Disney - Orlando versus California

[cornishfrogboy]

Originally Posted by steruth

Wow this has certainly given me some thought . I have done Orlando now 15 times this year and have been considering California for a long time.

I love the reviews above .

Just wanted to ask Airport - John Wayne Airport , which airport in UK flies into there ?

Thanks
x

See more...

John Wayne only has a 5,700 foot runway and thus, it is mainly regional. The biggest airliner that lands there is apparently B757. You might find arrival options limited.

There are international flights from Canada and Mexico. It obviously has links to various ‘hub’ airports.

Most people arriving or leaving from LA will use the major airport, LAX.

Hope it helps.

[steruth]

Sound amazing I am thinking more and more about it now. Universal is it similar to Orlando ?

I had been told one year from someone who went in August that the heat is no where near Orlando heat , so we were thinking of August due to school holidays

xx

[Wappum]

We are diehard Orlando fans, having visited for the last 12 years. For the last 2 years we’ve combined a visit to Florida with 1 to California too and after returning from our last holiday last week, we all agreed that California had been the highlight. So much so that next years holiday is going to be to the West Coast only

The weather is better (the lack of humidity makes it so much more pleasurable), we don’t mind the smaller parks and We’ve all fallen in love with San Diego. In fact the only thing my kids prefer currently in Florida is the water parks - Aquatica isn’t really up to the standards of the Florida waterparks
Last year we did more of a tour of California, starting in San Francisco, via LA, Disneyland and Las Vegas before ending in San Diego. This year we did just Disneyland and San Diego as we weren’t huge fans of LA/SF or LV and next year may just be San Diego
It is more expensive for accommodation, Disneyland is definitely only a 3/4 day thing but the state is so vast and so different to Florida I think it’s easy to find things other than theme parks to do
For reference my kids are 16,11 and 6 - so not the easiest of age gaps as they generally like different things - but we were able to keep them all entertained in Cali

[Buzz n' Piglet]

Just spending our last night in California

4 days at disneyland is ample. Even with a 2 year old we have done plenty in 4 days.

We started in SF and drove the PCH. What a drive. Big Sur is incredible. Jaw dropping scenery.

We went to Santa Cruz, Monterey, Morro Bay and San Diego, then drove back to Anaheim. San Diego our favourite stop and would love to go back.

If it's a "Disney" holiday you want then go to Orlando again. If you want an adventure with a little bit of Disney then do California.

[trampslikeus]

Originally Posted by steruth

Wow this has certainly given me some thought . I have done Orlando now 15 times this year and have been considering California for a long time.

I love the reviews above .

Just wanted to ask Airport - John Wayne Airport , which airport in UK flies into there ?

Thanks
x

See more...

We flew into John Wayne Orange County via Newark with United Airlines on one trip.
Other times into LAX

[KarenG]

If you want to go to theme parks Orlando is great. California has some great theme parks but is so much more than that! We far prefer California to Orlando.

[trampslikeus]

Originally Posted by KarenG

If you want to go to theme parks Orlando is great. California has some great theme parks but is so much more than that! We far prefer California to Orlando.

See more...

My first USA trip was to CA on honeymoon in 1993 and then followed it up with a trip to FL the following year. My analogy at the time was that visiting Orlando was like going to Blackpool, and LA area was like a trip to London. After 20 more trips to Florida and just completed 3rd visit to California, it kind of still feels like that, and both are great holiday destinations with different features

[jdouds]

Hi like many others on this thread if you need a small Disney fix then 3/4 days max. For us there is so much to see on west coast it would be a shame not to do some sort of road trip. With the ages of your kids I would try and include San Fran Monterey and San Diego. If possible fly into San Fran and back from LA. In San Fran you could get your first Disney fix at he Disney museum and would also include cycle over bridge to sausilito (easy cycle, kids should love this ) and come back on the ferry. Cable car ride , Alcatraz just some of the things to do.
Of to Monterey with a possible stop Santa Cruz on the way, 2 hour dr.
Monterey aquarium is fantastic and would suggest going in early as it gets very busy, 17 mile dr,Carmel,pebble beech and of course our highlight as with others whale watching. We went with sanctuary cruises from moss landing which is 15 mins north of Monterey and gets you out to the main whale watching area quicker. If you have seen the recent photos of a humpback whale feeding and accidentally catching a seal this photo was taken by our guide on our last trip who is a biologist and wildlife photographer.
From Monterey would suggest a stop on the way done coast ,cambria Santa Barbara perhaps. Lots to se on this part of the journey with a photo opportunity around every corner. At San Simeon you must stop to see the elephant seals hauled out on the beech and possibly hearst castle.
From your stop on the coast you then have the option of driving straight to San Diego , lots to do, zoo and wildlife park very good and then finish with Disney or vice versa.
Roughly
3 n San fra
2 n Monterey
1/2 n on coast
3/4 n San Diego
3/4 n Annahiem
Happy planning

[400ixl]

For a first west coast trip, unless you are going for a minimum of 3 weeks I would stick to Southern California. There is more than enough to do there and you could do maybe 3 locations to not make it so much of a road trip.

One location would be north LA, somewhere like Burbank or Hollywood. You have the Six flags Magic Mountain theme park and waterpark which has some bigger coasters to do over a couple of days if you include the waterpark. You then have Universal Studios theme park which is a 1-2 day park.
You then have Hollywood, La Brea Tar Pits, Griffith Observatory, Warner Bros Studio tour and more in that area to do. You could then take a day on the coast doing Santa Monica with the pier, Marina Del Ray and Venice beach with the skate board bowl and muscle beach. If your kids watch YouTube vloggers then they will have seen this area.

If you are film or TV people then there are also lots of filming locations in LA to visit.

So you can easily fill 4+ days here.

Between north and south LA you have the science museum which has the space shuttle on exhibit which is good for a few hours.

In Anaheim you obviously have Disney which some can fill 4-5 days with. Not much else here but you could do a day trip to Long Beach.

San Diego can easily fill another 5 days. Lots to do here and it's above relaxing area. Old town, trolleys and the gas lamp district are probably as historical as the US gets. You have the Zoo and Sea World to visit as well.

So as you can see, for a first trip you don't need to be covering mass distances. Save San Francisco. Yosemite, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon etc for that second trip once you realise how much nicer the west coast is to Florida 😁

[jdouds]

Hi again , 400ixl has made a lot of good points but for us there are better things to do and see outside LA area which is a sprawling mass 100 miles accross. But whatever you decide it will be great.