LittleIzumi Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Animal Kindom is by far my favorite park! Don't skip it! Me too!!!! And yep, Anaheim is pretty far from LA. But I would go to DisneyWorld anyway, if I had the choice. And we went in August. Don't go in August if you aren't very used to humidity. Oh my. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Well we went to Disneyland tonight, and I'm happy to report the kids were not jumped into a Vietnamese gang!! :party: I vote Disneyland and staying at the Grand Hotel. You could stay in Laguna for a night or two, and do the beach/shopping/art thing too. You wouldn't even have to go to LA if you flew into John Wayne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Partizan Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 This coming from a guy who worked there, Disney World by far. And if you really want to enjoy it, go in October. The weather is great and the parks aren't crowded at all (because parents are less likely to pull their kids out of school at the beginning of the school year). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairytalemama Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 This coming from a guy who worked there, Disney World by far. And if you really want to enjoy it, go in October. The weather is great and the parks aren't crowded at all (because parents are less likely to pull their kids out of school at the beginning of the school year). I'm loving this thread because we're planning a WDW vacation for October 2012. Thanks for the confirmation that it's a good month to go! So far I'm hearing that Grand Floridian, Polynesian and Port Orleans Riverside are the #1 on park choices? Any other on park hotel suggestions? Also, has anyone ever gone for the Halloween trick or treating in the park? I was thinking that might be a fun thing to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Kids and I did Dland. I have been to Dworld once when a teen. I would vote World hands down. My kids did not like Land because it didn't hold a candle to Dollywood. Seriously. That was their comment. :001_huh: We had three day passes for 5 people. I gave two days worth to the maid at our next hotel. They didn't want to go back after a day. We stayed at a hotel right outside Disney. Just a walk across a parking deck to get there. There weren't gangs, but there was an inconspicuous bar which provided a nightful, I mean from around 11-4, of drunken louts in the parking lot. The manager of the hotel was afraid of them and did nothing. I called the police. They did not respond of course. Yep, totally different atmosphere than I would expect right outside of Disney. You people from that area may know better than to stay near the property or just go from your houses. We left with credit for a free night and went to Knox Berry Farm. The kids enjoyed it much better! (Still not as good as Dollywood though.):D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I wanted to add that a lot would depend on budget. Many are listing parks in addition to DW in Orlando that would add a substantial amount. If you're really looking at DW vs DL, I would choose DL. If you can visit many parks on your vacation than DW would be better. But you'll pay exactly the same for 4 days at Magic Kingdom as you would for a day each in Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. That's a *lot* more than is available in 4 days at Disneyland and California Adventure. Yes, if you add in non-Disney parks (like SeaWorld or Universal [Harry Potter]), you'll pay more (because Disney ticket prices go down if you buy more days -- if you're adding in days at non-Disney parks, you'll pay more per day because you're "starting over" with each new company)... And the whole Disney World experience is larger. You can do Disneyland and California Adventure in two days. You can't *possibly* do all of WDW in less than a week (though you can do most of it in 4-5 days). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I don't think it has been mentioned on this thread, but there are homeschool days the 3rd week of Sept and the 3rd week of Jan. You can go the week before of the week after in each case, however, the homeschool classes are only that 3rd week of the month. The passes are almost 1/2 price. The 5 day hopper and 4 vouchers to water parks and/or Disney Quest are around $155 each. You have to purchase them through the Disney YES program. Youth Education Services and have them mailed to you. If you go in September and there is also free dining you can do that as well if you stay on property, however, you will most likely need to purchase a $80 one day ticket for each person getting the free dining. These don't expire so you could save them and use them towards a multi day pass in the future. We don't stay on property now that we are a family of 5. We can't afford "free" dining! :tongue_smilie: However, I know many families love it. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 OP, I have always wanted to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge where I can see the animals at night at the watering hole. I would love it! Now, I grew up in Africa, so take that into consideration, it reminds me of home......but I think most people would enjoy it. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 It is only a matter of time my friend! Dawn Well we went to Disneyland tonight, and I'm happy to report the kids were not jumped into a Vietnamese gang!! :party: I vote Disneyland and staying at the Grand Hotel. You could stay in Laguna for a night or two, and do the beach/shopping/art thing too. You wouldn't even have to go to LA if you flew into John Wayne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 (edited) Gangs at DL? I just read some of the thread. That's not true, and DL is not even in LA! Geesh. I love LA (in small doese) ...maybe I have gang ties? heehee The things you read here sometimes. :lol: I very much enjoy WDW, but those of us who go to FL frequently, know that Orlando traffic can be insane. Edited March 9, 2011 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Well we went to Disneyland tonight, and I'm happy to report the kids were not jumped into a Vietnamese gang!! :party: I vote Disneyland and staying at the Grand Hotel. You could stay in Laguna for a night or two, and do the beach/shopping/art thing too. You wouldn't even have to go to LA if you flew into John Wayne. :iagree:Grand is the way to go, ask for a room w/a view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I've been to both many times and I vote DisneyWorld!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 OP, I have always wanted to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge where I can see the animals at night at the watering hole. I would love it! Now, I grew up in Africa, so take that into consideration, it reminds me of home......but I think most people would enjoy it. Dawn AKL is indeed a beautiful, beautiful resort. It's the quietest one I've been to -- just very calm and peaceful -- and it's wonderful just sitting on the balcony or in one of the rocking chair porches and watching the animals. (They come up within about 20' of the hotel in some places.) It also has really great restaurants -- Boma and Jiko are fantastic. And while all of the deluxe resorts have really nice pools with slides, I think AKL might be my favorite. The only draw back is that it is farther from the parks than most of the other resorts, and takes a little longer by bus. It's also sort of a waste if you end up spending all of your time at the parks and very little at the resort! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 ...Another perk with staying on disney property si that you would not need a rental car and also the Disney Express bus picks you up at the airport for free and takes you to whatever Disney hotel you are staying at, they also pick up all your luggage at baggage claim and get it to your hotel room.... Yes, Magical Express is *great*. You check your bags through from your home airport, and you don't worry about them again. Just get off your plane and follow the signs to ground transport / Magical Express. They'll put you on a bus to your resort, you can check in, and immediately hit the parks. (Depending on time of day and time of year, you may even be able to get into your room immediately -- if it's not ready yet, you can leave carry-on luggage with the bellhop.) Later in the day, your luggage will "magically" appear in your room. The day before departure, you'll be given instructions for when to meet your ME bus back to the airport. You can check your luggage (for most airlines) through right from your Disney hotel at any time that day. Then just show up at your hotel at the appointed time and they'll take you back to the airport and drop you off. It's super convenient and easy. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphabetika Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 You know I did not even think about the whole LA thing and gangs and such. Yeah, i would rather avoid CA. I am not a big fan of it anyways never have been. Anaheim is not "the middle of LA." You will feel quite safe in Disneyland, if you come. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabrizia Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I'm loving this thread because we're planning a WDW vacation for October 2012. Thanks for the confirmation that it's a good month to go! So far I'm hearing that Grand Floridian, Polynesian and Port Orleans Riverside are the #1 on park choices? Any other on park hotel suggestions? Also, has anyone ever gone for the Halloween trick or treating in the park? I was thinking that might be a fun thing to do. Most resorts are nice, it really depends on what kind of vacation you want. We actually like POP Century a lot. They have a nice splash pad for younger children and it is very Disney themed with lots of huge cartoon characters which both my small ones enjoyed. We also love Animal Kingdom Lodge, it is really nice, but as others have noted it is a bit further away from all the parks but Animal Kingdom. Everyone has a favorite resort or two, and everyone's resort could be different because each one appeals to different people. We've done the Halloween Party twice and really enjoyed it. The second time we actually did it on Halloween, it was very busy that day, but still a lot of fun. We loved seeing the characters all dressed up for Halloween, and we enjoyed trick or treating and just enjoying the parks. Plus the parade and Hallowishes was great. That being said we didn't do many rides because we were just enjoying the atmosphere. I am debating when to schedule our 2012 visit actually, trying to decide if I want to do the Halloween Party again or the Christmas Party. I'm actually half debating trying to do both, but I am not sure if we want to do the last few days of October - November or if we want to go right after Thanksgiving instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-FL Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 FYI: TravelZoo has a Disney World hotel rate for Aug-Sept you may want to check out. You have to book by 3/16 though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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