How Long Should We Go?

[Jones14]

Hi, guys! So the boyfriend and I are planning our first ever trip to Disneyland (and also the rest of California, but honestly we're totally going for Disneyland). We're looking at a mid January 2018 trip to avoid the crowds, and currently we're thinking of three day park-hoppers with a walking distance hotel (maybe Disney owned, but undecided). We're not big on resorts; we're of the mindset that if we pay to have theme park tickets we're gonna be in the theme parks as much as possible.

We've also resigned ourselves to the fact that there is absolutely no way that we'll get everything done and seen, no matter how long we stay. Because of this, we're each going to pick two attractions/shows per park that are absolute must-do's, and will prioritize getting to those above all else, and using the more crowded times of day to just take in the ambiance instead of running from line to line in the hopes of getting on everything. Our plan was to primarily do Day 1 at Disneyland, 2 at California Adventure, and use 3 as a crazy back and forth day to catch our favorites again. With that said, do you think 3 days is enough to *do* Disneyland, especially as a first timer who won't be back for a while?

Thanks!

 

[flynnibus]

Three days is the perfect number for first time visitors. It will give you enough time to do repeats and deep dives, without over investing. More than 3, you have to really want to soak in Disney.

 

[Kman101]

When I visited years ago, three days felt like plenty of time. You have a great attitude about visiting and wanting to take in the ambience and not worrying about hitting everything. I personally could have spent more time, just because, but 3 days is great. You might go for four and hit the parks one night (instead of the day, and then you have three full days) after visiting other California sights (and trust me, California is worth exploring, I want to see much more of it next time I get out there). Just depends on budget.

I stayed within walking distance and I never felt unsafe or worried about anything. I couldn't imagine paying for a Disney hotel. There are so many great hotels nearby.

The locals that post on this forum could give you some better advice.

 

[BAChicagoGal]

A three day hopper will get you one magic morning. So, if you are there on the right day of the week, you will be able to enter Disneyland one hour early one morning. I really recommend that. I think the days are Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Most trips might include one of those possible days for magic morning. There is something really nice about magic mornings.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Three days may have been enough a few years ago, but not anymore.

I would try and tack on an extra day, if I were you. Ever since the 60th, there have been lots of crowds, even on weekdays, especially at night.

Let us know if you want recommendations for activities and food in other parts of California.

 

[Darkbeer1]

What days are you planning to visit...

January 13th thru the 16th is a Holiday weekend and a Marathon.

January 19th thru the 22nd is the largest convention held in Anaheim, the NAMM show.

 

[Jones14]

Three days may have been enough a few years ago, but not anymore.

I would try and tack on an extra day, if I were you. Ever since the 60th, there have been lots of crowds, even on weekdays, especially at night.

Let us know if you want recommendations for activities and food in other parts of California.

We'd love recommendations! We get into Universal Hollywood for free because of work, so we were planning on being over in that area for one or two days, so anything you can give us over in that area would be great as well. And is there anything specific that you think we'll miss by being there for three days, or is it just a general sense of being rushed/ not able to get a lot done?

 

[Jones14]

What days are you planning to visit...

January 13th thru the 16th is a Holiday weekend and a Marathon.

January 19th thru the 22nd is the largest convention held in Anaheim, the NAMM show.

Current goal is to check in to our hotel on Monday, January 8th, and then be at the parks Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The Hollywood portion of the trip would most likely be the previous Friday/Saturday/Sunday, although that's still very up in the air since we're still working out what we want to see and do.

Also, thanks to everyone for all your help so far!

 

[SuddenStorm]

Go for three, and spend one day in DCA and two in Disneyland. No reason you shouldn't be able to get everything worth doing in DCA done in a day, and two days in Disneyland is plenty if you're diligent with the fastpasses and are there for the rope drop and stay till close. Start with Disneyland, then day two DCA, then end it with Disneyland.

 

[RMichael21]

We spent four days on our first trip to Disneyland back in July of 2014. We spent the first day at Disneyland, the second day at DCA, the first half of the third day at DCA (as we had finished everything we had wanted to do) and then spent the rest of the third day and our fourth day at Disneyland.

It was perfect for us because it allowed us to keep a slower pace and enjoy the parks, but also see almost everything we had wanted to do.

As for Magic Morning, don't be an idiot like I was and not look what days it operates, because we showed up an hour early for a non-Magic Morning day.

As for attractions, these are my following must-do attractions, absolutely not to be missed:
Disneyland:
- Indiana Jones
- Pirates of the Caribbean (1000 times better than WDW's)
DCA:
- Radiator Springs Racers

Then, what I did for the remaining attractions was list them in the following order, with the first being attractions specific to Disneyland and higher priority and the last being attractions identical to parks elsewhere in the world.

 

[Californian Elitist]

We'd love recommendations! We get into Universal Hollywood for free because of work, so we were planning on being over in that area for one or two days, so anything you can give us over in that area would be great as well. And is there anything specific that you think we'll miss by being there for three days, or is it just a general sense of being rushed/ not able to get a lot done?

Start by looking through our Southern California thread. Lots of good suggestions, here!

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/the-official-explore-southern-california-thread.872243/

In terms of specific places close to Universal, the original Bob's Big Boy in Burbank is my favorite restaurant. It's an old diner and the service is always friendly, and a car show is hosted every Friday night. I'd also recommend a visit to Originals Farmers Market, and that's not far from Universal either. What kinds of things interest you?

Regarding Disneyland, if the crowds are like what I've been seeing at the time you go, it will be a matter of not getting that much done. No lie, I can barely get 10 rides done nowadays. In saying that, I don't rush. Maybe with a specific and strict plan, you could get a lot of things done in three days. The problem is nighttime, when a lot of people come from school or work to the parks. I've personally done this myself.

If you don't care about doing every single thing offered at the DLR, three days will be just fine.

 

[Jones14]

Start by looking through our Southern California thread. Lots of good suggestions, here!

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/the-official-explore-southern-california-thread.872243/

In terms of specific places close to Universal, the original Bob's Big Boy in Burbank is my favorite restaurant. It's an old diner and the service is always friendly, and a car show is hosted every Friday night. I'd also recommend a visit to Originals Farmers Market, and that's not far from Universal either. What kinds of things interest you?

Regarding Disneyland, if the crowds are like what I've been seeing at the time you go, it will be a matter of not getting that much done. No lie, I can barely get 10 rides done nowadays. In saying that, I don't rush. Maybe with a specific and strict plan, you could get a lot of things done in three days. The problem is nighttime, when a lot of people come from school or work to the parks. I've personally done this myself.

If you don't care about doing every single thing offered at the DLR, three days will be just fine.

I had no idea that thread existed. Thank you so much! And I'm a history buff myself, so anything with historic significance will hook me. We're not huge hikers, but the natural landmarks are also of interest (the Grand Canyon has been thrown about as a possible stop on the way to California, for example), and we're actors, so anything entertainment related would be right up our alley. I also like eating at places like the diner you mentioned; I just think they're cool.

And okay! I think we're gonna stick with three days, then. We plan on being back eventually, so if we can't get to everything on this trip then that's fine. I will definitely check out the link you posted. Thank you again!

 

[UofMGuy423]

My family and I were there exactly one year ago today. We stayed at Grand Californian for 3 nights and did 4 days in the parks. When we go back we are flip flopping on whether to do 3 days or 4 days, but nothing less than 3. We accomplished everything we wanted to do in 3 days and found the 4th day to really be repeating if not threepeating things we already did. The upside is that it gave us 4 days to do everything and take it at a really nice pace.

 

[JillC LI]

I think 3 days is perfect.