When to Visit?

[ashleyasiegel]

We are thinking about making our first family trip to Disneyland next year and was wondering when would be the best time to visit? We are normally WDW people as we live in Michigan but thought we would go west with all of the construction going on at Magic Kingdom since we have young kids. They will be 4 and 1 when we take this trip.

We want to wait until Cars section of DCA is open so we are thinking fall 2012. School is not an issue. We haven't been to California so we would want to do other things besides Disney probably Sea World, Legoland, go to Hollywood, and go to the beach. I was originally thinking November but would it be too cold to swim then? Swimming is an important factor so I definately want to make sure that it is warm enough to do that and we would like lower crowd levels.

How many days should I allow for DL? I went Nov 09 with my mom and we had 2.5 days and saw most of what we wanted but definately felt we needed that extra half day at least. Can you do Sea World and legoland in one day each?

Should we stay in Anaheim the whole time and make day trips to where we want to go or split our stay between Anaheim and San Diego?

Thanks so much!
Ashley

 

[HydroGuy]

Once CarsLand is finished then DLR will require a minimum of four days. Right now three is a stretch.

See "Choosing When To Visit DLR: Summary of High and Low Season and When Each Happens" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=36509602

 

[skiingfast]

We haven't been to California so we would want to do other things besides Disney probably Sea World, Legoland, go to Hollywood, and go to the beach. I was originally thinking November but would it be too cold to swim then? Swimming is an important factor so I definately want to make sure that it is warm enough to do that and we would like lower crowd levels.

How many days should I allow for DL? I went Nov 09 with my mom and we had 2.5 days and saw most of what we wanted but definately felt we needed that extra half day at least. Can you do Sea World and legoland in one day each?

Should we stay in Anaheim the whole time and make day trips to where we want to go or split our stay between Anaheim and San Diego?

I think November will be too cold. October a maybe, September great. Keep in mind that the ocean in SoCal is not warm like in Florida.

I would look at Citypass if you like all those major attractions for Hollywood. The drive to SD and back can be bad. So probably a hotel down there will work better.

 

[DisSarahK]

We love visiting in mid-September! You have to time it right though because there are some running races and homeschool convention things at the beginning of the month and then Halloween time starts at the "end of the middle" of the month. Still, the weather is decent and the crowds are fairly low. We LOVE it!

Of course keep in mind that this is the ONLY time we have visited...so we're a bit biased!

 

[BriGuy]

I always found visiting end of September/beginning of October are some of the least crowded days. Also right after the new year, middle of January thru February. Christmas time is beautiful but it can get hectic. Just avoid the spring breaks and summer time

 

[RedRosie]

We were there Nov 2010 for the 4 days before Veteran's Day. Crowds were non-existent. Completely fabulous! It was just before the official Christmas opening, but we still saw Christmas decorations. It was fun to see a little more put up each morning. Weather was clear, but chilly starting at 4:30 each afternoon. We went to the beach for 2 days afterwards and it was sunny and clear, but too cold to go in the water. We are going late Sept this year so hope that is great too!

 

[DahliaRW]

I would say september or january. BUT, either time you'll want to work around the haunted mansion closure and such because you don't want to miss that.

 

[cyclenut]

We are thinking about making our first family trip to Disneyland next year and was wondering when would be the best time to visit? We are normally WDW people as we live in Michigan but thought we would go west with all of the construction going on at Magic Kingdom since we have young kids. They will be 4 and 1 when we take this

We want to wait until Cars section of DCA is open so we are thinking fall 2012. School is not an issue. We haven't been to California so we would want to do other things besides Disney probably Sea World, Legoland, go to Hollywood, and go to the beach. I was originally thinking November but would it be too cold to swim then? Swimming is an important factor so I definately want to make sure that it is warm enough to do that and we would like lower crowd levels.

If you wait until CarsLand is open then the construction at DCA should be over too. The weather in November if spotty. It can be cool (not really cold) but if you want to swim in the ocean, I would recommend an earlier time. Even October can be somewhat questionable for ocean temperature. If you're more interested in the swimming pool temperature then you should be fine.

As for inside the parks, the link posted by Hydroguy is better than I could do here. Just be sure to check for planned ride closures during whatever time you choose.

How many days should I allow for DL? I went Nov 09 with my mom and we had 2.5 days and saw most of what we wanted but definately felt we needed that extra half day at least. Can you do Sea World and legoland in one day each?

This is really more a matter of preference and how much you want/can do. I prefer to recommend 4 days for both DL and DCA. I've done it all in 3 (all rides and shows) but that was before CarsLand and we went open to close all three days with a party of 10. You can definately do SeaWorld in one day and I'm told you can do Legoland in a day but I've never been there.

Should we stay in Anaheim the whole time and make day trips to where we want to go or split our stay between Anaheim and San Diego?

Thanks so much!
Ashley

You should definately plan to stay in San Diego during the time you plan to spend at SeaWorld/LegoLand.

If you really want to spend a day at the beach with your young ones, I suggest you check out "Mother's Beach" in Long Beach. It is more of a lagoon just off the ocean. It is about 30 minutes from DL and offers a "better" experience for the younger kids than the open beach.

http://www.longbeach.gov/park/parks_and_open_spaces/parks/marine_park_(mothers_beach).asp

You can google it to find more information.

I also prefer the small town feel of Seal Beach if you want to have the experience of the open beach. The wood pier and main street area are great to stroll along and the beach is pretty great too. It doesn't get as much traffic as the other beaches in the area either, but parking is a bit more limited.

http://www.beachcalifornia.com/seal-beach-pier.html

There is a "Ruby's Diner" at the end of the pier that is an EXCELLENT choice for breakfast. They serve a cinamon roll french toast that is outstanding. You'll want an early start though as the place is pretty small. Other piers in the area also have a Ruby's. If you don't want to try and beat the crowds and avoid the expense fo a full breakfast, stop in at "Sweet Jill's" on Main Street for fresh baked cinamon roles. Skip the ones they have at Carnation Corner in DL and treat yourself to one of these instead.

If you want a more typical Southern California beach experience, then Huntington Beach near pier plaza is your best bet. Be prepared for bigger crowds there though. Huntington Beach is more popular and is using the "Surf City" moniker. It is at the end of Beach Blvd. coming south from DL and while there is much more parking, during the peak summer months (June through August) the parking lots fill up fast. As you are planning a later trip, you shouldn't have as much trouble finding parking.

There are MILES of southern california beaches and I've just mentioned three. I spent more time on them then on your DL questions because I'm guessing you know less about those options than you do about your DL trip.

One tip, I don't suggest trying to do both the beach and DL in the same day, but you don't need to spend the ENTIRE day at the beach either, unless you want to rent a kayak or a bike (or both) to cruise around on.

 

[satorifound]

I grew up in Cali, and if you are used to back east then it is pretty much always too cold to swim, unless it is a heated swimming pool. Recently I have only been to Disneyland in January, March and stupid me, on President's Day. All of them were fairly crowded with President's Day being the worst.

 

[nana50]

The pools in the hotels are all heated. September and August are still nice weather wise (Sept. can be really hot) If you want to swim in the ocean, August or September would be better. The ocean is ALWAYS cold though.

 

[specialks]

We loved our first visit in mid Sept 2008. Our girls were 4.5 and 1.5 yrs old. The shorter park hours are kind of nice bc you don't feel like you are missing out by leaving early for bedtimes. However, you do miss out on some rides, you CAN count on something being closed. Crowds are very low because schools just started, but as the PP said, there are some events that happen around then so check the calendar.
That year we went to SD first (stayed in a motel down there) and visited Seaworld and SD Zoo. Then we had 3 days in the parks and it wasn't enough. With little ones things move slower and we missed some things we wanted to do. Hence, our next 2 visits the following years
The best tip is getting there before opening. You can get a lot done when others are still sleeping in. Make sure to check all the other tips for DLR...there are some great ones!

 

[lapdwife]

We are thinking about making our first family trip to Disneyland I was originally thinking November but would it be too cold to swim then? Swimming is an important factor so I definately want to make sure that it is warm enough to do that and we would like lower crowd levels?

Should we stay in Anaheim the whole time and make day trips to where we want to go or split our stay between Anaheim and San Diego?

Thanks so much!
Ashley

Living on the beach, I'd say November would be too cold for the beach... Usually the water temp at that time of year is the low-mid 60's The hotel pools may be OK for you. Us locals, no lol. We are 15 miles from Disneyland and still tend to make San Diego an overnight trip. It's quite the drive after a long day at Sea World or Legoland. Hollywood from Anaheim, no problem. But it's still fun to stay at like the Renaissance in Hollywood, across the street from El Capitan theatre. A lot of schools go back mid-August now, which will help with the last 2 weeks of Aug. I'm an OC district and we go back the beginning of Sept.