What would you do in 1-2 days after Disneyland (July)?

[ella6599]

We've just decided to go to DL this summer- seduced by the 60th anniversary We're huge WDW fans, but this will be our first trip to Disneyland (and second trip to California- first was to San Fran about 6 or 7 years ago).
It will be me, DH, DD13 and DD11. We're getting ready to book our flight now, and the original plan was 4 days at DL and 1 at Universal, fly out the following day. We have the flexibility to extend 1 more day (although flight will be slightly more if we do that) but no longer.
While doing frantic "are we sure we don't want to spend the extra day" vs keeping it cheaper/having an extra day to recover before back to work, I hit upon the idea of the Warner Brother's studio tour- possibly as part of the Anaheim tour. Also, on the thought of heading down the coast, possibly to San Diego.

For background on our family- we love Disney, and have also been to Universal Orlando, Busch Gardens and Sea World in Florida (just recently to the later two)- the others were fun, but no candle to Disney. We're not huge thrill ride people (I get motion sick, and DH doesn't really like heights, my youngest likes log flumes, and 3D movie type rides, but hates coaster. 13 year old is ok with coasters but doesn't like to ride alone). We like shows. I always loved the Backlot tour at DHS (although when we went with the girls a few years ago, they were slightly underwhelmed because it was crowded and hard to hear). We enjoy shows, although, between DL and our recent other theme park trips, probably wouldn't miss that if we skip Universal. The girls are not really old enough to have a HUGE Hollywood background, but both are addicted to screen- my oldest wants to perform on Broadway when she grows up and my youngest says she wants to be a game show host (which is completely out of left field since she doesn't watch game shows but they are both into entertainment). We love animals and would enjoy going to the San Diego Zoo- but I wonder if that would be better saved for a future trip?

So...to sum it up...I think DH and I are sold on the combo tour, but wonder if the girls would be interested in it? (they don't know that we're going yet, and probably don't know that there is a Universal Studios Park out there, if that helps). And, would it be worth one day (or two, if we skip the other Hollywood stuff...but that seems like a bit of a shame since we all DO love movies and the entertainment industry) to get a flavor of the coast/San Diego...or would that be too rushed and better put back on the bucket list for a later time)

If you made it through this post...thanks for your input!

 

[4Parksoneworld]

We did 6 days in So Cal a few years ago with our 2 girls (stayed in Dana Point) plus 4 days in DL.
There was plenty to do. We favor the Orange County Beaches and SD; but did spend 1 (long) day in LA touring the Hollywood Bowl (the rehearsals are free to watch on some days); Hollywood, Griffin Observatory and ended the day at Santa Monica Pier.
I am not a big fan of LA / Hollywood, and if you have never been to Hollywood, keep in mind that it is only a couple of blocks, and there is little to do there (except pay money to get pics with lookalike celebrities, find stars on the walk of fame, etc..)
If you have 2 days, you could spend 1 in LA and 1 on the beach, or the extra day in SD. SD / La jolla is beautiful.

 

[l4dyj8]

Hollywood itself isn't very appealing. If you were there to see a taping like Jimmy Kimmel or a show at the Pantages... Then great! Or even a movie at El CApitan. But I wouldn't go out of your way to go there. It's better suited for the twenty-something's and up, seeking out bar hoping or a nightlife. Aka not family friendly. You either have the center with chain stores like Gap and Sephora. But the rest are tourist stores with cheap memorabilia.

I haven't been to universal in years and I actually lived less than a mile away for 10 years. It doesn't have that return appeal as Disneyland. (They used to offer a buy 1 ticket get the year for free deal... If that tells you anything.) I can be wrong, they have added a lot more. I'll return for Hogwarts but that is still in the works.

But should you want to do something in the LA area there are still plentiful things. Warner brothers lot tour has good reviews. Consider flying out of Burbank if you do.

 

[4under4]

My vote would be for San Diego. It's not that far from DL, especially when everything "close" is so congested with traffic. It's a lovely drive, and a great day trip, or overnight if you're willing to make the switch. We did a family reunion (years ago) near Anaheim, and had no problem adding in a day trip to S.D. We even stopped at an Mission San Luis Rey on the way back and had time to tour that at a leisurely pace.

FYI for the movie lovers, the hole-in-wall from the final scene in Top Gun is in S.D. ;-) Also, there are a bunch of Hollywood Star pictures if you tour the hotel Del Coronado, which is a truly stunning location to visit and just order a snack or drink!

 

[bcla]

I like Exposition Park, although the surrounding neighborhood is iffy at night. There's a reason why the USC campus turns into a fortress at night.

 

[ella6599]

One thing I neglected to do was post the actual tour we were thinking of- it's the Anaheim Tour Companies Warner Bros. Studio and Moviestar Homes Tour https://anaheimtourcompany.com/product/combo-tour-warner-brothers-and-moviestar-homes/ which I found when I was expanding on the "if we do the Warner Bros Tour instead of Universal, what will we do with the rest of the day?" Does that tour sound like a better idea than just wandering around Hollywood, or does it still seem like a miss, for our particular group?
We've booked our flight, and ended up with only 5 full days, and 1 half day on arrival (although we have to get up crazy early to get to the airport, so I'm not counting on much for that day). 4 are planned for Disney
Keeping in mind that we won't have a car unless we rent one for the day (if we take the tour we wouldn't need one, and our hotel is in walking distance), how would you rank our options?
1. Do the tour above
2. Do the Warner bros tour only, and something else near by for the rest of the day (suggestions? I've looked at Discovery Science Center, and Hurricane Harbor in the area- which would both be things that we would enjoy, but would not be "must-do's". Or rent a car and go somewhere close outside the city? I don't know the area- I've heard of a lot of the beaches but don't know alot about what's there)
3. Go back to the original plan of Universal Studios
4. Rent a car and drive to San Diego (keeping in mind that our start will be delayed by needing to rent a car first, and we'll need to be back by a reasonable time that night, either to hit the park the next day, or head out from the airport depending on when we do it)- or to somewhere else along the coast (as above, I would need recommendations)

 

[l4dyj8]

The tour you found sounds like a lot in one day. But it saves you from driving at all. Which I think is a big plus. It's a personal choice if it appeals to you and your family. I personally cannot comment on the sites. On a side note, celebrity spotting is pretty simple, like the grocery store or a local restaurant.

You can always do WB tour and Universal in one day. They are really minutes from each other. (And same side of the hill so you won't have to deal with traffic.)

If you wanted to go to the beach, OC beaches are a bit more appealing. But rather a wasted visit if you were to go to WB (Burbank) and then back to Orange County. It's always best to just stick with an area than rush around driving.

 

[MYD714]

We did the Warner Bro Studio tour last summer and I highly recommend it. It was fun and we were able to see the sets for Pretty Little Liars and Big Bang Theory. I love PLL, but DH hates it…well, now that he toured the set, he tolerates it enough to yell, "Hey, we walked through that room!"

My husband liked it so much that he wants to do the tour again the next time we go to Disneyland. Part of the tour brings you to a museum building. While we were there, it was full of costumes and props from Harry Potter and Batman. DH loves Batman, and he's still talking about it.