Are you good at planning vacation itineraries? (Adding the DLand word)

[LibraryLover]

I'm thinking about S Cal and exactly and only 1 day each @ CA Adventure/ DisneyL. 

 

I have some questions. Messaging is great for me. I'd like to plan a really concise spring break. ;) 7 full days, while hitting college tours at UCLA, UCSB, UCSD, Long Beach. All the other -Getty, Tar Pits etc  Home base Anaheim.

Edited February 9, 2016 by LibraryLover

[Tsuga]

You need to put "Disney" in the title. I'm great at planning vacations but Disney, I just do what the Disney people in my family tell me to do. :)

 

 

Edited February 8, 2016 by Tsuga

[LibraryLover]

Hear you, but I don't want to make it about the parks. :)

[Twolittleboys]

I love to plan vacations (much to my kids' despair as they aren't that interested) AND I love Southern California (used to live in LA for a while) AND Disney (though I am a bit out of date as we haven't been the last couple of years). Let me know what you need/are looking for

[Lanny]

For every day one is going to spend on a vacation (assuming that they are not parked in a beach resort, etc.) I once read that one should read for one week.    For Disneyland or WDW or other parks, I believe you should truly plan it out, so that you can go on the maximum number of attractions on the day that you are there,  Enjoy your trip!

[Melinda in VT]

For every day one is going to spend on a vacation (assuming that they are not parked in a beach resort, etc.) I once read that one should read for one week. For Disneyland or WDW or other parks, I believe you should truly plan it out, so that you can go on the maximum number of attractions on the day that you are there, Enjoy your trip!

This seems extreme to me. I don't think I've ever done that much reading for trip planning, and I'm generally considered a very successful vacation lander.

 

OP, I highly recommend La Brea Tar Pits.

[LibraryLover]

Thanks, all. Yes, Tar Pits for sure. :)  I will mention Disney. Would you consider DL on Easter Sunday?   ;) And if you did, how would you plan it?

 

I'm also looking for fun/off the grid type things (hole in the wall diners etc) that teens might like. 

Edited February 8, 2016 by LibraryLover

[J-rap]

I love planning vacations, but I don't know Southern California well so can't really advise.  However, we did a West Coast trip once and spent exactly one whole day at DL, staying in a DL hotel for two nights.  It was perfect.  We had the first evening at the hotel, then up at the crack of dawn the next morning to get a long day in at DL.  Stayed til we dropped, then back to the hotel that night and checked out the next morning.  We really didn't feel that we needed more time there.  It felt just right.

 

 

 

 

[DawnM]

I'm thinking about S Cal and exactly and only 1 day each @ CA Adventure/ DisneyL. 

 

I have some questions. Messaging is great for me. I'd like to plan a really concise spring break. ;) 7 full days, while hitting college tours at UCLA, UCLB, UCSB, UCSD. All the other -Getty, Tar Pits etc  Home base Anaheim (done deal).

 

 

Well, pftttt, you aren't even going to visit USC, so not sure I can help you!  :glare:

 

What exactly do you need help with?  Where else to go in SoCal while you are there or planning the actual Disney portion of your trip?

 

I lived in SoCal for a very long time, but we have been gone a while now.

[Um_2_4]

Well I lived in Anaheim for 18 years (I'm still in SoCal, but out of the OC), so I can try to help. Are you flying into OC (John Wayne) or LAX? And by 7 full days, does that # not include arrival/departure days? Be aware there are several BIG highway construction projects going on right now in LA, so google maps may not always be accurate.

If you want to see all 4 of those colleges, that will eat up most of your time because well SoCal traffic. Are you coming during spring break season??

Just from UCLA to UCSB is a 1 1/2 to 2 hour drive (more if you hit heavy traffic). UCLA and Cal State LB are about 45min-1 hour (with no traffic LOL) apart. So maybe you could spend 1 day doing UCLA in the AM and CSLB in the pm. Have you called to book tours and the like or are you planning to play it by ear and just stop by yourself?? You might want to check if it is spring break week for some of those colleges to see if anyone will be available to give you a tour if you want.

I can give you a couple eateries if you want in Anaheim. 

Anaheim to Downtown LA in non rush hour is 30min to 1 hour usually, rush hour(6am-10am) double that. 

Now knowing that I would do:

1 day go up to SB, see UCSB, enjoy the waterfront, take a beach walk, find a cafe for lunch, there is a maritime museum there. 

2nd day -3rd day do Disney and ca adventures

4th day drive the 90 miles to UCSD, tons of stuff to do in the afternoon there. Balboa Park, several nice museums (natural history, Midway) I would have dinner there then head back.

5th day head up to LA to tour those 2 schools, ask students for local eateries probably would be your best bet. I would plan to stay in LA till evening , probably head to the pier after touring UCLB for dinner then head back to Anaheim (rush hour last till 7-8pm, so you could skip that).

6th-7th days you could hit LA again for the tar pits, maybe Queen Mary or the Aquarium, the Getty. Really depends on your interests. For the Getty villa (not the muesum), you have to get a reservation in advance. It is free, but $15 for parking. 

Of course mix that up however you like LOL.

 

Edited February 9, 2016 by Um_2_4

[AK_Mom4]

Every vacation from here involves complex travel planning - multiple flights, rental cars, hotels, etc.   So when we travel, I do lots and lots of research to get the best value for my money.  I usually start an online file (used to be a notebook) and then as i make reservations, I print out the details and put them in a folder that I carry with me for backup.

 

We did DisneyWorld a few years ago with all older kids.  Like another previous poster, we have always checked into the hotel the night before, spent a long day( or days) at the park and then checked out the following morning.  With older kids, I did not plan things out - I turned them loose with the FastPass app and they figured out what they wanted and how to do it.  I did make the dinner arrangements (downtown Disney), but they chose the rest.  It was a long exhausting day, but that didn't matter because everyone knew they could sleep in the next morning a bit.

 

I like traveling with a general itinerary and pre-made hotel reservations.  And preferably a chauffeur (DH).  :lol:

 

[OhanaBee]

Something else to keep in mind - the Getty is over by UCLA so, depending on what time you get a reservation, you may want to do UCLA in the morning and Getty in the afternoon [or vice versa].  But it might be easier to plan those two places on the same day, rather than UCLA and Cal State LB on the same day.  The 405 is a nightmare most of the time.

 

ETA - I grew up in LA and still have family there in Santa Monica [she went to UCLA, poor misguided girl ;) ], the Valley and Orange County.  It's a great area, but super congested if you aren't used to it.  Allow plenty of time to get places!

Edited February 9, 2016 by OhanaBee