California Trip - Need Help - Please?!

[DisneyMissy318]

I've been pouring over the DisneyLAND board for weeks now (as well as most of the internet) - and have decided to ask for a little help. Sorry this might be long...

My DD(14) and I will be flying from VA to CA in June. Our travel dates - something like June 23 - July 3. There are so many things we want to do and see - but of course know it won't be possible to do everything! We have been dying to travel (fly) somewhere and we dreamt up this trip - just need a little help from the "natives" to put us on the right track!

The main reason for the trip is the soon to be 8th grade graduate asked to go to Comic-Con... then she changed her mind and decided to change to Vid-Con. We have our tickets for Vid-Con - which will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center June 29 & 30.

Our "must do" list includes:

San Diego Zoo
San Diego Safari Park
Disneyland
California Adventure
StarLine - LA Grand City Tour (5.5 hours)
VidCon

Our "want to do" list includes:

Universal Studios
San Diego SeaWorld
Beach

So... I have spent hours and hours trying to figure out proximity from one point to another, reading about what area to stay and what to avoid... I'm going crazy! I'm ready to book our flight, but at this point, not sure what airport to fly into. We plan to rent a car - and change hotels as many times as seems right. We are so totally up for an adventure, but I think I'm over my head in getting the details right.

I think we need to fly in and out of the same airport - only because returning a rental car somewhere else makes the rates sky-high! Not sure which location makes the most sense.

I would LOVE any advice! What makes sense on where to stay? Three locations? San Diego, LA and Anaheim?

I know it's summer - So. CA - it's going to busy - that much we have figured out and accepted!

So if you want to accept the challenge and impart your knowledge - would love to hear from you to help plan our California Adventure!

 

[sonnyjane]

How much time are you currently planning to dedicate to Disneyland/California Adventure? I'd say three days would be the absolute MINIMUM since you are going the week after Carsland opens. Then build the rest of your trip around that. I know you said that the zoo and Safari Park are on your "must list", but Sea World is on your "want to do" list. I'd probably recommend keeping the zoo but adding Sea World as a "must do" and bumping Safari Park to a "want to do". The zoo and Safari Park are obviously not the same, but that's a lot of terrestrial animals lol. Sea World is quite different and has rides and shows, so it would be a change of pace.

 

[cmwade77]

I personally think that the following would give you enough time at each location:

June 23 - Stay in San Diego and go to the beach and Old Town (I know it's not on your list, but it is a good activity to do the day you arrive, as you may have limited time)
June 24 - San Diego Zoo
June 25 - San Diego SeaWorld
June 26 - Check out of the San Diego hotel and go to San Diego Safari Park on your way up to checking into a hotel in Anaheim (preferably near Disneyland)
June 27 - Disneyland
June 28 - DCA
June 29 & 30 - VidCon
July 1 - Whatever you want to revisit at Disneyland/DCA or join in with the Vidcon Disney day and checkout of the hotel, check into a hotel in Hollywood
July 2 - Universal Studios
July 3 - StarLine - LA Grand City Tour (5.5 hours), of course this will only work if it works with your flight, if not, then move the the repeat Disneyland/DCA day to the afternoon/evening of the 26th, of course this means it's not a repeat day.

As to how to handle flights, what I would suggest is to fly into San Diego, rent a car there and return it there, most hotels offer access to a $5 shuttle to Anaheim, if you have paid Disneyland tickets in hand (you can usually buy them at the hotel as well). Then, rent a car in Anaheim and return it in Anaheim, again most hotels offer a similar shuttle from Anaheim to Hollywood, if you have paid Universal Studios tickets. Then rent a car in Hollywood, which you should be able to return to LAX.

Another option is if you rent a car from a non-airport location, you can usually return it to an airport location for little to no extra cost, check with the rental company though.

 

[HydroGuy]

How much time are you currently planning to dedicate to Disneyland/California Adventure? I'd say three days would be the absolute MINIMUM since you are going the week after Carsland opens. Then build the rest of your trip around that. I know you said that the zoo and Safari Park are on your "must list", but Sea World is on your "want to do" list. I'd probably recommend keeping the zoo but adding Sea World as a "must do" and bumping Safari Park to a "want to do". The zoo and Safari Park are obviously not the same, but that's a lot of terrestrial animals lol. Sea World is quite different and has rides and shows, so it would be a change of pace.

I agree with all of SJ's advice.

In SoCal the car rental comapnies often do not charge a fee or much of a fee for different pickup and drop-off spots. They are used to that. So do not lock yourself into the same airport in and out.

I want to make sure you found this helpful thread:

"Airport Proximity to DLR and Ground Transportation Information" by 3TinksAndAnEeyore www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2318297

If you can swing it, SNA is by far the best airport for DLR IMO.

It will be a challenge trying to figure out travel for all your different points. Here is my advice for DLR. Do DLR on weekdays and do your ventures to SD and LA on weekends. If you do a beach near DLR then you can do that weekdays fine.

Of course you will want to group your SD items so do the SD Zoo and SWSD (or the safari park - much like AK in WDW) on the same weekend. Try not to drive from DLR to SD on a weekday as the traffic is unpredictable in a bad way. It has taken me four hours to do that drive during supposedly during non-rush hour. I would drive down to SD late Friday night (8PM at the earliest) and do SW on Saturday and the zoo on Sunday, then drive back to DLR Sunday night.

 

[brenda1966]

I have rented cars and dropped at different locations in CA and have never paid a drop fee. I have noticed that the often do not allow you to use coupons when you do this, so you may pay a bit more. Car rental prices jump around more than airline ones do, so reserve one that is reasonable and then keep on looking and looking and looking to better that rate.

I agree with the idea to fly into one location and fly out of another. The drive from San Diego to Anahiem is really only something you want to do once if possible.

San Diego has more beautiful beaches than LA area IMO. La Jolla is just stunning and going on your arrival day to see the sunset would be perfect.

 

[DisneyMissy318]

How much time are you currently planning to dedicate to Disneyland/California Adventure? I'd say three days would be the absolute MINIMUM since you are going the week after Carsland opens. Then build the rest of your trip around that. I know you said that the zoo and Safari Park are on your "must list", but Sea World is on your "want to do" list. I'd probably recommend keeping the zoo but adding Sea World as a "must do" and bumping Safari Park to a "want to do". The zoo and Safari Park are obviously not the same, but that's a lot of terrestrial animals lol. Sea World is quite different and has rides and shows, so it would be a change of pace.

So much good info!! Thanks for taking your time. We were thinking 2 1/2 - 3 at Disneyland - thanks for the heads up about Carsland! I had put SW on our "want" list because we usually go to SW in Orlando every (or every other) year... but it is still a favorite. We are zoo people! We travel with zoo's being the destination and San Diego has been on our list for years!

 

[Lissame]

Having been to SeaWorld, SD Zoo, and SD Wild Animal Park, I personally would just choose one. They are neat, but in the summer, SeaWorld is beyond crowded. We weren't even able to go on the rides when we were there because the lines were 60 min. It was the general consensus of our party that it really wasn't worth it. And the Zoo and Wild Animal park are nowhere close to each other, make sure you realize that while making plans too.

 

[Hootch]

Old Town in San Diego is pretty centrally located. We stayed at a Best Western there before kids and we have a couple of nights booked in July with kids.

Costco has a three in one pass that covers the zoo, Sea World and the safari for $99 if you opt for all three.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...=0&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

 

[bleeps]

I think we need to fly in and out of the same airport - only because returning a rental car somewhere else makes the rates sky-high! Not sure which location makes the most sense.

Just want to say that I always had this impression myself, but we just flew back to Boston last night/this morning (red-eye) on Jet Blue -- we flew in to San Diego last Thursday (4/12) and out from Long Beach (4/20), and it did not make any real difference in the cost of airfare! Also, we rented through Hertz and also did the two different pick-up/drop-ff locations, and the difference in cost was minor. I don't know if it's because of how many people do this sort of thing in California (both for rental cars and flights), but don't rule this option out before looking into it.

[edited to add]
We stayed in Del Mar for the San Diego portion of our trip -- that might not make sense for you, but I mention it because the beaches there are gorgeous (Del Mar through Encinitas). We drove from Del Mar to Anaheim at about 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday -- because you'll have 2 people in your car you can use the car pool lane, and there's a direct exit to DL from that lane (the far left one). We were there in less than 90 minutes and traffic, although heavy, was moving well.

 

[KCmike]

I have to disagree about the car rental drop off fees. We have tried to do it and when booking there was a huge fee. I would stick with flying into LAX and then start your trip by driving down the first day to San Diego. It's only a two hour car ride and its not a bad drive at all. We are going this year again and have the same days booked as you down to the exact dates...it really is a small world! Sea World San Diego is amazing. It is also very compact and easy to do. My whole family loved it. Have you thought about the SoCal City Pass and upgrading to add on SD Zoo? You get three days at Disneyland/DCA, SeaWorld, and Universal. Here is the link: http://www.citypass.com/southern-california

We are spending our first three days in San Diego and then the rest in Anaheim with stops in Catalina, Griffith Observatory, Santa Monica Pier and possibly some other stuff as this might be our last trip out west for awhile.

Where are you thinking about staying in San Diego and Anaheim? Don't stay in LA. Again my two cents are to rent the car from LAX and drive down to San Diego and stay there for three days and then drive back up to Anaheim and spend the rest there.

My favorite places if money is no object include:

San Diego - Hotel Del Coronado (Amazing place right on the ocean, think Grand Floridian before it was ever dreamed of, it is also rated as the best beach in SoCal)
http://www.hoteldel.com/

Anaheim - Grand Californian (Disney's flagship resort)

The closet and best beaches to Disneyland include Newport and Corona Del Mar.

 

[Pixiafurie]

John Wayne airport is definitely easier to navigate and tickets are usually around the same price as LAX. Staying near the convention center around the dates you will be at Vid-con is probably the best idea and also using that hotel for Disneyland (they are so close together, it'll ease so much stress those days) is also preferable. Try to give yourself enough time to see the sights you really want - don't just squeeze in activities because you feel you need to see everything while you are there. This may result in a very high pressure vacation where you miss a lot of great sights. Be sure to give yourself at least a few days with the Disney Parks (Park hopper tickets, if you can) if that is a priority in your list. I think you may consider switching hotels for the San Diego Zoo, but this is completely up to you if you have a rental car.

 

[bleeps]

I have to disagree about the car rental drop off fees. We have tried to do it and when booking there was a huge fee.

Really -- we did this yesterday, through Hertz -- San Diego pick up, Anaheim drop off (rented for 9 days) -- and there wasn't an extra fee. It may depend on the season, or the company, or the length of the rental, etc., but it is possible.

 

[starshine514]

The rental car prices will vary. I suggest that you check out the prices (with different companies) before deciding on your plane tickets. Your dates are the only ones that matter in this decision, it doesn't matter what other rates others have gotten at various times in the past - what matters to you is what rates you can get for your dates. I think a 2-hour drive back would be worth saving a couple hundred dollars on a car rental, if the difference is that large.

 

[DisneyMissy318]

I cant thank you all enough! Awesome information - Im going to spend tomorrow working out all of the different scenarios. I cant wait to get this trip booked and start planning our days!

I didnt realize there was a distance between the zoo and safari park - I obviously still have work to do on figuring out logistics!

 

[HydroGuy]

I cant thank you all enough! Awesome information - Im going to spend tomorrow working out all of the different scenarios. I cant wait to get this trip booked and start planning our days!

I didnt realize there was a distance between the zoo and safari park - I obviously still have work to do on figuring out logistics!

The Zoo and Sea World are much closer to each other. The WAP is north maybe 30 miles.

 

[sonnyjane]

The Zoo and Sea World are much closer to each other. The WAP is north maybe 30 miles.

And easily a 45 minute to an hour drive.

 

[Isatricia]

You say you are zoo people.......then you don't want to miss the SD Zoo and the Safari Park. My family can easily spend 3-4 days between the two of them. The SD Zoo is huge and if you want to see it all it takes time. Also they close at 5 or 6pm.

We have also spent 1.5 to 2 days at SW and didn't ride any rides - especially in the summer if you want to see all the exhibits and shows.

 

[KCmike]

Really -- we did this yesterday, through Hertz -- San Diego pick up, Anaheim drop off (rented for 9 days) -- and there wasn't an extra fee. It may depend on the season, or the company, or the length of the rental, etc., but it is possible.

Thanks for the info. I will check Hertz out.

 

[KCmike]

I just ran the numbers for Hertz and went from Anaheim to San Diego for my June dates and it was $336. Then I ran the numbers for the same dates but returned the car back in Anaheim where it was originally rented and it was $223. They might have charged you the extra and just put it into your total rate or like you said it might be the time of year you rented? For some reason we have tried several companies and could never get past the drop off fee. I'll keep trying. I would love to pull that off.

 

[Rhonna]

Just my 2 cents.

If you've been to Florida's Sea World, the one in CA is not going to wow you.

I would pick AK park at WDW over the SD Wild Animal Park anytime, but since you said you really enjoy animals (we do too), you will probably like it okay.

Do NOT miss the San Diego Zoo. It's top quality. Plan a full day there. If you get done early Balboa Park is right there.

I really think you'll need 3 days at DL/DCA in the summer with CarsLand just opening. Especially if you've never been there before.

If you are staying onsite at DL, I'd stay at the newly remodeled DLH over the Grand CA.

For non-disney hotels, restaurants, etc. I love tripadvisor.com So much help with all the reviews from so many travelers. It always helps me plan a trip.

I know the logistics of the actual traveling is a challenge. My least favorite part of trip planning. How to get from point A to point B.

One thing I've noticed traveling in So. CA. I've driven a few times later at night between San Diego and Anaheim and it is such low traffic compared to daylight hours. I'm talking maybe around 10pm, not midnight or the wee hours of the morning. SO much nicer than fighting commuter traffic!

Have fun!