How many days at Disney CA?

[jgenie]

We're thinking of taking a trip to San Diego. We've been to WDW, but I think we would still want to go to Disney in CA. Would two days be enough time or would we need more time? TIA

[SnuggleBuggles]

I am always a minority on this one. We have only been at Disneyland on trips when we have other things to do in California. We have been perfectly content with one day at the parks. Two would be lovely if we had the extra time. For us, the trip is not about Disney. For other people, the trip would be about a full Disney experience. We just wanted a visit to the park and to hit some must see attractions and be happy with that. Park hours play in though. The year we hit both parks in one day, the park was open long hours. Last time we went, the parks closed at 8 so it would have been more rushed.

[ExcitedMamma]

I think with young kids two days is doable, but could be rushed depending on what you want to do. For us last year DCA was a pretty quick visit so that would leave you easily a day and a half just to do Disney. Unlike WDW you can easily walk between the parks. We did the parent swap for the new Cars ride but DS wasn't too happy about going with me for his second trip. He was fine with the ride as far as the speed but didn't like the animatronic tractor as you go through the ride, even though tractor tripping in the movie was his favorite part. He loved the Ariel ride and I loved the Toy Story ride with the blasters. The Monsters Inc ride is just OK but easily skipped unless your DC are big fans of the movie.

I am clueless about East Coast stuff but is there an animal park like in San Diego? Or a Legoland? Those are definitely worth a visit so if 2 days at DL would leave you more time for those then I think it's a good trade off. The wild animal park that's part of the zoo but actually separate and located near Carlsbad, which is where Legoland is, has a new tiger exhibit that we all thought was amazing on our last trip but DS continually asks about going back to Legoland. I think he actually had way more fun at Disney but only asks about Legoland. In fact on a recent trip to go with DH to So. Cal. for a work trip I pointed out the exit we passed to go to Disney and he had no interest at all.

When are you thinking of going? I've been researching for our trip in Dec. and I know a lot of rides are going to be down in 2015 so if this might be a one time trip to DL from the East Coast it might be worth checking the list of ride closures before you decide when you want to go.

[lalasmama]

We're thinking of taking a trip to San Diego. We've been to WDW, but I think we would still want to go to Disney in CA. Would two days be enough time or would we need more time? TIA

With a 6yo and 4yo, two days would be okay. 3 would better if it can be done. My reasoning is based largely on the rides and current season. Things get more busy as we get closer to the winter holidays, which means longer lines. And Cars Land is now a must-do, IMO, for any family/kids over 40". Bugs land is still a great area at 4&6 as well. And that's just at Cali Adventure! Over at the original park, all of Fantasy Land, most of Adventure Land, New Orleans Square, Critter Country, and Tomorrow Land are all places with rides that will be a hit with kids that age. They may still like Toon Town too. (My DD is 10 and still likes it.) That can be a lot to accomplish in 2 days, especially when you add in things like Jedi Academy and parades.

[jgenie]

With a 6yo and 4yo, two days would be okay. 3 would better if it can be done. My reasoning is based largely on the rides and current season. Things get more busy as we get closer to the winter holidays, which means longer lines. And Cars Land is now a must-do, IMO, for any family/kids over 40". Bugs land is still a great area at 4&6 as well. And that's just at Cali Adventure! Over at the original park, all of Fantasy Land, most of Adventure Land, New Orleans Square, Critter Country, and Tomorrow Land are all places with rides that will be a hit with kids that age. They may still like Toon Town too. (My DD is 10 and still likes it.) That can be a lot to accomplish in 2 days, especially when you add in things like Jedi Academy and parades.

We were thinking of going between Xmas and New Year's. Would that be insane?

[lalasmama]

We were thinking of going between Xmas and New Year's. Would that be insane?
Top 3 busiest days of the year are Christmas, NYE and NYD. In between those days, it will be seriously busy. Remember that DL is in the middle of a city, so locals invade it like fears of Ebola affect the BBB ;) (Sorry, bad analogy, but it gets the point across.) Every school district on that side of the country is out, and we like to flock to DL :) If you could plan a trip another time, that would be my first choice. But, if its the only time, the only-ever DL trip, allot 3 days, go in expecting crowds, make use of mornings, plan to see shows in the afternoon, and then ride more rides during parade/fireworks times (or watch the parade and fireworks, depending on your family's preferences; we're all about maximizing ride time).

[citymama]

We were thinking of going between Xmas and New Year's. Would that be insane?

We went during this time to Disneyland (in CA). Specifically, I think Dec 27 or 28, mid-week. It was pretty crazy, but we went very early, right when it opened, and had the best time until about 10.30 when it got insane. We stayed till dark but at some point ended up doing third best rides bc the popular ones were impossible to get into. I'm sure Legoland is tamer than DL at the best of times, but by comparison we had a wonderful time at Legoland this summer as it was so much less crowded. We did just one day at DL and it was fine for us!

[AnnieW625]

I went to DL the day after New Years about 30 yrs. ago and the photos made it looked really packed, but as a kid I didn't care, but Citymama's assessment is pretty correct about how to handle DL on a crowded day.

We have been to Legoland twice. The first time we went on New Years Eve and it was NUTS! It was so crowded that any person who wanted to come back before X date could get a ticket free so we came back on a random day in March and it was much less crowded. I honestly think that if you are going to pick a park and go on a day where it is going to be crowded I still think you might get a slightly better deal if you were to go to Disneyland, but Legoland is still pretty fun.


I am always a minority on this one. We have only been at Disneyland on trips when we have other things to do in California. We have been perfectly content with one day at the parks. Two would be lovely if we had the extra time. For us, the trip is not about Disney. For other people, the trip would be about a full Disney experience. We just wanted a visit to the park and to hit some must see attractions and be happy with that. Park hours play in though. The year we hit both parks in one day, the park was open long hours. Last time we went, the parks closed at 8 so it would have been more rushed.

:yeahthat: I grew up going to Disneyland once every two years or so and this is exactly what we did. For us it was about the rides, and doing as much as we could because it would be two years before we came back. I did not see a full length parade until I was an adult because parade time equalled low wait time for some rides. If you have young kids who need nap time and you are staying at the resort or one of the really close nearby hotels then adding a second or third day makes sense, but honestly you can have lots of fun and see everything in a single park during a day. My only piece of advice is not to set the bar too high. Also fwiw Tuesday's seem busier for some reason.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Because you posted that you were primarily going to San Diego with a side trip to DL, I'd just do one day at DL. Just go early in the AM, have 3-5 attractions you really want to hit, hit them in the AM and just go with the flow for the day. I don't think I'd want to deal with 3 days of crowds just so I could hit all of Disney. There's so much else to do in S. CA. But, again, I'm thinking this is a CA trip not a Disney trip. Save your energy for the animal park, museums, Legoland, beach...