1st Timer! What else to do after DL????

[jennsky]

Half daydreaming/half seriously planning my very FIRST trip to Disneyland. I've been to WDW almost as many times as the number of years old I am, but I have NO idea about how to plan a trip to California. HELP!!!

Where should we stay at Disney? It will be me, my DH, DD (who will be age 7 when this imaginary/real trip happens) & DS (age 5 at the time). I figure we'll spend 3 or 4 days at the Disneyland Resort but then what else can we do to fill the rest of the week in the area??? What would you veterans recommend as family friendly but non theme park things to visit after our Disneyland stay? Should we stay in the Disneyland area for the duration or switch hotels to downtown LA after (or elsewhere). Which airport? Rent a car? HELP!! I am soooooo out of my element. I know WDW inside and out, but I seriously know NOTHING about Disneyland. It's the not knowing that has held me back from visiting for years. I pretty much want someone to just hand me a schedule of where to be/where to go on which day. Feel free to plan my trip for me!

[Melanie]

How exciting for you!

I'm absolutely NO help in what else to do in the area, because I NEVER leave the resort when we are there. LOL! I can easily amuse myself for a week at Disneyland.

For a first time stay, I totally recommend the Disneyland Hotel. Some others may not agree, but it is the one resort that just SCREAMS Disneyland to me. Look it up on Wikipedia and read the history. It's so awesome! And with the new pool, renovated rooms, and awesome restaurant choices, you really can't beat it. Goofy's Kitchen is one of my favorite character dining experiences at any Disney park!

I've flown into both John Wayne and LAX, and like both fine. You can get the Disneyland Express (which I'll be using in a few weeks again), and although it's not free like WDW, it's convenient and reasonable. It's available at both airports. John Wayne/Orange County SNA is closer, and I really like the cozy feel of it, but LAX is typically cheaper for me. If you can get cheaper, I wouldn't hesitate with LAX.

Don't stress about planning Jenn. Disneyland is so much more laid back than WDW. Trust me, you'll 'get it' very soon after you get there.

[marlyn]

If you're just doing DL then no car needed. If you want to do Universal, knotts berry farm or Hollywood you will need a car. I agree with Melanie about the Disneyland hotel. If you plan in doing other things besides Disney, you can stay in Disneyland hotel for your Disney days and then go off property for your non Disney days and rent a car. There are tons of offsite hotels that are still within walking distance of DTD. (Minus the Disney price tag)

[DisneyGlutton]

We stayed at DoubleTree (booked via Priceline) and enjoyed it; it was great, reasonable, and had a free shuttle. As for non-theme park things, perhaps you would like to go to the San Diego Zoo? I totally regret not doing so myself. The distance from Anaheim to San Diego was a lot to do there and back in one day, though

[Disney4us2]

North of Disneyland is the Griffith Park Observeravatory, The LA Zoo (not the best, San Diego is better), and the Gene Autry Museum. Also Farmers Market, Hollywood area and the beaches.

I live between Six Flags Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita and Universal Studios. We don't go to either one.

The space shuttle is now in Exposition Park in downtown as well.

I don't know the OC beaches and usually go to Zuma Beach which is north of Malibu. It is a nice clean beach, but they charge for parking unless you go to free Zuma.

If you are staying in Anaheim and going to any of those places you will need a rental car. The hotels in the LA/downtown area can be very pricey.

[marlyn]

The hotels in the LA/downtown area can be very pricey.

Agree. You're better to stay near DL offsite and drive where you want to go.

[BrerGnat]

Jenn, this is my 100% honest opinion here, having lived just south of Disneyland for over 7 years, and in San Diego for 3.

With your kids being 5 and 7, there are three things you should definitely focus on:

1. Disneyland
2. Legoland
3. Newport Beach

I would plan a week at DLR. Just choose a hotel there and commit. Rent a car. Get 5 day DL Park Hoppers, and then spend 1 day driving down to Legoland and 1 day at Newport Beach. It really is better to establish a home base hotel than to switch. Legoland is about an hour from DLR. The beach is about 30 min.

While YOU might be interested in L.A., I promise you it's way overhyped and your kids will be bored by it. It's really not worth the time to explore...with kids those ages. In a few years, perhaps. Plus, it's very difficult to find a nice, and affordable hotel in L.A. Most of them are downright old, dirty, and disgusting, unless you know where to look. It's tricky.

Knott's Berry Farm is really not "little kid" appropriate.

The San Diego Zoo is not all it's hyped up to be, I promise. Ditto Sea World San Diego. Save your pennies.

When we moved out of the area, our kids were 5 and 7. Their absolute two favorite things to do in CA were DLR and Legoland. They both basically hated Sea World and the zoo and never went to Knott's. My younger son loves the beach, my older son, not so much. But, they both really enjoyed Newport Beach, specifically a very family friendly beach called Corona Del Mar. It's about 30 min from DLR. Very easy to get to.

If you're looking at other kid friendly attractions a bit closer than L.A., the Discovery Science Center is fun (about 15 min south of DLR) and the Long Beach Aquarium/harbor is great too. (that's about 40 min from DLR).

I would visit during some of the warmer months (summer is actually a great time in So. Cal., because it's warm but not hot, and NO humidity). The pacific ocean is cold, so it needs to be quite warm out to really enjoy it. Legoland has a VERY cool water park and aquarium attached, which are both worth the time and additional expense (they sell a combo ticket). But, Legoland is located very close to the ocean, up on a hill, so it's rather chilly most of the year. The summer months there are perfect. You'll get highs in the low 80's.

Our personal preference is the Orange County Airport. You might actually find flights there to be less expensive, and the rental cars are all on site and it's all very compact. I truly despise LAX, but if you can get a great price on a flight and rental car there, it's an option as well.

As for hotels, if you can, I really recommend staying on Disneyland property. You'll get the benefit of early entry (which will come in handy, as you'll be up at the crack of dawn due to the time change...or at least your kids will be). The DLR hotels really are special, and it will feel much more like a vacation if you stay onsite. My personal love is the Grand Californian. But, the Disneyland Hotel is also a great choice for a first visit.

Oh, and you should DEFINITELY stop dreaming about this trip and DO IT!

[jennsky]

You guys are awesome!! These are all great ideas! I sense a plan (a REAL plan) coming together!!! I forgot the Space Shuttle is there now too so I think we would enjoy going to that. My daughter goes to a school named after an astronaut (who is currently on the Space Station!) and their mascot logo is a shuttle so it may be pretty cool to them to see a REAL shuttle up close! And I'm definitely convinced to stay on-site (which was pretty easy to convince me of!).

Here's a question....if we take a bus from the airport to Disneyland (that one Mel mentioned that's kinda like Magical Express but you pay...what's it called again??), what if we only want to rent-a-car on the days we go off-site? Is there somewhere right around there to rent cars?? There's gotta be, no? I'd rather not pay to rent a car for an entire week if it's just sitting there not being used. Call me cheap! What do you think?

Another question...when is a slower time of year of go? Or would you rather have the warmer temperatures and bigger crowds? Our yearly traditional Disney World trip is late January so I was thinking late January-early February next year for Disneyland. I read that you shouldn't go in early January because many attractions are closed while they remove the Christmas decorations.

You guys rock! Keep the suggestions coming!!

[BrerGnat]

Go in the summer. The crowds will not be that bad. Just go after the third week in June and before the third week of August. Those weeks most local AP holders are blocked out, and it makes a noticeable difference. Plus, So Cal is quite enjoyable in the summer. It's nice in January too, but a LOT of attractions go down, not to mention significantly shortened park hours. Plus, it tends to rain a lot in January. And, the beach is a no go that time of year.

[bruin1344]

I stayed there in late August of last year and I would recommend that period again. The crowds were manageable (except in the new Cars Land) and the weather was beautiful.

Check out the beaches in OC like Laguna, Newport, and/or Huntington. Laguna was my favorite of the 3 but the other 2 were fine.

I stayed near DL because the LA hotels were too expensive and the hotels near DL were cheap. Thank god I stayed near DL as I will explain in the next paragraph.

LA was not my cup of team. I only spent a half day there to see the main attractions, like Hollywood and Beverly Hills, and I couldn't wait to leave the area. The fake Hollywood at DHS is better than the real Hollywood. Plus the traffic was awful.

LAX had the better deals from Boston so I flew in there. I flew in and out outside of rush hours so it was pretty painless.

Enjoy your trip.

[IwannabeinNarnia]

my friends and I went in late October and it was still pretty decent weather. We rented a car and drove down the Pacific Coast Highway to Newport Beach one of the days we were there. LOVED it!!! I've been twice and one time we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel, the second time at Paradise Pier. Both were excellent. Paradise Pier is a bit cheaper. It's a beachy theme and we loved it! We've always flown into John Wayne Airport. Whatever you end up doing I am sure you will have a magical time!
oh, forgot... there is a car rental place right in Downtown Disney. That's where we rented from. We got a convertible (hey.. we were in California! ha ha)and LOVED it!