Southern California Vacation Help

[Desiree Y]

My husband and I will be traveling with 3 children (10, 5, 4) March 1st-8th 2012. We will fly in from Utah and rent a car. We have a list of attractions that we'd like to see and I need advise on the order to see them as I am not very familiar with locations. I do know that we want to finish with Disney. Any help would be much appreciated!


Disneyland/California Adventure

Sea World

Legoland

Universal Studios

Hollywood (Wax Museum)

Pirates Dinner Adventure

Beach (doesn't matter which one, we just want to experience the ocean!)

 

[sonnyjane]

Sea World is 90 miles south of Disneyland, and Legoland is about 50 miles south, so I'd suggest maybe starting in San Diego, doing Sea World one day, maybe hitting up La Jolla for the beach down here, then stopping up at Legoland on the next day as you make your way toward LA/Disneyland. Since you want to do Disneyland last (good choice by the way), do Hollywood/Universal after Legoland. You can, however, stay at a hotel near Disneyland so that you can do your Hollywood attractions during the day but still go to Disneyland in the evening.

 

[Mugglemama]

Research Universal as much as possible...height requirements, etc. If I'm not mistaken, there's going to be VERY little for your 5 and 4 year old to enjoy there. Lines are long. Admission price is unreasonably high for what you get, IMHO.

Additionally, consider looking at the wax museum area on Google Earth or Maps (satellite view). It is a very grimy area, parking is a bit of a nightmare, and walking down that particular street with multiple little kids probably isn't going to be what you imagined. Just be sure before you waste your time, money, and energy on it (the touristy parts of Hollywood are kind of a toilet, overall - it's not really family friendly. I am very familiar with Utah - have traveled through it numerous times, visited museums there, etc. - and I was born and raised in the L.A. area, and I can tell you....Hollywood will probably seem like Hades to someone from Utah, lol....). Just gather as much info as you can beforehand, and that way, you won't be surprised when you go.

If it were me and I was traveling with kids that small, I'd skip both Universal and Hollywood. Seriously, I'd rather walk the Vegas strip at night with my kids than take them to Hollywood (and I say that as someone who has done both with young children).

 

[sonnyjane]

If it were me and I was traveling with kids that small, I'd skip both Universal and Hollywood. Seriously, I'd rather walk the Vegas strip at night with my kids than take them to Hollywood (and I say that as someone who has done both with young children).

I do agree whole-heartedly with that part. When I gave my advice earlier, I was simply telling you what order to do them in if you wanted to do them all, but if I were to pipe up as to what I personally would do, I wouldn't waste my time on Hollywood/LA.

 

[DisneyMomof2inSLC]

Okay, so maybe this is a dumb question, but what is Hades? I'm from Utah, but not familiar with it! .

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

Hades--as in Hell or the Underworld... not a fun place for kids!

Stick to the fun stuff, Sea World, Legoland, the beach, and DL... you'll be glad you did!

 

[Huff]

Universal Studios is tons of fun but not for small kids. Not a lot there for the under 10 crowd.

 

[skiingfast]

Universal Studios is tons of fun but not for small kids. Not a lot there for the under 10 crowd.

I agree, it's just ok for younger ones.


If you still want to goto Universal I would suggest looking at http://www.citypass.com/southern-ca...ocal citypass&mkwid=edqgceJeL&pcrid=178332246

Also suscribe to Lego Club, it's free, the magazines have buy an adult get a free child ticket to LL in the.

As far as the order, make sure you do DL on the weekend when entertainment is full(Fireworks and Fantasmic). The hours and entertainment is limited on weekdays.

 

[Domchi002]

I agree with the other Disers that Hollywood isn't such a great spot but maybe you could just drive through.
Everyone wants to see Tinseltown...even if it's not all it's cracked up to be.

 

[rowan1813]

Just wanted to put my 2 cents in. ITA with the others about Universal; not the best place for little ones that won't be able to reach the height restrictions and may not care very much about the history of the park ( i.e. Studio tour). Do go to Lego Land and Sea World and if you can swing it (day and money wise), I would totally suggest going to the San Diego Zoo. You and your kids will love it and you will see animals there that you can't see in very many places (Pandas, takins, jaguars - my fave animals in the entire park, and so much more). Great experience for the whole family in my opinion.

As far as a beach goes, I agree with SonnyJane about stopping in La Jolla, specifically at La Jolla Cove. It is a very family-friendly beach and very accessible, though parking can get a little crazy. IMHO its one of the better family-friendly beaches in the SD area but if you can't swing it for some reason, I know that Newport Beach is very popular with families on the boards.

If it was me planning the vacation, I would do the SD things first, possibly Legoland on your way up (since it is sort of in the middle of the two major cities) and then make my way north to the LA/Anaheim area.

HTH!

 

[calibmom24]

The Hollywood Wax Museum is not worth the money and it is in a really yucky place! As for beaches, the best family beach is Carpinteria. It is a little North right before Santa Barbara, but it is the best family beach! We camp there every year!

 

[Anaheim boy]

Hi there. I too agree with most others above. Head south and do SD first if you want to make Disney your last stop. Hit Seaworld and the Zoo, plus all the museums around Balboa Park which are excellent. One cool thing to see is the Omnimax theater at Balboa, which is like Imax, but it's a screen that literally wraps around you. Amazing and very unique. And they have a museum for everything there. I especially loved the model train museum, which is constantly being built and full of these small scale electric train cities. Cool for kids who love trains. La Jolla Cove is very nice and usually you can see sea lions sun bathing on the beach, a real nature tourist attraction.
I too would hit Legoland on the way back up to stay in Anaheim. I would ditch the wax museum altogether. As said, that area isn't the greatest. Not for little ones. If you did have your mind set on Universal, do it as a day trip from Anaheim. They may not be as many rides for the little ones, but they can still do the backlot tram tour and there are a few shows the kids might enjoy, but I do agree it's not so much geared towards the little ones. So you may want to consider that. Anyway, have a fun time!!

 

[Kelsers!]

For the San Diego part of your trip I recommend a hotel in Mission Bay, it's very close to Sea World and absolutely beautiful with very clean beaches and parks. Beaches in Orange County can be hit or miss so definitely consider visiting one in San Diego instead. While in San Diego check out their Old Town, it has wonderful Spanish architecture and is a great place for shopping and dining. The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center is also worth a visit. This was my favorite birthday trip as a kid. They have tons of interactive exhibits for your kids, a dome IMAX theatre and at night astronomers set up telescopes on the lawn for everyone's enjoyment.

The Pirates Dinner Theater is located in Buena Park near Knotts Berry Farm, about 20 minutes from Disneyland. It is fantastic. Your kids will love it! Be sure to get there early for the appetizers and pre show. They often have coupons so look online or buy an entertainment guide book. I'd recommend scheduling this experience for the day you drive up from San Diego.

Have fun on your trip!!