Originally Posted By Dalia3001 Thank you for all the wonderful hotel suggestions, I am sure that all of the places you guys are recommending would also provide a fabulous vacation! While we are there in April, I will make some time to go check out those that you have all recommended so highly myself. I love helping my friends and family plan their Disneyland vacations, but my lack of personal knowledge of anything but the resort hotels is a real problem! Next time, when it's just me and the husband, I think I should make a point of staying elsewhere, to take advantage of the savings, and to really have a way to make a personal comparison. <3
Originally Posted By smedley Yay!! I am so pleased you were able to reserve it I think it was definitely the right thing to do! <I told the man I spoke to the third time that I loved him.... was that wrong> Nope it was definitely right I would have been showing the love too if I were you
Originally Posted By disnyfans Dalia3001 I know you have decided to stay at the Disneyland hotel but I just wanted to tell you about the Park Vue Inn for future reference. I have stayed at Park Vue Inn in the suite you were talking about. It is a smaller suite but it was nice for our family. The couch in the living room folds out to a bed big enough for 2 people. It has a fireplace and a LCD TV on the wall above the fireplace. The kitchen is nice to have. It was a nice place and we didn't have any problems. It also has a continental breakfast that was better than some we have had. The biggest plus is the walk just across the street! Now they have a Coldstone Creamery on the front of the hotel too. Hope that helps you out for the future.
Originally Posted By Dalia3001 Yes the Park Vue does look like it could be a very good option. I was impressed by the photos of that suite, the close walk and the breakfast. I will certainly head over there when we are there in April to check it out, as well as to look at HoJo's, BWPP, etc. I just got scared when I looked on Tripadvisor. I liked what I saw of the Park Vue online and what has been said on these boards, but all the complaints about the roaches and the photo of raw sewage in the sink freaked me out. I realise that any hotel can have trouble with plumbing or a bad day, that a photo of dirty sink water seriously needs to be taken with a grain of sand, and that posts on Travelocity aren't 100% positive for almost every hotel, but since I gave my relatives the information I had, and it looks like they want to stay onsite, I think this will be a pretty good option. If for some reason they change their mind, thank goodness for a good cancellation policy, and I'll just start again! They're flying all the way from Australia, and with two very young children and a six night stay, I think a comfortable room will be very important part of their trip. : )
Originally Posted By Dalia3001 Because you're being so nice in listening to my saga, my family has now decided that they need the two bedroom suite for themselves, as the new baby might be a cryer and they want to have the living room area to walk him around in, as well as two separate bedrooms for the adults to sleep in. I am so glad I booked the suite while I could! Now I'm just waiting to hear if they want me to try to take concierge off the reservation when we add another bedroom for ourselves. I think we'll just get a standard room rather than trying to get a three bedroom suite. I'm reading in between the lines, but to me it seems like they want to be able to have some privacy to deal with the new kids without us right next door. : )
Originally Posted By smedley Maybe they're thinking they don't want to worry about the little one keeping you up all night? I am sooo glad you got it booked though Definitely check out rtj's trip report if you're thinking about the 3 bed suite, as it's what they had and she lists the lay out
Originally Posted By Dalia3001 <Maybe they're thinking they don't want to worry about the little one keeping you up all night?> Exactly, I didn't word that very well. : )
Originally Posted By Dalia3001 I just called the DLH back, and got super lucky, the same nice man who helped me the time before (why don't I write down his name? The happy hold music addles my brain!) was there to help me again. He told me we can take the club service (concierge) off the two bedroom suite reservation up to five days prior to arrival, and we also added a standard view room for my husband and me. We can cancel the standard view room later if we like. Yay, "where to stay?" piece of the planning puzzle is now sovled! Now on to the more fun stuff, where to eat and what sort of plans to make for a lovely little 3 year old neice. I just got my brand new, hot off the press 2009 "Unofficial Guide."
Originally Posted By smedley Sounds like so much fun!! We took my 3 yr old niece to WDW last November and it was *sooo* much fun!! I warn you though, mine hated the characters LOL! Wouldn't have a single photo taken with them, she did however love pin trading, go figure
Originally Posted By Dalia3001 That so funny! I know there is no way to predict what she will like and what she will be scared of, especially as we have only spoken on the phone! But I have sent her parents the guide for Disneyland with Children, and the unofficial guide, so hopefully they will at least have some idea of what she might be able to ride, and what things scare her, like the dark, possibly. Who knows, it will certainly be an adventure. She does however, love dressing up in the Tinkerbell costume I sent her (usually over jeans) and requested that her dad paint her bedroom a blinding pink. Her favorite thing in the past year has been an amazing pink castle cake that her friend had at a birthday party, so I'm pretty hopeful that we will have a lot of Fantasyland, princess fun!
Originally Posted By smedley Sounds promising I bought mine a tinkerbell costume too, how funny! I am sure you will have a wonderful wonderful time, regardless of how much or little she wants to do Will they be bringing a stroller? My niece wasn't using one by the time we went to WDW, but we brought an umbrella type and she used it quite a lot for transportation between the thrill rides (we had to ride the teacups 7 times)
Originally Posted By Dalia3001 This is so funny! My relatives are quite sure that she won't want a stroller by that time (age three) allthough they will be bringing one for their infant. I have been secretly planning to bring along an umbrella type one just in case, as I think the walking might surprise them!
Originally Posted By smedley Definitely do! Once my niece realised we weren't encouraging her to ride in it to make her nap (she was worried she might miss something LOL!) she rode everywhere in it, and was a much happier 3 year old because of it!! We bought one out there (WDW) to save having to bring one from the UK, and I think we paid around $20 for it, it was definitely worth every penny!
Originally Posted By Dalia3001 I'm in northern California, so I was thinking to buy one here for my rellies who are coming from Australia for that same reason. I would offer to get one for their newborn as well, but they are going to stop in Hawaii for a few days on their way back to Oz, so they will be bringing one for him. I love this board for so many reasons! The tips for kids are great for me (who has no children.) I am excited to purchase some disposable lobster bibs as mentioned in another thread! I'm trying to decided if going to the dollar store for "Tinkerbell Treats" each day would be presumptuous of me. Luckily, my husband's family is universally charming, laid back, and really easy to get along with. My somewhat insane over planning has been a running joke since his parents, sister and brother-in-law joined us for a trip two years ago, right after our wedding. In his toast to us at our wedding, my father in law mentioned that when he got off the plane, I handed him a minute to minute schedule of everything he would be doing until he got back on the plane to fly home! But the whole family was sweet enough to agree that without it they would have been lost at Disneyland and not gotten to do half of what we accomplished. I am planning on not overplanning this trip too much, ha ha that's a funny sentence, as with 5 days in the parks and three magic mornings, we should be able to relax and see everything we want to without too much trouble. Maybe I should say I'm going to try not to overschedule. I will definately have plans in place, but with kids along, on some of the days I think it will more important than ever to go with the flow. And I'm sure I can work in at least one day of commando touring with my husband, hee hee.
Originally Posted By smedley <I'm trying to decided if going to the dollar store for "Tinkerbell Treats" each day would be presumptuous of me. > I don't think it would be presumptuous! I think it would be really sweet! If there's anything I can help with being as I too am an aunt not mom, but was there with my 3yr old niece too then let me know, I would be happy to share the sort of things I did for her Do try to make for the one day commando, the one thing we really did find surprising (for DH especially) is how much longer things like eating etc take, so you really do have to go with the flow when travelling with the group (there were 9 of us). My email is in my profile if you want to drop me a line (I will get it later I am currently at the dreaded w**k LOL!) There's such a thing as overplanning?!?! We are planning on being in CA in Nov/Dec '09 for our first ever DL trip and I have already been planning for over 6 months ;D
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains <Dalia3001> Not sure where in the n.cal you are - I am in the east bay area... Just a note for your tinkerbell treats - they just opened a Disney outlet in Tracy... Nice to get some of the Disneyland merchandise for less!!
Originally Posted By Dalia3001 Gottaluvdavillains - Thanks for the tip about the Disney outlet! We're in San Jose, so I think Tracy is a bit of a drive, but I might do it one day. Smedly - Thanks! I would love to hear about your trip with your niece, I will send you an email soon.
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains <Dalia3001> Guess what??? I used to live in San Jose - near Hellyer Park... There is also an outlet at the great mall in milpitas.. if you walk in at Marshalls its a few stores to the left.
Originally Posted By nemopoppins The outlet in Milpitas has mostly clothes. Is that how all of the outlets are?
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains They mostly get clothes - although at times they will have the action figures and such - I have gotten a couple packs of the Disney Racers - and the board games. Usually they will have a glass case with some nicer stuff in it - Hat's is another thing I find there...
