So we'd decided on spending one day at DL during our first-ever trip out west next summer....

[KingLlama]

But man, reading these threads has me thinking we'd be making a major mistake. We have assumed that we'll just...

-Book a room at DLH
-Hit up DL for a day
-Maybe go back and do DCA as part of a longer trip in a few years

But now I'm thinking we'll highly regret it we don't add at least a second day(I think a 3rd day might be really stretching it, since we're doing the DL portion as part of a larger California vacation, and there are other cities we want to visit).

So I guess what I'm asking is...
-Has anyone been in our situation(one day at DL) and walked away satisfied, or have you kicked yourself for not adding a second day for DCA?
-Is a one-day parkhopper out of the question?

Thanks for the feedback...

 

[planningjollyholiday]

Not doing CA? Sounds like crazy talk to me. I couldn't imagine being right there and not doing both parks. Adding a hopper is an option, but that sounds like a stressful day trying to visit both parks. If at all possible add as many days as you can. I doubt you would regret adding more days, but I'm certain if you only go one day you will walk away wishing you were there longer.

 

[maltdizzy]

I don't recommend trying to do both parks in one day.

It's one thing to one-day PH when you have an AP or visit often. But if you want to enjoy DL, especially for a first time, it'll take you all day. We used to get PH for family that visited us when we lived in L.A., and they would all regret trying to fit both in (and there was no Cars Land then), it made them feel rushed and they didn't enjoy the experience as much.

DL is a fun park, with more rides than the MK. You'll have a great day. DCA will still be there in the future. Though...it will be taunting you because it's right there...100 yards away.

Sounds like you have a big trip planned, California is the most exciting, most diverse, more varied chunk of North America. If I had to pick between DLR or L.A. or S.D. or Yosemite or S.F. or Santa Cruz or Death Valley, DLR would be at the bottom of the list.

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

If you can stretch it out to two days that would let you see quite a bit of both parks, you will not see or do everything. Three days would be even better if you could swing it, especially for a first trip. Tough one for first trip out west, because there is so much to see and do out here (and nearby in Nevada and Arizona), you could easily spend two weeks in California and still not see everything.

 

[calilou]

Where else are you going in CA and how much time do you have there overall?

 

[bumbershoot]

I grew up in CA and haven't done or seen everything lol. Heck I only had two trips there in m childhood. Anaheim seemed a million miles away.

Our first trip as adults was a one day trip on a longer so cal trip. Our second trip was the same. Only went to DL both times. Didn't regret it until our third trip, which was for dlr, and we experienced DCA at last. Tragedy! We loved DCA! How could we have missed it those two times?!

One thing I'd recommend on a shorter trip...why put out the money for onsite when you won't have time to enjoy the hotel? Plus if you get a motel like tropciana, it's closer to the park entrances than Dlh.

Maximizes your day, to be closer. And I would try for at least two days.

Drives my brother crazy that we end up focused in Anaheim. He just doesn't understand the draw especially since he has a terrific home in San Diego. But he doesn't have Califorrnia Screamin' or Indy in his backyard.

 

[KingLlama]

Thanks for all the feedback. To answer a few questions...

-The rough draft for the trip(because it's still 13 months away) is a 12-day trip. Two or three days in SF, 3 days working our way down the PCH, 5 days in the L.A./Orange County area, and two days in San Diego. So about 12 days.
-I used to live in L.A., so I realize we will only be scratching the surface, whatever we do. That was the mindset behind setting aside only one day at DL. But the more I read/hear about DCA, the more I'm realizing that leaving it off will be a mistake.
-We're definitely hitting up USH, because I used to work there, and we want our kids to see where I used to work, and what I used to do. Plus, Harry Potter will be open by then.
-We're open to staying "off-site" at DL, but I keep hearing that if you may only get to visit DL once, the DLH is worth the cost. We would plan on getting there early enough the first night to enjoy the property before hitting the park(s) the next day.

 

[4Siamese]

3 days for me is where I would consider the park hopper as a viable option. Of coarse you can add a park hopper to a 1 or 2 day ticket but even though the parks are close together IMO it would cause to much potential stress and confusion during a 1st time visit.

Now if you are thinking that you will be coming back for a future visit I would say take the 1 or 2 days in DLR and then enjoy every thing else that might me on your California list (there are a lot of amazing sights and activities).

 

[PinkBudgie]

Normally, I suggest 5 days! And I usually suggest a park hopper. However, if this is just an add on to your CA vacation, then I would at least try to do 2 days. In this case, a one day on park ticket might be just right for you. You will go knowing you won't see everything but you'll do the highlights. I always stay off property but staying at the DLH will give you early entry. You could try to plan it for the two days that give you EE for each park on the days you want to go there.

 

[maltdizzy]

Our first trip as adults was a one day trip on a longer so cal trip. Our second trip was the same. Only went to DL both times. Didn't regret it until our third trip, which was for dlr, and we experienced DCA at last. Tragedy! We loved DCA! How could we have missed it those two times?!

Well, to be fair...until the renovation, you could do everything in DCA, including Aladdin, and be done by mid-afternoon. I used to just go into DCA to drink beer.

 

[Baklava]

My parents came for one day of our last trip and just did DL, insisting they had no need to see DCA. When they were done, mom said she really wished they'd planned a second day for DCA. She says next time they go it will definitely involve 2 days and parkhoppers.

 

[GoBears 1980]

Count how many nights you have, not days, days overlap. How old will your kids be? Two nights on the Central Coast might be too much for them if they are young, they might not appreciate the scenery the same way you do.

Anyway to add another night or two? I think missing Yosemite is a huge mistake. Where are you flying into and out of? If you can not add a night or two, I'd drop San Diego in favor of Yosemite and another night in Anaheim. And I would split the nights in the "LA area". Stay in LA for seeing LA, stay in Orange County for Disneyland.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

I will highly suggest cutting a day some where and doing three days as a min for a visit or you will regret it. Also if money is an issues try desert inn (suits cheap this far in advance) or best western park place inn, right at the cross walk . Said to be closer then the Disney hotels. Or maybe do a split stay but for 3 days it may not be worth it to do split stay. Also check out the city pass?
http://www.citypass.com it may work for you depending what your doing in San Diego.

Also if you don't do city pass I highly recommend getawaytoday.com You could do hotel and tickets through them for 125 down and pay it off slowly over the next year. Add the insurance to the package to ensure you can change things as you need to.


also what all are you doing in LA? San Diego and SF?


This board if full of many tips and hints and we are all very helpful if you have any other questions just ask. Good luck. I normally say 5 days but three is what I would recommend for your big trip in Cali.

 

[Baklava]

Yes, we book all our DL through getawaytoday

 

[maltdizzy]

Count how many nights you have, not days, days overlap. How old will your kids be? Two nights on the Central Coast might be too much for them if they are young, they might not appreciate the scenery the same way you do.

Anyway to add another night or two? I think missing Yosemite is a huge mistake. Where are you flying into and out of? If you can not add a night or two, I'd drop San Diego in favor of Yosemite and another night in Anaheim. And I would split the nights in the "LA area". Stay in LA for seeing LA, stay in Orange County for Disneyland.

I agree on Yosemite.

But I would be hard pressed to skip Santa Cruz and/or Hearst Castle and/or San Diego (Safari Park, Balboa Park, Petco Park, etc.) just to hit DCA. I would prefer to expose people to real thing than Disney salute to it. Although ~13 months would almost line up with SDCC '16.

 

[GoBears 1980]

I agree on Yosemite.

But I would be hard pressed to skip Santa Cruz and/or Hearst Castle and/or San Diego (Safari Park, Balboa Park, Petco Park, etc.) just to hit DCA. I would prefer to expose people to real thing than Disney salute to it. Although ~13 months would almost line up with SDCC '16.

It isn't just to add DCA is to reduce windshield time. You can not see all of CA in 11 nights. Trying to bite off SF, Central Coast, LA, OC AND SD is an awful lot of driving and most people don't understand distance or driving time in CA.

I think it is especially important to understand where their flights are from and to for back home. I would not want to end a CA vacation in San Diego if I had LAX flights back to where I came from.

 

[tiffjoy]

You'll get different opinions on this because it really depends on the person. My first two visits to DLR were only one day trips to DL. Of course, this was prior to the CA updates.

If this is a CA vacation, there's just so much more to CA then DLR. One day is certainly enough to go and have fun and save lots of stuff for a second visit. We went to Japan in April for 10 days. I really pushed my husband (who does love Disney) to go to the park there for one day- I picked DisneySea. We didn't even scratch the surface in one day, and would love to go back for a longer stay. But Japan was so amazing, and there was so much to see besides the parks- I honestly can't imagine giving up any of what we saw and did for a second day at the parks.

If you have the time and won't be cutting out something else cool, then I could see doing two days. But there is honestly so much to see in CA that for a first time visit, I can understand doing just one day. Only you really know which is more important to you, though.

 

[YukonMommy]

Since you are so far out for your trip I would highly recommend reworking your planning to have 3 days at DL/DCA minimum. Its also going to depend on your kids ages/personalities at the time. I do not care how beautiful the scenery is a cranky kid cooped up day after day in a car driving here and there ends up being no fun for anyone!

 

[VandVsmama]

Thanks for all the feedback. To answer a few questions...

-The rough draft for the trip(because it's still 13 months away) is a 12-day trip. Two or three days in SF, 3 days working our way down the PCH, 5 days in the L.A./Orange County area, and two days in San Diego. So about 12 days.
-I used to live in L.A., so I realize we will only be scratching the surface, whatever we do. That was the mindset behind setting aside only one day at DL. But the more I read/hear about DCA, the more I'm realizing that leaving it off will be a mistake.
-We're definitely hitting up USH, because I used to work there, and we want our kids to see where I used to work, and what I used to do. Plus, Harry Potter will be open by then.
-We're open to staying "off-site" at DL, but I keep hearing that if you may only get to visit DL once, the DLH is worth the cost. We would plan on getting there early enough the first night to enjoy the property before hitting the park(s) the next day.

I'm a California native (grew up in Bay Area, went to college in So Cal). Some suggestions to consider:

1. 2 days in San Diego is fine. Pick the zoo OR Sea World. Don't do both. Whichever one you pick, just do it for 1 day. Leave day 2 for other San Diego stuff, like going to the beach, exploring Old Town (cool shops & boutiques there that aren't your run of the mill mall stores), etc.
2. 2-3 days in SF is fine, too. SFO airport has LOTS more weather delays than Oakland or San Jose airports. The Exploratorium is a fun museum for adults & kids alike. If you like Chinese food, there are some wonderful dim sum restaurants in China Town that are VERY affordable! "SF Weekly" did an article a few years ago about the top 10 dim sum places in the city. http://www.sfweekly.com/foodie/2012/02/08/san-franciscos-top-10-dim-sum-restaurants. My sister and I went once and only paid $30 for the 2 of us, including tip!
3. Having a car in SF is a pain in the neck.
4. Pick the Central Coast OR Yosemite. not both. You won't have enough time to do both.
5. If you pick Central Coast, when you leave SF, drive down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and see that. It's awesome. There is a deep sea aquarium there that is really amazing. About an hour south of SF, but you probably already know that.
6. Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has an 80+ year old wooden roller coaster (the Giant Dipper). Lots of fun! Some parts of Santa Cruz are colorful though (homeless, drug deals going on out in the open), so just be on your toes depending on where you are.
7. THE best breakfast to be had in Santa Cruz is at Zachary's Restaurant. They have sourdough pancakes that are out of this world delicious. The "Mike's Mess" plate is out of sight, too!
8. Solvang & Buelton - skip the Pea Soup Andersen's Restaurant. It's not as great as it used to be back in the day. But the rest of Solvang is really lovely and a fun stop on your way down to LA. It's good for a 2-4 hours of shopping, eating, doing touristy things.
9. Santa Barbara & Goleta - If you're in town around mealtime and you want some cheap eats, go to the original Hamburger Habit in Goleta at 5735 Hollister Ave, Goleta, CA 93117. It's been there at that location since 1969. Food is great. Outdoor seating only. Alternatively, if you want to eat right on the beach but don't want to pay the more expensive prices at Santa Barbara pier, go to the Beachside Bar-Cafe on Goleta Beach. It's frequented by locals and is a wonderful spot. Food is good, too. Their website is http://www.beachside-barcafe.com/home.
10. For your 5 days in LA/Orange County - I agree with the other posters suggesting to do 3 days at DL if you can. If you can't swing that, do 2 days at a minimum. If you only do 1 day, then don't bother with park hoppers and just go to Disneyland itself and skip DCA.
11. Go to Universal Studios before Disneyland.
12. You can probably skip LA/Orange County beaches if you make a beach stop in Santa Barbara or Goleta. Get some baby oil, though, to get the tar off your feet. Tar naturally seeps up through the ocean floor in that area and you'll get little bits of it on your feet. Baby oil takes it right off very easily.

 

[KingLlama]

This is all great info. Thanks to everyone.

-My wife is currently in Africa, so I'm going off my memory here, but it seems like she intentionally left off Yosemite because we're looking at a different trip in 3-4 years that would include Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and some stuff away from the coast.
-My kids will be 11 and 7 when this trip takes place.
-I know that we're hitting up Big Basin Redwoods Park, Monterey Aquarium, Mission Santa Barbara, and a beach along the way.
-USH will definitely be before the DL day(s).
-We're flying into SF on, I think, a Sunday afternoon/evening. Currently planning on flying out of SD two weeks later.