Extended Trip

[slpeters]

So I am looking for the first time at Disneyland. We did our first trip to WDW in November and I was really surprised at how much I loved it. We're already planning another week in Orlando, this time doing a week at Universal with a WDW Christmas Party and a day at SeaWorld.

And I think I would like to check out DLR. We tend to go everywhere for a week or more if we fly. We're in Chicago so we would fly to either Disney. My gut instinct is to do five days at DLR, but my husband doesn't think it's really that kind of resort and worries a little that there won't be enough to do. It does seem to be built more around the day trip model than the week trip like WDW and we would probably be staying offsite (it doesn't seem like the onsite accommodations offer enough perks to really warrant the price).

What are people's thoughts? It seems pretty clear that we could do just about everything with three day park hoppers. Would two more days be worth it? What would you do to make an extended stay extra magical? Or should we just string together other things in the region and leave DLR at three days? or even two?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

We always tell our friends to aim for 5 days minimum, if possible. There is so much to do in the parks and resort area, not to mention in Southern California itself, that even two weeks could not be enough for some people. Will you want to do beach days, shopping days, work in sightseeing in Los Angeles or San Diego or somewhere else nearby, see sports events, go wine tasting, etc.? 5 day park hopper tickets will allow you to take in both DL and DCA at a relaxed pace, even with crowds, with plenty of time for rides (and re-rides!), shows, entertainment, live music (and dancing, if you'd like), TS meals and/or dining packages, shopping, tours, people watching, etc. It will also allow for afternoon breaks by the pool, if you need some down time. When were you thinking of visiting? Crowd patterns at DLR are different than at WDW. There are some great holiday seasons coming up here (Halloween Time and Holiday Time), and SWGE is opening next year.
Here are two threads with very helpful information for trip planning:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/choosing-the-right-hotel-for-you.3656512/

A DLR Guide for WDW Vets

 

[momof2n2]

So I am looking for the first time at Disneyland. We did our first trip to WDW in November and I was really surprised at how much I loved it. We're already planning another week in Orlando, this time doing a week at Universal with a WDW Christmas Party and a day at SeaWorld.

And I think I would like to check out DLR. We tend to go everywhere for a week or more if we fly. We're in Chicago so we would fly to either Disney. My gut instinct is to do five days at DLR, but my husband doesn't think it's really that kind of resort and worries a little that there won't be enough to do. It does seem to be built more around the day trip model than the week trip like WDW and we would probably be staying offsite (it doesn't seem like the onsite accommodations offer enough perks to really warrant the price).

What are people's thoughts? It seems pretty clear that we could do just about everything with three day park hoppers. Would two more days be worth it? What would you do to make an extended stay extra magical? Or should we just string together other things in the region and leave DLR at three days? or even two?

We are driving from NY and have a 19-day road trip. We rented an AirBnB house about ten minutes away. We have four DLR days planned and four other days with plans to do other things in the area. There is no shortage of suggestions. We will likely do the Aquarium of the Pacific, Santa Monica Pier area, Hollywood Blvd., a day in San Diego, and a few beach afternoons. SoCal seems to be teeming with options. Whether you rent a car or Uber somewhere I bet you could easily fill those other days.
Enjoy planning.

 

[figment_jii]

What are people's thoughts? It seems pretty clear that we could do just about everything with three day park hoppers. Would two more days be worth it? What would you do to make an extended stay extra magical? Or should we just string together other things in the region and leave DLR at three days? or even two?

I think it really depends on how you tour the parks and when you planning on going. If you are a rope drop "commando" style guest, then, yes, I think you can probably do most everything in three days. However, it also depends on what you mean by "everything" (rides? shows? characters? nighttime entertainment? daytime entertainment? dining? etc.). If you do like to see all of the shows and entertainment offerings, along with the attractions and character M&G, then I think you'll be hard pressed to do everything in three days. I would generally say that you can get most things done in three days (with some decisions made about things to skip, especially if you want to see any of the nighttime shows which can require a fair amount of time investment), but you need 5 days to really do everything or you do things at a relaxed pace. While DLR only has two parks, there is a lot to do in those two parks.

 

[Winnowill]

We had APs from June, 2016-June, 2017, and spent 22 days in the parks (we live in Phoenix, so it's a haul for us to get there). Enjoyed every moment of every day, and we were there for six days on one trip. So, yeah. You can do everything in three days, probably. But five is so nice - you can re-do favorites, make sure you see all the nighttime spectaculars, and make sure you get to the minor attractions you might not have time for with only three days. And, honestly, five days is not that much more expensive than three. On LMTClub, a three-day hopper is $301.40, and a five-day hopper is $318.06. For less than $17 each, you get two extra days. In fact, my BFF and I wound up extending our planned three days in the parks to five on our girls' trip (our trip is five days - we weren't planning on any partial days in the parks, but the extra two days are so cheap, why would we not go on both arrival day and departure day as well?)

 

[chickapin parterre]

so what is the date you are projecting?

From my observation and your past WDW experience....best to think of it as Day trip visit.....

* you have no traditions at Disneyland that require early morning rising or standing in line with hot brew and bakery.

*you have no family history of past visits, for most of us, Disneyland is the cabin in the woods, the cottage in New England, the ocean bungalow. We can't afford any of the above, so we invest as much time as possible at Disneyland, it is more about being invigorating then just arriving.

* you have no history of Walt Disney, so Main street is of no interest, the plants in NOS are of no interest and exploring Sleeping Beauty Castle is of no interest.

*Disneyland at night is unlike Disneyland during the day. Disneyland fresh in the morning is unlike mid-day crush Disneyland. Closing down Main Street, well on our first night it is very euphoric, we have the opportunity to immediately return, the last night, well, most of us come to tears as we shutter up the windows for the season.

*Disneyland is old, it has wrinkles, one could spend a whole day just looking at the wrinkles of Disneyland

* Most of us here will ride one attraction several times a day, for me, I ride Splash three to five times in a row, in the same log, early morning and once at night. The night visit reminds me of my plastic canoe ride at the Indio Date Festival when I was 6 years old. Cresting the top of Chickapin, under the cabins, for me is the most peaceful place on earth!!!

*For us on the West Coast, it is our Columbus Day, our Greek Festival, Oktoberfest, our St. Patrick Day, our May Day parade, our National Sporting event...we lack tradition here on the edge of the Pacific Ocean....so Disneyland is our balm of Gilead.... 3-5 days worth.

 

[skuttle]

We are headed to Disneyland for the first time in mid-June (We are WDW vets). We are spending 7 nights at the DLH with a 5 day park hopper. This may be our one and only trip since WDW is so much more convenient for us, so we want to be able to take our time and do/see it all! We also want to spend time relaxing and swimming at the resort. I know the summer heat and crowds will get to us and the break will be welcome. I am a little worried about it being too long, but since it's all new to us I think it'll work out fine. We want to do some rope drops, but also enjoy the parks at night, so this will give us the ability to do that and sleep in as needed. Our kids are 14, 7 and 5, so everyone will be interested in different things. Before Disneyland, we are spending a couple of days in the LA area doing the touristy things (Hollywood, Santa Monica, Dodgers game, space shuttle, etc.).

 

[DizneyMommy]

5 consecutive days is a lot, unless you tour very slowly or like to stop and look at every. little. detail. My family would be bored by day 4. It is more of a day-trip park, everything is so close together so there is no transportation time between parks or DTD. I would recommend cutting it down to 4 days or even 3, and take some quiet pool/dining/relaxing days in between. The rush and crush of being in the parks for days on end is exhausting, and if you are the type who likes to slow down and enjoy your vacation, like we are, you'll appreciate those pool days!

 

[DizneyMommy]

And no, there really aren't "perks" on-site at DLR like there are at WDW, but the on-site hotels are an awesome splurge. I would 100% cut a day off my trip if it saved enough to splurge on an on-site hotel. Disneyland Hotel or Grand Californian, I am not a fan of Paradise Pier. GCH is gorgeous and luxurious and RIGHT THERE. DLH is fun and has an amazing pool and feels like a nice calm away from the parks. We are local but have spent several staycations at those two hotels, often not even going in the parks at all but just rented a cabana and hung out at the pool all day!

 

[lalasmama]

We do 4 days in the park twice a year, so, clearly, we enjoy a little longer stay Especially when bringing a newbie with us. My first trip with my youngest daughter was 7 days.

One thing to consider is that there are nearly as many attractions in just DLR's 2 parks as there are in the regular 4 parks at WDW. There's a ton to explore, and 5 days really allows you to see (and re-see!) everything. With more than 3 days, I didn't sweat it as much when my daughter wanted to explore the Redwood Creek Challenge for 2 whole hours. I didn't fret about waiting an hour to see Frozen, because there was plenty of time for the things too. I didn't feel like I had to rush to get things done.

 

[DizneyMommy]

One thing to consider is that there are nearly as many attractions in just DLR's 2 parks as there are in the regular 4 parks at WDW.

Not even close ;-) MK and Epcot alone have more attractions than DLR! DL has 53ish and MK 50ish give or take for current construction and closures. I've seen someone say this before and I do not know where it comes from as it is not even close to accurate.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Not even close ;-) MK and Epcot alone have more attractions than DLR! DL has 53ish and MK 50ish give or take for current construction and closures. I've seen someone say this before and I do not know where it comes from as it is not even close to accurate.

Looks like 78 for MK + Epcot and 90 for DL + DCA. If you add Hollywood Studios, you get to 92. If you add AK, you get to 133.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/

Disney World is certainly larger and has more to do; however, it's also inaccurate to say that DL is only half the entertainment/attraction value of DW, which is what a lot of DW people seem to assume.

To the OP: It depends on your touring style and what you like to do. It also depends on what you consider "everything." I've been with people who don't want to ride anything they consider "kiddie rides," don't want to see any parades or shows, don't want to watch a band or meet any characters... in that case, "everything" you want to do could certainly be accomplished in three days (or even less!). If what you want are thrill rides, those won't take more than a couple of days.

But I've also been with people who spend 3 jam-packed days in the parks and wish they'd had more days - they'd meant to see the Frozen show but never fit it in; they only met one superhero and had expected to see several; they never found time to watch the band lead the characters down Main Street at noon or see the Flag Retreat Ceremony or the "Shaboom" lighting at Carsland... that kind of stuff. If you've researched in advance and have a "to-do" list, you may be surprised how quickly time gets eaten up! If you want to meet characters, watch shows, enjoy little moments and lesser-known "attractions," then you can certainly do a 5-day trip (perhaps only going for part of the day on one or two of those days, giving you plenty of pool time or time for other things in the area).

 

[limace]

We are about to do five days-we’ve done up to a week before, back when you could buy longer tickets. I still feel like I don’t get to do everything in five days-if you’re a Disney fanatic, it’s so nice not to have to rush and to be able to absorb the details and repeat favorites. Yes, you could knock out the big rides in a day or two, but that’s not how we like to travel. I love not having to drag my kids away if they’re enjoying redwood creek challenge trail, for instance, or being able to sit on the rocking chair on Main Street with an ice cream for twenty minutes and watch people. My family hates being rushed from ride to ride for long-and with five days, I feel like we can take a break or leave early when people are at their end and not feel like I’m missing out.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Not even close ;-) MK and Epcot alone have more attractions than DLR! DL has 53ish and MK 50ish give or take for current construction and closures. I've seen someone say this before and I do not know where it comes from as it is not even close to accurate.

I think it came from years ago in one of the popular travel planning books. It said the Disneyland and all 4 parks of the World have nearly the same amount of rides. At the time I think it was something like 47 and 43. So having nearly the same amount of rides in 2 parks that you can walk to vs 4 parks that you have to take transportation to. I've been to WDW and I would love to go back, but I love my Disneyland!

 

[Becca1007]

If you are already planning a longer trip to WDW, and a trip to DL you might check the pricing on a Premier Passport (annual pass valid at BOTH sets of parks) and then you could do a longer trip to DL but potentially spend only partial days in the park and parts of the time exploring other areas.
I used to be a rope-drop to close kind of person and you can definitely do almost everything in 3 days with that style, but now with a toddler we take mid-day breaks, we go to the pool and we do more shows and sit down meals, and with that style of touring we like 5 days.

 

[slpeters]

Thanks everybody--I think five days would probably work for us. It would be nice to have the option to take it sort of easy but if I'm going to go I really do want the chance to do pretty much everything like we did at WDW. We took afternoon breaks at WDW but opened a park ever day and closed a different one including all the EMHs and after a week I still felt like more time would have been welcome. I think we are looking at going in early October. Do people think it would be advantageous to do the whole thing during the week (i.e. M-F) or do we want a weekend in there to make sure we get the chance to see the nighttime shows? I hear that in slower periods they only run on the weekends.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... I think we are looking at going in early October. Do people think it would be advantageous to do the whole thing during the week (i.e. M-F) or do we want a weekend in there to make sure we get the chance to see the nighttime shows? I hear that in slower periods they only run on the weekends.

For early October, be mindful about Gay Days. That will coincide with Columbus Day Weekend this year (just like last year), so history shows that will be a very crowded weekend at DLR. Mickey's Halloween Party dates have been announced, with tickets going on sale in early June. If you are interested in this (and MHP is really fun!), buy your tickets early because most/all parties at DL sell out every year. Some people use their MHP ticket as an extra day (because you get 8 hours of park hopping fun), so with a 5 day hopper, it would almost be like having a 6 day ticket. You are right about the low season nighttime entertainment schedule being weekends only (and October is usually low season combined with MHP nights -- so no nighttime entertainment in DL on party nights for non-MHP guests). So make sure to include enough dates to cover WOC, F!, and fireworks (regular and/or MHP's Halloween Screams). Also, keep in mind that October (and Halloween Time in general) isn't really a "slower period," but has been getting busier every year as the Halloween season gets better and more popular at DLR. It's a fabulous time to visit DLR, but it won't be a ghost town.

 

[slpeters]

For early October, be mindful about Gay Days. That will coincide with Columbus Day Weekend this year (just like last year), so history shows that will be a very crowded weekend at DLR. Mickey's Halloween Party dates have been announced, with tickets going on sale in early June. If you are interested in this (and MHP is really fun!), buy your tickets early because most/all parties at DL sell out every year. Some people use their MHP ticket as an extra day (because you get 8 hours of park hopping fun), so with a 5 day hopper, it would almost be like having a 6 day ticket. You are right about the low season nighttime entertainment schedule being weekends only (and October is usually low season combined with MHP nights -- so no nighttime entertainment in DL on party nights for non-MHP guests). So make sure to include enough dates to cover WOC, F!, and fireworks (regular and/or MHP's Halloween Screams). Also, keep in mind that October (and Halloween Time in general) isn't really a "slower period," but has been getting busier every year as the Halloween season gets better and more popular at DLR. It's a fabulous time to visit DLR, but it won't be a ghost town.

Thanks! I'm trying to balance the crowds with the possibility of actually going to Gay Days. We weren't initially planning on Gay Days but once I started to look into things we saw that it was in the general season we were looking to go and thought it might be fun. Maybe we'll look at it as 3 days to do the parks and then 2 days to do the event (which even if it is crowded hopefully will allow us to do the rerides and stuff that one might do on the fourth or fifth day any way). Now I have to decide if we want to do a Halloween Party--I hadn't even thought about that!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... Now I have to decide if we want to do a Halloween Party--I hadn't even thought about that!

MHP is so fun! If you do decide to go, make sure to buy your tickets early. The Gay Days party always sells out. And if you do participate in the convention, you can get some very good discounts.

 

[hootey]

We have been enjoying our five to ten day trips to DL for years! Yes, five to ten days at DisneyLand. We have two teenage boys that might enjoy DL more than the wife and I do(debatable). We stay at the DLH or the Grand for at least five days each visit . We stay at the parks(DL & CA), no trips to the beach or anywhere else .Enjoying the parks at a nice relaxed pace is a lot nicer than a rushed-hurry up-try to do everything-in one day visit . Basically, we treat DL as a resort, enjoying the DLH or the Grand and all the amenities, as well as the parks. Most of the people we meet are doing the same thing we are, going there for at least four or five days and simply relaxing .