Post Cruise - Disneyland

[MERLOTCHAMPAGNE]

My husband and I are planning to visit Disneyland on Sunday following our MR cruise on Vision in Sept 08. We plan to fly out of LAX on Monday. We tried to do a package of hotel/ticket with Disney but they have a 2 night minimum. Hotel recommendations? Should we rent a car for the drive rom San Pedro to Disney and then Disney to LA or get a taxi or shuttle?

 

Thanks

[Desert Cruizers]

Hello you should be able to rent you car, enjoy Disneyland and return to LAX Car Rental Terminal Agency, the next day Monday. Where are you going to Stay while visiting Disneyland. From San Pedro to Disneyland expect about a 40 Min drive depending on traffic. Disnelyand is at 1313 S Harbor Blvd in Anaheim. I think Mapquest will give you good directions.

 

http://www.mapquest.com/

 

Gay

[MERLOTCHAMPAGNE]

Hi Gay,

 

Thanks for the info. We haven't decided on a hotel. Any suggestions? We aren't familiar with any of the hotels offered in the Disneyland packages.

 

Pam

[ARRTrain]

Go to Disneyland.com

 

Put the cursor on Hotels and select your type of hotel.

 

There's plenty of nearby choices. Once you find your hotel, be sure to check the hotel's website to see if there's a cheaper rate. I've stayed at Portofino, it was down the street from Disney, it was great for what we needed. Some of the hotels also charge a "Resort" Fee just for being in the Disney area. Didn't find that out until check out.

[Desert Cruizers]

Pam I am actually 2 hrs from Disneyland in Riverside Co, but all around Disneyland there are several Hotels, many are smaller, so check carefully. Arrtrain, gave you a good Link and others who are more familiar with the Hotels in that area, am sure can offer better recommendations. Many Hotels actually in Resort areas will charge a Resort Fee, so yes be sure and get their full rates, and read up on Reviews.

 

Gay

[melika091900]

i would go to hotels.com

and search anaheim, there are alot of nice places to stay that are on the same street as disneyland..

[jkbe321]

Let me just say that if you have not experience with the hotels in the Disney resort area, stay with the known ones:

 

Disneyland Hotel - It is what it is.

 

Grand Californian - The most expensive hotel in the area, but well worth it.

 

Hilton - Typical Convention hotel, clean, big.

 

Sheraton - Located on the back side of the park next to the FWY, but a good little hotel.

 

Marriott - Another Convention hotel, but good.

 

My pick for best bet would be the either one of the following:

 

Hilton Suites - Closer to Anaheim Stadium, but they have a shuttle to the park (5 min) and they are really close to "The Block" think outside mall with more places to eat than shop.

 

or

 

Emabassy Suites at the corner of Harbor and Chapman in Garden Grove - About a 5 mon shuttle to the park, but there are good places to eat in the parking lot.

 

 

Oh by the way, rent a car and give yourself the freedom to get out and explore.

[MERLOTCHAMPAGNE]

Thank you all for your suggestions.

 

jkbe321- thank you for the specifics on the area hotels. We will only be there for one night after we go to Disneyland and then we head for the airport in the morning.

 

We are quite familiar with DisneyWorld - just came back from a week long conference there. . We stayed at a resort hotel and enjoyed all the amenities including walking to Epcot and Hollywood Disney and there were excellent restaurants and evening entertainment within walking distance.

 

We thought since we have been there many times we should at least see Disneyland once since we were so close but maybe you have a recommendation on how we should spend our Sunday in that area? What would you suggest visiting since we'll only be in the area for the day or a partial one at that?

 

Pam

[Luckysll]

I'll put in a good word for the Candy Cane Inn. It's consistently ranked #1 or #2 on TripAdvisor. I stayed there at Christmas 2006 and can vouch for how nice it is. I plan on doing a couple of days at DL prior to my March 2009 cruise and will be staying there again.

 

If you can get a room on the second floor facing DL, you'll get a good view of the fireworks (if they have them when you're there).

[gsmom893]

I live about 15-20 minutes from Disneyland. Depending on how comfortable you are with freeway interchanges, etc either rent a car or take a shuttle to Disneyland. I would not drive to LAX, take the Disney shuttle. The shuttle is easy, cheap (I think it was $25 or so) and very comfortable. No need to read the LAX signs of where to return the car, etc. And you do not need to stay at the Disneyland Resort to take the shuttle (we use it). As far as hotels go, I haven't stayed at any of them, but the Grand Californian is a fabulous Craftsman style, if you are in to that, it's worth a look (good restaurant, too). I haven't been to Disney World, but I love Disneyland. In September the park shouldn't be too crowded, and can be a great way to spend the day. Other options would depend on your family's interests....we would be at the California Science Center looking at the Body Worlds exhibit if DD had her way.

[neecee23]

If you have the money, the Grand Californian is a great hotel, has its own entrance to California Adventure. Candy Cane Inn always comes up as a favorite,very close to Disneyland and has its own shuttle bus, reasonable price. I like the Hampton Inn in Garden Grove, free parking, free breakfast, nothing fancy, comfortable and clean. Tripadvisor.com is a great place to compare hotels and find out what people like or dislike.

[vossjemi]

We plan to go to Disneyland sun-tues after our Aug cruise as well. There is a wealth of information on www.disboards.com. Just go to the disneyland section. That is where I found this link for lodging at disneyland: ttp://www.geocities.com/ashpsyche/DisneylandLinkMap.html The highly recommended hotels there seem to be Howard Johnson's & Candy Cane Inn. I've read it takes 10 minutes to walk from hojo's and CCI. There are hotels closer than these, but the quality is a little bit less. The CCI does have a shuttle if needed. This map even has restaurants on it. Also, go to www.mousesavers.com for information on discounts for tickets/lodging. Personally, unless you are familiar with LA freeway driving, I wouldn't do it. We're taking shuttles for our cruise, trip to DL, and then back to LAX. I want someone else to do the driving. Good Luck & happy planning!

[kenish]

Here's a recent thread that may help:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=763499

[briangl]

I'll put in a good word for the Candy Cane Inn. It's consistently ranked #1 or #2 on TripAdvisor. I stayed there at Christmas 2006 and can vouch for how nice it is. I plan on doing a couple of days at DL prior to my March 2009 cruise and will be staying there again.

 

If you can get a room on the second floor facing DL, you'll get a good view of the fireworks (if they have them when you're there).

 

Candy Cane Inn is the best. Very clean. When you count the continental breakfast the place is a steal. It is a 10 minute walk to the front gate. Very close.

[MERLOTCHAMPAGNE]

Thank you all for your suggestions. We've made a reservation at Candy Cane Inn which seems to fit our needs for this visit. Since we only need a car for transportation to DL and then LAX, we'll get use a shuttle or car service.

[gumballz]

What kind of driving time should I expect if we were to stay near Disneyland and drive to the port of Long Beach on a Friday morning?

[kenish]

What kind of driving time should I expect if we were to stay near Disneyland and drive to the port of Long Beach on a Friday morning?

 

If you leave before 9am, allow 90 minutes just to be safe. If possible, leave Anaheim after 930am; the freeways will be busy but you should not hit a lot of traffic and allow 1 hour. It's about 30-40 minutes if there's no traffic.

 

You can use your favorite mapping program; take Harbor Blvd. south to Route 22. Take that west, it merges with I-405. Stay on I-405 to I-110 south which leads to the Carnival terminal. As you near the port area there will be signs clearly showing the way. I believe it says "Cruise Ships / Queen Mary".

[tinkerme1]

We stay up at Disneyland many, many times during the year and here is another vote for the Candy Cane Inn! It is a nice, clean, very close hotel to the Parks without the Park cost. It is a long walk, but doable, to Downtown Disney where you will find most of the restaurants located. Be prepared, since Disneyland is much smaller than WDW! You can probably do both parks in one day and one evening.

 

Candy Cane Inn also does a nice Lobby breakfast in the morning.

[cali-croozer]

Another vote for Candy Cane Inn. We strayed and tried the Carousel Inn and Suites; no comparison. They don't have enough parking spaces, yet charge a parking fee:confused: (and no overflow so if you get a space you feel that you better not move the car or you may be out of luck). They also have joined the band wagon and started charging a resort fee, which is weird since they only have a roof top pool, hardly a resort. Their breakfast is better than nothing, but doesn't compare to the Candy Cane Inn.

 

We will not stray again. The Candy Cane is a small hotel/motel with parking in front of the bottom rooms and a pool in the middle, so it's not like a beautiful Disney resort, but the rooms are clean and good size, the staff is friendly, parking has never been a problem, the grounds are pretty, and the expanded cotinental breakfast stretches your budget. Their shuttle is convenient if you don't feel like walking; it's a short walk to the park. Call direct for a reservation and ask for AAA discount if you have a card; the discounts are sometimes "not available" on line, but they've always honored it when I called. PS........no safe in the room but they do have safes you can use in the lobby. And, self service laundry.

 

Have fun at Disneyland and on your cruise!

[CruisersfromMD]

My DH and I are doing the reverse of what the original poster said. Wea re flying into LAX, renting a car, driving up to Santa Barbara for 2 nights (Hotel Mar Monte). We will then drive down the coast and then check in at the Paradise Pier for 2 nights. We will then drive to Crowne Plaza San Pedro for a 1 night stay before we sail on the MOS for 4 nights.

 

Has anyone stayed at the Paradise Pier? We love WDW and have stayed at several hotels on site in FL and wanted to stay on site in CA.

[tinkerme1]

We have stayed at Paradise Pier many times. There is a nice walk-through entrance to California Adventure across the street from the Hotel. Their Concierge area isn't as nice as the Disneyland Hotel or the Grand Californian, but it is usually a nice, quiet hotel. They have a nice Character breakfast with a Lilo and Stitch theme in this hotel. If you are trying to be close to the entrance to Disneyland and California Adventure, it may be a long walk for you. Distance is deceiving until you've done it! Our favorite hotel is the Grand Californian, hands down. If you don't mind the expense, I'd definitely go Grand Californian. It is a beautiful property and very close and convenient to everything.:D

[CruisersfromMD]

Thanks for the info on Paradise Pier. Yes, the Grand Californian does sound nice, but since we are also staying in Santa Barbara for 2 nights, along with the 4 night cruise, the Grand Calif. is a little over our budget.

[deladela]

I have stayed at both the Candy Cane Inn and Paradise Pier. Both were very nice. If I wanted to save money by staying at a local place instead of a resort hotel, no doubt I would stay at CCI. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone! I also loved paradise pier. I have a friend who only stays at the Grand Californian when she goes to disneyland, but even if it were the same price as paradise pier, I would still choose to stay at PP. the GC just doesn't have the disney feel to it. My children are teens so PP was perfect for us, but would also be fun for younger kids.

[kenish]

CruisersfromMD- I highly recommend the Beach Grill at Padaro if the weather is nice. It is located in Carpenteria about 10 miles south of Santa Barbara. They have normal grill food, gourmet tacos/ Mexican, seafood, and salads. Prices are moderate.

 

http://www.santabarbara.com/dining/review_read.asp?pk_restaurant=191 or Google "Padaro Grill"

 

It's easier to get to heading south on US101 but is pretty easy to reach in either direction. They are on the frontage road between the freeway and the sand. Amtrak trains rumble a few feet away from the lawn, adding to the fun! A very "California" experience!

[gsmom893]

There is a great teppen house on State Street called Just Fishy--casual, reasonable prices, great food.

 

Also on State Street, towards the ocean, there is an outlet for The Territory Ahead and Isabella Bird clothing (it's futher down than the regualr store). I've found some GREAT deals there.

 

Have fun, Santa Barbara is a great place.