Overwhelmed!!

[hopelea]

Just booked MR for Mar 13 -20.....now I don't know where to start. I know I have a long time to plan....I love planning.

I am familiar with the PC are and can drive there. I know where to stay, what time to arrive at the port....this different port on the other side of the country is going to stress me out!

I think we should arrive Thurs before so we can see a few things....but what shouldn't be missed that we can do on Friday & Saturday before the ship leaves on Sunday?????? I don't really want to go to DL...my DD's would love to see a few other things.......but what?????

 

[emma'smom]

We're on the same cruise (me, dH, dd8, dd6 by then), but plan to fly in Saturday morning. We'll probably just rent a car and drive around LA a bit, go to the Santa Monica Pier area, etc. We've been to LA a number of times, but the girls haven't ever been.

As for the terminal, your guess is as good as mine. I was hoping the California DIS'er can fill us in. Do we take a taxi? Can we return cars at the terminal? Is boarding similar (ie. Do they really start at 11 even though a lot of the literature says 1:00?).

Let's hope those "in the know" fill us in!

 

[mickeyphile]

Don't be overwhelmed. Vacation is about fun and relaxation and you should just be excited that this promotion came around and you were able to book a 7 night cruise . That being said, I think that you are not alone in having all those questions. I think that a large number of people have booked the MR cruise and are thinking of all those issues. The community on these boards is great and I am sure that people will jump in and try to help everyone out in terms of planning. I just booked us on the January 30th sailing and am looking forward to following the various MR threads here and learning the best way to navigate planning this trip.

 

[mindy327]

No stress girls... Im on this cruise too! We are going to have so much fun. We go to CA a ton and as for other things to do, it really depends on what you want to see. Were going DL before. We have AP's and go often so DL before is perfect for us. Now, if DL isnt an option I would maybe explore CA. Amusment parks like, Universal or Knott's Berry Farm are fun too. Downtown LA has tons of shopping. Santi Alley is the best. The port is really not that far away from the airport. Personally, if you go in early Id rent a car and turn it in at the port.

 

[MACfamily4]

We're on the 3/13 MR, too. Lots of things to think about and plan (I love to plan!) Interested in the responses; this forum is such an extraordinary resource!!

 

[williamson_ja]

We're also on the 3/13 cruise. It seems like there are a lot of us on the dis that will be on that cruise! I have no idea what we are going to do beforehand. We've been to California several times before, but not for a long time. We might go to Knotts. It's a fun place. If anyone has any good deals for hotels the night before, please share the information with the rest of us!

 

[birkner]

If you want to do some sightseeing, plan on renting a car. As a native Californian, we do walk and run, but our whole transportation system is built on freeways and cars. Public transportation is not very convenient.

Plan on lots of extra time for point A to point B as freeways can be jammed and confusing. Spend the extra money to get a GPS system in the car if you don't already have it on your phone.

There are so many things to do the LA area as previous posters have mentioned. if it were me and I had just two days, I would pick one or two places to definitely see and the rest would be gravy. Theme parks are an all day experience but there are plenty of other places to visit and see depending on your interests.

Santa Monica Pier is a fun place to go and people watch. http://www.santamonica.com/ We also love to eat at Sushi Roku in Santa Monica but is a bit pricey.http://www.innovativedining.com/

Malibu beaches are nearby but the traffic on the PCH can be pretty crowded. Lots of great places to eat along the way but again can be pricey and crowded.

As for shopping, I go to Orange County often and would never miss shopping at South Coast Plaza.
http://www.southcoastplaza.com/

Universal in my opinion is for kids 10 and older. My GK's much preferred DL or SeaWorld prior to 10.

Any more questions, ask away.

Just my thoughts..

 

[moomy-san]

Oooh, South Coast Plaza is FUN! i'm sure I've done quite a few miles there and haven't seen everything. I think there's a Disney store there if you aren't going to DL and want to get 'in the mood'. We also go to the Block at Orange when we visit.... but I don't know what's still open in there. There is a Krispy Kreme in the parking lot. We don't have those up here in Canada so we always hit it at least once when we visit!

 

[hopelea]

Thanks!! It is going to be fun to plan. We are not telling our DD's. I am going to wrap their plane tickets up for Christmas!! I hope I can hide all this research!! My DD, 16, is very smart and nosey!!!! I can not subscribe to anything on the DIS boards....it would be a dead give away!!

Thanks again for the info, I will check them out!!!

 

[noraqb13]

We're also on the 3/13 cruise. It seems like there are a lot of us on the dis that will be on that cruise! I have no idea what we are going to do beforehand. We've been to California several times before, but not for a long time. We might go to Knotts. It's a fun place. If anyone has any good deals for hotels the night before, please share the information with the rest of us!

I'm from Cali and return often. Our last family trip to LA in Feb. 2008, we stayed at the Hotel/resort on Knott's Berry Farm's property for $69. Definitely where I will stay for now on, as that is the time of year I visit and the area I frequent. Oh, and Knott's was a ghost town, literally. Don't know about their Spring Break in March though, that would be my only concern.

 

[birkner]

Oooh, South Coast Plaza is FUN! i'm sure I've done quite a few miles there and haven't seen everything. I think there's a Disney store there if you aren't going to DL and want to get 'in the mood'. We also go to the Block at Orange when we visit.... but I don't know what's still open in there. There is a Krispy Kreme in the parking lot. We don't have those up here in Canada so we always hit it at least once when we visit!

Just checked website and it says Disney store is still there.

 

[hopelea]

That sounds great! Would love to visit a Disney Store. Also the Knotts berry farm hotel sounds good. I will check that out also!

 

[Lissame]

Southern CA is very fun, but make sure you're planning accordingly with the time you have. Anaheim/Knotts/Hollywood is in one part of southern CA, but Sea World, Legoland, San Diego Zoo/Wild Animal Park, etc. are at the other end. With just a couple of days I would concentrate on one area or the other.

There's so much to do! It really depends on your priorities, ages of your kids, what your family enjoys.

I wouldn't rule out Disneyland Resort, especially if you haven't been there for years or ever. There is so much there that is not found at WDW. I suggest frequenting the DIS forums for Disneyland and other Southern CA spots to see what people are talking about and ask lots of questions.

We're going on the March 20th MR, our first Disney cruise! Since we live in WA state, it's not that far for us to travel although everything is really new when it comes to leaving for this cruise since this is a fairly new thing for DCL.

 

[Kailua's Belle]

If you're going to stay in the DL area, there's a Character Warehouse in Fullerton. I like the HoJo when I go to DL. They have great Entertainment Book rates ($59!!) for very clean, spacious rooms. They also have themed suites that are reasonably priced too.

We'll stay there when we come back. Before the cruise we're going to look for something in Long Beach or San Pedro. Any suggestions? Not too pricey... we need two or three rooms with our large group.

 

[revrob]

we're on the same cruise - and I have the same concerns! Trying to research and come up with the best options for us!

 

[aliron]

Come on over and join the meet thread. Seems like business is starting to pick up.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2305868

 

[Mich123]

Subbing! We're on the President's Week MR cruise in Feb and I have the same questions! Would love tips on where to stay the night before and what's near the port. I loved Passporters guide AND the DIS for info on our last cruise out of Cape Canaveral, hope people will report back as soon as the MR runs begin. Thanks for all of your help!

 

[croppincolburn]

This talk about Knots Berry Farm has made me hungry for fried chicken. LOL Haven't been there in ages.

Born and raised in San Diego. We go back to visit my family. We tried Legoland last year. It was fun. (nothing is better than DL to me.)

Have a great trip/cruise!