Califonia vacation advise

[bslowry]

I am planning a vacation for my family for next June. Here is what I have planned so far. I would like opinions please. I live in Indiana and have no clue about California.
Day 1: arrive in LA, spend day at Universal, Hilton Universal Hotel
Day 2: universal, Hilton Hotel
Day 3: drive to DisneyLand, Howard Johnson Hotel
Day 4: Disney, Howard Hotel
Day 5: disney, Howard
Day 6: Drive to Legoland, afterwards drive to Bahia Resort in San Diego
Day 7: SeaWorld, Bahia resort
Day 8: San Diego Zoo, Bahia resort
Day 9: San Diego Wild Animal Park , Bahia resort
Day 10: Fly home

I know it is a lot packed in, but this will probrably be our only trip to California and I want to do everything. Let me know what you think. Thanks!

I will be traveling with husband, son (8) and daughter (5)

Bridget

 

[c&m]

The only comment I would make on your itinerary would be to plan to leave the theme parks mid-day and take a break, however long you needed. We just got back from our 3-week trip to DL and SoCal. We visited DL/CA, Universal, and Legoland. We spreaded it over a period of 3 weeks. We found the theme parks crowded, hot, and exhaustive. By 2pm, we (mom and dad) would coax the kids out of the park for a mid-day break, and then we'd come back to the park by 6 or 7pm. The kids would be refreshed and we'd be able to watch the Electrical Parade, fireworks, and ride the rides, which aren't as crowded in the later hours.

Since our kids are school age, the breaks were not naps. The breaks that we took were to the beach. Our kids learned to boogie board this time. Huntington beach (close to DL) was very nice. We also enjoyed Encinitas beach (close to Legoland). In SD, you may want to visit Old Town, which you can do in 2-3 hours and fit in a good Mexican meal at the same time. You may want to read up on some 2-3 hour activities you can do nearby, so if the parks get a bit exhaustive or too much for your family to handle, you have an alternative plan.

 

[mott]

I grew up a Hoosier! Now a Chicagoland transplant...

I have DD 10 & 7. While the older one likes a basic roller coaster, she is not a dare devil and won't go on the larger coasters. From what I understand, Universal is better for older kids. I've only been to the one in Orlando and feel that my kids are too young for it. We are going to spend 10 days in So Cal in June also. I'm planning a day at the zoo, a day at sea world, a day or 2 at the beach. A day at Legoland and 4 days at DLR. Going in June, I want to hit the big places on a weekday if I can and spend the weekend at the beach. We might also spend a day driving into Hollywood but I don't know yet.

Are you planning on 2 or 3 days at DLR? I'd recommend 3 days since it is June.

Do your kids love roller coasters (like the Son of Beast at Kings Island)? If not, you might want to research Universal a bit more.

Just my 2 cents. (BTW, I took the kids to everyplace but the beach & Universal when they were toddler/preschool age). I think Legoland will be a big hit with the ages your kids are.

 

[bslowry]

Thanks for the tips! I wasn't aware of all of the beaches nearby. Maybe I will work in a beach day. If you are not staying on Disney property can you come and go from the parks? We are doing Disney in 3 days so we don't have to rush. My kids have been to Universal Orlando and had fun. Is it the same stuff in California? I was also thinking about going to some ballgames. My husband loves baseball. I think that would be a relaxing evening event.
By the way, I was just in Chicago last week to see Wicked.

 

[c&m]

Yes, you can leave and re-enter the DL/CA parks, as long as you have the hopper pass and you get a stamp on you hand when you leave. We had the 3-day hopper pass as well and found that we had ample time to do all the rides we wanted several times over (except for the new Nemo ride which had a 3-hour wait!!!). We made good use of fast passes too.

Near Anaheim, we enjoyed Huntington Beach. At that beach, there are some really good restaurants -- Chimayo's and Dukes (pricier) or Ruby's (much cheaper). If you want to go to Chimayo's or Dukes, make reservations; they get really crowded. My DDs really enjoyed a few hours of sand castle building, collecting shells, and running into the waves.

My DDs also enjoyed shopping during our breaks. We went to South Coast Plaza (close to DL) for a couple of hours too. I had a celebrity sighting there -- Sara Ramirez (Callie O'Malley from Grey's Anatomy) -- in the area near Banana Republic and Bath & Body Works.

Also, speaking of shopping, if you need to buy those Disney souvenirs, take a break from the parks to go to the dollar store on Chapman and S. Harbor, next door to Target. They sell Disney character notebooks, pens, pencils, stationery sets, sand buckets, etc. Everything for a dollar.

In SD near Legoland, we enjoyed Encinitas beach. It's very family friendly. My DDs boogie boarded on that beach.

We had a blast when we were in SoCal for our 3 week vacation. Those SoCal beaches are everything that they are famous for! Hope you have fun too!

 

[fairycat]

For those wondering about Universal I must first admit it has been a few years since I have been to Universal California and never been to the orlando one but all I have seen shows they are VERY different parks.

The CA park is very different first being on two levels the top focusing mainly on shows and some small rides including Back to the Future. Then you take the escalators down the hill were you find more rides.

This park has no real roller coasters. It is more about dark rides and shows. Some of the rides are not appropriate for smaller kids, but they do have a lot of all age shows.

What makes the CA park so different from any of the other parks is the Studio Tour. The studio tour is a mix of standards showing you how some effects work and of classic facades of TV and movies. But the best part is that very often you can actually see them filiming on the lot. You never know what is going to be filming my friends were extras on POTC2 and filmed there on break a tram drove by and many of those people got pictures of them in costumes (they probably are disapointed it wasn't Johnny Depp but what can you do ). This makes it a very special experience. You never know what you might see.

 

[tracys2cents]

The Wild Animal Park is actually in Escondido, not San Diego, and you might want to do it as a day trip from Anaheim.

Are you flying into Los Angeles and then flying home from San Diego? That's what I'd do if the flights were well priced. Check the one-way car rental rates, too.

Not sure if you can get good flights/prices into Burbank airport instead of Los Angeles, but it's much easier to get to Universal from Burbank and the car rental there is a breeze.