Should we skip Disneyland!?

[Vernie822]

Hi everyone! I mostly post/lurk on the WDW side of the forums. My fiance and I are heading west for our honeymoon next September.

Our original plan was this:
Sunday 9/4: Day after wedding. Fly PIT to LAX. Drive to DLR.
Monday - Weds (9/5-9/7): 3 days at DLR, most likely 1.5 at each park or 2 at DLR and 1 at CA.
Tuesday 9/8: Fly LAX to HNL. Check in to Aulani sometime mid-afternoon.
Friday-Weds (9/9-9/14): Stay at Aulani & tour Oahu
Weds 9/14: Fly HNL to Maui (sometime in the morning)
Weds-Fri (9/14-9/16): Spend time in Maui
Fri 9/16: Fly back to HNL (most likely) and then back to LAX.
Sat 9/17: Fly LAX -> PIT (we have airline miles via Southwest so we would only need to pay for flights to/from Hawaii and the PIT/LAX and back would be "free").
Sunday: Collapse.

Now that flights are out for next year, I am starting to plan and I am re-thinking this strategy. I have never been farther than a 1 hour time difference and my fiance was only at DLR once about 20 years ago. So I think this whole jet-lag thing will really affect us.

Is 3 days at DLR enough for 2 experienced WDW travelers?

After the stress of the wedding, I think jumping headfirst into 3 days at DLR would be way too much. I am starting to think maybe we should just do DLR separately in a few years when we have the time. Given the above plan, would you... Stick with it, drop Maui, drop Disneyland (and in this case spend more time at Maui and possibly a third island), or swap things around to do DLR at the end? (We can't extend the trip any longer.. we are already using enough vacation for the wedding and honeymoon). Thoughts?

 

[figment_jii]

Personally...I love DLR, but I would probably opt to skip it this time around. I do think you can get a fair amount of time done in DLR with three full days, but you're only going to just scratch the surface. Despite being geographically smaller, DLR backs a lot into both parks. I think you need at least 5 full days if you wanted see and do most things (including entertainment). We don't know for sure what will be happening next year during the non-peak season, but historically, fireworks and Mad T Party (and Fantasmic! - see below) are only presented on weekends (Fri to Sun, plus holidays, so maybe on Labor Day Monday). WoC is usually presented nightly. We don't know what PtN's schedule will be (yet). So, if you are thinking of coming back in the future, I would probably wait until Star Wars Land opens and then make a DLR-focused trip at that point.

Also, in terms of next year (2016)...We know that the River of America (Tom Sawyers Island, Mark Twain, Columbia, and Canoes), the train, and Fantasmic! are all likely to be closed for much of 2016 (not sure the exact re-opening dates). Also, there is a good chance that Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain will be closed at that point to have their Halloween-overlays installed.

If you wanted to get a sense of the similarities and differences between DLR and WDW, I recommend looking through HydroGuy's A DLR Guide for WDW Vets.

 

[GatorChris]

If Jet lag is a concern, then I would definitely go to DL. Here's why, being in the Eastern time zone, it's 3 hours difference to LA and 3 more to Hawaii (because they don't Spring forward to daylight savings time). Do you want to switch an entire 6 hours in just one day, or would you rather take 3 hours at a time?

And definitely don't drop Maui. We actually didn't like Oahu all that much. Too touristy unless you really like the night scene and clubbing. Maui has a lot to do PLUS it has the tropical side of HI that you really want. Definitely our favorite island.

 

[robinb]

Disneyland is my favorite park, so I would not skip it. You can take things as slow or as fast as you wish but I suspect Monday will be pretty busy since it's Labor Day so I would go but with no other expectations than to soak in the park atmosphere or maybe book a tour for that day. I really enjoyed the "Walk in Walt's Footsteps" tour on a really busy day around Christmas. You should have the parks to yourself on Tuesday and Wednesday ... a DLR vet will correct me if I'm wrong.

I think your Hawaii plans look good (although I prefer the Big Island to Oahu) and finishing off in super-relaxing Maui will be perfect!

 

[jeanico2000]

Stopping in DL is a wonderful way to break your trip en route to Hawaii, especially coming from the East coast. We did this on our honeymoon too! And don't drop Maui... it's such a beautiful, romantic destination. If you can and budget allows, I would recommend staying in Wailea. The Fairmont is a gorgeous choice, but there are many beautiful properties in that area. It will be nice for you to have a 'non-Disney' part to your honeymoon too! Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

 

[Manapua]

I would definitely recommend that you drop something. Your current itinerary doesn't really leave enough time on Maui to justify the effort and expense. Although, the flight from Oahu to Maui is a short one; the process of checking out of the hotel, driving to the airport (not a trivial one from Aulani on your weekday morning), returning a rental car, taking the shuttle from the rental car to the terminals, checking bags, getting through security ahead of time for your flight and then repeating the process in reverse after the flight takes away a good portion of the day and a lot of energy only to repeat the process 2 days later. I would lengthen the time on Maui (by dropping DLR or shortening Aulani a bit) or skip it altogether.

 

[jenmiller114]

If Jet lag is a concern, then I would definitely go to DL. Here's why, being in the Eastern time zone, it's 3 hours difference to LA and 3 more to Hawaii (because they don't Spring forward to daylight savings time). Do you want to switch an entire 6 hours in just one day, or would you rather take 3 hours at a time?

And definitely don't drop Maui. We actually didn't like Oahu all that much. Too touristy unless you really like the night scene and clubbing. Maui has a lot to do PLUS it has the tropical side of HI that you really want. Definitely our favorite island.

I totally agree! We fly to DL pretty frequently from TX and we LOVE the time change. We feel like we get extra sleep before hitting the parks when they open. The key is to get there when they open. We typically do 80% of what we are going to get done before 1:00 p.m. because it is significantly less crowded before noon and that's the best time to get your fast passes. At some point, we like to go back to hotel, relax, maybe hit the pool and return for the night time stuff.

You can accomplish so much more at the two parks in 3 days than you can at WDW because it is so close together and all in walking distance. It all depends on what is important to you and how you plan your day. Labor Day will likely be crowded must most schools start the next day so it should slow down a bit.

You will be glad to get used to the 3 hour time change before going to Hawaii. 6 hours is a lot to adjust to. And finishing it up at Maui will be nice because you can wind down and relax before returning to the real world. Disney & Hawaii! Sounds like a dream honeymoon to me. I am sure whatever you decide will be great.

 

[figment_jii]

You should have the parks to yourself on Tuesday and Wednesday ... a DLR vet will correct me if I'm wrong.

At this point, it's hard to say what the parks are going to be like. In the past, I would agree with you that things should be pretty quiet in the parks at that point because it's after the summer season has ended, but before HalloweenTime has started. This year was different, in that there really hasn't been any slow times in the parks since the start of the 60th Anniversary Celebration. Labor Day 2016 is the (currently announced) last day of the 60th Anniversary Celebration, so things might go back to "normal" (i.e., historical) next year or the increased crowds may persist. At this point, it's really just to early to tell how the crowds will be next fall.

 

[VandVsmama]

I don't think that you should skip Disneyland. I agree w/the other poster who suggested that a stop over in Southern California might HELP your jet lag, if jet lag is a concern. It's only a 3-hour time difference between Eastern time zone and Pacific time zone. And usually a 3-hour time difference between Pacific and Hawaii time zones.

Lots of people spent part or all of their honeymoons at Disneyland. It's a really cool way to start off your lives together! Just because you're going to the theme parks doesn't mean that you have to go commando style all three of those days (Mon-Wed). On your arrival day (Sunday, 9/4), you could have dinner & drinks at Trader Sam's at the Disneyland Hotel. The atmosphere there is pretty neat...consider it an appetizer before Aulani!

Our family are big proponents of taking an afternoon break from the parks so we can rest, unwind, maybe take a nap, enjoy the pool, etc.

On the other hand, if you DO skip Disneyland, then don't do a 3rd island in Hawaii. Stick with two islands. Actually, I would say just go to one island and really immerse yourself there. There's a ton of cool things to do on Maui...so much that you could spend a whole two weeks just there.

Consider it this way....
If you were spending your honeymoon in WDW, would you really be switching resorts 3 times in a 7-10 day period of time?

 

[Angie1437]

If it were me, I'd skip Oahu. I've never been to Aulani, but I've heard it's great, but the rest of the Oahu in my opinion, is just not as nice or as fun as Maui.

 

[tiffjoy]

If Jet lag is a concern, then I would definitely go to DL. Here's why, being in the Eastern time zone, it's 3 hours difference to LA and 3 more to Hawaii (because they don't Spring forward to daylight savings time). Do you want to switch an entire 6 hours in just one day, or would you rather take 3 hours at a time?

And definitely don't drop Maui. We actually didn't like Oahu all that much. Too touristy unless you really like the night scene and clubbing. Maui has a lot to do PLUS it has the tropical side of HI that you really want. Definitely our favorite island.

I had to chime in on this one.

We went to Hawaii for our honeymoon ten years ago, and everyone said the same thing. Skip Oahu, it's awful. Maui is awesome, it's our favorite. Well, we found the exact opposite. We booked only a day and a half on Oahu as a result of this advice, mostly to see Pearl Harbor. We ended up being so disappointed that we shorted ourselves. Oahu is amazing! We took our young daughters back there two years ago for a week, and it confirmed it's spot for us as one of our two fav islands (the Big Island is our other). We spent no time in Honalulu or Waikiki either trip. Instead, we stayed in quiet Ko Olina both times (where Aulani is, although we didn't stay there- just visited it, and found it too hectic for our style, but that's just us) and have loved it. We are wanting to go back, and I would do Oahu again in a heartbeat. The North Shore is beautiful, and Oahu is home to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world (Lanikai).

We didn't like Maui at all. We spent 5 full days there. I'd be possibly willing to give it another shot, but it was really crowded and traffic was always bad trying to get to various sites. I notice you have very little time there, similar to how we had Oahu. You can definitely something done, just not a lot. We did all 4 major islands in our 15 day honeymoon. You could do one or two of the popular things there in that time.

Stopping at DLR would help with the time change. It makes for a hectic trip, though, so there's different ways of looking at it. I also don't think you should assume it will be not crowded as it has been very crowded at DLR the past couple years. It would still be fun, but maybe more fun with more time. That being said, my first two visits to DLR were one day trips only, and we had a blast! If you set expectations appropriately, it can be fun even on a short trip. Only you really know if that would be enjoyable for you or not- to not be able to do everything or see all the shows (typically no F! or fireworks during the week).

 

[Khokhonutt]

We haven't done DLR yet, we're working on our first trip there next year, but over the past year, we've been to Hawaii twice, to visit our son who was stationed there. We also did Vegas earlier this year, to visit our daughter. We're coming from NC, so we're on the east coast like you.

I was going to echo what others have said. In my experience (flying to the Pacific time zone, Hawaii and Korea) jet lag doesn't hit you as an energy issue until you return home. I was given the advice to stay up as late as you can your day of arrival out west. You'll still be up early, but it won't be 2 or 3 in the morning early, if you go to bed when your body tells you to. We're old folks and we kept some pretty long hours on all of our western trips and it wasn't until we got home that we were wiped out with the time change back.

As far as Hawaii goes, I'd agree not to sell Oahu short. We spent 10 days there our first trip and 4 days there before heading to the big island our last trip. On Oahu Pearl Harbor is an obvious must see, to me. The north shore is beautiful, on your way up there you can stop by Green World Coffee Farm for IMHO the best tasting and best priced coffee on the islands. In the north shore area you have Waimea Valley and the falls that are beautiful, then on around to Lanikai which is one of the prettiest beaches you'll find anywhere in the world. Hiking Diamond Head is a must do (do it way early in the morning before it gets hot), then you can drive on around the south eastern coast for some of the prettiest scenery you'll ever see. Waikiki and Honolulu are busy as heck and something we mostly avoided, but it's still something to try once. Oh and if you book Budget, at least, the car pick up and drop off is in the middle of the airport, no shuttle needed, you're right there.

We haven't made it to Maui yet, our son said it was his favorite island, but we love, love, loved the big island. It's way less populated than Oahu, which I found relaxing. It's got some of the most diverse landscape you'll ever see in one place. The only "negative" I could come up with is it's way bigger than Oahu and that's not really a downside, it would be with the time you've allotted. It's called the big island for a reason. We didn't see near all we wanted in a week. We'll be going back someday. I'd think Maui would work with the schedule you have, since it's smaller, like Oahu.

Seems to me like if you and your hubby to be are up to it that you have a pretty cool plan. You're getting to do some pretty spectacular stuff.

 

[ICF]

We are experienced WDW people that just got back from 3 full days (and 1 partial evening) at DL (it was our 1st trip).

IMO, assuming the crowds aren't bad -- you can get a lot done in 3 days and wont feel rushed at all, IMO.

Be warned....parades and such are nuts at DL. We waited 2 hours for the light show at CA.....good show and different from anything at WDW, but I'd not spend 2 hours for it again. Once was enough.

The people were waiting for the parades at DL on main street 2 - 3 hours before they started. We caught part of it one night as we were leaving, but with only a few days in the park we didnt want to claim a spot hours in advance. It looked cool....but not cool enough to use up that much time to see it.

 

[sheetz]

Drop Disneyland and leave it for another time when you can do it justice.

 

[courtneybeth]

You can do Disneyland in 2 days and 1 day at DCA. I would keep the schedule - just don't wait too long for parades and shows.

 

[woodynjessiesmomma]

We spent 3 days at DL/DCA with 2 kids and felt we were able to do almost everything we wanted. This included 2 character meals, riding the Bugsland rides multiple times because DD loved it, and hopping from DL to DCA the last day. We only missed Aladdin and Mickey and the Magical Map (and parades and night shows because DH doesn't have the patience for them). Sure we could have spent longer but 3 days was good. I agree that due to the time zone changes I think a break in California might help you guys adjust.
We took our first trip to Hawaii this March and loved it. We were only on Maui 6 days and it didn't feel like that was enough time for all the travel involved. I've said many times I would never go back unless it was for 10-14 days at least ;-) I'd like to see Oahu and the Big Island. I'd like to stay at Aulani someday, but Maui was wonderful. We stayed in Wailea at the Fairmont and never had traffic issues but I did read that going to the Lahaina area can get busy. We went to the Lahaina area once without issue. To me Maui was a great mix of peaceful tropical paradise with options for shopping, outdoor activities, and touristy stuff. We discussed going to Oahu for a day to see Pearl Harbor but that was not going to be an easy event with kids so we decided against it and I'm glad we did as there was plenty to do on Maui alone. If you want to do Oahu and Maui then I would consider dropping DL and spending more time in Hawaii. Otherwise I'd do DLR then pick one island and enjoy a relaxing vacation/honeymoon.
Last thing... We used SW rewards for our flights to California and back and then Hawaiian Airlines to Maui and back to California. It was very nice and really got us excited for Hawaii with the music and samples of coffee, POG, wine, etc. I've also read good reviews on Alaskan Airlines.
Hope you have a wonderful wedding and happy honeymoon! Congratulations!!

 

[Iceman93]

Lots of good advice in this thread already, so let me chime in.

I think your plan is basically good as-is and wouldn't recommend cutting any of it. I suggest adopting your laid-back Hawaii attitude early, though, and using it to get through DLR. You *won't* see and do everything in such a short trip, so just enjoy what you can at a relaxed pace. It doesn't have to be a death march; just enjoy holding your new husband's hand and being at the happiest place on earth!

I suggest doing Maui before Aulani. I love Maui, but Aulani is heaven on earth. Save it for the very end of your trip if you can. And regarding flights from LAX, at least four airlines offer non-stops to Maui so you don't have to do a layover in Honolulu if you don't want to.

 

[barb969]

I would skip DL and fly from Pa. to Ha. in one day. Splitting the trip means spending too much time in the airports, checking in and getting thru security and time to get to DL and back to the LAX(45 minutes each way). After the first day there, your jet lag will mostly be gone. We did 2 weeks in 1974. My husband had no trouble with jet lag. I was up at 3am the first morning making reservations for a tour around the island.

I'm not a big fan of Ohau, but you need 3 or 4 days to do Pearl Harbor, the cultural center and take a tour around the island. Those days you saved at DR should be used to go to Kauai for a couple of days. It is the prettiest of the islands. Then go to the big island for a couple of days. Take a tour to see the volcano. I wasn't keen on seeing the volcano, but afterwards thought it was the best sight we saw and shouldn't be missed. It was quiet when we were there, but it is now erupting. You can fly back to the U S mainland from Hilo on the big island.

Skip Molokai and Lanai.

Hawaii is a long way and you should spend as much time there
as you can. After you are married and have kids you may never get back again.

Have a great trip.

 

[calilou]

I love your plan! Sounds like an amazing honeymoon! I like to pack it in and go, go, go though so consider that. I feel you will have plenty of down time once you're on the islands to relax and sleep in. We love Maui and the Big Island and highly recommend both, but would jump at the chance to go to Aulani too. I say go forward with your agenda!

 

[gottalovepluto]

I love your general plan of hitting DLR and HI. Definitely DLR first because with the walking it would take the most energy. 3 days at DLR should be fun, plenty to hit what you want. My advise for a WDW vet, don't plan it. Seriously. Well, grab some dining reservations if you're interested in any of that but other than table service just let it go! DLR is so easy to just go with the flow, especially if you get park hopper tickets.

And Hawaii, Aulani looks so amazing should be very neat for a honeymoon. I'm going to vote a curve ball and say skip Maui and go Kauai. I've done Maui a few times over the last 10 years (was there 2 years ago last time) and it has been so built up its so touristy that it just wasn't relaxing last time we went. Definitely not island laid back at all. I went to Kauai once a few years back and it is a quieter island, relaxing (but not too quiet for a couple for a few days) and beautiful. It has also built up over the last few years but not nearly as much as Maui. It's the main island for honeymooners and known as the garden island. No idea if you can switch out Maui for Kauai but if you can I'd really consider that for honeymoon concluding. Hope you have a wonderful trip and congratulations!