[getbak]

If you want to see an actual working movie studio, the Warner Bros Tour is better than Universal. At Universal you ride on a large tram around the backlot and go into certain set scenes, but at Warner, the groups are much smaller and you ride around on large golf carts and actually get to walk around the sets and stuff. I think there might be an age restriction on the WB tour, so depending on how young the kids are, it might not be possible.

Universal is really a theme park with a couple of glimpses into the studio, but Warner actually takes you on a true studio tour. Of course, the theme park aspects of Universal are good as well, so it's still worth a visit if you've never been there.


Don't think of going to Disneyland as just being "for the kids". The two parks there have lots of enjoyable stuff for all ages. Going at that time of year, I'd want at least 3 days at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure just so you don't feel overwhelmed and rushed.


I would say it's unrealistic to attempt to do both the zoo and Sea World in the same day, especially in December since they'll both likely be operating under reduced hours. It would really be a waste of time and money to just go to the zoo and hop on the bus and try to see everything as quickly as possible. It would also be pretty much impossible to even attempt this without a car.


Actually, doing anything in Southern California without a car won't be overly easy. You can find tour buses that will do day trips to the major tourist destinations, but public transit isn't all that great down there - of course, neither is driving if you get stuck in rush hour traffic.