more Disneyland questions! (plus San Diego) -update#9

[♥ms.pacman♥]

We just did DL two weeks ago and stayed at the HoJo. They will store luggage for you but don't count on the room being ready early, especially if you have a kids' suite. They don't have many of them. I think we got in ours about 3:45. Unfortunately, the weather was crappy that weekend (cool and very rainy) so we didn't enjoy the splash pad but it looked awesome and I'm sure it will be warm enough in May. It's going to get to 80 this weekend already! We were going to do 2.5 days in the parks but cut it back due to the rain. We ended up doing the Mickey and Friends breakfast at Paradise Pier on Saturday morning and I think it was the highlight of the weekend (even better then lunch at Ariel's Grotto with the princesses). If you want to take a break from the parks for a day, I'd suggest a character dining experience. We then spent a few hours in DT Disney and did Build-A-Bear, etc. You can see the fireworks from the HoJo property, just not the kids' suite rooms. Since we cut back our itinerary we did our one day at CA so we could do the character lunch there. We spent a FULL day there with a 9 month old and 3 year old. We had no problem finding things to do/see! We were so tired, I'm not sure we couldn't have done another full day back-to-back the next day. If your parents live in Southern California, there are great resident discounts for DL tickets.

thanks for this info. my parents actually live in Northern Cal (they will be flying down), so no SoCal resident discount, sadly!

and we are not doing a kids suite at the HoJo, as i think the kids (especially DD) would be too young for bunk beds. Also I just know they'd be scared and likely end up in our bed anyway At this stage when we travel both kids just sleep with us in the same bed (DH and I each take one kiddo in each bed) and that works out pretty well. that looks so cool though for when the kids are a bit older.

i am being going back and forth on reserving a character dining experience. The thing is, my kids are shy and i'd hate to go through the trouble and them just be hiding behind my leg the whole time, KWIM? It would be mostly for my DD....my DS isn't really into Disney...all he cares about are trains. DD is not that into princesses except for Ariel. She likes Mickey, Minnie etc. She gets VERY shy though in new situations. I'm wondering maybe if we did one later in the trip she will be okay with it.

[AshUVA]

Our Mickey and Friends breakfast was a last minute decision. We called Friday night for a reservation first thing Saturday morning once we knew the weather was going to remain crappy. Our 3 YO doesn't watch much TV and hasn't seen a Disney movie but still recognized Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, and Pluto. They also have Stitch at the breakfast, who she didn't know. Both she and the 9 MO did better with the full costumes as opposed to the princesses that looked "real". At our breakfast, the characters were fantastic. They came around many times and spent a lot of time interacting with the kids (unlike the princesses). My little one was even chewing on Pluto's whiskers at one point! The older one was shy at first and wouldn't even "High 5" the characters but by the end she was hugging them :-) Good luck! I'm sure whatever you decide your kids will have a wonderful time and lots of great memories.

[AnnieW625]

Tbh I think in regards to SD if you want relaxed I would do the Midway (been 3 times and feel like we haven't seen it all, but I think it is a great visit just for one day too!) and as long as it isn't super hot (80 at the coast as the Safari Park is inland by 20-25 miles and it gets hot in Ramona/Escondido; but May is generally cooler, but still sunny) I would do the Safari park vs. the zoo. I haven't been to the Safari Park though since 1999, but the Zoo is a lot of hills and walking where iirc the Safari Park is flatter and the safari tram is a big part of the s.p. so you will be able to sit and just look. You can definitely do 2 back to back days at the Zoo though, but 1 is fine, just a lot of hilly walking.

In regards to the HoJo request a non freeway facing room! I have never stayed there, but drive that freeway on a regular basis and the HoJo is right at the freeway.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

Tbh I think in regards to SD if you want relaxed I would do the Midway (been 3 times and feel like we haven't seen it all, but I think it is a great visit just for one day too!) and as long as it isn't super hot (80 at the coast as the Safari Park is inland by 20-25 miles and it gets hot in Ramona/Escondido; but May is generally cooler, but still sunny) I would do the Safari park vs. the zoo. I haven't been to the Safari Park though since 1999, but the Zoo is a lot of hills and walking where iirc the Safari Park is flatter and the safari tram is a big part of the s.p. so you will be able to sit and just look. You can definitely do 2 back to back days at the Zoo though, but 1 is fine, just a lot of hilly walking.

In regards to the HoJo request a non freeway facing room! I have never stayed there, but drive that freeway on a regular basis and the HoJo is right at the freeway.

ok, thank for the tips! and yeah, will definitely a non-freeway facing room, i heard noise can be an issue on that side.

yeah now i definitely want to do the Midway on Thurs. We did the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi and the kids LOVED it, so i am sure they will like this too.

And as for Friday..yeah part of me wants to do the Safari Park instead of the Zoo, since it's probably more of a unique experience. I have heard from several the SD Zoo is hilly and lots of walking (which we are totally NOT used to here in TX!). So for that I'd be leaning towards the Safari Park....I guess the only thing i am worried about is if the kids want to see the animals more up close, so more of a traditional zoo experience.

[SnuggleBuggles]

There are enough cool close up animals at the Safari Park to probably work. It isn't just animals out in a field. We hardly saw any animals in SD either. It was rainy and all were hiding. Hippo was the only social one.

[AnnieW625]

Another option for San Diego especially if you are in need of rest is just to go to the beach. La Jolla, and Coronado beaches are great and clean, but it could cool out, but still very enjoyable.


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[BayGirl2]

I say 3 days at DL/DCA for sure. Plus with a 3 Day Hopper you'll get a Magic Morning in DL. Use that Tuesday morning to do Fantasyland with minimal rides. Check the DIS for optimal ride order during MM or PM me and I can send my tips.

Also check if there will be fireworks and Fantasmic! during the week or if Sunday is your only night to catch them. We often arrive on a Sunday or holiday Monday and catch the night shows after a half day in the park. Totally worth it to me. The DIS will give you all kinds of tips on that too.

I've been to San Diego several times but never really do all the fun stuff. I think unless I were doing LegoLand I would just stay at Disney but I know I can go anytime since we are in NorCal.

[kellij]

We went last year at the end of May and stayed at HoJos. They let us store our luggage while we waited for our room to get ready. It was fine for the pool and splash pad, and those were the main reasons I made the reservation there. I think they ended up playing in the pool one day and no one was very interested in the splash pad. My kids were 1, 3, 7 and 8. We paid more and got rooms with a park view so we could watch the fireworks. I think we had 4 days in the parks. I like having extra time so you don't feel rushed. We LOVED it and had the best time. We're going back this summer at the end of July/early Aug. I think we'll try the Candy Cane Inn this time. We went to the San Diego zoo one day and thought it was great. We also went to Legoland and wouldn't do that again. This time we're going to DL and then to LA to visit my sis. Last summer we talked about how it would have been nice to go to DL and then down the the San Diego area to enjoy all it has to offer. We flew in to LAX and out of San Diego.

[Tondi G]

Just make sure that at the Ho Jo you ask for a room away from the freeway. It backs right up to the 5 fwy and when we stayed there years ago, I heard cars and trucks zooming by all night long.

[daniele_ut]

Just make sure that at the Ho Jo you ask for a room away from the freeway. It backs right up to the 5 fwy and when we stayed there years ago, I heard cars and trucks zooming by all night long.

We always reserve the deluxe 2 queen rooms in building 2 that face the pool and they are very quiet. All of the Kid Suites face the freeway but I think they did some soundproofing to address complaints after they first added the Kid Suites.