4 days? 5 days? zoo? legoland? ahhh!!!

[corinne76]

I feel like I'm losing it trying to figure out what to do.
We plan to go in October, from the 3rd to the 10th.
I was planning to do 5 days and a mhp. And one day for the san Diego zoo.
But I'm considering legoland again (last time we went ds was too short for a lot of things). I had thought of universal, though I'd rather wait til the Harry potter stuff is completed .

I guess basically I feel lost since no one is helping me plan this trip. So, how do you decide what else to do and how many days you spend at dr?

 

[jonahsmommy]

How old is your DS? Is he into Legos? We went to Legoland when DS was 4, he thought is was "fun" but we just went last November (DS's 8th birthday) and he thought it was "awesome" so I'm glad we went again. The drive was doable and we just made sure we left Legoland after 7 to make sure we didn't have to deal with the crazy 5 o'clock traffic.

 

[gottalovepluto]

5 days is great for a full DL trip. And the San Diego Zoo is world class, great choice an absolute must. And it's big, definitely take an entire day. The best thing to help decide what else is some website searching! I'd start by looking at the attractions for Legoland to see if it's what your looking for. Its appeal is definitely for young kids. Universal not great for young kids, again look at the website for attraction list. I'll also throw in the San Diego Zoo Safari Park (totally different than the zoo fyi). I still remember that from my trip to SD over a decade ago & I highly recommend doing one day there. Sea World is down there in the area as well. There's some starting points for you! Have a great trip!

 

[corinne76]

Kids will be 4 and 7. Dd was5 last visit and ds was 2. They are both into lego now.
I agree, they won't be interested in universal yet. We're saving that for when they're older (and when HP opens for me haha)
Dh does not want to make a long drive two days.We're leaning toward the zoo. I think. We don't make the trip yearly so I want to make the right decisions you know?

 

[Kit Jackson]

5 days is close to perfect for a Disneyland trip. That's what I did, and I'm glad we didn't plan for a longer trip.

 

[cherice95403]

I haven't been to Legoland, but the Zoo is incredible!

 

[VandVsmama]

Skip Universal. Go to the San Diego Zoo.

 

[pirate_smiles]

I would skip Universal at it is more geared for teens. Last time we went we did 5 days in the parks. It was too much. (my kids were 4,5,6) I wish I would have taken one day off in the middle and relaxed and stayed by the pool. I would suggest putting a beach day, or a pool day in there somewhere. JMO.

 

[nikkislaght]

We did the zoo last year and had a blast.. its amazing.. take advantage of the buses they have inside if you go.. walk down and bus up...lol we didnt like legoland at all.. but if your kids are into it ,, then ask them what they would prefer... its my sons vacation just as much as ours. so as long as I get my Disney fix,,then I dont really care what we do they other day..
and if you dont want to go all the way to S/D then there is Knotts about 10 from Disneyland... that have just redone Camp Snoopy so its great for the smaller kids.. and the roller costers there are great for the bigger ones..

 

[corinne76]

Thanks for the confirmation on the zoo. I asked the kids to pick one, dd said zoo and ds said legoland. Of course but asking him more, he really wants more lego toys. He just made 4 so he doesn't quite understand.

We did knotts 2 yrs ago and it was just okay.

 

[ktlm]

I'll throw something else in there. We did the San Diego zoo safari park for the first time on our last trip and liked it better than either Legoland or the zoo! It is a fun place!

 

[corinne76]

I'll throw something else in there. We did the San Diego zoo safari park for the first time on our last trip and liked it better than either Legoland or the zoo! It is a fun place!

why you gotta confuse me like that?!

I showed DD pics of what the safari park and the zoo have to offer, and she picked the zoo. DS still doesn't quite get it.

I'm thinking we get in early Saturday, do some grocery shopping and hit DL for half a day. I may just do a 5 day pass, no MHP. Then thurs, drive to Legoland or San Diego zoo and spend 2 nights. So one park thur, one park friday and drive back to LAX saturday.

What do you think? I wanted to do a MHP, but thinking about it, my kids aren't into parades or characters too much. They'd rather do rides so a regular day may suffice.

 

[gottalovepluto]

If they're not into parades and characters too much (or late nights as they are young) go ahead and skip MHP. You mentioned your boy really just wants more Lego toys -he's in luck (but your budget isn't lol)- there's a Lego store in Downtown Disney! There are giant statues outside made of Legos, including a Maleficent as the dragon one, they're quite incredible.

 

[Davey Jones II]

To my mind, 5 days is the minimum to enjoy everything that DLR has to offer. The Halloween Party might go too late for little kids.

 

[tarheelalum]

In October you might want to consider the San Diego Zoo's Safari Wild Animal Park in Escondido. It does not have as many things to see as the Zoo but it has a lot and its quite a bit closer to DL than the Zoo. If you go to the Safari Park I highly suggest the cheetah experience!!
http://sdzsafaripark.org/
FYI Avoid Escondido in the summer at all costs.

 

[corinne76]

If they're not into parades and characters too much (or late nights as they are young) go ahead and skip MHP. You mentioned your boy really just wants more Lego toys -he's in luck (but your budget isn't lol)- there's a Lego store in Downtown Disney! There are giant statues outside made of Legos, including a Maleficent as the dragon one, they're quite incredible.

I would love to avoid that store LOL. We didn't hit DTD until the last day on our last trip, and we only had a little time. We took pics outside of the Lego store, but didn't go inside. We mostly looked for gifts for family in World of Disney. I do plan to spend a bit more time exploring DTD this time but I've already told the kids no huge Lego sets, exp those I can buy here or online.

To my mind, 5 days is the minimum to enjoy everything that DLR has to offer. The Halloween Party might go too late for little kids.

meee tooo on the 5 days. My bff says 3 days is enough for her. Nope. I need the 5.

In October you might want to consider the San Diego Zoo's Safari Wild Animal Park in Escondido. It does not have as many things to see as the Zoo but it has a lot and its quite a bit closer to DL than the Zoo. If you go to the Safari Park I highly suggest the cheetah experience!!
http://sdzsafaripark.org/
FYI Avoid Escondido in the summer at all costs.

LOL, summer just sounds so hot! I would like to explore the safari park but the kids pickd the zoo side. I think we will do Legoland since they are both into Lego now, whereas only DD was into it last time. DD will be near 8, so I don't forsee Legoland having that much appeal the next time we return. THe lego and attractions yes, but the rides, no.