2 and 4 year old in So. Cal. - Help needed!

[elainabelle]

After a fabulous trip to WDW this past February, my husband and I have decided to visit the other coast with our 2 and 4 year old. Our (very)preliminary plans are to fly into San Diego, spend a few days visiting the zoo, sea world, wild life park and maybe a beach and then travel to LA to visit DL and DCA. Here are my many questions:

DisneyLand area:
-What restaurants would you suggest? (We loved the dinner at Chef Mickey's for the fun atmosphere and characters. anything like that at DL?)

-What hotel would you suggest that is reasonably priced?

-Are there any websites like Debs WDW site for Disney Land? I am finding it difficult to get the detailed information that I did for our trip to WDW.

-Is DCA a park my kids will enjoy or are they too young?

-Any tips and suggestions and must do's for both parks would be great.

San Diego:
-Are the beaches too cold in February? I would love my kids to see the ocean (they never have, we live in Minnesota). What would be some other ocean activities you would suggest if it is too cold? If it is not too cold, what beaches would you suggest?

-Special things to do at the places I mentioned we would visit, (ie. Dinner with Shamu, etc.)?

- Is legoland worth visiting?

-kid friendly restaurants?

-Centrally located, kid friendly, reasonably priced hotels??

I am so sorry for the length and the many questions. Clearly any and all help will be much appreciated!!

 

[Michelle]

Hi elainabelle, and welcome!

I'll try and help with a few of these.

First of all YES, the beaches are quite cold in February, unless we got an unusual warm streak. Definitely not swimming weather, it will probably be highs in the low 60s at most and lows in the 40s at night. Certainly warm enough for a stroll on the beach but not "laying out" or swimming weather. The beaches also tend to be overcast much of the day in the winter.

Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel is much like Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary. They serve character breakfast, lunch and dinner.

There are things for kids to at DCA; they just opened the new "Bug's Land" last year with a few rides for little ones, plus some others they could do.

Legoland is actually GREAT with young kids, it is geared to the under-10 crowd and your kids would find plenty to do there.

As for hotels, you can stay onsite at one of the three Disney hotels plus there are a whole bunch of offsite "Good Neighbor" hotels nearby. It all depends on your budget.

Hope that helps a little!

 

[Gottaluvthemouse]

Here is some info on some of the restaurants at DLR. Ariel's Grotto is a character meal that serves both lunch & dinner at DCA the characters are Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip n Dale & of course Ariel.
There is the Storytellers Breakfast at the Storytellers Café in Disney's Grand Californian Hotel you can choose from an all-you-care-to-eat Farmer's Market buffet or menu items.
Disney's PCH Grill Breakfast is at the Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel this features an All-you-care-to eat breakfast with Minnie & Daisy.
Inside Disneyland is the Plaza Inn Breakfast featuring many of your favorite Disney Characters with an all-you-care-to-eat buffet & made to order omelets & Mickey waffle bar.
On a much lighter note most children love "Club Buzz - Lightyear's Above the Rest" in Tomorrowland especially if you time your visit to coincide with the stage show, "Calling all Space Scouts: A Buzz Lightyear Adventure."
Blue Bayou is surprising fun for most children especially if you make reservations ahead of time by calling (714) 781-DINE and requesting a front row table. There they can watch the boats from the Pirates of the Caribbean as the float by. They will be treated to Pirates hats (paper) and forget they are eating a more nutritious meal!

 

[Elly]

After a fabulous trip to WDW this past February, my husband and I have decided to visit the other coast with our 2 and 4 year old. Our (very)preliminary plans are to fly into San Diego, spend a few days visiting the zoo, sea world, wild life park and maybe a beach and then travel to LA to visit DL and DCA. Here are my many questions:

DisneyLand area:
-What restaurants would you suggest? (We loved the dinner at Chef Mickey's for the fun atmosphere and characters. anything like that at DL?)

-What hotel would you suggest that is reasonably priced?

-Are there any websites like Debs WDW site for Disney Land? I am finding it difficult to get the detailed information that I did for our trip to WDW.

-Is DCA a park my kids will enjoy or are they too young?

As long as you are getting multi-day passes, you will find things to enjoy with your little ones in DCA. Flik's Fun Fair in a Bug's Land is a new area just for little kids. They would enjoy the Electrical Parade and Playhouse Disney as well.

-Any tips and suggestions and must do's for both parks would be great.

Be sure to see any parades that are available. Visit Toon Town and see quite a few characters there. Do a character meal.

San Diego:
-Are the beaches too cold in February? I would love my kids to see the ocean (they never have, we live in Minnesota). What would be some other ocean activities you would suggest if it is too cold? If it is not too cold, what beaches would you suggest?

You can rent beach bikes at Coronado Beach at the Hotel Del Coronado. They have ones the whole family can ride in at once, very fun with little ones and you can do it no matter what the weather.

The Children's Pool beach is a great place to see a lot of seals resting on the shore in the evening. It is closed for swimming due to the danger of swimming with the seals, but it would be fun for them to see.

-Centrally located, kid friendly, reasonably priced hotels??

The hotel with the best location of all is the Best Western Park Place Inn which is directly across the street. With little ones you will be glad to be so close! The rooms also offer a little mini-suite area which consists of a couch/coffee table which is nice to have some extra room to spread out. The pool isn't very fancy though.

Another well regarded hotel is the Candy Cane Inn which is a 7 minute walk, but also offers a free direct shuttle every 30 minutes.

Both these restaurants offer free breakfasts.

 

[QueenTriton]

I would check out Legoland's website and info first. Many of the rides have height restrictions and while not too tall, it may eliminate your 2 year old from a lot.

Try www.mouseplanet.com for detailed park guides and a message board as well.

Have fun!

 

[ADisneyPrincess]

Laughingplace.com has good trip planning boards and information. For hotels, the Disneyland Hotel is fun for small kids, but can be spendy (I've gotten good deals through Expedia). Offsite I like the Candy Cane Inn (includes breakfast and they have their own shuttle) or the Hojo. Best Western Park Place is right across the street. I liked it OK, but liked the Candy Cane Inn and Hojo's much better.

If you get Hopper tickets definately don't miss DCA. There aren't as many kids things as DL, but there are some, plus it's a very pretty park. DCA child friendly attractions include A Bug's Land which has 4-5 rides, King Triton's Carousel, the Sun Wheel, maybe the Golden Zephyr (I don't remember if there is a height limit), Muppet Vision 3D, Tough to be a Bug (depends on your child if they'll like it) and various live stage shows with characters.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Consider adding Knott's to your itinerary. Camp Snoopy is perfect for your kids' ages. Much more laid back than Disneyland and could be a welcome break from the over-stimulation that can come from the Happiest Place on Earth.

 

[elainabelle]

I cannot state strongly enough how much I appreciate this board! You all are fabulous. Thank you for all of the tips and I welcome any more suggestions that are out there.

Another question:

Where in San Diego is the Children's Pool located (with the seals)?

 

[carriep1657]

Legoland is awesome for kids that age. It is true that your 2 year old won't be able to go on many rides. S/he will probably be able to go on only 3 rides but there are lots of things for him/her to do and see. The 4 year old should be able to go on most rides. We have gone twice. The first time DD was 23 months. The second time, DS was almost 2 and DD was 4. DD much prefered it to Disneyland on both visits.

 

[Elly]

Here is some more info I copied from another website:

The Children's Pool (850 Coast Boulevard), also known as the Casa, is a small beach partially protected by a seawall. The original intention was to create a fully protected swimming area, but sand has filled in much of the area inside the wall. This is a very picturesque beach with a panoramic view. During much of the year, seals and sea lions are present on or near the beach and a reserve for these marine mammals, called Seal Rock, is just offshore.

There is very limited on-street parking at La Jolla Cove. Onstreet parking can be difficult to find, particularly in summer. It is limited to three hours at a time on weekdays and unlimited on weekends, but check the signs for any restrictions. Paid parking is available in downtown La Jolla at several locations and is a short walk from the beach.

From the north, take Interstate 5 to La Jolla Village Drive, westbound. Turn left on Torrey Pines Road at the signalized intersection. Follow Torrey Pines Road to the signalized intersection at Prospect Street and turn right. Watch for the signs and bear right on Coast Boulevard.

From the south, take Interstate 5 north to Ardath Road. Continue on Ardath Road as it becomes Torrey Pines Road. Follow Torrey Pines Road to the signalized intersection at Prospect Street and turn right. Watch for the signs and bear right on Coast Boulevard.

 

[Llisa]

My family's favourite restaurant was Mimi's Cafe - it's not in DL but it just across the street and a short block or so north on Harbour Blvd. It's VERY kid friendl, the food was absolutely delicious and we found the prices to be quite reasonable too.

 

[MateasMom]

Originally posted by elainabelle


Where in San Diego is the Children's Pool located (with the seals)?

I posted on your 'priceline' thread and suggested the Hyatt Regency La Jolla. We just came back from there and LOVE it! Childrens Pool is in La Jolla. We also went to Torry Pines beach which was very low key and beautiful (just north of La Jolla)...but it probably isn't incredibly interesting if it's too cold to play in the water.

 

[Bell Family]

We took our kids when DD was 7 and DS was 2. The 7 year old had a blast. The 2 year old was frustrated because there was no consistency on the measuring for height restrictions. He was just 36 inches, but some rides they measured him tall enough and other he was an inch short (even though the posted height restriction was 36 inches). This happened betweeen two rides right next to each other. I could not blame him for his feelings. I did complain, but I am not sure anything happened.

It is a very nice park, but just thought I would let you know to be prepared.

Mimi's Cafe is a chain, but it has great food, reasonable prices and a great kids menu. They are located throughout So. Cal.

Also in DCA - The Aladdin show is great - it is just long enough to cover the story and not loose the attention of a 2 year old., The recently opened the Playhouse Disney Show - same as at MGM so if your kids liked it there, they should enjoy it here. There are also a couple of playground areas where they can run off some energy.

You can try the message boards at Laughingplace.com and mouseplanet.com - more Disneyland AP holders hang out there than at DisBoards.

Have fun