WanderlustNZ
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2012
Ok, a few answers from me. Universal Studios VIP tour. We did this in May with our kids 10 and 12. It was fantastic. The tour guide was great, really informative. We got to get out of the bus during the tour, but we did not get out at Wisteria Lane. We did get to go onto the set of Parenthood, got out to walk around the War of the Worlds set, got out at the Back to the Future building and went inside the sets warehouse. The luch was beautiful. We did all of the rides and shows once during the tour, then had a Front of line pass to go back again after the tour. They provided afternoon tea after the tour where we could go back to a little area with lounge chairs etc and have cookies and juice etc, for a break from the parks. We went on a Saturday. It was busy but we didn't notice it. All I can say about this tour is, if I did it again, I'd visit the parks on another day as well. I felt we didn't get to actually wander around and look at the buildings, visit the characters etc as much as I would have liked. Carlsbad. On our first trip in 2011, the boys were just 8 and 10. We stayed in Carlsbad for 5 nights and really regret it. We stayed across the road from Legoland, with the intention of being able to visit every day. We went for one whole day and visited the Aquarium, which took about 15 minutes. Then we did another maybe half day, and visited the waterpark. We were there for maybe an hour or so. The weather was perfect, there's just not much to do there. It's very small. We tried to visit the beach one day, but literally couldn't get a carpark. We drove up and down that road for ages, and absolutely no carparks. So, we didn't see a beach in San Diego. We drove to Old Town, which was quite nice, and visited the seals at La Jolla. There were about 2!! If I were to go there again, I'd definitely stay at a beach hotel and drive to Legoland on each of the one or 2 days I went. There's absolutely nothing else around in Carlsbad, except the outlets. They were ok, but nothing special when you compare them to Citadel etc. We have never stayed in Hollywood area, but just being there during the day freaks me out! We do go and visit, but I usually hold tight to the kids and can't wait to leave! Hope this helps.
Great advice Aussie Shaz. Thanks for that. Note to self: Get a beach hotel.
Your last sentence echoes a few of my own concerns. I've only ever visited hollywood on a tour and even during the day there were quite a few undesirables hanging around. I'm wondering if there are better places to stay with a family?
My husband really liked the Hollywood area, and I know he'd be keen to stay there. And to be honest, if it was just the 3 of us, I'd probably be okay with it too. But my mother in law is holidaying with us, and my gut is telling me that she will hate the area. She's not a fan of America; preferring instead to visit places steeped in history or with unique ethnic cultures. However, she decided she wanted to come along because she saw how much fun we had on our last holiday (immersed in our safe, happy Disney bubble) and I think that she, like myself, is looking for something similar with this trip. Just a chance to shut out all stress and worries, and have fun with her family. If we are going to be nervous leaving the hotel at night, we won't be fulfilling our wishes for this trip.
Hhmm, food for thought...