Disneyland and WDW on same trip?

Tigger in a kilt

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
I’m from the U.K., so flights are our largest expense. We currently have 4 weeks booked for WDW next autumn, but I’m kicking around the idea of doing a few days in Disneyland at the beginning or end. Probably I would fly direct to LAX and then backtrack to MCO, as the jet lag should be either that way.

I have spent a decent about of time in Southern CA for work, but have never made it to Disneyland. So I’m not necessarily looking to spend a lot of time in LA (though maybe a couple of days as my husband hasn’t been there in a long time).

At the moment, I expect that this will be my “one and done” trip to DL. I’m not worried about overdoing the Disney, as we spent 4 weeks in WDW last October and enjoyed it. I’m thinking we would stay at the Grand Californian, but I’m not set on that. My issue is that I don’t want to walk too far from our hotel to the park gates.

How long should I go for? Is a week too long? Too long? My husband and I both have health problems and no interest in doing 16 hour days.

I’m interested in all opinions and advice. Thank you!
 
This sounds like a great idea! I support it. As to how long to stay at DL, since you’re coming from overseas, definitely at least three days. But I’m not sure a week is necessary. As you know, it’s a much smaller park and there are only two: DL and DCA. In my view, five days should be plenty. However, it sounds you have a higher park tolerance ;-). Whatever you decide, I’m sure you’ll have a great time :-).
 
This sounds like a great idea! I support it. As to how long to stay at DL, since you’re coming from overseas, definitely at least three days. But I’m not sure a week is necessary. As you know, it’s a much smaller park and there are only two: DL and DCA. In my view, five days should be plenty. However, it sounds you have a higher park tolerance ;-). Whatever you decide, I’m sure you’ll have a great time :-).

Thank you! I’m feeling quite positive about this idea.
 
We are just finishing our trip, and 3 days would be perfect, in my opinion.

We have done 3 1/2 days so far, and by last night we had done pretty much everything (and that was with taking long breaks during the day).

ETA.... we had park hoppers and max pass.
 
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As far as where to stay, if the issue is only distance to the parks, and you'd otherwise consider any hotel, then there are hotels directly across Harbor Blvd (like the Best Western Plus Park Place) that are virtually the same distance and cost a lot less. If you're comparing Disney hotels, then the Grand Californian is definitely the closest. And if you can afford it, and since it's probably not going to be "just a place to sleep," it'd be a great option for you.

As to how long, I always say the longer the better! And since you seem to be of a similar mind, I'd say five days (so six nights) is perfect. That allows you to take advantage of the most economical pass (the five day pass). And if you enjoyed four weeks at WDW, you certainly won't get bored in five days at DLR. DLR really crams a lot into their limited space.
 
Check to see if the UK has a similar DLR pass that they have for WDW. I think you'd want at least 5 days but maybe 7.

Park hopper is good too.
Max pass is a maybe
 
This is all incredibly helpful: thank you very much!

I hadn’t realised that I could get in from Harbor Boulevard - I thought I had to go in through Downtown Disney, thus the Grand Californian - but I’m not wedded to that idea. We will definitely spend time at the resort though, as we will need some down time.

I haven’t found any U.K. DL tickets, sadly. WDW is far more common from here, given the lower flight time. I’m hoping I can get a deal at DL though, as I need to keep my WDW tickets as part of my package, so I can keep my free dining. It’s very complicated!

Thank you again for all the help. This could be really fun!
 


I would suggest a week just to be able to take it slow. Maybe five park days? If you can afford the expensive the Grand Californian would be amazing but if you only want to be close, there are lots of hotel options.
 
I think it is a great idea! I live in Northern California so my husband and I often spend a night or two at DL on our way to or from WDW and it is fantastic. We are going at the end of the month and spending 5 nights at WDW and a night at The Grand Californian, we also get to go both Halloween parties. I absolutely recommend either one of the Disney hotels or something very close on Harbor, it is so nice having a short walk to DL.

Since you are going in autumn remember that if you want to do the Disneyland Halloween party (in DCA this year) you need to purchase your ticket well in advance as they sell out much quicker than the WDW party.
 
Disneyland California Overview
  • Maximum 5 park days needed, 4 days is ideal
  • 2 parks connected by a football field sized esplanade
  • Both parks and Downtown Disney all inside the one security ring, go through bag check in the morning and park hop and shop without any more security checks. Only exception is if you go into Grand California Hotel,which is located in Downtown Disney. You will get a security check when you leave the hotel and return to Downtown Disney or when you use the entrance into California Adventures park.
  • No Magic Bands or Fastpass +. Fastpasses can only be obtained on the day once you have scanned into a park.
  • The Fastpass system has 2 options, the free paper Fastpass obtained from the kiosks located beside the rides or the digital paid for version accessed through your phone and the Disneyland App. The digital paid for version is called Maxpass and costs $15 per person per day.
  • Disneyland Dining Reservations open at 60 days in advance for all guests
  • There are 3 onsite hotels, Disneyland Hotel, Grand Californian and Paradise Pier. They are priced in the deluxe range.
  • Most people stay offsite, huge amount of options for all budgets. Many offsite hotels and motels are a shorter walking distance to the entrance turnstiles than the onsite hotels. Most off-site hotels are located on the Harbour Boulevard side of Disneyland.
  • The walking distance -15 minutes or less off-site hotels are located along Harbour Boulevard between W Manchester Avenue in the north and W Katella Avenue in the south
  • Harbour Boulevard is where the pedestrian entrance is located and where the ART shuttle bus stops are located
  • No Dining Plan or refillable mugs / cups
  • Multiple authorised discount ticket re-sellers which have cheaper tickets than from Disney website or on the day at the gate. I use Last Minute Travel Club and typically save $50 compared with buying direct through Disney
  • No free shuttle from the airports, Disney Express is an outside contractor licenced to use the Disney name. Multiple other transport options including rental cars, town car services, shared shuttles, Uber and Lyft. I use www.supershuttle.com
  • Closest airport is John Wayne Airport, Orange County, (SNA) Domestic internal flights
  • Other airport is LAX, Los Angeles International Airport, direct and indirect transatlantic flight
 
Disneyland California Overview
  • Maximum 5 park days needed, 4 days is ideal

This completely depends on your goals.

If you just want to sample most of the attractions a single time, three days is probably adequate. If you want to add in a little entertainment, a little bit of shopping, and maybe just slow down and enjoy a few of the special details of Disneyland, then I suppose four days might be ideal for you.

But if your goal is to enjoy playing at the parks and appreciating everything that makes Disneyland special, I don't know when you would reach a maximum number of days. Five days is the longest I've been at a time, and I didn't leave thinking, "Well, I'm maxed out on Disney for awhile." Not even close! I left wishing we had another week!

I get it -- some people approach Disneyland like they approach the zoo. They want to see everything once, and however long that takes, that's how long it takes to do the Disneyland.

But I approach Disneyland more like I approach a beach vacation or a fishing trip. I can do the same things over and over and never feel like I'm done -- until my time runs out and I have to go home.

That's why, when someone asks how long it takes to do Disneyland, I say, "How long to you have?"
 
I agree that 5 days would allow you plenty of time to have a slow paced trip and still see everything. Keep in mind that while the resort is smaller, the DLR parks pack in a lot more rides than at WDW parks. If you plan on spending a lot of time at your hotel, than I definitely recommend the Grand Californian if you can afford it. I've stayed both on and offsite, and the hotels in Harbor are great and more affordable, but they aren't really places where I want to spend a chunk of my day. The Disney hotels, on the other hand, have more to offer in public spaces, good restaurants, and great pools.
I do recommend getting Maxpass - it made our trips super easy and we love getting all the photopass pictures.
I love both WDW and DLR, but one of my favorite parts of DLR is how much easier it is to just "go with the flow" and do what you feel like doing without having to plan everything months in advance. I find it to be much more relaxing!
 
This is all so helpful, thank you! I’m really excited about this idea now, so I really appreciate everyone’s thoughts.

I think we can do Grand Californian, which seems like a good option from what has been said here. I would rather stay “too long” than rush and end up over-tired for WDW.

I love the idea that it will be less stressful and not as much of a military operation as WDW!

Thank you all!
 
I don’t really have any advice except to admit your life and your ability to spend a month at Disney. Adopt me?

Im very happy to adopt you, especially if you will do my planning for me!

I promise that my life is not glamorous at all: I work all the time and travel a lot for work, so having the longer breaks every 2 years instead of annual vacations works better for me as a way to unwind. I do know I’m very lucky that I can take the extended time off in one block though. :)
 
I'm planning on doing a similar trip next year - starting with Disneyland and then doing WDW and Universal Orlando! I'm from Australia, so like you, want to make the most of my time there after a 14 hour flight. I'm doing Disneyland for 5 days as I think that's enough time. I did that many days 2 years ago and that amount of time was great so I didn't have to rush.
 
This is all incredibly helpful: thank you very much!

I hadn’t realised that I could get in from Harbor Boulevard - I thought I had to go in through Downtown Disney, thus the Grand Californian - but I’m not wedded to that idea. We will definitely spend time at the resort though, as we will need some down time.

I haven’t found any U.K. DL tickets, sadly. WDW is far more common from here, given the lower flight time. I’m hoping I can get a deal at DL though, as I need to keep my WDW tickets as part of my package, so I can keep my free dining. It’s very complicated!

Thank you again for all the help. This could be really fun!

How many days are your WDW tickets for? Have you considered the upgrade to the Premier Pass which would then be an AP for your full stay at WDW and as many days as you want at DLR? Most people make this more economical by planning their following year trip a few weeks earlier in the year such that they get two annual vacations in on one pass.
 
I was gonna suggest the premier annual pass as well. You will get discounts at both costs and have max pass included for Disneyland part of trip. If you are able to become an AP that Tables in Wonderland card might be worth a look as well if you are dining at disney world and Springs the 3+ weeks you are there
 
I'm planning on doing a similar trip next year - starting with Disneyland and then doing WDW and Universal Orlando! I'm from Australia, so like you, want to make the most of my time there after a 14 hour flight. I'm doing Disneyland for 5 days as I think that's enough time. I did that many days 2 years ago and that amount of time was great so I didn't have to rush.
How many days are your WDW tickets for? Have you considered the upgrade to the Premier Pass which would then be an AP for your full stay at WDW and as many days as you want at DLR? Most people make this more economical by planning their following year trip a few weeks earlier in the year such that they get two annual vacations in on one pass.
OP: are you buying an AP to WDW?
I was gonna suggest the premier annual pass as well. You will get discounts at both costs and have max pass included for Disneyland part of trip. If you are able to become an AP that Tables in Wonderland card might be worth a look as well if you are dining at disney world and Springs the 3+ weeks you are there

Thanks, everyone! I hadn’t actually thought about the Premier Pass, but I will definitely look into that - that could work really well! We currently have the U.K. exclusive tickets, a 21 day and a 14 day (on offer for the same price as 7 days). I will need to price it out, but I think if we add a week at DL, it could work well to buy the Premier Pass. The exchange rate complicates things a little bit, but I will see what I can discover. Thank you all!
 

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