First time visit help please!

[parkbr]

Hello,

We're thinking of going to California this August (maybe mid-August to late-August) and thinking of doing some road trips - maybe drive up to San Francisco for about 3-4 days, then LA area for a couple of days and DEFINITELY Disneyland and possibly to San Diego to visit the Zoo. + a week of cruise.

My questions are...
1) Should I get Genie+? and if yes, does it work exactly same as WDW? - I hear August is one of the low seasons (we plan to visit the park on the weekdays).
2) Park-hoppers - is this a must? I recently traveled to Universal Studios Orlando and we were sooooo glad we had park-to-park tickets. Would it be the same for Disneyland?
3) Many says get 3-days as the first timer. Is 3-days enough? We want to experience DL as much as possible and want to ride every rides, if possible, but willing to skip some of the 'dumbo' type of rides.
4) Hotels nearby - We're on a budget and I find Disney hotels are very expensive. I see a lot of hotels nearby. Do you recommend them? Can I walk to the park, have shuttle that is convenient, etc? (--> for this exact reason, I only stay on-site at WDW).
5) I heard the weather can be very hot. Is it that bad? How is it compared to Florida? (We've only been to WDW in May, not in August. So not sure if it can be compared...)
6) Any other suggestions? Food? etc.

And other questions:
Should I add anything else to my itinerary?
Any other suggestions?
A must do in LA area? Last time I visited, it was in 2007.

Thank you!

 

[BrianL]

Hello,

We're thinking of going to California this August (maybe mid-August to late-August) and thinking of doing some road trips - maybe drive up to San Francisco for about 3-4 days, then LA area for a couple of days and DEFINITELY Disneyland and possibly to San Diego to visit the Zoo. + a week of cruise.

My questions are...
1) Should I get Genie+? and if yes, does it work exactly same as WDW? - I hear August is one of the low seasons (we plan to visit the park on the weekdays).
2) Park-hoppers - is this a must? I recently traveled to Universal Studios Orlando and we were sooooo glad we had park-to-park tickets. Would it be the same for Disneyland?
3) Many says get 3-days as the first timer. Is 3-days enough? We want to experience DL as much as possible and want to ride every rides, if possible, but willing to skip some of the 'dumbo' type of rides.
4) Hotels nearby - We're on a budget and I find Disney hotels are very expensive. I see a lot of hotels nearby. Do you recommend them? Can I walk to the park, have shuttle that is convenient, etc? (--> for this exact reason, I only stay on-site at WDW).
5) I heard the weather can be very hot. Is it that bad? How is it compared to Florida? (We've only been to WDW in May, not in August. So not sure if it can be compared...)
6) Any other suggestions? Food? etc.

And other questions:
Should I add anything else to my itinerary?
Any other suggestions?
A must do in LA area? Last time I visited, it was in 2007.

Thank you!

I would say:

1. It does work the same, however at DL not every ride has a Lightning Lane entry. Think like the PeopleMover - it is excluded. At DLR, there are many more rides, like the Fantasyland dark rides (Peter Pan, Snow White, etc.) - they don't have them.

2. Yes! Park hopping is so easy and the walk is even shorter than Universal. It's worth it.

3. I think 3 days is a good amount. It may not be enough to see "everything" but can you really ever?

4. There are many walkable hotels nearby. If walking, you would enter through the pedestrian gate on Harbor Blvd. Look at the map and you will find a lot of options.

5. If you've been in Orlando heat, it's NOT hot with very low humidity. Enjoy the beautiful SoCal weather! Locals may complain, but it's pretty much paradise.

6. I love Pacific Wharf Cafe at DCA! Definitely try some churros and maybe a corn dog from the Little Red Wagon. There are fewer sit-down options, but the counter service food is generally better at DLR than at WDW.

 

[parkbr]

I would say:

1. It does work the same, however at DL not every ride has a Lightning Lane entry. Think like the PeopleMover - it is excluded. At DLR, there are many more rides, like the Fantasyland dark rides (Peter Pan, Snow White, etc.) - they don't have them.

2. Yes! Park hopping is so easy and the walk is even shorter than Universal. It's worth it.

3. I think 3 days is a good amount. It may not be enough to see "everything" but can you really ever?

4. There are many walkable hotels nearby. If walking, you would enter through the pedestrian gate on Harbor Blvd. Look at the map and you will find a lot of options.

5. If you've been in Orlando heat, it's NOT hot with very low humidity. Enjoy the beautiful SoCal weather! Locals may complain, but it's pretty much paradise.

6. I love Pacific Wharf Cafe at DCA! Definitely try some churros and maybe a corn dog from the Little Red Wagon. There are fewer sit-down options, but the counter service food is generally better at DLR than at WDW.

Thank you!

So do you recommend getting Genie+ or not really given we are going in August?

Yay for park-hopping.
We never do park hop at WDW, but I hear it is different at DL.

For the hotels, I can see the good neighborhoods hotels that comes with tickets. Should I look into those or try to get the hotel and tickets separately?

We are super excited to hear about that food at DL is good. we like WDW food too, so we are gonna be happy!

 

[BrianL]

Thank you!

So do you recommend getting Genie+ or not really given we are going in August?

Yay for park-hopping.
We never do park hop at WDW, but I hear it is different at DL.

For the hotels, I can see the good neighborhoods hotels that comes with tickets. Should I look into those or try to get the hotel and tickets separately?

We are super excited to hear about that food at DL is good. we like WDW food too, so we are gonna be happy!

Umm, I'm not sure. I haven't used it at DL yet. If you are more about the "bigger" rides then probably yes. You can always decide day to day.

Park Hopping at DLR is AWESOME! The parks are less than a football field apart from one another. The Esplanade is also beautiful and such a fun and exciting palce to be with both parks right there. I usually treat them as just one big park. That said, I believe there is still a park-hopping start time of 11 AM, but I usually wouldn't hop much before that anyway.

I wouldn't worry about getting the Good Neighbor packages. Some of them are further away than you might expect and you'd take a bus (that happened to me the first time I went). I'd find the location first on the map, then see if they are avaialble with the program or just book directly.

There is a lot of great food at DLR and in SoCal in general. There is a fresher style to a lot of it. Some of my favorites are:

Tropical Hideaway - Bao Buns - if you are jsut getting buns, you can skip the Dole Whip line.
Pacific Wharf Cafe - Soup in a sourdough bread bowl
Award Weiners - Great, loaded hot dogs with long, flat "filmstrip" fires that are really good!
Maurice's Treats - Boysen Apple Freeze - basically a LeFou's Brew at WDW - this little snack cart is hidden away in Fantasy Faire, a cool little section of the park (to the front left side, facing the castle).

 

[chezcurrie]

Yes to G+ and hoppers. Like you we do not park hop in WDW but it is sooooo easy here.

Personally I wouldn’t bother with a package and get the tickets and hotel separately. Aim for a hotel on Harbor for ease at the end of a long night.

3 days is the minimum I would recommend if you want to try and experience most things. If you’ve been to WDW there are certainly some things you can “skip” unless they are favourites (Little Mermaid, Toy Story, Dumbo, etc.) There are several recent threads about things unique to Dland. If you do 3 days I would suggest a rest day in there.

Also, and I say this as someone who loves to travel and packs it in - that is a doozy of a trip! If there is anyway you can fly into San Francisco then make your way down the coast it would be far more enjoyable than driving up and back from LA or OC. You would lose the greater part of the day each way. For LA depending on what you want to see 2 days would be plenty (IMO). You can also check a couple LA staples off the list on your drive down to OC - Griffith Observatory (during the day) + see the Hollywood Sign from there and then the Tar Pits, for example, is totally doable on a travel day down to OC.

Lots of recent posts on food recommendations, enjoy!

I echo the comment that locals may complain but even our hot days are nothing compared to Florida heat + humidity.

Oh, and as a San Diego local if you are sailing out of San Diego I would suggest the zoo over the Safari Park, due to proximity. But bear in mind (pun intended) the zoo is MASSIVE. Hard to see it all in one day. The bus tour is a great way to make your way around the different zones, then take the skyliner up and choose a path you want to take down. Definitely would suggest reserving a sit down lunch at Alberts as I find the food not as thrilling.

Have a GREAT trip!

 

[irlandaise]

Also, and I say this as someone who loves to travel and packs it in - that is a doozy of a trip! If there is anyway you can fly into San Francisco then make your way down the coast it would be far more enjoyable than driving up and back from LA or OC. You would lose the greater part of the day each way.

Yes, Parkbr, where are you coming from and were you indeed thinking of flying to Southern California and doing a round trip to SF? Any way you could do an "open jaw" trip, flying into SF and out of Southern California after your cruise.

You might want to ask some questions about the non-Disneyland part of your trip in the California & The West forum:

https://www.disboards.com/forums/california-the-west.131/

There are lots of people who can help you design the best itinerary for other parts of your California visit!

 

[Kit Jackson]

Park hoppers are fantastic. It is so easy to walk from one park to the other like Universal Orlando. Genie+ includes PhotoPass at Disneyland, so if pictures, especially character pictures matter/are important consider getting Genie+ for one person so you have the photo benefit. I would say 3-4 days is ideal. By dumbo rides do you mean duplicates that exist in both parks or do you mean tamer rides?

 

[parkbr]

Umm, I'm not sure. I haven't used it at DL yet. If you are more about the "bigger" rides then probably yes. You can always decide day to day.

Park Hopping at DLR is AWESOME! The parks are less than a football field apart from one another. The Esplanade is also beautiful and such a fun and exciting palce to be with both parks right there. I usually treat them as just one big park. That said, I believe there is still a park-hopping start time of 11 AM, but I usually wouldn't hop much before that anyway.

I wouldn't worry about getting the Good Neighbor packages. Some of them are further away than you might expect and you'd take a bus (that happened to me the first time I went). I'd find the location first on the map, then see if they are avaialble with the program or just book directly.

There is a lot of great food at DLR and in SoCal in general. There is a fresher style to a lot of it. Some of my favorites are:

Tropical Hideaway - Bao Buns - if you are jsut getting buns, you can skip the Dole Whip line.
Pacific Wharf Cafe - Soup in a sourdough bread bowl
Award Weiners - Great, loaded hot dogs with long, flat "filmstrip" fires that are really good!
Maurice's Treats - Boysen Apple Freeze - basically a LeFou's Brew at WDW - this little snack cart is hidden away in Fantasy Faire, a cool little section of the park (to the front left side, facing the castle).

Thank you so much!
My daughter is big on roller coasters and 'big' rides AND also for some kiddie rides (sometimes.. I can't predict her anymore), so I guess Genie+ is definitely a plus.
Is this something we must get with the ticket or can we add it on later?
Thank you about the all restaurant tips. I will jot it down!

 

[BrianL]

Thank you so much!
My daughter is big on roller coasters and 'big' rides AND also for some kiddie rides (sometimes.. I can't predict her anymore), so I guess Genie+ is definitely a plus.
Is this something we must get with the ticket or can we add it on later?
Thank you about the all restaurant tips. I will jot it down!

I do not believe you can purchase in advance any longer. It will be done on the day-of. The nice thing is you can do it day by day, so if you don't feel you will need it on the third day, just save the money. You will do it through the app. Make sure you have everything set up (payment method, party, etc.). I am not sure at what time you can do it, but each morning just make the purchase and you're good to start using it.

 

[parkbr]

Yes to G+ and hoppers. Like you we do not park hop in WDW but it is sooooo easy here.

Personally I wouldn’t bother with a package and get the tickets and hotel separately. Aim for a hotel on Harbor for ease at the end of a long night.

3 days is the minimum I would recommend if you want to try and experience most things. If you’ve been to WDW there are certainly some things you can “skip” unless they are favourites (Little Mermaid, Toy Story, Dumbo, etc.) There are several recent threads about things unique to Dland. If you do 3 days I would suggest a rest day in there.

Also, and I say this as someone who loves to travel and packs it in - that is a doozy of a trip! If there is anyway you can fly into San Francisco then make your way down the coast it would be far more enjoyable than driving up and back from LA or OC. You would lose the greater part of the day each way. For LA depending on what you want to see 2 days would be plenty (IMO). You can also check a couple LA staples off the list on your drive down to OC - Griffith Observatory (during the day) + see the Hollywood Sign from there and then the Tar Pits, for example, is totally doable on a travel day down to OC.

Lots of recent posts on food recommendations, enjoy!

I echo the comment that locals may complain but even our hot days are nothing compared to Florida heat + humidity.

Oh, and as a San Diego local if you are sailing out of San Diego I would suggest the zoo over the Safari Park, due to proximity. But bear in mind (pun intended) the zoo is MASSIVE. Hard to see it all in one day. The bus tour is a great way to make your way around the different zones, then take the skyliner up and choose a path you want to take down. Definitely would suggest reserving a sit down lunch at Alberts as I find the food not as thrilling.

Have a GREAT trip!

Yes, Parkbr, where are you coming from and were you indeed thinking of flying to Southern California and doing a round trip to SF? Any way you could do an "open jaw" trip, flying into SF and out of Southern California after your cruise.

You might want to ask some questions about the non-Disneyland part of your trip in the California & The West forum:

https://www.disboards.com/forums/california-the-west.131/

There are lots of people who can help you design the best itinerary for other parts of your California visit!

Thank you both!! I am thinking about 4 days now, given how much love WDW, but we don't want to be bored either (we were by day 4 at Universal Studios Orland - what saved us is that we added water park). Ah right. I forgot about the down day. Yes, I need a down day for sure!
We're from Canada, so I think we will be complaining about heat regardless (like cold doesn't bother us as much - like Elsa??), but I also know we can handle heat better if it is 'dry' like ours, not as bad as Florida heat, which is quite humid.

As for San Diego, we are thinking of doing 2 days of San Diego zoo as well. I hope that will cover most of it? And what is Alberts?

We are flying from Toronto. We definitely want to do fly an open jaw, but the rental car one way from SF to LA is quite pricy and flight tickets are also more expensive. I think the difference is over $1500 as it stands right now. I haven't played with the dates yet, so we might be able to reduce the difference. I will see what we can do. I heard you don't need a car in SF either.

I was not aware of the forum! I will go dig some answers there! Thanks!

 

[parkbr]

Park hoppers are fantastic. It is so easy to walk from one park to the other like Universal Orlando. Genie+ includes PhotoPass at Disneyland, so if pictures, especially character pictures matter/are important consider getting Genie+ for one person so you have the photo benefit. I would say 3-4 days is ideal. By dumbo rides do you mean duplicates that exist in both parks or do you mean tamer rides?

Thank you!
It is just an additional cost, so I was wondering whether to add or not.

I didn't know it includes PhotoPass!! That is amazing! I think at WDW, only ride photos are included with Genie+.
By dumbo means more tamer rides. My daughter said we are DEFINITELY doing some of the rides that are duplicate - like Toy Story Mania, Little Mermaid (seriously?) and Smuggler's Run (I can see why this one is included!) and my all-time-favourite Many Advantures of Pooh.

 

[parkbr]

I do not believe you can purchase in advance any longer. It will be done on the day-of. The nice thing is you can do it day by day, so if you don't feel you will need it on the third day, just save the money. You will do it through the app. Make sure you have everything set up (payment method, party, etc.). I am not sure at what time you can do it, but each morning just make the purchase and you're good to start using it.

Oh that's odd. I can add to the ticket when I do 'fake purchase'.
If I can do it day-by-day, I definitely want to do that, because I've used no Genie+ at Animal Kingdom and Epcot and did ALL rides in last May and was quite happy with saving $$ - but we just planned it like crazy.

 

[mdmost]

Driving to San Diego is easier than driving to San Francisco. Last trip we flew into San Diego, stayed at La Jolla for 3 days and then drove to Anaheim for 4 before returning to fly home.

Answers to your questions:
1. Yes. A whole lot easier at DLR than WDW. More rides and if you rope drop, you can not touch most of your Genie+ selections until after 11am. So it's very easy to ride something like Space Mountain at rope drop and then have the Genie+ to ride it again later.
2. Yes, literally walk across the Esplanade from one park to the other. Also can be key to getting in more rides or doing fun things like riding Guardians at night with Genie+.
3. 3 days is a minimum. 4 is ideal. 2 days at DL, 1 at CA. Bookend your trip with DL, CA, DL. We enjoyed our 4th day as we went back to DL and just took our time and enjoyed the small things we don't normally get to do like ride the Main Street Vehicles.
4. Yes, hotels across Harbor Blvd are cheaper than Disney hotels. You don't get early access but you also save $300+. Under a 10 minute walk to get back to your hotel. Works really well as you will probably want to take a small break to escape the heat or jump in the pool.
5. Sneaky hot. Mornings and evenings are nice. Around 12 it will really warm up and there's parts with little shade. It's not muggy or sweltering like Florida. It's just hot. Dress comfortably, drink plenty of water, and do some things to escape the heat like take in shows or have frozen treats. We always leave the parks around 2-3pm and go back to the hotel to swim. Then we return in the 4:30-5pm hour.
6. Jolly Holiday, Mickey Beignets, Tropical Hideaway, Bengal BBQ, Rancho Del Zocalo. You can get beer in California Adventure.

 

[BrianL]

Thank you!
It is just an additional cost, so I was wondering whether to add or not.

I didn't know it includes PhotoPass!! That is amazing! I think at WDW, only ride photos are included with Genie+.
By dumbo means more tamer rides. My daughter said we are DEFINITELY doing some of the rides that are duplicate - like Toy Story Mania, Little Mermaid (seriously?) and Smuggler's Run (I can see why this one is included!) and my all-time-favourite Many Advantures of Pooh.

Well, you'll be interested to know that The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a bit different at DL. It's not major, but you might keep an eye out for some different things, including the ride vehicles themselves. Also, there is a Country Bears easter egg as it inhabits the space taht was once the Jamboree!

There are other rides like that too, so don't assume they are identical. Haunted Mansion has some interesting differences, including a very different exterior. Pirates of the Caribbean is nearly twice as long with more scenes - don't miss it thinking it's the same! More of the recent stuff is identical, like the Star WArs Galaxy's Edge rides (and Star Tours), Toy Story Mania, Soarin' (unless it is runninig the original CA version, which they do sometimes). Alos, you may recognize some rides as similar...but not not. Like, these bobsleds sure feel a lot like rocket ships!

 

[chezcurrie]

Thank you both!! I am thinking about 4 days now, given how much love WDW, but we don't want to be bored either (we were by day 4 at Universal Studios Orland - what saved us is that we added water park). Ah right. I forgot about the down day. Yes, I need a down day for sure!
We're from Canada, so I think we will be complaining about heat regardless (like cold doesn't bother us as much - like Elsa??), but I also know we can handle heat better if it is 'dry' like ours, not as bad as Florida heat, which is quite humid.

As for San Diego, we are thinking of doing 2 days of San Diego zoo as well. I hope that will cover most of it? And what is Alberts?

We are flying from Toronto. We definitely want to do fly an open jaw, but the rental car one way from SF to LA is quite pricy and flight tickets are also more expensive. I think the difference is over $1500 as it stands right now. I haven't played with the dates yet, so we might be able to reduce the difference. I will see what we can do. I heard you don't need a car in SF either.

I don’t think you could possibly be bored - there is so much to soak up in Walt’s original park!

We recently relocated ”home” to San Diego from the GTA, and I can tell you the hottest day at DL was nothing compared to the nasty summers we got in Toronto.

2 days in San Diego will cover the zoo thoroughly, and probably isn’t that much more expensive than a 1-day ticket. There’s lots else to do as well in Balboa Park where the zoo is located if you finish early. Alberts is a sit down restaurant at the zoo. I also highly recommend checking out La Jolla on your drive in.

You could also look into a cheaper ”commuter” flight between SF and LAX to get you back to your original airport, assuming no open jaw. The SD to SF flight is like flying YYZ to Montreal. As a comparison it would be longer than driving from Toronto to Sault Ste Marie, in Toronto and the 400 rush hour to drive from San Diego to San Francisco.

 

[Lisa24jks]

Oh that's odd. I can add to the ticket when I do 'fake purchase'.
If I can do it day-by-day, I definitely want to do that, because I've used no Genie+ at Animal Kingdom and Epcot and did ALL rides in last May and was quite happy with saving $$ - but we just planned it like crazy.

You can buy it in advance if you are buying tickets. It's Magic Key holders that cannot buy Genie+ in advance.

 

[parkbr]

Driving to San Diego is easier than driving to San Francisco. Last trip we flew into San Diego, stayed at La Jolla for 3 days and then drove to Anaheim for 4 before returning to fly home.

Answers to your questions:
1. Yes. A whole lot easier at DLR than WDW. More rides and if you rope drop, you can not touch most of your Genie+ selections until after 11am. So it's very easy to ride something like Space Mountain at rope drop and then have the Genie+ to ride it again later.
2. Yes, literally walk across the Esplanade from one park to the other. Also can be key to getting in more rides or doing fun things like riding Guardians at night with Genie+.
3. 3 days is a minimum. 4 is ideal. 2 days at DL, 1 at CA. Bookend your trip with DL, CA, DL. We enjoyed our 4th day as we went back to DL and just took our time and enjoyed the small things we don't normally get to do like ride the Main Street Vehicles.
4. Yes, hotels across Harbor Blvd are cheaper than Disney hotels. You don't get early access but you also save $300+. Under a 10 minute walk to get back to your hotel. Works really well as you will probably want to take a small break to escape the heat or jump in the pool.
5. Sneaky hot. Mornings and evenings are nice. Around 12 it will really warm up and there's parts with little shade. It's not muggy or sweltering like Florida. It's just hot. Dress comfortably, drink plenty of water, and do some things to escape the heat like take in shows or have frozen treats. We always leave the parks around 2-3pm and go back to the hotel to swim. Then we return in the 4:30-5pm hour.
6. Jolly Holiday, Mickey Beignets, Tropical Hideaway, Bengal BBQ, Rancho Del Zocalo. You can get beer in California Adventure.

We're thinking of also doing SF - like a touristic things. For us, flight to LAX is so much cheaper than anywhere else, right now.

What do you mean by if we do rope drop, you cannot touch Genie+ until 11AM?
At DWD, you can do first selection at 7 then 2 hours after the park opens. Is it different at DL?
We're now leaning towards doing it for 4 park days. What is Bookend?

 

[parkbr]

Well, you'll be interested to know that The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a bit different at DL. It's not major, but you might keep an eye out for some different things, including the ride vehicles themselves. Also, there is a Country Bears easter egg as it inhabits the space taht was once the Jamboree!

There are other rides like that too, so don't assume they are identical. Haunted Mansion has some interesting differences, including a very different exterior. Pirates of the Caribbean is nearly twice as long with more scenes - don't miss it thinking it's the same! More of the recent stuff is identical, like the Star WArs Galaxy's Edge rides (and Star Tours), Toy Story Mania, Soarin' (unless it is runninig the original CA version, which they do sometimes). Alos, you may recognize some rides as similar...but not not. Like, these bobsleds sure feel a lot like rocket ships!

I saw the little log (not the honey jar) and got SUPER EXCITED!!!

Yeah, we're gonna skip Dumbo - if there is one. But the rests, we don't mind doing it again! Heeha!

 

[parkbr]

I don’t think you could possibly be bored - there is so much to soak up in Walt’s original park!

We recently relocated ”home” to San Diego from the GTA, and I can tell you the hottest day at DL was nothing compared to the nasty summers we got in Toronto.

2 days in San Diego will cover the zoo thoroughly, and probably isn’t that much more expensive than a 1-day ticket. There’s lots else to do as well in Balboa Park where the zoo is located if you finish early. Alberts is a sit down restaurant at the zoo. I also highly recommend checking out La Jolla on your drive in.

You could also look into a cheaper ”commuter” flight between SF and LAX to get you back to your original airport, assuming no open jaw. The SD to SF flight is like flying YYZ to Montreal. As a comparison it would be longer than driving from Toronto to Sault Ste Marie, in Toronto and the 400 rush hour to drive from San Diego to San Francisco.

Yeah, I don't think I could be bored at Disney. It's my happy place.

I am smiling reading your post here, because I like how you say about 401 rush hour. lol.
We were hoping to do a scenic drive for 2 days from LA to SF and take the highway down or vice versa. Is that a bad idea then?

 

[parkbr]

You can buy it in advance if you are buying tickets. It's Magic Key holders that cannot buy Genie+ in advance.

Oh I see.
But do I also have an option to purchase Genie+ the day of?
Is it also like WDW, that Genie+ price will fluctuate depends on how busy the park is?