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Disneyland California and West Coast Trip Planning Disneyland California and West Coast Holiday Planning Questions, Suggestions and Tips.

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Old 25 Sep 19, 11:39 AM  
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#1
floridabuddies
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Mobile Is it doable with a 9 month old?

Am possibly thinking of a surprise trip for my husband (big birthday) but we will be travelling with our son who depending on when we go will be under 1 years old.

We would want to do all the parks, sights etc. And are used to going to Florida etc. But have no idea if California is doable?! What would you experts advise?

If not doable, that’s fine will look for another destination. TIA
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Old 25 Sep 19, 11:45 AM  
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Rabel
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Disneyland itself would be fine and probably easier than Disney World as everything is in walking distance, don't know about Universal. I wouldn't take a baby into Los Angeles as there didn't seem to be very much for them to enjoy but the beaches would be good. San Diego may also be an option as that was a lot more family friendly (if I remember correctly). I wouldn't do San Francisco with a small child and a pushchair (very hilly and not as nice as you would expect).

I think for me the journey from the airport to the hotel with a small one (and after a long flight) would be the decider. The transport from LAX to Disneyland is not brilliant (we have driven it and also taken the magic express that you have to pay for and book separately). If you can sort that out, then I would go for it but don't expect to get too much done!
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Old 25 Sep 19, 06:28 PM  
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jdouds
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Doable yes ! Not sure of the enjoyment level with a child that age when generally speaking it’s more of a rd trip venue. If your happy to just see a few places then go for it.
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Old 27 Sep 19, 07:59 AM  
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cornishfrogboy
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I am absolutely with ‘Rabel’ on this one.

I am very unsure. Even if you were just doing the LA area theme parks, Disney, Universal, Knotts, 6 Flags, then they are widely dispersed and a lot of distance is involved. The driving in LA is very unpleasant and many including me would go further, saying LA in general is not very pleasant.

San Francisco is hilly, busy and great fun.. without a 9 month old.

If I was looking at California with a 9 month old, then at the very most, I would dual centre Disney itself and San Diego.

San Diego has a totally different, laid back feel to it and the attractions of Balboa Park ( San Diego Zoo etc etc etc) , Seaworld, Downtown, Coronado Beach, Harbour cruises etc is simply less frenetic and more relaxing.

I absolutely love the West Coast that I have seen so far and happily look at 5,6 and more accommodations in a 14 night holiday. My last one, a simple N to South from SFO to San Diego involved 1200 miles in 11 days (No car in SFO). In your circumstances, I would simply stick to 2... If I did it at all.
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Old 27 Sep 19, 08:41 AM  
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KarenG
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I think it depends on what type of parent you are and just as importantly how chilled your baby is.

With my first even going to the local shops was an epic undertaking. Under no circumstances could I have coped with a five hour drive to the airport, ten hour flight, transfers / car at the other end on top of security / customs etc.

My second baby was much more relaxed but I can’t see we would have contemplated California for all the reasons given above.
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Old 27 Sep 19, 08:53 AM  
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KayLouise
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My first thought is that there will probably be a lot of driving involved and a baby really shouldn't be cooped up in a car seat for more than 2 hours at a time.
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Old 27 Sep 19, 10:30 AM  
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spectromerch
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I guess it depends on what you want to do but I will take issue with the fact that LA is not safe or child friendly. We have been multiple times and am taking my 16 month old next month for 3 weeks, with 5 days at Disneyland. For the people who want to see the Hollywood sign and see Hollywood Bvld and get stuck in the tourist trap, yeah it is not great. But that's not LA, just like Leicester Square is not London.

There is so much more to do - so many parks and museums. Not to mention the beaches and of course Disneyland. We took our daughter to DC/NYC for 3 weeks when she was 11 months and it was great. She loved the museums and was small enough that she could stay in her pram when needed.

If you want to do what most people on here seem to do and go to multiple places for 24 hours each and spend lots of time driving then no, I wouldn't think that is great for a baby. But having taken my 16 month to WDW, London, NYC and DC I wouldn't see a problem with it. Plus she loved all the attention.
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Old 22 Oct 19, 12:06 PM  
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Go for it...if you have a chilled baby and do your research as to limiting lengthy drives, decent hotels etc, it’ll be fab. We took our 17 month old (now 14) to Vegas when/where we married. He loved the attention, family time, pool time and stimuli. The flight was long but he was kept very well entertained and wasn’t distressed/upset other than when tired (which was standard at that age). I’d advise briefer road journeys where possible and certainly multiple stops along the way. Travelled multiple times with our now 3 (14-8 year olds) at every stage/age in between and it comes down to how well they cope with variation to routine and your confidence levels in terms of dealing with that. Only you know your child Happy planning and travels.
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Old 23 Oct 19, 12:29 PM  
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arielrocks
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heres my thoughts...

it will depend on the baby :-)

I took my 7 month old son to WDW, would have preferred DLC but it just felt too far to fly and the additional time difference put me off. I also thought that it would be a lot of travelling and time in car seat and in the end binned the idea and did FLorida instead which was FAB.

HOWEVER. We now also have a 10 month old daughter and I wouldnt consider taking her anywhere that involved a long flight. SHe is a fidget, up and almost walking already so now holding her/putting her in the car seat/buggy is met with a lot of crying and fussing. shes a 'challenge' to say the least.

Sorry im not much help but the only person who can decide is you.
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