Help with our short schedule please!

[carried84102]

Oh Wise Experienced DL's!

Please help me with my schedule. We are going to DL/DCA for the 3rd time. I know, I should have this down already. The first two visits, the kids were young and our expectations were LOW. I planned and planned but you know how little kids can be. I didn't want to be the mom screaming at a 2 and 4 year old about the price of tickets and we were going to have FUN. So we went with the flow. The kids are older, 6 and 4 and seemingly a little more adventurous. I will still have that go with the flow attitude, but we are going for 4 days only this time so I am starting to feel a time crunch for the time that we will be there.

We are going Sept 13-17. We arrive at LAX (we were able to use miles) at 7ish in the morning. And we leave on the 17th at 7 pm. We are staying at the GCH to accommodate for naps and to use the extra hour for each of the parks(for us this makes the entire visit much more enjoyable and I am not the "do you know how much we paid for this vacation" mom).

I tend to over plan but with all of the knowledge here, I am hoping that I can plan the right amount and in the right order. That is where all of you good folks come in.

Our list of what we would like to do is: 1. Go to both parks 2. Go to the beach 3. Fireworks 4. Spend some time at the pool.

My question, we will miss the EMH for DL anyway and given the Dapper Days does it make sense to skip DL on Saturday anyway and hit the beach or pool that day?

Tentative schedule so far:
Sunday - DCA / fireworks
Monday DCA first / then DL
Tues - DL

Wednesday is tricky because my DH doesn't want to do the beach that day because we will have to check out of the hotel and won't have anywhere to shower. But then do we use one of the whole days at the park and end up sweaty anyway?

HELP! And thank you in advance for anyone willing to help me out on this.

 

[figment_jii]

Some of this will really depend on how important seeing fireworks is to your family. DL fireworks get cancelled on a not infrequent basis due to weather conditions (normally wind at the higher elevation). So, if fireworks are a high priority, I would consider going to DL on Saturday to see the show. That way, if they are cancelled, you have Sunday to fall back on.

If it were me, I would probably aim to have the beach day on a day when I did have a hotel to get back to. Getting hot and sweaty is no fun either, but I really wouldn't want to have to travel without first being able to wash off the sand and salt water (it would make me pretty itchy). So in that way, I would probably opt for the beach on Monday or Tuesday and then go to the parks on Wednesday before flying home. If the schedule holds, DL will close around 8:00 pm on Monday through Wednesday, so they're all pretty interchangeable in terms of hours.

 

[VandVsmama]

Oh Wise Experienced DL's!

Please help me with my schedule. We are going to DL/DCA for the 3rd time. I know, I should have this down already. The first two visits, the kids were young and our expectations were LOW. I planned and planned but you know how little kids can be. I didn't want to be the mom screaming at a 2 and 4 year old about the price of tickets and we were going to have FUN. So we went with the flow. The kids are older, 6 and 4 and seemingly a little more adventurous. I will still have that go with the flow attitude, but we are going for 4 days only this time so I am starting to feel a time crunch for the time that we will be there.

We are going Sept 13-17. We arrive at LAX (we were able to use miles) at 7ish in the morning. And we leave on the 17th at 7 pm. We are staying at the GCH to accommodate for naps and to use the extra hour for each of the parks(for us this makes the entire visit much more enjoyable and I am not the "do you know how much we paid for this vacation" mom).

I tend to over plan but with all of the knowledge here, I am hoping that I can plan the right amount and in the right order. That is where all of you good folks come in.

Our list of what we would like to do is: 1. Go to both parks 2. Go to the beach 3. Fireworks 4. Spend some time at the pool.

My question, we will miss the EMH for DL anyway and given the Dapper Days does it make sense to skip DL on Saturday anyway and hit the beach or pool that day?

Tentative schedule so far:
Sunday - DCA / fireworks
Monday DCA first / then DL
Tues - DL

Wednesday is tricky because my DH doesn't want to do the beach that day because we will have to check out of the hotel and won't have anywhere to shower. But then do we use one of the whole days at the park and end up sweaty anyway?

HELP! And thank you in advance for anyone willing to help me out on this.

Ok, so you're arriving in the morning on Sat 9/13 and leaving in the evening of Wed 9/17. My general thoughts in no particular order:

• Are you renting a car? If not, how are you planning on getting to/from the beach?
• I agree w/your DH on not wanting to do the beach on your departure day. I wouldn't want to either.
• Prime DL days would be Mon-Wed (9/15-9/17) due to lower crowds and other families having kids in school.
• I think you should do Saturday as your beach day.
• Hit DL at park opening on Sunday 9/14 and go to the pool when crowds start to get larger. Then go back to DL in late afternoon.
• Southern CA at that time of year tends to have problems with Santa Ana winds (high winds that bring in hot dry air from the east), so fireworks are an iffy thing. Consider perhaps looking at the fireworks as being icing on the cake to your trip. That way, if fireworks don't work out, you're not devastated.

 

[DHSbutcher]

Last we were there the week before, september 9-12 and it was chilly the first part of our visit. In the 60's. Yes it's unusual, but could easily happen again. The temp later rose to the 80's before we left. While its great to make plans, be prepared to change them. Also, fireworks and fantastic were only happening on the weekends the week we were there. If like last year, sat/sun will be your only chance to see them. World of Color was every night. Other rides such as davy crockett canoes were only operational on the weekend as well. This is also the start of halloween time, so expect some crowds. Also be sure to check out the special holiday themed rides.

 

[carried84102]

Thank you all for your responses! The fireworks are not a deal breaker but I would like to see them. I think I will just upgrade to the 4 day PH so we can go to the park in the evening on Saturday.

We are renting a car so that should give us some flexibility as well. The beach would be fun too but the first time we went it was so cold it took us longer to drive there then we were willing to stay!

Thank you all again for your helpful insight. We are over the moon excited. Who knew that two months could feel like an eternity?