3 or 4 Days?

[Frozen2014]

I know this is a typical question, but asking with our scenarios.

• We are coming from Ontario, Canada and likely our only Disneyland trip
• We are coming late August (I.e. so when it is hot) but we're not the types to return to the hotel during the day for a swim
• Our kids will be 12 and 8.
• We would get park hoppers
• Our son likes rollercoaster but not ones in the dark or that goes upside down. He won't do or see anything princess
• Our daughter won't go on bigger rides
• I am also restricted on rides that accelerate quickly or too jerky due to eye issues
• My husband will go nuts if too much Disney
• We like shows and parades
• We will be staying offsite but in walking distance
• We will also be spending a few days in LA prior to Disney

Is 4 days to much? We have been to Disney World once but our 4 days (plus one evening) was split between 3 different parks plus the Halloween party so we weren't repeating things.

 

[PiratesMansion]

I think you should at least do four evenings. It will make it much easier to see all of the nighttime shows and entertainment.
Perhaps 3 and a half days?

 

[cruisehopeful]

I would do the 4 days because you may just want to go in to see a parade or show on one of the days. Some people block out hours to watch one parade.
If you start to get too much Disney, DCA is a great alternative. It's much more laid back and has much more and better food and drink choices. From there, you can walk directly into the Grand Californian to get a quick snack or sit in Hearthstone lodge and have a drink and cheese plate.

 

[Canuck16]

With this being your only trip to Disneyland I would say 4 days. We come from Kelowna BC and we always get 5 day Hopper tickets and always leave wishing we could have stayed longer.

During the summer they will have nightly entertainment like fireworks and WOC. I am not sure if Fantasmic will be back up by the time of your trip but if it was that is a show not to be missed.....we think it is much better than the one at WDW.

Have a great trip!

 

[Darkbeer1]

I would do three day at Disneyland, and do a day at Knott's Berry Farm, America's first Theme Park for variety. It will help your husbands mood, your son will love most of the roller coasters, good shows, including an very good Ice Skating show featuring the Peanuts Characters, and an very interactive Ghost Town experience during the day, with lots of small shows and interactive things,such as finding the sheriff,who will ask you to do something for him,and that leads to other things and is a fun and different thing. Also many of the shops are things that Disneyland first offered when they open, like Blacksmiths, Glass Blowing, etc. Plus it is at a low costs, about $45 per person if bought in advance. And easy to get to, the LA Metro Route 460 Bus runs between Disneyland and Knott's every 30 minutes,and only takes about 20 minutes in travel time (bus makes limited stops). Also in the area are two great Family Dinner Theater Shows in Medieval Times and the Pirates Dinner Adventure, and hopefully the new Butterfly Palladium will be open by then.

www.visitbuenapark.com

 

[Frozen2014]

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like most lean to 4 days. I guess it doesn't have to be 4 full days, but we may only rent a car for our non Disney days.

Btw... when I say Disneyland, I'm referring to both parks with park hoppers.

Hopefully Fantastic will be back on when we go (week leading up to Labor Day) as we saw it at Disney World and quite enjoyed it.

One of our non Disney days would be Universal Studios, but Knott's Berry Farm is an interesting choice too. Can you tell me more about the Ghost Experience? My DD will be disappointed as Haunted Mansion will most likely be closed so a Ghost Town at the other park may ba an interesting alternative.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Ghost Town Alive is an interactive experience of the Old West, so think Cowboys, Sheriff's, etc. (Not scary as in "Ghosts").

http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-tr-knotts-ghost-town-alive-review-20160609-snap-story.html

Many of the performers at Knott's also work for Disneyland, as they use the same entertainment union. Easy to get two part time jobs and short travel distance between jobs.

 

[Frozen2014]

Ghost Town Alive is an interactive experience of the Old West, so think Cowboys, Sheriff's, etc. (Not scary as in "Ghosts").

http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-tr-knotts-ghost-town-alive-review-20160609-snap-story.html

Many of the performers at Knott's also work for Disneyland, as they use the same entertainment union. Easy to get two part time jobs and short travel distance between jobs.

He he...I saw the word "ghost" and got excited. Thanks for the link.

 

[Aladora]

We're from Victoria, BC and even though we are planning our 10th DL trip we always go for at least 4 days. There is so much to see and do that 3 days never seems enough.

 

[Leopardstars]

I would do 4 days in case it is busy during your trip. That way you get 2 days for DL, 1 day for DCA and 1 days for doing your favourites/extra shows. I not a big thrill ride person, but I love the DLR. There were only just 2 or 3 rides between both parks I wouldn't ride. To give your husband a Disney break, Universal Studios and other local attractions are a good choice.

Another thought is Rivers of America might be open again when you arrive. It's been closed long enough that might increase visits to DL. It could also be something your whole family could enjoy.

 

[Frozen2014]

I would do 4 days in case it is busy during your trip. That way you get 2 days for DL, 1 day for DCA and 1 days for doing your favourites/extra shows. I not a big thrill ride person, but I love the DLR. There were only just 2 or 3 rides between both parks I wouldn't ride. To give your husband a Disney break, Universal Studios and other local attractions are a good choice.

Another thought is Rivers of America might be open again when you arrive. It's been closed long enough that might increase visits to DL. It could also be something your whole family could enjoy.

Thanks. If we get park hoppers then it doesn't matter how we split our days, right?

The thing with us is that we won't be riding due to kids likes and my medical issues. Si want to make sure we don't run out if things.

We will do other things in LA including one day at Universal but logistically, we would have all our Disney days together in offsite hotel (and perhaps no car) and our other days in some other hotel with a car.

 

[Leopardstars]

Thanks. If we get park hoppers then it doesn't matter how we split our days, right?

The thing with us is that we won't be riding due to kids likes and my medical issues. Si want to make sure we don't run out if things.

That's the great thing about park hopper tickets. When we went in 2010, we would choose one park to focus on each day before going to the other park. Same with the evening shows. I would suggest looking at the book "The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland." It details every ride and even goes into what you can experience with minimal rides.

 

[dtrain]

3 days is plenty if you maximize park hours and take advantage of Magic Mornings.

 

[Darkbeer1]

Witha 3 day ParkHopper, starting with the first use, you then have 2 weeks to use the other two days, so lets say you want to go to Knott's for a day, you could do it in the middle for a change of pace.

 

[Frozen2014]

Thanks for the replies. We are not the type to do many magic mornings (having said that, we are staying offsite so I think then you just get one magic morning on Tues, Thurs or Sat?) and we would stay until after dinner but not park close.

That's the great thing about park hopper tickets. When we went in 2010, we would choose one park to focus on each day before going to the other park. Same with the evening shows. I would suggest looking at the book "The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland." It details every ride and even goes into what you can experience with minimal rides.

Thanks. I've actually purchased the kindle version and am still getting through it. I also got the 1 year subscription to Lines, but we won't have wifi as we won't have a data plan coming from Canada so the realtime part won't help us.

 

[MrJT]

I was there in July. It was great. We did three days. I would have loved more time, but after all that walking, I was exhausted beyond belief, and my feet were killing me. That was one thing that I missed about WDW, transportation, you took a bus everywhere. At DL, you had to walk everywhere.

 

[Frozen2014]

I was there in July. It was great. We did three days. I would have loved more time, but after all that walking, I was exhausted beyond belief, and my feet were killing me. That was one thing that I missed about WDW, transportation, you took a bus everywhere. At DL, you had to walk everywhere.

Didn't think of that. Whether we do 3 or 4 nights, we'll be sure to take sitting breaks. Thanks for the heads up.
We'll be offsite but am looking at either Park Vue or Desert Inn which are both across the street...hopefully will help. When we went to WDW, we drove to the parks but then were on our feet for the day (we didn't do park hoppers or anything).

 

[MrJT]

Didn't think of that. Whether we do 3 or 4 nights, we'll be sure to take sitting breaks. Thanks for the heads up.
We'll be offsite but am looking at either Park Vue or Desert Inn which are both across the street...hopefully will help. When we went to WDW, we drove to the parks but then were on our feet for the day (we didn't do park hoppers or anything).

We stayed at the Grand Californian, so we figured everything would be so close.
Also, make sure that you have really comfortable shoes. My shoes looked great...but they didn't feel so great.

 

[Frozen2014]

We stayed at the Grand Californian, so we figured everything would be so close.
Also, make sure that you have really comfortable shoes. My shoes looked great...but they didn't feel so great.

Yes...need good shoes. Thanks.

 

[MrJT]

Yes...need good shoes. Thanks.

I bought an awesome looking pair of Mickey Mouse Vans. They are great to wear for a couple of hours. Not good if I'm going to be walking for days!