California advice!

[Head_in_the_clouds]

Hi there DIS-ers,

We are going to California next week and I was wondering if you had any advice as it is our first trip. I am missing Florida already! It will be three adults, my mum has trouble moving around as she is awaiting a knee replacement and will not use a wheelchair! I have looked at some of the trip reports, they were great.

Our schedule is fly to San Francisco, stay there 4 nights then drive down coast 1 night in Monterey, 3 nights just outside of Santa Barbara and then 10 nights in Anaheim before flying back to the UK from LA.

We plan on spending 2 or 3 days at Disneyland and want to spend a day in Hollywood, visit Malibu/Santa Monica, San Diego, Catalina Island and some outlet malls but take everything at a very easy pace. We want to relax really and just take things easy.

I was just looking for any tips please?

Are there any major differences from Florida that we should be aware of in terms of customs or just strange little anecdotes? What kind of clothing should we take? How bad is the jet lag/flight/time difference? What is the weather like in June compared to Florida? Are things alot more expensive than Florida? Any must-see's? We have a car and are staying in condos and suite type accommodation. I am worried about the jet lag on the way back as I am working the next day and we have a six hour drive after our flight lands at Heathrow to get home so we won't be getting in till midnight. We have to leave my Gran who lives with us at home too so calling home to check that she is ok with my relatives who are staying at ours is going to be a pain with the 8 hour time difference! Usually my Aunt calls us in the middle of the night in Florida as it is! It is the holiday of a lifetime though, but at the moment I'm just overwhelmed with all the logistics of it.

 

[peachy17]

Make sure you see pier 39 at san fransisco-its where all the seals lounge about,
the tax is higher in california also,citadel outlet mall is good.
if youre spending a day in hollywood make sure you check out the hollywood museum
http://www.thehollywoodmuseum.com/
it has lots of great movie props and costumes,we went in april and had lots of different things e.g elvis dressing gown,rockys glove loads of marylin monroe stuff,glee,harry potter and michael jackson stuff.
people are more welcoming in california ive noticed because not as many english tourists go there,the weather is just as hot as florida except no rain,the jet lag is pretty bad and you'll find yourself sleeping through the day

 

[janiebubble]

don't worry about the jet lag ... we arrived at Heathrow about 3pm but then had to get a shuttle back to Manchester - by the time we were home it was way past 9pm, we literally fell into bed and I woke up the next day normal time (ok with the help of the alarm!) and honestly felt better than I do coming home from Florida - there wasn't that having to fight sleep all day feeling you get. I didn't go to work the next day, but did the day after and was fine!

Be prepared for things not to be on your doorstep outside of disneyland - the drive up to universal took us knocking on an hour because of the traffic

we loved going down to newport beach and the fashion island mall was great http://www.shopfashionisland.com/ its outdoors (more like the outlet mall set up) but we really enjoyed it.

we also liked the south coast plaza mall http://www.southcoastplaza.com/

the drive up to the cabazon outlet was interesting http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=6 seemed so odd to be in the sunshine looking at snow on the hills behind

Disneyland is magical - be prepared for lots of little differences which to me make it special (and don't be too disappointed when you see the castle - it's really tiny!)

Enjoy yourself - its 6 years since we last went - and I'm really feeling the withdrawal symptoms - I've thoroughly enjoyed my last few visits to WDW but it's time to back to the place it all began ... have fun xx

 

[florida sun]

I dont have any advise for you, but hope you have a wonderful time, that trip is my dream holiday and I hope you tell us all about it when you get back..enjoy

 

[catherine]

As far as clothing DFIl lives in N CA and says that it's raining quite a lot at the moment even though it's pretty warm. DBIL lives in San Diego and says it's pretty hot there at the moment. I lived in San Jose for 10 years and I can't think of any customs etc. that differ from the ones in FL, but perhaps I just didn't notice them! The drive down highway 101 is amazing, if you get chance call at Hurst Castle it's breath taking.

When you say that you have a 6 hour drive, do you mean that you guys will be driving? I only ask because we've flown back from CA lots of times and I don't think that we could have driven from London back to Lancashire.

I hope that you have a brilliant time. I just love CA and I hope that you do too!

 

[tashasmum]

Looking forward to hearing about it. We are going at the end of the month to San Francisco, Yosemite and then on to Anaheim.
Hope you have a lovely time.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I have never been to San Francisco, but have been to Anaheim three times and we are going again in September/ October.

Our favourite Outlet Mall is Ontario Mills, which is about an hour drive from Disneyland.

http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?id=1258

Our favourite normal shopping mall is the Brea Mall which is quite close to Disneyland. They are both owned by the same company that owns the Florida Mall.

http://www.simon.com/mall/?id=233

I also really like Fullerton, which is kind of halfway between Disneyland and the Brea Mall. This is a very traditional little town with loads of quirky shops.

Corinna

 

[MarkLyndaJakeChloe]

hi we are also going to california in 5 weeks time. we are staying in san francisco for 6 days then onto yosemite for 3 days followed by 6 days in disneyland and finishing off in vegas for 3. really glad this question was asked have plenty of things planned but always interested to hear more. if anybody could help with shopping mainly abercrombie, hollister etc would really appreciate it

 

[pigby]

We went to Anaheim last July (14 nights) and also this April (7 nights)- we stayed in hotels close to DLR and didnt hire a car.

Re the weather - you get more extremes of temperature in California - even in July we still had some of the 'June gloom' - in other words sometimes the clouds didnt burn off till lunchtime - on some days it was actually chilly - one day we went on a beach trip (Huntington, Laguna and Newport) and we picked the worst day for it - also at night it got chilly - I would take a couple of hoodies/light jackets with you - temperatures in SF were about 10 degrees fahrenheit cooler athn Anaheim. Saying that in the middle of our stay it topped 95 degrees for a week. Don't bother with raingear - you won't need it.

Prices in the parks are very similar to WDW - lots of different CS meals - we particularly enjoyed - Hungry Bear, French Market (try a mint julep), breakfast at Riverbelle Terrace - check out the menus on here and Allearsnet. We loved the character breakfasts - have done 2 - Goofys Kitchen at DL Hotel and Surfs UP at Paradise Pier - we did ADR (still called ADR's in DLR) at Goofys in July - didnt need it and did walk up at Surfs Up - easy seems there're not as popular at DLR - but easily as good (as WDW) and loads of character interaction.

The new Little Mermaid ride at California Adventure will be open now - we missed it - looks amazing - check out the Blue Sky Cellars in the park for things they are planning in the future -massive refurbs going on - park will be even better when all done in 2012 - but CA was a really nice surprise to us on the whole - much better than expected. The Aladdin show is a REAL must see - I'll not say too much - think Beauty and the Beast but MILES better - the actor who plays the Genie is hilarious - check in early for the show and try to get stalls - we were one of the last let into the stalls (they fill up the stalls first, then circle, then mezzanine and lastly balcony) - we snuck seats near the front on the end of a row. My favourite ride is California Screamin in this park (and may I say, in ANY Disney park)

Re the rides in DL park - Indiana Jones has to be done - DD will ride this over and over - get FP's as soon as you can though. There are so many things to tell you - there are so many rides in a smallish area you don't seem to be walking as much as at WDW (but you probably are, on the whole) Most lines are outside here - its the way the park was built - don't let the lines outside a ride put you off - POTC is very deceptive - once you are in the building you are almost on the ride - unlike in Orlando and Paris.

Re shopping and stuff - I enjoyed the fact you can walk everywhere - to the parks, to 'outside' restaurants and shops - check out Garden Walk 10 mins walk from Disney - lots of good restaurants - we ate at Bubba Gumps and California Pizza Kitchen - there is also an Hollister- not an outlet though but still DD says prices are about half of what you pay over here. There are lots of diners on S Harbor - Mimis and Millies are great - you can find coupons for discounts on dining and shopping - I will try to find the links and post them if you are interested - I had loads of them including ones for places in DTD.

There must be other things to tell you - we have also been to US, Hollywood tour including Santa Monica Beach - we have never managed to get to Knotts Berry Farm - thats a must do for next time for us. Going to WDW this August but def plan to go back to DLR in the future when CA is all done up with the red trolley buses and the new rides - check out the California Boards on here - the guys over there are brilliant

 

[A Small World]

Im another one who didnt find the jetlag as bad as expected. We arrived back at Heathrow mid afternoon then DD and I took the tube across London and caught the train home to Manchester. (I agree with Catherine about not being sure about driving back after the flight)
It was then bed normal time.
I had booked the following day off work but ended up going in as I felt fine - I was more tired due to lack of sleep on the plane rather than jetlag.

I loved DL - its so easy to park hop

As we were only there a week we did mainly Disney (with a day at Knotts and a day at Seaworld in San Diego)

 

[Head_in_the_clouds]

Thanks all lots of great advice here

I personally am not keen on driving home but my Dad is insisting on it as he always sleeps on the plane, 2 hours in and he is practically unconscious till landing. Also it is easier to get home by car than train. I won't sleep a wink during the car ride home, I'll be petrified that he will fall asleep!

Especially looking forward to the Aladdin musical (watched clips on youtube!) and The Little Mermaid ride as these are my two favourite Disney films! Thanks especially for the Mall advice, checked the directories and between them they have all the shops I want to visit covered! I was worried we wouldn't enjoy it as much as Florida as FL really feels like our other home but you have helped me look forward to it more!

 

[ukstitch]

I've been to the west coast about 5 times now and I've never had a problem with the jetlag - it's a long day when you arrive due to the time difference but i've always found that if you stay up as late as possible then you tend to feel pretty good the next day.

Best advice I can give for Disneyland is to make sure you make the most of being able to park hop - the two parks are literally a stone's throw away from each other so don't be afraid to jump from park to park, or call in to one for fastpasses then visit the other until your passes are ready.

Also - Disneyland allows you to return at any time after the published time on the pass - they don't enforce the "end" time printed on the passes, so it's well worth hanging onto passes until later.

Disneyland is more a "locals" park than Disney World, so you tend to find that it rewards getting up early as the park is normally pretty quiet until mid morning / lunch time. Similarly, week days are a lot quieter than weekends.

 

[Danauk]

We did a similar trip a few years ago. We went to Disneyland for 5 nights staying at the Grand Californian, then to Six Flags Magic Mountain for 3 days, then to Hollywood for 5 nights followed by a week in las Vegas. We didn't find the jet lag too bad when we went. It definately works in your advantage for the 1st few days as you wake early and you can easily get to the parks for opening. I would definately make sure you do the attractions that are unique to Disneyland, the Nemo subs ride was one of my favourites as well as the Aladdin musical. Also the Matterhorn is a must if you like rides. If you want a nice relaxing meal when at Disneyland the Napa Rose in the Grand Californian hotel is amazing.

In Hollywood stop for an icecream at the Disney Soda Fountain, it is just around the corner from the Hollywood and Highlands centre and by the Chinese Theatre (we stayed in the hotel attached to the HH centre when we went to Hollywood.) One of my personal favourite things to do in Hollywood was the studio tours. We did all of them over a few days and Paramount was my favourite as it was more personal and they let us on sets to watch filming (we stood with the director when they were filming Everybody Hates Chris.) Are you going to Universal Hollywood when you are there? If so the VIP tour is definately worth doing.
I hope you have a fab trip.

 

[Head_in_the_clouds]

We did a similar trip a few years ago. We went to Disneyland for 5 nights staying at the Grand Californian, then to Six Flags Magic Mountain for 3 days, then to Hollywood for 5 nights followed by a week in las Vegas. We didn't find the jet lag too bad when we went. It definately works in your advantage for the 1st few days as you wake early and you can easily get to the parks for opening. I would definately make sure you do the attractions that are unique to Disneyland, the Nemo subs ride was one of my favourites as well as the Aladdin musical. Also the Matterhorn is a must if you like rides. If you want a nice relaxing meal when at Disneyland the Napa Rose in the Grand Californian hotel is amazing.

In Hollywood stop for an icecream at the Disney Soda Fountain, it is just around the corner from the Hollywood and Highlands centre and by the Chinese Theatre (we stayed in the hotel attached to the HH centre when we went to Hollywood.) One of my personal favourite things to do in Hollywood was the studio tours. We did all of them over a few days and Paramount was my favourite as it was more personal and they let us on sets to watch filming (we stood with the director when they were filming Everybody Hates Chris.) Are you going to Universal Hollywood when you are there? If so the VIP tour is definately worth doing.
I hope you have a fab trip.

Thanks for this info, we weren't planning on Universal as we didn't like it in Orlando (we only tried it once in 1996) and also because my mum is awaiting a knee replacement so walking around the parks is a bit difficult. However, I think the SoCal pass seems amazing value as we would get Disney, Universal, SeaWorld and San Diego zoo or Safari passes included. I adore SeaWorld and love feeding and interacting with the Dolphins and I would enjoy the zoo or safari as I love animals so I don't know wether to go for the pass or not and just take the parks really really easy. Just take universal as a bit of an extra. We haven't got a massive itinerary planned, we would rather just have a relaxing time but don't want to get bored either!

 

[dolphingirl47]

Thanks for this info, we weren't planning on Universal as we didn't like it in Orlando (we only tried it once in 1996) and also because my mum is awaiting a knee replacement so walking around the parks is a bit difficult. However, I think the SoCal pass seems amazing value as we would get Disney, Universal, SeaWorld and San Diego zoo or Safari passes included. I adore SeaWorld and love feeding and interacting with the Dolphins and I would enjoy the zoo or safari as I love animals so I don't know wether to go for the pass or not and just take the parks really really easy. Just take universal as a bit of an extra. We haven't got a massive itinerary planned, we would rather just have a relaxing time but don't want to get bored either!

I have never rated Universal Studios in Orlando, but enjoyed the one in California. There is also not as much walking involved. The park on the whole feels more compact and quite a few attractions that are attraction in their own right in Orlando are part of the Studio Tour in California. I am sure things have changed, but Jaws, Earthquake and King Kong all used to be part of the studio tour and you never left the tram for this.

Corinna

 

[Danauk]

I agree Universal Orlando and Hollywood are two completely different experiences. The Hollywood park does have some attractions but its main focus is that it is a working studio lot. You do not have to do that much walking, the main attraction is the tram ride where you go around the lot and onto the set (you go on Whisteria Lane from Desperate Housewives and past some of the 1st POTC set.) I much preferred the Hollywood park over the Orlando one.

If you like animals and are going to San Diego the zoo is a must, it is probably the best zoo I have ever been to. San Diego Wild animal park is also very good as is Sea World.

 

[pigby]

I agree Universal Orlando and Hollywood are two completely different experiences. The Hollywood park does have some attractions but its main focus is that it is a working studio lot. You do not have to do that much walking, the main attraction is the tram ride where you go around the lot and onto the set (you go on Whisteria Lane from Desperate Housewives and past some of the 1st POTC set.) I much preferred the Hollywood park over the Orlando one.

We were the opposite - we prefer US Florida over Hollywood but we enjoy the whole 'immersive thing' at Orlando (as we do at WDW) and stay onsite. One attraction that was hilarious for us was the Horror maze - we would go back to US Hollywood just for this one attarction.