First Trip- Disneyland at the beginning or end of trip?

[Nevada Jen]

I'm exaggerating how bad the Santa Monica Pier is. Its really Venice Beach that can get a little more educational than intended with kids. But honestly, I don't think Santa Monica Pier is really worth the associated stress when you will get the pier at Disney anyway.

 

[rentayenta]

I'd shoot for an OC beach like Seal, Newport, or Huntington if possible.

 

[drea21]

I'm exaggerating how bad the Santa Monica Pier is. Its really Venice Beach that can get a little more educational than intended with kids. But honestly, I don't think Santa Monica Pier is really worth the associated stress when you will get the pier at Disney anyway.

Ha! Thanks!

 

[drea21]

WOC runs nightly, year round.

Perfect! Thanks!

I'd shoot for an OC beach like Seal, Newport, or Huntington if possible.

Great! I had these on my list of places to research!

 

[cruisehopeful]

Legoland is awesome for kids. My youngest liked it more than Disneyland growing up. Legoland is normally closed on Tuesday and Wednesday during off season. So, keep that in mind when you schedule your days.

There are many great beaches in San Diego. February is the worst beach month as far as weather goes. I recommend La Jolla because you'll see lots of seals and sea lions in addition to gorgeous beaches and tide pools. If you'd rather do a beach closer to Disneyland, I recommend Crystal Cove State Beach. It is very large and has tide pools and classic (1930s built) cottages on the beach and a couple places to eat right there.

 

[drea21]

Legoland is awesome for kids. My youngest liked it more than Disneyland growing up. Legoland is normally closed on Tuesday and Wednesday during off season. So, keep that in mind when you schedule your days.

There are many great beaches in San Diego. February is the worst beach month as far as weather goes. I recommend La Jolla because you'll see lots of seals and sea lions in addition to gorgeous beaches and tide pools. If you'd rather do a beach closer to Disneyland, I recommend Crystal Cove State Beach. It is very large and has tide pools and classic (1930s built) cottages on the beach and a couple places to eat right there.

Thanks! I will add those to the list! I know we're picking a crappy month, but we've been promising a birthday trip to the little guy. Can't be worse than WDW the first week of August, right?! lol Flights start to skyrocket as the weather improves too.

 

[Isatricia]

I would double check the operating days/times of Legoland before choosing the order of the trip.

We are Six Flags season pass holders and are planning a combined Six Flag Magic Mountain and DLR trip. We got our plane tickets (SW non-stop to LAX) then looked at the operating calendar. When we are there, Six Flags is only open on the weekends. This solved the dilemma of when we would go where.

 

[drea21]

I would double check the operating days/times of Legoland before choosing the order of the trip.

We are Six Flags season pass holders and are planning a combined Six Flag Magic Mountain and DLR trip. We got our plane tickets (SW non-stop to LAX) then looked at the operating calendar. When we are there, Six Flags is only open on the weekends. This solved the dilemma of when we would go where.

Yep! As of now they say that the park will be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the off season.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

Legoland is awesome for kids. My youngest liked it more than Disneyland growing up. Legoland is normally closed on Tuesday and Wednesday during off season. So, keep that in mind when you schedule your days.

There are many great beaches in San Diego. February is the worst beach month as far as weather goes. I recommend La Jolla because you'll see lots of seals and sea lions in addition to gorgeous beaches and tide pools. If you'd rather do a beach closer to Disneyland, I recommend Crystal Cove State Beach. It is very large and has tide pools and classic (1930s built) cottages on the beach and a couple places to eat right there.

We went to San Diego in Feb years ago and it was not beach weather by far, but it was in the upper 80s the week before, so you may have better luck than we did. We went to La Jolla and enjoyed the wildlife and tide pools regardless the weather. That was before the LEGOLAND hotel opened, but my kids loved LEGOLAND and we ended up changing our schedule to spend two days. Of course, it was 50 degrees, so only people from northern climates wanted to be outside and the park was a ghost town. And my kids are Lego fanatics who could spend hours examining the Lego models. But the rides are very fun for anyone who is over 36 inches and under ten.

 

[Sagginit]

I would end with DL. I did a 12 day road trip last fall to CA and we ended there. Coming from NYC we did have a bit of jet lag (well also wedding lag as I called it because the wedding weekend before our honeymoon was exhausting). By the time we got to DL we were rested up and on their time schedule so we could do parks from 9am to 9pm with no problem. The parks are much smaller and more compact, so we had a blast park hopping and running around. We left WOC right as it was ending one night and realized we could in fact make it back to DL for the fireworks. We managed to jog it out and got a great central main street spot as the parade ropes came down. You will want your energy for this portion of the trip Also the crowds were much lower on weekdays than at night or on weekends. In fact for our upcoming trip we got a discount at PPH for a Sun-Thurs trip so we are only going to have half a weekend day. This is fine with us as we got so much more done in the parks during the day than we did in the evening as the park floods with locals at night and on the weekends.

I wanted to see the ocean and we drove down the coast. I found pretty much everywhere as the water and air were chilly we mostly just walked along the beach so I would just pick a nice beach that is convenient. Your kids might find just looking at the ocean dull so do look into what is nearby for an interesting lunch or diversion if they get bored of it.

I am stuck with LAX too and this was for me the most stressful airport to deal with so do give yourself plenty of time as the traffic is really as horrific as people say. For our flight home we just plan on checking out and going straight to the airport, I didn't even want to try to do a half park day like I do with WDW (we also booked an 11:35 am flight as my husband wants to give ourselves at least 3-4 hours to get there and get through security).

 

[jjpet]

When we went to Legoland we did the beach in Oceanside (Carlsbad) and it has since become a little 'tradition' for us when we go to Disneyland! We go to the Ruby's restaurant on the pier for breakfast. The kids LOVE walking to the end of the pier, and having pancakes 'on the ocean'. There's a playground right on the shore there as well and (on the days we've been there) lots of surfers to watch.

I also have to echo the good reviews about the Legoland hotel, our kids loved it! We were glad we opted in for the buffet at check in (we were surprised by the variety of food and it was delicious!). We were stuck there for a full day during a rainstorm so by the end of that day us parents were feeling a little 'twitchy' but the kids were as pleased as every other day on our trip. They loved meeting characters, playing in the Lego castle and 'moat', finding all the little hidden silly things, etc. It was also REALLY nice to have a suite style room.

 

[GatorChris]

Oh my goodness, you all have been SO helpful!! GatorChris, you made my day that there might be some saving grace to Legoland, lol! Your review of the Legoland hotel is very much in line with the Tripadvisor reviews, obviously you wouldn't stay there for an adult only vacation, but it sounds like kids absolutely love it. And I agree about the nighttime entertainment, I was REALLY surprised that it doesn't run every night, or doesn't even exist at all.

Yeah, I do wish there was something that DL did every night. It almost seems like a ripoff to walk out without choice of some great fireworks show or something.

And yes, Legoland and Legoland Hotel are everything I made them out to be. The character meet'n'greets are quite memorable. The most fun was meeting Emmett from the Lego Movie. I met saw him while the kids were checking out the movie set. I had them come into the room where he was and he was just there standing still like a statue. And then he came to life and the kids were screaming!!! That was a real highlight. BTW, if it's raining or sprinkling, the park is empty. We came on Sunday afternoon when it should've been nuts, but the rain kept the locals home. We walked onto everything. You will have a ton of fun and the kids will love it. Take lots of video and pictures - I wish I'd taken more. It's all they want!

 

[wehrengrizz]

I am loving this thread, because we're taking our crew (5 kids ages 1-10) in October during the week, and I had the same planning questions! I hope I'm not bogarting the thread, but would love some feedback or specifics on what to do first in DL during the week.
We're in San Diego for a wedding on the weekend, and we were planning only on Legoland, but when we found out it's closed T-W ("bachelor day" is Thursday so I'm with the kids solo, rehearsal is Friday, and that's DH and DS3, so those are non-negotiable), we looked into things like SeaWorld. THEN I found the SoCal Citypass, which is one day Legoland, one day SeaWorld, and 3-day PH for DLR! Um, yes please! So we're flying into Phoenix to see family (we live in North Dakota) for the weekend, then driving up to Legoland Monday morning to be there for opening, after it closes (at 5 ) we're driving to Anaheim and have a hotel just across the street (north side) from the parks! We *might* sneak into the parks for a quick ride or something since we're kind of burning that "3rd" day, but maybe we'll just swim and hang out, get ready for DL the next morning!
We're going to go to DL on Tuesday morning and hope for the oldest 3 doing the Jedi Trials of the Temple (or whatever the JTA is now called)...and a slew of other "must dos"...and do EMH on Wed at DCA, since we have some Cars fanatics and I would love to ride a couple of times with no waits! This day is also a MHP day so we're going to try and do some DL things in the morning and head back to DCA before the party crowd does that same thing!
I saw at DCA the "family of the day" get picked to open the park, it was so cute! Do they do this at DL too? I know it's not the same as the opening show at WDW (which I'm pretty sure we'd never be chosen for with SO. Many. People. ) but how fun would that be ?
Thanks everyone!

 

[hnthomps]

We're doing something similar. We're going to have 5 nights in San Diego -- Legoland, beaches, zoo, friends, etc -- and then drive to Anaheim early in the morning to get 2 full days and nights at Disney. We talked to a lot of people about this, and it was everyone's recommendation. We have enough flexibility that we'll be able to decide after the first day at Legoland whether or not we want a second day.
We've done that math, and even though we don't plan to go to Sea World and will only need 2 days at DLR instead of 3, it's still cheaper to get a City Pass than to buy all the park entries separately.

 

[Nevada Jen]

wherengrizz, only on site guests get EMH at DCA. Its something that always confuses people.

 

[wehrengrizz]

wherengrizz, only on site guests get EMH at DCA. Its something that always confuses people.

Yes, thank you! I saw that if you purchase 3day tickets online(city pass included), you get one day of emh. Definitely a nice surprise. I thought it was odd but checked on the Disneyland website it confirms that as long as the purchase is online the one emh day is included. Kind of made me think it's taking away from the reason to stay on site. I might be confusing myself now, but are you referring to the only way to use the entrance at the grand Californian to DCA? Or ...?

 

[wehrengrizz]

We're doing something similar. We're going to have 5 nights in San Diego -- Legoland, beaches, zoo, friends, etc -- and then drive to Anaheim early in the morning to get 2 full days and nights at Disney. We talked to a lot of people about this, and it was everyone's recommendation. We have enough flexibility that we'll be able to decide after the first day at Legoland whether or not we want a second day.
We've done that math, and even though we don't plan to go to Sea World and will only need 2 days at DLR instead of 3, it's still cheaper to get a City Pass than to buy all the park entries separately.

I was so glad my spreadsheet planning yielded tangible results to show DJ!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Yes, thank you! I saw that if you purchase 3day tickets online(city pass included), you get one day of emh. Definitely a nice surprise. I thought it was odd but checked on the Disneyland website it confirms that as long as the purchase is online the one emh day is included. Kind of made me think it's taking away from the reason to stay on site. I might be confusing myself now, but are you referring to the only way to use the entrance at the grand Californian to DCA? Or ...?

The emh with 3 days or more tickets is for use at Disneyland only; it cannot be used at DCA. The only way to take advantage of early entry at DCA is to be an onsite hotel guest (Paradise Pier, Disneyland Hotel, or Grand Californian).

 

[wehrengrizz]

The emh with 3 days or more tickets is for use at Disneyland only; it cannot be used at DCA. The only way to take advantage of early entry at DCA is to be an onsite hotel guest (Paradise Pier, Disneyland Hotel, or Grand Californian).

Oh my gosh thanks again for pointing that out. I thought I understood but I'm glad I clarified. Definitely makes a difference in our plans!! Sneaky sneaky, Disney!!

 

[Sagginit]

Oh my gosh thanks again for pointing that out. I thought I understood but I'm glad I clarified. Definitely makes a difference in our plans!! Sneaky sneaky, Disney!!

Yeah I found this very confusing. They call one EMH (what they call it in WDW) and one Early Entry. The days rotate but EE is only for DCA for onsite guests and EMH is for DL for both, with the park hoppers you have to pick the one morning you are going to use it vs onsite get it all days. If you are using the EMH get there early. It was a lot more crowded than I thought as both hotel guests and park hoppers have it (there were also other confused people who got there early and thought they could just get in like everyone else to get turned away at the turnstyle as they had regular passes). Also EMH is for DL is for certain lands, so you don't get just big rides spread out. My day was for Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, but most of Tomorrowland was closed so we only did 2-3 things in the hour