Guide for a trip to Hollywood, Universal Studios and Disneyland

Shraavya · Feb 28, 2013

Hi friends
I am planning to go on a family vacation to LA - Hollywood, Universal Studios and Disneyland. Self, dh and dd 3 n half years old will be going on trip in the last week of March. Need guidance from you all.

Will be it fine to go on package tours or is it good to go independently as we are not interested in going round all the attractions? Kindly help out and tell me which is a better option and what attractions are good to see in Hollywood, Universal Studios and Disneyland as well.

Eagerly waiting for your suggestions / guidance as I want to plan my trip well ahead.

Thank you all in advance

sweetshreya · Feb 28, 2013

I would advice to go independently, as your dd won't be interested in each and every attraction. Disney and Universal have their maps online. Read about all of them & take a printout. Pick up the ones you would really like to see. Also take the time to stand in the lines into consideration so that you don't pick too many and are disappointed. Mark them on the map. Decide the route you are going to take beforehand, so that you are not at loss.

We went to universal first & Disney next day. We enjoyed so much at universal that Disney was a bit of a dampner. (Maybe because we all were adults.) So maybe you should do Disney first, so that your DD enjoys it thoroughly. Universal can be bit overwhelming for LOs. By the end of these two days, it can happen that, she will be so tired that she won't have much energy left (happened to my friend's son). So keep things that interest you (hollywood sign, walk of fame, kodak theater etc) for the last day. JMO.

makechange · Feb 28, 2013

Disney Land it takes two Days to cover up. But your daughter will not be allowed in most of the rides due to height restriction. If you or your husband want to ride on such ride, you can take turns. Either one of you must stand in the queue while other watch the baby. Before getting into the ride, you need to ask for the family pass (i forgot the name), so the you can take the ride after your husband without standing in the queue..

Since your daughter is small, booking a hotel near to Disney will help, if she become to tired or fuzzy.

If you have a car, you can visit universal and Hollywood in a day. It also has mostly rides and stuffs... If you don't have car there are tour operators who offer one day tour to universal and Hollywood.

It would be better to start with Disney and then to universal and Hollywood.

Have a nice Trip

OCdesigirl · Feb 28, 2013

Hello!

I am a pass holder for both places. Universal is more for adults. Disneyland anyone can enjoy there. They have a package ticket called southern california city pass. That ticket includes 3 days at disney, one day at universal and one day at sea world, this is a much cheaper option. There are 2 parks at disney so it will take 2-3 days to cover. Universal , it is nice but more for adults. Do not miss this studio tour at universal and the world of color show at disney california adventure those are the two best things. My DH and I go to disney at least once a week, and we went to universal last weekend now is a good time since it is off season. At disneyland you can take advantage of the switch pass and also the fast pass. The switch pass is good if your DD is not tall enough to sit, you can go while DH watches baby and then DH can go without waiting in line again. Fast pass is not available at every ride but when it is available take advantage of it. World of color in disney california adventure is amazing and it will require a fast pass, first thing in the morning when you arrive you should get that fast pass. There are some rides that your dd can not ride but most of them she will be able to. Have fun! Let me know if you need anymore info, I am an expert on disneyland

knbg · Feb 28, 2013

Hi Shravya,

Here's a post by our OCdesigirl with more details on Disney...
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/g...nada/193271-top-us-tourist-attractions-2.html

Also another post with relevant links:
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/g...nada/193271-top-us-tourist-attractions-4.html

( Have given links to the particular pages where the posts are there, both from the same sticky thread)

Hope it helps.......

racr · Feb 28, 2013

WOw! I read this post in the morning,and I thought that I would wait for a while before giving an SOS to our in-house Disney guide! Here you are!

Shraavya,I can vouch for OCDesi...or should it be OCDisneygirl? You can believe her words with 100% faith !

divi87 · Mar 1, 2013

Hi Shraavya,

Recently me and dh went to LA for a 10 day trip and we had so much fun. The hotels give free ride to disney and universal studios. So Check with your hotel and register your name for the dates you are going to visit. Taking Southern california citypass is the best and cheapest way and it will cover 3 days to disney(more than enough), 1 day to universal studios and 1 day to sea world.

We went to Griffith Observatory to view the Hollywood sign and no entry fee to this observatory.
If you want to go to Hindu temple, there is one in Malibu which has both Lord shiva and Lord venkateshwara.

Have a great trip. Disney is a heaven on earth.

Shraavya · Mar 1, 2013

Thank you friends for your wonderful guidance. However, I still have one doubt. I am located at Ohio (mid-west) and we take a flight to LA. Now within LA city tour, Disneyland and Universal Studios, can we take the package tours which provide packages including hotel accommodation and commutation as well like luxury coaches with tour guides for whom we have to pay around 5 bucks per day. Or it is better to go for independent sight seeing. Kindly help me out as I am totally confused on this and finding it difficult to take a decision whether to opt for package tours or not. Moreover, I believe that going independently would be difficult as we have to go for rental cars, route confusion though we might carry GPS and it would be also a costly affair.

Please help.