LA/Disneyland/San Diego itinerary -please help me plan!

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

We are planning a California trip for Spring Break, which is the week before Easter. I know it will be very crowded, but it is the only time we can go. It will be me, DH and our two DDs, who will be 17 and 14.

I have been to San Francisco once, but never to Southern California, and I don't know if my plan (which is still very tentative) is any good. Suggestions, please?

Friday, April 7 - fly into LAX (arriving after dinner from the East Coast). It is much cheaper to fly into LAX than SNA - about $200 per person. I have not booked flights yet, though.

Saturday and Sunday - Hollywood/LA - we would like to do the WB Studio Tour, La Brea Tar Pits, the Farmer's Market, maybe get a ticket to see the space shuttle and maybe go to Griffith Park? I know DD17 wants to see Rodeo Drive and the Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Sign - I think she has a very romanticized view of Hollywood.

A lot of people seem to like the Loews in Hollywood. Is that the best location for what we want to do? We will have a car.

Sunday night - drive to Anaheim and stay on Harbor Blvd, probably, depending on cost

Monday-Wednesday at Disneyland. I would like to stay at the DLH and hope to book Monday and Tuesday nights and check in before EMH Monday morning.

Thursday and Friday in San Diego - should I stay in Anaheim Wednesday night and drive Thursday or should I drive Wednesday night? I have read that the traffic is unlike anything I have ever experienced.

Not sure where to stay in San Diego - I want to go the zoo, the kids would like to see the Pacific Ocean, maybe Old Town and Balboa Park?

Flying home Saturday, so likely driving back to LA Friday night, which sounds terrifying and doesn't give us much time in San Diego.

Am I even on the right track? Any really bad ideas that I have presented?

Thank you so much!

 

[hilarys]

Hi there. I will give my thoughts (others may have very different opinions) as a California native. We leave in SF Bay Area but make frequent DL trips and went to college in southern california. We also just did the Adventures By Disney Trip this summer which covers some of the places you mention in the start of your trip.

For your Hollywood days, I might also add a drive up to Malibu and a stop in Santa Monica for beautiful Pacific Ocean scenery. The Getty Museum is very good although I have not been since college. On our Adventures By Disney Trip we stayed at the Loew's and it is a beautiful hotel. We really liked the hotel itself but I hated the location. In my opinion, the Walk of Fame, Hollywood Blvd area is nasty. Granted from the hotel you can walk out and see the walk of fame and the Chinese theater and the Dolby theater, and we could see the Hollywood sign from our room. I would have preferred to stay over on the Westside area or Santa Monica (or for purposes of our tour even in Burbank). Several years ago we stayed at the Beverly Hilton and it has a great location close to the Beverly Hills sights and has a very cool retro vibe.

In San Diego we have stayed in several places (La Jolla, Coronado, and Downtown) each offers a different experience. In addition to the sights you mentioned, I would add a "Duck Tour" of the harbor that was fun and a tour of the USS Midway which was fascinating for all of us. Driving down to San Diego from Disneyland on Thursday you will have lighter traffic the later you drive which would also give you more park time.

What time are you thinking of flying out of LAX on Saturday. If it is mid-day or early afternoon you could just drive up early Saturday morning which would be much better traffic than a Friday afternoon/evening.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I would agree with @hilarys Hollywood Walk of Fame area is nasty, especially after dark. Its ok in the morning time, theres a Mall right beside Chinese Theatre and Grammy Museum but I usully only spend about 2 hours there.

I agree Santa Monica is a far nicer area. I have stayed at Comfort Inn on Santa Monica Boulevard https://www.choicehotels.com/california/santa-monica/comfort-inn-hotels/ca430 about 5 blocks from the main shopping area and the beach pier.

An ideal way for you to see all the Hollywood sights, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills etc is to do the Big Red Bus Tour https://www.starlinetours.com/los-angeles-tour-HOHO.asp which starts and ends in Santa Monica. I did this one year. It has a few routes which intersect and you get to almost everything on your list, including the Tar Pits.

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

Thursday and Friday in San Diego - should I stay in Anaheim Wednesday night and drive Thursday or should I drive Wednesday night? I have read that the traffic is unlike anything I have ever experienced.

If you drive in the evening after 8 PM, it should be fine. Most of the traffic dies down by then. Just avoid the highways from around 3 PM to 8 PM. Should take an hour and a half or so. I actually think driving at night is the best.

Not sure where to stay in San Diego - I want to go the zoo, the kids would like to see the Pacific Ocean, maybe Old Town and Balboa Park?

We've been to SD a couple of times with the kiddos, and tend to stay in the Gaslamp District. It's pretty easy to get to Balboa Park/SD Zoo from there. I also like being able to just walk some place in the evening for dinner rather than piling our kids into the car to drive somewhere, although our kids are much younger than yours. But they like walking over the Ghiradelli for dessert. We've never really stayed anywhere else, so I don't have much else to compare to unfortunately.

Definitely consider checking out the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, I really love that place (more so than the zoo).

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Hi there. I will give my thoughts (others may have very different opinions) as a California native. We leave in SF Bay Area but make frequent DL trips and went to college in southern california. We also just did the Adventures By Disney Trip this summer which covers some of the places you mention in the start of your trip.

For your Hollywood days, I might also add a drive up to Malibu and a stop in Santa Monica for beautiful Pacific Ocean scenery. The Getty Museum is very good although I have not been since college. On our Adventures By Disney Trip we stayed at the Loew's and it is a beautiful hotel. We really liked the hotel itself but I hated the location. In my opinion, the Walk of Fame, Hollywood Blvd area is nasty. Granted from the hotel you can walk out and see the walk of fame and the Chinese theater and the Dolby theater, and we could see the Hollywood sign from our room. I would have preferred to stay over on the Westside area or Santa Monica (or for purposes of our tour even in Burbank). Several years ago we stayed at the Beverly Hilton and it has a great location close to the Beverly Hills sights and has a very cool retro vibe.

In San Diego we have stayed in several places (La Jolla, Coronado, and Downtown) each offers a different experience. In addition to the sights you mentioned, I would add a "Duck Tour" of the harbor that was fun and a tour of the USS Midway which was fascinating for all of us. Driving down to San Diego from Disneyland on Thursday you will have lighter traffic the later you drive which would also give you more park time.

What time are you thinking of flying out of LAX on Saturday. If it is mid-day or early afternoon you could just drive up early Saturday morning which would be much better traffic than a Friday afternoon/evening.

Thank you! I don't expect much from Hollywood, but the kids have their own ideas of what it will be like. That's part of why I want to do it at the beginning of the trip - in case it is depressing.

Santa Monica is a great idea. We live near the beach, but the Pacific is different.

We do want to see the USS Midway, and the duck tour is a great idea!

I think we have to fly in the morning since we are going back to NC. I haven't booked flights, but I only saw red-eyes and morning departures.

Thank you!

I would agree with @hilarys Hollywood Walk of Fame area is nasty, especially after dark. Its ok in the morning time, theres a Mall right beside Chinese Theatre and Grammy Museum but I usully only spend about 2 hours there.

I agree Santa Monica is a far nicer area. I have stayed at Comfort Inn on Santa Monica Boulevard https://www.choicehotels.com/california/santa-monica/comfort-inn-hotels/ca430 about 5 blocks from the main shopping area and the beach pier.

An ideal way for you to see all the Hollywood sights, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills etc is to do the Big Red Bus Tour https://www.starlinetours.com/los-angeles-tour-HOHO.asp which starts and ends in Santa Monica. I did this one year. It has a few routes which intersect and you get to almost everything on your list, including the Tar Pits.

The bus tour sounds like a good idea. I know the kids want to do the touristy things, and DD13 loves science and is super excited about the Tar Pits.

Thank you!

If you drive in the evening after 8 PM, it should be fine. Most of the traffic dies down by then. Just avoid the highways from around 3 PM to 8 PM. Should take an hour and a half or so. I actually think driving at night is the best.

We've been to SD a couple of times with the kiddos, and tend to stay in the Gaslamp District. It's pretty easy to get to Balboa Park/SD Zoo from there. I also like being able to just walk some place in the evening for dinner rather than piling our kids into the car to drive somewhere, although our kids are much younger than yours. But they like walking over the Ghiradelli for dessert. We've never really stayed anywhere else, so I don't have much else to compare to unfortunately.

Definitely consider checking out the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido, I really love that place (more so than the zoo).

Thank you! I know we are trying to fit a lot into a week, and I am happy to drive at night. With the kids being teenagers, they stay up late and like to sleep late anyway.

Thank you all so much for your help!

 

[jcc0621]

Oooh, Piggy backing on since we are now planning almost the same trip (No SD for us). Here is a question for everyone. I was looking at the Hilton across from Universal Studios Hollywood. Good location or no?

If no, other suggestions?

 

[traveljunkie]

Not sure if this is an option for you since you will be coming from NC and maybe it's a lot more money... but have you looked into flying into LAX and out of San Diego (SAN)? That is what we are doing next month. It was the same price on Southwest for us and the rental car was only a $10 difference to pickup and dropoff in another city. I fly into San Diego at least once a year and it is such an easy airport to fly in and out of because it is right in the middle of town and pretty small. Then you don't have to fight the traffic and stress out!

 

[1983DisneyFanatic]

I did this trip in reverse. We flew into SAN from PHL and spent a few days at SeaWorld, saw a Padres game, went to Balboa Park, and explored different beaches around San Diego. We thought Coronado was beautiful and we loved seeing the seals at La Jolla Cove. We spent one night at Marriott Gaslamp Quarter and 3 nights at a Holiday Inn Express. Then we drove to Anaheim and stayed on Harbor BLvd for 3 nights. We didn't have time to visit Hollywood and just did a drive by. I think I might have had a glamorized expectation of Hollywood too because I was a little disappointed. We flew home from LAX. Look into a multi city flight instead of a round trip. It might not be much more.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Not sure if this is an option for you since you will be coming from NC and maybe it's a lot more money... but have you looked into flying into LAX and out of San Diego (SAN)? That is what we are doing next month. It was the same price on Southwest for us and the rental car was only a $10 difference to pickup and dropoff in another city. I fly into San Diego at least once a year and it is such an easy airport to fly in and out of because it is right in the middle of town and pretty small. Then you don't have to fight the traffic and stress out!

I need to look into this. We can fly Southwest out of Raleigh, which is cheaper than flying into and out of Wilmington. Thanks for the idea!

 

[buzz242]

We're currently on vacation here and have done many of the things you mentioned. We started in San Diego as we had tickets for the Guns N Roses concert last week. We stayed at the Manchester Grand Hyatt which I would definitely recommend, the views are amazing and the hotel itself is great. We loved being able to walk along the waterfront and stroll a short distance to the Gas Lamp Quarter which has so many reastaurants. The hotel is next to Seaport Village where you can pick up many tours including the Seal Bus/boat. It's a short car ride to both San Diego Zoo and Sea World,we have previously stayed in Mission Valley but preferred Downtown.
We then drove up to LA but stayed in Glendale which is very convenient for Universal Studios and Hollywood, we've previously stayed at other locations but wasted so much time because of traffic. Have you considered doing one of the City Sightseeing tours? You can pick one up at the Chinese Theatre which is where the Walk of Fame is, one line takes in Rodeo Drive, La Brea Tar Pits and Farmers Market plus the Hollywood sign. ( at a distance) Griffith Park is fairly close by if you're driving. There's another tour that takes in Santa Monica but it may be too much to do both tours in one day.
Previously we've stayed on Harbor Boulevard at the Embassy Suites and also the Portofino, both were fine but not anything special.
We're now in San Francisco and loving every minute. Happy planning for your vacation.

 

[hodad]

I lived in SD for a while and visit friends often. I usually stay with them, but if I had to book a room I would avoid the Gaslamp and Mission Valley and instead stay somewhere like the Catamaran Resort and Spa, near the beach and near PB or OB. Then go eat a burger at Hodad's or a burrito at someplace like Cotija's, rather than eating overpriced tourist food near the convention center.

Have you considered SNA or LGB, in addition to SAN and LAX?

 

[Luvzmy3boys]

I live on the westside in LA and have done the drive to San Diego many times and would strongly advise that you try to drive after 8:00 pm at night or as early as you can (5 or 6 am). From my house to San Diego is normally about 2 hrs without much traffic-- there is never No traffic. If you left anytime between 3 and 6 it could take 4-5 hours. You should definitely use the Waze app as it will route you the least congested route. It is fairly easy and inexpensive to get around LA by Uber or Lyft if you don't want to drive. The Loews In Hollywood is in Avery very congested area. The Hollywood and Highland complex where it is located can be very seedy at night- I go there only when I have to for events. There are lots of pickpockets and occasionally more violent crime. Go during the day if possible. I used to live in Manhattan and liken it to Times Square. There are lots of reasonable hotels around the Grove/Farmer's market area and Beverly Hills and the Sunset Strip which is in West Hollywood. There are also tons of sightseeing tours of LA. I would stay in these areas if most of what you want to do is around Hollywood/tar pits, etc. There is not much near the Universal Hilton other than universal city walk which is a bit of a walk. I like the safari park in San Diego better than the zoo- less crowded. Balboa park is nice but I think no more than a half day adventure. We have stayed in gas lamp district (waterfront), Coronado island, just north of San Diego and Carlsbad (Lego land). All were great.

 

[halfmonkey]

We live in SD so if you have specific questions, feel free to ask.

My recommendations on where to stay in SD would be somewhere in downtown by the gaslamp district. It's a very nice area and close to a bit of tourist attractions. I assume you'll have a car so driving to some of your mentioned areas of interest will be easy from downtown but like you said coming from NC, traffic will be much more intense but still not as intense as driving in LA. Of course, one of the things that we're known for is our beaches so make sure to find some time to spend at the beach. The water will still be quite chilly so maybe do a bonfire or at least bring your wetsuits if you plan to go into the water. Our zoo is world famous so spend some time there. Other places to mention are the tide pools at La Jolla Shores, Hotel Del Coronado, Sea World, Legoland, strawberry picking fields in Carlsbad, Seaport Village, USS Midway, carne asada burritos, carne asada fries, balboa park to name just a few.

The carne asada burrito and carne asada fries are something I mention because the way we do them in San Diego is not like anywhere else in the US. Even with Los Angeles being a neighbor, they don't do them like we do them and I always take our out of town guests to eat a carne asada burrito because they won't get it anywhere else. If you're a foodie, give it a try. A good place to go is called JV's. It's down by Sea World, down the street from the University of San Diego. Been going there since I went to college at USD.

Have fun.