Disneyland Area

All the nicest, cheapest, family friendly hotels are in the Anaheim area. Going outside the area puts you in not so great neighborhoods with fewer hotel choices and makes getting in and out of the park harder and more expensive. I wouldn't recommend it.

I lived over half my life in Fullerton and love it, but you don't want to stay there, too far, stay close in Anaheim. There's a number of family-friendly businesses to stay near the park, remember, it's their business to keep people coming back.

The Annabella Hotel has been mentioned, I second that. Also, I've given you the link to Mousesavers very informative page of hotels and discounts. Mousesavers is reputable so their recommendations are always good. Expedia is mentioned, my sister used it last year and got our hotel 1/2 off, we're nearby in Buena Park but knew we'd be exhausted so stayed a night.

http://www.mousesavers.com/disneyland-california-vacation...

I was raised 1 mile from Disneyland. I went to high school across the street, its now been turned into a mall. It would help to know why you want to "avoid" staying in Anaheim. And I'm not sure what you mean by a "nice area". So Cal is like most places, nice neighborhoods, and not so nice. Any of the beach cities are nice, and only 20 min freeway drive to DL, but are more expensive because you are close to the beach. I can't think of anything that is in Fullerton to make you think to stay there? I guess I'm not much help but would be helpful to know what you are looking for or why you don't want to stay in Anaheim since it makes most sense if you are just going to DL. Good luck and have fun!

I wouldn't stray too far from Disneyland if I were you. As previous posters have stated, LA area traffic can by crazy & erratic. What you think may be an easy 5 mile drive can turn into a big headache.

We stayed in Buena Park when we went, and were able to take surface streets to Disneyland and back. You could always find a hotel with a shuttle, but that of course, will take longer to transport you than a car would.

Honestly, you are just going to be sleeping in the hotel, so I think you may be overthinking this a little bit.

Not sure why you want to add driving and parking time to your day. We always stay at the Annabella Hotel-clean, comfy, affordable and a 15 minute walk to the parks.

Um, Fullerton? What's in Fullerton?

There are reasonably priced hotels near Disneyland. Plenty. Within walking distance. So you can walk back to your hotel midday and nap if you want, then come back and stay late for the parade and fireworks.

If you drive to Disneyland, you will have to plan to avoid rush hour. Which actually lasts for 2-3 hours. And there is some traffic all the time, not just during rush hour. It's no fun at all.

Stay in Anaheim and save your energy for the park. My kids and I stayed at the Alpine Inn for less than $100/night. Even tho my mom lives 25 miles from Disneyland and we could stay there for free. Because I didn't want to spend an hour in traffic boxed in by large trucks and aggravated drivers, or worse in no traffic, trying to run me off the road at 80 miles an hour on my way to the "happiest place on earth". Good luck finding a hotel and have fun at Disneyland.

There is nothing in Fullerton unless you want to take a tour of Cal State Fullerton. You will be much better off in Anaheim.

My daughter made the drive down to The Happiest Place on Earth!

Fullerton will probably be about a 30 min trip to Disneyland. Traffic here is very unpredictable and can sometimes be very bad. Please be careful where you stay if you get closer to Anaheim. Some of the outlying areas around Anaheim are not places you want to stay.

Fullerton is as booty as Anaheim. Either stay by Disney or go totally coastal. if all your days are disney then stay close to disney, the nearby hotels are competitive. If you want to plan some non disney days then pick a city on the coast and plan to pay more for it.

There's nothing to do in Fullerton and no real reason to stay there. If you don't want to stay in Anaheim, stay by the beach - Newport, Laguna, or Huntington. You'll have fun being near the ocean, even if it's too cold to go in, and there will be restaurants and shops to walk to.

You could also see if there is a hotel near Old Town Orange/ the Orange Circle (not sure if there is one) but that is another fun area.

Fullerton is just a totally generic suburb full of houses and strip malls.

go to the beach for real. If you dont want to stay in anaheim the beach is the next best place. March is usually pretty warm and nice (i mean even this past weekend it was 80's) but being from WI if it was 65 at the beach I think you would be in heaven. If you want to hang on the beach do bring light weight hoodie/pants as the onshore breeze can keep you cool. fullerton is fine but there is just nothing to do there.

All around Disney within walking distance is nice now. Disney has made sure of it. You can't beat staying right outside the park for convenience, especially if you are doing 2 days. We personally like the Anaheim Hilton, right across the street from Disneyland. Otherwise, if your aim while in town is to see more of the area, I'd pick a beach city, like Newport or Huntington.