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Disneyland California and West Coast Trip Planning Disneyland California and West Coast Holiday Planning Questions, Suggestions and Tips.

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Old 21 Mar 21, 06:52 PM  
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Tishypopsuk
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First time on the west coast

Hi
My daughter leaves High School in 2021 and has asked for a road trip on the west coast specifically California and Nevada.
We have done WDW & DLP several times so obviously we are going to want to visit Both disney and Universal but with only 2 weeks to do everything on her trip I am not sure how long we should dedicate to these parks. What does everyone think. Also is there anywhere that you think is a must visit in California and Nevada. We will be travelling myself and my husband along with our children aged 16 and 15. Not big beach people so don’t need to spend a long time there, we love to travel and want to cram in as much of the stereo typical things on this trip. We will be flying in from the UK and then using a car for most of the trip.
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Old 21 Mar 21, 07:06 PM  
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vegboatride
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Hi and welcome
I think 4/5 days at Disneyland is plenty you could probably do it in less depending on time of year, days of the week, midweek is usually quieter and if you like doing longer park days. We did universal in one day it was a fairly quiet Friday in February but we did have a second day free included so went back to re-ride our favourites. I have written a trip report describing which hotels we used and why. You can find it in the west coast and California trip reports titled San Francisco to Disneyland February 2020 sorry I don’t know how to do a link. Happy planning.
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Old 21 Mar 21, 07:18 PM  
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miked1e
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Hi there,

California and Nevada road trip is amazing.

We didn’t do Universal and opted for the WB Studios tour along with sightseeing in LA for our day there.

We spent 4 nights at Disneyland hotel which was more than enough and both parks can easily be covered in 3 days so 2-3 nights. If not at the weekend and use of the FP system.

I would suggest the main cities including LA, Las Vegas, San Francisco are worth doing. Also San Diego from what I have read but we never made it.

Yosemite is a must if you are travelling up to North California.

We were stuck to 16 nights only and crammed as much as we could in that time...

You can find my trip report here https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sho...d.php?t=975056

Happy to answer any questions!
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Old 21 Mar 21, 11:54 PM  
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floridafan101
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We went in 2016 for 3 weeks and had an amazing trip - starting in L.A then Vegas, Yosemite, San Francisco, Disneyland and San Diego before back to L.A for flights home. The drive down the PCH was a highlight for everyone, stunning had to keep pulling over to stop and take in the views.
So many places to visit hard to know what to recommend. We did visit Bodie a deserted mining town which is now a museum, the houses are still intact with furniture inside very eerie.
Stayed on Fisherman's Wharf in SF, lots going on and didn’t need to drive anywhere, cycled GG bridge, Alcatraz, Chinatown.
Kids loved Vegas but we only had 1 night there so can’t say we explored it that much. Stayed at The Palazzo which was gorgeous.
Stayed in a cabin in Yosemite which was pretty basic and cramped for 5 but worth it for being right in the centre of the park. My favourite part of the trip loved walking there it was beautiful.
We only had 2 days in Disney and 1 in Universal which was enough for us there was too much other things to see.
We were hoping to go back this August but will have to see!
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Old 22 Mar 21, 12:33 AM  
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KarenG
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For 2021? I would be closely watching Disneyland’s plans - they still aren’t open for another month or so and I think they are then aiming for small capacity (15% maybe) and only to Californian residents.

Planning now a trip to coincide with a summer 2021 graduation would be too nerve wracking for me if you can’t get into the Disney parks.

Hopefully this will all change soon but I would pause right now until things are clearer.

My kids rate Las Vegas as one of the best places they have visited.
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Old 22 Mar 21, 08:28 AM  
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miked1e
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When stuck for time, like we were, I would suggest reading as many trip reports and watching vlogs to make a list of what you would like to do.

Then based on timings and routes start to prioritize these, and if you find you have some time in the holiday then great, otherwise those which you can't do are an excuse to go back!

We flew into and out of LA covering Santa Monica, Las Vegas, Death Valley, Lone Pine, Yosemite, Napa Valley, San Francisco, Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Malibu, Anaheim (Disneyland). Drove about 1800 miles in 16 nights.

Driving was one of the best bits for me! So many great places to see!
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Old 22 Mar 21, 08:50 AM  
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enjibenji
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We have done a few road trips now. Just being on the open road was what its all about (for us), everyone is different. With LA we have done the normal tours etc and loved them, my ds21 and his gf done warner bros for the day, none of us was bothered with disneyland or universal. We have done some places twice as really like them. I love the National parks and try and stay in them. If you do this you will need to book lodging a year or maybe more out. We have stayed Grand canyon np twice both times for sunset, Yosemite np, we done abit of a drive by last time but didn't stay in the park, so we are returning this year 🙏 and staying in the park. Death valley np, love this place, visiting again and staying in park again. San Francisco was great, so we are returning this year. Las vegas we are not returning to this year as we are doing San diego which is a first. Palm springs, lovely place, I could move there tomorrow, well for winter months, as summer would be too hot for me. Arizona, love it there, done Sedona at christmas and also Scottsdale but Az is a lovely place to drive through. My favourite time out there is the beginning of October, absolutely gorgeous weather but not too hot. If you are doing Yosemite np remember that the tioga pass is usually only open for a few months a year as it closes due to snow. You can look online, it usually opens between may and july and closes again end of october onwards. Another place we are going to this year is Lake tahoe. You need to sit down and decide on the places you want to see and do a route, you may need to do a few road trips to fit it in. Also if your near Vegas then I recommend hoover dam, we done the engine room tour and really enjoyed it, also Oatman, I will be returning there at some point. Good luck with the planning, its nice to get excited about travelling again 🙏. 😊
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Old 22 Mar 21, 10:09 AM  
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400ixl
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If you are only doing 2 weeks with teens then I would allocate 2 days to Disney and 1 day to Universal. If possible 1 day to Six Flags Magic Mountain if they are into bigger rides.

If they are into their bloggers then some time at Venice Beach, which would also allow you to also visit places like Santa Monica and Malibu.

Also in LA you may want to do Warner Bros studio tour, Hollywood, Griffith Observatory, Brear Tar Pits which are all in a smallish area of each other.

A split stay in LA is suggested as Anaheim for Disney is 60-90 minutes drive south.

You then need to think about where else is your priority.

If you want to do San Fransisco, Yosemite and the Pacific Coast highway then there is a week's worth there and with LA will eat up all.your time.

You could do Las Vegas, Death Valley and the South of the Grand Canyon, again with LA you would eat all of your time.

Another option could be to go down to San Diego, you could easily spend a week there, or do a shorter visit and do a shorter LA's Vegas visit as well.

As others have mentioned you could spend more time in the national parks as well.

I would first off decide whether you want to do San Fran, Yosemite (although much of the accomodation in the park will be booked already) or whether sticking to SoCal would be better.
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Old 22 Mar 21, 01:27 PM  
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shack69
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There are so many things to see in California and Nevada so I would start with a list of your must do's . With 2 weeks and the distances involved not everything may be possible.
San Fran is a great city and the bridge and Alcatraz are both must do's
Theme parks are good and have a different feel to orlando. Universal 1 day (poss 2), six flags 1 full day, disney parks 3days. But also consider the cost of doing all those.
Yosemite for me is a must and you need 3 nights (min) i would say. Death valley you can do on the way to Vegas . Then if you have the cash do the Grand canyon on the helicopter (you won't forget it).
Other places like Palm springs and san diego are also unique places. But the mileage involved in doing all this is a lot and teens may not want that.
What are your teens really into ?
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Old 22 Mar 21, 07:55 PM  
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400ixl
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Be aware helicopters from Vegas can only reach the much smaller West rim. Spectacular but not the grand canyon you see on the movies which is the much larger South rim.
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