How many days for a WDW family that stays a week?

[Gentry2004]

If we are a WDW Family that goes every year or two and stays a week (7 day ticket), how many days would you recommend for DL/CA? Our whole trip to CA will be a week but we would like to do a few non-Disney tourist things as well. Which ticket would you get? 2 parents, 2 teens. This will be for a busy time - spring break.

TIA.

 

[joseph821]

If we are a WDW Family that goes every year or two and stays a week (7 day ticket), how many days would you recommend for DL/CA? Our whole trip to CA will be a week but we would like to do a few non-Disney tourist things as well. Which ticket would you get? 2 parents, 2 teens. This will be for a busy time - spring break.

TIA.

I would recommend 5 day park hopper tickets with Genie +. You will have enough time and flexibility at Disneyland. Also 5 day park hoppers do not need to be used on consecutive days so you will fine.

 

[Dr.Mickey]

It depends on how much of the rest of the LA area you want to see. We live on the east coast, have been long time WDW regulars, but our last two trips have been to Disneyland. I love it and my wife prefers it to be honest. We have three teen boys.

First trip as a family was 2019 for three park days (was not enough for us). But that trip we spent a week and a half out west and we did Yosemite and Sequoia NPs. Best trip ever!

Our second trip was June 2023 for Disneyland only. We did 5 day park hoppers this time. The adults could have stayed longer. The teens were all done after five days. We tend to take it slower as adults, and we spent about half our time together as a whole family, and half the time with the teens going free but meeting for meals. They were so busy during those times that they kind of over-did it and wore themselves down. Whereas me and my wife would do things like stick around for back to back Dapper Dans, etc.

Hope this helps!

By the way, for most of the year (June especially ) the SoCal weather makes a HUGE difference. I don’t think I’ll ever get my wife to WDW in the summer again

 

[Gentry2004]

Thanks. Is hopper important? We skip it at WDW but I know things are more compact in CA. I do think we’d want at least 2 full days around LA so maybe we’d have to do 4 park days instead of 5. Husband was thinking 3 park days but I worried that was too little.

 

[joseph821]

Thanks. Is hopper important? We skip it at WDW but I know things are more compact in CA. I do think we’d want at least 2 full days around LA so maybe we’d have to do 4 park days instead of 5. Husband was thinking 3 park days but I worried that was too little.

Yes it is important to have the hopper in Disneyland. Everything is so close. You can easily move from DL to DCA and vice versa.

 

[Rich M]

Depending on what the other stuff you want to do in LA I would say 4 day park hoppers would be plenty if you plan to be out the full day. If you think you might have a half day out in LA and be back in time to go to the park at night then maybe just get the 5 day if its not a big difference. 3 full days in DL with Genie Plus (Done Correctly) is enough in my opinion but if you want a more relaxing touring schedule I would say 4 days is good. Hopper is important with Disneyland to me because its just so easy to do and if you find one park to crazy you can just hop. Remember DL hopping begins at 11 AM so lots of time. During Spring Break I am sure DL will be open until 12 and DCA until 10 so even if you stay at DCA until close then you have 2 hours left at DL. Have a great trip and try not to fall in love with DL too much. Be sure to tell all the DW folks you hated it so they won't all come and invade our favorite parks. : )

 

[Aladora]

Thanks. Is hopper important? We skip it at WDW but I know things are more compact in CA. I do think we’d want at least 2 full days around LA so maybe we’d have to do 4 park days instead of 5. Husband was thinking 3 park days but I worried that was too little.

We never go to DL without getting hoppers and we have never done WDW with hoppers! Most days we go to both parks at least once and there have been days where we start in one park, hop over to the other after lunch, and then go back to the first park in the evening. There have even been a few times where we did each park twice in the same day.

 

[joseph821]

We never go to DL without getting hoppers and we have never done WDW with hoppers! Most days we go to both parks at least once and there have been days where we start in one park, hop over to the other after lunch, and then go back to the first park in the evening. There have even been a few times where we did each park twice in the same day.

I also like the flexibility with the hopper for meal and food choices as well.

 

[ktlm]

For a busy time, I would do the 5 day hopper. We were long time WDW people that typically stayed 8 nights. For DLR, in the summer we typically come in on a Saturday and are in the parks by 2:00 p.m. We spend 3 full days in the parks and then on Wednesday, we usually spend half a day in the parks and then drive to the San Diego (or LA) area and spend the next 3 full days there. We were just at DLR last weekend-- we had to come to CA for something else so Disney was a bonus and we spent from about 1:00 to midnight on Saturday and then all day Sunday and Monday. We felt like we needed one more day--- we had to remind ourselves this was a Disney bonus, not a Disney trip!

Definitely get the hoppers--- hopping now starts at 11:00 a.m. To a WDW person, DL/CA feels like one park. The walk between parks is shorter than most walks from the bus stop to the gate at WDW. It is just a plaza between parks. You can literally be out of one park and into the other in less than 5 minutes. We have travelled from the back of DL (Small World) to the back of CA (Pixar Pier) in less than 10 minutes. Also for Spring Break, you definitely want Genie +. Once you have scanned into a park, you can book a lightening lane in either park. Also, at DLR Genie + includes all your photopass pictures, so you can make it worth your while by taking a ton of photos, even if you don't wind up using that many lightening lanes.

If you are wanting to go to a bunch of things in the LA area, you might want to consider staying close to DLR for the Disney portion of your trip, but having a hotel near the LA area for the other part of your trip. The drive between Disney and the Universal Area (which is close to Hollywood, Warner Brother Studios, Griffith Observatory, etc) took us 1 1/2 hours to get there at a non rush hour time, and on a different day it took us 2 hours to get back on a non rush hour time. The traffic can be a nightmare.

What all do you want to do in the LA area? We had no problem doing both the Warner Brothers Studio Tour and Hollywood in one day, and I think we might have been able to fit something else in that day too. We spent a lot of time at WB (probably longer in the wander yourself area than most people) and we did Madame Tussards in Hollywood, in addition to spending a lot of time walking around the Hollywood area.

 

[Pluto468]

I'd do a 5 day hopper. That will give you alot of flexibility. Since you want to do things in LA, I'd do 1 or 2 nights in LA, then move to Anaheim for the DL portion of your trip.

 

[Kit Jackson]

I would say 4-5 days in Disneyland, with park hoppers and Genie+ if you can afford it.

 

[Tom_E_D]

Thanks. Is hopper important? We skip it at WDW but I know things are more compact in CA. I do think we’d want at least 2 full days around LA so maybe we’d have to do 4 park days instead of 5. Husband was thinking 3 park days but I worried that was too little.

The price difference between a 4-day ticket and a 5-day ticket is only $20 per person. If any of your non-Disney activities might have you back at your hotel for the evening, it might be worthwhile to go into the park just for a few hours after (and/or for) dinner. This is especially true if you'll be staying close enough to the parks that you can walk there. I don't think you'll need a fifth full day, but for just $20, seeing the fireworks and riding a ride or two may be worth it.

 

[Gentry2004]

For a busy time, I would do the 5 day hopper. We were long time WDW people that typically stayed 8 nights. For DLR, in the summer we typically come in on a Saturday and are in the parks by 2:00 p.m. We spend 3 full days in the parks and then on Wednesday, we usually spend half a day in the parks and then drive to the San Diego (or LA) area and spend the next 3 full days there. We were just at DLR last weekend-- we had to come to CA for something else so Disney was a bonus and we spent from about 1:00 to midnight on Saturday and then all day Sunday and Monday. We felt like we needed one more day--- we had to remind ourselves this was a Disney bonus, not a Disney trip!

Definitely get the hoppers--- hopping now starts at 11:00 a.m. To a WDW person, DL/CA feels like one park. The walk between parks is shorter than most walks from the bus stop to the gate at WDW. It is just a plaza between parks. You can literally be out of one park and into the other in less than 5 minutes. We have travelled from the back of DL (Small World) to the back of CA (Pixar Pier) in less than 10 minutes. Also for Spring Break, you definitely want Genie +. Once you have scanned into a park, you can book a lightening lane in either park. Also, at DLR Genie + includes all your photopass pictures, so you can make it worth your while by taking a ton of photos, even if you don't wind up using that many lightening lanes.

If you are wanting to go to a bunch of things in the LA area, you might want to consider staying close to DLR for the Disney portion of your trip, but having a hotel near the LA area for the other part of your trip. The drive between Disney and the Universal Area (which is close to Hollywood, Warner Brother Studios, Griffith Observatory, etc) took us 1 1/2 hours to get there at a non rush hour time, and on a different day it took us 2 hours to get back on a non rush hour time. The traffic can be a nightmare.

What all do you want to do in the LA area? We had no problem doing both the Warner Brothers Studio Tour and Hollywood in one day, and I think we might have been able to fit something else in that day too. We spent a lot of time at WB (probably longer in the wander yourself area than most people) and we did Madame Tussards in Hollywood, in addition to spending a lot of time walking around the Hollywood area.

What do you recommend we do in LA? The highlights you mentioned sound great. I was planning to do a split stay where stay in Anaheim for the Disney portion and near the sites for the LA portion. We will be flying from the east coast.

 

[ktlm]

What do you recommend we do in LA? The highlights you mentioned sound great. I was planning to do a split stay where stay in Anaheim for the Disney portion and near the sites for the LA portion. We will be flying from the east coast.

That is a good plan.

The Warner Brothers Studio Tour was a highlight of our trip. I would highly recommend that one. We also loved the Griffith Observatory-- so fun to be at a place you have seen in so many movies-- and there is a great view of the Hollywood sign from there. Go to Hollywood during daylight hours. It is fun to look at the stars on the sidewalk and also the hand and footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. I think the theatre also has a tour, but we didn't do it. If while you are walking around Hollywood you have never been to a Madame Tussauds and your teens like taking photos-- that can be a lot of fun. You can take photos will all the celebrity wax figures and a lot of them look very lifelike. My teen really loved it. The Disney Studio Store (Soda Shop) is right in that area as well.

There is always Universal if you have not had enough of theme parks. The Hollywood Universal park does have a 45-60 minute studio tour included in the price of the theme park admission. It is a working studio area, but it is more ride-like than the Warner Brothers tour. If I wasn't counting the theme park and was picking a tour it would be Warner Brothers hands down, but the Universal Studio tour was fun.

We just drove through the Rodeo Drive area-- my teen DD wasn't interested in exploring because she said "I'm just going to fall in love with really expensive way overpriced clothes that we can't afford, so there is no point. It would just be depressing".
We went to the Santa Monica Pier-- but none of us was impressed with it. If you are from the east coast and are used to the piers up there, it might not be worth your time. We thought it seemed kind of rough and dirty.

We prefer the San Diego area, so we haven't spent a whole lot of time in the LA area. I've heard the Hollywood Museum is fun if you like movie props, but we haven't done it. Someone else can probably give you more ideas, but those are my top ones.

 

[Kit Jackson]

I enjoyed the Warner Brothers Studio Tour, but that was years ago and they have changed it since I was there, but from what I have read it seems like the new version is even better. Griffith Observatory/Griffith Park are wonderful, and you get fantastic views of the Hollywood sign. I was disappointed by the tour of the TCL (what used to be known as Grauman's Chinese Theatre) but I absolutely loved all of the hand prints, foot prints, and other kinds of prints outside in the courtyard. If anyone is interested in Greek or Roman history/art, the Getty Villa in Malibu is amazing.

 

[irlandaise]

I was disappointed by the tour of the TCL (what used to be known as Grauman's Chinese Theatre) but I absolutely loved all of the hand prints, foot prints, and other kinds of prints outside in the courtyard.

Plus, it's across the street from Disney's beautifully restored El Capitan Theatre, built in 1926 and the place where Citizen Kane premiered. You might want to check on what's playing there during your visit, especially any special events. There's a small Disney store and a Ghirardelli soda fountain attached to the theater. (Although Ghirardelli also has an ice cream shop at California Adventure, so you're covered for your trip!)

https://elcapitantheatre.com/

 

[SpaceMan5]

Gentry2004, the masses have spoken or at least the most well informed DIS members - Get the hopper, you will not regret it.

 

[JohnR5101]

I also recommend 5 day with hopper for all the reasons others have mentioned. the difference between a 3 day and a 5 day is $55 per person. Also, the hopper costs $60 per person for the length of stay. That means it costs you $60 if you only stay 2 days, and it costs $60 if you stay 5 days - so much better value (just $12/day for a 5 day ticket).

A couple years ago my wife and I decided we wanted to go see Venice Beach because we had always heard the name but never visited in spite of having lived down there for years. DON'T is my recommendation. UGLY! I think Huntington Beach is better although haven't been there since I was a teen. Farther down the coast is more picturesque - Newport, Crystal Cove, Laguna, Dana Point, San Diego... You could probably hit a few of those in a day trip.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Loved the Warner Brothers Studio Tour when we did it in 2018!

 

[lilsonicfan]

Personally I don't think you *need* 5 days at Disneyland with park hoppers and genie+ ... especially if you only have a week in California. I think 3-4 days is more than enough.