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Quick Question re Timing.

Beechnut

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jul 30, 2008
HI I am taking 2 teenage girls to DL in November. The purpose of the trip is to see a play at the Pantages Theater - but they want to do Disney. My daughter and I have been to WDW - but our exchange student has not been to either.

Do we need 2 days one for each park? (We're up and at 'em and go until close) Is CA worth it? Or is it better to just do one day and get it all in ? If so I'm not sure a hopper pass is worth it due to timing.

We also a hopefully doing the Warner Brothers tour - and I hate driving - so is it possible to get transportation to and from or would I be better changing hotels after a couple of days

I've been sitting on the fence about deciding all this - but have to book flight this week, so it's down to the wire :)
thanks
 
If you have 2 days, I think you will have 2 very full days doing DL and DCA. I think DCA is very worth it--Carsland alone is fantastic, but there are many wonderful rides and experiences these days in DCA. As you are only going to do 2 days, I think a one park a day would work. When it goes up to 3 then I'd recommend a park hopper.
 
I'd do 2 days parkhopper. When DL is busy you can get a lot more done in DCA.

I'd skip the wb. We went to a show recording once and it took all day with the driving both ways. Just not worth it to me. But I regularly spend 4+ days at dlr!
 
You definitely need two days, one in each park. You're going to have a very difficult time not driving between the Pantages, Disneyland, and WB tour. Pantages and WB are close to each other, but Disneyland is about 40 miles away in Orange County.
 


Is CA worth it? Sorry only you can answer that. Obviously this is a community of people who love Disneyland so you won't get an unbiased opinion there.

See it all in one day? Not a chance. You can see the biggest highlights of each park in one day sure, but that's it. I'd say go for 2 days and consider springing for the hopper. We hop every day at DL. DCA usually closes earlier than DL by an hour or two so if you like to go to close you could hop over to DL to finish the night. We also like hoppers because it cushions the blow when a main ride goes down (like RSR, or Indy) and you can go back and try the next day.

And I would do a hotel for DL and a separate hotel for the other part of your trip. You don't have enough vacation time to waste it sitting in traffic!
 
The Pantages theater is easily accessible by public transportation -- it's right on the LA Metro Red Line subway. The Warner Bros studio lot is accessible by city bus, but it takes more planning and more time; I've done it as a local, but as a tourist with limited time Uber/Lyft/cabs might be a better option for you. Trying to go back and forth from a hotel in Anaheim to Los Angeles would not be ideal. If I were you I would spend one day in LA -- maybe the studio tour in the morning and then the show in the evening? -- and then two days at Disneyland Resort. (What would be extra ideal would be switching airports, too -- fly into LAX and then out of SNA, for instance, then you could limit transportation to and from the airports, too. This might be cost-prohibitive, though.)

To travel between LA and Disneyland, you have a bunch of non-driving options. You can take the 460 city bus from downtown LA; you can take a Metrolink commuter train from Union Station to Anaheim; or you can take an Amtrak train from Union Station to Anaheim. Once you are in Anaheim, you can Anaheim's resort district busses, Orange County busses, or Uber/cabs to get around.

I live in LA without a car, and it's definitely possible to do everything you want car-free, it just takes a different kind of planning.
 
OK, let’s start with the Pantages Theater. I presume you are staying in one of the Hollywood Hotels in the area, on or near Hollywood and Highland. That is a great tourist location, with lots of things to see and do in the area.


Within walking distance, you have the Hollywood Walk of Fame (aka Stars on the sidewalks), The TCL Chinese Theater with the famous hand/foot prints, the Hollywood and Highland Shoppertainment Mall with a good view of the famous Hollywood sign, The El Capitan Theater that Disney owns and has the Disney Store and Ghirardelli Soda Fountain.


Now, for the paid attractions, you have Madame Tusssurd’s Wax Museum, the Hollywood Museum, Guinness Book of World Records, Ripley’s Believe it or Not! and the Hollywood Wax Museum. The TCL Chinese Theater and Dolby Theater offer tours most days. Also at Hollywood and Highland, you have Starline Tours, where you can catch the famous Tour of Movie Star Homes.


https://www.starlinetours.com/los-angeles-tours.asp


The nearest Studio Tour is Paramount, a bit of a walk, but doable, I would head down Vine Street to Melrose, and head east to the studio.


http://www.paramountstudiotour.com/


The LA Metro Red Line is right there, and Universal Studios Hollywood is right next to Universal/Studio City Station, which is only one stop north of the Hollywood and Highland Station.


The Red Line also can take you to Downtown LA, Olvera Street, Phillippe’s, home of the French Dip and more.


Or you could opt to transfer to the Expo line, which will take you to California Science Center (home of the Space Shuttle Endeavor) also with the National History Museum and USC (all the same stop), also heads to Culver City (Sony Studio Tour) and even now the Santa Monica Pier.


The Blue Line will take you to Long Beach, the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Queen Mary. (And Long Beach offers free tourist bus shuttles)

So plenty to see and do up there.


Now, if you want to visit the Disneyland area, I would take the LA Metro Red Line to Downtown LA (Union Station), and then catch either the Metrolink Train or Amtrak. The big differences, Metrolink is a commuter service and has limited operating hours. Amtrak is designed for both the commuter and the tourist. Amtrak has the later trains running at night, and also has a café car to grab a bite to eat, and even a premium seating area. Amtrak is the more expensive of the two. I would get off at the Fullerton Station, and then catch the OCTA public bus, Route 543 is the preferred bus when running as it is a limited stop bus that runs up and down Harbor Blvd. Route 43 follows the same route, but has more stops, and has evening service, Stops right next to the main Disneyland Pedestrian Entrance. (Yes, IMHO, it is easier to get to Disneyland from the Fullerton Station as compared to Anaheim (ARTIC) station. ARTIC is way overbuilt and a long walk from the train platform to the pickup areas for buses, ART, taxis and Uber/Lyft. Plus the only single bus option is ART Route 15, which is only every 30 minutes with multiple stops. The Fullerton Station, which is a great historic station, is the same basic distance to the DLR as ARTIC, the bus stop and taxi stand are close by, and the OCTA 543/43 runs frequently and Disneyland is straight down Harbor (Direct line). Also a little less time on the train. (More time at the DLR).


The drawback is the timing, especially on the way back (last train leaves Fullerton at 11:15 PM).


So maybe a one-day trip, and then just opt for a Disneyland Park only ticket, since there is so much more than a day’s worth of things to see and do. This require the long commute of about 2+ hours in each direction only once.


Some things to think about.
 
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you have answered your own question....WDW is the play....... Disneyland is the musical......and no one leaves a musical at intermission!!!
 
HI I am taking 2 teenage girls to DL in November. The purpose of the trip is to see a play at the Pantages Theater - but they want to do Disney. My daughter and I have been to WDW - but our exchange student has not been to either.

Do we need 2 days one for each park? (We're up and at 'em and go until close) Is CA worth it? Or is it better to just do one day and get it all in ? If so I'm not sure a hopper pass is worth it due to timing.

We also a hopefully doing the Warner Brothers tour - and I hate driving - so is it possible to get transportation to and from or would I be better changing hotels after a couple of days

I've been sitting on the fence about deciding all this - but have to book flight this week, so it's down to the wire :)
thanks

If you do not like driving then you should change hotels to be within walking distance to the Disney parks. In Hollywood, if you situate yourself right you should be able to use the metro for the Pantages, but you'll still need to drive to the Warner Bros studio. You can take public transportation, but you may find that with the loss of time while on buses and metro might make it worth your while to just drive. LA is definitely a driving city. Enjoy planning, you'll get it figured out, and we have a nice, helpful group here. :)
 
One more thought, since I am on vacation, I would use Starline Tours if based in a Hollywood area Hotel to go to the WB tour instead of public transit, since it a multi-step trip. Another option is Uber/Lyft.


Alas, the Starline Tour to Disneyland brings you back way too early as compared to using Amtrak.
 
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If you do not like driving then you should change hotels to be within walking distance to the Disney parks. In Hollywood, if you sitof trself right you should be able to use the metro for the Pantages, but you'll still need to drive to the Warner Bros studio. You can take public transportation, but you may find that with the loss of time while on buses and metro might make it worth your while to just drive. LA is definitely a driving city. Enjoy planning, you'll get it figured out, and we have a nice, helpful group here. :)
Great! I hadn't thought of that! Do you recommend any reasonable priced hotels close to Disney?
 
Thanks so much for the information everyone! Any suggestions for hotels near Pantages and Near Disney?
 

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