Input Wanted: Disneyland trip

[corerunner]

I'm taking the family on a trip to Disneyland and I was looking for suggestions from those who know where to stay in the area, the best way to get tickets, other sights in the LA area for younger kids, etc....

Also any info about carrying concealed as an off duty officer in LA, Disneyland, etc. or other heads up I should be aware of.

Thanks much.

[DACP]

There is a whole thread covering the Disney thing.
Disneyland and CCW update

along with No Weapons Allowed!

and this one talks abit about the subject Disney & Other Parks put ban on Guns in employees
happy reading.

[FireCop86]

I'm taking the family on a trip to Disneyland and I was looking for suggestions from those who know where to stay in the area, the best way to get tickets, other sights in the LA area for younger kids, etc....

Also any info about carrying concealed as an off duty officer in LA, Disneyland, etc. or other heads up I should be aware of.

Thanks much.

my best advice, have lots of money! no seriously Disneyland is expensive, 70 bucks a person! you can not carry concealed at Disneyland and bring your own food and water unless you want to spend your lives savings inside the park.

[1042 Trooper]

Stay at the Disneyland Hotel facility. Its suprizingly affordable and far more convenient than staying off campus.

As to the gun thing, this comes under the "easier to apologize than to ask for permission" catagory. If you choose to arm yourself, that is.

[BigTrooper]

When I went through Desert Snow (an advanced highway drug interdiction class taught by a VERY successful CHP officer), we were told Disneyland was the largest jumping off point for vehicular drug shipments west of the Mississippi. The parking lot is gigantic, and the cars would just be left there by someone, and picked up by someone else and driven to their destination.

Just what we were taught for your edification.

[Kieth M.]

Go to your Costco or Sam's Club, they have multi-day, two-park Disney passes available there. 1042Trooper would be my wife's hero for saying to stay at the Disney Hotel - She absolutely loves the place. We had only stayed at The Disneyland Hotel and the Disney Paradise Pier Hotel....Grand Califonian was a bit too pricey for me (Note that I am 'guilty as charged', by my missus, of being a notoriously cheap b-a-s-t-a-r.....you know!).

Check out the Disney website or AAA for package deals which would include hotel and two-park multi day passes. When are you looking to go? Will the rest of the general population be back in school, going home from their VC? Many times, Disney is ready to deal to keep bodies in the park and in hotel beds. Call the reservations people direct. Ask about any LE discounts on admission/hotel.

In regards to CCW, I went to Disneyland/California Adventure perhaps two dozen times prior to moving out of the rapidly emerging third world nation of Kully-forn-eeya, and left my weapon secured in my car or at the hotel room safe. They once caught me armed at the gate (was it the fanny pack worn on my front?) and had me go with Disney Security to lock it up in their office. When I wanted to leave, we had to extend our departure by another 30 minutes, when I wanted to leave right then and there. I have to remember it's: Their house, their rules.

Attraction specific advise:

1) If at all possible - enter the park at the opening time, with full bellies. They allow a couple of water bottles and maybe some snacks can be ignored - they just don't want sandwiches, big bags of chips and large bottles of soda in the park competing with their food sales.

2) If they are still using the Fastpass system - start acquiring Fastpasses at every oppoprtunity. You can't get one for Indiana Jones, and have four hours until your time is open, and get another for another major ride. But, if you walk through the doors at 0800, get an IJ fastpass which allows you FP acces to IJ from 0830-0930, you don't have to use the FP in that time frame, at exactly 0930 you can get another major attraction FP...which probably has end-time of 1100. At 1100 you grab another FP. Pretty soon you have banked many FP's to use for the remainder of the day...all the time you've been enjoying other rides. Note that we've been gone a year and I overheard a couple of employees discussing the fastpass program being scrapped. YMMV.

3) Stake out shady spots for parades early. As well as comfy spots for any major outdoor show like, my favorite, Fantazmic.

4) Locker facilities are your friend. The one inside the park is located on Main Street, it's a great place to store sweaters and jackets for the coolness of the evening, or a blanket to sit-on (or hold space) for the parade/show. Purchases of souveniers can be stored there as well.

5) There's a white-water rafting type ride in Disney California Adventure. Some people want to not get as wet as the rest of the general population. Disney will sell you cheapy rain parkas w/hoods for something like $18 - $20. I bought the same style/make of rain parka at my Coleman outlet store on sale for a dollar a piece.

And in regards to other So Cal attractions. For the sake of all you hold near and dear to you, avoid that open-air, half-way house for free-range felons known as Six Flags Magic Mountain.

[DACP]

When I went through Desert Snow (an advanced highway drug interdiction class taught by a VERY successful CHP officer), we were told Disneyland was the largest jumping off point for vehicular drug shipments west of the Mississippi. The parking lot is gigantic, and the cars would just be left there by someone, and picked up by someone else and driven to their destination.

Just what we were taught for your edification.

Snow White, Magic Kingdom…..makes sense now

[Big Daddy]

The Grand Californian, looks like a mountain lodge but is very nice. Very close to the monorail and one side opens to Downtown Disney. Real close to ESPN Zone (for a beer) or the Rain Forest Cafe (good food). We've stayed there quite a few times, kids loved it, wife loved it, quick walk to either park.

[Transporter]

My advice is: Stay away from Disneyland! They got rats there as big as a man!!

[willowdared]

Like KiethM said - try Cosco or AAA for tix, or see if your union or credit union has discounted tix. The Park Hopper is the best deal, and gives you access to both parks the same day.

California Adventure is less crowded then Disney, so it's a great place to head to if you want to decompress.

I've stayed at all three of the Disney hotels - all very nice - also very pricey! The Grand Californian is the most expensive.

I've stayed at several of the "Good Neighbor" hotels (see the Disney web site) with no bad experiences. There are several within easy walking distance. AAA has the best discount rates too, better then government employee.

I don't know your kids ages, but California Adventure has a "wilderness" area designed for plain old running around...it's great...only one way in and out, so if they old enough to turn loose you can wait for them at the entrance.

Universal Studios is also fun, that's north of Anaheim. In Anaheim there is also Medieval Times, a jousting/dinner theatre experience. Also Knott's Berry Farm.

Feel free to pm me if you have any specific questions about the park.

[stormz5192]

I am in the DVC (Disney Vacation Club) so technically I don't pay for lodging, but tix and meals are expensive. I never go to Disneyland, but rather Disney world.

Suggestions, buy a package deal from the Disney site, they offer the best package deals for the lowest rates. Good prices right now. Get the meal plan, it is well worth it. Stay inside the park for convenience.

[L-1]

other sights in the LA area.....

As far as other places to visit while you are here, about seven miles to the south of Disney on I-5 is the Irvine Spectrum Center, a giant outdoor center filled with shops and restaurants. http://www.shopirvinespectrumcenter.com/ The place is big enough and the walk ways are so twisty that you may need a bag of bread crumbs in order to leave a trail so you can find your way out. As you head south on I-5, look for the giant Ferris wheel in the parking lot and that will be the Spectrum.

To the north are several places of interest. One is the Third Street Promenade. It is a three block, open air section of downtown Santa Monica, located on Third Street between Wilshire Boulevard and Colorado Avenue. Vehicles are prohibited, it is limited to pedestrians only and the place is filled with shops, outdoor restaurants and street entertainers. I don't know how it is now, but several years ago the place was filled with so many street entertainers that the city had to go with a permit system where and each entertainer or group could only occupy a designated entertainment space for a limited period of time before they had to move out and make room for the next act. There are numerous, multi-level parking garages adjacent to third street so you shouldn't have trouble finding a spot. http://thirdstreetpromenade.org/dining/index.html

If you want something to tell endless stories about to the neighbors, spending a few hours at Venice Beach on a weekend is considered a tourist must. After one look at some of the "more unusual" type of people it attracts, you may feel more comfortable having brought your gun, but in all probability, they only thing you will windup shooting will be your camera. Just consider a trip to Venice Beach as your immersion in a sociological life experience. http://www.venicebeach.com/n_images/vbmap.html http://www.venicebeach.com/

Your wife will love you if you take her to a Bristol Farms market while you are here. Bristol Farms carries some of the most exotic and tasty foods around. They also have a gourmet deli that offers to-go food that is to die for and a bakery and candy section that will give you diabetes just by looking at it. The problem is they charge an arm, a leg and a left testicle for everything (mashed potatoes in the deli are $4.00 per pound). We call it the buck a bite store. What's even more amazing is that people flock to Bristol farms and don't bat an eye at their prices. Bristol's website is at http://www.bristolfarms.com/home.html

Lastly for the kids (and you), Knotts Berry Farm is just a few miles from Disney. I don't know what their weapons policy is but I am told that much of their security is retired cops and if you call ahead and ID yourself, they have been known to give visiting cops the grand tour. http://www.knotts.com/

[IMachU]

Knott's is a blast, and I live very close to there. If you go to Knott's you MUST eat at the Chicken Dinner Restaraunt.

As Keith said, at all costs AVOID MAGIC MOUNTAIN!! Your Spidey-sense will NEVER stop while you are there. Just can't relax with all those parolees and gangsters around.

[Christyle]

Check out Ebay for tickets and such!

[corerunner]

Thanks for all the great input so far. Any good places that I could take the family that is LE related? Also, we are planning to go up the California coast, maybe to Oregon----any suggestions along the way?