Possible? 4 L.A. Theme Parks in 3 Days Starting in SF?

[milst1]

We will be in California May 3-7. We are spending the first couple of days up north with family and hitting SFDK, CGA, and maybe the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for the first two days.

 

I'm wondering if it's possible to drive from SF and hit the four majors in LA (DL, DCA, SFMM, and KBF) in 3 days ---- starting from San Francisco.

 

I figure if we leave at 4 in the morning (ugh) we can get to one of those parks around opening time (assuming no bathroom breaks).

 

Any tips or advice? Hotel advice would be good too. These are basically totally new parks for us...neither of us have been to a California theme park in 25 years!

 

Thanks!

 

Martin

[AllenA07]

It's possible but that is going to be rough! I'd say that you should stay down near Knott's, it'll cost less then staying by Disney, and the parks are decently close to each other.

[Top Thrill Dragster]

This is how I would do it.

 

One full day at the Disney Land Resort

Half of a day at Knotts and rest of that day at the Disney Land Resort.

One full day at Six Flags.

 

Your going to need a day and a half at the Disney Land Resort, in order to do every thing and not feel rushed.

 

There are some pretty cheap hotels near and around the Knotts Berry Farm Resort. The closer you get to Disney Land the higher in price you hotel room will get.

 

All of the major theme parks are directly off of the 5 freeway, so getting to park to park will be easy.

[gisco]

I'm assuming the 3rd and 4th you'll be in Northern California and the 5th, 6th 7th would be your Southern California part?

 

Monday the 5th, get up early and drive to Magic Mountain. Depending on where your at in Northern California it could be a 5 or 6 hour drive. The park opens at 10:30. Be there at opening and you can hit all the coasters by early afternoon. The way to hit the park has been discussed in other threads. Drive to Disneyland and spend the rest of the evening there.

 

Tuesday the 6th spend the whole day at the DLR.

 

Wednesday the 7th. Spend the day at KBF and drive back to where ever your flying out of.

 

The hotels are cheaper in the KBF area but the convenance of staying across the street from Disneyland is well worth a few extra bucks considering you won't have to pay to park or have the hassle of parking. A plus is being able to go back to your room if you need a little break during the day. There is a bunch of hotels right across the street on Harbor Blvd. That are not to expensive.

 

Hope this helps, Good Luck

[OldJJman]

I'm wondering if it's possible to drive from SF and hit the four majors in LA (DL, DCA, SFMM, and KBF) in 3 days ---- starting from San Francisco.

 

I figure if we leave at 4 in the morning .....

 

I don't think that would be too difficult to do.

 

Here's what I would suggest:

 

5/5 Leave SF at 4am as planned. Take your time as there will be no traffic at that time. Hit and conquer SFMM. Stay all day (hrs 10:30-6:00) as leaving early, you'll get stuck in rush hour traffic anywho.

 

You might consider staying at the KBF resort hotel. For 3 days/2 nights it's about $440 and comes with breakfast, park entry and parking. With the added bonuses of food ($10) and park entry ($50 or $43 online), for 2 people, it's about $110/night, and save on parking. Not bad, not great, but worth considering.

 

5/6 Start out at KBF. Be forewarned, there are times that some of the rides in the back half of the park don't open until 11am.

 

You can easily polish off the park by 1:30-2:00. Head over to the DLR resort. Pick up a 2 day park hopper. Head into DCA. Do what you want till they close at 6. Head over to DL, they close at 8.

 

5/7 Get over to DLR. No rush, both parks open at 10. I would say that you should do the big rides you may have missed at DL the night before first. During the middle of the afternoon, go back to DCA and hit what you missed and/or what you'd like to re-ride. Finish off D in the evening.

 

Head home.

 

 

That's pretty much how I'd do it, if I was taking my time.

 

JJ

 

EDIT: Bob (Gisco) and I think alike. Scary, I know. But you do get the idea of how it could easily be done. He just posted his first!

[milst1]

You might consider staying at the KBF resort hotel. For 3 days/2 nights it's about $440 and comes with breakfast, park entry and parking. With the added bonuses of food ($10) and park entry ($50 or $43 online), for 2 people, it's about $110/night, and save on parking. Not bad, not great, but worth considering.

 

First, thanks for these great tips.

 

We are CF and SF passholders so park entry (and parking for CF?) is taken care of.

 

Given that, is it worth staying in a Disney-branded hotel? I think two of you have suggested spending parts of all 3 days in L.A. at DLR. Do hotel guests get those "extra-magic" hrs. in the evenings as at WDW? And is a 3-day park hopper with hotel package a good value compared with staying in a non-Disney hotel?

 

Thanks again for all of the help. I know there's a ton of info out there and I've been reading about theme parks and listening to podcasts for the better part of a year but there is just too much info out there. I appreciate those in the know just answering my questions as they come and I'm grateful for your patience. Thanks! Now can someone point me to the thread on attacking Magic Mountain?

 

-Martin

[Coaster Joe]

Do not miss Adventure City....it has my favorite southern Cali coaster in the Miler Mouse...only difference between it and Lakeside is some thick hip padding and a seatbelt. The park is less than five minutes south of Knotts on Buena Park. $10 for two very unique credits. The other Miler was built to straddle a tree.

 

They normally do not allow adults without kids into the park but just tell them you are out-of-town coaster fans and they will let you in. You can ride both coasters multiple times in less than an hour.

[OldJJman]

...Do hotel guests get those "extra-magic" hrs. in the evenings as at WDW?

 

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe that the "Extra magic" hours are ONLY before the park opens to the public in the morning.

 

And is a 3-day park hopper with hotel package a good value compared with staying in a non-Disney hotel?

 

If you have money to burn, sure.

 

A quick scan of the cheapest Disney package available for the days you listed came out to $848.04, total for 2 people.

 

Others may be more adept at finding packages, but that gives you a start.

 

But, I do believe that surrounding hotels do have packages that do include tickets, so you may want to check into that as well.

 

 

JJ

[SharkTums]

I think you've gotten some good suggestions here...I'll just reiterate...

 

1 day at SFMM

1/2 day at KBF

1.5 Days at Disney

 

Also, Robb and I have had VERY good luck using Priceline for hotels in the Disney area. (Hyatt for $70, etc.)

[ginzo]

And is a 3-day park hopper with hotel package a good value compared with staying in a non-Disney hotel?

 

According to MouseSavers.com (a pretty good source on Disney), the HoJo in the Anaheim Resort is an exceptional deal. Nice hotel, reasonable rate (~$100), free parking, walk to Disneyland.

 

http://www.mousesavers.com/hojo.html

 

Someone correct me if this is wrong, but I generally trust that site.

[darklingscribe]

While everyone else is giving park advice I'll offer some driving advice.

 

Don't even think about taking 101 all the way down to LA, morning rush hour will kill you. If you are staying in the city of San Fransisco and plan on leaving at four am, take the Bay Bridge across to Oakland and take 580 east to I-5 you'll know when you are getting close to I-5 when you drive through the Altimont pass where there are a ton of windmills. Take 5 south all the way down and it will lead you to SFMM.

[RIP Psyclone]

I agree that Universal is not quite worth a trip, especially if you've been to Orlando. All there really is to do is one credit not quite as good as its Orlando counterpart, a tram ride that gets more boring every year, and a few badly dated stage shows. Knott's, especially on a weekday, is a half day park at best. You'll be wise to spend the rest of the day at Disney. Six Flags can be pleasant on a less busy day when the weather is cool, or miserable on a hot, crowded day. Good luck!

[milst1]

Dare I ask...isn't Legoland in the area?

[downunder]

It's also worth noting that Magic Mountain has an all day flash pass (not electronic) in addition to the 4 ride flash pass which may speed things up there.

[RIP Psyclone]

^^About an hour south of Disneyland. I've never been, so I'm not one to make a recommendation. Beyond that, you got Sea World and the Giant Dipper at Belmont Park, too.

[OldJJman]

Dare I ask...isn't Legoland in the area?

 

If you're only in it to make a big credit run out of the trip, yes.

 

However, Legoland is only open 10-5 on the Monday of your trip. Giant Dipper in Mission Beach is open until 8.

 

But, I would find it hard to justify spending $$$ at DLR just for the credits, especially if you haven't been there in so long, know what I mean?

 

Unless you're really a credit whore (like some of us), you're better off sticking off with your original plan of the 4 parks in 3 days.

 

 

JJ

[milst1]

Dare I ask...isn't Legoland in the area?

Unless you're really a credit whore (like some of us), you're better off sticking off with your original plan of the 4 parks in 3 days.

 

JJ

 

I'd say our 2008 travel plans would qualify us as "credit sluts", or perhaps "assistant credit whores". I'll take that advice.

 

-Martin

[ahecht]

Do not miss Adventure City....it has my favorite southern Cali coaster in the Miler Mouse...only difference between it and Lakeside is some thick hip padding and a seatbelt. The park is less than five minutes south of Knotts on Buena Park. $10 for two very unique credits. The other Miler was built to straddle a tree.

 

I'll second that. It's an easy hop from KBF and you can do everything in 30 minutes. Be forewarned that if you try to enter without kids they will give you a hard time. Last time I went, I had to lie and say I was meeting a group of young children inside.