How long for Disneyland and Universal?

Traincrashing

Hi all, we go away in just less than 2 months to California and our first stop is in LA. We want to go to Disneyland and Universal and I have already bought our tickets for each. I'm just trying to arrange an itinerary so I can fit everything else in. We are arriving on the 16th in LAX at around 2pm, and we are hiring a car. We depart for Las Vegas on the 20th at 12.55pm. We are also wanting to go to a basketball game on the 17th night, but I'm still waiting on the tickets to go on sale for that. Would anyone be able to recommend when we should visit Disney and Universal? I dont want to be too rushed so don't know whether we should go to one of the two on the 17th as I've heard that its best to go on a weekday to the two so the 17th would obviously be the best day for one of them. We're also planning on doing a Warner Brothers tour, but it's only 2 and a half hours so I don't think I should have trouble with that.

nw_man

Disneyland and Universal Hollywood arent close to each other so I am pretty sure you couldnt do them on the same day so that is out.

We took a full day at each, i.e. 3 days.

But, have you been previously to any other Disney site ? As in Florida or even Paris ?

I ask as one of the 2 parks at Anaheim Disney, Magic Kingdom, is the same as everywhere else pretty much.

If youve already been to Magic Kingdom you could consider cutting that park out altogether maybe ?

nw_man

OK I just re-read your post.

Driving from LA to Anaheim to visit Disney is going to be a full day. You couldnt do a basketball game on the same evening in my opinion, if the game is in LA somewhere.

Alan_Bowen

Firstly don't drive very far on your first day, your flight seems to arrive early but after 11 hours flying, 2 hours check in before that and possibly another hour through customs and immigration you will be absolutely zonked. Even if I am not staying in LA,I stay at an airport hotel as the consequences of driving on LA's freeways after that level of travel is just too much, I fell asleep at the wheel once....

The next morning you should be up very early due to the time difference and jet lag, we had breakfast at 0530 but you are then going to hit rush hour whichever you choose to visit, Universal is north off the 101 Freeway, Disney is south on the 5, which might be slightly easier as you are going away from downtown. Both will take a day and exhaust you (in a good way) Having been to Disneyland 10 or more times the last time we went to the California Adventure, the second Disney Park, it's good but its not real Disney to me. Whichever you do, if you stay near either you will have a one and half hour drive the next day to get to the other Theme Park.

Warner Bros is possibly the best tour, and the least commercial, but its further out from downtown where I assume the basketball is taking place the Lakers play at Staples Centre on S Figueroa, (an admission on my first visit to LA nearly 30 years ago I stayed in a motel 3 blocks from where Staples is now, scared me to death with the sound of sirens all night but I am older and wiser now and the motel long since closed down and the area has improved) so it might be a good idea to combine that tour and the basketball on the same day rather than try and see Universal or Disney in a couple of hours.

claire16c

You need one day for each one. But universal is not far from hollywood so you should do that on the day that you are doing anything else on. disney you will need a seperate and full day for as it is further out.

DeeLasVegas

Which basketball team are you wanting to go and see? I'm guessing you know it's just pre-season games then. Don't think you'd be able to do a day at Disney or Universal and then go to a game.

You could always wait until you get here to Vegas and see the Lakers V Sacramento Kings at T&M (October 21st). Better game than the LA Clippers IMO.

Traincrashing

Thanks everyone, very helpful. I had thought it would take a day for each, but just wanted to double check. I was thinking of doing Disney on the 18th which is a friday, and then universal on the saturday because apparently you have a better chance of visiting wisteria lane since they arent filming? This is what I most want to see! Would you recommend we drove to both? We weren't planning on hiring a car but after speaking to a friend I'm thinking it would be better if we wanted to visit the beaches. I'm just wondering though if it's easier to get a shuttle instead.

The basketball game we're going to is the Lakers vs The Knicks and it's my boyfriend who wants to go. He says he's always wanted to see the Lakers so that's why we've chosen that one. I'm glad you've said though that we couldn't do one of the parks and then the game because I was really considering that.

DeeLasVegas

Ooops sorry I thought you were going in October......so disregard my info re: Vegas game etc. Sorry

Traincrashing

Haha, sorry, just realised I never actually wrote November. I've just wrote about it so many times I forgot that people don't know when it is I'm going.

cfw1994

Just to resurrect this: anyone thing the "fast track" tickets are worth it at Universal ($69 more each!) ?
We will be visiting on tues or weds in August....

Thx!

Alan_Bowen

Definately not, never had long to wait anytime we visited Universal in Los Angeles