2 weeks at Disneyland. Will we get bored?

[Susie63]

There are some great things in here that can only be done at Disneyland..... where it all started....

http://findingmickey.squarespace.com/disneyland-facts/main-street-usa/3569479

 

[Angel Ariel]

Remember there's only 2 parks in Anaheim, not 4 like at WDW. I would definitely find out if there's some fun events around the area you can check out.

There may only be two parks, but in terms of shows and rides there is almost the same amount "to do" in dlr and wdw

 

[ADLFAN]

Is it your first time at Disneyland? I am SO jealous that you'll get to take your sweet time to explore and experience Disneyland! We rushed through like insane people, trying to go on that one thing again or buy that whatever we saw yesterday, trying and failing to buy cute souvenirs for everyone back home! I would love two whole weeks to slow down and enjoy Disneyland, with plenty of time for relaxed meals and spa/pool time.

I would also recommend Knot's Berry Farm, it is also a historical California amusement park, which I believe Walt even toured and borrowed ideas from when he was building Disneyland. It has an adorable Wild West themed area with cool souvenirs like pioneer clothing and customized hand stamped horse shoes and THE BEST marionberry funnel cake in the world! The coasters are super thrilling and like nothing Disney offers!

We went to Huntington Beach because traffic was rough and we bailed on San Diego, but I wish we'd persevered because Huntington was pretty disappointing and I have heard the prettiest beaches and coves are down near San Diego.

Universal Studios was ok, but I wish we'd sprung for the front of the line passes. The rides were also a bit similar with the use of screens and little camouflage to hide your surroundings.

I think a movie studio tour sounds awesome! Maybe a road trip to San Francisco to see the Walt Disney Family Museum, which looks totally amazing and covers so much more history than their tour!

Have fun planning!

 

[mom2rtk]

I could spend 2 weeks onsite at DLR and never feel bored. Given the length of time you are used to spending at WDW, I think 2 weeks will just feel perfect to you.

We have done 9 nights at DLR and not been bored. You'll be fine.

 

[4Mickeys]

I did 9 1/2 days at DL last year but with my 3 kids. We did not get bored in fact there are still many things we didn't see or do. A few days after moving on from DL to other parts of our holiday my daughter was wishing to go back to DL lol. Agree with checking our other things to see or do in the surrounding areas to get out of the DL bubble for a little while. We are Aussies too and I agree with having to make the most of our trips to the USA due to the flying time and cost.

 

[Minniekins]

As others have said, if you spend all those weeks in WDW, two weeks at DL should be great for you guys! Interested to hear what you guys end up doing!]

2 weeks, there's a lot of details you can check out with that kind of time. I would plan rides on the slower days (Tuesday/Wednesday), casual strolls around the park on busier days. A day with a Cabana by the pool if this tickles your fancy. Some time in DTD, maybe catch a concert. Also stroll around the hotel areas too, always cool to have a tour.

For offsite activities in the area, beach one day might be good (Huntington or Newport). Medieval Times/Pirates Adventure in Buena Park. Could do Knotts too. For shopping a trip to Brea Mall would be worth it. There's a Melting Pot restaurant (fondue) and Yard House (100 beers) nearby. Other nearby Malls include Block at Orange (Outlets) and Santa Ana Mainplace.

Venturing to LA, checking out El Capitan and Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Daily tours from Disneyland. Burbank Studios would be worth it too. Maybe do Universal Studios and Citywalk if feeling adventuresome. If you really dig the good life Beverly Hills is there.

For your San Diego trip, be sure to check out Gaslamp district in downtown. SeaWorld too depending on your opinion. Legoland is another fun place for the kid in everyone.

Where would you find info on all these choices, like how would you know what choices there were to choose from? Like the daily tours from Disneyland? And how long would something like this take and cost?

Is it your first time at Disneyland? I am SO jealous that you'll get to take your sweet time to explore and experience Disneyland! We rushed through like insane people, trying to go on that one thing again or buy that whatever we saw yesterday, trying and failing to buy cute souvenirs for everyone back home! I would love two whole weeks to slow down and enjoy Disneyland, with plenty of time for relaxed meals and spa/pool time.

I would also recommend Knot's Berry Farm, it is also a historical California amusement park, which I believe Walt even toured and borrowed ideas from when he was building Disneyland. It has an adorable Wild West themed area with cool souvenirs like pioneer clothing and customized hand stamped horse shoes and THE BEST marionberry funnel cake in the world! The coasters are super thrilling and like nothing Disney offers!

We went to Huntington Beach because traffic was rough and we bailed on San Diego, but I wish we'd persevered because Huntington was pretty disappointing and I have heard the prettiest beaches and coves are down near San Diego.

Universal Studios was ok, but I wish we'd sprung for the front of the line passes. The rides were also a bit similar with the use of screens and little camouflage to hide your surroundings.

I think a movie studio tour sounds awesome! Maybe a road trip to San Francisco to see the Walt Disney Family Museum, which looks totally amazing and covers so much more history than their tour!

Have fun planning!

Hmm, how far is San Francisco and the WDF museum from DL? That seems like it might take an entire day and renting a car! Sounds cool, but not sure I'd want to rent a car in such an unfamiliar area, lol, since it'd be me or DD25 driving and neither of us knows the area at all.

But, if I had two weeks, maybe we'd find a way to do some of the tours somehow, that could be cool! We have a first trip coming in May for 7 days, so maybe we'll search for something for at least one day, and maybe add one more park day. Interesting thread!

 

[94bruin]

As others have said, if you spend all those weeks in WDW, two weeks at DL should be great for you guys! Interested to hear what you guys end up doing!]



Where would you find info on all these choices, like how would you know what choices there were to choose from? Like the daily tours from Disneyland? And how long would something like this take and cost?



Hmm, how far is San Francisco and the WDF museum from DL? That seems like it might take an entire day and renting a car! Sounds cool, but not sure I'd want to rent a car in such an unfamiliar area, lol, since it'd be me or DD25 driving and neither of us knows the area at all.

But, if I had two weeks, maybe we'd find a way to do some of the tours somehow, that could be cool! We have a first trip coming in May for 7 days, so maybe we'll search for something for at least one day, and maybe add one more park day. Interesting thread!

San Francisco is a 7-8 hour drive away. Definitely NOT a day trip!

 

[YukonMommy]

When we go its always for at least 12-15 days! We never get bored. We take our time, peek in every shop, watch every show/parade. We have leisurely lunches watching the people of Disney going to and fro. We were always there at park opening (which in January is like 10am) and leave around supper (we sometimes ate supper in the park, but usually went out). We rode every ride, numerous times. The kids swam in the hotel pool some evenings. We love vacationing this way! Have the Most Magical time!

 

[mummabear]

We travel from NZ so normally do similar to you and are away for at least 2 weeks, we get the 10 day NZ/OZ passes and use them all happily, we do have 3 young kids in tow however.
We also always stay at least 1 night in SD and hit the Zoo and Seaworld with a day at each, this last trip we did the Safari park and there is a great outlet mall right on the border.

 

[DnA2010]

We were there in Oct and had 5 day hoppers and a HP and I felt like it was way to packed and wished that we easily had double the time, so I think 2 weeks would be no problem at all Especially if you are used to WDW for such a great period of time!

 

[jrsharp21]

I love DL with all my heart, but there is no way I could spend a solid two weeks there! I would be done after about 5 days. There is so much to do in So Cal, maybe you can add a few things on?

Same here. We have found that about 3 days is what we are good with. But then we are a family who likes to go from rope drop until close. Usually by the end of day 3 we start asking "what do you want to do now?".

I would definitely mix in a day at Knott's or even Universal Studios. Maybe hit up the beaches or Santa Monica Pier.

 

[VandVsmama]

Ok, one thing to keep in mind regarding Disneyland is **most** American visitors to Disneyland only go there for a couple of days...3 days is about average. For an American visitor, 5 days would be considered a long Disneyland trip. So consider that point of view when reading feedback that says things along the lines of "yes you would be bored because I would be bored after 5 days."

If when your family goes to WDW, you stay for 5-6 weeks at a time, then no, you will NOT be bored spending 2 weeks at Disneyland. Consider that even though DL Resort has 2 parks instead of the 4 at WDW, those 2 parks at DL have basically about the same number of attractions. True, DL does not have stuff like the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Review.

Especially since you said that your WDW travel style tends to be very relaxed...sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast, get to the parks late morning to midday, then 2 weeks is going to be just right for you. You will not have to do what MOST of us American visitors to DL end up doing...trying to cram in as much as possible multiple days in a row, where we go from park opening to park closing.

Since you'll likely have 10-day park hopper tickets, you can even combine local side trips AND Disneyland on the same day if you wanted to. For example, "Hey, let's do some shopping while we're here so we can take advantage of cheaper prices here in the US. So let's shop at a local mall in the morning and spend the afternoon and evening at Disneyland." Since you'll be there for 2 weeks, you can totally do this and still get plenty of relaxing time at DL and not feel like you're rushed or missing out on anything.

Or you could spend part of the day at the beach and have dinner at DL and go on rides in the evening. How cool would that be?

Or you can go on one of the Disneyland tours and not feel like you're "wasting" very limited & valuable ride time in a tour (this is my thought process on my family's short 3-day trips to Disneyland....we live in Arizona).

 

[VandVsmama]

How bored you get depends on the individual. But you may get tired and burned out a little. Pace yourself. Don't focus on rides. Don't ever be in a hurry to do anything. Be in the experience. Stop. Sit. Watch. Believe in magic.

FreshBakedDisney is totally right about this. You should go and watch some of his videos on his YouTube channel for examples of the "be in the experience" thing. Go to the outdoor seating area at the French Market, sit at a table and snack on some Mickey beignets, and watch/listen to the Dixieland jazz band that often plays there, and people watch. It's a lot of fun.

 

[hootey]

We went for ten days five years ago and had a great time. Stayed at the DL Hotel and had our oldest son's best friend and mother with us! Rope drop every morning, pools/waterslides in the afternoon, and almost closed the parks every night! We went in every door, every store, and every shop, ended up in employee areas a couple times . Enjoyed character meals, all the rides, and were lucky enough to get pictures with about all the DL characters. We could have stayed several more days without any problems but, the wife's boss was getting nervous that we were not coming back. Enjoy every minute of it!

 

[Aussie Princess]

Hi everyone,

Just throwing this question out there. We have booked a two week trip at Disneyland from 7th February 2016. Aside from a day trip to San Diego Zoo, we will be spending the rest of the time at Disney and we will have AP's so able to go into the parks everyday. We are two adults and I'm a little worried that we will be bored during the trip. My sister has never been to Disneyland and I have been once for four days. We usually visit WDW and stay for 5-6 weeks at a time (we travel from Australia so longer trips work our financially more viable) We have never become bored during our WDW trips. I know several rides and shows are down during our trip (Fantasmic, Soarin, WOC is down for a few days into our trip I believe) I will say that we aren't park open to close people, we are more likely to sleep in and arrive later in the morning. We will have a few sit down meals and at least one or two tours as well. We are staying on property so going back to the resort for a swim if it's warm enough is possible as well.

So thoughts everyone. Will we get bored?

Thanks!

We just returned in December from 2 weeks at Disneyland we used the full 10 days of our pass we went to San Diego zoo, went shopping at Ontario Mills and Mainplace Mall went to the ice hockey

We had a car for a week of the 2 weeks so we were able to explore a lot more and provided with a lot of flexibility
We have a 4 yr old with special needs to flexibility was a must

 

[barbaraann]

Sounds wonderful to me. I wish that I could afford a long trip like that. Of course, with so much construction going on starting in a few weeks, and lasting into 2017, maybe I should start saving. Then when everything is again up and running, I can plan and afford a very long Disneyland vacation.

 

[Meemoo]

Hi everyone,

Just throwing this question out there. We have booked a two week trip at Disneyland from 7th February 2016. Aside from a day trip to San Diego Zoo, we will be spending the rest of the time at Disney and we will have AP's so able to go into the parks everyday. We are two adults and I'm a little worried that we will be bored during the trip. My sister has never been to Disneyland and I have been once for four days. We usually visit WDW and stay for 5-6 weeks at a time (we travel from Australia so longer trips work our financially more viable) We have never become bored during our WDW trips. I know several rides and shows are down during our trip (Fantasmic, Soarin, WOC is down for a few days into our trip I believe) I will say that we aren't park open to close people, we are more likely to sleep in and arrive later in the morning. We will have a few sit down meals and at least one or two tours as well. We are staying on property so going back to the resort for a swim if it's warm enough is possible as well.

So thoughts everyone. Will we get bored?

Thanks!

I would not be bored. We recently went with a 10 day entry pass, from Australia also. There are things I still didn't do. Sometimes it is nice to do everything at a more relaxed pace too and have half days etc. I love DL, would never get bored!

 

[azdisneylover]

You could learn to draw lots of characters in the Disney Animation Building! Such a fun way to relax and create a special souvenir! With two weeks, you can feel relaxed, not rushed at the parks and in DTD. You could take in a movie or two then, grab a bite to eat in one of the restaurants in DTD, then catch the monorail to get back in the park. Sounds like you will have a great vacation! I would love to have two weeks in the parks.

 

[taniahappy]

I dont think so. If you take it slow and add other things / activities to it.

 

[RKKUNK]

My family would definitely NOT be bored! We usually have an AP about every other year. This year we have averaged a 2-3 day visit every month. Every visit we say we are going to slow down and just take our time and look at all of the little things there are to see at DL, but every time, we are busy going from ride to ride and shows and fireworks, etc. You will have a great time! I would love to be there for 2 weeks! So many other things to do in the area, too.

I think that you mentioned that you are staying onsite. Not sure which hotel you are at, but the DLH pools are under construction starting Jan. 4th-late spring. The slides will still be open and you can use the pool at one of the other resort hotels. Just in case you didn't know.