Originally Posted By kmbear We are coming down Jan 10-14. The Wednesday we are there, we have a free day. We are planning on going to DL the Thursday and Friday to get all the parades, etc we can. My question is go to Knotts or Long Beach? We have heard and read conflicting reports on Knotts about being dirty, run down, gang hang outs, etc. I see in Long Beach there is the Queen Mary Ship, Scorpion Submarine, and the Aquarium of the Pacific. We were thinking about possibly going that direction to see more things in CA than we would by going to Knotts. My husband is really interested in History and my 7 year old daughter loves to see how things work. Any suggestions? Also, how far is it to drive from Fullerton to Long Beach and is it an easy drive? My aunt might let us use her car, so we are trying to figure out our best and easiest options. Thanks for the help.
Originally Posted By kimi911 Knotts is a good park. I think its a fun place, but you'll probably get plenty of *park* fun with DL and DCA. For that reason, I would say see Long Beach, if it interests you. The Aquarium is fantastic, and there are other things to do as you listed. Make it a peaceful and relaxing day. Knotts is not bad, but why not do something besides amusement parks during your stay? The choice is yours, but thats my view on it.
Originally Posted By disneywife i hated knotts the staff were rude and it was very run down i stayed in park for an hour and spent six hours outside of park in stores cause i had to wait for my bus which did not pick up til evening so long beach is better chioce
Originally Posted By boyumz WOW, what a difference of opinions. My family loves Knott's, have never found the staff to be rude. In fact, it is the only park I've ever been to where I have witnessed "line-jumpers" to be kicked out of the park. It's not Disneyland, but its better than Magic Mountain, in terms of cleanliness and good food. I haven't been to Long Beach in a long time but when I was there last it was very seedy.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>My family loves Knott's, have never found the staff to be rude.<< Us, too. >>My husband is really interested in History and my 7 year old daughter loves to see how things work. Any suggestions? << If you like museums and such, check out <a href="http://www.2adults1child.com" target="_blank">http://www.2adults1child.com</a>, a site by our own JiminMerced,CA. Lots of great places for history lovers in SoCal.
Originally Posted By kmbear Thanks for all the help and opinions. That is exactly what I found at Tripadvisor and other places. A perfect split down the middle. I guess with Knott's you either like it or you don't. We will go to Long Beach because it is something different to do, then we will be ready for or time in DL for the rest of the week. I can't wait.
Originally Posted By SleepingBeauty82 "I haven't been to Long Beach in a long time but when I was there last it was very seedy." Hey! I'm from Long Beach! LOL. Although there are parts that arent the best neighborhoods, most of Long Beach is very nice. And the Downtown area has really grown in the last few years. The Pike and Aquarium are fun and if you go online you can get special package deals for the Queen Mary and Aquarium passes.
Originally Posted By kmbear Is there a nice beach to go to or would I have to go another area? My daughter has never seen the Pacific Ocean upclose and I would love to see her reaction to it.
Originally Posted By SleepingBeauty82 If you want to go to the beach, I would suggest Seal Beach (which is just a little further south on PCH). Long Beach doesnt actually have the best beaches...
Originally Posted By vegasmomof2 We are also considering going to Long Beach to go to the Aquarium. Does anyone know how far away it is from Disneyland?
Originally Posted By xrayvision "I haven't been to Long Beach in a long time but when I was there last it was very seedy." Long Beach has really cleaned up it's waterfront area. Shoreline Village with the Aquarium, Rainbow Park, Ocean Blvd and Belmont Shore Retail District are nice areas. The Queen Mary was cleaned up when Disney owned it and is still in good condition.
Originally Posted By xrayvision >>Does anyone know how far away it is from Disneyland?<< It's approximately an easy 25 minute drive. Regarding beaches near Long Beach, I would drive down PCH and beach hop: Huntington Beach (HB) and Newport are not far from Long Beach using the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway), and the scenic driving views on PCH are great. My preference for beaches in the area are in Huntington Beach..the clean, groomed sand is great and the nearby restaurants are nice. Newport Pier is also cool.
Originally Posted By kmbear >>Regarding beaches near Long Beach, I would drive down PCH and beach hop: Huntington Beach (HB) and Newport are not far from Long Beach using the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway), and the scenic driving views on PCH are great. My preference for beaches in the area are in Huntington Beach..the clean, groomed sand is great and the nearby restaurants are nice. Newport Pier is also cool.<< Thanks for the info on the beaches. That helps, but we might be on a time factor depending on: We will be driving from Fullerton, I does anyone know how long of a drive it is? If we do drive the PCH, it is an easy trip back to Fullerton? Any idea of traffic times to avoid driving into and leaving LB?
Originally Posted By SleepingBeauty82 Im not sure how to get to Fullerton on PCH but Im sure if you hop on the 405 North you can get there from Long Beach. Avoid rush hour on the 405 (5:00-7:00) though. It can be pretty slow.
Originally Posted By kmbear Thank you sleepingBeauty. We were thinking about having dinner over there and taking our time for the rush hour time. What about the am? 6-8 busy? I found a downloadable map that would take us on the 405, so that shouldn't be too bad. Any ideas on a place or how to get a map I can have that isn't downloaded? There is something about having something in my hands to read. I would need something for Long Beach/Orange County. I would like to get something before we come down to figure it out ahead of time. Thanks for everything.
Originally Posted By Mrs ElderP AAA? If you are a member you can get all the free maps you want (For anywhere)
Originally Posted By kmbear no, I am not a member of AAA. I looked in our local Hastings and Borders bookstores but up here in ID, they only have maps for San Diego and Major cities. I would think Long Beach would be good sized, but not in relation to LA I guess.
Originally Posted By Mrs ElderP if you can open the map and check the LA map will **possibly** cover what you need.
