Disneyland

[TBM]

It is definitely doable, but it will make for a very long day as a day trip. We used to make that trip (same distance, but opposite direction), and stay from open to close, when our kids were little. Disneyland can definitely be enjoyed in a day, but it will be hot in Aug, and the lines are outside rather than indoors like FL, so plan for that.

I think it would be fun for your family to be able to be able to compare the differences between the Disneyland and WDW when you go there next year. I know that is often a topic of discussion with us (lived in SoCal and moved to FL), and we frequently hear conversations on the subject when we are waiting in lines at WDW.

[countthestars]

I would definitely go! Any way you could swing one night in a hotel near Disney? I would drive up the night before your park day, stay over, get up early and go. It will be HOT and you'll want to beat the heat early. Then I'd stay as long as we could stand it and drive back to San Diego at night.

I wonder how traffic would be if you try to do it in one day? I'd worry about getting there in the morning.

We did DL last year and I would probably plan on doing just one park and not trying to hop between the two. But they're both great!

[lala]

I think it's totally doable - just plan & prepare well and be ready for a long day. We used to do a similar drive to DW when we visited my aunt is southern florida. We always had a blast. That said, I would only do it if I had enough time to see the stuff I wanted to see in SD, too.

[alleinesein]

It is doable but be prepared for a long day and it may be really hot. The average temp for August is 89 but it can climb into the 90s and even 100+.  It also will cool down considerably at night (high 60s) so you might want to bring something with long sleeves for the evening.

Do you know where you will be staying in San Diego? That will determine your drive time. I am right on the north border of the SD city limits and I am 78 miles away from Disneyland. It takes me about 70-75 minutes to drive up to the park. If you will be staying in Downtown or Mission Valley you can expect at least a 2 hour drive to get to the park. The 5 north is typically a parking lot in the morning and it gets really bad at the 5/805 split because there are a ton of businesses in that location (Qualcomm, etc). Once you get into the OC you can hop into the carpool lane when you get past San Clemente. The carpool lane will take you all the way to Disney (get off at Disney Way and follow the signs).   If you are going up on a weekend you wont have the same traffic issues; there will still be some traffic but it wont be anything like a weekday.  Also you may want to add the Sigalert app to your phone.  It is a great app for traffic conditions.

Parking at the park can be a PITA. In theory you should be able to follow the signs to the Mickey and Friends lot but sometimes they route you all over the place (I have driven all the way to the parking garage only to find a sign directing me to park at the Anaheim Convention center).

Buy your tickets online to save some time. You can easily lose 15-30 minutes waiting in line to buy park tickets.

Disneyland has extra magic hours on Tues, Thurs and Sat. The park will open at 7am for hotel guest and at 8am for everyone else. I would recommend going on a day that does not have extra magic hours if you plan on doing anything in Fantasyland. Try to be in line at least 30 minutes before the park opens.

Book your dining now.  You will want to pick a place with AC for lunch.  There are limited options for AC inside of Disneyland but there are plenty of places in Downtown Disney and you could also dine at the hotels.  You could spend a few hours in the park and then take the monorail over to the Disneyland hotel and have lunch at Goofy's Kitchen.

You might want to reconsider a park hopper if it is really hot.  DCA has a water play area in A Bugs Land that is great for kids and the World of Color is a nice way to end the night (you can get a fast past for it or do a dining package that includes a FP).  It makes for a less stressful experience than trying to get a good spot for the fireworks at Disneyland.  They also don't have the World of Color at WDW.

Another transportation option it to take the train.  There is an Amtrak station near DLR and you can either grab a cab or take uber to get to the park.  It does cost more than driving but the ride up the coast is relaxing and you don't have to worry about the drive back when you are tired.  One of my friends took the train up last month and loved it.  She got to cat nap on the ride up and she didn't have to worry about driving home while tired on the trip home.

If you need any recs for San Diego let me know.  There is plenty to do out here for all ages.

[alleinesein]

Jul 21, 2016 15:22:47 GMT -5 paintedwings said:

Thank you so much for all this info!

We are staying at a hotel in the gas lamp quarter in San Diego near the convention center. We would be going to DL on a Saturday so hopefully that helps us with the traffic.

I was going to buy the tickets at the park but I didn't think about how long that can take. I will definitely buy the tickets ahead of time! And book a place to eat. Thanks so much, I didn't think of that!

I was also thinking about going to the San Diego zoo, Torrey Pines (my friend said there are tide pools my son would love),and Balboa Park. I will be there for a week and pretty much on my own with my son while my H attends a work convention. Disneyland we will do on Saturday so my H can come too.

I'd recommend one full service/sit down meal and then quick service for the other meals. There are so many good snacks at Disneyland that you can get away with skipping a meal and just grazing on yummies all day. A few of my favorites: Dole Whip floats, the garlic twist at Maurices, chocolate shakes at the Carnation Cafe, corn dogs on main street and the Light Side Lemonade at the Galactic Grill. Also check out Mickey and the Magical Map; it is a stage show and it is a good way to get out of the sun and relax for a bit. It is outdoors but the area is covered so it makes for a great midday break.

Avoid Balboa park on Tuesday. It is Resident's Free day and the park gets a bit hectic and the museums that are free on that day are insanely busy. There is a nice playground right next to the Ruben H Fleet science center that your little one can run around in. Dining options at Balboa park are a bit underwhelming so if you can find a way to pack a picnic style lunch that might be the best way to go. You can easily spend 2-3 days exploring the park.

The Zoo is open late in the summer for the Nighttime Zoo. You might be able to do an evening family outing to the Zoo if your DH gets done early. The weather will also be nicer at night. Just remember to wear comfy shoes because you will do lots of walking up and down hills.

There are some tide pools at La Jolla Cove and Point Loma. La Jolla Cove is also where you can see the sea lions. The tide pools in Point Loma are part of Cabrillo National Monument and they get busy in the summer. The parking lot is very small so you want to get there early. The lighthouse at the park has been restored and is open and the views from the top of the hill are gorgeous. If you do visit the Point Loma tide pools make sure that you keep an eye on your cell phone. The closest cell tower that you will pick up is actually a Mexican cell tower and if you aren't paying attention you can end up with lots of roaming fees. If you have AT&T they will send a "welcome abroad" message to notify you that you are on a foreign network. I have had this happen every time I visit the tide pools in Point Loma.

Birch Aquarium is another place you might want to check out. It is in La Jolla near UCSD. It is small enough for you little one to explore without getting worn out and they also wont get bored. They do have a small interactive tide pool and they have various tank feedings that you can watch (check the schedule).

[rootbeerfloat]

I was also going to recommend driving up the night before, just so you can be there when it opens. But I have also driven up from SD in the morning (weekday), and the traffic wasn't too bad. We usually take the 15.

Other SD suggestions besides the zoo: Science Museum in Balboa Park (near the zoo), Birch Aquarium. There's a fun playground on Coronado that my kids liked, too.

(I don't live in SD, but visit often.)

[MDmomof2]

We just went with DD (8.5) and DS (4.5). We started off at 8 am, mostly because we are from the east coast and were up super early! My DS was DONE by 3 pm the first day and 2 pm the second day. My DD stayed an hour or two longer. The heat really wore us down. The lines weren't bad (20-30 minutes max) and we Fast Passed a few things that were popular. I would just keep your expectations low. We did 7-8 rides a day by cramming most of them in during the morning, having lunch, then doing 1-2 rides and going home.