Disneyland on my bucket list

[kitkat4622]

I am thinking of going to Disneyland in 2025. I have been to Disney world several times since 2014. So I have some questions. It would be myself and my adult grandson who is my travel companion. So here goes
1. Looking at the Fall. Sept-Dec. When would you go and why?
2. Does Disneyland have Mickey's Boo Too You Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party? Which one is better?
3. Where would you stay and why?
4. What airport would you fly in to and why? We fly Jetblue and have TSA PRECHECK.
5. Would you rent a car or just Uber from the airport?
TIA

 

[Kit Jackson]

I would do September or November (before or after the craziness of Halloween season). I would not recommend October for a first trip because the park is insanely busy and might not make for an enjoyable first trip.

If it was a Disneyland only trip I would use Uber and skip the car rental. Everything in Disneyland is so close. The parks and Downtown Disney (shopping district) are walking distance to each other and there are many hotels that are also walking distance to the park.

This book was incredibly helpful when I planned my first Disney Trip.

https://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-G...5&psc=1&mcid=b5e0b7370a7c3c628f273d9789175b92

In terms of hotels, were you interested in staying in one of the three hotels that are part of the resort/on property or were interested in staying off-site? There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

Also, if you interested in pictures and can afford it, I recommend Genie+ because it includes PhotoPass.

 

[kitkat4622]

Yes I would prefer to stay at a resort/on property site.

 

[Louis63]

I would look to go in early December, fly into John Wayne if possible, and if your not looking to stay at a Disney property try the hotels on Harbor Blvd. I recommend mapping the hotels, some sites say a 1/2 mile from the parks but its not to the gates, so be wary

 

[maleficent55]

I would do November because the weather is nice in the day and cool at night and the day after veterans day is full blown Christmas!

Unlike WDW you don’t need a separate Christmas party ticket as the Christmas parade and fireworks are daily and for all, included in park tickets

Some people say they like Halloween time better, there is a Halloween party, Oogie Boogie Bash and you DO need tickets
They go on sale in the summer, end of June and go FAST.
The Halloween party is in DCA (Disneys California adventure park) so if you can’t secure party tickets just be in Disneyland during party, so YES you do want park hoppers. And you DO want Genie+

SNA (John Wayne airport) and LGB (Long Beach airport) are closest, but flight times and cost might be a factor

Lax will offer the most array of various flight times and the best prices but is farther but still not “far”, just a 40 (plus or minus) via Lyft.

 

[maleficent55]

Yes I would prefer to stay at a resort/on property site.

Your most expensive (think deluxe, Polynesian level) is the Grand Californian

The Disneyland hotel is your moderate and Pixar Place Hotel is your value

BUT…..they’re essentially all deluxe prices…

 

[Aladora]

I am thinking of going to Disneyland in 2025. I have been to Disney world several times since 2014. So I have some questions. It would be myself and my adult grandson who is my travel companion. So here goes
1. Looking at the Fall. Sept-Dec. When would you go and why?
2. Does Disneyland have Mickey's Boo Too You Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party? Which one is better?
3. Where would you stay and why?
4. What airport would you fly in to and why? We fly Jetblue and have TSA PRECHECK.
5. Would you rent a car or just Uber from the airport?
TIA

1. I would go either September or November. October is redic crowded because of Hallowe'en. If seeing Hallowe'en decor is preferred then go in September but if Christmas is more your speed, go in November.

2. DL has a Hallowe'en party but not a Christmas one.

3. We prefer to stay onsite. Grand Californian is top of our list, then Disneyland Hotel, then Pixar. Offsite we would stay at either the Park Vue Inn or the Desert Inn & Suites. Both are motels, nothing fancy, but they are so super close!

4. SNA for sure, LAX if needed. We have never flown in to LGB, the price and timings from Canada never worked for us.

5. Uber/taxi from SNA, car service from LAX.

 

[Disney Ron]

I am thinking of going to Disneyland in 2025. I have been to Disney world several times since 2014. So I have some questions. It would be myself and my adult grandson who is my travel companion. So here goes
1. Looking at the Fall. Sept-Dec. When would you go and why?
2. Does Disneyland have Mickey's Boo Too You Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party? Which one is better?
3. Where would you stay and why?
4. What airport would you fly in to and why? We fly Jetblue and have TSA PRECHECK.
5. Would you rent a car or just Uber from the airport?
TIA

KitKat, I'm not answering any of your questions but I just wanted to say you will love Disneyland. We are from Rhode Island and have been to WDW more than I can remember, but last summer I did my bucket list trip to Disneyland with my wife and 2 high school age children. Well let me tell you, my wife and kids told me after the trip it was the best vacation they ever had. We all loved it more than WDW so guess where our trip is booked for this summer? I'll give you 3 guesses and the first 2 don't count.

We stayed at the Grand California Hotel and absolutely loved it. Better weather than Florida, we met plenty of great locals and can't wait for July to roll around.

 

[voxparse]

I'd like to hijack and ask an additional question. When people say the crowds are terrible in October can someone tell me how bad is terrible on a scale of 1 to the worst days at WDW? We want to go for Halloween this year to DL but I'm nervous to book September as I can't be sure HM will be open again. Rumors are it will be but I figure the farther into the Halloween season I book, the more likely HM will be open. No HM is a deal breaker.

 

[Lisa24jks]

I'd like to hijack and ask an additional question. When people say the crowds are terrible in October can someone tell me how bad is terrible on a scale of 1 to the worst days at WDW? We want to go for Halloween this year to DL but I'm nervous to book September as I can't be sure HM will be open again. Rumors are it will be but I figure the farther into the Halloween season I book, the more likely HM will be open. No HM is a deal breaker.

I can't speak to the WDW comparison as I haven't been since the 90s. However, there is a noticeable difference between September and October at DLR. The parks are always busy, but those of us who go frequently can tell the difference between regular busy and October-busy. It doesn't mean you CAN'T have a great time in October, or won't, it just means you have to attack the parks differently than you would most any other time of year. Lines will be long eeeeeeverywhere. People will be sweaty and impatient. It's a fact of life. If you have mutiple days to spend and pack plenty of patience, you can still have a great time especially if you utilize some of the things available to you (i.e. Genie+/ILL, single rider lines, early entry if you stay at the resorts, prioritize which rides are most important to you, and so on). But if you're only going for a short trip? I'd pick September. So yes, there is a big difference, but only you know how you can handle long lines and packed crowds and if that's something you can work around.

I really do expect Haunted Mansion will be back when they expect it to be. It's EXTREMELY popular during the Halloween/Christmas season because of the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay, and they are going to do everything they can to hit that August 23rd-ish deadline. (That said, I wouldn't book the first weekend it's due to be open because things do happen that are out of anyone's control, but I feel pretty confident about it re-opening on time or very close to it.)

 

[DizMe]

If you plan to use JetBlue, keep in mind this will limit you to fewer airports in the vicinity. I believe Ontario and LAX are the nearest to DLR.

I would go in late Nov or early Dec. That way you'll get to enjoy the Christmas holiday decorations without (hopefully) excessive crowds.

Any of the on site hotels would be great, but if you're going in Nov or Dec, I'd definitely recommend the Grand Californian. It's by far the most festive and fun at that time, and the lobby at Christmas is so magical!

I never rent a car, but I don't leave the resort.

 

[planningjollyholiday]

I agree with the pp that only flying jetblue will limit your options. LGB is my favorite to fly into, then SNA. Both small, easy to get around and close to the parks. LAX is my least favorite and will cost more to transfer to the parks since it is further and way more traffic. If you are only doing Disney I would definitely not rent a car and instead just taxi or uber to the hotels. Most will say to stay at the Grand Californian as it is the closest and most luxurious, but I think there is something special about the disneyland hotel. I love the classic Disney touches, especially the light up headboards.

 

[NVDISFamily]

By the time your trip rolls around the Villas at the Grand Cal (VGC) should be fully remodeled. Given it's location and value relative to a suite in the regular side of things you might want to rent some points and splurge for a stay there if you can. There is nothing like being from your room and in the park enjoying it in just a few min. And if you are lucky and get a good view it's magical. Here is a view from a recent trip -



1. Looking at the Fall. Sept-Dec. When would you go and why?

We are falling in love with November as a great time to go.

2. Does Disneyland have Mickey's Boo Too You Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party? Which one is better?

OBB is awesome but tickets are crazy hard to get. I'm not even going to try this year. We'll try to go every few years. I would not stress out too much about missing it. Do try and make it at least one time if you can and make the trip to Disneyland more often. In our opinion we enjoyed the vibes of the x-mas holiday vibes more than October.

3. Where would you stay and why?

Grand Cal if you can. Disneyland Hotel is also awesome but is better for a late spring/summer trip as it has the better pool vibes.

4. What airport would you fly in to and why? We fly Jetblue and have TSA PRECHECK.

We drive but if I were giving family directions it would be John Wayne if you can 100%. LAX has been under construction before I was born and that's now been a few decades....

5. Would you rent a car or just Uber from the airport?

You don't need a car and there is off property stuff to do that can also be walkable if you need different food.

 

[DontSpamMe]

1. Late Sept - Halloween time is better than Christmas and less busy in late Sept than Dec.
2. Do Oogie Boogie
3. Disneyland Hotel (GCH feels crowded, DLH has better DL theming and a better pool). Want to save a lot and stay at a nicer hotel. Stay at the Westin on Katella.
4. SNA - closest to the park, less busy than LAX and cheaper Uber.
5. Uber