First time Disney & Legoland hotel suggestions and any advice please
 

We are planning to take a one week vacation at the end of February as a family of four. Our children are 4 and 6 years old. We are thinking about flying into San Diego and staying two nights at Legoland. Just one day will be spent at the park. On the third day we would head to Disneyland and spend two days at Disney and one at California Adventure. The rates at the Disneyland hotel are $500 a night which seems completely ridiculous. I am willing to spend $275 per night maximum. The closer to the park for accomodations the better as we will need mid day naps. Although we don't need luxury, a bad hotel can seriously ruin a trip for us. Does anyone have suggestions for nice hotels less then 1/2 mile from the park entrance? We were considering the Howard Johnson Inn as they have a very fun waterpark, but it's a little farther than we want from park entrance. We have never been to California so we don't know what to expect for February weather. Am I wrong in thinking that the pool situation should not be a priority in choosing a resort this time of year as it will most likley not be warm enough to utilize it anyway? Any suggestions for this trip would be greatly appreciated. We just realized how affordable the airfare is from Washington state to California. We are just wanting to have fun as a family in some warmer weather. As a side note we will get our departure flight out of John Wayne Airport to avoid the drive back to San Diego.

Are you sure the DL Hotel is $500 a night in Feb (unless maybe over Presidents' Day weekend)?

I've paid less than that at the Grand Californian. I would expect the DL hotel to be in the $350 range.

. . . OK I just plugged in ramdom dates at the DL hotel in Feb for 2 adults and 2 children and got $378.

Hint -- if you rearrange things so you are at DL on weekdays it will save you a boatload.

Being on property has benefits -- especially early entrance to both parks.

But if that is too much -- I'd try the Candy Cane or maybe the Best Western Plus Anaheim Inn

It just so happens that I scheduled the week of Presidents day as our travel week. I didn't realize at the time of scheduling that Monday was a holiday. Planning to check into hotel at Disneyland on Presidents Day, Monday. Our Disney park days would be Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. I called the Disneyland hotel and was given the quote of $2,000 for four nights. I did not do much research online as I did not think I could get that price cut in half. I was wondering if the perks of staying in the park are truly worth the extra expense? We are early risers. It would be nice to get into the park before it opens to the general public. Do any other hotels offer this perk?

Did the $2000 include park passes or was that just the room rate?

If just the room - it depends on how much cheaper you can get the Candy Cane or similar but my guess is the Candy Cane Inn would be around $200 or maybe a little less per day. You can buy a LOT of park fun w/ $300 extra per day to play with :)

There are definitely advantages to staying on property but IMO not enough for the difference in rates.

Try the Best Western Plus Park Place Inn and Suites on Harbor Drive, has a pool and free breakfast. One of the closest to the Disneyland turnstiles.
If you buy a 3 day or more Parkhopper online you get a free Magic Morning which allows entry to Disneyland only one hour ahead of official opening time.

Thanks for the hotel recommendations. I have received such great feedback from fodors in the past I decided to get help from the trusted experts again :-) janisj- the $2,000 did not include the passes to Disneyland. The package that included admission to the park was $3,300. I am glad I am not the only one who thinks the Disneyland hotel rates mid week in low season are ridiculous. They did say that they may go down 20% after November. That's still $400....ouch.

Google maps says it is 55 min from John Wayne Airport to Legoland. SanDiego airport is 40 min. Flights are the same price to both airports from Washington. Is the drive more scenic or possible less traffic from one of these choices? Trying to decide where to fly into.....

>>Google maps says it is 55 min from John Wayne Airport to Legoland.<<

In your dreams and probably at 3AM.

That route is over very congested freeways. It is nearly 60 miles and at some times of day 2+ hours would not be unusual. You cannot rely on google maps for accurate drive times.

So you suggest San Diego to Legoland? Or is this a pick your poison situation.....one option is not necessarily better than the other.

It is pick your poison :)

From SAN it will take longer than 40 mins too.

One good thing is you will be able to use HOV lanes, but drive times during normal daytime hours will take longer than googlemap suggests.