Disneyland & So. Cal Adult Exclusive Advice

SingingMom

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 4, 2001
We are pretty much settled on the Adult Exclusive Disneyland & So. California trip for our 5th ABD. I don't like to read Trip Reports to spoil any surprises, but I do like to hear from previous adventurers with their sage advice.

We've only been on European Adventures, so this will be different for us. We are planning on one day prior and one day post. DD wants to go to SUR for dinner (she & I have a reality tv bad habit!) and we also want to make sure we see as much Disneyland attractions as we can. We've been to Disneyland Paris, but never Disneyland! DH was there many moons ago for an afternoon.

How's the weather in February?

Anyone have any Do's and Don'ts to share with me? :cheer2:
 
How's the weather in February?
Well, things have changed with the long term drought they've had out there, but when I lived in Southern California pre-drought, it pretty much rained the entire month of February. That was our definition of "Winter".

I don't know that the drought is over yet, so YMMV. :)

Sayhello
 
I am going to follow along with this thread. I am surprising my Mom with this same trip in Feb for her birthday! This will be our 1st ABD and while we have been to DL before I am always looking for tips. AND it's nice to see someone else is going when we are!
 
Well, things have changed with the long term drought they've had out there, but when I lived in Southern California pre-drought, it pretty much rained the entire month of February. That was our definition of "Winter".

I don't know that the drought is over yet, so YMMV. :)

Sayhello
Weather wise, February can really vary. Last year the drought was definitely over in Northern California, but Southern Cal had some pretty big storms too. It is also not unusual for California to get a brief heat wave in February. I would just prepare for weather with layers. Probably the most typical park clothes that I would wear in February would be jeans with a short or long sleeve t-shirt and then another layer for mornings and a sweatshirt or similar for evenings. You may get lucky and be able to wear warmer weather clothes, you may also get drenching rain. Just start following the weather about two weeks out to decide on the final packing decisions.
 


We are pretty much settled on the Adult Exclusive Disneyland & So. California trip for our 5th ABD. I don't like to read Trip Reports to spoil any surprises, but I do like to hear from previous adventurers with their sage advice.

We've only been on European Adventures, so this will be different for us. We are planning on one day prior and one day post. DD wants to go to SUR for dinner (she & I have a reality tv bad habit!) and we also want to make sure we see as much Disneyland attractions as we can. We've been to Disneyland Paris, but never Disneyland! DH was there many moons ago for an afternoon.

How's the weather in February?

Anyone have any Do's and Don'ts to share with me? :cheer2:

You will love this trip!!!

I think if you make the most out of your free time in the parks during the ABD and hit the parks hard on your post day, you should be able to see everything. We made friends on our trip with a family that had been to WDW many times but never to DL. We became their unofficial guides during the free time and our post day to help them get the most out of their DL experience. I think they were able to see most everything that they wanted to. We even spent part of one of our free afternoons at the pool and felt like we had a good amount of time. It will also partly depend on crowd levels and which week your trip is scheduled for. The week after President's week may be fairly crowded as some schools have that whole week off. I would focus on the things that are unique or different between WDW and DL: all of CarsLand (plan to visit both in the day and nighttime), the Matterhorn, Pirates, soak up the atmosphere of New Orleans square, Storybook Canal boats.

For your pre-day, will you have a car? If yes, driving up the coast to Malibu would be fun. If you are planning to Uber/cab consider shopping at the Grove (outdoor mall, lots of celebrity spottings), I have heard good things about the Paramount tour, depending on the day of the week look into attending a taping of a show.

Happy to share more ideas or answer specific questions.
 
Great suggestions! Unfortunately, it IS President's Week, so I guess we need to be ready for crowds. At least we'll have "VIP" status during the actual ABD events. No car in Hollywood - so no real touring. More so to go to dinner at SUR and get used to the time change. Hoping there will be things to do nearby. ;-)
I'm having a heck of a time trying to figure out the best flights for DH & I and for DD to come in from Florida!
 
I went to Disneyland last year in February and it was crowded due to Presidents' Day. I know there was a drought but it rained everyday we were there and I was quite chilly so yes layers is your best bet. Actually we were freezing....but we get cold easily. The park was enjoyable despite the crowds though.
 


We did this exact trip (same week in February) in 2015. One thing to keep in mind is that you may run in to the Oscar telecast while in LA. This will take over Hollywood Blvd while you are there. Didn't bother us at all but it can detract from your visit. Also, going in February, be prepared for attractions to be shut down for refurbishment. February is a major refurbishment time at DL and DCA. We got hit with double the amount of refurbs because we were there when they were getting ready for the 60th celebration but that just gave us a reason to go back later in the year to actually take in the celebration. But you can expect things like World of Color to not be running because it's always down for refurb during this time.
 

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