Going to california near disneyland

[chipdale74]

I just found out I have to travel to Carlsbad ca for work. I am very excited because I know dl is not far. How far is it from Carlsbad and is it worth the trip if I won't be able to get there until after noon/one?

 

[sonnyjane]

It's about an hour (with no traffic). When would you be going (time of year)? Would you only be visiting for one afternoon? Would you be willing to at least stay later so that you miss evening rush hour?

 

[chipdale74]

I am going in April. I have no problem staying until the night then driving back to my hotel in Carlsbad. I haven't been to dl since the early 90s so to be that close and not go is unthinkable especially since I have no idea when I will get back there (live on the east coast) another thing is where to get a one day pass. Worth getting a park hopper for that short of time?

 

[sonnyjane]

I am going in April. I have no problem staying until the night then driving back to my hotel in Carlsbad. I haven't been to dl since the early 90s so to be that close and not go is unthinkable especially since I have no idea when I will get back there (live on the east coast) another thing is where to get a one day pass. Worth getting a park hopper for that short of time?

Whew talk about a tough decision lol! How much/what do you want to get accomplished? If you want to just hit a few headliners (and Carsland) then get a hopper, but understand that you may only be able to ride a few big rides in each park. Are you going later in the month? During a weekday or weekend? Some days the parks close as early as 8/9 so if you just wanted to dedicate more time to seeing one park, don't worry about hopping, but as I said if you want to check out Carsland and some other things about DCA that are new since your last visit, spring for a hopper.

 

[chipdale74]

I am thinking I am going to stick to the original park. It would be nice to ride mr toads wild ride again If I buy the ticket at the park is it the same price as if I bought it online?

 

[chipdale74]

Oh I am going probably a Thursday night. I think the park is open until 8 which is fine since I will driving back to the hotel.

 

[sonnyjane]

I am thinking I am going to stick to the original park. It would be nice to ride mr toads wild ride again If I buy the ticket at the park is it the same price as if I bought it online?

Yes, currently there's no price difference.

 

[roberrl187]

I too am going to CA for a business conference in April and couldn't not go up to DL (but I added on 3 days to the business trip). So I just have to ask, you wouldn't be going to a software conference for Enviance? Just wondering.

 

[mmmears]

Oh I am going probably a Thursday night. I think the park is open until 8 which is fine since I will driving back to the hotel.

I think your choice of one park makes sense with less than one full day. And hopefully the early closing time will mean fewer crowds, so you can experience more rides. Mr. Toad is great!

 

[KCmike]

Lucky you! I would do the hopper and go commando as much as you can. Not too much time but with the new Buena Vista Street and Carsland you have to see and do both DCA and DL! Have fun!

 

[chipdale74]

It's not a software conference. It's a procurement summit for my company. I was supposed to go to the east coast one in Pittsburgh but ended up having to cancel because my dd got a fracture near her growth plate. She's only four so I couldn't leave her. That turned out well for me because I get to go to the west coast summit now. Yeah!!

Is the downtown Disney there open later and easy to get to? I may do some souvenir shopping while I am there. Oh I also need a recommendation for a good but not too expensive place to eat in the park.

 

[thomaslw]

it's well worth it. i make the trip from sd several times a year and often times leave at 11am, 12pm, etc. traffic will be nothing during the times you are leaving so don't worry. downtown disney, dca, and disneyland are all in the same area and thus the entire area is walkable.

you should look into AAA tickets, i think you get free parking, which is a 15 dollar discount essentially. you'll want to park at the toy story lots (fastest from 5 south) and head into the park via the shuttle. if you really don't want to see DCA, then sure you can stick with disneyland. if you haven't eaten lunch yet, what i like to do is first go inside the park to tomorrowland, get a fast pass for space mountain, and go on some of the rides there, and then take the monorail over to downtown disney (a fun ride in itself). right next to the monorail is the best value imo in the entire park, earls of sandwich (a yummy and cheap counter-service sandwich chain). if you want a more sit-downey place, storytellers cafe in the grand california hotel is great. if you want to stay in the parks, good places to eat are the mexican place in frontierland, and the restaurants in new orleans square.

dtd shops close later than the parks on weekdays typically, esp the restaurants. you can wander around there after the park close, although the last shuttle back to the lots is supposed to stop 1 hr after park close, so keep that in mind. there is a gigantic world of disney store that is located right outside the esplande that connects the two parks, literally a 1 minute walk from disneyland's gate.

honestly given that u can see wdw magic kingdom since your east coast, if you can afford it it would be a lot of fun to get a park hopper so you can at least see DCA. world of color for example is something you can only see in DCA. you can also single-rider RSR which is probably the single most in demand disney ride in the world.