So my mind is made up! California here we come!

[jdouds]

Hi happy planning, make a list of the main things you want to do and pick airport to suit. Ie clockwise or anti-clockwise . We did into LA Santa Barbara ,Monterey ,San Fran ,Yosemite ,Vegas , Palm Springs and back to LA . Some people preface to do PCH other way round. Hopefully by next summer the road will be open again

[LOU LOU DISNEY]

Originally Posted by jdouds

Hi happy planning, make a list of the main things you want to do and pick airport to suit. Ie clockwise or anti-clockwise . We did into LA Santa Barbara ,Monterey ,San Fran ,Yosemite ,Vegas , Palm Springs and back to LA . Some people preface to do PCH other way round. Hopefully by next summer the road will be open again

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Thanks for your great tips!
I didn't know the PCH was closed, we plan to be there at this time next year over the Easter hols? Now that throws a spanner in the works as we really wanted to do the drive from SF😢

[daytonababe]

Originally Posted by LOU LOU DISNEY

You're back?! I hope you had a fab time, & like that you've a few hotels booked for next year! Does a California holiday work out more expensive than a WDW holiday? I don't really have a figure in my head for booking a Cali trip like I would with a Florida trip. Im hoping flights will be a similar price though.

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I am , came back Tuesday just about to do a trip report, had a lovely time thank you.

I have to book the hotels early near the NASCAR races as the teams all stay around there so they get booked up quickly

Well I can tell you what I spent if you like?

My kids are14 & 18 so adult for food etc..

Flights, car hire and insurance for 19 nights £2136 (direct to LAX/London)
Disney tickets 4 x 2 day tickets $780 / £650
South Point Las Vegas 8 nights £608
Country Inn & Suites Fontana 4 nights $516 /£430
Days Inn Buckeye 1 night $220 / £183
Best Western Goodyear 2 nights $440 /£366 ( but they did knock $100 per night off due to the Hilton fiasco so would have been $660)
Desert Palms Anaheim 3 nights £402
Food $1550 / £1291 .. however we got 9 free breakfasts, 1 all day food pass at a race, and 2 meals bought by friends.. So I guess had be paid for all that it would have been $2000

Fuel..$161 / £134 that covered 2000 miles and we spent a lot of time sitting in traffic

Resort Fees 8 nights Vegas $120 / £100 (hotel honoured the $14.99 rate I booked at, not the new $21.99)

Total £6300 ...

I didn't pay for any parking in Vegas as I used the Ceasars group hotels in Vegas and they don't start charging till next week.

We did the Shark Reef and Secret Garden in Vegas but they were totally free through MyVegas would have been about $200 otherwise not that I'd pay cash for them though..

[Guest]

Yay Happy Planning!

[LOU LOU DISNEY]

Originally Posted by daytonababe

I am , came back Tuesday just about to do a trip report, had a lovely time thank you.

I have to book the hotels early near the NASCAR races as the teams all stay around there so they get booked up quickly

Well I can tell you what I spent if you like?

My kids are14 & 18 so adult for food etc..

Flights, car hire and insurance for 19 nights £2136 (direct to LAX/London)
Disney tickets 4 x 2 day tickets $780 / £650
South Point Las Vegas 8 nights £608
Country Inn & Suites Fontana 4 nights $516 /£430
Days Inn Buckeye 1 night $220 / £183
Best Western Goodyear 2 nights $440 /£366 ( but they did knock $100 per night off due to the Hilton fiasco so would have been $660)
Desert Palms Anaheim 3 nights £402
Food $1550 / £1291 .. however we got 9 free breakfasts, 1 all day food pass at a race, and 2 meals bought by friends.. So I guess had be paid for all that it would have been $2000

Fuel..$161 / £134 that covered 2000 miles and we spent a lot of time sitting in traffic

Resort Fees 8 nights Vegas $120 / £100 (hotel honoured the $14.99 rate I booked at, not the new $21.99)

Total £6300 ...

I didn't pay for any parking in Vegas as I used the Ceasars group hotels in Vegas and they don't start charging till next week.

We did the Shark Reef and Secret Garden in Vegas but they were totally free through MyVegas would have been about $200 otherwise not that I'd pay cash for them though..

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Wow! That seems like a very good price considering I've just priced up 2 weeks in WDW POR 3 adults & 1 child & it comes to £4263 without flights!😱
If I can get my prices as good as yours I'll be very happy! Thanks so much for sharing all of that, sounds like you packed a lot in, we'll only be there for 15 nights so we'll try to do as much as we can.

[LOU LOU DISNEY]

Originally Posted by princess_chazy

Yay Happy Planning!

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Thanks! I may be pestering you in the months ahead! 😜Hope your planning is going smoothly x

[daytonababe]

Originally Posted by LOU LOU DISNEY

Wow! That seems like a very good price considering I've just priced up 2 weeks in WDW POR 3 adults & 1 child & it comes to £4263 without flights!😱
If I can get my prices as good as yours I'll be very happy! Thanks so much for sharing all of that, sounds like you packed a lot in, we'll only be there for 15 nights so we'll try to do as much as we can.

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We didn't stop

I think if your happy to compromise a little you can do it.

South Point is off the main strip area but it takes us less than 10 mins by car.. But it has a cinema, bowling alley, arcade, free parking, resort fee is $21.99 not $35 + like on the strip..
And you don't get any trouble there really, the kids get a lot of freedom being there...
Hotels on the strip of a similar standard so say the Mirage were £1700 +.. and you have to pay for parking..

Disneyland hotels are lovely but 1 night is nearly as much as we pay for 3 nights with free breakfast and parking..

I've seen peoples quotes for the free DDP next year and just wow !

[clairemca]

We are going at the end of June for the first time and we have found it really expensive compared to Florida. Flight prices are the same but accommodation is so much dearer. The price of a nice hotel for 5 nights in San Diego would get us 2 weeks in a villa in Orlando.

[jdouds]

Hi again about six weeks ago with torrential there were some land slides one of which resulted in a damaged bridge which has had to be pulled down. In the local Californian news they say it will take up to a year to put a new bridge up, apparently the surveys have been done and plans are being done, so you may be ok. If not you could drive part of the road and then have to drive inland down the motorway and back to coast

[LOU LOU DISNEY]

Originally Posted by clairemca

We are going at the end of June for the first time and we have found it really expensive compared to Florida. Flight prices are the same but accommodation is so much dearer. The price of a nice hotel for 5 nights in San Diego would get us 2 weeks in a villa in Orlando.

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I know SF is expensive but we're only doing 3 nights. I have a friend in SD so if we stop there we've somewhere to stay. Not sure if we'll fit it in as we want a few nights in LV & we want to go to the Grand Canyon too, so much to see/do!