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Old 10-25-2017, 09:07 AM   #1
Gundo
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The wife and I decided to take our kids (5&2) to Disneyland in early December. The plan is to spend 4 days in Anaheim/LA doing Disneyland for a couple days and 3 days in San Diego doing Sea World and the Zoo.

Just looking for recommendations on things not to miss out on or experiences on the best place or ways to buy Disney passes because holy crapola are they pricey.
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Old 10-25-2017, 09:13 AM   #2
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For the San Diego zoo, see if you can do the Safari Park instead of the main zoo. It's pricier and a bit further out (about an hour NE of San Diego), but a really cool experience, particularly for the kids.
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Old 10-25-2017, 09:14 AM   #3
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Don't forget Lego land...

Or the safari park.

Actually you can get a triple pass for the Zoo, Safari park and SeaWorld if you plan on going to all three. Will save you a few $$.
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Old 10-25-2017, 09:14 AM   #4
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Compton & LBC

Go for Mexican food in the old area (gaslight district or something like that) of SD and then repeat nightly
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Old 10-25-2017, 09:19 AM   #5
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Default Disneyland/California Travel advice

The Southern California city pass through Costco is your best bet

https://m.costco.ca/2017-Southern-Ca...PFbNdchw%3D%3D

Includes Legoland, which my 6 & 3 year olds seemed to enjoy even more than Disney.
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Old 10-25-2017, 09:23 AM   #6
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The wife and I (no kids) did Disneyland/California Adventure last month, but we hung around Anaheim mostly, using lyft for transportation further than walking distance.

A few things that may help:
  • For us the park hopper passes made sense, the two Disney Parks are basically the same property
  • If you're at the parks early, hit up California adventure and grab fast passes for Radiator Springs or Soarin' Over California first thing in the morning... or you may not get on
  • Off Disney property, there's actually decent competition (and pricing) for bottled water/sunscreen/souvenirs/snacks in the immediate area. CVS/Walgreens/7-11 etc... stock up on snacks off property
  • Lyft/Uber rides are readily availble
  • In 'n out burger is worth the lyft ride there
  • Anaheim Marriott (at the convention centre) is a bit of a walk from the park, but a very nice hotel. We watched fireworks from the park while laying in bed one night. There's bus transportation direct to the parks to help save the kids legs for the park.
  • Bring money
  • No really, bring money
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Old 10-25-2017, 09:28 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nufy View Post
Don't forget Lego land...

Or the safari park.

Actually you can get a triple pass for the Zoo, Safari park and SeaWorld if you plan on going to all three. Will save you a few $$.
Nooooooo! Legoland is the biggest con since PT Barnum. It's absolute garbage and incredibly expensive. Do not waste time or money. Do go the San Diego Zoo safari. Very cool. Check this place out in La Jolla:

https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/

My kids loved it and they are only slightly older than yours. If one or both of yours are boys, USS Midway is fantastic.
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Old 10-25-2017, 09:36 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gundo View Post
The wife and I decided to take our kids (5&2) to Disneyland in early December. The plan is to spend 4 days in Anaheim/LA doing Disneyland for a couple days and 3 days in San Diego doing Sea World and the Zoo.

Just looking for recommendations on things not to miss out on or experiences on the best place or ways to buy Disney passes because holy crapola are they pricey.
We just went in January. Here was my thread

https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=157687

This was the cheapest I found at the time

https://www.costco.ca/2017-Southern-...100323859.html
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Old 10-25-2017, 09:48 AM   #9
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San Diego is beautiful and some of the best things to do are not tourist destination related (beaches around La Jolla for example). Make sure you save a little time for that.

You may have already booked hotels but there are great advantages to staying at the Grand Californian. Expensive as hell but you are literally staying steps from the park and with young ones that is so beneficial. So easy to pop back to the hotel for a break or to get an early start.
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Old 10-25-2017, 11:05 AM   #10
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I'm heading down to San Diego at the beginning of December too. Can't go wrong with $200 return nonstop. Make sure you download the Disneyland app and then pay $10 to be able to book the fast pass on your phone.
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Old 10-25-2017, 11:08 AM   #11
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Quote:
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San Diego is beautiful and some of the best things to do are not tourist destination related (beaches around La Jolla for example). Make sure you save a little time for that.

You may have already booked hotels but there are great advantages to staying at the Grand Californian. Expensive as hell but you are literally staying steps from the park and with young ones that is so beneficial. So easy to pop back to the hotel for a break or to get an early start.
We are staying at the Grand Legacy right across the street from the main gate. Still close enough to walk back throughout the day but i got it for $115us/nite.
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Old 10-25-2017, 11:34 AM   #12
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Nooooooo! Legoland is the biggest con since PT Barnum. It's absolute garbage and incredibly expensive. Do not waste time or money. Do go the San Diego Zoo safari. Very cool. Check this place out in La Jolla:

https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/

My kids loved it and they are only slightly older than yours. If one or both of yours are boys, USS Midway is fantastic.
I have to disagree. My kids loved Legoland, and enjoyed it more than Disneyland when we went earlier this year. My kids are young though -- 4 and 3 at the time of the trip. My son still talks about that ball pit with all the pneumatic guns -- he spent literally hours in there. My daughter's favourite ride was the firetruck race. And the Legoland Hotel was a hit with the kids with the thematic rooms and lobby play area and the disco elevator and the scavenger hunt and that breakfast buffet. I do agree that Legoland is geared for younger kids and I can see my kids' preference gradually shifting towards Disneyland and Universal Studios as they get older.

And another vote for the USS Midway. My kids were able to get through almost the entire tour, which was amazing to my wife and I because we, obviously, couldn't bring a stroller inside the USS Midway with us. I would strike up a conversation with every mannequin we encountered, which cracked up my kids.
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Old 10-25-2017, 11:56 AM   #13
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Should also mention that an excursion to the beach is a cheap way to entertain young kids. Buy a couple big bags of beach toys at Daiso (kind of like a Japanese dollar store) and then head to the beach. The beaches in La Jolla are beautiful but are crowded. There are many beaches in Orange County that would be pretty empty during December.
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Old 10-25-2017, 11:58 AM   #14
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Huntington Beach and Santa Monica beaches are also very entertaining.
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Old 10-25-2017, 12:28 PM   #15
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We are staying at the Grand Legacy right across the street from the main gate. Still close enough to walk back throughout the day but i got it for $115us/nite.
Yeah that certainly will save some $'s. I believe staying at a Disney hotel gives you extended hours in the park. It does in Florida at least.
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Old 10-25-2017, 01:26 PM   #16
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Early December is a great time to go. Crowds are pretty much non-existent in the dead zone between US Thanksgiving and Christmas. Disneyland gets busier on the weekends, but mid-week is perfect.

All the Christmas decorations will be up all over the parks and pretty much nothing will be closed for maintenance.

Your two year-old will probably be too small for the more adventurous rides, but the five year-old should be big enough for most of them. If your five year-old is interested in going on rides and both yourself and wife want to go too, look into doing a parent-swap. That allows the whole family to go through the line together and when you get to the front, one of you takes the older child on the ride while the other parent waits with the younger child. Then, once that ride is over, the parents trade places and the older kid gets to ride again.

Single rider is also an option if only one person wants to go on a particular ride, although with the crowds in December, you likely won't save much time over just going through the regular line.
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Old 10-25-2017, 01:37 PM   #17
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Nooooooo! Legoland is the biggest con since PT Barnum. It's absolute garbage and incredibly expensive. Do not waste time or money
Completely agree with this one.
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Old 10-25-2017, 01:42 PM   #18
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We never went but we had friends that went with their two young sons and the kids absolutely loved it. Interesting to see the difference of opinion on that place.
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Old 10-25-2017, 01:48 PM   #19
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We never went but we had friends that went with their two young sons and the kids absolutely loved it. Interesting to see the difference of opinion on that place.
I guess the kids might love it, but as a parent you feel that you have been bent over. My kids aren't so tough to entertain that I need to drive for 45 minutes, pay $25 to park in the middle of nowhere and then pay I believe ~$400 USD to get in. But that doesn't give you access to everything - if you want to go to the Legoland aquarium, that's extra tickets, and so on for a few other "special" areas. My kids had as much fun at Seal Beach and that's free.
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Old 10-25-2017, 02:06 PM   #20
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I guess the kids might love it, but as a parent you feel that you have been bent over. My kids aren't so tough to entertain that I need to drive for 45 minutes, pay $25 to park in the middle of nowhere and then pay I believe ~$400 USD to get in. But that doesn't give you access to everything - if you want to go to the Legoland aquarium, that's extra tickets, and so on for a few other "special" areas. My kids had as much fun at Seal Beach and that's free.
That admission fee sounds really high. Legoland admission is included in that Costco CityPass so that's a cheap way to visit Legoland if you are already going to go to Disneyland. Legoland also has periodic deals where the adult admission is free for every child admission. They also offer really nice deals during Black Friday for stays in the Legoland hotel that can be applied for travel through to spring of the following year although I think there are blackout dates.

With that said, I've had other parents tell me they hated Legoland, which surprises me because Legoland is always a highlight with my kids.
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