trip to DL Q's, help please.

[almburr]

So my daughter and I are planning a trip at first we planned to go to WDW for MNSSHP, But i suggested what about we go to DL this time? Ive done WDW 3xs and shes done it 2xs. So our questions are: Is there a Halloween party? Do people Disney Bound at DL? Hotels/Motels-looking at the maos there seems to be a good amount and the good neighbor ones look good, are they truly walk-able to the gates? Is there only one entry to the two parks? (looking at a google map). Park Hoppers a good idea? Airports; which ones the best? transport to and from airport, do the hotels do shuttles? uber? Food; What is good? whats the best plan for 2-3 days.

 

[irlandaise]

Oh yes, Disneyland has turned into a major Hallowe'en destination:

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/ev...and-resort/?int_cmp=INS-intDLRtoDLR-halloween

The party is called Oogie Boogie Bash and it's held at Disney California Adventure. But there's also the Nightmare Before Christmas makeover of Haunted Mansion, a makeover of Cars Land, and lots of other themed changes.

There are many good hotel options on Harbor Blvd. And yes, they're an easy walk to the parks. Once you decide on a price range you can search on the Web for appropriate options and ask here for opinions.

There is indeed only one main entrance to DL and DCA--the Esplanade--but there's also an entrance for Grand Californian guests and the Disneyland monorail from near the DL Hotel.

The easiest airport option is Santa Ana (John Wayne/Orange County, SNA), but some people here like Long Beach (LGB). Depending on available flights from your home location, you might have to go to LAX, which is more of a hassle but them's the breaks.

 

[Heroes_or_Villains]

SNA (John Wayne, Santa Ana) and LGB (Long Beach) are the easiest to get into if you are able to get non-stop flights to those locations. Most of the hotels do not have airport transfers but it is quite easy to get an Uber or Lyft if you don't want to rent a car. We often like to take breaks from the park and go to restaurants outside the parks so we always have a car.

My favorite off park hotels have been the Westin and Fairfield Inn. Fairfield Inn is spitting distance to the Esplanade. Westin is a bit further off but still only a 15 minute walk before you're in Downtown Disney.

 

[Mle8308]

If you go in October, be prepared for big crowds. It's crazy. Genie+ will be a must. Definitely do your research. YouTube is your friend.

 

[RainyDayPixie]

A warning that last year Oogie Boogie tickets were hard to secure (I wasn’t able to get them), so that is not a given. They usually go on sale in June.

 

[LKing]

You might check out these threads.

Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween 2023 Super Thread​

Oogie Boogie vs. Mickeys Not-So-Scary Party​

 

[Geemo]

A warning that last year Oogie Boogie tickets were hard to secure (I wasn’t able to get them), so that is not a given. They usually go on sale in June.

So my daughter and I are planning a trip at first we planned to go to WDW for MNSSHP, But i suggested what about we go to DL this time? Ive done WDW 3xs and shes done it 2xs. So our questions are: Is there a Halloween party? Do people Disney Bound at DL? Hotels/Motels-looking at the maos there seems to be a good amount and the good neighbor ones look good, are they truly walk-able to the gates? Is there only one entry to the two parks? (looking at a google map). Park Hoppers a good idea? Airports; which ones the best? transport to and from airport, do the hotels do shuttles? uber? Food; What is good? whats the best plan for 2-3 days.

RainyDayPixie is right about the ticket situation for parties.

In an attempt to secure Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween tickets know all the tricks.

*Date they go on sale.
*Time ticket sales go live. (Pacific Time Zone)
*Have date options in case your first choice is sold out.
*Have plenty of time to sit in the que to make purchase.
*Have more than one method of online purchase open as you try.
*You may need to use different browser if one is slow or blocked out.
Have your Good Luck Charm with you

 

[ktlm]

Having been to both WDW (multiple times) and DLR (2021) in October, I can tell you we will NEVER go to DLR in October again. The only thing that saved our trip was Oogie Boogie Bash which was a ton of fun. The parks were miserably crowed at DLR in October-- and we have been to WDW between Christmas and New Years and had a great time. I will say that our trip was before Genie + was instituted so there was no fast pass at all-- and it might have been a lot better if there had been some sort of FP. WDW is fine in October, unless you have the bad luck of running into a hurricane (we have). That said, we went to DLR over Labor Day weekend this year and it was great! The Halloween decorations were up so we felt like we did get the Halloween experience, but we did miss the party by a day. If you want to do DLR for Halloween I would shoot for September.

Oogie Boogie Bash tickets can be really hard to get. It can involve sitting at the computer for hours the day they are released, but the party is worth it. We did not go this year, but I heard that passholders got an early access sale (which I hear was a disaster in itself because of the limited tickets and volume of people wanting them), and that left less tickets for the general public which made it even worse to try to get them than the last 2 years. Someone else can probably tell you more about that.

We love DLR and I highly recommend going-- just not in October. People definitely do Disney bound in the parks. I highly recommend park hoppers--- by WDW standards it really is like one big park. Each park does have its own gates, but there is only the width of a football field to walk between the parks- and unlike WDW, you don't pass through security again to go from park to park. It really is 5 minutes to hop. We prefer SNA as an airport because it is a very easy airport and it is only about a 15-20 minute drive to the parks. You can easily taxi or uber from the airport. If you plan to stick to the DLR area, you don't need a car.

As far as food, you can explore the menus and see what appeals to you. In our opinion, DLR has MUCH better counter service food than WDW-- I think because there are so many locals. I could never get by with eating CS the whole trip at WDW, but we could easily do it at DLR. If you are there over a weekend, the Lamplight Lounge Brunch is really good, but it can be hard to get a reservation. If you want a character meal, Minnie's Breakfast at the Plaza Inn is fun- you can usually run at least a character or two you don't see that much at WDW there.

 

[Pluto468]

So my daughter and I are planning a trip at first we planned to go to WDW for MNSSHP, But i suggested what about we go to DL this time? Ive done WDW 3xs and shes done it 2xs. So our questions are: Is there a Halloween party? Do people Disney Bound at DL? Hotels/Motels-looking at the maos there seems to be a good amount and the good neighbor ones look good, are they truly walk-able to the gates? Is there only one entry to the two parks? (looking at a google map). Park Hoppers a good idea? Airports; which ones the best? transport to and from airport, do the hotels do shuttles? uber? Food; What is good? whats the best plan for 2-3 days.

Lots of people Disney Bound at Disneyland

Many of the Harbor hotels are very walkable, like 5 minutes or less. Others will say, "Right across the street!" but are actually a 15-20 minute walk.

There's an entrance on Harbor Blvd, and another one when you come in from Downtown Disney.

Definitely get hoppers. Hopping is SUPER easy. The parks are just across the esplanade from each other, so you just walk right over.

I like SNA best, but sometimes go through Burbank or Ontario. SNA is closest. The other 2 are 45 minutes- an hour away. LGB is nice, too.

There are alot of great counter service restaurants at Disneyland, or you can get ADRs for unique places like Blue Bayou (it's inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.)

 

[Bruno33]

Most of September and the last week of October are usually decent crowds.

Mid-October is a bunch of fall breaks and stuff, and the parks can be absolutely miserably crowded.

OBB is great. I suspect they’ll be better prepared for ticket sales this year. Last year was a mess but it had never been like that before, so they were unprepared. They’re starting Halloween earlier this year (AUGUST, which I hate), so they’ll probably add a bunch more OBB to soak up demand.

Have fun!