4 Days at DLR or 3 days at DLR and 1 day doing something else?

[countrymommy]

Hi All! I am hoping to take a trip out west this November with DH and kids. Kids are 17,15,12,10,6 and 4. We have 4 full days in the area, a Mon-Thur. Would you do 4 days at DLR or 3 days at DLR and another day doing something else (thinking of the beach tours so they can see the ocean)? We have been going to WDW every other year since 2010, so we would not be doing many (if any) character meets, but definitely want to see all the evening entertainment. Also, am hoping not to do park hoppers because with so many people the $$ adds up, but am open to it. This is tentatively planned for 11/14-17. Thanks for all the input.

 

[mad hatter fan]

I would always answer that 4 Disney days are better than 3 . If what you are considering for the 4th day is the beach, I personally would do 3.5 days Disney and a half day at the beach. But I would never do a tour. I would rent a car for the day. So much cheaper! Oh, and being land locked here in MN, we really do enjoy seeing the ocean. But we usually are in SCal a min of 8 days so easier to add it in.

 

[sherilaine]

I guess it depends on if they've never seen the beach before. As hard as it is for me to think could be the case since I grew up on the coast, I realize there are kids who grow up never seeing it. However, I think you have the option to get there and then decide later. You can buy 3 day park passes and if you decide that DLR is all you guys want to do then you can add a 4th day and if not then you could rent a car locally and take a drive out for the day - there are many nice beaches nearby - we visit one every trip on one of our days off from the parks.

I see your point on the hoppers - at $40 per person that adds up over 8 guests!!

 

[countrymommy]

We live in OH, so although we have beautiful lakes, we do not have an ocean! I'll have a car but dreaded the thought of driving in LA. What's your thoughts on that? What is a typical drive to a beach like? Also, is it typically "open air" parking at the beaches? We have a 12 passenger van and I often have a hard time finding parking spots that accommodate us (due to height) if they are parking garages.

 

[sherilaine]

If you go to a beach from Anaheim you won't be technically driving in LA. You will be driving on busy highways though, but those exists all across the continent and it's honestly not that bad. If if you want to visit Huntington, Laguna or Newport Beach, they are all south of LA so you are pretty much driving almost straight south to the ocean, just avoid rush hour if you are going during weekdays. Google maps is a wonderful tool - it can really help you prepare for any driving you might do before you even leave your home!

 

[figment_jii]

Some of this depends on when you're going to be going in November. The first half of the month is when the transition from Halloween to Holiday. For the last few years, they've official started the Holiday season on the Friday of the Avengers Half Marathon weekend (November 10-13, 2016). At that point, the parks should be fully decorated, the attractions with overlays should be open, and the holiday entertainment should have started. In 2015, they presented Disneyland Forever Fireworks nightly, but it's not know if in 2016 they'll present Disneyland Forever or Believe In Holiday Magic (the holiday fireworks show).

If you aren't going to get Park Hoppers, then I would opt for four days in the parks. That gives you two days in each park. Otherwise, you'll only have one day in one park and two days in the other park. While I do think that is enough time to get a fair amount done, you'll likely have to forgo some things (especially things that take a lot of time - like shows).

Another thing to consider is the weather...by November, it can be either hot or cold and there is really no way to know in advance which it'll be. HydroGuy has a thread about the weather, which includes the range of temperatures that you might experience in November. The beach might be fun if it's in the 70's, but I wouldn't go if it's in the 50's.

As a WDW vet, I recommend taking a look at HydroGuy's A DLR Guide for WDW Vets to help give you a sense of the similarities and differences between the two resorts. That might help you get a sense of how much you need/want to accomplish on your trip and whether three or four days seem more reasoanble.

 

[countrymommy]

Thanks all for the replies. We are driving all the way from Ohio, but the thought of driving in CA is scary to me so I was hoping to do as little as possible. I guess I will suck it up though, because it will be close to $300 for all of us to take a tour. The plan is 11/14-17 so it seems like all the Christmas stuff will be up! Maybe I can just add a fifth day to get it all in. Don't imagine us getting out to the West coast all that often.

And I've started on Hydro's explanations of the differences between DLR and WDW. Very helpful!

 

[johde]

Hi from another Buckeye. I've made 1 trip out to California and I'm going to agree with most everyone else here. If you haven't been to the ocean, I'd plan at least 1/2 a day to go there. I didn't plan enough time for that on my trip and hope to go a little bit longer this trip. Also, if at all possible, splurge on park hopper tickets. The parks are so close together that park hopping is a breeze.

 

[Indiana Scott]

There are lots of other things to do in the area but none of them are better than a day at Disneyland!
I've done the other's parks, beaches, etc. and for me Disney is tops.

 

[azdisneylover]

For me, I would say, spend the 4th day in Disneyland. You are going when the park hours are shorter and kids are in school. Granted, it should be less crowded, but, less time in the park (opens later closes earlier). If you usually go to WDW, perhaps you could plan a beach day there instead. I've gone in early November before, spending 5 days at DL and we thought that wasn't enough time. That was staying onsite with early entry each day.

 

[texasgingerbread]

Since you mentioned adding a 5th day and if that's an option I would do that. If you're coming all that way why not stay for as long as possible?

 

[RemainSeatedPlease]

If you can afford it, I would certainly suggest doing 4 day parkhoppers with an extra day for the ocean. Realistically, if you have to cut the budget somewhere, I would suggest making a choice between 3 day parkhoppers or 4 days non-parkhoppers. As mentioned above, if you will only be there three days, you don't want to limit yourself to two days in one park and one day in another. To catch the shows and accommodate everyone in the family getting to do their favorite things, you will really want the option to park hop (it takes less than 5 minutes, truly!). If you will be there four days, you will have a bit more breathing room and so parkhoppers won't be as crucial (though I would argue still beneficial).

As already mentioned, weather is also an important consideration. It may be quite chilly at that time of year. I have been to DLR in November when it was really cold and hats and gloves were needed, and other years in November when it was about 90 degrees! You just never know, though I would plan for it to be on the colder side. I'm not sure how much time you've spent on either coast, but the Pacific ocean feels much colder than the Atlantic. I would not plan on actually swimming much, especially in November. The beach also usually feels a bit more chilly than further inland due to the ocean breeze. I would hate for your family to make big plans for spending time at the ocean and then it's pouring rain.

So taking all that into consideration...if I were in your position, I would purchase 4 day tickets and try to add on at least another half day to spend time at the ocean, or I would purchase 3 day parkhoppers with the idea of upgrading if you get there and either want to spend more time at Disney or the beach trip is a bust.

 

[countrymommy]

Since you mentioned adding a 5th day and if that's an option I would do that. If you're coming all that way why not stay for as long as possible?

This is the last leg of an almost three week trip, making a multi day stop at the Grand Canyon as well as Phoenix where my dh's family is, so I'm not sure how much "extra" time I can wiggle in, but I'm going to try Swimming at the beach isn't really a thought, we went to Monterey, CA on our honeymoon (early November) and I remember how cold (but beautiful) the ocean was. Thanks for all the ideas, everyone

 

[Chris9ty]

We took a quick half day trip to Huntington Beach during our 10 days in Anaheim. We had never seen the Pacific Ocean and may never see it again. It was worth it to us to spend a couple hours to walk the pier, play in the sand, and take lots of pics. My son talks about it often. If you might not be back again I'd make time to do it, you can visit a theme park anytime.

 

[mfleeting]

Hi All! I am hoping to take a trip out west this November with DH and kids. Kids are 17,15,12,10,6 and 4. We have 4 full days in the area, a Mon-Thur. Would you do 4 days at DLR or 3 days at DLR and another day doing something else (thinking of the beach tours so they can see the ocean)? We have been going to WDW every other year since 2010, so we would not be doing many (if any) character meets, but definitely want to see all the evening entertainment. Also, am hoping not to do park hoppers because with so many people the $$ adds up, but am open to it. This is tentatively planned for 11/14-17. Thanks for all the input.

We went in 2014 for the first time and had 3 day park hoppers. We never park hopped at all; but they are nice to have especially with older kids who can go off on their own. We also did everything in those 3 days except like 2 things because we forgot about them. We actually took a break everyday and cut one day really short so we had plenty of time to do everything. We stayed at the hotel and used the extra hour which really helped us get lots of stuff done. We also used fast passes effectively after the first day. However, being our first day we also spent a lot of time with characters - skipping those and the sit down meals means plenty more time in the park for y'all. We enjoyed our 1 day around LA and making sure we do the same thing in LA. So I would choose 3 days and then 1 day around the town.