Advice for DL/Hollywood trip (# of days, etc.)

[nukephd]

My wife and I have never been to Disneyland or Hollywood. I've never been to California, but my wife has as a child although she doesn't remember a thing. Ideally, we wanted to spend a large amount of time flying into SF and driving the Pacific Highway, stopping along the way to our final destination of DL, but we don't have enough time to do that. We only have about 5-7 nights to spare. So we're thinking of just flying into LAX to visit DL and Hollywood.

We want to go pretty soon, the beginning of March, the week of the 6th. How long do you think it would take us to visit DL and DCA, and then tour around Hollywood? To give you an idea, we are thinking of doing the following:

1. Disneyland, California Adventure, and Downtown Disney
2. Hollywood Boulevard (Walk of Fame, Chinese Theater)
3. Beverly Hills tour (drive around and possibly go to rodeo drive)
4. See the Hollywood sign
5. Go to some coastal location: a beach or Santa Monica Pier

Other things that we may want to do if we would have time:
Studio Tour, Price is Right, La Brea Tar Pits, and anything else you would think I am missing.

We are thinking of just renting a car because we want to drive around and see the whole area considering we have never been there. Do you think that's a good idea? We both have GPS on our phones.

Also, do you think we should just stay in one hotel the whole time, or should we switch hotels when we get to the Hollywood part of the agenda? We are thinking of staying at the Candy Cane Inn, does that sound like a good selection?

So, in summary I was wondering:
What items do you think would be good to put on my agenda?
How long would it take to do all of that?
Should I just stay in the same hotel the entire time?
Should I rent a car?

Thanks!!

 

[KCmike]

The first time we went we wanted to do everything you stated. We went for four days. We wanted to spend 3 days at DL and 1 day sightseeing. It wasn't nearly enough. I will warn you though that going to the walk of fame, seeing the sign, and that area is a BIG disappointment. Not only was it dirty and not much to see we also got caught in traffic coming back to Anaheim and it was a nightmare of stop and go traffic. We literally spent hours on the road. Don't get caught up in rush hour which it seems can start at 3pm.

For Disneyland I would recommend at least three days. If you really want to stop and smell the roses and just enjoy yourself then 5 days is ideal. Our family has gone the last several years and 5 days seems to be spot on.

We have never seen Santa Monica Pier but have visited Newport, Laguna, Huntington and several others. We love the Pacific. Our favorite was Corona Del Mar beach just south of Newport but we used it for a day at the beach for swimming and stuff. Newport as a rinky dinky boardwalk that you can take smaller boats out for sunset cruises out onto the ocean which is a blast. We have always wanted to take the boat out to Catalina Island. Someday I hope.

Where are you planning on staying when you go to DL? If your spending several days there I would suggest staying in that area. Although the good neighbor hotels are ok (think Fairfield Inn or HOJO) I would suggest staying onsite if your planning on several days. I just enjoy walking through Downtown Disney vs. walking on Harbor Blvd.

You do know that Little Mermaid, Star Tours 2.0, and the new parade aren't due out until very late spring early summer right? I think Splash Mtn is also done for an extensive rehab.

Good luck with your trip. We love California. It's too bad you can't do what you stated you would like to do with more time. We have done the complete journey down the Pacific Coast Hwy. Its amazing. We have visited SF, Monterey, Yosemite National Park (must see!!! put it on your bucket list for sure!!!), San Diego. San Diego was awesome. We really loved Coronado Island. The hotel del coronado is amazing and that beach is perfect for families. My kids still talk about the del and how it was their favorite vacation coupled with Disneyland. They want to go back every year!!!!

 

[karmutt]

From the POV of a local...

Hollywood is a romantic idea, not a place you really want to go to. The walk of fame is mostly a trek down a loud, congested street of tacky souvenir shops. I'd completely skip/avoid it, or just drive down Hollywood Blvd. on you way to or from somewhere else. You can see the Hollywood sign from the freeway.

If you want to do a studio tour, you're probably going to have to pay to go to Universal Studios. I don't know of any other studios that are open to the public. Good thing is that on your way there and back, you'll be able to see the Hollywood sign, probably even get a good long look at it while you're stuck in traffic (I'm kidding... sort of).

You might be able to do a Price is Right taping (show info and how to get ticket here - http://www.cbs.com/daytime/the_price_is_right/tickets/), Beverly Hills, and the Santa Monica Pier on the same (really long) day; they're not too far from each other. The studio where they tape the Price is Right is near the Farmers Market and the Grove shopping mall, which are popular with both tourists and locals. Other nearby places of interest are the Getty Museum, the Griffith Park Observatory, and the LA Zoo, The observatory and zoo are both in Griffith Park (as is the carousel where Walt Disney began dreaming of Disneyland), and the Hollywood sign is within Griffith Park's boundaries (I think you can see the sign from the observatory (haven't been since a school field trip in the 80's, so I can't say for sure)). Forrest Lawn Cemetery is right there too, where lots of famous people are burred. You could go hunting for tombstones there instead of doing the walk of fame. More interesting, in my opinion.

 

[HydroGuy]

I agree with everything in the two PPs - even that Hollywood Blvd is ugly and tacky. However, I still think it is worth it to someone who has never been there. Just be prepared that it is far from glamorous.

Also OP, if you are going to drive take KCMike's advice and choose carefully - or you will spend many wasted hours in traffic. You might think you know traffic and will just travel on a weekend - only to hit stop and go for hours on a Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon. I have come to completely distrust SoCal traffic any time, and day.

OP, I think you should plan for a minimum of 3 days at DLR and maximum of 5 (like KC said), and then just fill in other acitivities based on how much time you have. You can easily spend a month in California and never see everything interesting.

Also as KC said, if you can choose to go later in the year it will be better as far as DLR.

 

[nukephd]

Thanks for all the advice! We were thinking of staying at the Candy Cane Inn, does that sound good? Also, when will the closed attractions be opening?

I just talked to my wife about all of these suggestions and it seems like we will just do what you all suggested: stay at DLR for 4-5 days and do other activities around the area if we have time. I'm just worried about the closed attractions that you mentioned. Are these "must see" attractions? We go to WDW every other year, so we have been on Splash Mtn and Star Tours numerous times. I'm also assuming Star Tours 2.0 will be in WDW too, right? Is the Little Mermaid attraction supposed to be the same as the one they are constructing at MK in WDW?

 

[HydroGuy]

Thanks for all the advice! We were thinking of staying at the Candy Cane Inn, does that sound good? Also, when will the closed attractions be opening?

I just talked to my wife about all of these suggestions and it seems like we will just do what you all suggested: stay at DLR for 4-5 days and do other activities around the area if we have time. I'm just worried about the closed attractions that you mentioned. Are these "must see" attractions? We go to WDW every other year, so we have been on Splash Mtn and Star Tours numerous times. I'm also assuming Star Tours 2.0 will be in WDW too, right? Is the Little Mermaid attraction supposed to be the same as the one they are constructing at MK in WDW?

Splash Mtn is down for a lengthy refurb until May it seems. Splash is similar to MK. Star Tours 2 (same as DHS's new one) is supposed to open in May. The new Little Mermaid (same as MK's new one) looks to be on track for a spring opening. Anytime after June you will have the rides finished.

However, there is lots of construction at DCA right now until late 2011 and into 2012. This will detract some but realize that there is always construction. DCA has more than normal though. See

New Al Lutz: Little Mermaid, DCA Construction, Esplanade Fountain?, AP Changes Coming

The two good neighbor hotels that re most favorite around here are CCI (Candy Cane Inn) and HoJo's. So you will get lots of thumbs up to CCI.

 

[nukephd]

Thanks, HydroGuy. This is a touch decision. Maybe I'll hold off until there is less construction and major refurbs.

 

[jitterbug]

In 2005, DH and I did a trip like this before having kids. It was focused primarily on the theme parks, as DH hadn't been to any of them growing up. Alas, the downside of growing up in Hawaii. We split our time between Hollywood (4 nights) and Anaheim (5 nights). You probably could shave a couple of nights off what we did, but flying in from Hawaii, we needed a night on arrival and departure days to fit everything in.

For Hollywood, we stayed at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, which is part of the Hollywood Highlands complex. Lots in the area to see, including Kodak Theater, Grauman's Chinese Theater, Disney's El Capitan and Soda Fountain. You can get a view of the Hollywood sign. We really didn't need a car the whole time, which saved on car rental & parking charges. Took the subway to Universal Studios, so we didn't have to drive there. Rented a car a couple of days to do things like La Brea Tar Pits, Farmers Market and The Grove, Six Flags Magic Mountain, drive down Sunset Blvd to Santa Monica (whoa, totally different from beaches in Hawaii), and even did the studio audience thing (anyone remember "Joey"?).

Drove from LA to Anaheim, stopping at Citadel Outlets, Disney Character Warehouse and lunch at In-N-Out before returning the car.

Enjoyed our 4 days at Disneyland and 1 day at Knott's. It didn't get busy at DL until our last day and Knott's was pretty empty. There's no way we would do a trip like this now with DD3 and DS1, but as just 2 adults, it was a blast. Timing was good too. We missed the Oscars in Hollywood, so it wasn't too busy and we got to DL on Superbowl Sunday after some rain, so it wasn't crowded even though it was a weekend. We still have yet to ride Splash Mountain since it was closed for refurb at the time, and it will be closed again when we go at the end of this month with the kids, but in a few years, we will try DL again, and maybe just maybe, we will get to check it out.

 

[nick-pappagiorgio]

I was planning a similar trip with 3 days at DL to hit the highlights before doing 1 day in Hollywood, with another 3 days in Huntington Beach. We are going in early spring break season (yes, we are suicidal). Since none of you seem to enthralled with Hollywood Bvd, What would you suggest for a non-themepark day sightseeing day?

 

[nick-pappagiorgio]

Didn't see that

From the POV of a local...

You might be able to do a Price is Right taping (show info and how to get ticket here - http://www.cbs.com/daytime/the_price_is_right/tickets/), Beverly Hills, and the Santa Monica Pier on the same (really long) day; they're not too far from each other. The studio where they tape the Price is Right is near the Farmers Market and the Grove shopping mall, which are popular with both tourists and locals. Other nearby places of interest are the Getty Museum, the Griffith Park Observatory, and the LA Zoo, The observatory and zoo are both in Griffith Park (as is the carousel where Walt Disney began dreaming of Disneyland), and the Hollywood sign is within Griffith Park's boundaries (I think you can see the sign from the observatory (haven't been since a school field trip in the 80's, so I can't say for sure)). Forrest Lawn Cemetery is right there too, where lots of famous people are burred. You could go hunting for tombstones there instead of doing the walk of fame. More interesting, in my opinion.