Most convenient place to stay in LA for family of 9

[aussie2324]

We will be heading to LA next year from Australia with our family of 7 adults 2 children in total. We will have a week in LA before we go on the Splendor down to Mexico. We want to do the usual touristy things eg. Disneyland, Universal Studios, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Shopping.

 

I have no idea where the best place is to stay. We won't be driving.

I don't know weather to stay somewhere central or have a couple of day's near the beach then move over to Anaheim and do the theme parks:confused::confused:

2 to 3 star are fine for us. It is only a place to shower and sleep. Also which is the best way to get theme park jump the line tickets. Online or get them from a vendor when we get there. I have heard it is cheaper to by them off the street:rolleyes:And is it better to do Disneyland in 1 or 2 days. And Universal in 1 day. Please I have NO IDEA................:eek:

[Cruisin' Chick]

We will be heading to LA next year from Australia with our family of 7 adults 2 children in total. We will have a week in LA before we go on the Splendor down to Mexico. We want to do the usual touristy things eg. Disneyland, Universal Studios, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Shopping.

 

I have no idea where the best place is to stay. We won't be driving.

I don't know weather to stay somewhere central or have a couple of day's near the beach then move over to Anaheim and do the theme parks:confused::confused:

2 to 3 star are fine for us. It is only a place to shower and sleep. Also which is the best way to get theme park jump the line tickets. Online or get them from a vendor when we get there. I have heard it is cheaper to by them off the street:rolleyes:And is it better to do Disneyland in 1 or 2 days. And Universal in 1 day. Please I have NO IDEA................:eek:

 

 

Don't stay in downtown LA. You'll be far from any of the places you've listed above, and it's not a pleasant place to stay. Same for the LAX airport area.

 

What I recommend is doing a search for hotel posts by Bruin Steve. He lists many hotels that are decent in acceptable areas. I'm not up on hotels in the Anaheim area (the last time we went to DL, we left here early in the morning, drove the 50 some miles, had breakfast in a hotel near there, did the park, and came back home late at night).

 

I see you're coming in September. August and September tend to be our hottest months. This summer was on the mild side for the most part, even though this week it's been in the 100s where I live (it was about 85 at 8pm 90 minutes ago). It would be nicer by the beach, but the decent hotels will tend to cost more.

 

One rule of thumb for the Los Angeles county area: if you find a really low rate for a hotel, beware. It could be a dump or in a really bad area. Again, check out Bruin Steve's posts and also sites like tripadvisor.

[AnotherJenny]

You may want to go to a Disney specific board for the question about an Anaheim hotel. They will tell you that you need 3-4 days (or even 5 or all 7) to do Disney. NOT TRUE! Especially if you go mid-week, you won't have any problems with 2 days.

 

There are no "front of the line" passes for Disneyland. They have their own fastpass system in the park, which is first come, first serve. I'm pretty sure you can buy a front of the line pass at Universal Studios. To be honest, I haven't been to that park in almost 15 years. I know several friends who work there and can tell you that is a 1 day park. You may want to ask around, you might not really need to spend the money.

 

As far as buying the tickets, they may be cheaper to buy in Australia, as I know Disney makes deals available in other countries that we can't buy here.

[kenish]

Also recommend the Anaheim forum at sister website Tripadvisor:

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g29092-i65-Anaheim_California.html

 

There are many recommendations on how to navigate Disneyland, where to stay, etc. (Many Aussies are coming to Disneyland, our weak US dollar is your gain!) You can go to the non-forum part of the website to see traveler reviews on specific hotels and attractions.

 

Also, note the "structure" is shown right above "Ask a Question"...you can back up to California, then go to the LA forums for info there.

 

I recommend staying somewhere in the Santa Monica area to take in all the Westside attractions including Universal. Then move down to Anaheim for Disneyland and other Orange County stuff.

 

You may want to reconsider a rental car. Our traffic is not as bad as the movies would have you think...as long as you avoid rush hour you will be fine. The freeways are signposted well and are easy to navigate.

[Cruisin' Chick]

You may want to go to a Disney specific board for the question about an Anaheim hotel. They will tell you that you need 3-4 days (or even 5 or all 7) to do Disney. NOT TRUE! Especially if you go mid-week, you won't have any problems with 2 days.

 

There are no "front of the line" passes for Disneyland. They have their own fastpass system in the park, which is first come, first serve. I'm pretty sure you can buy a front of the line pass at Universal Studios. To be honest, I haven't been to that park in almost 15 years. I know several friends who work there and can tell you that is a 1 day park. You may want to ask around, you might not really need to spend the money.

 

As far as buying the tickets, they may be cheaper to buy in Australia, as I know Disney makes deals available in other countries that we can't buy here.

 

IMO, there are three different types of people: 1) die hard Disney fans, who could practically go there every week and be happy, 2) those who can go there for the day, do whatever they could and not worry about what they didn't do and be satisfied for a long while, 3) those who don't care if they ever see DL. To each, his own. I'm kinda a mix of 2 and 3 -- been there, just another place. Haven't been to California Adventure, but not really high up on my lists to accomplish in my lifetime. My daughter had a teacher in grade school who was a Disney fan. She and her husband went to Disney World during the winter break for ten days. Nine months later, their son was born.:)

 

I would check out whatever coupons and deals are available back home. If you have an auto club like we do (some deals on some attractions if you show your Triple - A card at a ticket window or a hotel desk for special room rates, etc.), maybe you can save.

[PatriciaF]

I also endorse checking out TripAdvisor for info about Disneyland and where to stay. There appears to be lots of Aussies on the board planning visits. The boards may also be able to help you with your itiinerary.

 

Not driving in LA makes is difficult, time-consuming, and/or expensive--but you may be able to use supershuttle.com for most of your transit needs.

 

Universal Studios and Disneyland are quite a distance apart--with downtown Los Angeles inbetween the two.

 

This tour service seems to offer many of the tours you are interested in:

 

http://www.allanaheimtours.com/

 

Perhaps better than moving from hotel to hotel to cover your itinerary.

[KCcruisin07]

Consider a hotel near Disneyland that offers tours to other attractions. Here is a link that may help with tickets and other information.

http://www.anaheim411.com/oc_beach_tours.html

 

Don't miss the beach/ocean and driving PCH in Orange County! (I wish you had a rental car, so you could get to the beach.) Here's another option though. http://www.anaheim411.com/oc_beach_tours.html

[Bruin Steve]

We will be heading to LA next year from Australia with our family of 7 adults 2 children in total. We will have a week in LA before we go on the Splendor down to Mexico. We want to do the usual touristy things eg. Disneyland, Universal Studios, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Shopping.

 

I have no idea where the best place is to stay. We won't be driving.

I don't know weather to stay somewhere central or have a couple of day's near the beach then move over to Anaheim and do the theme parks:confused::confused:

2 to 3 star are fine for us. It is only a place to shower and sleep. Also which is the best way to get theme park jump the line tickets. Online or get them from a vendor when we get there. I have heard it is cheaper to by them off the street:rolleyes:And is it better to do Disneyland in 1 or 2 days. And Universal in 1 day. Please I have NO IDEA................:eek:

 

I am recently home fromk a long cruise ...and I just saw this...

 

Here's your biggest issue: The greater Los Angeles area is VERY spread out and public transportaion is poorly configured for your needs...So, without a car and wishing to see such far apart places as Venice Beach, Disney and Universal, transportation can be difficult and costly...and ther is no real "central" location--at least not one you'd want to stay in...

 

With 7 adults and only two children, I'd recommend spending no more than two days at Disney and one at Universal...

Especially if it's summer (July/August/September), I'd stay near the beach for more moderate temperatures...

 

Assuming seven nights, perhaps spend the first five in Santa Monica, then two in Anaheim and then to the pier in Long Beach from there...

 

Among the reasons I'd recommend Santa Monica are:

1) Climate--coolest temperatures

2) Convenience--you can pick up the StarLuine/RedLine HOHO bus there and you can walk to a lot of attractions, restaurants, etc.

3) Nice upscale neighborhood

 

Santa Monica can be quite pricey...and it sounds as though that is a concern for you. My favorite hotels there are all VERY nice...and run a bit of money...But, to be in the right area, you might consider a couple of the less costly options...Take a look at the CalMar:

http://www.calmarhotel.com/

 

Also, you might consider the Holiday Inn--just ask for rooms AWAY from the freeway:

http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/en/santa-monica/smoca/hoteldetail

 

The StarLine HOHO bus would probably be a good way to do a touristy day from here without a car:

 

http://www.starlinetours.com/los-angeles-tour-1H1.asp

The yellow route has a couple of stops near these hotels and will take you on a tour all over Hollywood/LA...

 

The Santa Monica Pier, Third Street Promenade and even Venice Beach are within a reasonable short distance from here...Lots of restaurants/shopping and more...

 

I'd find some transportation, maybe a shuttle service, to take the 9 of you to Universal and back for one of these days...You'll also need to set up a shuttle to get here from LAX, another to go from here to Anaheim and yet one more to get from Anaheim to Long Beach...You WILL spend a lot of money on shuttles--which is why a couple of rental cars are more cost effective...

 

Hope this helps...Good luck...