Beaches in May

[nwbearcat]

My family has gone to wdw the last two years in May and had a great time. We spend 5 days at the resort and the last two at the beach. This year I wanted to try the same in California. My thought is 4 days at dlr and the last 3 days at Newport beach. However I am a bit worried about how cold the ocean will be. My girls love to play in the water, boogie board, jump in the waves etc. Is mid may too cold to do this? Also after being in the gulf and atlantic, how dangerous is the tide in newport? They are 7 and 5 Thanks in advance.

 

[Danibelle]

On the NOAA website, May temps. for Newport are 63 and 64. It would be too cold for me as an adult. I find the Pacific to be too cold most of the time but when I was a kid, I swam in Newport/Huntington in June. I think the beach there would be fine for families (esp. Crystal Cove in the Newport area).

 

[nwbearcat]

Thanks for the information... Growing up we used to vacation in Daytona in the winter, and the atlantic was never very warm but it never seemed to stop my brother and I from jumping in! As long as they can jump in the waves and boogie board a bit, that is all I care about. I tried to read various posts, but there isn't much talk of the beach in the spring... Are the temps at the beach comfortable? If I may follow up, would you suggest staying at newport or just commuting between our hotel in anaheim? I have looked into both, but really don't know which to do. Also considered San Diego. Also wondered about the May Grey June Gloom thing... I am very flexible about the part of the month of may that I travel... Is one earlier better than later? Will it make much difference in the ocean temps? thanks

 

[sonnyjane]

May and June are going to be very similar as far as weather go. As far as May Grey/June Gloom, they are VERY real phenomena. Typically the days start with clouds or fog and won't burn off until the afternoon, if at all. Temperatures during those months are going to pretty much tap out around the mid-60's, so mid-60's in the air and low 60's in the water makes for some pretty cold beach days! Plus beaches down here are quite windy. Your kids will be fine splashing around for a while, but it's not like the east coast beaches where you really plan to set up camp the whole day. I've never stayed at the beach longer than an hour. You might want to rent (or buy cheap) wetsuits. Even in August, when temps are at their max, I still find the water really cold and tend to wear a wetsuit. If you want your kiddos to really enjoy the water, I'd rent them wetsuits so they don't get too cold.

This year is a La Nina year which means colder water and will likely lead to colder air temps during May Grey/June Gloom as well. There's really not a better time as far as when in May. It will all be pretty comparable.

 

[nwbearcat]

Ouch!!! That is pretty cold.... Maybe I have to reconsider the beach... Or maybe we should just go back to florida.... I would like to provide them a different experience, but would like to be able to enjoy warmer weather than we have at home in Missouri! Thanks for the information.

 

[sonnyjane]

Ouch!!! That is pretty cold.... Maybe I have to reconsider the beach... Or maybe we should just go back to florida.... I would like to provide them a different experience, but would like to be able to enjoy warmer weather than we have at home in Missouri! Thanks for the information.

Ha NOOOOOOOOOOOO I don't want to scare you off! Disneyland is absolutely worth the trip to California! All I'm saying is that you probably don't need two full beach days! It's worth stopping by and dipping your toes in the water, but I just wouldn't plan on full days of sunbathing and swimming.

 

[nwbearcat]

LOL thanks for the clarification, and you didn't scare me off... I love the midwest, but having grown up on the east coast I miss not having the ocean. So any chance I get to hit a beach I try! Especially with my little ones. For us the beach is a part of our vacation, so I am not sure what to do now. No one else in my family has ever been to Southern California, and I think it is beautiful with such a varied terrain. But they will be bummed to have the ocean be so different.

 

[sonnyjane]

Lol now I feel a real need to convince you to still come to SoCal haha!

So, here's my beach background to help you understand why I'm not a fan of the beaches here... I went to college in Miami and subsequently stuck around a few years after graduation soaking up rays on those white sandy beaches and warm, turquoise waters. Then, I continued my education in the Florida panhandle (Destin, FL) where my family still lives. There they have sugar-sand beaches and clear, calm water that's 80+ degrees in the summer. Then, I moved to San Diego, where there is kelp (gorgeous for diving, but not lovely to sunbathe next to once it starts to rot in the sun lol). The ocean is freezing and murky. It's windy and there are bugs...just not my ideal beach-going experience because I've been so spoiled with my other experiences.

NOW, that said, the beaches here do have things that the other places don't have - like tide pools! You can still get the kiddos to enjoy the beach. Personally instead of Newport, I would bring them south to San Diego. I'd take them to La Jolla near Children's Pool so you can take them to tide pools to find crabs, anemones, and sea stars, and let them see the seals and sea lions sunbathing on the shore. The beach in Coronado is also pretty wide and flat..perfect for wading. I love living in SoCal. Like you said, it's awesome to be 15 minutes from both the beach and awesome hiking trails at the same time. I'm just not a big fan of the beaches so I choose not to go very often. I love kayaking and going out on boats to whale-watch, I just don't like swimming in it. There are plenty of people that do, I just find it cold. Kids, as you said remembering your own trips when you were younger, don't think of stuff like that as much lol! They might be perfectly fine with it!

I strongly feel that Disneyland is more "awesome" than WDW, which is why I don't want you to completely write it off just because the beaches aren't the same as those on the east coast. There are SOOOOO many other things to do out here that I think you would hardly miss having more than one beach day.

 

[nwbearcat]

LOL... You are awesome to go to all this trouble.... First of all, thanks so much for taking the time to post. Your input is EXACTLY what I needed! I looked at a ton of threads and couldnt find anything on the beaches in May.... I knew there had to be a reason.

My family only knows places like Daytona, New Symrna, Destin, Clearwater, Pensacola, Siesta Key. Obviously the beaches in California are quite different! I checked ocean temps, and then started reading about the may grey/june gloom phenomenon and had a feeling things would be different than Florida.... Heck, last May we were at clearwater and the water temps were about 80!

I have been to the west coast several times, but always in the winter, and always on business. Therefore I have never spent much time at the beach. If I am going to take my family out to california, I want them to know exactly what they are getting into! Had it not been for you, my family would have been very disappointed in the last couple days of our vacation.

We have been to wdw the last two years. The new fantasyland will open in the fall 2012. My girls are all about seeing that! However, I am a college football coach, and I can't go during that time of the year. I have always wanted to go to dlr, and it just seems like the perfect year to go to the opposite coast and experience the original park. May is a great time for me work wise, and it seems like a pretty good time from a crowd perspective.

I love your suggestion on the tide pools at la jolla. We are going to be there 7 days... What other suggestions do you have? If I am not going to be at the beach, what else is there to do that 7 and 5 year old girls, plus a DW would be excited about seeing? It sounds like DLR can be done in 4 days.... What else should I do with the other 3? Once again I appreciate your time!

 

[sonnyjane]

If you come down to La Jolla, you might want to visit some of the other attractions down here. The zoo is huge and is a full day right there. Of course we have Sea World but if you've been to the one in Orlando, you'll find this one to be smaller. Your kiddos are still in the prime age for Legoland which is north of here in Carlsbad. I find Legoland expensive (as much as DL) but if they would like it, go for it. They have a new aquarium and waterpark too, but in May the waterpark will only be open on weekends. Also there is the Safari Park, the zoo's sister facility, which is a little different of an experience if you don't want a traditional zoo.

I actually work at the zoo so if you have any questions about that, let me know. Those are just the amusement parks. There are plenty of other awesome things in SoCal. I wouldn't worry about filling a week's time. And I would still definitely hit the beaches. Could be a good geography lesson about how beaches are different in different places. La Jolla Cove/Children's Pool really is cool because they can get to see sea lions and seals *right there*. That's one of my favorite places to take out-of-towners that have only seen them before at Sea World.

 

[KCmike]

LOL thanks for the clarification, and you didn't scare me off... I love the midwest, but having grown up on the east coast I miss not having the ocean. So any chance I get to hit a beach I try! Especially with my little ones. For us the beach is a part of our vacation, so I am not sure what to do now. No one else in my family has ever been to Southern California, and I think it is beautiful with such a varied terrain. But they will be bummed to have the ocean be so different.

Yes it can be cold in May/early June but don't let that stop you. The Pacific is much more gorgeous than the East coast in my opinion and I've seen both alot. Disneyland is far and away the best Disney Park. Okay back to the beaches I concur that you should visit Coronado beach in San Diego as its amazing. If you have the money you should also stay at the Hotel Del Coronado (Think Grand Floridian hotel before it was ever dreamed of). If you plan on visiting the beaches near Disneyland then I would choose Corona Del Mar which is just south of Newport Beach. Here are some pictures...

Corona Del Mar from up on the hill/street

CDM is a perfect crescent shaped beach for families. This shot was taken on a weekend in July

Straight on shot

Newport Beach

Newport Beach looking North

You can also take a boat out onto the Newport Bay area and take it out onto the ocean for a sunset cruise. I highly recommend it! It was so much fun.

Now on to Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego

Picture from our room with ocean just to the left of the pool

Go and have a blast! When we ask the kids where they want to go on vacation...Disneyworld, Disneyland, etc. They always say CALIFORNIA! Hotel Del Coronado plus Disneyland is the favorite trip ever!

Oh and HELLO from a fellow Missourian!