Conflicted about a 4th Day

[Lightshield]

We will be making our once-in-a-lifetime trip to Disneyland this upcoming November 2nd-5th. Unfortunately the length of our visit was dictated by the available flight days on the Southwest 50% off sale a couple months back. :-(

Anyway... we were originally going to be flying out of SNA on Tuesday morning, the 6th, but due to worries about connecting flights we changed our flight out to 9PM on the 5th.

So here's our dilemma... original plan was that we were going to dedicate 3 solid days to the parks (with Park Hoppers due to the difference in closing times. CA closes at 9 each night of our stay while DL stays open to 11 or 12), and then use the fourth day to drive up to Hollywood and the beach to just sightsee, then maybe go back and "close the parks" and see the fireworks, etc.

Now that we are flying out at 9pm Monday though (our "fourth day"), and have to worry about getting the airport early etc. etc., we are questioning whether we need to purchase 3 day or 4 day Park Hoppers.

Several people have told us that "Three days is plenty of time to see everything!" but of course Cars Land is new, and we wonder if three days really is plenty of time now?

Like I said, this is probably the only trip us lowly Alabamians will ever get to make to Disneyland so we want to make sure we see and do everything we can.

So to sum up: do YOU think 3 days with Park Hopping is enough to do most everything at the parks, or should we go ahead and buy a 4 day PH so we at least have the option of doing some things on that last day?

(sorry to be so long winded!)

 

[todzwife]

There is no way to get everything done in 3 days with the crowds the way they've been. Maybe before Carsland but not anymore. If you can, do 4 days...it will be enough to get through *most* of it and not have to feel rushed.

 

[Mel522]

3 days is not enough time to see everything in the parks, so you will probably need the 4 days. But, you may find there are things in the park that you are not really interested in doing. You can always upgrade the 3 day to the 4 day hopper at the ticket booth. So you can buy a 3 day and if you find there are still things you want to do, or things you want to do again, you can just add a day.

 

[sonnyjane]

I would go ahead and get the 4 day tickets because I do NOT advise going to Hollywood on that 4th day, especially if you're flying out that night. I mean, I cannot advise against it enough. It's tooooooo much hassle with driving and traffic and the payoff is low. If you think this is the only trip you will ever make to the west coast in general...EVER... then maybe you can head to the beach on the 4th day briefly to see it, but it will be too cold to swim.

 

[Shimmer]

Is it two adults making the trip?

I don't think you can ever see/do all there is to do in any vacation location. Disneyland is a great example. We have been dozens of days but still find new things (or they add new things for us to see/do).

I think 3 days for 2 adults is a great amount of time to explore, find favorite rides and see shows. But, for only $25 each, you can add the extra day and have a lot of time in the park before your flight.

In my opinion, Hollywood isn't interesting and not worth spending a day away from Disney. The beach is great when it's warm but you can go to beaches near you for the same experience, I'd guess. You'd have the hassle and extra expense of renting a car also.

My vote...enjoy the extra day in Disney.

 

[Escape2Disney]

I also agree that 3 days really isn't enough. This is especially true if you won't be returning in the future. You'll spend less on an upgrade to 4 days than you would fighting traffic to see Hollywood.

 

[Lightshield]

Thanks so much for the feedback everyone.


The parks close at 8pm on Monday the 5th... so we could stay till ALMOST close before having to head to the airport and get almost another full day in at the parks. Sounds like a winner to me!

 

[madigraham]

The crowds will be light then. Cars land consists of one major ride (rsr) which is worth waiting for compared to the other rides. If u utilize your fast passes you will be able to do everything you want to do in a full 3 days.

Use your fast passes wisely!!!!

 

[disneyismyheart247]

I don't want to burst any bubble you may have, but three days is not enough to see and experience everything IMO. I'd say one needs AT LEAST four days, five days being the perfect amount of days to see all of the DLR. There are just so many things to see and experience. Include that with crowds, and you've got yourself a busy first timer schedule. Hope everything works out for you.

 

[CamoMama]

I went by myself for 3 days and still didn't get everything done that I wanted. I find that anything less than 5 days is not nearly enough.

 

[sheetz]

Maybe you can just get a 3 day ticket and then upgrade if you think you will want a 4th day.

Regarding Hollywood, I agree it's not worth it just to drive around the area, but if you can book yourselves a tour of one of the studios like Warner Brothers (which is actually in Burbank), then I would consider that worthwhile.

 

[Eeee-va]

How long would you stay at WDW? For what it's worth, Disneyland Resort has roughly the same number of rides/attractions as WDW (though you will spend a lot less time in transportation). Almost all of the rides shared between the coasts are at least somewhat different at DLR.

You realistically could probably ride every ride that's available once and maybe even see the shows in 3 days, but you'll miss a lot of the atmosphere. I'd say adding a 4th day to your DL trip could very well be the cheapest option versus going to Hollywood/etc.

Have a great trip! I'll be there on the 2nd too (thanks, DISUnplugged)!

 

[DorkyDisneyMom]

Why don't you try to book one of the Disneyland tours on the fourth day? It will be way better than fighting traffic and looking at an ocean you can't get into.

 

[Zbugz]

Hollywood was a disappointment for me, and the commute was a bear, even with my NAV helping us avoid traffic.

I vote for another day at DL. It would be a great way to take in those details that you likely would miss otherwise.

 

[dmband]

I too was told over and over 3 days was enough but after reading now...
Do you guys feel adding a 4th day is worth it (in feb break week) if you have to catch a bus (DLExpress) back to the airport 3ish??

I'm sure the answer is yes but we can't miss the flight as we are only going to be in the area for a wedding.
I figure we could play it safe and have 4-5 hrs in the park
(Traveling with four kids ages 1.5 to 8)

 

[DorkyDisneyMom]

I too was told over and over 3 days was enough but after reading now...
Do you guys feel adding a 4th day is worth it (in feb break week) if you have to catch a bus (DLExpress) back to the airport 3ish??

I'm sure the answer is yes but we can't miss the flight as we are only going to be in the area for a wedding.
I figure we could play it safe and have 4-5 hrs in the park
(Traveling with four kids ages 1.5 to 8)

I'd opt for the fourth day. When we go with our kids for a half day like that everyone gets to pick their favorite ride for one last ride, including the adults. We ride some form of transportation up Main Street to soak it up one more time. We are usually in such a hurry on the previous days. So it's nice to slow it down. We get to the end of Main Street and then hit all the favorites. It's a great way to end it on a high note for everyone.

We will also hop for those that have a favorite in DCA as well. It works well for us.