I want to take some relatives to Disneyland. Any tips that would be cost-effective?

Where to buy cheap disneyland tickets? Any site-seeing ideas? By the way I would be driving from chicago to Cali.






Answer :
The tickets are basically all the same. A friend of mine bought tickets from Costco quite aways in advance and even though they were the same price as the other tickets, the package included some things like a meal for 4 at Goofy's Kitchen (which is an INSANELY priced buffet) and a few other things for the same price.

If you're looking to save money, don't stay at any of the Disneyland resorts/hotels. There are hotels completely lining all the streets around Disney and the price goes down the farther down the street you go. I saved a significant amount of money by doing this and all I had to do was walk down the street. Pretty much all the hotels in the area also have shuttles or buses that have drop-off/pick-up just for disney, so even if you're not really walking distance, or you have young kids then you should be fine.

Eating at Disneyland will cost about as much as your tickets. Seriously. I can't remember what the specific rule of bringing food in is, but I did bring snacks in the last time I was there. I think it has to be premade or something like that (like you can bring a sandwich, just not like a whole cooler..?). There are a lot of places to eat around Disney so you can just go out of the park & go right back in after if you like. There are a lot of places to eat in the new Downtown Disney area, but they are just as expensive as inside the parks.

As for site-seeing ideas...there are so many things to do in the area, it would really depend on the ages and interests of yourself and who you're going with. For the artsy people, there are plenty of museums like the Getty, etc. In Hollywood, the only things to really see are Walk of Fame (with the walkway of stars) and Grauman's Chinese Theater which has footprints/handprints and things of celebrities in the cement outside, and the Kodak Theater is right next to it. Otherwise it's pretty much an armpit of a town. Not exactly the safest place. Visiting Rodeo Drive is free if you don't buy anything and if you just want to walk around look at the outrageously priced things. Some of the houses in Beverly Hills are pretty huge too, you can see it if you just drive through the neighborhood. In Santa Monica, a good place to go shopping is the Third Street Promenade if that's what you like to do. There is always the pier (it's been in a lot of movies). There's not really much to do on it, there's a ferris wheel and some carnival games and such. Santa Monica is really beautiful, there are bike paths all along the beach and places to rent bikes, which would be an inexpensive outing. Of course there is always the beach! Just a great place to go and chill and have a picnic. You can also do the same thing at Venice Beach ('Muscle Beach'), which has a bunch of cool, eclectic shops to look around in compared to the Promenade and tons of different places to eat. There's usually some entertainment around too. If you want to go to another amusement park, there is 6 Flags Magic Mountain which is all about the big roller coasters. If you go father south to San Diego then there is Sea World, San Diego Zoo, and the Wild Animal Life Park (never been to any of those but heard their great). If you go in more northern direction, you can go to Santa Barbara which is a lot less busy. It's really nice to check out (my relatives live here)! If you like history, you can always check out the Mission and there are some nice rose gardens and botantical gardens nearby. There's usually pretty cool chalk drawings everywhere too. There are some nice beaches and places to eat on the piers or local places on the beach. Everything from fancy dining to wearing your bathing suit and throwing your peanut shells on the floor. State Street is full of shops and nightspots. And if you're into nightclubbing or looking for a drink, you'll have no trouble finding it in L.A. There's nightclubs galore and their always ready to party!
Have a nice trip! Hope this helps at all, there are so many other ideas but these are mostly touristy ones.







Answer :
There are literally hundreds of things to do here in LA. Here is my list of “must sees”. Visit as many as you have time for.:

Disneyland: The Happiest Place on Earth. Half a billion visitors can’t be wrong. #1 Destination. You can get cheaper tix at funex.com. But prices to get into the happiest place on earth are pretty high to begin with.
Universal Studios: A theme park that grew out of a studio tour. #2 Destination.
Even if you don’t visit Disneyland or Universal Studios Tour, Downtown Disney District and Universal City Walk are very fun places to visit for shopping and eating. And they’re free to visit. If you’re adventurous, try the indoor skydiving (www.iflyhollywood.com). It’s a blast!

Hollywood: Enjoy the Walk of Fame, Entertainment Museum, Chinese Theatre and more. You can see a lot for free. The Hollywood & Highland complex has lots of shops and restaurants, and the Kodak Theater. The El Capitan theater, right across the street, is where Disney shows their movies. And the Hollywood Bowl is a GREAT place to listen to concerts outdoors.

Other theme parks include Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain, which are both more geared towards the fast-ride teen crowd.

Olvera Street/Union Station: Olvera Street is the birthplace of LA, and it emphasizes our Mexican heritage. In addition to the Avila Adobe (oldest building in LA), you can eat at some pretty good Mexican Restaurants, do a little shopping, and taste a churro. If you don’t want to go to Tijuana, this is as close as it gets without going there. Union Station has great architecture from a bygone age. Also, you are 2 blocks from Phillippe’s (see below).

Rodeo Drive, 90210: Packed with exclusive shops, full of gawkers. They all came to enjoy the excess. Free, unless you intend to buy something.

Venice Beach: Los Angeles kitsch and over-the-top culture at its best. Here you'll find Muscle Beach, street performers and tacky shops galore. Fun, VERY interesting, but I avoid it after dark, when it gets a little TOO interesting for my taste.

Santa Monica: Beach and Pier: Great beach scene and a classic seaside amusement park, complete with antique carousel that has been in a lot of TV and movies. After visiting the pier, you can ride a bike south a couple miles to Venice Beach.

Sunset Boulevard began as a route between the stars' posh neighborhoods and the Hollywood studios. It runs from downtown to the ocean, passing through the "Sunset Strip" on its way.

Farmers Market and The Grove - A new shopping complex right next to a Los Angeles landmark, It is right next to CBS, so walk across the lot to see if they are taping "The Price is Right". You might even get in.

Griffith Park - Home of the Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Park Observatory, Travel Town, the Greek Theatre, and Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage.

Getty Museum - The Getty's architecture is so beautiful that it keeps me fascinated. No matter whether you like their art, architecture, or view better, the Getty is sure to please. Free.

Attend a TV taping - You can get free tickets at audiencesunlimited.com, tvtix.com, or see the booth at Universal City walk. It's very interesting to see a show being taped. The most popular, by far, is the Tonight show. Check the NBC web site for all the details there.

Places to eat:
In-N-Out Burger: Multiple locations, best burger in LA, ask anyone.
Pink’s Hot Dogs: 709 N. La Brea, just north of Melrose. You might even see a celebrity. Maybe.
Tommy’s Chili Burgers: Look for the shack, an LA tradition. The original location is at Beverly & Rampart, a couple miles west of downtown.
Canter’s Deli: 419 N. Fairfax, between Beverly & Melrose. Near CBS, you might spot a celebrity.
Phillippe’s: 1001 N. Alameda. Great roast beef sandwiches. Near Union Station and Olvera Street. Watch the mustard, it’s hot.
Tito’s Taco’s: Voted best tacos in LA, even though it’s in Culver City. King Taco is a good alternate if you can deal with East LA.
The Pantry: Corner of Figueroa and 9th, downtown. Huge portions, they never close, GREAT steak and eggs.
Medieval Times and/or Pirate’s Dinner Adventure: Dinner and an adventure show, both are on Beach Blvd in Buena Park, you get to eat with your hands.

Places to Stay:
Since LA is so spread out, there is no single place that is close to EVERYTHING. Most people who come here tend to stay in Hollywood, Santa Monica, or Anaheim. In Hollywood, I recommend the Orchid Suites, Hollywood Celebrity Hotel, or Hollywood Heights (formerly Holiday Inn Walk of Fame), all near Hollywood and Highland. In Santa Monica, the Holiday Inn Santa Monica is close to the pier and reasonably priced. In Anaheim, I recommend the Howard Johnson (HoJo) Anaheim, and the Candy Cane Inn. There is also a nice place in Burbank called the Best Western Media Center, very close to Warner, NBC, and Universal Studios.

Places to Shop:
Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica
The Grove, Los Angeles
Americana @ Brand







Answer :
We all got aggravated one time about the cost of food and had a tailgate party for lunch. For the six of us we saved over $100 by not eating lunch there. We also did not buy drinks. We just had water from a fountain. By not eating or drinking anything you save a lot there.