Going to DL!!!!! DW overplanning needs help with DL!

[Disney Jen]

My husband just confirmed he is going to San Diego on all-expenses paid business trip! This is exciting as he has told me he woulld NEVER fly on a plane...and he agreed! Guees who is hijacking his trip to go to DL???

He is going down on June 2-5 and staying at La Costa Resort near San Diego. It is 6 miles from LegoLand. I am flying down with my sons (DS8months and DS4) either June 2nd or 3rd evening. We will hang out there until Sunday, June 5th. Then the iternary gets fun to plan!

~I want to do LegoLand for sure. Is Sunday a HORRIBLE day to go? Should we try to hit it another day or on way back (flying in and out of San Diego).

~Def at least 3day park hopper at DL. Any must-dos (different/same tips as DW)?

~Should we get SoCal pass (3 day DL hopper, Universal, Seaworld, San Diego Zoo)?

~Is Universal worth doing with young kids? Should we do Knott's or Magic Mountain instead or none of the above (we are thrill junkies living 4 hours from Cedar Point..but WILL have our small kids)

~My question is where to stay near thses parks (don't mind switching hotels). We like clean and close to attractions...but hopefully "valued" price!

~What order to do this trip?
Thurs-Sat:San Diego/resort
~Sun: Seaworld
~Mon:LegoLand
~Tues, Wed, Thurs: DL and CA
~Fri-Universal
~Sat- San Diego Zoo

*How much driving am I looking at with this plan?

HELP!

 

[blackjackdelta]

My husband just confirmed he is going to San Diego on all-expenses paid business trip! This is exciting as he has told me he woulld NEVER fly on a plane...and he agreed! Guees who is hijacking his trip to go to DL???

He is going down on June 2-5 and staying at La Costa Resort near San Diego. It is 6 miles from LegoLand. I am flying down with my sons (DS8months and DS4) either June 2nd or 3rd evening. We will hang out there until Sunday, June 5th. Then the iternary gets fun to plan!

~I want to do LegoLand for sure. Is Sunday a HORRIBLE day to go? Should we try to hit it another day or on way back (flying in and out of San Diego).

~Def at least 3day park hopper at DL. Any must-dos (different/same tips as DW)?

~Should we get SoCal pass (3 day DL hopper, Universal, Seaworld, San Diego Zoo)?

~Is Universal worth doing with young kids? Should we do Knott's or Magic Mountain instead or none of the above (we are thrill junkies living 4 hours from Cedar Point..but WILL have our small kids)

~My question is where to stay near thses parks (don't mind switching hotels). We like clean and close to attractions...but hopefully "valued" price!

~What order to do this trip?
Thurs-Sat:San Diego/resort
~Sun: Seaworld
~Mon:LegoLand
~Tues, Wed, Thurs: DL and CA
~Fri-Universal
~Sat- San Diego Zoo

*How much driving am I looking at with this plan?

HELP!

Can not help you with most of your questions except, USH, Knotts and Magic Mountain are not great places for little kids. Each has small sections that little people may like(I am a coaster junkie) but really not a good investment in time.

Jack

 

[HydroGuy]

I think you will be exhausted and will become well acquainted with SoCal traffic. I would prioritize and cut back somewhere.

Doing DLR on a Tue-Thursday may be a mistake. And Thursday will be a grad night. Read these carefully before choosing DLR dates:

"What You Should Know About Off-Season at DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889

"Choosing When To Visit DLR: Summary of High and Low Season and When Each Happens " www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=36509602

And get a handle on grad nights.

"The Scoop on Grad Nights at DLR in May and June" - www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2298400

You do know that two major rides will open on June 3 (Star Tours and Little Mermaid)? So it will busy during that time.

 

[sonnyjane]

If you're husband is staying just 6 miles from Legoland, he's not technically in "San Diego", even if that's the address that shows up for the hotel. Legoland is about 45 minutes north of the zoo and Sea World and the rest of downtown San Diego. Are you flying into and out of San Diego airport? If so, I would go to the hotel near Legoland, which is in Carlsbad, and do Legoland while you're staying there. Then I would go north to Anaheim, stay for 3 days or however long you want your trip to be there, then come back south to San Diego to stay in a hotel down there. Do the zoo one day and Sea world another, then fly out of San Diego. I would skip Universal because of the ages of your kids and the fact that you'll be dead tired and if you're going to cut anything, that'd be the one to cut. Doing it that way will minimize your driving. Just for your reference, Anaheim will be about an hour to an hour and a half (and of course more if traffic is really bad) north of Legoland, and San Diego will be about two hours, more if traffic is bad, south of Anaheim.

My advice will change if you're not flying into and out of San Diego.

Also, Hyrdoguy was dead on when he cautioned you about it being a really busy time. Two major rides are opening on June 3rd, and grad nights will mean the park closes early. Just plan accordingly, since the parks will be very busy because of those openings for weeks to come...

 

[nana50]

If you're husband is staying just 6 miles from Legoland, he's not technically in "San Diego", even if that's the address that shows up for the hotel. Legoland is about 45 minutes north of the zoo and Sea World and the rest of downtown San Diego. Are you flying into and out of San Diego airport? If so, I would go to the hotel near Legoland, which is in Carlsbad, and do Legoland while you're staying there. Then I would go north to Anaheim, stay for 3 days or however long you want your trip to be there, then come back south to San Diego to stay in a hotel down there. Do the zoo one day and Sea world another, then fly out of San Diego. I would skip Universal because of the ages of your kids and the fact that you'll be dead tired and if you're going to cut anything, that'd be the one to cut. Doing it that way will minimize your driving. Just for your reference, Anaheim will be about an hour to an hour and a half (and of course more if traffic is really bad) north of Legoland, and San Diego will be about two hours, more if traffic is bad, south of Anaheim.

My advice will change if you're not flying into and out of San Diego.

Also, Hyrdoguy was dead on when he cautioned you about it being a really busy time. Two major rides are opening on June 3rd, and grad nights will mean the park closes early. Just plan accordingly, since the parks will be very busy because of those openings for weeks to come...

All excellent suggestions. I live in one end of San Diego county, (Bonita, waaay south) my kids live in Carlsbad. It is a quick drive up to DL from their house. Stay in the La Costa resort as it is in Carlsbad. If you don't go to the Zoo or sea world between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. you should be fine for traffic. If you leave for DL out of Carlsbad the opposite is true. No one is leaving Carlsbad to go to Anaheim in the morning, they are all heading south so there is very little traffic early in the morning. I would stay in Carlsbad for the San Diego part and stay in Anaheim for the Disney part though. Even I stay in a hotel when I go up. I'm too old to do a whole day of Disneyland and drive home. I like just walking back to my room.

 

[NVDisMom]

My husband just confirmed he is going to San Diego on all-expenses paid business trip! This is exciting as he has told me he woulld NEVER fly on a plane...and he agreed! Guees who is hijacking his trip to go to DL???

He is going down on June 2-5 and staying at La Costa Resort near San Diego. It is 6 miles from LegoLand. I am flying down with my sons (DS8months and DS4) either June 2nd or 3rd evening. We will hang out there until Sunday, June 5th. Then the iternary gets fun to plan!

~I want to do LegoLand for sure. Is Sunday a HORRIBLE day to go? Should we try to hit it another day or on way back (flying in and out of San Diego).

~Def at least 3day park hopper at DL. Any must-dos (different/same tips as DW)?

~Should we get SoCal pass (3 day DL hopper, Universal, Seaworld, San Diego Zoo)?

~Is Universal worth doing with young kids? Should we do Knott's or Magic Mountain instead or none of the above (we are thrill junkies living 4 hours from Cedar Point..but WILL have our small kids)

~My question is where to stay near thses parks (don't mind switching hotels). We like clean and close to attractions...but hopefully "valued" price!

~What order to do this trip?
Thurs-Sat:San Diego/resort
~Sun: Seaworld
~Mon:LegoLand
~Tues, Wed, Thurs: DL and CA
~Fri-Universal
~Sat- San Diego Zoo

*How much driving am I looking at with this plan?

HELP!

I haven't tried to do anything in So Cal beyond Disney with my kids, but I will say we haven't much enjoyed our No Cal amusement parks since getting hooked on Disney. They just don't compare...I did spend the first decade of my life down there though. I remember Sea World being a lot of fun. I would definitely take a look at EVERYONE of Hydroguys tips and memorize them. If you are a WDW vet, you will find many things are VERY different. There is a recent thread floating around here where a WDW vet assumed some things were the same at DL and found herself disappointed. She could have avoided the whole thing, if she hadn't assumed anything. Approach the planning with the assumption that absolutely everything is different. That way you know you will have the best chance for absolute success. Its going to be insanely busy, but you can and should plan for it. Have fun, the planning is fun in and of itself!

 

[Halloweenqueen]

Hydroguy needs an award. His posts are always fantastic!

I agree with others, the other parks, like Unversal, just don't appeal to smaller kids. You would be surprised at how much time you can spend just at DL/DCA. Both parks have more attractions than their WDW counterparts. DCA has many Hollywood Studio elements, with the highlights of Epcot's futureworld thrown in. DL has so many more attractions than MK. I don't think you would be bored with a Disney only vacation.

 

[Dizneydaz]

We live near DLR and about 5-6 years ago we decided to take a few days and vacation around L.A. area. We stayed in Arcardia, hit the museum and then we went to USH. My daughter was about 5 or 6 then. We quicky ran out of things to do with her. We were there in May and it wasn't warm enough for her to play in the kid's water area. She was scared to death on Back to the Future ride. We cut our days short in Arcadia/Pasadent and stayed one night at Embassy Suites near DLR. Had a much better time!

But that being said when my DD was younger she loved KBF. Camp Snoopy was a lot of fun for her. Now that she's older she enjoys the thrill rides and can't wait to go with her 6th grade class and ride Xcelearator! (An awesome ride!).

Skip MM, not much for the small ones. I haven't taken DD11 there yet but now that she's tall enough I will probably do so in the next year or so. MM is also pretty far from DLR.

Since you are in SD area I would do Sea World. We have always loved SW and only wish it was closer. Costs about $50-60 in gas to get there and back from our house.

Have fun whatever you choose. Be mindful that early June can be pretty cold and gloomy in So. Cal. Very unusual to be hot. Usually gets down right cold at night. Dress in layers.

 

[starshine514]

My other theme park $0.02:

I think your 4-year-old should be good with Legoland (as long as he's not especially short for his age). You'll probably need to plan for either you or your hubby going on rides with him while the other waits with the baby. There aren't many rides without a height requirement there, so the baby won't be allowed on.

My family loves Sea World. It is a little bit of a drive from the Carlsbad (Legoland) area - but we've stayed in Escondido twice and done the drive a few days each trip. Two of the non-headliner things my girls love there are feeding the dolphins and the tide pools. We'll be spending two laid-back days there before heading up to Disneyland in May.

We weren't fond of the San Diego Zoo, but I know a lot of people really like it. It's HUGE. We went when my girls were 2 and 4 and it was just too much for us.

We did Knott's for one day last year. That was plenty of time! The Camp Snoopy area was pretty small and since it wasn't crowded when we went, my girls got their fill pretty quickly (many of the rides are kids-only). My then-3-yr-old loved the log ride, though (I don't think there was a height requirement on it). We got there at opening and were ready to leave by mid-afternoon. The roller coasters were great, but filled with line-cutting teenagers.

​

Since it will undoubtedly be crowded when you go, I would think about adding more days at Disney, rather than doing a lot of park-driving to other parks. You won't feel as rushed and will probably spend less $ than buying one-day tickets to several places. I'd just pick one or two others to do to minimize the driving.