# LA theme parks



## Guy Rowland (Mar 5, 2013)

Making a family trip to the States this August starting in LA. We're gonna do one theme park, but which to go for?

The kids will be 11 and 14. They're not quite as madly into movies as their parents (such disappointments they are). But I think Universal looks best for us what with the shows an all, but I reckon we'd need those fast track ticket things and JEEPERS that's over $600 for 4. Is it THAT good?

Other options - Magic Mountain, Knotts Berry... how are they these days? Disney is probably a bit kiddie for them I guess.

All advice gratefully received.


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## nikolas (Mar 5, 2013)

No advice here but plenty of jealousy Guy ^_^ Enjoy your time there!


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## Guy Rowland (Mar 5, 2013)

nikolas @ Tue Mar 05 said:


> No advice here but plenty of jealousy Guy ^_^ Enjoy your time there!



Ha - thanks! No summer holiday last year so this is the payoff... even thought it might bankrupt us...

We did both Universal and Knotts Berry in the glorious Age Before Kids something like 20 years ago. I remember liking Backdraft at Universal where they put you in a sort of warehouse then blow it up. More fun than the film, anyway. Think that's gone now though, sadly.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Mar 5, 2013)

If I had to pick one it would be Disneyland hands down - although to be fair I haven't been since my daughter was a child (she's now in college), and it may have gone all trash culture since then. 

You'd have to pay me more than $600 to go to any of the others.


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## Darthmorphling (Mar 5, 2013)

Disneyland is far from being "Kiddie". We took our family two years ago and had a blast. currently saving up for the next trip.


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## Guy Rowland (Mar 5, 2013)

Interesting... ok, so there are these two Disneyland places, and only one day to do 'em. Which? Both?


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## Darthmorphling (Mar 5, 2013)

Guy Rowland @ Tue Mar 05 said:


> Interesting... ok, so there are these two Disneyland places, and only one day to do 'em. Which? Both?



You can't do Disneyland in one day. We had two days and didn't even see the entire main park. We promised ourselves that the next trip would be at least 3 days and we would make it to the other park as well.

That being said, my 8 year old has become obsessed with the Jaws and King Kong rides at Universal, from watching them on Youtube, so we will have to plan that in as well.


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## George Caplan (Mar 5, 2013)

youd have to pay me more than 600 bucks to go to la.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Mar 5, 2013)

There's some roller coaster crap park they built in what used to be a parking lot -I forget what it's called - but only one Disneyland. And your kids won't be too old, in fact you won't either.

George, Los Angeles is fabulous! You just have to know the right places to be. If someone blindfolded you and dropped you off at my house by helicopter, you'd have no idea you were in a major world city and that exactly half a mile down the road is a 25-mile long street full of shops (and restaurants, etc.).


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## bdr (Mar 5, 2013)

Im going in a couple of weeks with wife and 2 teenage boys, we are planning on 2 days at Disneyland.

I heard this tour is interesting, more insightful than Universal
http://vipstudiotour.warnerbros.com/vip-tour/

Also a friend told me you can get cheaper Universal tickets at Costco.


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## Guy Rowland (Mar 5, 2013)

Thanks all, much appreciated. Keep me posted on your trip bdr! I did the Warner tour 20 years ago - it was fantastic, but definitely only for movie-heads and not for kids (in fact it's 12+ only, like the other "proper" studio tours).

I just did a search for the Costco thing and found this newsletter for deals - http://www.mousesavers.com/discounts-an ... and-deals/ - might be worth a shot (and yes I'll make sure I'm buying LA not Orlando tickets!)


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## George Caplan (Mar 5, 2013)

been there thousands of times. its a crap hole guy. move on to the montery peninsula its a lot better.


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## chimuelo (Mar 5, 2013)

You'll have a blast regardless. Magic Mountain, Disney, Universal are just nothin' but fun. I actually have to drag my kid along to Disney just so I can relive my childhood days.
But if you really want to impress the kids, just drive up 99 north of Bakersfield to Fresno, then a little further to Yosemite. Just driving into the park is breathtaking.
There's literally nothing like it on Earth.

Have a blast as California is the prettiest place on Earth, and the Governor really needs the cash.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Mar 5, 2013)

Yosemite vs. Universal City? Really tough choice. 

George, Los Angeles has some crap hole areas and some really nice ones. But even the crap hole areas are nothing compared to real crap holes! I'd much rather be poor here than anywhere on the east coast, for example - all the burned out buildings, filth, etc.


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## Guy Rowland (Mar 6, 2013)

LA is absolutely brilliant for landing big transatlantic planes.

I'd love to discuss the minutae of our itnerary (we're heading East after our 2 days in LA into red rock country, my favourite place on Earth), but I'm keen to keep this theme park shootout going. So Nick - this parking lot theme park, would that be Disney's California Adventure Park? On paper that one looks to have more for older kids, but I dunno....


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## ptbbos (Mar 6, 2013)

We are headed out to Disney for 5 days in April - although our son is only 3.5, so we're aiming a little younger. We'd planned on Disney World, until we saw the Cars rides on youtube, and changed our travel plans. We're also driving down to Legoland for one day (but that really seems to be targeted to younger kids).

From my reading, California Adventures seems to have the more "grown up" or thrill rides.


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## George Caplan (Mar 6, 2013)

just dont get lost in the wrong area. we came over on business from the east coast this was years ago and got lost. never made that mistake again. that was scary in the extreme. go up the monterey peninsula and check that out. 
im in the process of negotiating a real estate deal right now and hope i can pull it off in the pebble beach area but its difficult from the uk.


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## redleicester (Mar 6, 2013)

Disney Guy, definitely.


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## givemenoughrope (Mar 6, 2013)

Skid Row, Rodeo Drive, Sunset Strip, Silver Lake...all have great effects/acting/etc. 


Honestly, that Pirates of the Carribean ride at Disney was pretty cool. I need to go back to MM and get some "G's."


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## Guy Rowland (Mar 6, 2013)

Ok... I see a lotta love for Disneyland so I've poured over the website again and watched the videos. What am I missing? It just seems.... meh. Very few big rides, lots of young kiddie stuff.... I know I must be missing something... what is it?


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## Mike Greene (Mar 6, 2013)

Guy Rowland @ Wed Mar 06 said:


> What am I missing? It just seems.... meh. Very few big rides, lots of young kiddie stuff.... I know I must be missing something... what is it?


If you're thinking purely in terms of thrill rides, then a regular theme park (Magic Mountain or any 6-Flags park, for instance) will probably be more your speed.

Disneyland is more about being . . . Disneyland! It's the icons that the park has that no one else can duplicate, simply because Disney owns them. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride came *before* the movies, for instance. The history attached to so many elements of the park is a large part of what makes it cool. And many of the rides are indeed top notch. You won't necessarily be throwing up afterwards, but I don't know anyone who came back from Disneyland saying meh.

But you won't find the huge roller coasters there that you would find in so many other places. But that's kinda the thing . . . you can get thrill rides anywhere. You can only get *these* rides and this overall experience at Disneyland.

Getting an 11 and 14 year old to appreciate that might be a challenge, though. :mrgreen: However, it's worth knowing that when junior or senior high schools have a class trip to a theme park for the graduating classes (or some other special event,) Disnyland will get chosen more than the other parks. It's not at all considered babyish or boring.


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## Mike Greene (Mar 6, 2013)

ptbbos @ Wed Mar 06 said:


> We're also driving down to Legoland for one day (but that really seems to be targeted to younger kids).


Legoland is fantastic. It's very low key and IMO perfect for kids that age. Legoland was my son's favorite park until he was about 10.

One tip about Legoland - make it a relaxing day for yourself, as opposed to trying to do everything. There are a number of places there where kids can just play and you can relax and watch.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Mar 6, 2013)

> So Nick - this parking lot theme park, would that be Disney's California Adventure Park? On paper that one looks to have more for older kids, but I dunno....



Yes, California Adventure Park. But you know, I'm not a wild rides man, so I agree with Mike - Disneyland is just great because of all the iconic stuff. Too bad they took down the House of Tomorrow they had up in the early '60s! It had things like...a videophone! That would be fascinating today.

And I agree with Mike about Legoland. When we go to San Diego (Legoland is in Northern SD County, half an hour from SD), we go to the zoo and Wild Animal Park too. Sea World, the other park down there...meh. It's (with nose up in air and landed gentry accent) loewah clarce.

ptbbos, Disneyland is fun for adults too. But you'll get far more enjoyment out of seeing your children so thrilled than you could possibly get from any attraction.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Mar 6, 2013)

What do you know (going off on a tangent - sorry Guy)!

This is fabulous!

http://davelandweb.com/hof/


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## ptbbos (Mar 6, 2013)

>One tip about Legoland - make it a relaxing day for yourself, as opposed to trying to do everything. 
>There are a number of places there where kids can just play and you can relax and watch.
That's our plan - just take him there, and go at his pace. Lego is his favourite toy right now (more playing with it and taking it apart, than building). Depending on the weather, we might go to the attached water park as well/instead.


>ptbbos, Disneyland is fun for adults too. But you'll get far more enjoyment out of seeing your children so thrilled than you could possibly get from any attraction.
We've been to Disneyworld in the past (before our son), and enjoyed that. This time, just really looking forward to his reaction to everything. All he can talk about these days is going to "Mickey's house".

Tyler


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## Guy Rowland (Mar 6, 2013)

Thanks Mike, Nick and all. I think I'm sorta getting the Disneyland vibe... and it is all about trying to pick one (ONE!) that is best for the kids.

Thing is they're not massively steeped in Disney lore. The Simpsons mean more to them I guess... which is at Universal. Pixar is moderately big for them though. Peanuts, would you believe, is big news, which Knotts Berry has (though I think it's pretty tokenistic... I get that this won't be anything like the same as Disney!)

And they do like the thrill seeking rides. 

One more thing is that I'm really keen to do things we can't do at home. So we have generic theme parks, so that's a strike against Six Flags and Knotts Berry. And Disneyland Paris is only a few hours away... but we've never done it and the kids don't bug us about it either. In that sense, Universal is best cos it's more pure Hollywood.

One real plus for Disney is this fast track system. That looks way better than the Front Of The Line pass, which ideologically pisses me off. But if we did go there, I still don't really know which of their two parks to pick. Grrrrr.


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## Mike Greene (Mar 7, 2013)

Between Disneyland and Universal Studios, there really is no wrong choice IMO. One may be slightly better for one reason or another, but neither will be a disappointment. You'll be really happy either way.

One odd little advantage to Universal Studios is that it has a subway stop. This saves a parking fee, plus it eliminates traffic from the equation, assuming your hotel is also near a stop. (There aren't that many.) If your hotel isn't near the Red Line, though, it could be more trouble than it's worth.


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## Darthmorphling (Mar 7, 2013)

Guy Rowland @ Wed Mar 06 said:


> One real plus for Disney is this fast track system. That looks way better than the Front Of The Line pass, which ideologically pisses me off. But if we did go there, I still don't really know which of their two parks to pick. Grrrrr.



If you choose the Disney route, make sure to get your fast track passes for Star Tours first thing in the morning. They fill up fast. Also, you can not have more than one fast pass at a time per ticket. If you get the Star Tours early enough, your fast pass will be fairly early in the day.

Another tip: the best time to do some of the big rides is during the nightly presentation. Literally everyone stops and watches it. There is hardly anyone in the lines. We pretty much walked straight to the front of the Pirates line and only had a few people in front of us.

As for choosing which Disney park, just get the park hopper pass and do both. Go to the main park in the morning to get your Star Tours fast pass, head over to the other park for the thrill rides, and then head back in the evening for the other rides.


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## Guy Rowland (Mar 7, 2013)

Thank you Mike and Darth, great tips.


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## snowleopard (Apr 25, 2013)

I'm late to this conversation but wanted to chime in as I visited all the parks last year.

I would agree that hands down, Disneyland. It has the best overall everything, especially if you have kids, but as an adult its still my favorite. The only exception is that if you're into roller coasters big time. Then, head to Magic Mountain. But there are still cool rides in Disneyland for adventurous kids. Indiana Jones, SplashnMountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, etc. 

You can't do all of Disneyland in one day. Even in the slow season it will take you two days, and that's not including California Adventure, which is pretty fun in itself. 

If you have 2 days, just do Disneyland, both days. If you have three, then get a park hopper for both Disneyland and California Adventure.

What makes Disney king is that the park is beautiful and alive. The rides all have great themes to immerse you in the experience. 

Magic Mountainis pretty cool, and a coaster mecca. X2 and Superman Escape were my favorites. Followed by Tatsu But it's a very nice park overall, period. I'd recommend 2 days there. 

Universal is cool, but less rides. We liked the Mummy ride and the backlot tour was okay. You can do it in one day. Paramount and Warner also have backlot tours, but are not ride oriented, and more for movie junkies. 

Knotts is undergoing a transition after being purchased by Cedar. It was getting a bit run down in recent years, but may be pretty good this year. Ask around. 

Agree that LA can be a fantastic city. You just need to know where the great places are, where the crappy places are, how to get around and have some spending money. August can be hot.


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## Guy Rowland (Apr 25, 2013)

Thanks Snow, yet another vote for Disneyland! I've been given some good tips with their fast track thing too. We definitely only have one day for a park, so we'll have to plan it well.

I'm personally more excited about visiting the NASA Jet Propulsion lab the following day than any of the theme parks. I shall geek out.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Apr 25, 2013)

You know, I may have been too harsh about Sea World.

Anyone who loves Spiro Gyra or sound-alikes will be in heaven. It's piped all over the park.


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## MA-Simon (Apr 25, 2013)

600$... the things I could do with that much money, would never, never, include visiting a theme park. Thats like 1 semester of student fees. 2 Weeks of family holliday in Holland. The entire Sable collection by Spitfire.
To waste that on 2 days of long queues and walking arround with screaming kids.
I would probably sit down half the time, while they play somewhere, trying to get wasted on ice cream...


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## madbulk (Apr 25, 2013)

Guy.
Disneyland and California Adventure in one LONG day where you run your kids asses off working the fast pass thing. 
Universal has only a couple of good rides. One of them is better than anything in Disneyland. After that, Disney kills everything else. And the Disney experience beyond just the rides is unparalleled. It's just better, by a lot.

Post #2000
VI4Ever


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## madbulk (Apr 25, 2013)

Oh, and you'll never remember we've even had this discussion, but PM me for fast pass advice when the time comes. If you have an 11 and 14 year old to do some running around for you, you can do a lot of damage in one day. You just need a strategy.


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## Guy Rowland (Apr 25, 2013)

Thanks Madbulk. I'm thinking what you're thinking... prepare for it like a tactical strike. I'm sure I will PM you nearer the time, I need all the prep I can get...


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## bdr (Apr 25, 2013)

Just went to Disneyland and Uniersal in the last couple of weeks. Disneyland was fantastic, the best. Their night time spectacular was incredible, so well done, the best of American style entertainment.

Had a park hopper pass, did one and a half days at Disneyland and also California adventure. Kids loved it (cynical teenage boys). GET THERE AT OPENING TIME! You can get tons done before noon. If you can, take lunch, the food is expensive and very average.You can rent a locker and leave jackets etc there.

Universal was also fun. Got a discount ticket through a friend who bought them at Costco.Great rides- apparently. I get motion sickness so wimped out on the big ones.


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## BenG (Apr 25, 2013)

Hi Guy,

I went last year with my family and we were able to use these "Go-Passes".

http://www.smartdestinations.com/los-an ... ax_Prod_Go[/url]

They give you free (and I believe unlimited) access to all of the major attractions. Universal, Studio tours, etc. Although, I do believe Disney is not included :/ 

Still worth checking out and much more affordable!


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## snowleopard (Apr 25, 2013)

The night time spectacular that BDR refers two are two of the primary reasons of going to Disneyland. You miss these and there is no point in going as I see it. 

First, in *Disneyland*, on the waterfront in front of the Haunted Mansion, every night after sunset is *Fantasmic*. This is an incredible show of lights, live action, fireworks. It's so amazing I can't describe it, and no video would possibly do it justice. 

On the *California Adventure* side, on the water in front of the Little Mermaid building is *World of Color*. Another spectacular show of water, lasers, color, fire and more. It has to be experienced to be believed. Only Disney could pull something like this off. 

Plan on getting there about an hour early, and sitting on the hard ground for Fantasmic if you choose that, or you can get a ticket to wait in line for World of Color. Get there a good 45 minutes early. Yes, that's right. Sounds like a long, boring wait, or sit on a hard surface. It's worth every second. Both are equally amazing, you can't lose by picking either one. These are shows that you will never, ever forget. 

Also agree with the others, get there 15 minutes before the gates open. You'll get a lot in before noon, and allow yourself to take a long break in the middle of the day when the park is most busy, before getting ready for the night, and the shows above.


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## Kralc (Apr 25, 2013)

First time I went to Disneyland I was 17, and it was awesome. There are plenty of non-kiddie rides. And anyway, you can ride those ones ironically and be all hipster like.

And if you are going to Disneyland, don't go on It's a small world unless you want that song stuck in your head for the rest of day.


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## Peter Alexander (Apr 25, 2013)

Kralc @ Thu Apr 25 said:


> And if you are going to Disneyland, don't go on It's a small world unless you want that song stuck in your head for the rest of day.



Amen!


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## Peter Alexander (Apr 25, 2013)

Guy Rowland @ Thu Apr 25 said:


> Thanks Snow, yet another vote for Disneyland! I've been given some good tips with their fast track thing too. We definitely only have one day for a park, so we'll have to plan it well.
> 
> I'm personally more excited about visiting the NASA Jet Propulsion lab the following day than any of the theme parks. I shall geek out.



With 3 grown children our more fondest memories are Disneyland. If you're coming in the summer, there are concerts throughout the day that your kids with thoroughly enjoy. At night, fireworks and Fantasmic (which Snow mentioned) are really outstanding. In the French Quarter there's a Dixieland trio and parades down Main Street. 

I did a project for JPL once. If you're talking about Pasadena, the drive from Disneyland to Pasadena is quite long and traffic intense. 

If you opt for Universal, you're next to Citywalk which has wonderful shopping, a great cinema, and terrific food. 

One other thing about Disneyland is that Anaheim has a baseball team (the Anaheim Angels), great shopping, and also great food. 
http://www.bing.com/search?q=Restaurant ... FORM=R5FD6
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants- ... ornia.html

Did I mention jousting?
http://www.medievaltimes.com/buenapark/ ... eshow.aspx

Try this My Liege:
http://www.medievaltimes.com/buenapark/ ... ffare.aspx


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## Guy Rowland (Apr 25, 2013)

Thanks again guys. I'm really hoping we can stay up and awake for the night show, we'll be severely jetlagged.

If the middle of the day is really hellish, perhaps its an idea to get out for an hour or two and have a long leisurely meal? Or can you still plan stuff to do with the fast pass / see shows? This will be hotter-than-hell August btw.

Oh, and any good tips for the journey from Glendale gratefully received, assuming we'll leave about half 8 or something - there's an obvious straight line freeway but if that's know terrible at that time, keen to hear other options.


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## Brian Ralston (Apr 26, 2013)

To a kid...Knott's would be fun....but to you, an adult....it will feel like you are in the middle of Krustyland where everything is just...not...quite...up....to par.

Disneyland is where the magic is at and your kids will remember it for a long time. 

Universal is somewhat fun but a bit more show focused. Rides get you wet or sick...and the shows (to someone who works in the industry)...just don't have any magic in them. If you work in Hollywood...I would say that Universal has become a bore. But years ago before I got into the biz....it was fun. 

Magic Mountain (A bit further north from LA up in Valencia) is hardcore roller coasters. And is fun. The original Wally World. Though my body now at 39 just can't take the g-forces or being flipped upside down 8 times in a ride any more. When I was younger though....it was really fun.


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## bdr (Apr 26, 2013)

We drove to Anaheim the night before rather than get up early and battling traffic on the same day. A little more expensive but very convenient.


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## Jimbo 88 (Apr 26, 2013)

Disneyland is great. Get there early (be there when it opens) and you might get lucky enough to get there version of a "fast Pass" for free. Hard to do all of Disney in one day. You should do it once in your life.

Universal is more about films, so it will be interesting to you if you ever aspire to work in films.

My wife is very tight with money, but she realized we needed to do the "fast Pass" thing. Seems to me it was more like $700 for us 4. Thing is that fast pass gets you food also. $700 to spend on one day is hard for me to swallow, but we had a blast. One of the best days as a family ever. It was one of the few times I've ever done the "1st Class" type thing. Very glad we did it. 

Good luck...have a blast!


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## Guy Rowland (Apr 26, 2013)

Jimbo 88 @ Sat Apr 27 said:


> Disneyland is great. Get there early (be there when it opens) and you might get lucky enough to get there version of a "fast Pass" for free. Hard to do all of Disney in one day. You should do it once in your life.
> 
> Universal is more about films, so it will be interesting to you if you ever aspire to work in films.
> 
> ...



Ooh I'm confused now - I thought Disney's Fast Track was open to everyone, and worked on a booking system not skip-the-line?


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## Guy Rowland (Aug 26, 2013)

Well thanks to all of you who contributed to this lil' thread. I've just returned from a splendid 3 week road trip with the tribe. I'm slightly ashamed to admit we ignored pretty much everyone's advice in the end, but here are my excuses:

1. Everyone else voted me down.

2. I have no power in the family.

3. It MAY be true that I didn't do a good enough job of selling Disneyland cos I could never get 100% convinced myself.

A core problem was thus: The kids wanted THRILL rides. Not 11/10 on the scale, but they wanted to hit 8s and 9s. Any one Disney park had only 2 thrill rides so... hmm. Magic Mountain was the other extreme - it looked a bit too full on and perhaps more for the older teen set who need cheering up after watching The Dark Knight trilogy for the 83rd time. So in the event, Knotts Berry was the winner - and it had bonus kudos cos the kids love Peanuts (the proper 50s-70s period I'm proud to say), while Disney has always left them kinda cold.

We got the fast passes (threw all my socialist principles out the window as I so didn't want to stand in hot lines all day while jetlagged on day one), and even with those it was considerably cheaper than Disney. More importantly, the day has subsequently been declared Best Day Evs - despite the Grand Canyon, speedboats, Colorado river rafting and zip lining across canyons that followed in some of the most breathtaking scenery on earth. It was Knotts Berry on day one that won the final kid vote, the uncultured swines.

There was 7 or 8 different rollercoasters that were all fantastic. The big wooden one was just me going AAAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH for 3 minutes non-stop (and I have the video to prove it). We didn't do the horrific-looking Xcellerator cos the ancient Montezuma's Revenge felt off the g-force scale, but we did pretty much everything else multiple times. That hanging one was great. No queues, staff and punters were all friendly, everything was clean, blue skies all day in the mid-80s... fortunately Brian, not like KrustyLand! The only downer was the Snoopy show which was technically very proficient but a slab of concrete would have more of the Charles M Schultz soul. Again, proud to say the kids gave that the thumbs down. On the plus side, it cooled us down for half an hour.

As for me... well, my heart lives in Utah - Moab and if you ever pass through the quiet green oasis of Bluff in the red rock south, stay at the gorgeous Recapture Lodge and say I sent you.

Thank you USA for giving us a great three weeks. It wasn't all perfect - your bread is too sweet, as is your butter. Hersheys is awful, you really need to start doing tomatoes with your cooked breakfasts. Oh, and then there's foreign policy, healtcare, gun control, the media and environmental disaster. But everything else was bloody brilliant. See you in 2017 for the eclipse.


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