Newbie questions!

[Frances999]

Hi

We are hoping to take our first trip to California in August of next year. What is the weather/crowds like then?

How long is an ideal time to stay in Disneyland? We would be at one of the onsite resorts if that makes any difference. I was thinking 4/5 nights - does that sound long enough? If we wanted to visit Universal Studios as well, is that within driving distance of Disneyland? Any other "must see" attractions in the LA area? We would also (hopefully) be visiting Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon/Yosemite. Are San Diego/San Francisco worth a visit as well?

Are the onsite resorts concierge levels similar to that of the WDW resorts? Any extra perks for concierge guests? Are there codes/discounts available like at WDW? I was thinking of Grand Californian, but the The Disneyland Hotel looks great too.....any opinions/comparisons between the two?

Sorry for all of the questions. CA is new territory to me and I have no idea where to begin! I hope someone can help If it makes any difference, it will be DH and I plus our three children (3/5/7) travelling.

Thank you so much!!!

 

[disneysteve]

We made our first visit to DL 8/6-8/11. We stayed on Harbor Blvd. at the Fairfield Inn. It was a quick 10-min. walk to the parks. Weather was great - upper 80's. Crowds were very light Sunday and Monday, heavier Tuesday and Wednesday. Get in early and use Fastpass well, and take a break mid-day when it is hottest and most crowded and you'll be fine. We thought 4 days was perfect. Enough time to see most everything once and go back and do some favorites a second time. I would have liked a little more time as we didn't get to see 2 or the 3 Disney hotels and didn't see any of the live shows in the parks. We only caught bits and pieces of the parades but that really wasn't a priority for us.

 

[denyd]

Depending on what part of the month, you'll finds temps from mid 80's to low 100's (97 yesterday).

For a first-timer, I'd plan on 3 days for DL & DCA, then 1 each for Universal and Knotts. Also 3 days in San Diego for Legoland, SeaWorld & the Zoo (and Balboa Park) fills in a pretty busy 8 days. I'd save SF, Yosemite & Vegas for another trip unless you've got another week. Those areas take a most of a day to reach by car, which you'll want if you're planning on visiting non-Disney sites.

 

[halo19]

Depending on what part of the month, you'll finds temps from mid 80's to low 100's (97 yesterday).

For a first-timer, I'd plan on 3 days for DL & DCA, then 1 each for Universal and Knotts. Also 3 days in San Diego for Legoland, SeaWorld & the Zoo (and Balboa Park) fills in a pretty busy 8 days. I'd save SF, Yosemite & Vegas for another trip unless you've got another week. Those areas take a most of a day to reach by car, which you'll want if you're planning on visiting non-Disney sites.

I agree with denyd. Get yourselves a 3-day Park Hopper and you'll be fine. We just came back from a 2-day hopper and saw everything we wanted to see and were able to go back and do rides multiple times. Try to get there a half hour before park opening (or better, make use of your Early Entry if you'll be staying on property). Make full use of FastPass to get the most out of your ride schedule.

If you need SF tips, I'm a bay area native so feel free to ask away!

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