My family and I are going to Southern California for a week on Boxing Day and I'm just looking for suggestions on things we shouldnt miss out on while we're there.
I already know that me and my brother-in-law are going to watch the Flyers play the Kings and Ducks on the 30th and 31st and Universal Studios is also a must see for us. My sister also wants to spend atleast two days at Disneyland for the kids and I know that we'll be going to San Diego for a day which brings up another question. Is it unrealistic to go to both Seaworld and the San Diego Zoo in a day? I did read somewhere that the zoo has a bus that shows you about 75% of it in about 40 minutes. We've also decided that instead of renting a car we'll just use buses.
It won't necessarialy be "nice" in southern Cali during that time. It can get cold during the winter. For surfing, you'd need to wear a wet suit. The pacific ocean isn't really warm during the summer either, anyway.
Check out Newport Beach and Dana point when you drive between San Diego and Anaheim. Probably the nicest part of the US I've travelled to. The San Diego zoo is worth a full day, but if you have your heart set on both you could ride the Zoo bus. I'd also try and rent a car, I had a ford escape for 9 days and it cost $500ish unlimited mileage.
San Diego Zoo is huge, especially if you're into zoos and plan to explore the whole thing. If the only thing you do is take the bus, you may cover a lot of ground but I don't think you'll see all the exhibits.
I've never been to Seaworld, but I'm not sure I would recommend both in one day (especially if you have young kids). My wife and I did some walking around the Museums in Balboa Park after doing the zoo and we didn't stay long. Of course, this was on a hot summer day in August; I'm guessing the weather will be much more temperate in December.
P.S. I would consider getting a rental car -- they're usually pretty cheap, and it's much more convenient than taking the bus and/or subway everywhere. Parking can be an additional expense, but the time you'll save is worth it IMO. As for traffic, stick to the main streets rather than the freeways and you'll be fine. Are you driving down to SD?
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.
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Sea World and the Zoo would be hard to do in a single day. Check the hours for both days you are going because at that time of year they vary quite a bit. The holiday week has extended hours but any time before or after is 10-5. So that would make it difficult. Also, Sea World is hard to do in a day by itself if you want to see all the shows. I'd go with spending a relaxed day at one of the two, instead of a rushed day at both.
P.S. I would consider getting a rental car -- they're usually pretty cheap, and it's much more convenient than taking the bus and/or subway everywhere. Parking can be an additional expense, but the time you'll save is worth it IMO. As for traffic, stick to the main streets rather than the freeways and you'll be fine. Are you driving down to SD?
No, we would be going on a bus. We were going to rent a car for the week but my dad doesnt think at his age he can handle the traffic, my brother-in-law hates driving in Winnipeg so you can imagine how much he would hate it there, and I've never had a drivers license.
I forgot to mention that it is the busiest time of year there in Disneyland.
Yes. It will be wall-to-wall people. Use Fastpass as much as possible if you want to go on all the rides.
One cool thing is after the Christmas parade down Main Street, it starts to "snow", which isn't exciting for someone from Canada who curses the snow, but it's still pretty cool to see it happen.
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Originally Posted by Rhettzky
Also, Sea World is hard to do in a day by itself if you want to see all the shows.
This is very true. Often, you'll have to plan your day down to the second if you want to see all the shows, and you'll usually be part of a pack that's leaving one show and heading immediately to another.
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No, we would be going on a bus. We were going to rent a car for the week but my dad doesnt think at his age he can handle the traffic, my brother-in-law hates driving in Winnipeg so you can imagine how much he would hate it there, and I've never had a drivers license.
Then, there is zero chance you could even attempt Sea World and the Zoo in one day. The tour buses have very strict schedules and they don't leave you a lot of extra time. If you had to use city transit to get from Sea World to the Zoo (and then back in time to catch the bus back to Anaheim), you'd waste half your day just traveling between the two.
I actually prefer driving in Southern California to Calgary - except for the slow crawl of rush hour - because the people down there generally either know what they're doing, or they stay off the roads. However, if no one in your group is comfortable with it, you'll have to live with taking the bus.
Where will you be staying? Anaheim is a pretty good central location to base your travels from because it is tourist oriented, so all the tour buses are easy to catch.
If you are staying in Anaheim, how are you planning to get to and from the Staples Center? I'd think that will be a nightmare trip without a car (or a very expensive cab ride).
If you are staying in Anaheim, and want to keep up with the hockey, go to ESPN Zone at Downtown Disney.
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Turn up the good, turn down the suck!
Sea World and the Zoo would be hard to do in a single day. Check the hours for both days you are going because at that time of year they vary quite a bit. The holiday week has extended hours but any time before or after is 10-5. So that would make it difficult. Also, Sea World is hard to do in a day by itself if you want to see all the shows. I'd go with spending a relaxed day at one of the two, instead of a rushed day at both.
I just checked and the Zoo is 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Seaworld is 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. The problem is every shuttle service to Anaheim I find says they leave Seaworld or the Zoo between 5 and 6.
I think it'll be impossible to do SeaWorld and San Diego Zoo in one day while appreciating what each venue has to offer. The line-up in Aug at the zoo for the Panda exhibit was ~30 mins. For SeaWorld, I'd recommend looking into the dinner with Shamu package. My family did it and was very impressed as you are pretty close to the Orcas.
Where will you be staying? Anaheim is a pretty good central location to base your travels from because it is tourist oriented, so all the tour buses are easy to catch.
We're staying at the Marriot I believe across from Disneyland. I dont know how we're going to get to and from the Kings game but my brother-in-law is a Flyers fan and wants to go and I wouldnt mind seeing a game at the Staples Center.
I already know that me and my brother-in-law are going to watch the Flyers play the Kings and Ducks on the 30th and 31st and Universal Studios is also a must see for us. My sister also wants to spend atleast two days at Disneyland for the kids and I know that we'll be going to San Diego for a day which brings up another question. Is it unrealistic to go to both Seaworld and the San Diego Zoo in a day?
Why not go to Seaworld and skip the Zoo. Calgary has a pretty good Zoo and you might leave feeling you would have rather stayed at the beach, or a trip down to TJ, or the Premium outlets etc. We saw both Shamu shows last year ("Shamu Rocks" @ night) and it is also worth sticking around for if you can. Fireworks after the show etc. It is really cool being there at night! we were there 2 days but 1 day is all you need. 1/2 day would be frustrating!
Southern California Trip Advice
