Disney World + Disneyland

[CAL2]

hi,
this is my first time posting and would like some advise please.
im from the uk and we are planning a trip to Disney World for November 2015.
sad to say but i think this will be our last family trip to DW and have been thinking about making it a special last trip.
what im thinking is to include a day trip to Disneyland, but iv no idea if this is possible to do in a day or even where and how to organize transfers planes and tickets

can anyone help me with information on how to plan this ?
cal

 

[kjs1976]

Wow! That would take A LOT of planning and cost $$$! I guess you'd have to look at your dates and get on orbitz and start looking at flights from MCO to John Wayne Airport nearest to DL. You'd have to consider transfer to DL, too! since they don't have magical express. A couple of years ago I did read a thread on here of a family who tried to get to all the parks at both WDW and DL in one day. They started at WDW and then flew on to DL. And California Adventure. Crazy and expensive is all I can say!!!

 

[CAL2]

hi,
thank you for your reply, i see your point about it being a mad rush for a day trip, what airline would you recomend to fligh with and how long a flight is it to JW airport ?
thanks
cal

 

[Itinkso]

hi,
thank you for your reply, i see your point about it being a mad rush for a day trip, what airline would you recomend to fligh with and how long a flight is it to JW airport ?
thanks
cal

Southwest flies to John Wayne. Minimum 5 hour flight but add in a couple of hours if there is a stop or change of planes. Southwest also flies to Burbank. If you are trying to do this in a day, you should rent a car and valet park at Grand Californian. Choose a day when DLR has late hours... Summer is best.

For non-stop flights, there are more if you fly MCO>LAX.

 

[china mom]

Just to clarify, you are not trying to do both WDW and DL in the same day are you? I took your post as you plan on doing a vacation in WDW and then flying to CA and doing one day in DL, maybe the next day.

That is more doable. expensive but doable

 

[CAL2]

hi,
thank you for your replies
yes we are at Disney World for 18 days and was thinking of a day in DL but didn't realise it was a 5 hour flight, see told you I needed help well I may have to rethink this, maybe 12 days Disney World and then transfer to Disneyland for 6 days? will need to look into this, I usually book through Disney so if I phone them maybe they will be able to help ?
cal

 

[Itinkso]

hi,
thank you for your replies
yes we are at Disney World for 18 days and was thinking of a day in DL but didn't realise it was a 5 hour flight, see told you I needed help well I may have to rethink this, maybe 12 days Disney World and then transfer to Disneyland for 6 days? will need to look into this, I usually book through Disney so if I phone them maybe they will be able to help ?
cal

A travel agent who specializes in Disney would be best. Call center CMs usually don't have the travel expertise you will need to do both WDW and DLR.

 

[MouseMomx2]

I would fly all the way to California first and do 4 days at Disneyland (six if you want to see other things in Southern CA). Then I would fly to Orlando and stay there for the rest of your vacation.

 

[Albion218]

I would fly all the way to California first and do 4 days at Disneyland (six if you want to see other things in Southern CA). Then I would fly to Orlando and stay there for the rest of your vacation.

I think this is a great idea. 4 days in DL is a good amount of touring in the parks too. You can get a lot done there in that amount of time. Then just head on over to WDW.

You'll need to either rent a car or take a shuttle from the airport to DL. I recommend the shuttle unless you're wanting to go sight seeing elsewhere. It was cheap and there was plenty of stores within walking distance of everything.

 

[MouseMomx2]

You should also know that Disneyland is situated a bit differently than WDW. There are a lot of non-Disney hotels within walking distance of the parks so staying on-property is not as big of a deal there as it is in WDW. Yes, you do get some perks by staying at one of the DL hotels, but if you are doing the trip on a budget you'll be just fine in one of the neighborhood hotels.

I would suggest visiting the Disneyland forum for lots more info.

 

[MouseyMin]

If you're flying from London to Disneyland, you probably want to fly to Los Angeles International, better known as LAX. Delta flies non-stop (11 hours!!) - I'm sure other major carriers do too. You can then take SuperShuttle to your hotel near Disneyland.

It takes 3-4 days to see Disneyland, and it's quite different from Disney World. Everything is within walking distance, including quite a few hotels which are on Harbor Blvd, right outside the entrance. You might also want to book a city tour of Los Angeles.

 

[crazymomof4]

hi,
was thinking of a day in DL but didn't realise it was a 5 hour flight

When I read your OP I thought this might be the case bc it reminded me of when my relatives visited us from Germany. They wanted to take a "day trip", by car, to Florida until we opened up a map of the US and showed them that Florida is at least a 14 hr drive from where we live in New Jersey.
Having been to Europe and seeing how quickly one can drive from country to country to country, I can see where it would be tough to comphrehend the vast size of the US.
I agree with others who suggest shortening your WDW trip in favor of more time in DL, that would make the time and expense worthwhile. DL has many attractions that WDW does not. The weather in California is almost always pleasant... another plus!

 

[SplashMo]

It is do able. LAX is the best airport for international flight. John Wayne has a slight advantage between DL and WDW.

4 days in Disneyland is plenty. Most people do stay off site at DL. I would mostly leave the flying day as a travel day.

 

[PinkBudgie]

As a DLR vet, I say 4 days is minimum. We did a week last summer. Really, I'd do 5 days. There actually is a lot to see and do there! Our favorite place to stay off site is Candy Cane Inn- it is a very short walk to the parks AND they offer a free shuttle AND free breakfast. It isn't a fancy place, but it is clean and they keep the grounds pretty.

Someone on the Dis DLR podcast team did do DLR and WDW (all six parks) in one day. I'm sure it is in the archives somewhere. I do not recall how long ago. Last summer maybe?

 

[SplashMo]

5 days would be perfect for a first visit...

That would still give you 12 days in WDW and 5 in DL.

I would get Park Hoppers in DL and see:


HydroGuy's Fireworks Rule: www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199851

HydroGuy's High Season/Off Season Tradeoff Rule: www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199852

HydroGuy's How To Avoid Long Lines Rules: www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199856

HydroGuy's Make Sure You Get On Your Favorite Ride Rule: www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199860

HydroGuy's Hotel Rule: www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199862

HydroGuy's WDW Vet guide to DL http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599
__________________

 

[kitayama]

When I read your OP I thought this might be the case bc it reminded me of when my relatives visited us from Germany. They wanted to take a "day trip", by car, to Florida until we opened up a map of the US and showed them that Florida is at least a 14 hr drive from where we live in New Jersey. Having been to Europe and seeing how quickly one can drive from country to country to country, I can see where it would be tough to comphrehend the vast size of the US. I agree with others who suggest shortening your WDW trip in favor of more time in DL, that would make the time and expense worthwhile. DL has many attractions that WDW does not. The weather in California is almost always pleasant... another plus!

I once had a roommate from Germany and he reminded me that the United States has almost the same land area as all of Europe... It is difficult for me to comprehend how small countries in Europe are.
As far as weather, I agree that 100 degree highs with low humidity are easier to handle then 85 degrees with high humidity and showers from what I have heard... Winters are practically the same, and we don't have other seasons besides Summer and Winter.

To the OP, I love Disney, but the United States has so much more to offer then just Disney. If this is going to be your last trip to the United States (by last trip to Disney World I assume you mean the entire US) please spend some time in our National Parks instead of spending all that money just to hop over to Disneyland for a few days. Our National Park system is absolutely amazing! It will probably be cheaper, and it will give you a better taste of this country. There is also Hawaii... (Sorry for the brief national pride moment.)

 

[CAL2]

hi guys,
thank you all so much for the info its a big help. I can see if i do this it will take a lot of planning but that's half the fun
cal

 

[crazymomof4]

As a DLR vet, I say 4 days is minimum. We did a week last summer. Really, I'd do 5 days. There actually is a lot to see and do there!

Good to know! The last time I was in DL was a loooong time ago, well before many additions, including California Adventure. We are planning a 2 week trip to Cali in Sept 2015. My uncle is a retired, "veteran" Disney Imagineer and lives close to DL. Would be cool if we could stay with him and maybe snag some complimentary passes as well. (fingers crossed)

 

[crazymomof4]

To the OP, I love Disney, but the United States has so much more to offer then just Disney. If this is going to be your last trip to the United States (by last trip to Disney World I assume you mean the entire US) please spend some time in our National Parks instead of spending all that money just to hop over to Disneyland for a few days. Our National Park system is absolutely amazing! It will probably be cheaper, and it will give you a better taste of this country. There is also Hawaii... (Sorry for the brief national pride moment.)

I agree!
On our 2015 30th Anniversary trip to Cali we want to start with a few days in DL (bc it's where my uncle used to work and we want to visit him too) but then head north, up the Pacific Coast Highway as far as the Napa Valley wine country. Then return to LA by hitting the National Parks (Yosemite, Sequoia) on our way south. This will be a big splurge for us, as with 4 kids we've never really taken more than a weekend trip with "just the two of us" in the 29 yrs we've been married.

 

[Cyrano]

Hi CAL2. Danny, Brian and Reid welcome you to the TPAS DIS board

We are a friendly and knowledgeable bunch here so please join in on any other thread or if you have a number of questions then just start a new thread

This forum is park planning strategies for your Walt Disney World holiday/vacation.
For other aspects e.g. Resorts, Dining etc you will find other boards where your questions on these aspects should be posted. The boards can be found from the main landing page here.

The Disneyland board can be found here.

There is a UK Trip Planning board that may also be of interest to you here.

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