Planning Our California Vacation -- opinions welcome!

[BeckyEsq]

Hello all! DH and I (both age 30) are planning our first trip to California starting June 20. Not all of it is Disney related, but I appreciate help from those of you who are familiar with the Southern California area. I would appreciate any comments about our planned itinerary:

Monday June 20: fly direct to LAX, arrive 11:30 am. Take cab to San Pedro port and board Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas.

Tuesday June 21: San Diego. Take shore excursion to San Diego Zoo (9 am to 2 pm). Return to ship -- possibly take ferry to Coronado? Dinner on ship.

Wednesday, June 22: Catalina Island. No shore excrusions scheduled here -- can we just walk around? Beach day? Maybe rent a golf cart and drive around -- anyone done that? What about shopping?

Thursday, June 23: Ensenada Mexico -- not sure what to do here. Is the Fox Studios Tour worth it? We've never been to a movie studio and we love Titanic. How far is it from the port? Should we just stay on the ship?

Friday, June 24: Dock in LA. Shore excursion tour of LA (five hours). Dropped off at LAX -- take Super Shuttle to Howard Johnson Anaheim. Check in, dinner at Mimi's, then do some shopping at Downtown Disney, maybe some pool time or a movie.

Saturday, June 25: Disneyland. Get there before park opening. Lunch at Blue Bayou. Dinner -- ??? If the crowds are unbearable, possibly head to DCA after lunch. Anyone know what parade we can see this day?

Sunday, June 26: I'd like to go to Mass if possible, but we won't have a rental car -- is there anything nearby? Spend the day at DCA. Ideas for meals that day? What about parades? Flight leaves at 9:30 pm.

thanks everyone!!

 

[Judy from Boise]

OK, here is my opinion, and it isn't one that everyone shares by any means....but if I had such a short time at the parks I wouldn't waste one minute on a sit down restaurant! Eat instead at the French Market....then ride a few more rides

 

[Itinkso]

Rent a cart on Catalina to see the sights. The shopping area and Casino are within walking distance of the pier. We really didn't like Ensenada - walked to shopping but returned to the ship within a couple of hours.
Blue Bayou - make reservations either ahead of time or as soon as you enter the park. You can ask for seating 'on the water' if you'd like. We had reservations this past Sunday (2:30) and were in and out in under an hour. The Monte Cristo sandwich is wonderful!
At DCA, have a late dinner 8:00 or so, or even just dessert, at Wine Country Trattoria on the terrace and you will get a great view of the Electrical Light Parade. We had dessert on Sunday - the tiramisu was excellent! We returned for lunch on Monday and enjoyed the sandwiches. Because DCA always closes a couple of hours before DL, watch the Electrical parade and then head back over to DL. The lines for Matterhorn will be shorter closer to closing and you'll be able to walk onto rides in Fantasyland. Also, if you enter DL right when it opens, check to see if Matterhorn is open and head on over as fast as you can!
Because we can eat at Mimi's in our own city, we like Storyteller's Cafe in the Grand Californian. They have a nice buffet and California cuisine. If you like clam chowder, have lunch as the Pacific Wharf Cafe in DCA...it is the same chowder at Boudin's in San Francisco - yum!!
FastPass tip: Always get a FastPass for autopia, Indiana Jones, Soarin over CA and Tower of Terror. You can have FastPasses for a ride in DL and a ride in DCA as the computers are not connected. Enjoy your trip!!

 

[grinningghost]

Stop right there and rearrange your plans. Do NOT do DL on a Saturday.

It's really, really, really bad. We made the mistake. We went again on a Monday and had a great time. I repeat, do NOT go to DL on a Saturday.

 

[PrincessSitka]

Just go disney all the way for get the rest of your plans. Just a though

 

[BeckyEsq]

Thanks everyone for the comments.

I know Saturday is not ideal for DL, but we are working around the cruise -- the cruise is our primary reason for traveling to CA, so Disneyland is just an added bonus. My DH has always wanted to visit CA so he wants to see more than just Disneyland. Also, with just two adults, I think we can handle the crowds pretty well if we use Fast Pass and try to focus on the rides we haven't done at WDW.

Are Sundays much better? I am thinking maybe we should go to DL on Sat when it opens, then once it gets crowded, go to CA and then do more of DL on Sunday?

 

[Itinkso]

ParkHopping is the best choice. Always get into DL as soon as it opens and head for a ride you and DH really want to go on. But Disney sometimes doesn't open Matterhorn or Indiana Jones early so you can check the ride board near the end of Main Street (near Adventureland) Sometimes with this strategy, my DD rides about 5-6 rides in the first couple of hours and then heads to DCA when it opens. Get a FastPass for Soaring and then go to Screaming. Tower of Terror is a little different at DL than at WDW - we usually get a FastPass for ToT. When the parks get really busy, we usually head to DTD and ESPN or browse around the DL Hotel. Have a great time and don't forget to get a pair of Gold Mickey ears