Running out of time to plan

[Anal Annie]

So we arrive in CA in less than 2 weeks and as my DIS user name suggests, I need to finalize what we are doing. We'll be staying at VDH for 8 nights and have 3 park days booked plus 1 night @ OBB. That basically leaves us with 3 days to sightsee around the area (planning a pool / resort day on the OBB day). We are renting a car, and I initially figured we could just somehow manage to get around the area on our own but I'm not sure how many things are actually feasible to do in 1 day on our own and where to park or the RIGHT ORDER to do stuff in to make best use of our time. Stuff like Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood sign, LaBrea Tar pits, Rodeo Dr., Walk of Fame to see the stars, Farmers Market, Graumann's theater, ETC. Like if we go to Rodeo Dr. where do u park? Just find a garage or something? But so then we started debating about if we should just go onto a site like Viator and just book a tour of some sort instead? THOUGHTS ON THAT IDEA PLEASE!! Can we wing it or would the $100 or so pp for a tour be worth it?

We also want to visit a beach (or two) for a few hours just to chill. I have a long list of beaches to pick from... could use some recommendations on choosing between Huntington Beach which apparently has multiple beaches, Redondo Beach, Hermosa, Torrence, Santa Monica, Venice, Manhattan, Tidepools, Palos Verde Peninsula....HELP PLEASE!! I feel like some may be iconic landmarks that aren't really the kind of beach where you actually hang out to relax but you want to visit to say you were there?!

NEXT, we started thinking about visiting Universal Hollywood one day. DH is interested in the studios part as much as the theme park....but I kinda don't want to spring for the extra $$ for the Express pass but then are we just screwing ourselves if we DON'T get it? Will we just hate it without it? We used it at HS in FL years ago but we stayed onsite to have it included in our days.

My time is getting short to finalize these plans and I am too indecisive - meanwhile DH offers little help with the research. WWYD?! And TIA!!

 

[JerrodDragon89]

Universal is entering its off season

HHN is packed but mostly the days before the events are pretty easy to do everything, so I don't think you need express.

Now for USH if you want to get on Mario Kart easily the early entry is worth it if you get to that early (they start letting you into the park 30 mins before EA opens)
But if you can't get a ticket to EA, no problem. I would just do other attractions and then at a point in the day make your way to Mario Kart and wait the 60-90 mins.

 

[Anal Annie]

Universal is entering its off season

HHN is packed but mostly the days before the events are pretty easy to do everything, so I don't think you need express.

Now for USH if you want to get on Mario Kart easily the early entry is worth it if you get to that early (they start letting you into the park 30 mins before EA opens)
But if you can't get a ticket to EA, no problem. I would just do other attractions and then at a point in the day make your way to Mario Kart and wait the 60-90 mins.

How do you get / buy the early entry?? I was looking at a tix deal on Undercover Tourist that is $104 pp to buy a "1 day get a 2nd day free" (same price as the 1-day tix). I thought having a 2nd day avaul. might be good if we end up having a few hours of free time on another day

 

[Pamela M]

A few notes on the above.
SoCal has awful traffic. We don’t talk about miles we talk about how long it will take to get there. Example- Rodeo drive and Griffin observatory are 10 miles away from each other but my Apple Maps says it will take 49 minutes. Disneyland to Rodeo drive is an hour. I would be sure to map out how long it will take to get to each of your destinations.

I can’t speak about which beach to go to but be prepared for the water to be cold. And be prepared to have to pay for parking.

 

[JerrodDragon89]

https://store.universalstudioshollywood.com/PurchaseTickets.aspx?Ref=Lite&View=DEFAULT

You can buy them here....but for sure if you go two days wont need them

I would say if you do do two days, to make it where you go one day all day and day 2 just get in at rope drop enjoy it until you good and go to the beach, the Hollywood walk of fame of another LA attraction

 

[thenicefamily]

Your time is short for planning but you've got, IMO, a luxurious amount of time staying at the iconic Disneyland Hotel so, congrats! I can't speak to driving because I'd never choose to do so in LA. Lived in big cities and small towns and driven both but LA scares me. Probably unreasonably so.

What I can speak to are two things I have experienced, firstly, Balboa Island/Newport Beach. We stayed there for a few days then transferred for a few days at Disney. It was a really fun and beautiful beach and area IMO. Well worth a day out to chill, shop, stroll a long promenade, eat a frozen banana.

The other thing we've done, while staying at the DLH, was do a day trip to Universal. We really splurged and got the VIP pass. It was worth every, single, penny. Disney's VIP is outrageously out of our reach but, in comparison, the Universal version was a complete bargain. It was a full day, included breakfast and an amazing lunch (food, location, atmosphere - actors dressed as characters, Lucille Ball, Professor from Back to the Future, Count Dracula - oh, did I mention food?!!! Excellent food). We had a designated guide who was fun, informative and got us on all the rides like true VIPs. For your husband, the Studio Tour would be a joy. Anyone can go on the regular tour, ride the bus, hear the commentary, but on the VIP tour you have your own bus and best part, you get to get off the vehicle at various spots and wander around real sets. I didn't think I'd love it as much as we did. Then, you have a long afternoon/evening to continue going on rides with your VIP Express pass.

Sorry, seems I've hijacked this thread with a full-on Universal Studios Hollywood review, lol.

So, if it were me (and you're not me so this is just my opinion) I'd enjoy the heck out of the Disneyland Hotel, drive to a beach (Newport/Balboa IMO but I've nothing to compare to) for a day, drive to Universal for a VIP day (oh, did I mention - Valet Parking included with VIP passes as well) then take a full-day on/off tour bus to all the Rodeo Drive/Griffith things.

 

[LKing]

like Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood sign, LaBrea Tar pits, Rodeo Dr., Walk of Fame to see the stars, Farmers Market, Graumann's theater,

Many of these are together. You can see the Hollywood sign from Griffith Observatory or from the Walk of Fame/Grauman's. The Tar Pits are close to Farmer's Market, The Grove, The Academy Museum, Peterson Automotive Museum, LACMA, etc.

Redondo Beach, Hermosa, Torrence, Santa Monica, Venice, Manhattan, Tidepools, Palos Verde Peninsula....HELP PLEASE!! I feel like some may be iconic landmarks that aren't really the kind of beach where you actually hang out to relax but you want to visit to say you were there?!

I can help you with these beaches. Torrance, Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan all have large sandy areas where you can sunbathe and go in the water. Torrance is the most south and is the least popular which means parking should be easier. Hermosa and Manhattan have more beach volleyball courts which might be fun to see. Are you going on a weekday or weekend? Weekend parking during the summer is very difficult in both HB and MB. Weekdays during the summer aren't much better, but should be a little lighter. If you figure out where you want to go, I can help advise you on where to park.

Palos Verdes is a beautiful drive with lots of trails and cliffs looking over the ocean. Tidepooling would be best when the tide is low. The timing of low tide (you can look it up online) might not work for the days that you will be there. The tidepooling off of PV is a trek/hike down and is on pretty sharp rocks. If you have little ones, I wouldn't recommend it.

This is Palos Verdes with Catalina Island in the background.

 

[Disneyland1084]

So we arrive in CA in less than 2 weeks and as my DIS user name suggests, I need to finalize what we are doing. We'll be staying at VDH for 8 nights and have 3 park days booked plus 1 night @ OBB. That basically leaves us with 3 days to sightsee around the area (planning a pool / resort day on the OBB day). We are renting a car, and I initially figured we could just somehow manage to get around the area on our own but I'm not sure how many things are actually feasible to do in 1 day on our own and where to park or the RIGHT ORDER to do stuff in to make best use of our time. Stuff like Griffith Observatory, the Hollywood sign, LaBrea Tar pits, Rodeo Dr., Walk of Fame to see the stars, Farmers Market, Graumann's theater, ETC. Like if we go to Rodeo Dr. where do u park? Just find a garage or something? But so then we started debating about if we should just go onto a site like Viator and just book a tour of some sort instead? THOUGHTS ON THAT IDEA PLEASE!! Can we wing it or would the $100 or so pp for a tour be worth it?

We also want to visit a beach (or two) for a few hours just to chill. I have a long list of beaches to pick from... could use some recommendations on choosing between Huntington Beach which apparently has multiple beaches, Redondo Beach, Hermosa, Torrence, Santa Monica, Venice, Manhattan, Tidepools, Palos Verde Peninsula....HELP PLEASE!! I feel like some may be iconic landmarks that aren't really the kind of beach where you actually hang out to relax but you want to visit to say you were there?!

NEXT, we started thinking about visiting Universal Hollywood one day. DH is interested in the studios part as much as the theme park....but I kinda don't want to spring for the extra $$ for the Express pass but then are we just screwing ourselves if we DON'T get it? Will we just hate it without it? We used it at HS in FL years ago but we stayed onsite to have it included in our days.

My time is getting short to finalize these plans and I am too indecisive - meanwhile DH offers little help with the research. WWYD?! And TIA!!

Have you thought of Knotts Berry Farm? I like the idea of Universal Studios.

 

[Anal Annie]

Your time is short for planning but you've got, IMO, a luxurious amount of time staying at the iconic Disneyland Hotel so, congrats! I can't speak to driving because I'd never choose to do so in LA. Lived in big cities and small towns and driven both but LA scares me. Probably unreasonably so.

What I can speak to are two things I have experienced, firstly, Balboa Island/Newport Beach. We stayed there for a few days then transferred for a few days at Disney. It was a really fun and beautiful beach and area IMO. Well worth a day out to chill, shop, stroll a long promenade, eat a frozen banana.

The other thing we've done, while staying at the DLH, was do a day trip to Universal. We really splurged and got the VIP pass. It was worth every, single, penny. Disney's VIP is outrageously out of our reach but, in comparison, the Universal version was a complete bargain. It was a full day, included breakfast and an amazing lunch (food, location, atmosphere - actors dressed as characters, Lucille Ball, Professor from Back to the Future, Count Dracula - oh, did I mention food?!!! Excellent food). We had a designated guide who was fun, informative and got us on all the rides like true VIPs. For your husband, the Studio Tour would be a joy. Anyone can go on the regular tour, ride the bus, hear the commentary, but on the VIP tour you have your own bus and best part, you get to get off the vehicle at various spots and wander around real sets. I didn't think I'd love it as much as we did. Then, you have a long afternoon/evening to continue going on rides with your VIP Express pass.

Sorry, seems I've hijacked this thread with a full-on Universal Studios Hollywood review, lol.

So, if it were me (and you're not me so this is just my opinion) I'd enjoy the heck out of the Disneyland Hotel, drive to a beach (Newport/Balboa IMO but I've nothing to compare to) for a day, drive to Universal for a VIP day (oh, did I mention - Valet Parking included with VIP passes as well) then take a full-day on/off tour bus to all the Rodeo Drive/Griffith things.

Thanks for your thoughts. The VIP tour sounds really nice but it is not within our budget (it's $254 more pp). It's just me and my husband on this trip so we don't have to entertain anyone but ourselves.

We live in the DC suburbs and I routinely drive 100 miles a day in traffic both on the beltway and in the city so I'm not that spooked by traffic other than simply not always knowing where I am. We also refer to the time it takes to travel vs miles. Sounds like you're not advocating for joining a tour on a bus tho for some of the things we want to see? About how far is Newport Beach from Anaheim?

 

[Anal Annie]

Many of these are together. You can see the Hollywood sign from Griffith Observatory or from the Walk of Fame/Grauman's. The Tar Pits are close to Farmer's Market, The Grove, The Academy Museum, Peterson Automotive Museum, LACMA, etc.


I can help you with these beaches. Torrance, Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan all have large sandy areas where you can sunbathe and go in the water. Torrance is the most south and is the least popular which means parking should be easier. Hermosa and Manhattan have more beach volleyball courts which might be fun to see. Are you going on a weekday or weekend? Weekend parking during the summer is very difficult in both HB and MB. Weekdays during the summer aren't much better, but should be a little lighter. If you figure out where you want to go, I can help advise you on where to park.

Palos Verdes is a beautiful drive with lots of trails and cliffs looking over the ocean. Tidepooling would be best when the tide is low. The timing of low tide (you can look it up online) might not work for the days that you will be there. The tidepooling off of PV is a trek/hike down and is on pretty sharp rocks. If you have little ones, I wouldn't recommend it.

This is Palos Verdes with Catalina Island in the background.

View attachment 885897

Thanks. You kinda make it sound like we can see everything on our own and don't necessarily need to book a tour!?!? And this Palos Verdes picture is just gorgeous! Like a postcard! Approx how long of a drive would this be from Anaheim? Looks like sunset is the time to go!!

We'll be doing all of these excursions & adventures during the week. We have Tues & Wed free as well as Friday so just trying to figure out who, what, where & when. I'm thinking main sightseeing day on Tues and maybe Universal on Wed. Then Fri we can go back to hit whatever we missed on those other days and do the beach for a couple of hours. Sat is our last full day out there and we return to the Disney parks that day. That will be labor day weekend so we expect crowds to be higher. We knew that when we did our park reservations. (DH didn't want to spend our last day of vaca wishing we were at the parks.)

 

[Anal Annie]

Have you thought of Knotts Berry Farm? I like the idea of Universal Studios.

Have not considered Knottsberry - just not enough time, but Universal is a definite probably maybe!!

 

[Kit Jackson]

If you're renting a car, I wouldn't do a tour. Griffith Observatory and Griffith Park have wonderful views of the Hollywood Sign. For me, The Walk of Fame was a disappointment. I absolutely loved the forecourt of Grauman's (now TCL) Chinese theater. Seeing all of the handprints, footprints, and paw prints was amazing. I haven't been to the Academy Museum or the Peterson Automotive Museum, but they are on my list because they look fantastic.

 

[Anal Annie]

If you're renting a car, I wouldn't do a tour. Griffith Observatory and Griffith Park have wonderful views of the Hollywood Sign. For me, The Walk of Fame was a disappointment. I absolutely loved the forecourt of Grauman's (now TCL) Chinese theater. Seeing all of the handprints, footprints, and paw prints was amazing. I haven't been to the Academy Museum or the Peterson Automotive Museum, but they are on my list because they look fantastic.

Can anyone recommend an order that makes sense on which place to visit first then and a logical order to proceed in? Would you go to the furthest point first and work your way back towards DL?

 

[LKing]

If you aren't bothered by traffic or paying for parking, then life in LA is easier with a car. I would go the Observatory early as parking can fill up. Next would be Hollywood Blvd. There is a large parking structure at the Hollywood & Highland shopping center. Next would be the Tar Pits and Farmers Market. That's a pretty full day. I'm not sure you would have time for South Bay beaches. Newport Beach is maybe 30 min from Disneyland. That might be a better option. Any beach at sunset is beautiful.

 

[irlandaise]

I absolutely loved the forecourt of Grauman's (now TCL) Chinese theater. Seeing all of the handprints, footprints, and paw prints was amazing.

And it's right across the street from Disney's El Capitan Theatre.

 

[Anal Annie]

If you aren't bothered by traffic or paying for parking, then life in LA is easier with a car. I would go the Observatory early as parking can fill up. Next would be Hollywood Blvd. There is a large parking structure at the Hollywood & Highland shopping center. Next would be the Tar Pits and Farmers Market. That's a pretty full day. I'm not sure you would have time for South Bay beaches. Newport Beach is maybe 30 min from Disneyland. That might be a better option. Any beach at sunset is beautiful.

Thank you! Now to discuss with DH.

 

[princesscinderella]

We just got back and did a 1 1/2 days sightseeing in LA since my son’s girlfriend had never been. If you have a rental car I don’t think a tour is necessary at all it’s easy to get to all the sites if you are ok driving in city traffic. Our half day after arriving in LA we went for a quick lunch at In-n-Out then to La Brea tar pits, it’s $18 to park at the museum lot. We just walked around the park and saw the tar pits as we had previously been to the museum and while interesting we didn’t want to spend our time indoors after being on a plane for 5 hours. Then we went to Griffith Observatory to see the Hollywood sign and the city at sunset ($10hr parking rate) Then we went to the farmers market for a quick dinner at DuPars one of our favorites. It used to be open 24 hours but after Covid they close at 9pm.

Day 2: 10am Greystone mansion park when it opened it was so quiet and peaceful and you get to see some of Beverly Hills on the drive there (Took about an hour to explore it - free parking this was my favorite thing we did in LA) Hollywood Blvd & Walk of fame was the next stop (park at Hollywood/highlands complex $10 to park and cheaper if validated). We only spent about hour here too as I hate that area but I think everyone should see it once, its like to time square, beware of pick pockets. We went back to the farmers market for lunch to eat at some of the other stalls. We walked to Erewhon from there, as my girls wanted to check it out since all the young actresses rave about it on social media. It’s an overpriced supermarket. I was going to buy one of their canvas totes as a souvenir for them and our cashier asked “are you sure did you see the price?” I said I didn’t see the price but since you are asking how expensive is it and he said $50 so I said no thanks at that price. We drove down Rodeo drive but didn’t stop to shop, there is street parking and garages to park at if you do want to shop. We then drove to the Santa Monica Pier for sunset. You can drive a park right on the pier ($20) it’s got an amusement park and lots of restaurants right on the pier and you can walk down to the beach too if you want. Unfortunately we couldn’t see the sunset because the smoke from the Chico fire obscured the view.

Hope this helps with your planning. Have a great trip.

 

[LKing]

Sounds like a great trip. Are you sure it was smoke from the Chico fire? Chico is 500 miles north of Santa Monica.

 

[VandVsmama]

If you'll be in the area on the 3rd Sunday of the month, you could go visit Walt's barn in Griffith Park.
https://www.carolwood.org/

You could also do a bus tour with Disney imagineer Bob Gurr. Only available on certain dates.
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/fandomproductions/

 

[Anal Annie]

We just got back and did a 1 1/2 days sightseeing in LA since my son’s girlfriend had never been. If you have a rental car I don’t think a tour is necessary at all it’s easy to get to all the sites if you are ok driving in city traffic. Our half day after arriving in LA we went for a quick lunch at In-n-Out then to La Brea tar pits, it’s $18 to park at the museum lot. We just walked around the park and saw the tar pits as we had previously been to the museum and while interesting we didn’t want to spend our time indoors after being on a plane for 5 hours. Then we went to Griffith Observatory to see the Hollywood sign and the city at sunset ($10hr parking rate) Then we went to the farmers market for a quick dinner at DuPars one of our favorites. It used to be open 24 hours but after Covid they close at 9pm.

Day 2: 10am Greystone mansion park when it opened it was so quiet and peaceful and you get to see some of Beverly Hills on the drive there (Took about an hour to explore it - free parking this was my favorite thing we did in LA) Hollywood Blvd & Walk of fame was the next stop (park at Hollywood/highlands complex $10 to park and cheaper if validated). We only spent about hour here too as I hate that area but I think everyone should see it once, its like to time square, beware of pick pockets. We went back to the farmers market for lunch to eat at some of the other stalls. We walked to Erewhon from there, as my girls wanted to check it out since all the young actresses rave about it on social media. It’s an overpriced supermarket. I was going to buy one of their canvas totes as a souvenir for them and our cashier asked “are you sure did you see the price?” I said I didn’t see the price but since you are asking how expensive is it and he said $50 so I said no thanks at that price. We drove down Rodeo drive but didn’t stop to shop, there is street parking and garages to park at if you do want to shop. We then drove to the Santa Monica Pier for sunset. You can drive a park right on the pier ($20) it’s got an amusement park and lots of restaurants right on the pier and you can walk down to the beach too if you want. Unfortunately we couldn’t see the sunset because the smoke from the Chico fire obscured the view.

Hope this helps with your planning. Have a great trip.

Thanks for such great info! We also want to hit an In & Out Burger while there & I was thinking on our way to the resort from the airport a stop for lunch might be the right time. We're trying to firm up some plans for our arrival evening with my nephew and his family. They live in some town called Eastvale which I don't think is terribly far from DL. If those plans don't pan out I'll consider everything that you were able to accomplish on your arrival day!!

We decided to go ahead & add a day at Universal too. They had a special tix offer for "buy a day get a day free". We may or may not use / need a 2nd day there but it was the same price as a single day tix. So we now have one "free day" near the end of the week that we'll use to finish sightseeing or to go to a beach or to return to Universal if we want to go back. I'm feeling more confident about our plans now.

So now our first 2 days are Disney park days, our 3rd day is the big sightseeing day followed by a day at Universal Studios on Wed. Then on Thursday we have a resort / pool day with OBB that evening. Friday is our "wing it day" for anything that we didn't get to on Tues. & Wed. and Saturday is our last Disney park day. Sunday we leave.

Thanks to all for any input...keep it coming!!