price, and it just a plain hotel room ... so that's a big Nope!!! So off site for sure... I would not be apposed to booking through Disney at the good neighbor hotels... Thoughts?

DH and I talked last night and we decided pretty much that a family suite would be they way to go... DH is a big guy and we need a King size bed or his feet hang off... Plus having some room to move around would be better especially with a 7 year old....We are Hilton member so really leaning toward them... We might have enough point's for at least 1 night free... Suggestions?

Now onto the park tickets... 5 day tickets... I am wondering about park hoppers..... Yes or No ?

This whole thing with Genie+, Lighting Lanes, and all is just a mystery to me... I really need some simple tutoring on this? ..Please

Private car service suggestions? as we want one stop at a grocery store to pick up simple things like water, soda, juice boxes and a couple of snacks for the room...

I know that here at WDW lots of people order groceries for delivery, is that something that happens at Disneyland? and if so who should we look at if we decided to forgo the one stop...

Last question... Is the mask policy the same as here at WDW? DH, DD and I have all been vaccinated, as well as regular flu shots... we are really hoping that approval for kids for the vaccine hurry's up so he can get it before we travel there.

So that's all I have for right now...

I would really appreciate any info, thoughts, or suggestion that you have... Thanks in advance...

 

[Canadian Harmony]

I too prefer to stay at a local hotel. I’ve stayed at the DLH by sharing a room and it was awesome but not if I were paying the whole bill. I usually stay at the Desert Inn across the road on Harbor and I know they have family suites. I think HoJo has nice family rooms too. I’ve also stayed at the Clarion, down the road across from the Toy Story lot. It was easy and convenient to get their shuttle bus to and from the parks.

Park hoppers are fine if you think you’ll need them. I used to get them then realized I’m more of a one-park-per-day kinda gal so I don’t bother and just soak up a full day in one park.

Genie+ hasn’t dropped for Disneyland yet so I can’t really help you there. I believe it’s worth it as I used to spend that on the photopass plus every day I was in a park anyway so I’ll get it again if it’s live when I got(on Thursday!).

I use Karmel Shuttle as my transfer to and from the hotel. I’ve never asked them to stop so not sure about the policy.

Masks are mandatory indoors, recommended outdoors.

Hope that helps you.

 

[nuttynatty]

I will be staying at the Homewood by Hilton which I have heard amazing things and they have separate suites for so cheap! They are right beside the Toy Story bus so you can hop on a free shuttle.

I honestly don't bother with park hoppers most trips.... yes they are super easy to park hop being across from each other and most people will tell you to do it but I am perfectly happy doing 3 days at DL and 2 at DCA.

I got groceries delivered in past although I don't remember from where but I am sure there are a ton more options then 4 years ago when I did it. I just don't want to waste my vacation time but that's just me.

If genie+ drops before my trip in 4 weeks I would prob chose to get it on a couple days of my trip but not each day. I would just strategize and do more rides and photos on the days I purchase it.

And who knows what the covid policies will be in March. After 2 years you would hope it would be back to normal but I have come to accept that is not likely.

And funny thing, I go to DL usually yearly (up in Canada here so wish I could do more!) but I'll be off to WDW in March so we are trading sides lol.

 

[cruisehopeful]

DH and I talked last night and we decided pretty much that a family suite would be they way to go... DH is a big guy and we need a King size bed or his feet hang off... Plus having some room to move around would be better especially with a 7 year old....We are Hilton member so really leaning toward them... We might have enough point's for at least 1 night free... Suggestions?

There's a Homewood Suites next to the Toy Story Parking lot that may fit for you. You can walk to the Toy Story parking lot to catch the bus to the park, but it's quite a walk to where the buses are now. There's another Homewood Suits further down the street in Garden Grove. I've stayed there a few times. There's a shuttle (ART) that you can take from there. Or, it's about a 20-30 minute walk to the parks.

Now onto the park tickets... 5 day tickets... I am wondering about park hoppers..... Yes or No ?

Yes

Private car service suggestions? as we want one stop at a grocery store to pick up simple things like water, soda, juice boxes and a couple of snacks for the room...

I don't know about private car services, but you could always use Lyft and just order another one when you are done shopping. There are a lot of convenience stores in the area such as Walgreens, Target and CVS. You could just have one person from your party go buy stuff while another checks into the room and gets that settled.

ast question... Is the mask policy the same as here at WDW?

Masks are required for all indoor areas. Outdoor lines/ques do not require masks, but I keep mine all the whole time because nobody does any social distancing. People will keep bumping into you when you are standing still in lines. And, people will cough behind you in line and not cover their mouth.

 

[Pluto468]

Best Western Plus Anaheim Inn has 2 bedroom suites with 1 king and 2 queen beds. I think they also have 1 queen with 2 doubles. No kitchen but there's an extra little room with a tv and couch. It's down the block, but I hear it's under 10 minutes to walk.

Hojo has family suites, too. Courtyard Anaheim has suites with bunk beds and a king size bed.

I like Hoppers because the parks are so close together.

I haven't used karmel but they get very good reviews. There's one called Sunny's which gets great reviews, too.Sunny's website says they will stop at a grocery store if you need it.

Have a fun trip!

 

[22Tink]

Tropicana, Desert Inn and Suites and Best Western Park Place Inn and Mini Suites are our 3 main go to hotels. All are a very short walk to the entrance and are clean, but basic. If you plan to swim the pool at the Desert Inn is small and indoors. We aren't pool people typically but when we do swim we like an outdoor pool.

We always always park hop. Is it absolutely necessary? No. But it's so quick and easy to hop and we love the extra flexibility it offers. We've never spent a whole day in just one park.

Keep an eye on the Dis for Genie+ and LL. I'm sure there will be plenty of reports on experiences here once it's in use! I'll be keeping an eye out for our trip to WDW next year.

We had a rental car from LAX but used Midwilshuttle to get back to the airport. I was very happy with them, they were prompt and professional. I not sure about a grocery shop or grocery delivery as we've never done that. We might purchase a few breakfast items to snack on in the room while getting ready but the rest of our snacks and meals we eat in the parks. Before covid, Desert Inn and Best Western had free breakfasts but our last stay at the Desert they just had grab and go breakfasts that consisted of an apple, packaged muffin or granola bar and juice box.

Masks were required indoors on our last trip at the beginning of September. The CMs weren't great at enforcing it when guests ignored the rule but for the most part people were pretty compliant.

Have a great trip!!

 

[VandVsmama]

Hi everyone... WDW veteran, Florida Resident AP holder here... DH and I have been to Disneyland once almost 9 years ago...

We have a large air fare credit with Delta that we have to use... So we decided to take our Sweet Grandson to Disneyland he will have just turned 7 at the time of the trip ... then we realized that we still have more credit to use up...So we invited our DD his mom to come along to... Our son in law just started a new job, so he doesn't have any vacation time so he won't be joining us this trip...

When DH and I visited about 9 years ago we stayed offsite, at Majestic Gardens... which was pretty nice, it was just the 2 of us. It had a free shuttle to and from the parks so that's one of the reason that we picked it, as well as price... very reasonable...

We are not park commandos, we like to wander around and just soak it up... so we are planning 5 nights... Especially with a 7 year old with us, we will go at his pace for sure... We are visiting in March 2022...

So I priced out staying on site... and that's just ridiculous... I gasped when I saw the price, and it just a plain hotel room ... so that's a big Nope!!! So off site for sure... I would not be apposed to booking through Disney at the good neighbor hotels... Thoughts?

DH and I talked last night and we decided pretty much that a family suite would be they way to go... DH is a big guy and we need a King size bed or his feet hang off... Plus having some room to move around would be better especially with a 7 year old....We are Hilton member so really leaning toward them... We might have enough point's for at least 1 night free... Suggestions?

Now onto the park tickets... 5 day tickets... I am wondering about park hoppers..... Yes or No ?

This whole thing with Genie+, Lighting Lanes, and all is just a mystery to me... I really need some simple tutoring on this? ..Please

Private car service suggestions? as we want one stop at a grocery store to pick up simple things like water, soda, juice boxes and a couple of snacks for the room...

I know that here at WDW lots of people order groceries for delivery, is that something that happens at Disneyland? and if so who should we look at if we decided to forgo the one stop...

Last question... Is the mask policy the same as here at WDW? DH, DD and I have all been vaccinated, as well as regular flu shots... we are really hoping that approval for kids for the vaccine hurry's up so he can get it before we travel there.

So that's all I have for right now...

I would really appreciate any info, thoughts, or suggestion that you have... Thanks in advance...

• Get park hoppers. They're much more handy at DL and way easier to park hop compared to WDW.
• if possible, stay in a hotel within easy walking distance. In my opinion, this would mean staying at a hotel/motel along Harbor Blvd between Disney Way on the south end and the Howard Johnson's on the north end.
• Mask policy is same as at WDW.
• looks like WDW will have Genie+ before DL, so maybe read up on the WDW side of the boards later this month. I, personally, would just budget for using Genie+ for a couple of the days of your trip.

 

[mseyre]

There are tons of walking distance hotels along Harbor. The HoJo is about as far north as I would go walking distance wise. I stayed there with 6/7 year olds and that was the limit. South I have stayed as far as what was the Red Lion and is now the Hotel Lulu. Again that was a reasonable walk.
We always park hop. Always. So much easier than it is at WDW.
We have used Karmel once. But now we just Uber.

 

[Calidisneyfam]

We stayed at the Homewood Suites that others have mentioned near the Toy Story lot, and it was great! At the time (May 2021), the lot was closed, so no shuttles, but we just walked. I think it was 10 minutes. Not bad at all.

I wouldn't get hoppers, especially for a 5 day trip; you will have plenty of time to see everything just doing one park at at time.

Have fun!!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

For a private car service, Lansky's gets consistently good reviews here. Pre-pandemic, they included one grocery stop and could provide a car seat/booster, too, so ask about this if you contact them. CA's car seat/booster laws are strict, so check on this shortly before your trip (law changes, if any, may take affect on 1/01/22). If a booster seat is needed, many posters here like Mifold portable booster. Easy to use, easy to store, fits in a locker or a tote bag.
Many people use Amazon for grocery deliveries, especially if they already have Prime. Vons.com gets mentioned, too. The CVS and Walgreens at the intersection of Harbor and Katella (across the street from each other) carry basic groceries. There is also a 7-11 at that intersection. And there is a Target about a mile south of the parks on Harbor. If you forget to pack something or need meds, you can get what you need at CVS, Walgreens, or Target.
Homewood Suites gets good reviews here, but I agree with the pp that staying somewhere that is close walking distance to the parks will make your trip easier. Family suites are not hard to find close to the Harbor gate.

 

[gelatoni fan]

There is no such thing as free shuttles from hotels anymore. Some hotels have an ART bus station which currently costs $6 per day but if you're close enough, it's easier to just walk to the parks. If you're looking for suites and leaning towards Hilton, you'll probably look at Home2 Suites which is a very short walk to the parks. Homewood Suites is a bit further but will likely be cheaper. I have not stayed at either of these properties yet.

If you aren't super loyal to Hilton, the Hyatt House is closer than the Homewood Suites and a decent option in my opinion. The Residence Inn is a little bit closer, nicer and my typical recommendation for people who want more space and aren't super price sensitive.

I would not book any of these through Disney and just book directly with the respective hotel. Disney's packages are super restrictive, make changing anything a nightmare and will likely not save you money because you can't rebook if there's a rate drop.

Park hopping is easier at Disneyland than WDW since you just walk across to the other gate. Park hopping is also the most cost effective on a trip with more days. That said, I think you will have plenty of time in the parks to see everything you want so I don't think it's really necessary. If you're the type of person who thinks you'll want to do Webslingers every single day or watch the fireworks every single day, then sure. But if you don't have a specific reason to park hop, I don't think it's worth spending the extra money.

Genie+, Lighting Lanes, etc haven't launched yet so it's not possible to give info on it now.

I'm not too familiar with private car services but when I want to get groceries, I typically do a one way rental. I pick up the car at the airport, get my groceries, dinner, etc and then drop off the car at the Disneyland Resort area. Hertz returns to the Marriott at the Convention Center, Enterprise to the Hilton at the Convention Center and there's also a lot just behind California Adventure to return National and Alamo. From there, you can walk back to your hotel or Uber/Lyft for less than $10. Be aware that picking up a rental car at LAX can take a long time due to how the rental car shuttles work. You just walk across the street to get a rental car at Santa Ana.

There's also an option to buy the snacks at CVS or Walgreens and if you want more substantial groceries to order through Instacart or something.

The mask policy will probably change by March so there's no point worrying about it now.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

There is no such thing as free shuttles from hotels anymore...

The Majestic Garden still promotes their free shuttle on their website (https://majesticgardenhotel.com -- "Dream Machine Shuttle to Disneyland ® Resort is first come first served basis. Please anticipate a wait time an. Wearing a face covering to ride our shuttle is required regardless of vaccination status.").

The Candy Cane Inn is closed until Spring 2022, but they may still have their free shuttle when they reopen.

OP, you might want to check on this closer to your trip -- shuttles and other things could be different by next year.

 

[LovesTimone]

We stayed at the Homewood Suites that others have mentioned near the Toy Story lot, and it was great! At the time (May 2021), the lot was closed, so no shuttles, but we just walked. I think it was 10 minutes. Not bad at all.

I wouldn't get hoppers, especially for a 5 day trip; you will have plenty of time to see everything just doing one park at at time.

Have fun!!

We are looking at Homewood Suites by Hilton Anaheim Resort convention center... is this the one you stayed at?

What do you mean it was near the Toy Story lot? Sorry I just don't understand what that means.... and how does that work? Is there a bus option to the parks, even for a fee would be okay.

As well whats around the hotel? looking for restaurants like fast food, or middle of the road table service or some type of store to pick up drinks, or snacks with a short walk, and safety is another priority with walking.

Another question is there breakfast included like at Hampton Inn and Suites? and If so how would you rate it? My grandson is a big breakfast eater, he is only 6 and boy can he eat at 6 years old... When his eyes open the first thing he says is I'm hungry... he is in the 98 percent for height, but he is a skinny boy... so looking for yogurt, fruit cup, some type of waffle or french toast stick, cereal and milk and OJ...

With Genie+ and lighting lanes on hold right now, I guess that I will have to just see how things are working here at WDW and figure out how its going to work...and stalk the boards for as much real info as I can... LOL... Then thinking about park hoppers we are waffling back and forth..I don't have to pull the trigger on this yet...

Anyone any thoughts on when this will be rolled out?

So as some of you might know DH and I hate mobile ordering... it sucks... on top of this... I have a not so common food allergy, so ordering like this is pretty much out of the question for me, unless I want a burger or chicken nuggets... Here at WDW when I tell the CM they have let me go inside to look at the book, to double check what I can and can not have... and we have ordered inside... is this going to be possible? mostly we just stick to table service's...
So looking for some suggestions on both TS and QS options... in the parks and at Downtown Disney area...

Thanks so much

 

[cruisehopeful]

We are looking at Homewood Suites by Hilton Anaheim Resort convention center... is this the one you stayed at?

What do you mean it was near the Toy Story lot? Sorry I just don't understand what that means.... and how does that work? Is there a bus option to the parks, even for a fee would be okay.

Not the person you were asking, but this hotel is next to the Toy Story parking lot which is a paid parking lot for Disneyland. You can walk into the lot and take their bus to the park entrance. After a remodel of the parking lot, the buses are kind of far into the lot. So, it can be quite a walk and may not save much time at all vs just walking to the park. That would be free transportation for you since you wouldn't be parking in the lot. You can pull up Google maps and see what it looks like distance wise from your hotel.

There is a public bus that you can take. You can also use Uber/Lyft. It sounds like they cost about the same, but I've never used either of those. So, you'd want to price that out online.

 

[monkeypat83]

I have used Lanskey with my daughter since she needed a car seat (they provided one for her) and I didn't want to lug mine on the plane since the only time we needed it was to and from the airport. I went in July and they did grocery store stop at Von's on the way to the hotel which was great. They are not the cheapest option out there but I found them to be the most convenient since I needed a car seat and wanted a grocery store stop. As others have mentioned you will probably need a booster seat for your grandson since in CA you have to be 8 before you can ride without a booster unless you hit 4 foot 9 before you turn 8. You can always bring a small booster but just something to keep in mind

 

[Calidisneyfam]

We are looking at Homewood Suites by Hilton Anaheim Resort convention center... is this the one you stayed at?

What do you mean it was near the Toy Story lot? Sorry I just don't understand what that means.... and how does that work? Is there a bus option to the parks, even for a fee would be okay.

As well whats around the hotel? looking for restaurants like fast food, or middle of the road table service or some type of store to pick up drinks, or snacks with a short walk, and safety is another priority with walking.

Another question is there breakfast included like at Hampton Inn and Suites? and If so how would you rate it? My grandson is a big breakfast eater, he is only 6 and boy can he eat at 6 years old... When his eyes open the first thing he says is I'm hungry... he is in the 98 percent for height, but he is a skinny boy... so looking for yogurt, fruit cup, some type of waffle or french toast stick, cereal and milk and OJ...

With Genie+ and lighting lanes on hold right now, I guess that I will have to just see how things are working here at WDW and figure out how its going to work...and stalk the boards for as much real info as I can... LOL... Then thinking about park hoppers we are waffling back and forth..I don't have to pull the trigger on this yet...

Anyone any thoughts on when this will be rolled out?

So as some of you might know DH and I hate mobile ordering... it sucks... on top of this... I have a not so common food allergy, so ordering like this is pretty much out of the question for me, unless I want a burger or chicken nuggets... Here at WDW when I tell the CM they have let me go inside to look at the book, to double check what I can and can not have... and we have ordered inside... is this going to be possible? mostly we just stick to table service's...
So looking for some suggestions on both TS and QS options... in the parks and at Downtown Disney area...

Thanks so much

The walk was not bad at all; as someone else reported you can take the free shuttle from the Toy Story lot, but it might not actually save much time. We Uber'ed the first day and felt kinda silly, based on how short of a drive it was. After that we just walked.

As for breakfast--both Homewood Suites and Hampton Inn offer a pretty decent full breakfast. Between the two, I'd pick Homewood Suites since it has the full kitchen. Full size fridge is nice for bottled water, sodas, or whatever snacks. Also it just feels like more space with the separate living room.

Yes, it is the one by the Convention Center.

For our first night, we weren't at the parks and didn't want to walk to Downtown Disney; we walked a half block the other direction and at a cute little sit down restaurant -- Rosco's house of chicken and waffles. It was great. Pretty simple but hit the spot for a quick and easy dinner.

 

[LovesTimone]

I have used Lanskey with my daughter since she needed a car seat (they provided one for her) and I didn't want to lug mine on the plane since the only time we needed it was to and from the airport. I went in July and they did grocery store stop at Von's on the way to the hotel which was great. They are not the cheapest option out there but I found them to be the most convenient since I needed a car seat and wanted a grocery store stop. As others have mentioned you will probably need a booster seat for your grandson since in CA you have to be 8 before you can ride without a booster unless you hit 4 foot 9 before you turn 8. You can always bring a small booster but just something to keep in mind

We have a booster seat, and are really hoping to not have to bring it along, that's one reason for the private car service hoping to book one with a booster seat for him... Wow 4 foot 9 inches... he's tall.... just not that tall.... yet.. I might get one of those simple ones to bring, DD most likely will want to get something like this for the just in case moments...

 

[theluckyrabbit]

We have a booster seat, and are really hoping to not have to bring it along, that's one reason for the private car service hoping to book one with a booster seat for him... Wow 4 foot 9 inches... he's tall.... just not that tall.... yet.. I might get one of those simple ones to bring, DD most likely will want to get something like this for the just in case moments...

A travel booster seat (e.g. Mifold, Bubblebum, etc.) could come in handy if you decide to use Uber/Lyft to visit someplace farther from the parks. Rideshare in CA doesn't provide boosters.

 

[LovesTimone]

Oh Thanks so much , I did not realize ride shares do not provide booster... I will be looking into the suggestions posted...

Thanks so much...