family holiday advice for anaheim holiday

We are a family of 5 (boys are 15, 10 and 8) going to Anaheim for 3 weeks in December. This is our first overseas holiday and although we are extemely excited we are still nervous about the inexperience of travelling. We are booked into going to Disneyland, California Adventure, Knottsberry, Sea world, Universal VIP tour, Hollywood tour, Six flags and the Medieval dinner so it is going to be jam packed with things to do. Has anyone got advice or comments on any of the above. Also looking for cheap but good eating places and buying souvenirs. Thanks.

family holiday advice for anaheim holiday

3 weeks - plenty of time to do all of this......and still have time to have fun doing other things. Enjoy! For inexpensive but good eating places Mimi%26#39;s by Disneyland, Spaghetti Station by the Sheraton Hotel in Anaheim http://www.spaghetti-station.com/, and the standard array of burger places, etc.

When you go to Universal, don%26#39;t eat at the park as their prices and food quality is so-so. Instead eat at one of the Universal Citywalk restaurants (get your hand stamped) and eat there.

http://www.citywalkhollywood.com/. Since you are there for 3 weeks, I%26#39;d also just buy one of the ';styrofoam'; picnic baskets and enjoy picnics in the area.....If you have a car, lots of beach parks, city parks, etc. to enjoy.

For buying souvenirs, there are lots of places all around the places you are visiting for souveneir shopping.

Enjoy your trip!

family holiday advice for anaheim holiday

We are going back in December too. You are all going to have so much fun. Definitely hire a car and go and visit some of the beaches like Laguna or Newport Beach.

For cheap eats you cannot go past White Water Snacks which is inside Disneys Grand Californina Hotel. I second Mimi%26#39;s but stay away from the IHOP directly across the walkway on Harbor it was just plain awful food - hopefully it has closed down!!

A place I really like visiting is Farmers Market in LA and The Grove for shopping - we did this on a Grand Tour of LA.

Here is a website that lists some dining menus for restaurants in Disneyland and California Advenure also it has some off site menus too.

http://www.dlresortinfo.com

another good website for with a great discussion board for Disneyland is

http://www.laughingplace.com

Enjoy your holiday!!

If your three weeks includes the week in between Christmas and New Year%26#39;s, I would avoid doing Disneyland at this time. We are also planning to go in December, so in researching I%26#39;ve found out that the busiest week of the entire year is that week between those two holidays! In comparison, however, the beginning weeks of December are some of the least crowded. Look on their website (www.disneyland.com) before you go, they have lots of good information about what%26#39;s going on at the time. It sounds like you%26#39;re going to have a great time!

It sounds like you%26#39;re well organised. The only tip I can give you is....ENJOY! There%26#39;s no big secret to O/S travel. Just let it happen - you%26#39;ll have a ball! My wife and I (in our 50%26#39;s - no kids) are Disneylandaholics - it%26#39;s a wonderful and truly magical place. The American people are genuinely friendly and very helpful.

If you haven%26#39;t already done so, you might want to consider hiring a car, at least for some of the time. Bus tours are good for Universal %26amp; Hollywood but you can do the others you mention (excluding DL %26amp; CA which are on your doorstep in Anaheim) and quite a few other places like the Queen Mary at Long Beach, Santa Monica, Venice Beach etc very easily by car, and at your own pace.

You%26#39;ll have a ball!

Just out of curiosity, where are you staying?

Did this trip with my family(ages 13 %26amp; 8) this summer and really enjoyed it. We visited Disneyland, Universal studios and Knott%26#39;s amongst other things. In my opinion Disneyland was well worth the money and after being there, and reflecting on that trip, the costs didn%26#39;t bother me as it is really all what has been said and written about. As for Universal also a one of a kind place-- also an amusement park to go along with the movie making and show business. It too, for us was well worth the visit.

Knott%26#39;s too is well done and it is marketed differently than Disney and Universal. It was certainlly the least expensive and worthwhile. I am sure the children will love it.

Disneyland for us was rated the best it simply well done and a lasting tradition that cannot be beat.

Knotts have some rides that were not for the faint at heart. Meaning giant rollercoasters spinning upsidedown, amazing speeds, I didn%26#39;t have the guts to go on some of them. The park has a western *cowboy* theme which is well done and it is not bothersome.

You will like Universal too as all 3 attractions are well done, conceived and you won%26#39;t be let down.

Look for coupons at your hotel as we saved a little on entrance admission charges.

Be prepared for traffic jams especially around Universal and in LA area in general.

ps, I saw six flags from the freeway and it too had some amazing coasters. Watch out

Yup, Six Flags is the best local spot for roller coasters. I love Viper the most, even though there are several newer ones. Superman%26#39;s a close second, just because of the speed, and how quickly you accelerate.

Just as a tip, Six Flags Magic Mountain has abbreviated hours during the winter months. For December, that means they%26#39;re only open weekends for the majority of the month, and the entire week for the two weeks before and after Christmas.

Also, keep in mind that the park is actually on a mountain/hill. The hike up %26amp; down the hills can be a little exhausting for little ones, but your teens will probably be fine. It also experiences more extreme weather than the rest of SoCal - if it%26#39;s hot in LA/OC, then it%26#39;s typically 10 degrees (Farenheit) hotter at Six Flags. If it%26#39;s cold in LA/OC, it%26#39;s typically 10 degrees (again, Farenheit) colder at Six Flags. Though it%26#39;s location in among hills and canyons does put it in a good location for afternoon breezes! Problably not so much of an issue in December, but just something to keep in mind...

Hi..Andamike here again. Thank you all for your informative responses to my message. MFJ, you asked where we are staying! We are staying the whole time at the Howard Johnson Hotel. We have read very good things about the hotel and it is nice and close to Disneyland. Also, we are going from the 3rd of December onwards with a 24 hr. stop in Tokyo.

Good on you! Haven%26#39;t stayed at HJ%26#39;s but I know it - it looks good and it%26#39;s nice and close to DL - good for strolling back to put your feet up for an hour or so during those long but very enjoyable Disney days.

Will you have a car? If so, you can save a lot of money by buying up at the Supermarket (ask at the desk for directions to Von%26#39;s - easy drive but not walkable).

There%26#39;s any amount of souvenir options - you won%26#39;t be left wanting.

Have fun!

Hello Andamike,

like you I live in South Australia and my wife and kids (12 and 9) visited Anaheim in April this year. We had 12 nights and loved it. We did Disney/Cal Adventure on a 5 day pass and needed a good 3 and half days to see it all.. The other day and half was doing our favourite rides again. You will have a blast at Knotts Berry farm.. try and get there when the gates open at 10.00 as the day we went the crowd was quiet til lunch time then it was packed. (Spring Vacation). Log on to www.anaheimoc.org and print off the discount vouchers for restaurants in the Anaheim area. It gives you 10% off at McDonalds which is just up the Road from Howard Johnson%26#39;s. I know others have bagged IHOP but we ate there twice and enjoyed it. Kids eat free after 4.00 pm. A tip for souveniers etc. There are lots of places that offer free shuttle buses to their shops for you to spend money. We tried a couple and the best was Anaheim marketplace. It is a quite large undercover market run by mostly Mexicans. The driver of the shuttle told us to barter hard with the traders and we got some great bargains. They also didn%26#39;t add tax to the final price of goods. Anaheim Marketplace has a web site. If your kids are after sporting goods/clothes/shoes we found a sports store on South Harbor Boulevard on the opposite corner from Target. It had some great buys. Also, if you need to burn digital camera cards to a disk, don%26#39;t get it done on Harbor Boulvard around Disney. They wanted $10.00 US to do it, whereas I found a WALMART at the Anaheim Shopping Centre and you can do it there for $3.00. if you are looking to do any other tours check out Cleaver Brothers Discount Tours on Harbor Boulevard next to Tony Romas. It had some very good deals, much cheaper than the travel brochure deals we are offered here in Australia. Like others I would recommend hiring a car for a few days. Very easy driving. Have a great trip.

May your trip be blessed by God. Say your prayers BEFORE you leave so God can protect you and keep you and your family from all hurt, harm and danger.