Help me decide re: Disneyland

[karinothing]

We are planning to visit DL in either Jan or Feb 2022 (because God wiling kids will be vaccinated by then). We are going to start in Phoenix because my kids haven't seen my dad since spring 2019. Then drive to CA. Kids are ages 6 and 10. We will either do one day at the San Diego Zoo and two days at DL/CA or no days at the zoo and three days at Disney. I am working with a Disney planner and she said that if we do two days at DL/CA we may not get to see everything we want to see. I haven't been to DL since 2004 and only did one day (we only sent to DL not CA) and was able to see everything, but obviously the kids will slow us down. 

We will not be eating in any restaurants and likely won't watch any parades, but I assume my kids will want to watch stuff at Avenger's Campus and Galaxy Edge. We plan on going Wed/Thur or Wed-Fri. Also any advice you can offer would be great. As a I said I haven't been there since 2004 and things seemed very different back then. 

[jewel]

This really just depends on the family. We always choose as much time as possible, which is typically 5 days, lol. But plenty of people are perfectly happy with 1 day at each park.

My personal recommendation would be a 3 day park hopper. Things are a little weird right now because you have to reserve your day at each specific park, but you can hop after 1pm. I would reserve a day to start at each and then either one for the third, and plan to hop.

I really love the wild animal park too, but I don’t think I’d choose that over a third day at Disney. My kids are 3 and 7 and would definitely choose Disney.

[Wines Not Whines]

I’d do 3 days at Disney, unless your kids are really into wild animals. I agree with the recommendation for park hopper tickets. The two parks are right next to each other, so it’s very easy to switch parks in the middle of the day.

Most restaurants have an option for outdoor seating, so it’s very easy to eat outdoors. Generally, I think DL uses outdoor space much more than WDW, probably because the weather in Orlando is intolerably hot most of the time.

[quesyrah]

I think 2 days at Disneyland and 1 day at DCA will allow you to see everything you want to see.

Even with the lower crowds it’s hard to do everything at Disneyland just because there is so much to see.

That being said, we are not rope droppers nor do we close the park down. We also don’t like to rush through the day just to fit everything in. So if you’re an open to close go, go, go type, you can probably fit most things in in one day.

[sonrisa]

Sept 12, 2021 11:33:48 GMT -5 karinothing said:

We are planning to visit DL in either Jan or Feb 2022 (because God wiling kids will be vaccinated by then). We are going to start in Phoenix because my kids haven't seen my dad since spring 2019. Then drive to CA. Kids are ages 6 and 10. We will either do one day at the San Diego Zoo and two days at DL/CA or no days at the zoo and three days at Disney. I am working with a Disney planner and she said that if we do two days at DL/CA we may not get to see everything we want to see. I haven't been to DL since 2004 and only did one day (we only sent to DL not CA) and was able to see everything, but obviously the kids will slow us down. 

We will not be eating in any restaurants and likely won't watch any parades, but I assume my kids will want to watch stuff at Avenger's Campus and Galaxy Edge. We plan on going Wed/Thur or Wed-Fri. Also any advice you can offer would be great. As a I said I haven't been there since 2004 and things seemed very different back then. 

We only do a single day when we do Disneyland and have always been able to do enough. I mean, it might not be everything a Disney planner would do, but it has always been plenty. I try to balance it with something cultural or educational (art or science museums, etc.). Three days sounds exhausting. 

[karinothing]

Thanks everyone!

I have never been to Disney with the kids so I am not really sure what to expect. I assume they will want to go 3 days if they have the choice. We have done Hershey and BG and are typically there from open to close (though they close earlier than Disney!). I certainly don't think my kids could stay at the park until 11pm and then be ready to go bright eyed and bushy tailed the next day. Although hopefully the time change will work in our favor for the morning.

Wines Not Whines , Thanks for the info on restaurants. Again it has been forever since I have been there, but I have never ate at sit down type restaurant. Can I still get bread bowls by the Pirates of the Caribbean ride?


sonrisa , I typically agree with doing something cultural or educational, but I don't think I will want to be doing indoor museums yet (I realize that Disney has indoor rides, so I don't know maybe it doesn't make sense lol)

[EvieEthelGarland]

Can I throw in a 3rd option?  

2 days Disney, 1 Day Legoland.

The SD Zoo is my least favorite zoo I've been too and I grew up in San Diego.  It's crowded and over priced and because it's built into a canyon it's not all that pleasant to walk it. 
The Wild Animal Park is nice but it's the kind of thing you could do with your kids in a few years if you're back in SoCal. 

The window for Legoland closes around age 10.   It's a lot smaller than Disney and does not have the magic, but it is quite charming and mellow. 

[Wines Not Whines]

I’ve never looked for bread bowls, but all of the restaurants have their menus posted online and on the app.

[karinothing]

Sept 13, 2021 14:44:10 GMT -5 EvieEthelGarland said:

Can I throw in a 3rd option?  

2 days Disney, 1 Day Legoland.

The SD Zoo is my least favorite zoo I've been too and I grew up in San Diego.  It's crowded and over priced and because it's built into a canyon it's not all that pleasant to walk it. 
The Wild Animal Park is nice but it's the kind of thing you could do with your kids in a few years if you're back in SoCal. 

The window for Legoland closes around age 10.   It's a lot smaller than Disney and does not have the magic, but it is quite charming and mellow. 

Oh yes, I forgot about LEGOLAND. How far is it from Disney? My kids LOVE legos.

[egishere]

Legoland is so fun and will probably be pretty dead when you go! We went in Jan a few years ago and walked on every ride and they let us stay on multiple times too. It was great! My kids loved it.

[EvieEthelGarland]

Sept 14, 2021 10:50:49 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Sept 13, 2021 14:44:10 GMT -5 EvieEthelGarland said:

Can I throw in a 3rd option?  

2 days Disney, 1 Day Legoland.

The SD Zoo is my least favorite zoo I've been too and I grew up in San Diego.  It's crowded and over priced and because it's built into a canyon it's not all that pleasant to walk it. 
The Wild Animal Park is nice but it's the kind of thing you could do with your kids in a few years if you're back in SoCal. 

The window for Legoland closes around age 10.   It's a lot smaller than Disney and does not have the magic, but it is quite charming and mellow. 

Oh yes, I forgot about LEGOLAND. How far is it from Disney? My kids LOVE legos.

It's about an hour?  It's also a lot closer to the beach than Disney if you were wanting to add in beach time. Which is all my kid ever wants to do when we visit family. 

[lexus]

Sept 14, 2021 13:38:51 GMT -5 EvieEthelGarland said:

Sept 14, 2021 10:50:49 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Oh yes, I forgot about LEGOLAND. How far is it from Disney? My kids LOVE legos.

It's about an hour?  It's also a lot closer to the beach than Disney if you were wanting to add in beach time. Which is all my kid ever wants to do when we visit family. 

More like and hour and a half to an hour and forty minutes.

We love Legoland. We live in SD and have had passes. My dd is ten and is finding the regular park too mellow but she loved it pre-Covid. Be sure to check their schedule for the time of year before making your plans. They are closed for a few days during the week in the off season. Currently you have to buy tickets then make reservations for the specific day that you plan to go. I don’t know how long they plan to do that but just a heads up.

We have zoo passes too and we love the zoo. I haven’t been to another zoo though so I have nothing to compare it too. I don’t think it’s too busy during the time frame you are considering (it’s definitely packed during spring and summer). Legoland is $100 a ticket and the SD zoo is $60. It’s also further south than Legoland.

I’m happy to give help or ideas for either location if you need any!