Itinerary help with lots of partial days.

[rxsuperwoman]

I'm planning a surprise trip to DLR for my daughters 10 birthday . We will be in Anaheim from October 16 to October 19. Flying in from Austin we will arrive at about 1230. I've planned to do MHP that Friday. Maybe a full day on Saturday. On Sunday we are flying out of Long Beach at 8 pm. So basically I have 3 partial days and one full day.

On Thursday I'm debating going to DLR or maybe just spend the afternoon in LA exploring. I know that I don't want to buy a general admission ticket on Friday. We can just enter the park at 4, but what do all morning.Then off course maybe Sunday should be a park day and we just leave at around 530 or 6 since long beach is so so close .

I haven't decided to rent a car as of yet, I'm still trying to keep the cost low. So hypothetically say we are without a vehicle. What has been everyone else's experience in going to the parks for half days. Tickets are SO EXPENSIVE I'm trying to maximize fun, while minimizing my out of pocket.

 

[figment_jii]

Tickets are SO EXPENSIVE I'm trying to maximize fun, while minimizing my out of pocket.

Ticket prices are the same whether you go in for an hour or the entire day. Are you trying to decide between a 1 day ticket or a 3 day ticket?

 

[rxsuperwoman]

Ticket prices are the same whether you go in for an hour or the entire day. Are you trying to decide between a 1 day ticket or a 3 day ticket?

Yes, definitely a ticket on Saturday, but getting tickets for Thursday and Sunday.

 

[figment_jii]

I'm an AP holder, so that colors my opinions in terms of partial days, but back when I didn't have an AP, I would still go into the parks for partial days.

Thursday - I would estimate that you could get into the park around 2:30 pm (assuming you're flying into John Wayne airport). Last year, DL closed around 9:00 pm and DCA closed at 8:00 pm around that time period. So you would probably have about 6 hour in DL if you went in. I think that's plenty of time to do rides and enjoy the parks without dealing with weekend crowds.

Sunday - Are you driving to Long Beach? I only ask because DL was open until midnight and DCA was open until 10:00 pm on Sundays in October last year. The parks opened at either 8 or 10 am, depending on the day, so you have the potential to get in quite a bit of rides in the morning before you head out. Given the timing on Sunday, I would probably opt for a partial day here at a minimum.

In the end, I guess it's a matter of how much you need to be able to get done for it to be worth it for you.

 

[Stitch35]

If you're thinking of a 3 day ticket, orbitz has buy 3 days get a 4th day free. That would fill up all your days. Compare the price of tickets to the price of renting a car, gas and parking fees plus the city driving stress. We have always gone both the day we arrive and the day we leave. During the week in October and Sunday mornings you can do A LOT. During the Halloween parties we've always enjoyed all the extra activities and skipped the rides during it. I guess it depends on what you want to do during the party.