So lost on my SoCal and DLR trip...

[arthur06]

We are traveling Nov 3-10 of this year. I have a 1br at VGC booked for 7-10. We were planning on visiting DLR those days.

I am just so unsure what to do with the rest of the trip...

Here are a couple of options that I have come up with

Option A - Fly to San Francisco and spend the 3rd to the 7th in SF, then fly south and do VGC the 7-10 and return home.

Option B - Spend 2 days in LA, 2 days in SD and then the last 3 at DLR.

Option C- Switch my VGC 1br to a 2br and move it to the beginning of the trip, still for 3 nights. Then end the week with 2 days in SD and 2 days in LA. If we did this option we would invite grandma.

It will be me, DW, DS11, DS5, DS4 as of right now.

I'm thinking that I want DLR to end the trip, as sort "grand finale" for our trip. But we really enjoy MIL helping us out and she really appreciates going. It would also give DW and I a chance to try to get tickets to a taping of The Big Bang Theory.

I have heard that the time we are going, its nice to try to have a Friday or Saturday night at DLR.

Any help from a SoCal expert and DLR experts would be awesome.

We really are going to see CarsLand and don't want heavy crowds at the parks. I just thought during the week would be nice for the kids and no lines.

 

[Goofy_Mom]

I don't think there are 4 days of entertainment for young ones in SF. Two days would be enough, I think.

I like plan B if you want to finish with DL.

 

[dougsmom98]

I like the idea of starting the trip with Disneyland because you will have the most energy at that time and you will be able to go, go, go. Have you considered staying put for 5 days to do LA and DL together? There are a couple of advantages to that, one being that you don't need to pack up and check into another hotel as many times. We stayed in Anaheim and drove to LA. We had 6 non-travel days and spent 2 in LA and the other 4 in DL. That gave us flexibility to look at the DL entertainment schedule and Magic Mornings to decided which days would be best to spend there and which ones would be best to spend in LA. We did LA on a Sunday and Wednesday. The traffic was not bad at all on Sunday and it was fine early in the day on Wednesday - Avoid rush hour traffic around 4:00-6:00 on weekdays. If you did this, and grandma is coming, then she could take the kids to the parks an extra day while you went to the show taping.

 

[arthur06]

I was thinking that it would be nice to spend a day or two at the beach to end the trip. Just have a relaxing day or two at the end.

However, my kids tend to listen better if there is something to look forward too. Watching WOC on our last night would be pretty special too.

Considering how bad the economy has been for some people, I feel fortunate that this is my dilemma.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I like your options B and C. If this is a trip where you can bring grandma, and you want to, it will make very special memories for your children - the vacation that grandma joined you.

Could you combine B and C (as mentioned above? If you spend a few nights at GCV and the others at another hotel (provided you cannot spend the entire time there), it's not much of a drive to get to the other places. You can spread out your Disney days so you end your trip there, and also spend time visiting and doing other things. The night you get tickets to the Big Bang Theory, grandma and the kids can have fun at the pool, have dinner in the parks, and spend some time there, too.

 

[kailuagirl]

I like Mary Jo's suggestion.

 

[Minnie Loves Mickey]

I like your options B and C. If this is a trip where you can bring grandma, and you want to, it will make very special memories for your children - the vacation that grandma joined you.

Could you combine B and C (as mentioned above? If you spend a few nights at GCV and the others at another hotel (provided you cannot spend the entire time there), it's not much of a drive to get to the other places. You can spread out your Disney days so you end your trip there, and also spend time visiting and doing other things. The night you get tickets to the Big Bang Theory, grandma and the kids can have fun at the pool, have dinner in the parks, and spend some time there, too.

This idea gets my vote...my kids have many memories of having Nana and Papa on vacation with us and I plan on making those same memories with my Grankids.

 

[Renae De Liz]

Hello!

I used to live in California (southern and northern) There's so much fun to do!

San Francisco is cool and beautiful, but may be a bit crazy/big city for kids for too long. BUT there's a gorgeous wharf area to pay around in that has a carousel and everything.

Based purely on my preferences, I would suggest The Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey. You get a real feel for coastal small town California. The aquarium is awesome and great for kids, and it's gorgeous there!

Go further north and visit the Redwoods. You head a couple hours north of San Fran and you'll hit them. There's only two redwood forests in the world, on there and one in Japan. They are GORGEOUS! There is a bunch of fun tourist stops that are kid friendly along the way (there's one somewhere that has a train for kids to ride on through the redwoods).

But you could go all the way north (about 5 hours north of San Fran) and visit Trees of Mystery. I grew up in this area, and this place was always a treat. Not only is it placed close to the rocky coast with sheer rock cliffs (which is different than most of so. CA) but it's fun for kids and in a way goes along with a Disney theme. The whole trail consists of telling of tall tales, a giant Paul Bunyan & Babe statue, wood carvings of other legends with audio retelling of their adventures. You also get to climb through dinosaur sized roots, stand next to tree trunks the size of a house, see trees thousands of years old, etc. Finally there is a Sky Trail ride that takes you by the tree lines! Never been on that though as it was built when I moved

OH and did I mention that Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (the Endor parts) were filmed in this area?? ;D Great prelude to Star Tours!

If you want more to do up there, consider going on Jetboat/ Mailboat tours! They are a blast for kids! Basically you go along with mailboats on the rivers as they deliver to river residents. Then you stop at a bed and breakfast and have lunch before you head back. They often do boat *tricks* in high speed that are fun too.

So if *I* were planning this trip (so this is just ME I don't expect everyone to have the same tastes at all!) I would fly to Portland, OR (or Eureka, CA if you can afford a smaller airport)rent a vehicle, drive down (and enjoy the scenery!) a ways south, Visit/Stay the night in Northern California, see Trees of Mystery, and then drive down the coast and drive through San Francisco (because it IS gorgeous and driving over the Golden Gate is awesome!) along the way to Monterey, CA (about two hours south of San Fran). Stay the night and visit the aquarium. Then drive down to Disneyland as your Grand Finale. Then fly out of one of the close airports.

Not only do you get to experience the many difference faces of California, but the places you visit are awesome and only lead up to Disneyland's excitement.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble! Whatever you decide you will have a great time!

 

[Renae De Liz]

Oh, and I didn't mention if decide to stay in Southern California, there's of course lots of cool stuff to do. Like Medieval Times, LegoLand, Sea World, San Diego Zoo.... all cool stuff! To me they are not as "special" but awesome all the same!

 

[I❤MICKEY]

Last year we drove from SLC Utah to Yosemite National Park. We tent camped for 3 nights. It was spectacular if you enjoy waterfalls and nature. Then we drove to Sequioa National Park and camped there for 2 nights. Then we drove to DL and stayed for 5 nights at Homewood. My DS were almost 3 and 6 months. Personally I loved ending with DL. It was the icing on an already amazing vacation. In my opinion nothing else on your trip will top DL. If it were me I would end the trip with DL - save the best for last.

I will admit I was worried we would be tired by the time we got to DL but we must have gotten our second wind. It must have been the Disney magic.

 

[arthur06]

We have been to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha many times. The price for that zoo is like $13 per adult.

Is the San Diego Zoo really worth the $40+ admission price?

 

[lana772]

I live in Ca and think you are trying to cover too much ground in just 7 days. Stay in SoCal, get a City Pass and enjoy a more relaxing trip. You can't see all SoCal has to offer in only 7 days. Don't try to cram all of Cali. in that short amount of time.

 

[lana772]

Nothing in SoCal is as inexpensive as other places in the U.S. You have to be prepared for California prices. If you try to "budget" too much it will be too stressful of a trip. The best way to get tickets is to get a package that includes several parks and your hotel rooms.

 

[arthur06]

Nothing in SoCal is as inexpensive as other places in the U.S. You have to be prepared for California prices. If you try to "budget" too much it will be too stressful of a trip. The best way to get tickets is to get a package that includes several parks and your hotel rooms.

I don't mind spending money for the things that we want to do.

We just aren't big Zoo people, so I was wondering if it was worth 3x the price of the Omaha Zoo.

 

[Renae De Liz]

We have been to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha many times. The price for that zoo is like $13 per adult.

Is the San Diego Zoo really worth the $40+ admission price?

If your family enjoys zoos then I'm sure it will be worth it, but research it first of course for your own preferences. I agree with the previous post about California prices! I used to live in Kansas (sister lives in Omaha, btw!) before moving to Maine, and I sure do miss those midwest prices! $350 rent for a 3 bedroom house? YES PLEASE!

Anyway, you could find a ton of things to do in So. Cal and they do have that California pass thing that includes Sea World & Universal. And on the Disneyland site you can add passes for other places to your package, and I believe they have this "One more day" offer for good neighbor hotels just for occasions like yours.

 

[lana772]

I agree. There is so much to do within an hour of DL, I don't see a need to drive all over Ca. AND go for the package deals. It will make planning easier, too. We live here and we still like the packages. )

 

[bruinred]

3rd generation former Disneyland Employee, and Native Orange Countian here. Here are my thoughts on your questions.

Veteran's Day is 11/12. So Cal schools will be out that day. The park will be crowded 11/10-12. So moving your DLR stay to the beginning of the trip and bringing grammy sounds like a good plan. Though I do like doing Disneyland at the end of the trip. With your kids' ages I would want to do as little driving/travel as possible. Therefore, I think I would do San Diego and DLR. While San Francisco is a great place to visit, and the posters who wrote about Yosemite and the Redwoods are right, those are spectacular places, you would spend a lot of time in a car. San Diego is 2-3 hours from LAX and right around 2 hours from OC. In San Diego there is Legoland and Sea World. There is the zoo, and the San Diego Zoo is spectacular, but we have enjoyed the museums at Balboa Park in San Diego, you could spend a morning at the museums and then go to the beach in the afternoon.

What do you want to do in LA? Tour Hollywood? Check out Venice Beach? That could be done from OC. My kids also enjoy the Long Beach Aquarium; it highlights Pacific waters, and is a great place for kids. I think your boys would really like Legoland; mine still do.

Anyway, hope this helps. Good luck.

Felicia
mom to ds 14, ds 12 and dd 9
It will be me, DW, DS11, DS5, DS4 as of right now.

I'm thinking that I want DLR to end the trip, as sort "grand finale" for our trip. But we really enjoy MIL helping us out and she really appreciates going. It would also give DW and I a chance to try to get tickets to a taping of The Big Bang Theory.

I have heard that the time we are going, its nice to try to have a Friday or Saturday night at DLR.

Any help from a SoCal expert and DLR experts would be awesome.

 

[I❤MICKEY]

We are doing San Diego / Disneyland this year.

If you are planning to do the San Diego area instead of the city pass you may want to consider buying a 3 for 2 pass from Costco. It gives you unlimited admission to Sea World, San Diego Zoo and Animal Safari park for 14 days. It is currently $79 for kids and $99 for adults. Then you could buy your DL passes separately. We looked at the City Pass but it didn't include as many DL days as we wanted (5), didn't include the zoo and we weren't interested in Universal Studios.

I've never been to the San Diego Zoo before but my sister has and says it is amazing. The volume, variety and habitats make it different from most other zoos.

 

[Skitheboat]

We have visited DLR & SoCal several times with our children as we have family in SoCal.

Things that I have learned: Try to stay away from The Disney parks on the weekends or days when SoCal schools are on break. Do not attempt to drive on the 5 (or any interstate) from 7am-9am & 4 pm- 6 pm on weekdays. The traffic is hellish.

Things we have done with our family & enjoyed: Universal Studios (not very busy on a Sunday!), Legoland in SD, Seaworld, Coronado Island & Old Town in SD, Malibu beach, SD Zoo (we are zoo people, but it is much better than Henry Doorly), La Brea Tar Pits just to name a few.

I don't think a week is enough time to do both Northern Cali & SoCal. I'd just enjoy your week in LA & SD. There's plenty there to keep you busy & make a great vacation.

 

[arthur06]

Thanks for all the replies... keep them coming!