We are going to DL in 3 weeks. Great Grandma is coming with us to help with my 2 year old granddaughter. My 16 year old wants all the big rides and thrills. I got tickets for all of us to go to Universal Studios and Six Flags. We have not been to US in 12 years or SF in 8 years. Should grandma and baby stay at the hotel or will they have any fun in the park. Grandma had a total knee replacement last fall and although doing great may get tired and need more breaks, and we just don't know if she should go or stay behind.

Also does anyone have any idea how long we will need in each of these parks to see it all.

Either of those parks are probably pretty close to a full day. Universal does usually close early evening (around 6 or 7) and it is pretty easy to see just about everything by that time. Magic Mountain tends to have long lines and will probably require a pretty full day if you want to see the bulk of the attractions.

My instinct is that they might be fine at Universal (although there isn't much for a 2-year-old at that park, other than the Nickelodeon play area), but Magic Mountain could be more problematic. There is a big kid's area at Magic Mountain, but it is probably more suited for a slightly older child.

More seriously, though, Magic Mountain has the word "Mountain" in its name for a good reason. There are major parts of the park that cannot be reached without walking up or down very steep hills. For someone with some difficulties walking, a wheelchair would probably be mandatory at that park. In addition, the grades are steep enough that motorized scooters are not really usable there, and if you wanted to try one, you would have to rent it elsewhere as they only rent manual chairs.

You might consider whether there are other options besides just having Great Grandmother and the 2-year-old stay at the hotel while the rest of the family goes to those parks, though. There are lots of other things to do in Southern California that could interest a 2-year-old, including many that don't involve significant admission prices. Right off the top of my head, a visit to a beach or possibly to Griffith Park come to mind. If admission prices aren't a big issue, perhaps Great Grandma could take the 2-year-old to Legoland or Sea World while the other family members head up to Magic Mountain. Admittedly, transportation could be a bit of a challenge if you only have one rental car, but most of the major tourist attractions can be reached by public transportation with a little research.

-Jeff

I agree with the past post. Magic Mountain is all about extreme thrill rides and it is a hilly landscape which makes walking around tiring. This is not the park for the feint of heart. Universal has a shopping district that can be an alternative to the park for some in the party. On that note, your 16 year old is going to have the time of his life.

Thank you for your advice. I at least have a few options for great grandma to do besides sit in the hotel. Of course the hotel has plenty to do also, with a kids play area, a large screen TV and two pools. She says she will be so tired by the fourth day of DL that staying at the hotel for those two days would work fine for her. It is nice to know that I was correct that there is nothing to do for a 2 year old at either of the other parks. I think we will go to SF on Saturday and US on Sunday, since I think most Cali folks probably go to US when they cant go to DL. I am hoping that with just the two of us we will be able to do most of both parks by 5pm if we are there first thing in the morning. That way we can have a early night and be ready for the next day. I am expecting a 1 to 1 1/2 drive from Anaheim to either of these places? if anyone disagrees please let me know. And yes my 16 year old should have a blast, I hope. Me also since I love most roller coasters. Would it be worth paying for front of the line passes?

It is worth it to buy the Flash pass. They are most valuable on Tatsu, Riddler's Revenge (they have a single rider line now too), Goliath, and Roaring Rapids. X and Deja Vu, which can also have slow moving lines, do not have Flash pass lanes. Most of the other rides have lines that move decently.

It is nice to know that I was correct that there is nothing to do for a 2 year old at either of the other parks.

Just as a clarification, I wouldn't quite say that there is "nothing" to do at those parks for a 2-year-old. We actually live very close to Universal and have had annual passes there for years and we did take our son over there several times at that age. There is a large Nickelodeon play area that he did tend to enjoy. It has a number of interactive water play areas (bring along swimming clothes for small children) as well as a couple dry play areas. Older toddlers and children will probably get a bit more out of that area than a 2-year-old, but our son did enjoy it at that age.

Our son actually also liked the tram tour quite a bit, although I do think that would depend on how brave the kid is. Our son was pretty fearless at that age and generally found things like the earthquake and King Kong exhibits to be more funny than scary. He was also already somewhat obsessed with sharks by that age and he loved seeing the Jaws exhibit.

Magic Mountain, in my opinion, has less to offer for a 2-year-old, but the Bugs Bunny World section does have quite a few kid's rides and an indoor play area, some of which could be fun for a child that young. There are also meet and greets and a stage show featuring the Looney Toons characters. They even offer a character breakfast with those characters.

My advice was really more centered around the fact that you are traveling with an older person with somewhat limited mobility than the small child. Both parks are a bit difficult for someone with mobility limitations (Universal has two levels, separated by an enormous series of escalators) and I also can easily see where someone in that situation could use the occasional day off during a theme park vacation. With just the 2-year-old, though, I probably would at least feel comfortable with suggesting a visit to Universal and I tend to think the child might even have some fun at Magic Mountain as well. Admission at both parks are free for a child that age, so there also isn't a need to worry about justifying costs either.

Hopefully, this isn't confusing the issue too much for you, but I do want to make sure you have fairly complete information.

-Jeff

Make sure you watch the original "National Lampoon's Vacation" before you go. Magic Mountain is featured as "Wally World" and it is a kick to see. Of course, back then the Revolution was the biggest coaster they had.

Thanks, and yes I understood there is some things to do. My mom has a total knee replacement but does better than me most of the time, I am just afraid that after several days in disney she may be tired. I will leave it up to her and see what she wants. If she does not go look for some tickets (2 to US, and 1 to Six Flags on ebay). If she stays at the hotel she will relax and play at the pool and hot tub, but if she goes there seems to be at least a few things for her to do. I will get the fast pass at SF so it does not take us as long. My hope is that we can do both parks in 6 hours so that we can also use those evenings to rest up and with a drive of 1 1/2 hour or so both ways that is still a long day. We do not have to hit all the coasters. And I will confess nothing at US thrills me when I look on line, but it is more for my 16 year old who really needs a vacation. She has had a lot of medical problems and I am hoping she can relax and let go of them for a week. Then we can come back and deal with them again.

I can walk around Disney all day w/ no issues, but I was at SF the other day, and I was EXHAUSTED! I think everything is uphill. :)

I used to work at Universal a while ago, so if you have any specific questions, let me know; I'll do my best to answer them!