Visiting Disneyland/Universal
 

Hi everyone;

I'll be visiting LA area in a couple of weeks. I only have three days (Fri-Sun), and was planning to see Disneyland one day (probably Fri), Universal Studios the second day (Sat), and drive to San Diego for a day trip on the third day. I will definitely rent a car, as it seems to be the common wisdom around here. I just can't decide what area to stay in to maximize my fun/driving ratio :) Although I would spend the day at theme parks, I may want to get out and have some nice dinner/beach walk in the evenings.

Any advice on where to stay, or which days to go where will be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Kavel

That's a busy agenda for 3 days, considering LA traffic. Why not just do Disneyland and then the beach, skip Universal.

I'd do Universal on Friday as you can do it in just an afternoon. Not sure how early you arrive but you could tour Hollywood or Beverly Hills on your way from LAX to Universal. Univ is open into the evening with lots of restaurants & fun....I'd take a late (after 8:30 maybe - no traffic) drive to my hotel and I'd probably choose Costa Mesa since it is close to Newport Beach yet an easy drive to Disneyland. Also easy to get to from Universal on the freeways. Newport Beach if room price is not an issue, but Costa Mesa has more bargains.

Sat at Disneyland day and night with either a morning or the evening strolling Newport Beach, then it's a very easy drive down to San Diego. If you're leaving L.A. on Monday morning, traffic from Costa Mesa could be heavy after 7:30am, you'd probably want to allow 90min just for the drive but might do it in an hour.

Thank you very much for the tips. I should probably give you a little more detail on my schedule: I'm flying into and out of Orange County (SNA), not LAX. I'll be arriving Thursday afternoon, and leaving early Monday morning. If I can, I would prefer to visit both Disneyland and Universal (and I already have tickets for both :) ). Any more ideas?

Thanks,
Kavel

You could stay in Costa Mesa right near your airport, or higher end Newport Beach a few miles away. Thurs night dine by the ocean, Friday go to Disneyland since it is nearby and a heavy traffic day. School is out so Disney will be full. Go really early (7am?) to beat the traffic-you can have breakfast somewhere near the park- or wait until 10am when traffic should quiet down.

Sat & Sun are usually a bit easier for traffic so head up to Universal...then save Sunday for your drive down to San Diego. Monday return to airport should be a breeze if you stay in Costa Mesa area - nothing much to do there but it's a good base for your weekend. Everything is an easy freeway drive from here and the hotel desk will have good directions for you.

I agree....stay somewhere in Orange County. Do Disneyland on Fri. Even school is out, it should still be less crowded than Sat. If you leave early enough on Sat. morning, your drive to Universal should be a breeze. If you spend most of the day there, your drive back to Orange County should be easy too. Traffic is unpredictable on Saturdays nowadays, especially in the afternoon.

Disney and Universal are 2 hours apart( considering traffic). I would choose one and plan the remainder of the trip around it. I have not seen the new Disneyland remodel but we thought Universal was much better.

2 hours apart???? OK, maybe depending on what time of the day you're going! But like I said, if you go in the morning, you'll be OK, especially on the weekends.

Thank you very much everyone for the tips. I ended up getting a hotel right near SNA. We'll do Disneyland on Friday, and Universal on Saturday. What time do you think I should head our to Universal on Saturday? I understand morning is better for traffic, but how early are we talking about? 7-8am, 10am?

Thanks again...

Kavel

9am is probably ok on Sat, listen to am news radio for reports, if there's a tie-up on freeway 5 there are several alternatives that you can take to go north.

if you want a break from Univ in the afternoon, take a subway ride ($1.25 each way) down to the first stop (Highland) and get out to walk around and see the Walk of Fame, Chinese Theatre etc. Kodak Theatre is right there (where the Oscars take place). For a unique-to-L.A. dinner experience make reservations at the Getty, their dining room is open Fri and Sat into the evening and has spectacular views of the city, good food and good wine. It's not much of a detour on your way back to Orange County, just leave Universal onto the 101 freeway northbound and switch to the 405 southbound. After the Getty you can take the 405 southbound back to SNA. www.getty.edu