The star wars area was pretty cool. We saw a bunch of people lining up for something, so we decided to tag along thinking it was for a movie or a ride. Turned out it was Kylo Ren. They only let one person go at once, so you get a good 20 seconds or so just with you/family and him. There's a person there to take photos for you, and they'll even let you use your own camera. Pretty sweet if you're a star wars fan!
The Buzz light year ride would be pretty fun for kids, but the line up there is brutal. Get the DL app and monitor it when rides are short.
My favorite ride was probably indiana jones and the space mountain one (renamed to something I forget)
I believe Space Mountain is Star Wars themed now, is it not?
And yea, Indiana Jones is awesome. Probably my favorite in the entire park.
If you don't mind spending the extra cabbage it's nice to stay at a Disney hotel onsite. The Grand Californian is right next to California Adventure, you walk out your room and you're in the park. It's great for taking a break middle day with the kids. Disney hotel guests can get into parks earlier and they can hook you up with extra fast passes.
I've stayed in the Grand Californian before but did not know about this. Who exactly hooks you up with extra fastpasses? Do we ask for them when we check in? Is it with concierge services? Can't seem to find anything online.
I've stayed in the Grand Californian before but did not know about this. Who exactly hooks you up with extra fastpasses? Do we ask for them when we check in? Is it with concierge services? Can't seem to find anything online.
Early Access to FastPass+ Planning
Get first access to reserve select shows and attractions up to 60 days before arrival.* Planning your favorite Walt Disney World Resort experiences early means more time for fun.
HOW IT WORKS
When booking a Disney Resort hotel room, purchase and link theme park tickets and you’re good to go. Secure up to 3 FastPass+ experiences at one park per day of your visit in advance—at no additional charge. Once those are redeemed, simply visit a FastPass+ kiosk in the park to reserve more—subject to availability.
Quote:
Extra Magic Hours
Spend extra time at one of the theme parks each day—park ticket and Resort ID required. Additional hours at the parks each day provides more time for fun with family and friends at select attractions and entertainment experiences.
Early Access to FastPass+ Planning
Get first access to reserve select shows and attractions up to 60 days before arrival.* Planning your favorite Walt Disney World Resort experiences early means more time for fun.
HOW IT WORKS
When booking a Disney Resort hotel room, purchase and link theme park tickets and you’re good to go. Secure up to 3 FastPass+ experiences at one park per day of your visit in advance—at no additional charge. Once those are redeemed, simply visit a FastPass+ kiosk in the park to reserve more—subject to availability.
But that's at Walt Disney World. The additional FastPasses described above do not appear on the list of Disneyland hotel benefits. Just wondering if there are some hidden benefits at staying in the Grand Californian I do not know about.
The Howard Johnson on Harbor Blvd is good for families.
I haven't stayed there, but the Candy Cane Inn, also on Harbor, is well-reviewed.
Both are walkable to Disneyland. If you stay somewhere walkable to Disneyland, you'll have to either drive or take a cab to the Stadium (or walk about 2 miles). You might be able to get shuttles to Legoland and Sea World from Anaheim, but it'd probably be cheaper to rent a car for the whole trip than get shuttles everywhere.
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If you're going to both Legoland and Sea World, I would highly recommend that you rent a car. There are shuttles from Anaheim-area hotels to Legoland but I don't think there are shuttles between Legoland and Sea World. You could take the Amtrak but the two closest Amtrak stations in Carlsbad are both about 3 miles from Legoland (so you would have to Uber or take a taxi) and it would drop you off in Old Town in San Diego, where you would again have to Uber or take a taxi. If I was travelling light and solo and time is not a concern, this is definitely doable. But with a family on a schedule, seems to me like renting a car would not only make your life much easier but would also be much cheaper.
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Taking our kids to Disneyland in January. We've never been. 2 girls 7 and 10. Any suggestions, tips or tricks?
Got the Hopper app watching for best price on flights. Haven't booked a hotel or anything yet. (Would rather be cheap then extravagant) Do we need to rent a vehicle? (Spending a week there) Going to Supercross at Angel Stadium Jan 7.
We stayed here in August. It's the homewood suites and is less than a year old I believe. It has free hot breakfast, a very nice pool area and rooms were pretty large. It's nice to have a separate bedroom to put the kids down at night so you can enjoy some time unwinding without worrying about waking them up.
It's a little bit of a hike to DL, but not too bad, maybe 15 minutes.
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Hey so we kinda nailed down and we are looking at 3 days of Disneyland, Supercross, sea world, and lego land
Any good cheap close hotel recommendation?
Not sure if they have the 2017 passes up yet but it you want Disney, Lego Land and Seaworld then the CityPass on Costco.ca is usually your best bet on park tickets.
We are going in a few weeks, looking for a shuttle from LAX to out hotel in Anaheim. Anyone have any good recommendations? And tickets are crazy expensive to get into Disneyland, can you get them cheaper from somewhere besides the Disney site or is that it?
We are going in a few weeks, looking for a shuttle from LAX to out hotel in Anaheim. Anyone have any good recommendations? And tickets are crazy expensive to get into Disneyland, can you get them cheaper from somewhere besides the Disney site or is that it?
Stay in California Adventure for the majority of the trip. Hit the main park one day and spend the rest in CaliAdvent. The rides and attractions are far better in the other park.
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We are going in a few weeks, looking for a shuttle from LAX to out hotel in Anaheim. Anyone have any good recommendations? And tickets are crazy expensive to get into Disneyland, can you get them cheaper from somewhere besides the Disney site or is that it?
The CityPass at Costco probably offers you the best value but only if you also plan to hit Legoland and Sea World as well. Disneyland is currently offering a 25% discount for Canadians (for three-day or longer tickets). I don't think there are any better deals out there right now.
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We are going in a few weeks, looking for a shuttle from LAX to out hotel in Anaheim. Anyone have any good recommendations? And tickets are crazy expensive to get into Disneyland, can you get them cheaper from somewhere besides the Disney site or is that it?
I've used SuperShuttle in the past. When you get outside at the airport, look for the signs to the Shuttle pick-up points. The SuperShuttle person will be wearing a blue shirt. Just talk to them and tell them how many people you have and where you're going.
You could also look into using Lyft or Uber. They might be about the same price as a shuttle if you have 4 or more people.
Disney has a 25% off deal for Canadians right now. You have to buy before the end of February, but the tickets are valid until next January. They sell them at AMA. I assume BCAA has them too, or you can buy them on the Disneyland website, just make sure you click the offer for Canadian travellers.
Park Hopper tickets cost a little bit more, but I think it's worth it because the two parks are so close to each other and there's so much more to do at Disneyland than California Adventure.
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Thanks everyone, we have been before, about 4 years ago. So we have a pretty good grasp on the parks (my kid loved Tower of Terror last time, she is not happy it's gone.)
Couldn't remember what we did last time for a shuttle. I'll check out SuperShuttle. And man, tickets are crazy. I knew there were pricey, but we want to go for 5 days, not cheap.