While planning a solo trip to California between 10/9-13, I conceived this bright idea to bring my wife along for the weekend prior (10/5-10/9). Traveling from east coast, so I didn’t want her to miss out! One thing led to another, and now we’ve agreed to bring our two daughters (10 and 4) along. We will have a car, so I get a little freedom of movement in exchange for parking fees. I have a few questions regarding logistics and hotel choice if anyone could help.
It looks like Gay Days will impact crowds for our weekend, and I’m hoping that MHP is scheduled for our arrival evening on Friday. For reference, we’ve done MNSSHP before. MHP isn’t a must-do. I think we can work our schedule around both, but any tips that would make things easier would be welcome.
Also, we’re riding the fence on whether or not to purchase SoCal City Passes or just 3-day PHs for Disneyland (the price difference is marginal). I’m not thrilled with the idea of spending 4+ hours in the car to drive down to SeaWorld and/or Legoland, but I’m also willing to let my oldest daughter decide. Any thoughts on how bad this drive can get? Easier to leave early in the AM, I assume? Would a mid-day commute (to or from) be bad on a Saturday or Sunday in early October?
Last, I’m trying to decide whether adding a single night at GCH would be worth it. I’m thinking getting up early and transferring our luggage and car from an off-site hotel wouldn’t be too much hassle. Heck, the wife and kids would probably sleep through it. It would, however, give us EMH on Monday in addition to the MM on Saturday. We could make use of it. Having the entry/exit to DCA would make a mid-day break even easier too. Should I just stick to a plan that only includes an off-site hotel for the weekend? I kind of feel like upgrading for our last day together would be fun, even if it required a little effort on my part. I doubt we will have the chance to visit CA again in the near future, so I’d like to make it as special as possible.
-TYIA for any insights, advice, etc.
It looks like Gay Days will impact crowds for our weekend, and I’m hoping that MHP is scheduled for our arrival evening on Friday. For reference, we’ve done MNSSHP before. MHP isn’t a must-do. I think we can work our schedule around both, but any tips that would make things easier would be welcome.
Also, we’re riding the fence on whether or not to purchase SoCal City Passes or just 3-day PHs for Disneyland (the price difference is marginal). I’m not thrilled with the idea of spending 4+ hours in the car to drive down to SeaWorld and/or Legoland, but I’m also willing to let my oldest daughter decide. Any thoughts on how bad this drive can get? Easier to leave early in the AM, I assume? Would a mid-day commute (to or from) be bad on a Saturday or Sunday in early October?
Last, I’m trying to decide whether adding a single night at GCH would be worth it. I’m thinking getting up early and transferring our luggage and car from an off-site hotel wouldn’t be too much hassle. Heck, the wife and kids would probably sleep through it. It would, however, give us EMH on Monday in addition to the MM on Saturday. We could make use of it. Having the entry/exit to DCA would make a mid-day break even easier too. Should I just stick to a plan that only includes an off-site hotel for the weekend? I kind of feel like upgrading for our last day together would be fun, even if it required a little effort on my part. I doubt we will have the chance to visit CA again in the near future, so I’d like to make it as special as possible.
-TYIA for any insights, advice, etc.
