In Desperate Need of Palm Trees… ABD Disney, Backstage, Disneyland Resort November 2020 Pre-Trip Report!

Spencer Wright

Constantly craving a zebra dome...
Joined
Jul 31, 2017
Welcome to my Adventures by Disney/Disneyland Pre-Trip Report!!

My name is Spencer Wright and have booked my first trip to Disneyland and California from November 8th to the 13th (adult exclusive). My May trip was canceled due to current events (I am referring to coronavirus).

First a little about myself! I turned 30 in November and decided it was finally time to visit California and Hollywood. Disney was a huge part of my childhood, and my family started visiting WDW when I was 12. I also love Old Hollywood and classic film, especially reading the biographies of the stars of the era. For me ‘Old Hollywood’ means the period from about 1915 to the early 50’s. Besides Disney and Old Hollywood, I also love cats (I have three) and have taken more of an interest in exercise.

490884
490886
So, onto the trip! For 2020 I deiced it was finally time to get out to Los Angeles and Disneyland but was not really sure how to go about it. I live right outside of South Philadelphia, therefore many potential travel companions are dissuaded to visit DLR due to the expense and logistics compared to WDW. And a solo trip to DLR (at least for a first visit) was not sitting right with me.

But then another appealing option emerged. About a month ago I was listening to the
Dreams Unlimited Travel show, and they were talking about the Adventures By Disney Backstage Magic trip, and something clicked in my brain and decided I was going to do it.

And fortunately, my father agreed so I have a travel buddy!!

I was hoping to go in May, and then perhaps return for the holidays. Obviously due to everything going on, travel for 2020 will be quite limited. At this point I have been on lockdown since March 13th and will be till at least May 8th. I suspect it will be quite a bit longer. I live in Delaware County, right outside of Philadelphia. So, I think we have a long road ahead. Southern California seems to be in a similar state.

Therefore, November seemed like a good time to go. It gives the Parks time to re-open and get procedures in order.

Obviously, we don’t know what is going to happen in terms of things re-opening. So for now I am planning with the mindset that while there will be changes, it will mostly pertain to capacity and will not be significant. I know that is not necessarily realistic, but it’s a start.

As of now, the Adventure is booked, and I have airfare booked. A pre-night is booked at the Loew’s Hollywood Hotel and post-night at the Candy Cane Inn.

In terms of planning I have a few questions:

- This trip is the Southern California Hollywood/Disneyland Adventure. Any specific tips or anything I should know?

-We are scheduled to arrive at about 9 a.m. the day before the adventure. Any specific activity you might encourage and/or discourage. In particular, I am interested in going to Griffith Park.


-I am thinking about adding an additional post-night or two. Who knows when I be able to get to California again? What are some general thoughts on Knotsberry Farm, Universal Studios, or any other applicable attraction.

I certainly invite you to follow me along as I plan this Adventure, and strongly encourage you to provide any feedback/tips/criticism that may be of use as we plan our first trip out to the West Coast!!


It seems things may be beginning to slow in terms of current events, so hopefully this trip will be a possibility.
 
You will love the ABD, it is amazing. What about a studio tour the day you arrive? We did the Warner Brothers tour the day before our adventure. It was easy to Uber to the tour and back and we really enjoyed it. We've also done the Sony tour and really enjoyed it too. Can't wait to read more of your trip.
 


You will love the ABD, it is amazing. What about a studio tour the day you arrive? We did the Warner Brothers tour the day before our adventure. It was easy to Uber to the tour and back and we really enjoyed it. We've also done the Sony tour and really enjoyed it too. Can't wait to read more of your trip.

yes!! I really want to do the Warner Brothers tour but can’t book it right now (for November). I may add a day to do a couple of tours. Lots of exciting stuff!
 
I live in SoCal and for a low-key activity, I suggest hiking around the Griffith Park Observatory. Fantastic views of LA and a short Uber ride from the Loews Hotel.

Yes! I am going to do some research this weekend. I am glad to see how close the Loews is to a lot of the primary activities. I am thinking about maybe adding a couple of days prior to the Adventure.

It is a little difficult to research with everything shutdown, but I will do my best. I will probably post an update once I have some rough plans sketched out.
 



GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top