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need help planning a trip to the USA please

nockosh

nockosh

googy eggs for everyone!!!
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Jul 16, 2008
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We are in the process of quoting up how much it would cost us to come on over to the USA and hit Disneyland and surrounding areas.

If we are going to travel all that way, we want to make sure we see a good portion of it and also some things around the area.

Who better to ask than people who live in the area or have visited it already, so could you please help me . . .

if you were going to Disneyland for the very first time with 2 young children (6 & 8 year olds), how many days would you give yourself there?

What else within a days travel could you also drag them along to see?
We have been recommended the San Diego Zoo, legoland and Universal Studios.

any other hints and tips on what to do and see would be much appreciated

thank you!
 
We live in Canada and don't get to Disney often enough. 5 days is my minimum for Disneyland - especially if you have never been. San Diego Zoo is a must for us. Legoland is fun for your age kids. Sea World and Universal Studios are great. Knotts Berry Farm is ok but go there first so not disappointed. My son has always been fascinated by Naval ships so we make sure to check out the water in San Diego - Coronado Island has a view of downtown San Diego not to be missed.

There are great Discount coupon books you can get. We ended up getting coupons for 1/2 price legoland entrance and 1/2 price meals. We usually order the kids meals in Disney to save money. The meals are filling enough for me, come with a drink and usually a cute cup or box that we kept as a souvenir.

Have fun - use the schedule. My daughter really wanted to see this show. Luckily we were smart enough to look at the whole schedule for all the days we were there. It only played on Tues and Thursdays. It was Thursday that we arrived and we missed it so we had to plan to make sure we didn't miss the Tuesday one.
 
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I'm just curious if you're locked into Disneyland? Personally, I've always much preferred Disneyworld.
 
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I haven't been to Disneyland, only Disney World. But there is an AWESOME Disney blog and podcast you should check out:
Capturing Magic
http://capturingmagic.me

I don't have kids, but I went around Disney World with my cousin and her kids last year. They were 7, 8, and 12. My main suggestion from that experience would be to make sure you give yourself plenty of time and don't try to over-schedule your days. There is a lot of walking around the parks, and everyone will have a much better time if you can go slow and enjoy and the kids won't end up overtired and cranky. My cousin was great about this, building in breaks and mealtimes, and keeping a reasonable pace. She also had strollers for the two girls (the 7 and 8 year olds) for when they got tired. They are a bit big for strollers under normal circumstances, but I noted that they were not the only kids that age at Disney World using them.

Congrats and can't wait to hear about your trip!
 
lmccandless said:
I'm just curious if you're locked into Disneyland? Personally, I've always much preferred Disneyworld.
Click to expand...

no not locked into anything at this stage. Happy to look at all options.

Disneyworld isn't as highly promoted over here, I guess they tend to promote Disneyland more because of the packages they can put together with Universal Studios, Hollywood Boulevard etc and easier for us to fly direct into that area from Australia.

Maybe it's a little nostalgic too but I'd like to go the original first.
 
:) funny, I grew up in Los Angeles and I prefer Disneyland because it feels like the real deal to me (maybe it's just more familiar). I like Disneyworld too, but nothing beats Disneyland imo. Plus I like the less humid weather of Southern Calif much better. I've never been more than 1 day at a time to any amusement park, so I'd probably feel done by 2 days for sure. I think it just depends how much your family wants to spend time with it. San Diego Zoo is really amazing and so is Sea World - totally worth the trip farther south, plus there are some wonderful coastal areas to stay, like mentioned already Coronado is amazing! Catalina Island is another wonderful adventure if you are there at the right time of year. It's a ferry ride off the Pacific coast to a beautiful island with beach, resort, hikes, and bicycle rentals.
 
I've never been to the California one, but Universal Studios Orlando is AWESOME (and very close to Disney World). It is the home of the (relatively) new Harry Potter theme park:
http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/
I LOVE Harry Potter so when we went last year I was thrilled. It was awesome.
 
When I was little we did a stars tour in Hollywood. And walked on the stars in the sidewalk (is it santa monica blvd?) LA or wherever that was. LOL that same trip we did universal, sea world, knots berry farm, Disneyland and the wax museum. Guess what I remember most from that trip? Stepping on Lucille balls grass and Star Trek at the wax museum. If you're into architecture the Getty Center was pretty awesome.

I haven't been to disneyworld, but I think I will always prefer the west coast to the east coast. My sister went to FL last summer and for these desert girls the humidy about killed her.
With that, 3 days was all my kids could handle at Disneyland, but I will do four next time and really take our time, i think we tried topack too much in and they got burned out.Ttwo days at each park would be perfect. And my youngest (7) preferred Disneyland, while my three older kids, (11, 14 and 16) preferred California adventure.

I can not wait till we go back!! Next year we are doing a Disney cruise and the parks.
 
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I've been to both Disneyland and Disney World several times each and I prefer Disneyland. It has all the best stuff Disney World has to offer but in a condensed walkable area. You can stay off property and walk over easily. I just think it is much more affordable.

We were just at Disneyland last month. We like to stay three days there and we get the park hopper passes. The new Cars Land at California Adventure park just opened there and is great. When we go to Disney, we usually stay at the Hojo Anaheim so we can do the short walk to the parks. It's not luxurious but it is clean and comfortable and convenient. If it's your first time I might go 4 days but to be honest I get sick of Disney after three days.

Legoland is a fun place to visit and perfect for your kids ages. It's about 45 minutes South of Disneyland. We love to stay at the West Inn and Suites in Carlsbad when we go to Legoland, that place is awesome.

Other places to check out are Universal Studios in Hollywood and Sea World in San Diego (Legoland is a midpoint between Disneyland and Sea World). Universal Studios Hollywood is much smaller than Universal Studios Orlando and I would only do one day there if you plan to go.
 
loving all this feedback, thanks everyone!

Carolee, thank you for accommodation names. We will be looking at something that is comfortable and clean rather than luxurious as we don't plan on spending much time at the accommodation
 
I've never been to Florida. It's hot and humid, and I don't do humidity. I can't imagine a good time to go, but someday I'd like to see Epcot and other things there.

I've been to Disneyland so many times. I have a year pass right now, because I'm only an hour away. I LOVE Disneyland.

Are you thinking of going during your spring break? There were LOTS of Aussies there this year during their spring break time (our fall). It was fun talking to them and seeing what other things they were planning on doing. Some were going to New York, others to San Francisco, and still others to Hawaii...all after their Disney trip. Know that if you come during our summer, it will be hot and lines will be long. I'm so spoiled that I can't handle waiting more than 20 minutes for a ride, but during the summer, you'll have 60 - 90 minute waits per ride. At least it's not humid here though, so it's pretty tolerable.

Amy's suggestions for San Diego are perfect! We are thinking of driving down to the Hotel Del for Christmas brunch this year. It's lovely there.

I'm not sure I could handle 5 days of Disneyland, but if you go when they are open late, and you can go back to your room in the afternoon, sleep, swim, etc...it might break the days up and make it ok to be there that long.

Have fun!!
 
I am loving this thread!! Very useful information, girls! I've been to Disneyworld once because at the time I went there my cousin used to live in Tampa and it was way closer than Disneyland for us to go LOL. We stayed in a Hotel in Kissimee (dont remember if this is the right spell) which is a town just outside Disney. It was so much fun. We also went to Universal Studios Orland and Bush Gardens, I must say that Bush Gardens was my favourite!! There is also the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral that is worth a visit. My cousin's hubby used to work at Nasa at that time so he got us some free passes to see a actual launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour (this is what we saw back then: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/archives/sts-72.html)

I still want to visit Disneyland though :) Maybe next year when I planning a trip to the US too! :heartlub
 
I couldn't resist jumping in, as I've lived within 20 miles of Disneyland nearly my entire life. You guys will LOVE it! I agree with the other posters, you probably only need 3 days to cover everything. You can easily cover California Adventure in less than a day. There aren't nearly as many rides as DL. Depending on what time of year you're coming, we have a couple fun water parks (Soak City at Knott's Berry Farm is small but perfect for your kids age, and Raging Waters in San Dimas is huge!) My boys (now teenagers) loved Lego Land when they were smaller! You can cover it in 1 day. They also really loved Sea World. Again you can cover in 1 day. And of course we always love a day at the beach! Santa Monica pier is neat to see, it's has a "vintage" feel to it. And Laguna Beach is gorgeous.

My favorite place within driving distance is Santa Barbara. It's one of the most beautiful beach towns in CA. It's about 2-2 1/2 hours north of LA. There is a CA Mission that you can tour, they even have camp grounds on the beach. If you want mountains, we have that too. About 1 1/2 hour drive from Anaheim is Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead. In the winter there's skiing, the rest of the year they have boat tours around the lake, fishing, camping, and cute little village towns.

Lastly, I take my kids to Las Vegas every summer for "vacation". It's a 4 hour drive from Anaheim, and even though it's "sin city" there are TONS of things for kids to do. We always stay at the Monte Carlo. It's one of the older hotels now, but always clean and cheap (in the summer only $60-$70 a night!). They have 4 or 5 swimming pools with a lazy river and a wave pool (a mini water park). If that interests you at all I can tell you more.

I'm happy to answer any questions you have, just message me! And have fun!!!!!!!!
 
well girls you convinced me that it would be fun to come on over, so we are! Tickets are booked and my family and I will be hitting your country in June 2013. Woohoooooo!

thank you all for your feedback it has really helped us plan out the trip and how many days in each area etc.
 
I just have to say, I am a stand up and so proud of this country of ours, even with our flaws, and so hope you enjoy it!! There is much to see and California is just the bestest! We are big lovers of the SeaWorld! It is a yearly event in our home!! We do cheap motels (with pool) and SeaWorld! Heck we are so cheap, that a day ride on the trolleys thru SanDiego to all the malls and such is pure joy!!
Enjoy the moment, no matter where you go!! Take pictures, heck get everyone a camera!
laugh and leave butt prints in the sand! tee hee
 
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