PDA

View Full Version : Eastcoaster Seeks Wisdom



JSKoehler
02-04-2005, 05:35 AM
First let me say I am pleased to find this Forum is so active. As an Eastcaoster, my Disney knowledge is mostly about WDW and the forums I have participated in in the past tend to focus on it.

We will be visiting family on the West Coast during the Easter Holiday and will be spending three days/four nights (3/29-4/1) at Disneyland at the end of the trip. This will be our first visit to Disneyland in about ten years and the first with our sons, ages 7 and 5. Our older son, who is autistic, will celebrate his 8th birthday while we are in Anaheim. We have previously visted WDW with them (Thanksgiving of 2004). I have already purchased 3-day park hoppers online (was that wise?) and have a tentative reservation at the Holiday Inn at the Park, though I continue to look for "closer or better" accomodations. The wisdom I seek from the sages of many visits consists of more questions than I can fairly ask in one post, so I will start with the biggies:

What, if anything, can we do to celebrate our son's birthday in DL?

Is California Adventure suffciently "kid friendly" that we are going to want to devote a whole day to it, or can its highlights be done in an extended morning with a return to DL after an afternmoon break? (We found both Animal Kingdom and Disney/MGM at WDW to be a bit of a waste on a young 4 and 6, though Epcot was a surprising big hit).

I've just learned from my wife that my kids will be "surprising me" with a DL guidebook for Valentine's Day, so probably most of my logistical questions (like "how can every hotel in Anaheim be 'one block from Disneyland'?") will be answered therein, but I would really appreciate some real world advice.

Thanks.

sdfilmcritic
02-04-2005, 05:58 AM
1) Alot of the major hotels and quite a few of the motels in the area offer some sort of a shuttle service to and from parks. The ones that are super close to the park (or super cheap in room rates) will not offer the shuttle service.

2) DCA does offer quite a bit for kids to do. Specifically there's the Bug's Land area, which is a farm land themed carnival area kids will enjoy. But be careful about the It's Tough To Be A Bug show, it has intense parts that will scare the crap out of younger kids. Make sure you know the height of your kids before you go (standard practice of height requirements for the kids).

3) A three day park hopper pass during the spring break should be sufficient (for the most part). Key thing is to plan out ahead of time the key points of interests your kids want to do. If they are satisified and happy with doing the things they want to do then your trip will go smoother. Visit www.disneyland.com to get a list of attractions and shows so you can "talk things over" with your kids. The more your kids are in on the planning process, the more fun they may get out of it.

4) Not every hotel is within one block of the resort, but there many who have partnerships with the company. I have stayed in some hotels that are a couple of miles up the street (just barely across the Anaheim/Garden Grove city limits line) and they provide shuttle service and assistance to the parks.

bradk
02-04-2005, 06:22 AM
Assuming you purchased the tickets with the special that gets you adult tickets at child prices, I'd say it's pretty wise. You'd end up paying full price at the gates.

As far as the birthday thing goes, if you search the threads for birthday, you'll see a lot of the core basics. First being that you should go to city hall and tell them it's your son's birthday and he should get a sticker to wear which tends to draw quite a bit of attention throughout the parks, but disney officially promises nothing, so don't expect anything beyond a whole lot of birthday wishes. this one is also new to me, but in city hall, you should also ask if there's a 'special call' waiting for the birthday boy.

there are also these things called 'birthday buckets' which are character-based and available at many of the resort restaurants. there is a small cake in the bucket, but you can also arrange for a cake at a restaurant by calling (714) 781-DINE at least 48 hours in advance.

you can also do a formal birthday thing at $10 a head that includes a cake decorating contest, but i don't think this is private - you'll probably be combined with multiple birthdays.

i also read of a 'birthday cart' which sells birthday related disney items (pins, hats, stuffed animals) outside of the plaza inn, but as with anything disney, that's dated information and may not be the case now.

the other thing i would recommend doing is ask to ride in the pilot house of the mark twain, where guests have been known to be able to do a little piloting of their own and earn a certificate for it. and if you're so inclined, the front of the monorail.

Niwel
02-04-2005, 09:11 AM
What, if anything, can we do to celebrate our son's birthday in DL?

Your family can experience one of three Happiest Birthdays on Earth (http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/moreMagic/specialOccasions/detail?name=BirthdaysDetailPage). The one at the Plaza Inn (my Disneyland Birthday party) lets each person decorate a cake. If you don't feel like spending the money, you can always go to City Hall and get a "Birthday Sticker"


(like "how can every hotel in Anaheim be 'one block from Disneyland'?")

Strange but true! Because of the way the resort is configured, it is surrounded on all sides by hotels (except the northwest which is bordered by the freeway). A block from Disneyland can mean many things. It can be physically a block from the resort -- but longer from the main entrance (Hilton and Sheraton) or it can be literally across the street (Best Western).

bradk
02-04-2005, 09:16 AM
incidentally, i believe the goofy's kitchen one is $5 per head for the birthday gear.