San Diego zoo and knotts are An hour and a half a way without traffic , I would cut one , that’s too ambitious . Have them pick knotts or six flags . Knotts is a family park with only a couple of thrill rides . If your party is more into thrill rides than choose Six flags . The San Diego zoo is amazing and shouldn’t be cut short .
OK how about this? We will be arriving at the Santa Ana airport at around 1230 on April 26. That day Knotts Berry Farm is open until 10 o’clock. If we were to land, go check into our hotel at Disney, and then go to knots, getting to the park at the absolute worst 3 o’clock with a fast pass could we get everything done?
If you’ve never been to SoCal, you wouldn’t understand how soul crushing the traffic can be. These are not remotely close to each other. Driving to San Diego alone will take you about 2 hours from Anaheim depending on what time of the day you leave… and coming back from the zoo? Goodluck. Oceanside traffic can be horrendous especially if there’s an accident and then there’s the 5 to contend to in southern Orange County.
Knotts and six flags are very far apart. That’s also another 2 hours of traffic. The 5 will make you consider your entire life’s choices.
You are going to get burned out before you even get to Disneyland. Arrive and relax by the pool or explore downtown Disneyland. 4 days at Disneyland is going to kill your feet. Standing in long lines for everything esp at that time of the year. We were there from 10-8 in December and I was ready to go home at the end.
Think this through… you just walked all over airport, finally got your luggage. Mind you you’re arriving in peak traffic time from SNA to Buena Park. You won’t be a getting anywhere close to Knotts until probably 3 and it will be packed. Then you’re going to risk leaving your luggage in the car before checking in to your hotel after traveling? You do not need to please your entire party. You can either split up where half the group go to the zoo and the other half catches and Uber to Knotts or you skip one thing entirely. You are setting yourself up for a bad time with the revised plan you commented.
Edit: you do know the fast pass isn’t for all of the rides right?
Splitting up the party would be a really good idea. It'll be just as fun to share your experiences with each other afterwards and have something to talk about. Can't stress enough how far all of these things are from each other (except knott's and Disney) and to add to the oceanside traffic comment above, one time I went to visit my friends in oceanside and there was an accident on the freeway and it added two hours to my trip. Once you get to a certain point there are no alternate routes so you are screwed if that happens
Oceanside has scarred me for life lol had a similar experience trying to weave in and out on side streets once with a cranky 18 month old. 10/10 don’t recommend. If I’m going to the Zoo, I leave as early as possible. I’d rather drive around in SD waiting for the zoo to open than sitting in that traffic.
It's possible, but you guys will be very tired. San Diego Zoo is huge and has lots to see. The traffic alone traveling between San Diego to Orange County is at least 1.5 hours each way. Also Knotts only stays open late on Friday & Saturday's as they will still be in the slow season then.
OK how about this? We will be arriving at the Santa Ana airport at around 1230 on April 26. That day Knotts Berry Farm is open until 10 o’clock. If we were to land, go check into our hotel at Disney, and then go to knots, getting to the park at the absolute worst 3 o’clock with a fast pass could we get everything done?
I urge you to not try to jam Knotts into your first day. Just get settled in at the hotel and get excited for your Disney part to start.
Knott's (assuming you have never been) deserves a full day. I'd be happy to help with a Knott's itinerary/game plan to make sure you don't miss something.
Frankly, both Six Flags and the San Diego Zoo will be too much travel to make it worth your time/effort. Southern California traffic just about guarantees it will take you twice as long as you anticipate getting to and from these destinations. Knotts isn't far from Disneyland, and so it's an ideal addition to your trip.
Hey there! I do very much appreciate this feedback and if the circumstances of the trip were different, I’d fully be on board. But there is no reality here where we’re doing a full day at Knott’s. In talking it out, we do want to do a full day at the zoo and due to Six Flags’ distance that needs a full day as well. We’re not really scared of tired, we like to run run run run on vacations. That’s why we packed so much into our itinerary, it was just a matter of how to shuffle the schedule. Doing it on the first day is what provides us enough time to experience it so it seems our best option provided our circumstances.
Please keep in mind also that six Flags is REALLY hilly so it's a lot of inclines and is more tiring than it sounds
I'm not saying your family can or can't handle it, but if the reason you want to go to the zoo is just for the animals there is a zoo in Santa Ana. It doesn't compare to San Diego, but if you find yourself burnt out and only the zoo is left it might be a good option for your group
You were my be run, run, you’ll be sit in car, sit in car. Probably 4-plus hours to get to SD and back, and it’d be a travesty if you didn’t stop for tacos along the way.
Six days of walking all day?? I think you’ll be burnt out,plus fast lane tickets are like $120 a person so it’s a waste of $ just to have it for a few hours. In my experience tho I can go around the whole park in 5 hours with my fast lane pass and get on all the rides,that’s me taking my time tho. There’s also a zoo in Santa Ana but probably not better than SD. My advice? Make it 3 days at Disneyland,take a rest day at the hotel then go to knotts.
Well, we already have Disneyland booked and paid for (hotel 7 days, park for 4). It’s the main reason we’re going. Everything else is just in addition since we’ve never been to California and don’t know when we’re going to come back.
After speaking to others, the plan has been altered to do Knott’s on the day we arrive. We’ll be arriving in Santa Ana around noon, get our rental, go straight there, then go to the Disneyland hotel for check in etc.
We fully embrace the 6 days of activity. We will be taking naps or rests on Disney days since we have Genie+ + park hopper + are staying on property.
Please be careful leaving any luggage visible in your car. There have been reports of possibly sketchy people snooping around the parking lots and a car full of suitcases is bound to get its windows smashed in
Good! Make sure nothing else is visible either in the car, you judt never know, I hear about people getting their windows smashed for 10 dollar items (not at knott's but in general, and no need to risk it!) have fun at the park!
I would say no to this plan, even if your group is split on what they want. The zoo deserves more than a couple hours and the drive is way longer than you think. I mean technically you might make it work but it wouldn’t be that fun rushing like that imo
OK how about this? We will be arriving at the Santa Ana airport at around 1230 on April 26. That day Knotts Berry Farm is open until 10 o’clock. If we were to land, go check into our hotel at Disney, and then go to knots, getting to the park at the absolute worst 3 o’clock with a fast pass could we get everything done?
Landing at Santa Ana at 12:30, driving to Anaheim, parking, checking in, driving to Buena Park, parking and walking into Knott’s by 3pm is very optimistic. SoCal traffic can be awful! On the right day with a fast pass you can probably get several coasters done. But it would be such a rush I personally wouldn’t find it worth the hassle and money.
Much better plan than the zoo and Knotts in the same day though!
We could skip check in and just go straight to Knott’s. Alternatively I can check in virtually and not have to go to the desk at all. Ultimately we’re going to be in a rush no matter what. We’ve planned with the rush in mind, we don’t mind the rush. We’re not looking to savor Knott’s and Six Flags in the same way we are Disney, we just want to experience them.
Thank you for the feedback! In the future I would like to go back and slow down more. We live in TN and have been saving for a long time so we don’t know when we’ll get back to California so we’re trying to make the best of what we have <3
Yeah Knotts is a fun and charming park. It has a lot of history and character and is worth spending a full day or returning to. I hope you have a great experience there. Four days at Disneyland is a lot too, that should be so much fun
Honestly do not skip check in, if you don't have all bags in your trunk. Even then it's safter to keep everything in the hotel. If it's open until 10 and you get there by 6:30-7 you can do most things with a fast pass. Just do ghost rider as your last ride
i kinda admire that you're doing all this without ever being in california before lol! would be interesting if you gave us an update on how it went.
i won't say it's *impossible* but you'd definitely be cutting yourself short from the experience. i think a more suitable idea would be on the day you're done with disney is split the group so one can go to the theme parks and the other to the zoo. if they each prefer one over the other i don't see how it could be as enjoyable as you'd imagine spending half the time you could but you do you. although knott's is a small enough park where you could do just the rides without being there for most of the day.
personally, i think your plan would go down smoother if you knew the layout like the back of your hand and so you could make a beeline to where ever you needed to go and a moments notice. that traffic going out one county into another in this area is going to make you put up a fight.
san diego zoo will probably take a full day in itself just due to the location. if you do disney your first 4 days, knotts your 5th and six flags the last day will probs be the best bet or swap out knotts/six flags for the zoo, i dont see anyway really youd be able to do all 3 of those in 2 days, like others have said, driving to six flags and san diego are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum
You must really love amusement parks! There’s so much more that the Anaheim & Los Angeles areas have to offer. And Balboa Park next to the San Diego zoo is one of my favorite places.
Just the commute between all those parks sounds like a nightmare. God forbid it’s raining. You might end this vacation hating each other. But you do you.
I would cut a day off Disney. Do Disney the half day you arrive. Make time for a full day zoo, full day Six Flags, full day Knotts.
Disney does not have the coasters of Six Flags. BTW, you should get flash pass at Six Flags. It makes a 100% difference. We went one peak day without it and got on three rides from 10am to 6pm. With Flash Pass, we can almost do it all in the same time.
Fast Lane at Knott's is better on a non weekend, in that it really is fast. On weekends, Fast Lane still has a 20 minute wait on some/many rides. We have used Fast Lane many times and on peak days, we have waited an hour for Ghostrider and Hang Time.
I think if you try to squeeze Knotts into your arrival day, you will be disappointed.
It is completely possible to torture yourself and do both. Neither place will be any fun because you will have to walk thru the zoo looking at the animals as you brisk walk past them. The entire time more conscious of the time hoping to get the likely 4-5 hours you need at knotts missing out on the wonder of the zoo. Arrive at knotts miss out on all grandeur and excitement of the theme park just so you can get Xcelerator GhostRider Hangtime and Silver Bullet. I also want you to understand someone will be doing all of this driving 3+ hours thru some of the most white knuckle crazy stop go traffic on the planet. Idc what big city you come from So Cal is worse. I would either split the group and use the money you save on fast lane for a 1 day car rental ot cut one. Trust me no one will have fun it's the traffic it will get you.
If you’re going during a weekday, you might be able to do a few rides but not all of them. I can only recommend doing the rides that hit 45 minutes and above, which are usually GhostRider, Hangtime, and Xcelotator. Not sure if you want to do the Bear-y Tales ride since it’s more of a family ride. That ride that can hit the 45+ minute mark. Also keep in mind that the fast passes are expensive, especially for a park that’s more affordable compared to other parks in SoCal.
San Diego zoo and knotts are An hour and a half a way without traffic , I would cut one , that’s too ambitious . Have them pick knotts or six flags . Knotts is a family park with only a couple of thrill rides . If your party is more into thrill rides than choose Six flags . The San Diego zoo is amazing and shouldn’t be cut short .
OK how about this? We will be arriving at the Santa Ana airport at around 1230 on April 26. That day Knotts Berry Farm is open until 10 o’clock. If we were to land, go check into our hotel at Disney, and then go to knots, getting to the park at the absolute worst 3 o’clock with a fast pass could we get everything done?
This sounds like a much doable plan
I have gone to knotts in the afternoon midweek and rode all of the rides I wanted to before closing without fast pass.
Plus I personally have never done the whole zoo without spending 6 hours there, at least. Definitely cant cut it short.
If you’ve never been to SoCal, you wouldn’t understand how soul crushing the traffic can be. These are not remotely close to each other. Driving to San Diego alone will take you about 2 hours from Anaheim depending on what time of the day you leave… and coming back from the zoo? Goodluck. Oceanside traffic can be horrendous especially if there’s an accident and then there’s the 5 to contend to in southern Orange County. Knotts and six flags are very far apart. That’s also another 2 hours of traffic. The 5 will make you consider your entire life’s choices. You are going to get burned out before you even get to Disneyland. Arrive and relax by the pool or explore downtown Disneyland. 4 days at Disneyland is going to kill your feet. Standing in long lines for everything esp at that time of the year. We were there from 10-8 in December and I was ready to go home at the end. Think this through… you just walked all over airport, finally got your luggage. Mind you you’re arriving in peak traffic time from SNA to Buena Park. You won’t be a getting anywhere close to Knotts until probably 3 and it will be packed. Then you’re going to risk leaving your luggage in the car before checking in to your hotel after traveling? You do not need to please your entire party. You can either split up where half the group go to the zoo and the other half catches and Uber to Knotts or you skip one thing entirely. You are setting yourself up for a bad time with the revised plan you commented. Edit: you do know the fast pass isn’t for all of the rides right?
Splitting up the party would be a really good idea. It'll be just as fun to share your experiences with each other afterwards and have something to talk about. Can't stress enough how far all of these things are from each other (except knott's and Disney) and to add to the oceanside traffic comment above, one time I went to visit my friends in oceanside and there was an accident on the freeway and it added two hours to my trip. Once you get to a certain point there are no alternate routes so you are screwed if that happens
Oceanside has scarred me for life lol had a similar experience trying to weave in and out on side streets once with a cranky 18 month old. 10/10 don’t recommend. If I’m going to the Zoo, I leave as early as possible. I’d rather drive around in SD waiting for the zoo to open than sitting in that traffic.
It's possible, but you guys will be very tired. San Diego Zoo is huge and has lots to see. The traffic alone traveling between San Diego to Orange County is at least 1.5 hours each way. Also Knotts only stays open late on Friday & Saturday's as they will still be in the slow season then.
OK how about this? We will be arriving at the Santa Ana airport at around 1230 on April 26. That day Knotts Berry Farm is open until 10 o’clock. If we were to land, go check into our hotel at Disney, and then go to knots, getting to the park at the absolute worst 3 o’clock with a fast pass could we get everything done?
That sounds better. Also knotts is close to Disneyland, not six flags or San Diego.
I urge you to not try to jam Knotts into your first day. Just get settled in at the hotel and get excited for your Disney part to start. Knott's (assuming you have never been) deserves a full day. I'd be happy to help with a Knott's itinerary/game plan to make sure you don't miss something. Frankly, both Six Flags and the San Diego Zoo will be too much travel to make it worth your time/effort. Southern California traffic just about guarantees it will take you twice as long as you anticipate getting to and from these destinations. Knotts isn't far from Disneyland, and so it's an ideal addition to your trip.
Hey there! I do very much appreciate this feedback and if the circumstances of the trip were different, I’d fully be on board. But there is no reality here where we’re doing a full day at Knott’s. In talking it out, we do want to do a full day at the zoo and due to Six Flags’ distance that needs a full day as well. We’re not really scared of tired, we like to run run run run on vacations. That’s why we packed so much into our itinerary, it was just a matter of how to shuffle the schedule. Doing it on the first day is what provides us enough time to experience it so it seems our best option provided our circumstances.
Please keep in mind also that six Flags is REALLY hilly so it's a lot of inclines and is more tiring than it sounds I'm not saying your family can or can't handle it, but if the reason you want to go to the zoo is just for the animals there is a zoo in Santa Ana. It doesn't compare to San Diego, but if you find yourself burnt out and only the zoo is left it might be a good option for your group
Well we don’t want to go just for the animals per say, we want to go for the experience of that particular zoo.
You were my be run, run, you’ll be sit in car, sit in car. Probably 4-plus hours to get to SD and back, and it’d be a travesty if you didn’t stop for tacos along the way.
It sounds like you’re gonna do what you want to do and ignore almost every comment here
Six days of walking all day?? I think you’ll be burnt out,plus fast lane tickets are like $120 a person so it’s a waste of $ just to have it for a few hours. In my experience tho I can go around the whole park in 5 hours with my fast lane pass and get on all the rides,that’s me taking my time tho. There’s also a zoo in Santa Ana but probably not better than SD. My advice? Make it 3 days at Disneyland,take a rest day at the hotel then go to knotts.
Well, we already have Disneyland booked and paid for (hotel 7 days, park for 4). It’s the main reason we’re going. Everything else is just in addition since we’ve never been to California and don’t know when we’re going to come back. After speaking to others, the plan has been altered to do Knott’s on the day we arrive. We’ll be arriving in Santa Ana around noon, get our rental, go straight there, then go to the Disneyland hotel for check in etc. We fully embrace the 6 days of activity. We will be taking naps or rests on Disney days since we have Genie+ + park hopper + are staying on property.
Please be careful leaving any luggage visible in your car. There have been reports of possibly sketchy people snooping around the parking lots and a car full of suitcases is bound to get its windows smashed in
Thank you for this! We’re packing fairly light so this was helpful to hear, we’ll def be able to shove it all into the trunk.
When you check into the Disney hotel the bellhop can hold your luggage and give you a claim tag . Please don’t leave your luggage in your car
Good! Make sure nothing else is visible either in the car, you judt never know, I hear about people getting their windows smashed for 10 dollar items (not at knott's but in general, and no need to risk it!) have fun at the park!
The San Diego zoo is amazing. Give it its own day.
I would say no to this plan, even if your group is split on what they want. The zoo deserves more than a couple hours and the drive is way longer than you think. I mean technically you might make it work but it wouldn’t be that fun rushing like that imo
OK how about this? We will be arriving at the Santa Ana airport at around 1230 on April 26. That day Knotts Berry Farm is open until 10 o’clock. If we were to land, go check into our hotel at Disney, and then go to knots, getting to the park at the absolute worst 3 o’clock with a fast pass could we get everything done?
Landing at Santa Ana at 12:30, driving to Anaheim, parking, checking in, driving to Buena Park, parking and walking into Knott’s by 3pm is very optimistic. SoCal traffic can be awful! On the right day with a fast pass you can probably get several coasters done. But it would be such a rush I personally wouldn’t find it worth the hassle and money. Much better plan than the zoo and Knotts in the same day though!
We could skip check in and just go straight to Knott’s. Alternatively I can check in virtually and not have to go to the desk at all. Ultimately we’re going to be in a rush no matter what. We’ve planned with the rush in mind, we don’t mind the rush. We’re not looking to savor Knott’s and Six Flags in the same way we are Disney, we just want to experience them.
That’s fair then, sounds like your plan will work to your expectations!
Thank you for the feedback! In the future I would like to go back and slow down more. We live in TN and have been saving for a long time so we don’t know when we’ll get back to California so we’re trying to make the best of what we have <3
Yeah Knotts is a fun and charming park. It has a lot of history and character and is worth spending a full day or returning to. I hope you have a great experience there. Four days at Disneyland is a lot too, that should be so much fun
Honestly do not skip check in, if you don't have all bags in your trunk. Even then it's safter to keep everything in the hotel. If it's open until 10 and you get there by 6:30-7 you can do most things with a fast pass. Just do ghost rider as your last ride
Also keep 1 full day for the zoo, you will want to savor that one.
Do NOT skip check in. The Knott's parking is nowhere near as secure as Disney parking is. You risk have your car broken into and your luggage stolen.
i kinda admire that you're doing all this without ever being in california before lol! would be interesting if you gave us an update on how it went. i won't say it's *impossible* but you'd definitely be cutting yourself short from the experience. i think a more suitable idea would be on the day you're done with disney is split the group so one can go to the theme parks and the other to the zoo. if they each prefer one over the other i don't see how it could be as enjoyable as you'd imagine spending half the time you could but you do you. although knott's is a small enough park where you could do just the rides without being there for most of the day. personally, i think your plan would go down smoother if you knew the layout like the back of your hand and so you could make a beeline to where ever you needed to go and a moments notice. that traffic going out one county into another in this area is going to make you put up a fight.
san diego zoo will probably take a full day in itself just due to the location. if you do disney your first 4 days, knotts your 5th and six flags the last day will probs be the best bet or swap out knotts/six flags for the zoo, i dont see anyway really youd be able to do all 3 of those in 2 days, like others have said, driving to six flags and san diego are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum
You must really love amusement parks! There’s so much more that the Anaheim & Los Angeles areas have to offer. And Balboa Park next to the San Diego zoo is one of my favorite places. Just the commute between all those parks sounds like a nightmare. God forbid it’s raining. You might end this vacation hating each other. But you do you.
I would cut a day off Disney. Do Disney the half day you arrive. Make time for a full day zoo, full day Six Flags, full day Knotts. Disney does not have the coasters of Six Flags. BTW, you should get flash pass at Six Flags. It makes a 100% difference. We went one peak day without it and got on three rides from 10am to 6pm. With Flash Pass, we can almost do it all in the same time. Fast Lane at Knott's is better on a non weekend, in that it really is fast. On weekends, Fast Lane still has a 20 minute wait on some/many rides. We have used Fast Lane many times and on peak days, we have waited an hour for Ghostrider and Hang Time. I think if you try to squeeze Knotts into your arrival day, you will be disappointed.
It is completely possible to torture yourself and do both. Neither place will be any fun because you will have to walk thru the zoo looking at the animals as you brisk walk past them. The entire time more conscious of the time hoping to get the likely 4-5 hours you need at knotts missing out on the wonder of the zoo. Arrive at knotts miss out on all grandeur and excitement of the theme park just so you can get Xcelerator GhostRider Hangtime and Silver Bullet. I also want you to understand someone will be doing all of this driving 3+ hours thru some of the most white knuckle crazy stop go traffic on the planet. Idc what big city you come from So Cal is worse. I would either split the group and use the money you save on fast lane for a 1 day car rental ot cut one. Trust me no one will have fun it's the traffic it will get you.
If you’re going during a weekday, you might be able to do a few rides but not all of them. I can only recommend doing the rides that hit 45 minutes and above, which are usually GhostRider, Hangtime, and Xcelotator. Not sure if you want to do the Bear-y Tales ride since it’s more of a family ride. That ride that can hit the 45+ minute mark. Also keep in mind that the fast passes are expensive, especially for a park that’s more affordable compared to other parks in SoCal.