Taking small children

[Lissa_x]

I am turning 30 next year and we were planning a WDW trip however we are no considering heading to california instead. We are concerned WDW is going to be extremely busy next year with everyone moving this years trips and not sure we will be able to afford the price increase with lots of hotels being booked up so we are seriously considering heading to California as Disney wont be the sole focus of the trip.

My main question is would you travel to California with small children? We will have an almost 5 year old and a 3.5 year old. They've been going to WDW since they were 1 and 2.5 so we are no stranger to travelling with 2 toddlers but will they enjoy california?
We were thinking of doing 2 weeks with 5 days at Disney and then we would definitely want to do San Francisco and San Diego. Is there lots to do there for youngsters?

We would also be travelling in August, I know it will be very hot but all their WDW trips have been in august due to their dad being a teacher so they are used to travelling in August temps.

Thanks so much!

[jdouds]

Hi yes you can find things to do for younger kids. You need to be realistic how much you can do and the prices and distances involved.
Hotel prices on the west coast are much more expensive and distances are big.
San Fran to LA is 7 hours by main highway which we would definitely not recommend.
LA to San Diego 2.5/3 hours.
To give you an idea of a plan
Fly to San Fran and have 3/4 days there, Disney museum, obviously lots of things that adults do there ,Alcatraz,over bridge to Sausalito. You would need to check some things for younger kids.
Drive to Monterey 1.5 hours for a couple of days, the aquarium is fantastic, coast is beautiful and lovely beaches at Carmel.
Then a drive down coast and with a few stops And overnight at cambria or Santa Barbara .
Next few days Disney and then after that the shorter dr to San Diego.
This needs a lot of thought but you will get all the help you need on the dibb.

[Lissa_x]

Thank you so much. That's pretty much what we were thinking flying into san fran and then doing Monterey, anaheim and San Diego as you've said and flying home from LA.
We will have almost 3 weeks so can take our time driving down the coast with a few stops along the way!

[Stan1805]

Take a look at you tube Vloggers life of Reilly. Plenty of tips and ideas traveling the west coast with small children.

[jdouds]

Hi again with having 3 weeks it’s perfect and you can relax in Monterey maybe 3 night and then maybe take to stops before Disney. in San Diego the zoo and wildlife park are fantastic. One of the best things we found when our kids were young was to go and see the cheetah run. Cheetah up close was just like a bit cat ,stunningly beautiful.
Any questions just ask, as you know we all love to help.

[Aims]

Lots to do in San Diego for children! There is a world famous zoo and it's sister zoo in Escondido called the San Diego Safari Park (where the cheetah run is located that jdouds mentioned), Sea World, Balboa Park with lots of museums, and a lighthouse and national park called Cabrillo National Monument. La Jolla is about 25 minutes away and has some nice beaches, an area where you can see sea lions called La Jolla Cove, and an aquarium. There is also a small water park south of San Diego- Sea World's Aquatica. Also, there is a Legoland with a waterpark and an aquarium in the city of Carlsbad, which is about 30 minutes north of San Diego.