Moving to Pasadena for 3 months

[Jaime]

There is a good chance my family will be moving to Pasadena for 3 months in early April. We have a few questions for the experts!

What should be on our "to do list" for out west?(My DH will be working 8 days on 6 days off)
What type of Disney passes should we get? (Plan on making numerous trips)
How much is parking?
When are the parks least crowed?
What type of clothing do I need to pack for that time of year?

Also, our oldest dd will be turning 3 in April and has been asking us to go back to WDW since our trip last year, we think she will love DL and we want to surprise her for Birthday. Are there any neat things we can do with her? What Park would be best? She loves Ariel. We are not sure if my dh will have the full day off so we might only have a few hours in the park as they close early that day. We are not going to have much time to plan maybe only a couple of weeks.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[brando5111]

Hi and welcome to LA!

Just pack summer type clothing with sweaters for night. You will love the weather it's almost always warm and nice by end of April. Actually right now we are having lovely 75 days and 60 evenings. If I were you, and have the time, you must plan a trip driving the coast to San Francisco. You will view the most beautiful coastline, Santa Barbara, Big Sur, San Luis Obispo, etc. One beautiful town after another. Now be aware, it is very cliffy, so if you have a height aversion, it is something to think about. I hate heights, but my husband drives and you get used to it after a while. It's so pretty, you just have to do it. Once you get to San Francisco, do the usual tourist stuff and then head to Napa/Sonoma for a wine country weekend tour staying at a Bed & Breakfast, there are a ton of them and it's such a great vacation. This is a must do in my opinion if coming here for 3 months.

You can of course visit Disney as well!

 

[Jaime]

That sound's like a nice trip. Thanks for the idea. We are also planning a trip over to Vegas.

 

[got2gp]

You may want to consider a premium AP as it does not have the black out dates that the cheaper ones do. If you plan to visit a lot and want the flexiblity of going to DL anytime, it is most likely the way to go. We have So Cal APs and are blacked out for most of the summer. I think parking is free with that one also, but not sure. If not you can buy a parking pass; I think it was $35. Check out the DL web site, there is lots of great info.

As far as busy times, well you will be here for one of DL busiest times of year, especially with the 50th going on. You can minimize that by visiting on week days (expecially Tues-Thurs) while schools are in session. For little ones, DL has the most, but there is a children's area in DCA.

Have fun, I'm sure you will make the most of your time here in California.

 

[AuntieM03]

Hi and welcome to LA!

Just pack summer type clothing with sweaters for night. You will love the weather it's almost always warm and nice by end of April. Actually right now we are having lovely 75 days and 60 evenings. If I were you, and have the time, you must plan a trip driving the coast to San Francisco. You will view the most beautiful coastline, Santa Barbara, Big Sur, San Luis Obispo, etc. One beautiful town after another. Now be aware, it is very cliffy, so if you have a height aversion, it is something to think about. I hate heights, but my husband drives and you get used to it after a while. It's so pretty, you just have to do it. Once you get to San Francisco, do the usual tourist stuff and then head to Napa/Sonoma for a wine country weekend tour staying at a Bed & Breakfast, there are a ton of them and it's such a great vacation. This is a must do in my opinion if coming here for 3 months.

You can of course visit Disney as well!

I love the Apple Farm Inn in San Luis Obispo. Great food and great rooms

I hope you have a great time in California!! I love it here. I would also suggest the Premium passes if you plan on going alot. They are on the expensive side, but being how expensive it is to get in anyway they pay for themselves quickly.

 

[got2gp]

Just had a thought. If your DD love Ariel as much as mine does, (she's 16, and an Ariel want-to-be, lol) be sure to look into eating at Ariel's Grotto in DCA. It is a fixed price menu, a bit on the pricey side, but lots of fun. Ariel, does a meet and greet and other characters make the rounds. You can also meet Ariel in DL in the area between TL and the castle.

 

[Jaime]

AP's sound like the best for us, since we will be making numerous 1/2 day or less trips. My dd would love Ariel's Grotto in DCA. Thank's for the great info. I will know more next week and then I will beable to start planning .

 

[iceskatejen]

Definetely the premium. It does include parking (which is a $49 add-on to the other passes currently). At current prices the premium would be paid for in 4 park visits (at the price of the 1-day hopper) if you include parking into the equation ($10 a day). Plus with the premium you get a slew of discounts the other passes don't get--10% off any merch purchase of $10 or more, plus 15% in in-park sit-down restaurants ($10 or more food purchase), 10% off in hotel restaurants (again $10 or more), plus a free subscription to Disney Magazine. Plus the fact that you don't have to worry about blockout days.

 

[Judy from Boise]

While in Pasadena make sure you take the time to go through the Norton Simon museum, you would also be close to the Huntington library and the LA arboetum.
If you do make it to San Luis Obispo....another vote for the Apple farm Inn!

 

[karylrocks]

Just had a thought. If your DD love Ariel as much as mine does, (she's 16, and an Ariel want-to-be, lol) be sure to look into eating at Ariel's Grotto in DCA. It is a fixed price menu, a bit on the pricey side, but lots of fun. Ariel, does a meet and greet and other characters make the rounds. You can also meet Ariel in DL in the area between TL and the castle.

I thought that I had read that Ariel is no longer at Ariel's Grotto, just Mickey and a few others.

 

[got2gp]

I thought that I had read that Ariel is no longer at Ariel's Grotto, just Mickey and a few others.

That may be true. Last time we went was before Christmas, so it could have changed since then. Say it aint so, DD will be so sad.

 

[Jaime]

My DD will be disappointed if Ariel isn't at Ariel's Grotto. She is such a big fan.
Thank's for all the pointers. The premium AP sound the best if they offer discounts since we plan on doing some dining in Disney.