Ok, so less than two weeks to go before we drive to CALI !

We will be staying in Carlsbad, CA with my sister and b-i-l. She said to save the money from a hotel stay and use it for our trip. Does anybody know how long the drive will be from Carlsbad to DL ? I am guessing about an hour...

Next question: We have never been to DL in October. Is it really rain a lot ? I will be bringing an umbrella - but will we need a change of clothes with us at the park ?

Both me and my son have APs but not parking. As we will be coming to the parks for about 5 days - would it be cheaper to upgrade to a parking pass ? Or just pay for parking on the days we go to the park ?

Is the Halloween Party thing worth it ? We really wanted to come on that Fri. before MA (Oct 12) but I never got around to ordering the tickets in advance. We might be able to go on Thursday, Oct 18.

Is there anything else that WE NEED TO BRING ? I know I always forget something... so help me put here people!!!

Also, is there any hints, suggestions we should know about for our FIRST MOUSE ADVENTURE ?

THANKS IN ADVANCE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our plan so far: Leave Thursday night (oct 11) after work and drive on the 8 to San Diego from Phoenix (or if I am forced to work OT then we leave Friday morning.)

On Friday/Saturday we have plans that we can flip-flop. That weekend is also the airshow at Miramar (My b-i-l is a Marine pilot) and we are hoping to go to that. We will either do DL one day and Airshow the next or vice-versa.

Sunday : MOUSE ADVENTURE

Monday: RESTING (maybe DL if we are up to it)

Tuesday: DL - hopefully with my sister who has never been.

Wednesday: Beach ? DL ? LegoLand ? SeaWorld? (NOT SURE YET)

Thursday: DL and maybe the Halloween party ?

Friday : drive home

If I am forced to come back to work early - then we will have to drive home WED night. I am hoping to extend my week in CALI and drive home Friday. Then I can spend the weekend resting up and doing laundry for the work week.

If you are planning on coming to the park again before your pass expires, parking will be worth it. It is $11/day and I think the parking upgrade is in the area of $59. Obviously you would only need it on one pass.

As far as the weather goes, I wouldn't worry too much about rain. Though we have been having some weird weather lately (1 1/2 inches last Saturday!), MA is typically one of the hottest days of the year. Personally, I never bring a change of clothes (except for work :) ) because I don't like to haul stuff around and I don't want to pay for a locker (and have to keep coming back to it). But that's just my personal preference.

As far as MA tips, don't expect to finish everything (especially your first time around). But make sure you READ EVERYTHING!!! What our team likes to do immediately after getting our packets is skim over each quest and determine where they are located so we can have some semblance of a plan before jumping in headfirst.

Sounds like you have a fun trip planned!

My daughter lives in Carlsbad. Depending on how close you BIL lives to the freeway and the time of day you leave, it can be done in 45 minutes to an hour. I think the first time it would take an hour. Don't miss Seaworld, Legoland is EXPENSIVE, but if you have little ones it's great fun.

My daughter lives in Carlsbad. Depending on how close you BIL lives to the freeway and the time of day you leave, it can be done in 45 minutes to an hour. I think the first time it would take an hour. Don't miss Seaworld, Legoland is EXPENSIVE, <b>but if you have little ones it's great fun</b>.

My son is 12. Are there roller coasters at LegoLand ?

I am pretty sure that my sister and BIL live pretty close to the highway. I looked on Google Maps - but wanted a local's perspective.

Thanks.

If you are planning on coming to the park again before your pass expires, parking will be worth it. It is $11/day and I think the parking upgrade is in the area of $59. Obviously you would only need it on one pass.

As far as the weather goes, I wouldn't worry too much about rain. Though we have been having some weird weather lately (1 1/2 inches last Saturday!), MA is typically one of the hottest days of the year. Personally, I never bring a change of clothes (except for work :) ) because I don't like to haul stuff around and I don't want to pay for a locker (and have to keep coming back to it). But that's just my personal preference.

As far as MA tips, don't expect to finish everything (especially your first time around). But make sure you READ EVERYTHING!!! What our team likes to do immediately after getting our packets is skim over each quest and determine where they are located so we can have some semblance of a plan before jumping in headfirst.

Sounds like you have a fun trip planned!


Thanks for the tips. So reading - I will be reading... GOT IT !! :)

Anybody else have any suggestions, tips or help ?

There are some MouseAdventure threads in the Lounge that might have MA tips in them or you might search "Mouse Adventure" and "MouseAdventure" in the Lounge for previous MA threads with tips in them.

Bring water, clipboards, pencil, pen and snacks to eat along the way so you don't have to stop - that pretty much covers it. And read every e-mail that MA sends out. We put copies of them in the Lounge, too, so you can see if you missed getting one due to a spam filter.

Adrienne

There are roller coaster at LL, but it is geared to younger kids. I haven't been in a while. Check their website to see what they have. It is a pretty great theme park.

Also don't forget Sea World, well worth seeing. and if you are that close you should go to Wild animal Park. You will love San Diego, a great city.

There are some rides for older kids, but after DLR they'll be poor imitations. It isn't an inexpensive day, and much of the park is geared toward the toddler/preschooler set. If you go, head to your right from the park entrance.

Also, the center has some nice Lego builds, but your son would probably tire of them quickly. He may like to build, but I bet he doesn't want to just look.