Organizing my days in SoCal/DLR

[momof2n2]

So I had a dream last night we were packing our van to return home from California and we realized we hadn't done or seen anything, so I think maybe I need to get myself moving a little on the planning. (Incidentally, I had a similar dream that we slept through our DCL cruise and it was suddenly time to disembark. Yes, I am tightly wound.)

That said, (out loud?), we will be arriving into the area on Monday, June 11th for an AirBnB in the Garden Grove area. We leave Thursday, June 21. We have four day park hoppers. We are a party of 8 (possibly 9) that moves quickly.

The only day set is Father's Day.
We want four days DLR.
One morning we want to explore Sunset Blvd. and area. (Based on TripAdvisor we will go EARLY). That afternoon would be free.
We'd like one block of time for Downtown Disney.
We are rope-drop-to-kick-us-out people.

I'm a WDW vet who is a little stressed out that crown calendars are not much help. To be fair, they aren't much help in WDW the last few years, either. All that said, I'm inclined to do DLR Tues., Weds., and Thurs. the first week, then again Tues. the second week, based on what I've read here...

Other possible items would be USS Midway in San Diego area.
I've crossed Queen Mary off my list.

Is anyone game to help with this piece?

Monday 6/11 - Kingman, AZ to Garden Grove, CA. Groceries and explore?
Tuesday 6/12 - DLR?
Wednesday 6/13 - DLR?
Thursday 6/14 - DLR?
Friday 6/15 -
Saturday 6/16 -
Sunday 6/17 - FATHER'S DAY - Saddleback Church/Silver Strand Beach State Park
Monday 6/18 -
Tuesday 6/19 - DLR?
Wednesday 6/20 -Leave as early as possible – Drive to Utah

My friend @mom2rtk highlighted some items she though my family would like. I don't know if we should try to be there on a weekend to catch some of them (the timing of shows, etc., still confuses me about DLR.)

1) New fireworks
2) Pixar parade in Dl
3) Paint the Night in DCA
4) WOC in DCA
5) Mickey and the Magical Map in DL
6) Frozen in DCA
7) BATB and Tangled storytelling in DL

Thank you for looking.
(I do not plan to do any character meals if they don't help beating a rope-dropping crowd.)

 

[Gaugersaurus]

Since you'll be there in June the show times shouldn't be an issue. You'll be able to watch the parade and fireworks the same night. Tuesday-Thursdays are probably the best to avoid crowds during the day but it will get crowded in the afternoons as people get off work and head to the parks. Crowd levels are hard to predict at DLR which is why they're pretty unreliable. The parks can be pretty empty in the mornings and become overcrowded (mainly DL) in the evenings.

I would make Downtown Disney part of you plans one of the days in the parks, its fairly small with not a lot to do beyond shopping/dining.

I would devote a whole day in LA/Hollywood, it can get crowded especially on weekends but there is so much to see/do it's worth it to spend at least a day there.

 

[gappedout]

Interested as well. We will be there 6/21 - 6/29. We have a five day DL park hopper and will be doing one day at Knotts Berry Farm (birthday request from my turning 16 year old). So that leaves us our arrival day (land at SNA at 10:40am) and another full day to plan out.

 

[LilyJC]

Lots of fun So Cal ideas already, but other fun possibilities include Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, San Diego Zoo, the Safari Park in Escondido, Sea World, and Legoland if you have little kiddos. Silverstrand is great, but if you’re looking for another beach day, Balboa Pier area/Newport Beach is really fun!

For your DLR list, everything looks super! You’ll most likely beat the heat, and perhaps enjoy some June gloom. Enjoy your trip!

 

[smartlabelprint]

I wouldn't do 3 disney days in a row if you're there open to close. Too much stress on your feet and body.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I wouldn't do 3 disney days in a row if you're there open to close. Too much stress on your feet and body.

But don't skip Wednesday. Wednesdays are often the lightest crowds of the week depending on what's going on.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

OP, if you want to drive down to San Diego, I would do more than the Midway (unless that is some kind of bucket list item for you for some reason). I enjoyed touring the Midway but San Diego is very far away. You are looking at 4+ hours on the road if you drive down there and back in the same day. Summers can be brutal on the drive to and from San Diego, so it could be even more. I would do the Midway plus the Zoo or Zoo Safari Park, SeaWorld or even Legoland if you're going to invest all that time driving there and back.

Also, FYI, Mickey and the Magic Map only runs Friday-Monday, so you won't be able to see it with your proposed park days.

 

[VandVsmama]

First of all, I just wanted to say that you will not go wrong with Silver Strand State Beach. We've been there a couple of times with relatives who live in San Diego. It's a really great beach!

Re: the USS Midway -
Friends of mine toured the Midway about a year ago on a San Diego trip. They LOVED it.

DL doesn't release its park hours or entertainment schedule until 60 days ahead of time. However, you can find historical DL park hours here on the DIS. Just do a search on the main wdwinfo.com website for it.

Re: Paint the Night -
If you take Fri 4/20 as an example, the parade is running 2x that evening: 8:45 pm and 10:45 pm. Fireworks at DL will be at 9:30 pm.

Usually by that time in the summer (i.e., your travel dates), DL is on its regular summer schedule, which means fireworks every evening.

Re: the afternoon DL parade -
My favorite place to see the afternoon DL parade is right in front of the Alice in Wonderland bathrooms. There's no parade viewing on the opposite side of the "street" at that spot, so the parade performers only pay attention to your side of the "street."

Re: fireworks -
If seeing the new fireworks are a "must do," then you need to try to see them on your first day there. The reason being is that fireworks are often cancelled because of Santa Ana winds at higher elevations. So if they're cancelled that first night, then you still have 3 other nights to give it a whirl.

Re: which days to go to DLR -
I think your plan of going Tues-Thurs is a good one. Since you'll have 4-day tickets, you will get 1 MM (Magic Morning) entry to DL. MM is on Tues, Thurs, or Sat. In the summer, DL usually opens at 8 am. That means that MM starts at 7 am. 7 am MM at DL is a godsend. Seriously. It is WORTH it to have your crew up and there for 7 am MM. We often get 5 rides done in Fantasyland in that hour.

If you'll be driving in from Garden Grove, then you'll probably be parking at the Toy Story lot. I think that the Mickey & Friends parking might be the only lot open 90 min before regular park opening on MM days. Check the Disneyland website to make sure.

Re: summer crowds in DL -
None of the crowd calendars are very useful for DL. We usually go to DL in the summer, but it's often at the beginning of June. We have also been there in October, which was MORE crowded than June. We have had a wonderful time by following a few rules of thumb that I learned here on these boards:

• be there for rope drop
• If you can wake up early and take advantage of the MM on your ticket, then DO IT! Especially with a 7-8 am MM.
• Use FP. There are great sticky threads here that explain it.
• Go on rides all morning and you'll notice that around 11-11:30 am, it's starting to fill up.
• You might also notice on the week days that starting around 5 pm, it gets more crowded than it was earlier in the day. That's because of the locals who live nearby who left work early to spend the evening at DL.
• A lot of your standard WDW tactics for open-to-close will work at DL, too, in the middle of the afternoon. That's when you should see shows, spend some time in Animation Academy at DCA, take your time at Tom Sawyer's Island, etc., etc.

Of the last couple of summers, a lot of people here on DIS Boards have noticed that Saturdays in the summer end up LESS crowded than the week days...this is because of the So Cal APs. DL is phasing those APs out, which means that So Cal residents cannot buy NEW So Cal APs. Usually by mid-June, I think that the So Cal APs all have Saturdays blocked out. And the lowest level of So Cal AP has several entire weeks blocked out in the middle of the summer starting some time in June.

If you ARE really open to close people, then 3 days in a row at DL is going to be rough. I'd recommend 2 days on, 1 day off. Wednesday IS the best day of the week at DL.

There's a ton of stuff to do in So Cal. You could do a 2nd beach day. Or go to an aquarium...there are a couple in San Diego and a great one in Long Beach. If you have school aged children, there's a great children's museum in Orange County. You could also go to the California Science Center in LA. They have 1 of the space shuttles housed there. The permanent exhibits there are free, but seeing the space shuttle costs a couple of dollars per person. Next door is the LA Natural History Museum in case you have any dinosaur lovers.

And last but not least...
I'm sure if you realize this, but 1 of the original Disney Imagineers does bus tours once a month on the 3rd Sunday of the month. Bob Gurr's Waltland tour (which he narrates himself in person the whole time) happens to fall within your travel dates. But it's on Father's Day (Sun 6/17). The tour costs $105 and includes lunch. He's an amazing person. They've interviewed him before on the DIS Unplugged podcasts. If you're interested, you should go to http://www.waltland.com/.

 

[momof2n2]

Oh wow! This has made for such wonderful reading this morning! Thank you all.

I can’t wait to take notes and respond with follow-up questions. Sadly, I’m at the beginning of a 12-Hour shift and it will be later.

 

[momof2n2]

Since you'll be there in June the show times shouldn't be an issue. You'll be able to watch the parade and fireworks the same night. Tuesday-Thursdays are probably the best to avoid crowds during the day but it will get crowded in the afternoons as people get off work and head to the parks. Crowd levels are hard to predict at DLR which is why they're pretty unreliable. The parks can be pretty empty in the mornings and become overcrowded (mainly DL) in the evenings.

I would make Downtown Disney part of you plans one of the days in the parks, its fairly small with not a lot to do beyond shopping/dining.

I would devote a whole day in LA/Hollywood, it can get crowded especially on weekends but there is so much to see/do it's worth it to spend at least a day there.

What would you recommend we do/see in that area? I had thought we could look for stars on the walk, and see Mann's, er, TCL, and also try to see the Hollywood Sign from the corner of Sunset Blvd and Gower street. I really didn't have anything else planned in that area. Can you suggest anything else to pair up with that kind of morning?

 

[momof2n2]

Lots of fun So Cal ideas already, but other fun possibilities include Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, San Diego Zoo, the Safari Park in Escondido, Sea World, and Legoland if you have little kiddos. Silverstrand is great, but if you’re looking for another beach day, Balboa Pier area/Newport Beach is really fun!

For your DLR list, everything looks super! You’ll most likely beat the heat, and perhaps enjoy some June gloom. Enjoy your trip!

I could spend 24/7 at the beaches. I've noted your other suggestions. Thank you.
I hope we don't get any "June Gloom" however. I'm from NY. We have gloom for 9 months a year.

 

[momof2n2]

I wouldn't do 3 disney days in a row if you're there open to close. Too much stress on your feet and body.

But don't skip Wednesday. Wednesdays are often the lightest crowds of the week depending on what's going on.

I do hear what you are both saying, but I don’t know what to do.
Do I swap out Thursday for Friday? Do two days back to back? I’m not super worried about the walking. I can do a week of WDW in Walmart sandals. I’m more worried about being exhausted and. Or enjoying it.

Would you pick Friday over Saturday, or vice versa?

OP, if you want to drive down to San Diego, I would do more than the Midway (unless that is some kind of bucket list item for you for some reason). I enjoyed touring the Midway but San Diego is very far away. You are looking at 4+ hours on the road if you drive down there and back in the same day. Summers can be brutal on the drive to and from San Diego, so it could be even more. I would do the Midway plus the Zoo or Zoo Safari Park, SeaWorld or even Legoland if you're going to invest all that time driving there and back.

Also, FYI, Mickey and the Magic Map only runs Friday-Monday, so you won't be able to see it with your proposed park days.

Did NOT know about M&MM only on weekends so that is very good info.

We drive a lot in general. A two-three hour drive doesn’t make us blink. But I don’t think that is all we’d do down there, either. I’d love to do more that day, too. (We actually plan to drive down that way two days.) I think we’d do another beach day though. I love Sea Worlds, but we’d want to be there open-close to get full ROI.

Are there any hints to alleviate traffic concerns? I’m guessing we’d be on the road by 7:00 AM. But coming “home” could be awful?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

What would you recommend we do/see in that area? I had thought we could look for stars on the walk, and see Mann's, er, TCL, and also try to see the Hollywood Sign from the corner of Sunset Blvd and Gower street. I really didn't have anything else planned in that area. Can you suggest anything else to pair up with that kind of morning?

All those things can be done from the Hollywood & Highland shopping center (located, conveniently, at the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Highland). Parking is validated, just ask at any shop. The Walk of Fame is out front, Chinese Theatre is next door, Dolby Theater (home of the Oscar Ceremony) is located there, there is a photo op for the Hollywood Sign on an upper level, Disney's El Capitan Theatre is across the street, etc. You could cover just about everything on your list in 1-2 hours, depending on the crowd level and how long you spend looking at everything. You could go from H&H to the Grove and Farmer's Market (Fairfax and Third, The Original Farmers Market & https://thegrovela.com). There are lots of fun shops and restaurants there. The La Brea Tar Pits aren't far away from the Farmer's Market. Your kids might really enjoy that. Even if you don't go into the Page Museum there, you can still see an outdoor display of mammoths in a tar pit out front. Next door to the Tar Pits is LACMA (L.A. County Museum of Art) with the famous street light installation (seen in "La La Land") -- you might want to take a family photo there.

 

[dina444444]

Mickey and the Magical Map is usually dark Tues-Thur. So you'll have to plan to see it on a Fri-Mon.

 

[agamble]

We'll be at Disneyland the first week you're there. I just want to say Mickey and the Magic Map is worth seeing. Honestly Tuesday Wednesday and Saturday is probably your best bet for crowds. Friday will be more busy than Saturday.

Also (assuming you are park hopping) you can use your Magic Morning on Tuesday then rope drop Disneyland on Wednesday and then rope drop DCA on Saturday. The thing with MM at DLR is that it doesn't have the all day impact you see at WDW, but it's best to not start your day in the early park unless you have access to the extra hours. And you will want to rope drop DCA at least once.

 

[Gaugersaurus]

What would you recommend we do/see in that area? I had thought we could look for stars on the walk, and see Mann's, er, TCL, and also try to see the Hollywood Sign from the corner of Sunset Blvd and Gower street. I really didn't have anything else planned in that area. Can you suggest anything else to pair up with that kind of morning?

There's plenty of museums and other stuff you can do in the LA area, you could spend the afternoon at Griffith park or go out to Venice/Santa Monica. There's also Universal Studios or you could do the WB studio tour.

 

[azdisneylover]

I would suggest you check your dates for Disneyland against Grand Nite dates so you aren't disappointed if the park is closed earlier than you expected.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

We drive a lot in general. A two-three hour drive doesn’t make us blink. But I don’t think that is all we’d do down there, either. I’d love to do more that day, too. (We actually plan to drive down that way two days.) I think we’d do another beach day though. I love Sea Worlds, but we’d want to be there open-close to get full ROI.

Are there any hints to alleviate traffic concerns? I’m guessing we’d be on the road by 7:00 AM. But coming “home” could be awful?

To avoid San Diego traffic on a weekday morning you should leave Anaheim around 5:00/5:30am. On the return trip, leaving after 7:30pm *should* be OK, but you never know. An accident or stoppage at the border patrol checkpoint can add an hour or more to the drive at any time of day.

If you want a nice beach, I would suggest one of the many amazing beaches in Orange County rather than driving all the way down to San Diego. I personally love Laguna Beach I feel you don't mind a little drive (about 35-45 minutes from Anaheim), but I know a lot of people go to Huntington Beach or even Newport Beach from the Disney area.

 

[momof2n2]

I would suggest you check your dates for Disneyland against Grand Nite dates so you aren't disappointed if the park is closed earlier than you expected.

Ok. Thank you.

To avoid San Diego traffic on a weekday morning you should leave Anaheim around 5:00/5:30am. On the return trip, leaving after 7:30pm *should* be OK, but you never know. An accident or stoppage at the border patrol checkpoint can add an hour or more to the drive at any time of day.

If you want a nice beach, I would suggest one of the many amazing beaches in Orange County rather than driving all the way down to San Diego. I personally love Laguna Beach I feel you don't mind a little drive (about 35-45 minutes from Anaheim), but I know a lot of people go to Huntington Beach or even Newport Beach from the Disney area.

Ok. Thank you for the parameters. We can do the early part.
What do you mean stoppage at the border patrol checkpoint? Where is this checkpoint? What is this checkpoint? Thank you.

The suggestion of SD beaches was to pair with a tour of the U.S.S. Midway. It sounds like we have no shortage of nice beaches to choose from.

 

[momof2n2]

First of all, I just wanted to say that you will not go wrong with Silver Strand State Beach. We've been there a couple of times with relatives who live in San Diego. It's a really great beach!

Re: the USS Midway -
Friends of mine toured the Midway about a year ago on a San Diego trip. They LOVED it.

DL doesn't release its park hours or entertainment schedule until 60 days ahead of time. However, you can find historical DL park hours here on the DIS. Just do a search on the main wdwinfo.com website for it.

Re: Paint the Night -
If you take Fri 4/20 as an example, the parade is running 2x that evening: 8:45 pm and 10:45 pm. Fireworks at DL will be at 9:30 pm.

Usually by that time in the summer (i.e., your travel dates), DL is on its regular summer schedule, which means fireworks every evening.

Re: the afternoon DL parade -
My favorite place to see the afternoon DL parade is right in front of the Alice in Wonderland bathrooms. There's no parade viewing on the opposite side of the "street" at that spot, so the parade performers only pay attention to your side of the "street."

Re: fireworks -
If seeing the new fireworks are a "must do," then you need to try to see them on your first day there. The reason being is that fireworks are often cancelled because of Santa Ana winds at higher elevations. So if they're cancelled that first night, then you still have 3 other nights to give it a whirl.

Re: which days to go to DLR -
I think your plan of going Tues-Thurs is a good one. Since you'll have 4-day tickets, you will get 1 MM (Magic Morning) entry to DL. MM is on Tues, Thurs, or Sat. In the summer, DL usually opens at 8 am. That means that MM starts at 7 am. 7 am MM at DL is a godsend. Seriously. It is WORTH it to have your crew up and there for 7 am MM. We often get 5 rides done in Fantasyland in that hour.

If you'll be driving in from Garden Grove, then you'll probably be parking at the Toy Story lot. I think that the Mickey & Friends parking might be the only lot open 90 min before regular park opening on MM days. Check the Disneyland website to make sure.

Re: summer crowds in DL -
None of the crowd calendars are very useful for DL. We usually go to DL in the summer, but it's often at the beginning of June. We have also been there in October, which was MORE crowded than June. We have had a wonderful time by following a few rules of thumb that I learned here on these boards:

• be there for rope drop
• If you can wake up early and take advantage of the MM on your ticket, then DO IT! Especially with a 7-8 am MM.
• Use FP. There are great sticky threads here that explain it.
• Go on rides all morning and you'll notice that around 11-11:30 am, it's starting to fill up.
• You might also notice on the week days that starting around 5 pm, it gets more crowded than it was earlier in the day. That's because of the locals who live nearby who left work early to spend the evening at DL.
• A lot of your standard WDW tactics for open-to-close will work at DL, too, in the middle of the afternoon. That's when you should see shows, spend some time in Animation Academy at DCA, take your time at Tom Sawyer's Island, etc., etc.

Of the last couple of summers, a lot of people here on DIS Boards have noticed that Saturdays in the summer end up LESS crowded than the week days...this is because of the So Cal APs. DL is phasing those APs out, which means that So Cal residents cannot buy NEW So Cal APs. Usually by mid-June, I think that the So Cal APs all have Saturdays blocked out. And the lowest level of So Cal AP has several entire weeks blocked out in the middle of the summer starting some time in June.

If you ARE really open to close people, then 3 days in a row at DL is going to be rough. I'd recommend 2 days on, 1 day off. Wednesday IS the best day of the week at DL.

There's a ton of stuff to do in So Cal. You could do a 2nd beach day. Or go to an aquarium...there are a couple in San Diego and a great one in Long Beach. If you have school aged children, there's a great children's museum in Orange County. You could also go to the California Science Center in LA. They have 1 of the space shuttles housed there. The permanent exhibits there are free, but seeing the space shuttle costs a couple of dollars per person. Next door is the LA Natural History Museum in case you have any dinosaur lovers.

And last but not least...
I'm sure if you realize this, but 1 of the original Disney Imagineers does bus tours once a month on the 3rd Sunday of the month. Bob Gurr's Waltland tour (which he narrates himself in person the whole time) happens to fall within your travel dates. But it's on Father's Day (Sun 6/17). The tour costs $105 and includes lunch. He's an amazing person. They've interviewed him before on the DIS Unplugged podcasts. If you're interested, you should go to http://www.waltland.com/.

I've been waiting to reply to this post because I can't thank you enough for all the details and I wanted to do it specifically.
I have a lot to say, and never get a block of time.
Maybe I will just ask about one point at a time.


Re: the afternoon DL parade -
My favorite place to see the afternoon DL parade is right in front of the Alice in Wonderland bathrooms. There's no parade viewing on the opposite side of the "street" at that spot, so the parade performers only pay attention to your side of the "street."

I really appreciate this. I always give a very specific recommendation to friends when they visit MK. This tickles me.

Re: fireworks -
If seeing the new fireworks are a "must do," then you need to try to see them on your first day there. The reason being is that fireworks are often cancelled because of Santa Ana winds at higher elevations. So if they're cancelled that first night, then you still have 3 other nights to give it a whirl.

Great point. Oh - boy - this is not normally an issue in WDW. I guess I won't get geared up for them, or WOC. Nighttime entertainment is a big deal to me normally.

Re: which days to go to DLR -
I think your plan of going Tues-Thurs is a good one. Since you'll have 4-day tickets, you will get 1 MM (Magic Morning) entry to DL. MM is on Tues, Thurs, or Sat. In the summer, DL usually opens at 8 am. That means that MM starts at 7 am. 7 am MM at DL is a godsend. Seriously. It is WORTH it to have your crew up and there for 7 am MM. We often get 5 rides done in Fantasyland in that hour.

We will get two Tuesdays.
with other info here, I am leaning toward a Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Tuesday touring plan. We can be at DL very early that first Tuesday, no problem.

If you'll be driving in from Garden Grove, then you'll probably be parking at the Toy Story lot. I think that the Mickey & Friends parking might be the only lot open 90 min before regular park opening on MM days. Check the Disneyland website to make sure.

Is there some kind of road-related barrier to us getting to whichever lot we need? It will make me severely anxious if we can't just park a car and get where we need to be for rope drop...
If I want to be at the turnstiles an hour before park opens, what time should I be out of my van and walking?

Ok. I have more questions, but my kids need breakfast!!