Need help planning trip

[VW31]

Hi everyone!

I need help in planning a trip to Southern Cali, staying for 10-14 nights. We (husband and I) want to do the following activities:

Disney Land/California Adventures
I would like to stay in either the Grand Californian or Candy Cane Inn for 8 nights. Doing the parks for 4 days and taking a side trip to Universal Hollywood.
- Is the parking free at these resorts?

Universal Hollywood - 1-2 days
- How many days are needed?
- I have seen some 2nd day free offers, so if we are staying at DL would it be inconvenient to go back up to Universal for the 2nd day? (not sure if we will rent a car)

San Diego Zoo - 1-2 days
- Is 2 days necc. to see everything?

San Diego Wild Animal Park - 1-2 days
- Is 2 days necc. to see everything?


- I can't seem to find a hotel that I like in the San Diego area, close enough to the zoo and wild animal park. I don’t want to pay over $250 a night but I do want someplace nice, where we could hang out at the hotel for a day or two enjoying the scenery.
I don't know if we will be renting a car, so I need someplace that offers shuttles.
However, if we do rent a car, I don't want to be driving long/getting lost.
I'm thinking of just staying in Anaheim and going down to the zoo and the wild animal park on day trips but I don't know how convenient this is.


Someone please help. Thanks.

 

[LuvTigger]

Congratulations on your trip! Sounds like a good amount of time to spend in California.

Okay, let me try to break this down into bite size pieces since I tend to go overboard:

The Grand Californian is a GORGEOUS resort! Stayed there 4 nights a couple years ago. I don't know much about Candy Cane Inn, but it seems to be well-liked among DISers. Candy Cane Inn will cost a LOT less! If cost is a factor but you want to stay at GC, maybe you could split your stay in half? I believe parking at Candy Cane is free. When I stayed at GC, they had a daily resort fee (I think it was around $6.75), and that included parking, among other things. I'm not sure if they've since changed that policy.

I think 4 days at DL/DCA is a good amount of time to have a leisurely stay there. What time of year are you planning to go?

Personally I think Universal can be done in a day, but kinda depends on time of year and crowds. We usually just make it a day trip and get there first thing, and we've been able to cover just about everything.

Regarding the car: my personal opinion is that you could probably do without a car if you're only going to DL, but if you plan to go to other places, it would be better to have a car. Things are farther away in CA than they are in Orlando, and they don't have the same kinds of transportation options.

I think you can do the SD Zoo in one day, and Wild Animal Park in one day. If you have extra days, you might want to consider Sea World -- very different from Orlando. Also, the Zoo can take a lot out of you if you don't do it the right way. There is a bus ride and aerial tram that at last check cost a little extra, but I think they're worth it. We usually start off with the bus because the driver gives great tips on how to navigate the Zoo. The best "rule" we learned was to "walk down, ride up," meaning, walk down the hills, and ride up the escalators to get back up.

In San Diego, I think there's a Sheraton or Hilton that's across the street (or within walking distance) of Sea Port Village, which is a great spot to go at night. I'm not sure of the cost though, maybe someone else could help? We've stayed at the Dana Inn and Marina near Sea World. Only about $100 per night -- nothing fancy, but there's just something about it that we like, and they have a great little restaurant too!

Sounds like it's going to be a great trip, happy planning!

 

[iceskatejen]

Four days at DL are good. I too think 1 day at Universal is sufficient. At the zoo, one day should do it, but I agree with the walk down, ride up advice (which I didn't do on Sunday and had sore shins for 2 days--take this as a warning). The pass with the bus/airial tram is currently $32, but they give 20% off if you have AAA. The Wild Animal Park is a bit easier on the body (despite being larger) and can also be done in a day. For going to SD, I really recommend renting a car as taxis would be horribly expensive and I don't know what shuttle service might cost. The Zoo and WAP are in completely different places--the Zoo in Balboa Park fairly close to downtown, the WAP is actually 45 minutes or so to the NE, near Escondido off the I-15. There are lots of museums and cultural things in Balboa Park that might make it worth staying in SD for a few days.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

I've stayed at 2 of the 3 super 8s and thought they were good- Ive also stayed at the Hilton on Hotel Circle and that was nice

Getawaytoday.com often has some good San Diego packages offering discount tickets to the Zoo and WAP. Id personally do either San Diego for a few days togeather then DL or vise versa. The drive takes about an hour with little traffic and over 2 with which would be hard to do after a park day not counting doing it multiple times...

Other fun spots for San Diego is Old Town (LOVE Casa de Pica) and Point Loma is a great overlook as is the drive out to Coranado and the beach next to the Hotel Del is great as is the La Jolla beach

-em

 

[bclydia]

Well, as for San Diego, I didn't find a nice hotel. We stayed in the Howard Johnson and it was horrendous!!!!! Filed a big complaint on that one!
The Zoo you can easily cover in 1 day. We were in Anaheim and San Diego back in June and went to the Wild Animal Park, The Zoo and SeaWorld. I have to say that next time I'd skip the Wild Animal Park. It was quite a distance from the city and while there were many animals there and some great exhibits -we mostly saw various forms of endangered deer. Now, deer are lovely creatures but I was a little overwhelmed at the sheer number of varieties that there were.
If I ever went again, I'd book the photo safari (you can see the description on their web site) and make that the focus of my day.
SeaWorld was great fun and we thoroughly enjoyed our day there. You might want to consider that too.
Four days for the Disney parks should be good and one day at Universal would, I think, be plenty.
With all the running around you're planning to do, I'd rent a car. We used the codes from Mary at mousesavers.com and got a very good rate on a rental. It's really nice to have that flexability.
Have fun!
Lydia

 

[Judy from Boise]

You might consider shuffling your schedule and doing a day at Knotts Berry Farm.

 

[VW31]

Thanks everyone for the advice and information!
"walk down, ride up"...I got it... I think???

We are planning to go May ’05.

- Question, I keep reading about all of the discounts you can get with AAA. Is it worth it to become a member just to get the discounts? (I don’t own a car though)

I’m going to check out the cost/benefit factor of renting a car vs. taking hotel shuttles, train, etc. to navigate between DL, US and San Diego. I’m just don’t want to worry about trying to navigate the highways, etc. When we went to Universal, Orlando we rented a car but only used it to get to/from the airport and to the Holy Land Experience. Just doing that little bit of traveling was “stressful”.

I’m also going to check out the hotels and areas that have been mentioned. I want to stay someplace that is nice and scenic but don’t want to pay a fortune. Don’t know if that can be had in San Diego.

- Would Sea World and Knotts Berry Farm be of interest to 2 Adults? We are not really into fish (love other animals though) and Knotts Farm seems to be big on roller coasters, which we don’t do. We love the Peanuts characters though, which right now is the only reason I would go. However, can’t justify the admission price just to see Charlie and Snoopy.


Thanks again!

**Edited...Just checked out Sea World's website, looks cool, I think I will add it to our trip.

 

[ksjayhawks]

You might find the rental car more convenient than relying on hotel shuttles. Also, believe the train can get pricey, too.

We rented a car during our July/August trip and it came with a GPS. Most of the attractions that you want to go to are fairly easy to find. You can go to Mapquest and print out directions if they aren't on the attraction website. If you have the GPS, plug in the address and it will direct you right there.

We did DL and DCA in two days--could have used one more day. Universal should be fine in one. Have you considered going to Hollywood? You can see the chinese theatre, walk of stars, take a tour of Hollywood and the stars if you want. We went to Long Beach and went to the aquarium--read you aaren't into fish--and took a harbor cruise. The Queen Mary is also there. There is also the Crystal Cathedral.

San Diego also has a nice "old town" area. I would probably drive down there and stay. Try a Holiday Inn.

The Pacific Coast drive is nice too. You hit a lot of the beach communities. Some have quaint shopping areas and good places to eat. There is a Wayfarers chapel close to Palos Verde that is a nice place to visit. You could also spend time at the beaches if you like doing that. There are many to pick from--Huntington, Corona Del Mar, Newport, etc.

You could also go up to Santa Monica and enjoy the pier and restaurants and to Venice Beach.

A car would give you more flexibility. DL is different from WDW. It is basically set in a residential area, not a whole complex of its own like WDW. So, 3 or 4 days would be more than enough there. I wouldn't rent the car until I was done with DL and ready to move on.

Good luck in planning!