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Old 14 Oct 19, 01:36 PM  
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offtoseemickey
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Mobile Itinerary help please - 1 week in California

Hi again

We are still throwing ideas around for one week (Sat-Sat) in January.

Here’s what I have so far:

Saturday- Fly into San Francisco, public transport to hotel in a central area (Union Sq) tbc. Hoping to land at 4pm so have the evening the spend in SF

Sunday - San Francisco - hit the main sights; Golden Gate Bridge, Pier 39 / Fisherman’s Wharf, cable car, Lombard Street, China town etc

Monday - hire a car & leave S.F. around lunchtime. PCH. Stay somewhere along the coast - maybe Carmel by the sea?

Tuesday - PCH. Stay somewhere along the coast - maybe Pismo Beach?

Wednesday - get up early - drive to Anaheim via some of the sights of LA. Check into a hotel in walking distance of Disneyland / DCA and drop off car. Spend the evening at Disneyland.

Thursday - full park day at Disneyland / DCA

Friday - full park day at Disneyland / DCA

Saturday - spend the morning at Disneyland / DCA. Fly home in the evening from LAX


Would this work? Do we have enough time to do all of this? I understand we would need to stick to a schedule / maybe even be clock-watching, but I can deal with that.

Are there any clear errors / omissions? Any input at all is gratefully received

I really appreciate everyone sending their time helping us! Thank you!
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Old 14 Oct 19, 01:58 PM  
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Rabel
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Have you thought about visiting the Walt Disney Museum in San Francisco - it is well worth a visit but it depends how much you want to see the other sites. It would mean spending at least 1/2 day there, but it is next to the GG bridge.

We (as Londoners) found the SF public transport incomprehensible. You have a lot on for Sunday and that may be too much to do in one day, especially as the GG bridge is on the other side of SF (and isn't that impressive up close in my opinion).

For the journey to LA, are you thinking of following Highway 1 or going the faster route? The Highway is very impressive, but it does get a bit repetitive after a while. It may take you more than 2 days to drive. Carmel is lovely but expensive, we didn't stay there but spent a day there. There are lots of small towns on the route.

The LA sites were rather dirty, small, and tourist traps. The observatory was a long drive up the hill and it was a good view but probably more impressive at night. The Chinese Theatre was rather dirty and filled with people wanting money. The WB studio tour was worth it but did take a long time. Beverly Hills was not worth the effort. The Queen Mary was interesting and we stayed on board which was fun if you are interested in the history.

I loved Disneyland though and prefer it to WDW, Hong Kong, or Paris!
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Old 14 Oct 19, 02:16 PM  
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fiona88
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You can use the BART to get from the airport to union square, but it will take around an hour from the airport as you need to get the airport monorail to the BART station 1st.
Note: the tickets are confusing, you need to enter the amount you need to pay rather than where you're going which is different to everywhere else I've ever used public transport.

Maybe use a tour company to tick off the sights if you only have 1 day in SF, we used painted ladies 3h tour and saw presido, golden gate bridge, union square, haight ashbury, painted ladies, twin peaks, lombard street, then did fishermans wharf and alcatraz in the afternoon/evening.
Otherwise, we used uber around the city when staying in Union Square and I think it was around $9 to Presido and $7 to fishermans wharf and we never waited long.

Decision to make is whether you're actually going to do anything in SF the 2nd morning, as otherwise you could get on your way a bit sooner, we initially planned a 1pm car pick up, but on discussing with a friend we changed it to 10am, as when you're checking out of a hotel and picking up a car are you going to do anything in the city

Anything dealing with or around LA will take a lot longer than expected, so getting from pismo to anaheim via LA sights will be a hellish day or impossible depending on what you're trying to see, we left around 9am and hit Solvang for breakfast and Griffith Park Merry go Round (as well as a target stop off) and it still took until 6pm to get to the Anaheim hotel. Disney was open until midnight though so we did get the late evening in there after a freshen up, so it's possible if it's open late depending on how much you're wanting to do in LA area on the way.
Ignore what google maps estimates for LA area as it'll take 2+ hours when google says 45mins.
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Edited at 02:17 PM.
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Old 14 Oct 19, 06:52 PM  
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KarenG
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I think it’s quite an ambitious itinerary for one week, but that may suit you.

Have you booked flights yet?
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Old 14 Oct 19, 07:55 PM  
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red cuillen
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fiona88 has it about right, BART from the airport, uber/lyft to get around town. We used the city pass C3 option which gave unlimited travel on the cable cars and trams/buses and 3 attractions!
Agreed to about trying to leave SF earlier unless you've made plans. If you really are into all things disney it would be a shame to miss out the family museum though. It it very picture and information heavy, I got tired after a couple of hours, though my girls wanted to take in everything.
I take it you've read through the relevant trip reports - use the index page, easier to pick out ones that way. What sights are you wanting to do in LA as you will be knackered from the drive down and LA isn't a fun place to drive around (stop/start stop/start again and again... ). Griffith Park is great just for being a hilly area and countryside in the middle of a massive conurbation. Think you've got Disneyland about right, we had 3 full days and 2 part days, again I'd had enough after 2 but we all like going on rides again and again, (radiators springs racers single riders - yes please).
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Old 14 Oct 19, 09:19 PM  
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offtoseemickey
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Thank you for your comments.

Originally Posted by Rabel View Post
Have you thought about visiting the Walt Disney Museum in San Francisco - it is well worth a visit but it depends how much you want to see the other sites. It would mean spending at least 1/2 day there, but it is next to the GG bridge.
I’d love to go to the Walt Disney museum, but I’ve really come to terms with the fact that this is a ‘bonus trip’ (we’ve just been lucky enough to spend three weeks in FL) and that we can’t do everything. I’m confident we will be back in California in the future. I don’t know when, but I’m sure we will.

Originally Posted by Rabel View Post
We (as Londoners) found the SF public transport incomprehensible. You have a lot on for Sunday and that may be too much to do in one day, especially as the GG bridge is on the other side of SF (and isn't that impressive up close in my opinion).
We’re from London too.
I’ll make sure to properly research the public transport situation, thank you! When I said the Golden Gate Bridge I just meant photos with it in the background. I don’t feel the need to cross it or be up close.

Originally Posted by Rabel View Post
For the journey to LA, are you thinking of following Highway 1 or going the faster route? The Highway is very impressive, but it does get a bit repetitive after a while. It may take you more than 2 days to drive. Carmel is lovely but expensive, we didn't stay there but spent a day there. There are lots of small towns on the route.
We are definitely planning on highway 1. We both love nature and beautiful costal scenery. This is without a doubt more exciting to us than San Francisco. I can appreciate it’s repetitive though. I’m sure I’ll love it anyway.

Originally Posted by Rabel View Post
The LA sites were rather dirty, small, and tourist traps. The observatory was a long drive up the hill and it was a good view but probably more impressive at night. The Chinese Theatre was rather dirty and filled with people wanting money.
I feel like I ‘have’ to see them, like
I’m obligated, but I know they aren’t going to be super fancy or all that impressive. This would definitely be the first thing on the chopping block actually.

Originally Posted by Rabel View Post
The WB studio tour was worth it but did take a long time. Beverly Hills was not worth the effort.
I really fancy the WB Studio Tour, but it’s a big time investment. I think we’ll skip Beverly Hills.

Originally Posted by Rabel View Post
The Queen Mary was interesting and we stayed on board which was fun if you are interested in the history.
I would LOVE to stay on The Queen Mary! It’s a bucket-list for me, but definitely not on this trip - not enough time or money

Originally Posted by Rabel View Post
I loved Disneyland though and prefer it to WDW, Hong Kong, or Paris!
This is exciting!



Originally Posted by fiona88 View Post
You can use the BART to get from the airport to union square, but it will take around an hour from the airport as you need to get the airport monorail to the BART station 1st.
Note: the tickets are confusing, you need to enter the amount you need to pay rather than where you're going which is different to everywhere else I've ever used public transport.
Thank you! This is super helpful!

Originally Posted by fiona88 View Post
Maybe use a tour company to tick off the sights if you only have 1 day in SF, we used painted ladies 3h tour and saw presido, golden gate bridge, union square, haight ashbury, painted ladies, twin peaks, lombard street, then did fishermans wharf and alcatraz in the afternoon/evening.
Otherwise, we used uber around the city when staying in Union Square and I think it was around $9 to Presido and $7 to fishermans wharf and we never waited long.
And this is such a good idea! Thank you. I’m going to look into tours that cover the must see places.

Yes, I plan on using Uber/Lyft around the city, and using the public transport for the airport run only.

Originally Posted by fiona88 View Post
Decision to make is whether you're actually going to do anything in SF the 2nd morning, as otherwise you could get on your way a bit sooner, we initially planned a 1pm car pick up, but on discussing with a friend we changed it to 10am, as when you're checking out of a hotel and picking up a car are you going to do anything in the city
This is also a really good point. I was worried we wouldn’t have time for S.F. with just one evening and one full day, but I suppose we will make of it what we will. I’m more excited about the coast than the city, so maybe we should just get going early.

Originally Posted by fiona88 View Post
Anything dealing with or around LA will take a lot longer than expected, so getting from pismo to anaheim via LA sights will be a hellish day or impossible depending on what you're trying to see, we left around 9am and hit Solvang for breakfast and Griffith Park Merry go Round (as well as a target stop off) and it still took until 6pm to get to the Anaheim hotel. Disney was open until midnight though so we did get the late evening in there after a freshen up, so it's possible if it's open late depending on how much you're wanting to do in LA area on the way.
Ignore what google maps estimates for LA area as it'll take 2+ hours when google says 45mins.
Yikes. Everyone says how be the traffic is, which, I’d imagine, makes it so difficult to plan. I really, really don’t fancy driving around L.A. I would have just liked to have seen the Hollywood sign, that kind of a thing. I’ll keep it in the back of my mind, it can be axed if need be.



Originally Posted by KarenG View Post
I think it’s quite an ambitious itinerary for one week, but that may suit you.

Have you booked flights yet?
It is ambitious, but we are young(ish haha) and we lead very busy, active lives. Neither of us like ‘relaxing’ holidays all that much. For example on our last holiday in Orlando we spent the day at Volcano Bay riding slides, then got ready for the evening and did close to 27,000 steps at HHN that night. I know we might come back tired, but we only live once as they say!


Originally Posted by red cuillen View Post
fiona88 has it about right, BART from the airport, uber/lyft to get around town. We used the city pass C3 option which gave unlimited travel on the cable cars and trams/buses and 3 attractions!
Thank you for the second confirmation. That’s the plan with the BART and Lyft. It looks like the C3 doesn’t include the public transport right now... but the City Pass looks like a good deal if we were staying for longer.

Originally Posted by red cuillen View Post
Agreed to about trying to leave SF earlier unless you've made plans. If you really are into all things disney it would be a shame to miss out the family museum though. It it very picture and information heavy, I got tired after a couple of hours, though my girls wanted to take in everything.
I agree with both points. No point hanging around for the sake of it...

I wonder if I’d be able to visit the Walt Disney Family Museum on our last morning in SF before we start highway 1...

Originally Posted by red cuillen View Post
I take it you've read through the relevant trip reports - use the index page, easier to pick out ones that way.
Yes thank you! I love a trip report. I’ve also been watching a lot of YouTubes too. So helpful!

[QUOTE=red cuillen;14126304]What sights are you wanting to do in LA as you will be knackered from the drive down and LA isn't a fun place to drive around (stop/start stop/start again and again... ). Griffith Park is great just for being a hilly area and countryside in the middle of a massive conurbation. [/QUOTE

I think the LA sights need to be axed if I’m honest with myself. It seemed like an easy win seeing as we would be so close, but I don’t think we have the time realistically.

Originally Posted by red cuillen View Post
Think you've got Disneyland about right, we had 3 full days and 2 part days, again I'd had enough after 2 but we all like going on rides again and again, (radiators springs racers single riders - yes please).
I’m so excited for the Disney parks!

Edited at 09:21 PM.
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