Winter trip official...or close to it

[redleader74]

Well, finally made the first booking for our planned Winter trip to Disneyland (the week after Thanksgiving). It was a toss up between the two Best Westerns on Harbor (BWPPPI and BWPA), unfortunately both were unavaialble for our days which pushed me to my next choice, Camelot Inn. Blessing in disguise is that Camelot is cheaper than the two BW's. I guess change is good. We usually stay at BW's. Next step is the actual park tickets (3 day, single park), we debated on 3 day park hopper vs. 3 day single park and decided the additional $ wasn't worth it and would just commit to a single park. And then finally, booking our flights. Fortunately we have points with United for that.

I think the biggest challenge will be booking the character breakfast at Plaza Inn. I've been recently checking, just as a test, every day for the max 60 days out and there's never availability. Is there some trick to this?

But we're excited to see Disneyland decked out for the holidays (I'm assuming it will be) and for a change, experiencing it withouth the crushing summer heat....well, crushing to us anyway. Being fromNorthern CA, we've become very fragile to the slightest heat! Our last visit was in July 2021.

 

[crystal1313]

I think you will like Camelot. In our opinion, it was nicer than both Best Westerns. Plus we had an awesome view of the fireworks from our room. I know it doesn’t come with breakfast, but McDonalds is right next door and Panera and Mimi’s Cafe aren’t far either. We have also gotten yummy sandwiches at Earl of Sandwich for a really reasonable price for the DLR.

The park’s decorated for the holidays are SO pretty! It’s our favorite time to go. Have such a fun trip!!

 

[redleader74]

Thanks for Camelot vote of confidence We're trying not to break the bank on this trip so breakfasts will be a very casual/fast affair. We're flying in and have booked Lanksy for our airport transfer. They are a bit pricey but I have used them once before and the service was fantastic. Plus, they include a "grocery stop" on the way to hotel. We plan to stock up on snacks, water, and stuff for breakfast during this grocery stop. Oh and yes, being right next to McDonald's is a big plus, especially for a cheap cup of coffee.

 

[Pluto468]

How exciting! I've heard great things about Camelot. Whenever I've looked into staying there, the manager was super helpful and friendly with all my questions.

If you buy your tickets at Undercovertourist there's a slight discount and they're refundable.

For booking Plaza Inn, just make sure you're signed into the app or computer and ready to go right at 6am PST. You can also keep checking back to see if something opens up, or set a dining alert. I've gotten Minnie's that way before.

Have a great trip! You'll love the Christmas decorations

 

[crystal1313]

Also, don’t give up if you don’t get plaza inn dining right away. As the dates get closer, people will cancel. I’ve had really good luck getting hard reservations the day before. You just need to stalk the app. good call on stopping for groceries! We do that too.

 

[Epcot Forever Forever]

Also, don’t give up if you don’t get plaza inn dining right away. As the dates get closer, people will cancel

100% this right here

 

[redleader74]

Thanks for the tips. We were considering the WOC dessert package and Plaza Inn character breakfast. One is obviously more expensive than the other and we decided on the latter due to the opportunity to actually interact with the characters....and plus, it would be an actual meal (as opposed to dessert only).

 

[redleader74]

Slowly our trip is building....air tickets are in place now. UA fro SFO to SNA, all on miles fortunately. Next tax, reserving/purchasing our 3-day pass.

 

[NewbieMouse]

On the BW's - I would keep trying just in case as cancellations do come up. Sometimes it is a matter of one or two days not being available (search individual days to figure that out). In that case I have made the reservation for the others and kept checking, and when they did, asked them to combine my reservation.

 

[redleader74]

On the BW's - I would keep trying just in case as cancellations do come up. Sometimes it is a matter of one or two days not being available (search individual days to figure that out). In that case I have made the reservation for the others and kept checking, and when they did, asked them to combine my reservation.

Good point....I'll keep checking as time goes.

I was going to purchase the tickets today, online at the Disney site, but then saw that there's a Disney Chase credit card offer ($1K in first 3 months for $300 statement credit). Sounds like a good deal. Before I dive in, I wanted to know everyone's thoughts and see if it's a good card to have. We have plans somewhere down the line to do a Disney Cruise and I know that none of my other cards points/miles can be used on that (Amex, Chase Sapphire, etc.). But it looks like with the Disney Chase card, you can use points on the cruise and also there's a discount on purcahse while on the cruise?