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Post by SallyPA on Feb 22, 2016 15:33:12 GMT
I'm sure I've seen this topic discussed before but can't find it.
We will be there for a week in March. We are doing 2 days at Disney (and maybe a 3rd if we decide?) and 1 day at Universal. We are looking for other ideas- maybe lesser known things. We will have a car. Except for one day when half our group is going to Six Flags. I hate that place so we are staying behind and will do Downtown Disney and swimming at our hotel that day.
On past trips, we have done the Grove (my girls are too old for American girl store- boohoo) and farmers market, Santa Monica pier, and Hollywood walk of fame, and Venice Beach.
Any suggestions? Not really looking for shopping to buy stuff (no room to take it back!) but wouldn't mind a large mall with activities also. Not interested in any other amusement park type activities.
Also, is the VIP pass at Universal worth the extra $? I am shocked that Universal is as expensive as it is! But i have such great childhood memories of the tram backstage tour, and I hope my kids love it too.
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oh yvonne
Prolific Pea
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Jun 26, 2014 0:45:23 GMT
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Post by oh yvonne on Feb 22, 2016 15:38:40 GMT
Those passes at Universal will get you to the front of the line, and those lines move annoyingly slow...worse now because so many people buy passes and it makes the lines even worse! I *hate* that they offer those line jumper passes now, Universal is over priced as it is. You pay a ton of money and most of the rides are just 'virtual'. Your kids will enjoy the tram tour though, so I don't 'not' recommend Universal. But yeah, if money is no object then spring for the VIP level tickets. Huge time saver.
Where are you staying? At Disneyland? There is lots to do in OC so you don't spend the entire time in the car..
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Post by SallyPA on Feb 22, 2016 15:46:04 GMT
We are staying at Embassy Suites.
Thanks for the Universal advice. I think we will just spring for it (it's almost more than Disney!) and enjoy the heck out of our 1 day lol. I too hate that everywhere (except Disney) offers those ridiculous passes.
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Post by lavawalker on Feb 22, 2016 15:56:41 GMT
Except for Disneyland, I'm not fan of Anaheim and can't even think of anything else to do there. But you could leave the area and see some nice beaches - Huntington, Newport. Balboa Island is nice. I'm not too familiar with OC shopping, so I don't know which ones would have other stuff to do besides shopping. One time we went down into Hollywood and saw the Walk of Fame, Graumanns Chinese Theater, The El Capitan (Disney's theater), and had lunch at Disneys Soda Fountain and Studio Store. It's all right there together and was a fun day.
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Post by JustCallMeMommy on Feb 22, 2016 16:27:35 GMT
By the VIP pass, do you mean the VIP tour/experience? I did one in Orlando, and it was a great way to add some extra time to the day and learn things from an expert. I also had a friend who did the VIP tour in CA as recently as last summer, and she swore she would never visit without it again. If you have the money, I say go for it!
The Harry Potter area has started doing soft openings - maybe not to the general public yet, but I would imagine that it you will have a decent chance of it being in soft open by March. That may up the crowd levels a bit, so at a minimum, I would get the express pass to cut down the wait on the non-Potter things to give you more time to dedicate to the Potter things, if you are lucky enough to be there on a day when it is open.
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Post by honeyb on Feb 22, 2016 17:26:18 GMT
Depending on the age of your girls, and your interest in TV/Movies, my family did the Warner Brothers tour in Burbank. We are huge fans of Gilmore Girls (they were getting Loralei's house ready when we were there, squeal!), huge fans of Big Bang Theory (we got to visit their set!), love The Middle (they usually tape at a different location, but were using the lot for the sorority rush episode), love Harry Potter (they have a huge museum that you get to visit), got to see them taping the show Supergirl, sit on the Friends couch, and my Batman loving husband got to see all the bat mobiles on display as well as all the costumes from the movies. All of us had a GREAT time. My husband was not thrilled about going, but ended up loving it, I have a 15 yo son (who doesn't like anything, but liked this) and a 12 year old daughter who says this was the best day ever.
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Post by katlady on Feb 22, 2016 17:48:13 GMT
South Coast Plaza is a huge mall. There is the main mall, another portion across a bridge, and then an outdoor one across the street.
I was going to say Knotts Berry Farm, but you said no more amusement parks. They do have great fried chicken though. You don't need to go into the park for the chicken.
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Post by katlady on Feb 22, 2016 17:49:00 GMT
Oh, the Irvine Marketplace is pretty trendy. Farris wheel, trendy shops, restaurants, etc.
And have you thought of the Long Beach harbour area ... Aquarium, Queen Mary, Seaport Village.
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marimoose
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by marimoose on Feb 22, 2016 18:25:34 GMT
This site may help - www.isitpacked.com/crowd-calendars/universal-studios-hollywood/We went to Universal Studios in December and it was far from busy. It was very disappointing because they have closed/removed so many things at universal to make room for Harry Potter. We could see it behind the walls but until it opens, the money spent was not worth it. I would be searching around for discounts! There were 6 rides adn only a few shows running. It was not the Universal I loved. The tram ride does now include the new Fast and Furious ride. Unless you are going during Spring Break, you probably do not need the jumper passes. Those jumper passes were well worth the money in Florida last summer when my daughter went, so I can see the value of the pass in some cases. We spent 3 days at Disney and woudl totally do that again. there is so much to see and I know we missed quite a bit. We also went to Sea World and Legoland in San Diego one day. We liked Sea World, have been several times in the past but Lego land was a snooze fest. They had many things closed and it is geared toward skids under 12 primarily. It was part of our passes so it didn't cost us anything extra. The one thing I wish we had done was take a dolphin watching tour. There are many in the area. |
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Post by scrapperal on Feb 22, 2016 18:27:59 GMT
I love the Long Beach Aquarium. The Queen Mary always has interesting exhibits and the tickets are usually available through Groupon. You can rent a Segway or go on a Segway tour in Long Beach. There is also a Segway tour in Huntington Beach, where part of the tour is on the beach. You could go tide pooling.
There are lots of museums in the area, both world famous and small, locally known: Bowers, Richard Nixon Library, Discovery Museum (maybe your girls are too old for that?), Muzeo, International Print Museum (open Sat. only), Nethercutt Museum, the Getty.
Old Town Orange is fun to walk around, lots of antique stores and restaurants.
Enjoy your visit!
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Post by bc2ca on Feb 22, 2016 18:57:17 GMT
Bike riding along Huntington Beach. We've rented Surrey Bikes & Deuce Coupes which are great if you have a mixed ability group and not all want to ride their own bike. Mission San Juan Capistrano is the biggest and most preserved of the historic California missions. Fun shops to poke around nearby. California Science Center is on the USC campus and has a permanent space shuttle exhibit that I highly recommend. We have been to Warner Bros & Paramount which are better studio tours than Universal, but don't have any rides or shows. I can't believe the prices at Universal!?! - a few years ago we were able to get 5 visit passes for $55 at Costco. I guess the addition of Hogwarts changes everything. I don't know anyone that has upgraded to VIP/front of the line so not sure what else you are getting. Honestly, I don't remember ride lines ever being really bad and we always head right to the studio tour first before any line build-up happens there. Other places we like to take people are the Griffith Park Observatory, LaBrea Tar Pits, the LACMA and the Getty Museum and/or Villa. ETA check out Orange County/LA groupons for discounts on bike/segway rentals or tours
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Post by scrapperal on Feb 22, 2016 19:27:47 GMT
Oh, I forgot to mention Catalina Island!
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Post by sunnyd on Feb 22, 2016 19:36:55 GMT
scrapperal Can you tell me more about Catalina Island? Is this a day trip or an overnight? Do you have a recommended way to get there? What do you do there? TIA!  Thanks for posting this thread OP! We are going soon as well.
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Post by scrapperal on Feb 22, 2016 20:27:57 GMT
sunnyd I've only been to Catalina once and we stayed a three nights (which was too long). You get there via boat, helicopter, or private small plane. We opted for the cheaper boat, lol, but I know someone who took a helicopter over because they had limited time. There are usually hotel/ferry or just ferry deals available (like free ferry ride on your birthday). I think it would be an expensive day trip, but I've know people to do that and think it was worth it. We did the casino tour, an interior island tour (similar to the current Hummer tour), and just lots of walking around. I wanted to go kayaking, but it was too cold. You can take a glass bottom boat tour, zipline, or rent electric bikes or golf carts to explore on your own. Keep in mind that this is an island so everything is really expensive! That said, would I go again, yes! Would I go every time I'm in California, no. Hope that helps!
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Grom Pea
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Post by Grom Pea on Feb 22, 2016 20:45:18 GMT
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Post by bc2ca on Feb 22, 2016 20:59:17 GMT
scrapperal Can you tell me more about Catalina Island? Is this a day trip or an overnight? Do you have a recommended way to get there? What do you do there? TIA! Thanks for posting this thread OP! We are going soon as well. Groupon and Living Social often have Catalina deals for ferry & hotel. The ferries leave out of Dana Point, San Pedro or Long Beach and you can stay overnight or just do a day trip. |
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oaksong
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Post by oaksong on Feb 22, 2016 22:29:44 GMT
You can take a whale watching excursion out of Dana Point or Long Beach. That's the time of year the Gray Whales are migrating. I've been twice, and have only seen dolphins, however. Another vote here for the Long Beach Aquarium. Long Beach also has lots of great restaurants.
I think the Griffith Park Observatory is underrated -- it's one of my favorite things to do in LA. The views are spectacular, and the Planetarium shows are great.
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luvnlifelady
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Post by luvnlifelady on Feb 22, 2016 23:30:52 GMT
There's a fun science center in Santa Ana. Don't let that scare you off. Santa Ana has some bad parts of town but the science center is right off the freeway. I forget the name of it but it has a giant cube outside.
I know you said no more amusement places, but the Great Wolf Lodge just opened a new location in Garden Grove. It's our first indoor water park for the area.
I second Knotts for their fried chicken.
Irvine has a fun family center and then there is ice skating I think in Anaheim too or Aliso Viejo.
There is a Ruby's Diner at the end of Newport Pier.
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Post by SallyPA on Feb 23, 2016 0:34:25 GMT
Fabulous info! One reason why I love the peas! We are looking into several of these options! We did do San Diego one year and Monterey another and are looking to just stay closer this time. Such fun ideas! We can't wait.
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Post by scrapperal on Feb 23, 2016 0:37:42 GMT
There's a fun science center in Santa Ana. Don't let that scare you off. Santa Ana has some bad parts of town but the science center is right off the freeway. I forget the name of it but it has a giant cube outside. There is a Ruby's Diner at the end of Newport Pier. The Science Center is the Discovery Science Center. And there's a Ruby's at the end of Huntington Beach pier. I think Rubys is overpriced, but both locations are fun, especially if you are already in the area. |
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Post by SallyPA on Feb 23, 2016 0:37:48 GMT
By the VIP pass, do you mean the VIP tour/experience? I did one in Orlando, and it was a great way to add some extra time to the day and learn things from an expert. I also had a friend who did the VIP tour in CA as recently as last summer, and she swore she would never visit without it again. If you have the money, I say go for it! The Harry Potter area has started doing soft openings - maybe not to the general public yet, but I would imagine that it you will have a decent chance of it being in soft open by March. That may up the crowd levels a bit, so at a minimum, I would get the express pass to cut down the wait on the non-Potter things to give you more time to dedicate to the Potter things, if you are lucky enough to be there on a day when it is open. Yes- the VIP whatever that adds $49 to the ticket price. How do we go about finding out if we could participate in the Harry Potter soft opening? Do you know? That would be fantastic since we are listening to them as a family . |
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Post by SallyPA on Feb 23, 2016 0:40:23 GMT
This site may help - www.isitpacked.com/crowd-calendars/universal-studios-hollywood/We went to Universal Studios in December and it was far from busy. It was very disappointing because they have closed/removed so many things at universal to make room for Harry Potter. We could see it behind the walls but until it opens, the money spent was not worth it. I would be searching around for discounts! There were 6 rides adn only a few shows running. It was not the Universal I loved. The tram ride does now include the new Fast and Furious ride. Unless you are going during Spring Break, you probably do not need the jumper passes. Those jumper passes were well worth the money in Florida last summer when my daughter went, so I can see the value of the pass in some cases. I think we are hitting it during spring break, right before and after Easter, which is mostly why we are considering the VIP. |
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Post by scrapperal on Feb 23, 2016 0:43:22 GMT
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luvnlifelady
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Post by luvnlifelady on Feb 23, 2016 6:00:01 GMT
Your girls also might like to walk around Laguna Beach some. It's artsy but has some stores, etc. It's been ages since I've been but that could be fun for an afternoon.
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luvnlifelady
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by luvnlifelady on Feb 23, 2016 6:01:13 GMT
There's a fun science center in Santa Ana. Don't let that scare you off. Santa Ana has some bad parts of town but the science center is right off the freeway. I forget the name of it but it has a giant cube outside. There is a Ruby's Diner at the end of Newport Pier. The Science Center is the Discovery Science Center. And there's a Ruby's at the end of Huntington Beach pier. I think Rubys is overpriced, but both locations are fun, especially if you are already in the area. I agree about Ruby's being overpriced. I'm not a huge fan but the ones at the end of pier's are nice for the view, etc. We have one on our pier in Oceanside too and my kids like going down there sometimes. |
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caangel
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Post by caangel on Feb 23, 2016 6:17:19 GMT
Oh, the Irvine Marketplace is pretty trendy. Farris wheel, trendy shops, restaurants, etc. And have you thought of the Long Beach harbour area ... Aquarium, Queen Mary, Seaport Village. This is called the Irvine Spectrum Center (or The Spectrum ). Huge out door mall where the 5 and 405 meet. There is a small water play area by Target that may be open (free) at that point. It gets really crowded when it is hot. Irvine Market Place is right next to the Tustin Market place off the 5 freeway. Good shopping but very spread out (need car to get every where). |
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Post by JustCallMeMommy on Feb 23, 2016 17:25:47 GMT
By the VIP pass, do you mean the VIP tour/experience? I did one in Orlando, and it was a great way to add some extra time to the day and learn things from an expert. I also had a friend who did the VIP tour in CA as recently as last summer, and she swore she would never visit without it again. If you have the money, I say go for it! The Harry Potter area has started doing soft openings - maybe not to the general public yet, but I would imagine that it you will have a decent chance of it being in soft open by March. That may up the crowd levels a bit, so at a minimum, I would get the express pass to cut down the wait on the non-Potter things to give you more time to dedicate to the Potter things, if you are lucky enough to be there on a day when it is open. Yes- the VIP whatever that adds $49 to the ticket price. How do we go about finding out if we could participate in the Harry Potter soft opening? Do you know? That would be fantastic since we are listening to them as a family . Unfortunately, they don't announce them ahead of time. It is kind of a bonus if you get there and they are letting people in. However, they will become more and more frequent as the April 7 official opening date approaches. |
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Post by papersilly on Feb 23, 2016 18:38:30 GMT
so much to see and do outside of Anaheim that you can get to using side streets if the freeways are jammed. TripAdvisor is your friend.
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