Lots of questions

[Aust]

We are planning on visiting Disneyland in early January next year (myself, husband, 2 kids aged 6 1/2 and 3 1/2). We are coming from Australia and so the trip is going to cost us a LOT of money, and we will not likely be making another trip to Disneyland for a long time, so I want to make the most of it. So I have a few questions!

1. When in early Jan has the lowest crowds (no public holidays etc)?

2. How many days should we visit the parks for?

3. Is it worthwhile staying at DLH? (given that we can stay at a non-Disney hotel for half the cost)

4. Any other places we should visit (e.g. Universal Studios - worth going to with a 6 1/2 and 3 1/2 yo?)

Thanks!

 

[iceskatejen]

1. Crowds go down starting the second week of January. Avoid the first week because a lot of kids are still out of school (you may have noticed a few DL was sold out today threads over the last day or two). MLK Jr weeknd (usually the 3rd weekend of the month) is another good one to avoid.

2. 3 is the minimum, longer is better. 4 or 5 is ideal so that you can relax, take in the shows and take breaks during the day (saw your kids ages--naps might be in order so you can see fireworks at night) and such w/o feeling like you're missing anything.

3. I wouldn't stay onsite personally for DL (WDW is a whole different story there). Just make sure you are close (with walking distance) or that the hotel has a good shuttle.

4. Universal is a little much for that age. The attractions there are too scary and intense for small kids. You might want to consider Legoland, Sea World, the SD Zoo, or Knott's, which all have more kid-friendly attractions or are mostly animals or shows.

 

[tiggermei]

Will "ditto" the comments on Legoland. I took DD when she was 3 and she absolutely loved it. We also enjoyed SD Zoo and Knotts Berry Farm. I am a huge fan and can't wait to take DD (now age 6) back.

 

[littlelambie]

We took ds, then 4 to Univ. on our last trip in Sept and would never do it again!! There were lots of things that he was too short for, or would have been too scary for him anyway. They have a spray park, which is where ds and I spent most of our time. he did like to see Dora, Spongebob, and Shrek, but not enough to keep him busy all day. If we had it to do over again, we would do Legoland. Ds and I did do Seaworld on our 2005 trip, he was alomost 4, and he really liked that.

On our last trip we stayed at the Best western park place inn, right by the cross walk. It was great, and they have a great breakfast for kids. Enough to keep them going till at least lunch! We are planning a big family trip for 2008, and we will all be staying there becasue of the breakfast.

 

[abby]

We love the DLH. While we have stayed off site at HOJO and enjoyed it, if this is a once in a life trip for your kids, the magic of DLH can't be beat....

 

[Vanvmom]

We loved the Candy Cane Inn (.net not .com). Congrats on the trip!

We took our children to Universal Studios last week, and there were a couple of things that scared the 6 year old. It will likely be too cold in Jan. to enjoy the water play stuff there. Legoland is fun if your kids are REALLY into legos. My son that was a lego fanatic loved it when we went there 3 years ago, but the other 2 complained of being bored on and off thru the day.

SD Zoo or the Wild Animal Park are fun side trips. I haven't been to Knotts Berry farm in over 20 years. Some people say it has "gone downhill" but thay may just be their opinion.

 

[ScrapperKimmyD]

2. How many days should we visit the parks for?

At least 4 is ideal.

3. Is it worthwhile staying at DLH? (given that we can stay at a non-Disney hotel for half the cost)

If it's hot outside (which it won't be in Jan.),then it might be worth it because of the pool. But staying off site/within walking distance is just fine. You'll probably spend very little time there, anyway. If there is an Embassy Suites, you get free continental breakfasts which can save you some money.

4. Any other places we should visit (e.g. Universal Studios - worth going to with a 6 1/2 and 3 1/2 yo?)


For that age, I would say either Sea World &/or San Diego Zoo. I wouldn't bother with the Wild Animal Park - my kids were bored and we left early and went back to the Zoo. Universal is probably a little too much for your kids' age, too.

It used to be that you could get a package deal for all 3 places (DL, Sea World and the zoo) - I would think that's still available.

 

[TPCShauna]

I would say at least 5 days for the Disney parks. That will give you enough time to see everything.

Personally, I have stayed off-site and will probably not do it again. We have stayed at DLH our last two trips and I loved it! We are staying at GCH for my birthday trip in April. The rooms are magical and the pools are nice. I just love that walk down Downtown Disney at night with all the twinkling lights and music. I don't think anything can beat staying onsite.

There is something called a Southern California CityPass that gives you a 3-day hopper pass for DL and DCA, a one-day trip to Universal, a one-day trip to Sea World and your choice of San Diego Zoo or San Diego Wild Animal Park for roughly $250 for adults.

The last time we were in San Diego, we did the San Diego 3 for 1 pass which gives you unlimited admission to the San Diego Zoo (with all the extras), the San Diego Wild Animal Park and Sea World for 5 days for roughly $110 for adults. That might be a good option for you instead of the CityPass.

I would probably recommend a Disney Park Hopper, a San Diego 3 in 1 pass and a trip to Legoland. That should keep you guys plenty busy.

Have fun!

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

1. When in early Jan has the lowest crowds (no public holidays etc)?

I agree that no sooner then the second week in January. This way the kids are back in school, holidays are over.

2. How many days should we visit the parks for?

Seeing how far you are coming from, and won't be back for I awhile I'd do 4-5 days. This way you'll see everything, go on favorites a few times, and not feel rushed.

3. Is it worthwhile staying at DLH? (given that we can stay at a non-Disney hotel for half the cost)

We prefer staying onsite. We love the DLH, we've found it to be a whole better experience being onsite. But it is expensive. If you decide not to there are plenty of hotels offsite that people here can recommend.

4. Any other places we should visit (e.g. Universal Studios - worth going to with a 6 1/2 and 3 1/2 yo?)

I probably wouldn't, my son is 8 and we still haven't taken him there yet. The rides seem a lot more geared to much older kids and adults. I would do a place like Sea World or the San Diego Zoo.

 

[Aust]

Thanks for all the answers, I have learnt so much from reading the other posts also and will be back to ask lots more questions I'm sure.

 

[cgoldburg]

We live in so cal and are AP passholders. We go to disneyland at least 5-6 times a year and usually stay in hotels.

We just returned from a 5 day disney trip. I would reccommend 2nd week of January and 5 nights. There is a new attraction there (if you have a girl) called Princess Fantasy Faire, that alone you could spend 3 hours there. My 5 year old LOVED it. There are several great shows and parades that could easily take up the remainder of 2 days. Allowing you 2 full days for rides. I would expect that week of the year for the lines to be less than 30 minutes. We have president's day in January, I would try to avoid that weekend, as it makes it a 3 day weekend and the crowds will increase significantly.

As far as hotels, we never stay on property. Unlike DW, where off property is 15 minutes away, DL only has 3 hotels and the remaining couple of dozen surround it.

We just stayed at the hilton, I won't do it again, didn't care for it. I have always like the marriot and the shuttle comes every 20 minutes. We have always found it easy and convienent. We have stayed at the Fairfield which you can walk to disney, and it was adequate, but no restaurant onsite. there is a great coffee shop Millie's in the parking lot. A little furthur about 2 miles in Garden Grove (shuttle goes there too) is the Hyatt, which IMO is definately one of the nicer properties in the area. there are no true 5 stars in that immediate area. The question is what quality of accomodations and ammenities are you looking for?

We went last year for 2 weeks in DW at the Beach Club. Was the property nice? Absolutely was it worth it $4500? I don't think so, I wouldn't do it again. So the question is, is it worth it to pay $350 a night to stay onsite, when you will be mostly sleeping there?

Other parks: Legoland and Sea World in SD. SD has many many nice hotels to stay at. Knott's is pretty run down and nothing like Disney. Although if your kids like snoopy might be worth a trip. as far as the zoo goes, you are making a long trip out here to see a zoo where we have Koala bears as main interest?