3, 4 or 5 Day PH

[mrsw94]

I am feeling indecisive, and wanted to get some opinions....The price difference between a 3 Day PH and a 5 day PH for our whole group is only $66. We are driving down from the SF Bay on Friday, leaving around noon (so my kids at least go to school part of that day, especially my High Schooler), in the parks Sat, Sun & Mon, then driving home Tuesday. If we spent the extra $$, we could go once we get there on Friday Night, and for a few hours Tuesday.
However, we will have to be at the parks for MM at 7am Sat, so checking in, getting dinner and maybe going for a dip in the pool and then heading to bed on Friday, might be a good idea. Tuesday, the parks open at 9, so it just depends on how late we want to get home, and then my kids have to be at school Wednesday morning....
Uggh...parenting decisions (and the toll on driving) is so hard!!

 

[avalon451]

Hmmm, that's a tough one. I kind of like the 3 full days with a partial day on either end. The first day you just wander, take it all in, take pictures, see a parade, ride a couple smaller rides without lines, have a great meal, see the fireworks. The last day you ride one or two of your favorite rides and get souvenirs. Also, if you are in the parks Friday night, that's one more day of full-on shows, parades and fireworks. It's always good to have as many opportunities to see fireworks as you can, because they can be canceled on short notice and you might end up only getting one chance to see them in a several-day trip.

Also, as a parent of 3 (my youngest is still in high school) I guess I'd reconsider the partial school day Friday. To be honest, how much will they get out of going to class that day- they're going to be ridiculously excited and distracted. I'm 53 and I'm basically good for nothing at work for 3 days before. Will they be missing any crucial tests or anything? If not, I'd just get them excused for the day and get on the road nice and early. Then you can enjoy a lovely, unrushed intro to your weekend.

My two cents' worth. Hope you have a great trip!

 

[mrsw94]

Also, as a parent of 3 (my youngest is still in high school) I guess I'd reconsider the partial school day Friday. To be honest, how much will they get out of going to class that day- they're going to be ridiculously excited and distracted. I'm 53 and I'm basically good for nothing at work for 3 days before. Will they be missing any crucial tests or anything? If not, I'd just get them excused for the day and get on the road nice and early. Then you can enjoy a lovely, unrushed intro to your weekend.

My two cents' worth. Hope you have a great trip!

That is a totally valid point! Part of me feels bad, she's a high school Junior, so I debate if pulling her out of school at all is a good idea. At the same time, she's a good student, and I don't do it often. She would already miss 3 days of her hardest classes (AP US History, Physics & Algebra 2), so having her miss the whole day would only add 1 more tough class to the mix (the other 3 classes are easy).....Now I have more thinking to do...and I might have to convince the Hubby.....

 

[theluckyrabbit]

When are your trip dates? This can make a big difference about whether you'll need the extra two days. Mondays now have the reputation of being very busy days, so you might not get as much done on that day, even with a whole day in the parks. Having the extra time on the arrival and departure days might make up for this.

 

[smartlabelprint]

I’d get a 4 day. Leave as early as possible Friday. No school if I tests. Have a half day Friday.

 

[mrsw94]

I’d get a 4 day. Leave as early as possible Friday. No school if I tests. Have a half day Friday.

I think that's what we are leaning towards. Hubby thinks it might be too hard to get on the road at a decent time on Tuesday if we hit the Parks, so I think $50 more to be able to go for a while on Friday is worth it. Worst case, she gets a lower grade for missing the extra class, and I think we are willing to risk that....

 

[Winnowill]

When we bought our tickets from LMTClub, we were originally planning on getting 3-day PHs. Then we realized that we could get in Thursday afternoon, so we figured we'd spend a few hours in the parks. Then we realized that we didn't have to get back to Phoenix in time for dance class on Monday, so we could spend a few hours in the morning, too. In the end, adding the extra two days only added about $15 per ticket.

 

[smartlabelprint]

When we bought our tickets from LMTClub, we were originally planning on getting 3-day PHs. Then we realized that we could get in Thursday afternoon, so we figured we'd spend a few hours in the parks. Then we realized that we didn't have to get back to Phoenix in time for dance class on Monday, so we could spend a few hours in the morning, too. In the end, adding the extra two days only added about $15 per ticket.

That's what I did for my dec trip. It was 15 to add the evening on my arrival day. Of course!!!

 

[tink89]

Im not sure what dates you are going, but leaving at 12 pm from the bay area can be a 6- 8 hour drive. We did it once also pulled the kids out of school early and like pp said trust me the kids were looking at the clock the whole time while in class and not really learning. We also had to stop and get lunch and then stop for the bathroom later. i would also suggest just leaving early in the AM. I think we got to our hotel around 8 pm that time. We know leave around 6 am or earlier and arrive before noon. We usually leave that day for pool, relaxing and maybe DtD shopping. Maybe a character dinner at Goofys.


I would suggest staying with the 3 day park hoppers and if you think you need an extra day add it on the third day.

 

[ExcitedMama]

It’s such a long drive and there’s so much more traffic if you leave later, and Friday’s are just madness that I’d recommend you reconsider. It seems like the highways are at a standstill by 2 now. Who’s going to concentrate on school when you’re leaving early for vacation? Leave earlier and have more time together and less time stuck in the car.

 

[pharmama]

Along the same lines thinking about travel time but this time for the last day/trip home... we've done this trip (Bay area to SoCal) a million times between DLR and family we have down there. We actually do not find benefit in trying to leave DLR/SoCal first thing in the morning as this often means you encounter rush hour traffic leaving LA AND potentially some coming into they bay area depending on exactly where you're going and what route you come in. It's not a whole lot better to leave late morning as then you hit full bay area traffic in the afternoon/evening. We usually leave early-mid afternoon- make sure we get out of the LA basin before 4-5pm. It's relatively smooth sailing from there. Yes you get in a little late but some of our fastest trips and most painless trips home have been on this schedule.

As far as arrival day, we also have not had great luck with the leave at noon plan, especially on Fridays. That said, we still do it, often when the kids have a minimum day at school, as we try not to pull kids out of school for Disney. I do love being able to go in the parks for a few hours Friday evening and just catch the fireworks or some such if we get there in time. That said, I'm arriving tonight in plenty of time for that (flying) but DD wants to go play at the pool instead. Guess I'll watch fireworks from there (staying at the Hojo).

 

[tarheelalum]

I'd do the 5 day.

 

[CO2CA]

That's what we were debating for my aunt's ticket. We went from doing a 3-day pass to a 5-day pass! We'll have 3 full days with half days on either end, so might as well get as much as we can!

I totally empathize with your daughter on the classes. We went out of school for Disneyland trips (with several AP classes on the schedule) a few times throughout high school. While it was a little challenging getting caught back up, I thought it was totally worth it. Maybe she can get some of the coursework completed beforehand so she'll be ahead of the game. You'll never regret maximizing family time, so I say do as many days as you can

 

[deedubb]

Also, as a parent of 3 (my youngest is still in high school) I guess I'd reconsider the partial school day Friday. To be honest, how much will they get out of going to class that day- they're going to be ridiculously excited and distracted. I'm 53 and I'm basically good for nothing at work for 3 days before. Will they be missing any crucial tests or anything? If not, I'd just get them excused for the day and get on the road nice and early. Then you can enjoy a lovely, unrushed intro to your weekend.

My two cents' worth. Hope you have a great trip!

^^^This.

Get at least a 4 day. Drive down Thurs night and have 4 full park days.

 

[mrsw94]

Decision made! 5 Day Hoppers it is!! We have some commitments we can't miss Thursday night, so we'll head down first thing Friday morning. I did promise the Hubby we'd leave by noon on Tuesday so he doesn't have to drive Highway 152 in the dark. (Totally understandable!) I am so excited!!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[pharmama]

Decision made! 5 Day Hoppers it is!! We have some commitments we can't miss Thursday night, so we'll head down first thing Friday morning. I did promise the Hubby we'd leave by noon on Tuesday so he doesn't have to drive Highway 152 in the dark. (Totally understandable!) I am so excited!!

If this looks like it might happen, we’ve taken the cut over at the 46 to Paso Robles multiple times recently. We find it doesn’t add a whole lot more time and we like the drive up 101 a little better. Some good dinner options in Paso too- certainly more variety than the usual mayhem/mediocrity in Ketteman City/along the 5.

 

[mrsw94]

If this looks like it might happen, we’ve taken the cut over at the 46 to Paso Robles multiple times recently. We find it doesn’t add a whole lot more time and we like the drive up 101 a little better. Some good dinner options in Paso too- certainly more variety than the usual mayhem/mediocrity in Ketteman City/along the 5.

Ohhh...that's good to know! Thanks! We've only ever done 152 or 580 home.

 

[ExcitedMama]

We take 46 too but we live on the central coast so it’s our closest way without having to overshoot north. They have been doing construction on 46 for awhile now which can have a lane closed and it’s been similar at 101 as they are finishing up a project. Check out what it looks like on your navigation app to see if it will cause you any delays. 152 can be awful with crashes though so it can be best to avoid that route.

 

[mrsw94]

We take 46 too but we live on the central coast so it’s our closest way without having to overshoot north. They have been doing construction on 46 for awhile now which can have a lane closed and it’s been similar at 101 as they are finishing up a project. Check out what it looks like on your navigation app to see if it will cause you any delays. 152 can be awful with crashes though so it can be best to avoid that route.

Thank you! We'll keep an eye on it.