couple of questions for y'all

[TPWright93]

Getting ready to plan 1st visit to Disneyland. Where should I fly into and should I rent a car or not? do you often leave the resort to go do local sightseeing, etc?, or do you spend all your time in the parks? What hotel is your favorite and why? Hoping to hear from you guys who have been before...:thumbsup:

[NotaGeek]

The closest airports are Orange County (SNA) and Long Beach (LGB). A car depends on you and your family. Driving in LA can be very intimidating -- there is a shuttle offered by Gray Line and there is an Alamo car rental center right in Downtown Disney and several other companies right around the resort if you don't want to have to navigate from the airport to the property. LAX is about 45 minutes - 1 hour(ish) with traffic and is often times a less expensive option. Be sure and check out Resort Guide (http://www.intercotwest.com/resortGuide/default.asp) for info about the airports, distances to the parks and shuttle options. :thumbsup:

There is LOTS to see in SoCal -- and since the DLR isn't isolated its very easy to get to other tourist attractions -- there's SO much to see! Equally, I have had several trips where I didn't leave the resort at all. :mickey:

My favorite hotel is the Disneyland Hotel -- and I have stayed at all 3 properties and loved all of them for different reasons, I just prefer the nostalgia of staying in the original, and I am looking forward to going back and staying in their newly updated rooms especially! No matter which hotel you choose they are all an easy walk to the front gates or to the Monorail in DTD.

[robnadina]

Hi There,
I dont know much about flying into the So Cal area as I was born and raised here. Michael pretty much gave you the option on those.
If you are planning on sight seeing while here, I would definately rent a car. Its so much easier to come and go as you please (in my opinion) than having to cater to a shuttle companies hours. All though it is a pain in the you know what to drive these freeways and will take patience.
My all time favorite hotel at the DLR is Grand California. It has a very homey yet luxurious feel to it (maybe its the price). But I do have a favorite hotel in almost all price catagories as we tend too stay where we can afford. Sometimes money is no object, other times it is. Ramada Maingate, Fairfield Inn & Candy Cane Inn are all really nice places to stay without breaking the bank. They all have comfy rooms that are clean and the properties are well taken care of. Candy Cane Inn has a shuttle to the parks, and Ramada & Fairfield are very short walks to the front gates.
Because we are locals (live an hour and a half north of Disney) we tend to stay exclusively on property when staying a couple days. But there is so much to see and do, that I recommend exploring So Cal.
Hope I was able to help a little. Have fun planning your trip!

[AllDisney]

We have always stayed at the Candy Cane Inn. It's within walking distance to DL. It's very clean & affordable.

We have always arrived into LAX & rented a car. There are soooo many things to see & do that, for us, a car was a requirement. Last time out to DL we spent 3 days at the parks then left the area for site seeing around the Los Angeles area.
We spent 2 days at Universal Studios, 1 day at the Getty Museum, and a day at Warner Brother Studios and took the tour.

Hope this helps.

[Disney4us2]

Hi and welcome to Intercot.

All the previous posters summed it up pretty well.

I haven't had the pleasure of staying on property. Staying off property, I like the Park Vue Inn. It is directly across the street from the DLR. The rooms have been clean and have microwaves and small referigerators. Some of the rooms even have bunk beds with one queen.

Have fun planning your trip to the Original:mickey:

[Tiggerlovr9000]

Here is one vote for John Wayne Airport (orange county} it was small and very easy to rent a car and drive to our motel which was close to DL. I loved this airport. Even though we rented a car we also hired a town car to take us to the beach so that my dh who is usually the driver could see the sites too. Was definitely worth the 100 dollars. We were dropped off and then picked up when we called. We used the rental car to just get back and forth from the airport and to visit family in anaheim. We are going in Feb. 2011. Are there ever any intercot meets at DL. Went to one at WDW and loved it.?

[dixielandings]

I ALWAYS prefer flying in and out of SNA (Orange Co). It's much easier when your trip is focused on DL.

My hotel preferences are as follows:

#1 anywhere on Disney property you can afford. I've stayed at the Grand Cali and it was lovely.
#2 Fairfield Inn by Marriott - it's roomy, clean, and well-run and it's RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET. We've watched DL fireworks from their balcony before.

On renting a car, I am 50/50. If this is your first DL trip, I say immerse yourself in the Parks, your Resort, and Downtown Disney. Spend all your time exploring all the nooks and crannies and relaxing at the pool, dining, etc.

If not, rent a car, get a reputable travel guide for SoCal (like Frommer's or Fodor's) and go for it. It's quite an experience to look up and realize your driving down Rodeo! Or to glance over and see the Hollywood sign. Just know that there is a LOT to see in the LA area and it may eat up more time than you expect.

[faline]

Our first trip to Disneyland was for a long weekend. I flew in from the East Coast to meet my husband who was flying back from a business trip in Japan. We did not rent a car and spent our time exclusively on Disney property.

Our second trip was a few years ago and was for a week. We flew in together and rented a car as we also planned to visit Universal and either Sea World or the San Diego Zoo. We again stayed on Disney property. One thing I was not prepared for was California traffic. On the day we drove to Universal - approximately 40 mile away (which is about the same distance as my daily commute at home and which takes 45 minutes to an hour on most days, depending on traffic and weather), it took us about 1-1/2 hours and we purposely left after we suspected the worst of the morning commute would be over!

We often joked about the speed limit signs we say and wondered if anyone can ever do the speed limit unless they are traveling in the middle of the night!

Our trip to Sea World in San Diego fell on a weekend so the traffic was not nearly as bad but I suspect a weekday trip would have been difficult.

On the other hand, it was relatively easy to maneuver through the local streets around Disneyland. We went out one day to find a grocery store and stock up on a few things and found the traffic in that area to be rather typical city traffic.

On both trips, we flew into LAX and had no problems using that airport.

[eeyorepoohfan]

Getting ready to plan 1st visit to Disneyland. Where should I fly into and should I rent a car or not? do you often leave the resort to go do local sightseeing, etc?, or do you spend all your time in the parks? What hotel is your favorite and why? Hoping to hear from you guys who have been before...:thumbsup:

How exciting to be planning your FIRST trip to Disneyland!!!! :congrats:

I grew up in AZ, so we normally drove. However, I have flown to CA three times for Disneyland trips over the years. I have always from into SNA. It's a smaller airport and easy to navigate. We never rented a car, just used Super Shuttle for our round trip (around $13/per person each way). They get you to and from very quickly! Since I have driven to Disneyland many times, I can tell you that in my experience, I did not enjoy dealing with all the traffic and many freeway systems.

With it being your first trip to Disneyland, I would recommend just keeping it a Disney trip, unless you are going for more than 4 or 5 days. With that said, I would not rent a car and save that money to use towards your shuttle service. If you decide to go out of Disney, rent a cab or shuttle service. I think it would relieve some stress!

As far as where to stay, that depends on your budget. Staying on property at Disneyland does not mean that you are closest to the parks. There are actually many hotels off property that are closer! However, nothing beats a Disney hotel :thumbsup: ! I have stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier. The rooms were wonderful, the staff was amazing, and we even were left some yummy treats for our turndown service! Paradise Pier is generally the cheapest of the three, Disneyland Hotel is in the middle. One day I will get to stay at the Grand Californian but it's just too pricey for us right now. A perk of staying on property is that you can enter California through the Grand Californian, so that saves you a bit of walking and it's a beautiful walk!

I have stayed at a few off property hotels. Camelot Inn is right across from Main Gate and it was a nice hotel. Breakfast left a little to be desired but it was included in your room rate. Basic cold cereals and pastry. Recently, my sister and I stayed at the Anaheim Hilton. It's located on the backside of California Adventure by the convention center. We got a great deal on Priceline for $55 a night, but the rooms generally go for $150-200/night. It was about a 5 minute longer walk than staying at Paradise Pier. So I think it was about a 15 minute walk. I would recommend staying near Main Gate if you stay off property. Many of the hotels have been renovated over the years and seem nice. Those will usually have a 5 minute walk or so.

Disneyland has a lot to offer by having the two parks right across from each other. I would definately get park hoppers! I also love their Downtown Disney! There are a lot of stores and retaurants and a giant World of Disney store! We would spend many hours at DTD for a break during the day or at the end of the evening!

This is all just what I've experienced and my :twocents: No matter what you do, you'll be at Disneyland!! The happiest place on earth!! So enjoy yourself!!