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View Full Version : First time to California ....How many days of Disney? Other favorite things to do?



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J-L
02-07-2003, 01:57 PM
It is going to be our first time in California this Spring. We will be there for one week.

How many days of Disney would you recommend?

What are some other favorite things that you would recommend to do/see?



:)

DisneyFan25863
02-07-2003, 01:59 PM
depends on how long your going and if you want to see EVERYTHING or just the main attractions

daannzzz
02-07-2003, 03:01 PM
I would say you need at least 3 days at the Disneyland resort. 2 days for Disneyland and a day for DCA though you may or may not need the whole day there. Some people can do it in a few hours and other can spedn the day or more. Other things nearby are Knott's Berry farm which has some charm though is turning into a regular amusement / theme park. The Wax Museum. The Queen Mary, Legoland, Sandiego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, Universal Studios, The Getty museum and Magic Mountian.

DisneyFan25863
02-07-2003, 03:20 PM
You forgot SEA WORLD (I'm an ocean freak ;) )

daannzzz
02-07-2003, 03:21 PM
Ooops. I did forget it. And Sea World too!!! :)

blusilva
02-07-2003, 03:45 PM
I'd recommend some time at the beach. But research what you want in the way of a "tourist" attraction. For example, Laguna Beach is very chi chi and artsy, while Huntington and Seal Beaches are more surfer-oriented, Long Beach isn't good for swimming, but has the aquarium and the Queen Mary and Venice is way-out funky (and by far my favorite). They're all extremely different "beach" experiences.

In the spring it can be chilly (the water is downright cold), so I'd recommend warm clothes (although if you are from someplace where it snows in the winter, you may not need them :)), but it's nice to spend at least some time with the splendor that is the Pacific Ocean.

Depending on how much your family is into movies, I always recommend walking around Hollywood looking at the Walk of Fame, seeing the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum, that kind of stuff. Hollywood has been undergoing a lot of "urban renewal" lately and is getting a little less scrungy, but if your kids are in the least freaked out by homeless people or the mentally ill, you may want to avoid it.

innerSpaceman
02-07-2003, 04:14 PM
Are you just visiting Southern California? Or are you willing to travel around the glorious Golden State? Despite what Disney would have you believe, the entire California experience cannot be encapsulated by visiting DCA.

Not to denegrate Disneyland by any means - - it is one of the best attractions in the world, but California - the state - also has some more of the earth's greatest attractions. Yosemite Valley is one of the true wonders of the world, especially in springtime when the waterfalls are flowing. If I had to choose between seeing Disneyland and seeing Yosemite, I'd choose Yosemite (that's how great it is).

San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities on earth, and beats anything you'll see in the sprawl of southern California.

The drive up the coastline from San Luis Obispo to Big Sur is stunningly gorgeous, and a visit to Heast Castle along that route is well worthwhile.

If you are indeed stuck in So.Cal, Disneyland is your best bet for at least a couple of days. Hollywood is worth a visit to see the Chinese Theater (go inside if a movie's playing that you'd care to see, it's gorgeous) and to get a real glance at the Hollywood Sign. Venice Beach "boardwalk" has a lot of local beachlife flavor. The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is really nice, and the Queen Mary can be fun to visit in that area. Hmmm, not much else I'd recommend to out-of-towners. L.A. is just not a tourist town like San Fran or New York or Paris.

But if I had just a week in California for my lifetime, I'd do 2 days at Disneyland, 3 days at Yosemite, and the other 2 days to drive back and forth between the two.

J-L
02-07-2003, 06:43 PM
Thanks for all of the advice and recommendations! Sounds like there is soooo much to do! I cannot wait! The kids are excited too!

Yes, we were thinking of going to San Diego and going to Wild Animal Park and also seeing the Pacific Ocean since we are from Long Island and have only been to the Atlantic!

Hollywood sounds like fun and all the other recommendations. I think we are just going to run out of time ~ there is just so much!

If 3 days is a good amount of time at Disney - would you recommend the AAA promotion (buy 3 and get 2 free) or the City pass (Zoo, Knottsberry Farm, 3 days of Disney and Sea World)?

Thank you all for your recommendations!:)

TP2000
02-07-2003, 10:24 PM
Get the City Pass! You will want to do 3 days at Disneyland/DCA, perhaps split up by a day at San Diego Zoo or Sea World.

I would recommend the San Diego Zoo over the Wild Animal Park, as the Zoo is right near downtown San Diego and inside beautiful Balboa Park. The Wild Animal Park is about 45 minutes north of San Diego in the inland suburbs, and there is nothing much to do there once you've been to the Wild Animal Park but drive back to Anaheim on the freeway. You could spend the evening in Old Town San Diego, or take a leisurely drive up the coast and stop for dinner in Laguna Beach or Newport Beach.

If you want the full California experience, I would spring for the tickets to Universal Studios in addition to the City Pass. I would even use a day at Universal if it meant skipping the closer Knott's Berry Farm. You can find great tour bus deals that drive you up to Hollywood for a day at Universal from the Disneyland area. You don't need to worry about the freeways in Orange and San Diego Counties too much, but I would strongly caution you from trying to navigate your rental car on the Los Angeles County freeways to Hollywood and/or Universal. I'm a SoCal local, and I don't even like to drive up in LA. A car will be neccesary to get to San Diego, and you'll enjoy the freedom of driving along the coast to get there.

Knott's Berry Farm is an older amusement park about 10 minutes up the freeway from Disneyland that used to have some unique attractions, but it's now owned by a big amusement park company from Ohio and it is quickly losing it's "California Western Charm" that it used to stake it's reputation on. Now it's just kind of a generic big city amusement park with a Western theme.

The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is nice, but it's nothing out of the ordinary that you can't find at any modern big city aquarium in Boston, New York, Baltimore, etc. The Queen Mary is fun if your a particular fan of that era or of cruise ships. But the Queen Mary and it's touring facility has seen better days, and the entire thing only takes an hour or two. I wouldn't waste your time on a day in Long Beach to do the aquarium or the Queen Mary, since they don't really offer any unique experiences. You could easily get the same thrill as the Queen Mary by driving in to New York City one day and watching Cunard's Queen Elizabeth 2 arrive in New York Harbor and dock itself. The Queen Mary is encased in a rock jetty and it doesn't move. The views of the "coast" and ocean from Long Beach and it's harbor are fairly unremarkable, and they don't offer the drama or uniquely California topography of the beaches and beach towns in southern Orange County or San Diego County.

The Six Flags Magic Mountain just north of Los Angeles is to be avoided like the plague. It's a good 90 minute freeway drive north of Disneyland, assuming you don't hit any traffic. Six Flags Magic Mountain is dirty, a bit scary at night, with very rude employees and mediocre fast food. And the rides there are absolutely the same as the type you could find closer to home at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. Don't you dare waste a day of your California vacation by going to Six Flags!

Assuming you have 6 full days to spend in SoCal, I would think the following would give you the biggest bang for the buck and the most "California" of experiences:

2 Days at Disneyland Park
1 Day at Disneys' California Adventure Park
1 Day at San Diego Zoo
1 Day at beaches and beach towns in southern Orange County, or Sea World, or both
1 Day in Hollywood and Universal Studios (bus tour recommended)

On either the San Diego Zoo day or the Sea World day try to leave before 9am so you can take the long coast drive down, getting to either location just after lunch for a 5 or 6 hour visit in Sea World or the Zoo.

If you have a 7th full day to spend, I would then consider Knott's Berry Farm. If you want to do shopping, there's Fashion Island in Newport Beach which is a big outdoor shopping mall. I would really suggest you try to spend a day at the beaches; the water will be too cold to swim, but you can wade and hunt the tidepools and then wander through the upscale beach towns of Orange County. I guarantee you that it will be very, very different from the beaches of the Northeast and New England that I have visited. There is also Downtown Disney, which offers great restaurants and some fun diversions for the teenagers in your group without letting them get into trouble.

My other suggestion is to break up the Disneyland/DCA days a bit. Try one day at Disneyland early in the trip, followed by a day at DCA. Later in the week, after you've been to San Diego or Universal, you could head back and use your third day of the City Pass at Disneyland/DCA hitting anything you missed or repeating favorites.

Let us know how the plans are going!

Morrigoon
02-07-2003, 10:43 PM
You would combine Universal and Hollywood? Hmm... I suppose if you did Hollywood Blvd at night after the park....(ehrm...)

IF you are going to do this, get to Universal EARLY, and head for Hollywood by late afternoon.

But my suggestion would be to mix Hollywood with a beach experience. Start your day at the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica (parking's kinda pricey, so hunt around!) From there you can walk to the pier, rent bikes/rollerblades, and take them to Venice Beach (ask the rental place which way, but I think it's south). Muscle beach is right there too btw. Be sure to eat a Jody Maroni's sausage for lunch ;) and I could be wrong, but I believe that the original Hot Dog on a Stick is there too (either venice or santa monica - hey, it's been a while since I hung out at either). Then go back to Santa Monica, return your bikes/rollerblades, get in your car and head over to Hollywood. If the sun's still up you might check out Sunset Blvd. Tons of funky shops down there (though some of them may be a bit of an *ahem* education for them, so use discretion). Hollywood Blvd is where you want to go to next. Behind the El Capitan is a parking structure, or you can park at the new Academy Awards center (Hollywood & Vineland or something? I forget the name, but you can't miss it) Right in the immediate area is the Chinese Theatre with all the footprints in front of it, and the El Cap is across the street. The walk of fame is in front of all those. If you skip the beach thing, or finish early, you might also include the Farmer's Market in your little Hollywood excursion.

I recommend a map.

The freeways aren't that scary, just give yourself plenty of time for lane changes, because nobody else will ;) For a whole week of driving around, a Thomas Guide (map) might be a good investment, but probably too far out of your way to get one (we're addicted to our Thomas Guides in this city!) Just search for a map that gives good city detail and highlights points of interest.

tabacco
02-08-2003, 02:18 AM
If you're a AAA member (which I assume you are, since you were asking about their ticket offer), swing by your nearest AAA office and they might be able to help you out with an LA area street map for free.

EandCDad
02-08-2003, 06:33 AM
Originally posted by TP2000
On either the San Diego Zoo day or the Sea World day try to leave before 9am so you can take the long coast drive down, getting to either location just after lunch for a 5 or 6 hour visit in Sea World or the Zoo.


TP2000 has great advice and I'm not gonna add a different option cause you already have plenty to choose from. However, as a regular driver of the "coast drive", I will say that you really want to choose the time you drive somewhat carefully.

Rather then telling you when you should drive, I will say that during the weekday from 7am to about 9am, the traffic from Carlsbad to La Jolla on the 5 Freeway (the one that will take you from Disneyland to Sea World or the Zoo) can be horrendous. The same is true from 4pm to 6:30pm. It's not a long stretch but can add an hour to your drive if you hit it at the wrong time.

The weekend can also be bad if you drive during the late morning (10-12). That said, you could consider leaving Anaheim the night before your Zoo/Seaworld trip and spending the night in a hotel closer to your attraction. Then spending the day in San Diego and driving back that night (after 7pm).

Also, I would think if you left Anaheim at 9am, you would get to the zoo or Sea World by 11 at the latest. It's about an hour and a half with no traffic.

MouseWife
02-08-2003, 09:47 AM
Oh yes, go to AAA. They give maps and can do a trip planning for you. Well, I don't know about from your location.....well, if your local office can't, get the location of one close by to where you are staying in town here and they can. Plus they should be able to tell you of any deals your AAA card can get you.

And, since you mentioned Universal and Hollywood {I forget, you are coming from a far distance, you might be planning to do everything on your trip......} the City Pass with the Disneyland tickets isn't the only one available~

http://citypass.net/cgi-bin/citypass

Here is the link for all of the cities that offer passes, I think. They list the So. Cal as well as a Hollywood one.

Just in case you are interested.

Oh, and is anyone military? Check with the MWR if you are.......

J-L
02-08-2003, 12:11 PM
Thank you all for the great info! It helps make it easier to map out. The Zoo, beach, Hollywood, etc. sound great. I cannot wait to go!

We have reservations to stay at the Candy Cane Inn and also the Hilton Garden Grove. Which one do you think is better if you are going to Disney but not going for the whole week?

Morrigoon
02-08-2003, 12:14 PM
Depends, does the Hilton have a shuttle? If not, you're going to be on the hook for parking each day you do the park (at $8 a pop). Garden Grove is a bit south-ish of the park.

J-L
02-08-2003, 12:34 PM
Hilton has a shuttle and they said about 3/4 mile from Disney. No breakfast.

Candy Cane - 250 yards from park entrance and breakfast. About $100 more than Hilton for the week.

MouseWife
02-08-2003, 12:37 PM
If it is budget wise, I would go for the less expensive hotel to have more money to do more things, as you won't be at the hotel as much.

But, if money isn't a big concern, the Hilton is quite nice {what ammenities are you getting, might want to check if the next door Embassy Suites has a good price, great breakfasts} and they do offer a convenient shuttle. I prefer the shuttle to driving my own car~ it drops you right off in front.

{250 yds. from the driveway entrance? Or from the turnstiles?}

J-L
02-09-2003, 08:09 AM
"250 yards from the main gate into the Disneyland theme park" is what they quote. Do you know anything about Candy Cane Inn?

I have reservations for both places as of now.

Hilton Garden Grove - free shuttle - no breakfast - $80/night (AAA price)

Candy Cane Inn - free shuttle and can walk - with breakfast - $92/night (AAA price)

Prices aren't bad!

:)

Sharby
02-09-2003, 08:21 AM
Originally posted by J-L

I have reservations for both places as of now.
Hilton Garden Grove - free shuttle - no breakfast - $80/night (AAA price)
Candy Cane Inn - free shuttle and can walk - with breakfast - $92/night (AAA price)
Prices aren't bad!
:)
Consider that:
The Candy Cane has nice grounds, a great reputation, a shuttle (if you don't want to walk) and a good breakfast.

Think of it as paying $12 for breakfast - for your family - plus a choice of whether to walk to/from or ride the shuttle.:)

J-L
02-09-2003, 08:25 AM
You are right! Sounds like the better place!

Thank you all for your feedback! This is such a great thing!:)

Gauchograd99
02-09-2003, 07:46 PM
I gotta jump in on this as I have a bit of a hard time with one comment. Six Flags is NOT that bad! Come on!! It isn't Disney by any stretch of the imagination, but there is no Golaith or X back east anywhere! If you are a coaster freak you have to go to SFMM just to be able to say you did and rode ___ (insert your fav ride here). The people at night are a bit hardcore, but most of them are too busy with their underage women to worry about you.

I have had AP's to all the parks and continue to carry them.

Knotts has lost a little of the charm, but at the same time they didn't mess with the BEST DINNER IN TOWN! There is a reason there is a long line in the evening... it moves fast though so don't fret. Now that they have Xcellerator there is an interesting coaster, a great woodie (GhostRider), and plenty of things to do.

I would suggest 2-3 days for Disney, 1 day for Knotts (and get dinner at Mrs. Knott's Chicken Restaurant outside the park... get in line about 4 to eat by 5), a SFMM day, and 2 flex days to see what you feel like. The ocean should be at least part of 1 day!

TP2000
02-09-2003, 08:07 PM
"I would suggest 2-3 days for Disney, 1 day for Knotts (and get dinner at Mrs. Knott's Chicken Restaurant outside the park... get in line about 4 to eat by 5), a SFMM day, and 2 flex days to see what you feel like. The ocean should be at least part of 1 day"

Okay, but here's the dilemna.... If someone has never been to California before and only has one week to get the "California Vacation" experience, what do they see? I've lived back East for years, and trust me on this, the experiences to be found in the year 2003 at Knott's or Magic Mountain are not unique enough to waste one day out of the week to experience them. There are plenty of amusement parks with "Hyper Coasters" and "Giga Coasters" and "Mega Coasters" along the eastern seaboard.

Similarly, the experiences to be found at the perfectly attractive, yet very predictable and smallish "Aquarium of the Pacific" in Long Beach, can be duplicated or exceeded by visiting the great big city aquariums of the East Coast. And the vista of the Queen Mary tethered to the Long Beach jetty is nice, but it kind of pales in comparison to viewing the Queen Elizabeth 2 sail into New York Harbor from it's regularly scheduled Trans-Atlantic voyage from London.

I still maintain that Six Flags employees are rude, if you can even get one of them to acknowledge your presence. I also maintain that Knott's has lost a lot of it's Western charm in the past 5 years and is becoming a Western-themed copy of every other regional theme park in North America.

I feel that someone visiting California for the first time for one week needs to focus in on the things that are uniquely Californian in nature, and the things that can never be duplicated in New York or Boston or Philadelphia or Charlotte, etc., etc. Knott's is nice, but a drive down the coast highway on the way to the San Diego Zoo would be a very unique "Hey, Look at that!" type of an experience for someone who lives 3,000 miles a way.

Whatever the itenerary turns out to contain, I certainly hope J-L will give us a trip report and her families opinions here on Mousepad after the trip.

Gauchograd99
02-09-2003, 08:59 PM
Going to SFMM would get someone the most Californian experience possible... rush hour traffic on the pass with CalTrans closing as many lanes as possible to cause crashes! You need to take into account that SFMM has some landmarks (to some) in it. How many people wouldn't want to ride the coaster from "National Lampoons Vacation" or do the whole "Wally World" run through the parking lot? :)

I will put the LB Aquarium into perspective... I have received a free pass there and NOT gone... and it is 15 minutes from my home!

Given the fact I drive from Long Beach to San Clemente every day to my lab, I just cannot find much worth seeing that would be considered "Californian" other than taking PCH from HB down to Dana Point, then picking the 5 back up on the way to SD. The problem with that is there isn't enough time to drive that and see it during a good time of day. Traffic concerns make a morning drive (the best to me) a lot of waiting and little movement.

I have a different set of tastes when it comes to things to see in a vacation. I go to Mammoth and want to see the fishery, the lakes and waterfalls, and ski. When I went back east I spent 2 weeks in Gettysburg and the surrounding area learning about the Civil War. We only spent 2 days in DC and saw a few of the Smithsonian buildings.

In the end it will come down to this question: Are you here to see the parks of California, to see as much of California as you can, or a mix?

MouseWife
02-10-2003, 06:14 AM
LOL Well, to go along with the last two posts:

While sitting in the lodge at Yosemite, after another glorious day, I said to my hubby as we discussed future travels to National Parks: 'My favorite parks are Yosemite and Disneyland.'

innerSpaceman
02-10-2003, 09:34 AM
If it's the "California Experience" you're looking for, you will find but a minor portion of it in Southern California, and hardly any of the truly glorious natural wonders of our state. The beaches here are nice, and you should see the Pacific Ocean. But the So.Cal. coastline is the most mundane part of the nearly 800 miles of California coast. I most definitely suggest combining your visit to the beach with a visit to either Venice Beach Boardwalk or the Santa Monica Pier (or both) to get a flavor of the much-lauded California experience. If you must stick closer to Disneyland, Newport Beach has one of the prettiest beaches in Southern Cal.

A visit to Hollywood is also very much a California-only experience. But that's about it for uniquely California experiences in Southern California. The rest of everything is completely anonymous suburban sprawl. Theme parks are NOT any part of the California experience - Disneyland being the LONE exception.
Sure the San Diego Zoo is really nice - but it's a Zoo. Likewise, as mentioned before, the Long Beach Aquarium and Queen Mary are nice, but hardly unique California experiences.

Sorry to say, the vast majority of California's gloriously unique experiences lie outside of the So. Cal. area. If it was me visiting So.Cal. for a week for the first time, it'd be Disneyland, Hollywood, the Beach and that's it.