How do you book your disneyland trip?

[DLmama]

When looking for a hotel and tickets, I've used Get Away Today for the past couple of trips. They usually run deals on free nights at hotels if you're staying 3 or more nights. The tickets are at a slight discount and they also have add on offers for Universal and other SoCal locations.

 

[Gamora]

I use Travelocity for most of my hotels when I'm traveling, with the exception of Disney hotels. There aren't a lot of options on there. So with the hotel, I book directly with them and same for park tickets. It just makes me feel safer to get tickets directly from the Disney site.

 

[gigirl131]

The past two trips we've purchased packages and rental cars through Costco.

 

[Aimee_Jane83]

We always space apart the trip payments so we arnt hit so hard all at once. We know which hotels/motels we enjoy staying at so we keep an eye open for flight and hotel packages and when a deal that can't be beat comes up we jump on it. We often use expedia, travelocity & bookit.com. When the flight and hotel is paid off we wait a bit and save up more to pay for park hoppers which is sometimes worth it. Like this trip Canadians got 25% off their Disney passes so we took advantage of that but there are other deals that come up with other companies from time to time. Id stay away from 3rd party vendors though as they sometimes buy a mass quantity of old expiring tickets and they will sell them to you and by the time you use them they have expired. We have also found that if you want to do side excursions such as universal studios or knotts berry farm, Disneyland area hotels often have discounted tickets at their front desks, and we have saved money using them. You can always call the hotel you choose and ask if they have discounted tickets or can tell you who in the area sells them and to give them the phone number.

 

[shooting4life]

I most recently booked directly at Anaheim Desert Inn & Suites which is right across the street. They had some great deals for August, $94 a night plus taxes.

Before that I did GetAwayToday which was also nice.

 

[Jedi Mouse]

I book offsite hotels through hotels.com to earn free nights unless I can get the room 10% cheaper directly. I book Disney hotels and park tickets directly through Disney.

 

[kniquy]

I most recently booked directly at Anaheim Desert Inn & Suites which is right across the street. They had some great deals for August, $94 a night plus taxes.

If you book off site -- like the one you mentioned is it an easy walk to get to the park entrances? I guess i'm imagining how it is in WDW where if you were really just outside of the park there would be a long roadway to the parking lot or entrance.

Also -- staying at one of these off site hotels - if it is not a good neighbor hotel -- do you feel that there is any significant loss of benefits vs staying onsite or at a good neighbor hotel?

 

[BadPinkTink]

If you book off site -- like the one you mentioned is it an easy walk to get to the park entrances? I guess i'm imagining how it is in WDW where if you were really just outside of the park there would be a long roadway to the parking lot or entrance.

I have stayed at Desert Inn and Suites and yes it is an easy walk from the motel to the security bag check area. The only thing that takes time is if you miss time the pedestrian lights at the cross way. This is it on Google Maps

 

[shooting4life]

If you book off site -- like the one you mentioned is it an easy walk to get to the park entrances? I guess i'm imagining how it is in WDW where if you were really just outside of the park there would be a long roadway to the parking lot or entrance.

Also -- staying at one of these off site hotels - if it is not a good neighbor hotel -- do you feel that there is any significant loss of benefits vs staying onsite or at a good neighbor hotel?

The hotel I posted is closer to the main gates than most of the on site hotels. Probably 5-8 min walk and security will be security.

In the morning once we get past security I do mobile order for Starbucks then I get in line and the wife picks up coffee and breakfast for us.

 

[skuttle]

We are going to Disneyland for the first time in June. We joined Costco just to book our disney trip to get the perks. We are staying on site at DLH, and with Costco package we get a free character meal and a disney giftcard (amount based on the number of nights you stay). I also booked our rental car through costco.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

If you book off site -- like the one you mentioned is it an easy walk to get to the park entrances? I guess i'm imagining how it is in WDW where if you were really just outside of the park there would be a long roadway to the parking lot or entrance.

Also -- staying at one of these off site hotels - if it is not a good neighbor hotel -- do you feel that there is any significant loss of benefits vs staying onsite or at a good neighbor hotel?

The Good Neighbor designation doesn't really mean much at DLR. Disney doesn't check or maintain the hotels that carry that label. I think it only means that those hotels can be booked through Disney Travel (usually at a much higher cost than booking by yourself) and that those hotels can sell park tickets at a designated Disney desk. We base our hotel choices on reviews here and on sites like Trip Advisor and on references from friends. It's so easy now to save money by booking ourselves online or directly with the hotel/rental company/airline/etc. and to buy park tickets at a considerable discount (LMT anyone?) and convenience (DLR app, for example), that there is no need for us to even look for the GN label.

Also, there is a thread somewhere on this forum that shows the actual walking distance from various hotels to the main gates. A surprising number of hotels on Harbor are closer to the main gates than the on site hotels. So "off site" does not = "far away," but can actually = closer and more conveniently located! This thread has a lot of very helpful information: https://www.disboards.com/threads/choosing-the-right-dlr-area-hotel-for-you.3656512/.

 

[AndreAggie]

Question for the OP....are you planning on booking a hotel offsite or do you plan to use your DVC points?

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We are visiting DLR for the first time in October. I booked GCH through Orbitz because they had a 15% off promo code up to $150 off. It's not a huge savings but better than nothing. Their cancellation policy is the same as Disney's. (I have booked with them many times for WDW and non-Disney stays.) I have also had to cancel WDW resort stays with Orbitz and their refunds post more promptly than when I book direct. Sometimes their inventory lists room types that are no longer available when booking direct.
My GCH booking earned $60 in Orbucks which I could apply to another hotel stay near PHX later this same trip. I'd be happy to stay off site at the Fairfield Inn but this being our first trip I wanted to make it special. Dh LOVES Stickley/Craftsman style so I think he'd love GCH.

I bought 3 day hoppers from Ares, recommended by Mousesavers, and because they're offering a special, Adults Pay Child Price. $308 total for each ticket. Every little bit helps. I did hear about LMT for tickets but at the time I was buying tickets, I hadn't yet heard there was a way to avoid paying to join the club. I'm looking forward to seeing Walt's park!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... I did hear about LMT for tickets but at the time I was buying tickets, I hadn't yet heard there was a way to avoid paying to join the club...

Next time, just Google for a free code. Usually several codes are available at any time. Have a great trip!

 

[nancy155]

For those of you who have purchased tickets from Ares before, how painful is it to get them exchanged for a ticket once you arrive at DLR? Are the ticket booths the only place to exchange the paperwork from Ares or are there other locations that may not be as busy? Thanks!

 

[DisBuckMan]

For those of you who have purchased tickets from Ares before, how painful is it to get them exchanged for a ticket once you arrive at DLR? Are the ticket booths the only place to exchange the paperwork from Ares or are there other locations that may not be as busy? Thanks!

We are here now, and purchased our tickets through ARes ahead of time. Zero problems for us...we simply gave them our voucher when we checked into the Grand Californian, and they gave us our tickets. I know you can exchange them for tix at any of the three Disneyland hotels. I wouldn't imagine it would be any problem exchanging them at the ticket booths, either.

 

[nancy155]

We are here now, and purchased our tickets through ARes ahead of time. Zero problems for us...we simply gave them our voucher when we checked into the Grand Californian, and they gave us our tickets. I know you can exchange them for tix at any of the three Disneyland hotels. I wouldn't imagine it would be any problem exchanging them at the ticket booths, either.

Thank you, I am hoping the ticket booths won't be super busy as I think that is where we will have to exchange ours. We are not staying on property so I don't think we can exchange at one of the onsite properties. I will find out in 9 days! Looking forward to being there!

 

[DisBuckMan]

Thank you, I am hoping the ticket booths won't be super busy as I think that is where we will have to exchange ours. We are not staying on property so I don't think we can exchange at one of the onsite properties. I will find out in 9 days! Looking forward to being there!

I haven't noticed the ticket booths being particularly busy at any time we've walked past them.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Thank you, I am hoping the ticket booths won't be super busy as I think that is where we will have to exchange ours. We are not staying on property so I don't think we can exchange at one of the onsite properties. I will find out in 9 days! Looking forward to being there!

If you have the chance to stop by the ticket booths the night before your first park day, at least one booth stays open until an hour after park closing. Going to the booths the evening before would let you go straight to the gates the morning of your first park day.

 

[hjgaus]

I am very familiar with WDW and have never used a travel agent to plan or book, especially now with being a DVC member.

We (my family of 5) are in the beginning stages of planning a Disneyland trip - possibly next summer or the following year. Pricing and school vacations might dictate what time of year we choose.

What resources have you used with booking/planning your trip? travel site such as travelocity etc?
Would you book your room through the DL website as a package or not?
Any ticket deals out there if you purchase from a 3rd party (approved) vendor?
Book your own airfare or just bundle with your package?

Or would you use a TA if this was your first trip out there? I was going to contact Dreams but it doesn't give me the option to select dates for next year yet.

We would consider a couple days in the San Diego area as it seems that 4-5 days at DL might be enough. Would you do at the beginning or end of your trip.

If you are a DVC member .... do you plan to visit DLR more than once a year? I think you can get a slight discount on annual passes. We have used it for WDW a few times but not here cuz we also qualify for local discount.