4 days, which parks?

[adalsolica]

Heading to DLR next September for our family's first trip. Planning to spend 4 days in the parks with 1-park-per-day tickets starting Sunday, Sept. 20th. I know we will spend that first day at DL, but not sure how to split the remaining days. We are a family of five. Our kids will be 3 1/2, 5 1/2, and 9. Would you suggest 2 days at each park or 3 at DL, 1 at CA (using our early entry at CA). I'm wondering if DL just has much more to offer younger kids and we'd be better off spending the bulk of our time there instead of 50/50?
Basing it off of this year's calendar, these dates should be before the Halloween parties begin, which we don't plan on attending anyway.

I know this is still way off in the future, lol! I'm just soooo excited to start planning!

 

[Patrick in Oregon]

Definitely DL 1st day and DCA second day. At that point you will have experienced both parks and can plan what to do with your last two days. We like to start and end with DL. It feels wrong not to.

DCA is a really cool park but you're right about your kids ages, DL might be more for them. Test the waters with the 2nd day.

 

[superlarz]

I would do either
Day 1 - DL
Day 2 - DCA
Day 3 - DL
Day 4 - DL

or

Day 1 - DL
Day 2 - DCA
Day 3 - DCA
Day 4 - DL


I would take into consideration the entertainment schedule, if you were planning on seeing fireworks or fantasmic, as they are weekend only in the off season, so your only chance to see them would be day 1. World of Color runs every day at DCA, so if that is a priority you can see it day 2. All things equal, I would use one of the options above, depending on how much the kids like DCA on day 2.

 

[Butterfly123]

Definitely DL 1st day and DCA second day. At that point you will have experienced both parks and can plan what to do with your last two days. We like to start and end with DL. It feels wrong not to.

DCA is a really cool park but you're right about your kids ages, DL might be more for them. Test the waters with the 2nd day.

This. Exactly.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Heading to DLR next September for our family's first trip. Planning to spend 4 days in the parks with 1-park-per-day tickets starting Sunday, Sept. 20th. I know we will spend that first day at DL, but not sure how to split the remaining days. We are a family of five. Our kids will be 3 1/2, 5 1/2, and 9. Would you suggest 2 days at each park or 3 at DL, 1 at CA (using our early entry at CA). I'm wondering if DL just has much more to offer younger kids and we'd be better off spending the bulk of our time there instead of 50/50?
Basing it off of this year's calendar, these dates should be before the Halloween parties begin, which we don't plan on attending anyway.

I know this is still way off in the future, lol! I'm just soooo excited to start planning!

You have lots of time to save. With the entrances 100 yards apart, I would purchase park hoppers and moot the question.

 

[3monkeys4me]

Definitely DL 1st day and DCA second day. At that point you will have experienced both parks and can plan what to do with your last two days. We like to start and end with DL. It feels wrong not to.

DCA is a really cool park but you're right about your kids ages, DL might be more for them. Test the waters with the 2nd day.

This!

And hoppers are great for DLR, but if they aren't in the budget I'm sure you'll figure it out.

For my family we would do

DL
DCA
Girls at DL/Boys at DCA
DL

But my girls could live in FL and DH and DS love CS and TOT. If we don't buy a package, the boys head to Knott's for the day and us girls spend the day doing all things princess.

 

[adalsolica]

Thank you for your replies! Trying both parks out first to see what will suit us best seems like our best bet. I also like how beginning and ending with DL sounds.

While going with the hopper tickets sounds like the easiest way to go, I just don't think we would hop enough to make it worth it. I'd rather put that extra money to use elsewhere.

 

[jsanch2]

If you have never been to DLR before... Park hopping is nothing like it is in Disney World. You can be at the very back of one park and be in the other in less than 15 mins. You will find it very easy and convenient to have the Park Hoppers. Especially when it comes to Dining. DCA has a lot more options in terms of food IMO so even on days that we spend most of our time in DL we will still hop to DCA to have dinner. Either way you will have an Amazing time!

 

[mad hatter fan]

Heading to DLR next September for our family's first trip. Planning to spend 4 days in the parks with 1-park-per-day tickets starting Sunday, Sept. 20th. I know we will spend that first day at DL, but not sure how to split the remaining days. We are a family of five. Our kids will be 3 1/2, 5 1/2, and 9. Would you suggest 2 days at each park or 3 at DL, 1 at CA (using our early entry at CA). I'm wondering if DL just has much more to offer younger kids and we'd be better off spending the bulk of our time there instead of 50/50?
Basing it off of this year's calendar, these dates should be before the Halloween parties begin, which we don't plan on attending anyway.

I know this is still way off in the future, lol! I'm just soooo excited to start planning!

Are you staying on site? That would be the only way to get in early at CA. If you are staying off site and are using the early entry that comes with your ticket, it can only be used at DL park.

 

[Sherry E]

Heading to DLR next September for our family's first trip. Planning to spend 4 days in the parks with 1-park-per-day tickets starting Sunday, Sept. 20th. I know we will spend that first day at DL, but not sure how to split the remaining days. We are a family of five. Our kids will be 3 1/2, 5 1/2, and 9. Would you suggest 2 days at each park or 3 at DL, 1 at CA (using our early entry at CA). I'm wondering if DL just has much more to offer younger kids and we'd be better off spending the bulk of our time there instead of 50/50?
Basing it off of this year's calendar, these dates should be before the Halloween parties begin, which we don't plan on attending anyway.

I know this is still way off in the future, lol! I'm just soooo excited to start planning!

adalsolica --

The Halloween Time season -- which is very popular -- will have begun in mid-September (if not on 9/11, then probably by 9/14 or 9/15 or so), but Mickey's Halloween Party will probably not begin until Friday, 9/25 next year. That pattern could always change, though. Just when we think we have figured out what Disney will do from year to year, they switch it up on us!

Next year is the 60th anniversary of Disneyland, and there could be special, limited events popping up throughout the year, unique entertainment, or the Halloween Party could move over to California Adventure and change its typical schedule to begin earlier, while more party nights could be added on to the Halloween party line-up. All of these possibilities could factor into where you want to spend your time, and on which days.

Also, there is quite a bit of 'Halloween' in Disneyland in terms of décor and ride overlays (Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy and Haunted Mansion Holiday), but -- as of this year -- there's nothing really Halloween-ish in DCA. So if you are not interested in Halloween at all, you will see less of it in DCA, most likely.

Definitely DL 1st day and DCA second day. At that point you will have experienced both parks and can plan what to do with your last two days. We like to start and end with DL. It feels wrong not to.

DCA is a really cool park but you're right about your kids ages, DL might be more for them. Test the waters with the 2nd day.

I think this is a fantastic idea, Patrick! Brilliant, and yet so simple! That's the best way to do it. A lot of people intend to spend one day or the other at a specific park, and then when they get there they realize they'd rather be in the other park. After the first 2 days of the trip it will be easy to determine how the rest of the trip will go.

 

[adalsolica]

Are you staying on site? That would be the only way to get in early at CA. If you are staying off site and are using the early entry that comes with your ticket, it can only be used at DL park.

Ahhh, very good to know!

Sherry E: Thank you for the Halloween info. We are looking forward to seeing the Halloween decor/overlays! We're just not planning to attend the parties. I'm hoping that the schedule is similar to this year because I want to be in the 'sweet spot' of getting the Halloween decor, but not having to deal with bigger crowds and early park closures from the parties. Of course, now that I've already booked the trip, I notice that one of our park days fall on the Yom Kippur holiday. That could be an extra heavy crowd day since some of the socal school districts have that day off. Oh well, we'll have a blast no matter what!

Thanks again to everyone for your input!

 

[B-Ride]

You have lots of time to save. With the entrances 100 yards apart, I would purchase park hoppers and moot the question.

Agreed, IMHO the only advantage Disneyland has over WDW is the proximity of the parks. With Park Hoppers they almost become one park and you can do anything you please.