CA a good place to spend afternoons?

[mommyof2boys1girl]

Our typical day for our 1 wk early May holiday at DL involves touring for the early am, having lunch at the park then heading back to the hotel for a few hours for naps and wind down time. We plan to return to the parks around 4 or so each afternoon, to spend another 4 or so hours before bedtime at 8pm. Our first two days are DL mornings - FL on an non MM day, and Nemo on our MM. Would returning in the afternoon to CA make sense? Our only real interest are the young kids' rides - Bug's Land, Monsters Inc, Jumpin Jellies, etc.... So are we asking for really long lines and really upset kids if we head over to CA after 4pm?

Thanks,
Carm

 

[fairycat]

Actually exactly opposite. Most people find DCA a great place to spend the afternoon, since the crowds tend to be larger at DL at this time.

Besides the rides, I think you have to include time for the Animation Building!

The building has Turtle Talk with Crush, which lets kids ask questions that Crush answers in his big "aquarium", a show that teaches you to draw a character (each show is a different one) in a way that even small children seem to enjoy. The Toy Story model that shows you a little of how the mind sees animation (sounds complicated but its so cool!!!), I beleive the Snow White Display should still be there when you are, and there is a really cool room where you can sing with Disney Songs and find out what character you are in Beasts Library.

You can lose hours to this building alone, it is so much fun and the kids seem to love it too!

There is also the "Playhouse" disney show your kids might also enjoy.

 

[spaceace510]

and if your worried about the weather...don't be. CA had probably some of the better weather in the world. It is nothing like WDW where it thundersotrms everyday. Generally if it is going to rain, it will do all day. And the same with sun. But in mid-May I wouldn't worry about the weather. You should get clear skies with warm temperatures!

 

[DoomBugger]

Definitely take advantage of CA in the peak times. Bug's Land is one of the coolest places for a kid!

 

[Monkey Monkey]

and if your worried about the weather...don't be. CA had probably some of the better weather in the world. It is nothing like WDW where it thundersotrms everyday. Generally if it is going to rain, it will do all day. And the same with sun. But in mid-May I wouldn't worry about the weather. You should get clear skies with warm temperatures!

Wellllll...let's not foget about May Gray. It probably won't rain, but it is likely to be overcast.

 

[DLR29]

California Adventure is great to tour when DL is at its most crowded time of day (afternoon). The only real long lines that develop at DCA are for:
-California Screamin
-Soarin
-Sun Wheel
-Grizzly River Run (on a hot day)

Usually most other rides are fine.

 

[spaceace510]

Wellllll...let's not foget about May Gray. It probably won't rain, but it is likely to be overcast.

True, and if is overcast, it will probably burn off...

 

[Dizneydaz]

We frequently start at DL and then "cross over" to DCA when the crowds get big. DCA is rarely crowded, and that's why I like it! Plus it has some of the best rides (for adults especially, and older kids).

Definitely check out Turtle Talk-it's amazing!

ADDED-and don't forget to check out the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail! It's a great place for the kids to run around and burn off all their energy. I only wish I was short enough to ride on the zip line. Your 2 older kids will probably never want to leave. It's one of my DD8 favorite thing to do at DCA (along with Screamin', Mulholland Madness, and Soarin')