Proposed Itinerary ... complete novice, opinions most welcome

SMPlantz · 2 Jan 19, 09:12 PM

It’s my 50th birthday in August so we decided to make a change from Orlando to California, very excited but really no idea if this itinerary makes sense. There will be 2 adults and dd 14 and ds 12.

Fly into LV and stay 3 nights
Drive to Death Valley stay 1 night
Head to Yosemite for 2 nights
Then over to SAN Francisco where we plan 3 nights
finally over to LA for 6 nights including 2 days at Disney and some relaxing beach time.

Does this look ok, have we missed anything or anything not sensible? Appreciate any thoughts/help

jdouds · 2 Jan 19, 09:37 PM

Hi good starting point , for us we would suggest cutting LA to 4 days and do 2 days on PCH on way down. Monterey would be a must do for most people( 1 1/2 hours from San Fran )17 miles drive,pebble beach,Carmel , aquarium and to make it a trip of a lifetime whale watching 3/4 hours. Perhaps stay Santa Barbara before going into LA area. If it is possible add a couple days more and you will get that bit more time to explore. Some off the drives take some time and with stops shorten your usable time .

jdouds · 2 Jan 19, 09:42 PM

Hi again .
Vegas Death Valley 2 hours
Death Valley to yosemite 4.5 hours going via tioga pass a must.
Yosemite to San Fran 4 hours
San Fran to Monterey 2 hours max
Monterey to Santa Barbara long drive with lots to see 6 hours.
Into LA 2/3 hour traffic depending
Since you have like lots of us done a lot of Disney in orlando would you dare give it a miss altogether

SMPlantz · 7 Jan 19, 08:34 PM

pheeeew not sure about that, new Star Wars rides will be there ... our twelve year old (and my DH will be gutted if we don't :-)

tinytots · 7 Jan 19, 08:58 PM

It is really tricky when planning California as there is so much to see and do and so little time. I would personally reduce the LA nights too.
I agree with 'jdouds' Monterey is a must. I would add on two nights for Monterey if you can and take them from LA. The 17 mile drive is lovely to drive around for an afternoon and visiting Carmel and beach. Good luck with the planning. I changed our itinerary at least 10 times

SMPlantz · 7 Jan 19, 09:26 PM

great thanks for the tips, I will change that sounds good!

Buzz242 · 9 Jan 19, 09:48 PM

I would also suggest less days in LA, there's so much to see and do you may need another trip

Lell · 9 Jan 19, 10:19 PM

I would agree about reducing LA to 4 nights and do a couple of nights on PCH. We loved Pismo Beach. Slight detour but Solvang is very picturesque, we only stopped off there but wished we had spent more time there.

400ixl · 10 Jan 19, 10:14 AM

Death Valley isn't 2 hours if you plan to see anything. From Vegas to the centre of Death Valley taking in the sights will take 4-6 hours. From the centre out to the west side of the park 2-4 hours depending on what you want to do (highly recommend going into Darwin as a semi deserted mining town which many miss). You then have the drive up to Yosemite when you get out of the park.

On PCH personally our least favourite place was Pismo Beach. Lots of nicer places to stay than there. But looking at your schedule, not sure you have time for PCH and assume you are flying down to LA.

In LA with kids of that age you may want to consider Universal, Warner Bros Studio Tour, Hollywood, Six Flags Magic Mountain. If they are into and films / TV series you may find filming locations scattered around LA that are interesting to go and see.

We tend to find there is far too much to do in LA to look at doing beach type holidays there.

2 Jan 19, 09:12 PM	#1
	2 Jan 19, 09:12 PM SMPlantz Gone all Goofy
SMPlantz Gone all Goofy Join Date: Jun 14	Proposed Itinerary ... complete novice, opinions most welcome It’s my 50th birthday in August so we decided to make a change from Orlando to California, very excited but really no idea if this itinerary makes sense. There will be 2 adults and dd 14 and ds 12. Fly into LV and stay 3 nights Drive to Death Valley stay 1 night Head to Yosemite for 2 nights Then over to SAN Francisco where we plan 3 nights finally over to LA for 6 nights including 2 days at Disney and some relaxing beach time. Does this look ok, have we missed anything or anything not sensible? Appreciate any thoughts/help

7 Jan 19, 08:34 PM	#4
	7 Jan 19, 08:34 PM SMPlantz Gone all Goofy Thread Starter
SMPlantz Thread Starter Gone all Goofy Join Date: Jun 14	pheeeew not sure about that, new Star Wars rides will be there ... our twelve year old (and my DH will be gutted if we don't :-)

7 Jan 19, 09:26 PM	#6
	7 Jan 19, 09:26 PM SMPlantz Gone all Goofy Thread Starter
SMPlantz Thread Starter Gone all Goofy Join Date: Jun 14	great thanks for the tips, I will change that sounds good!

10 Jan 19, 10:14 AM	#9
	10 Jan 19, 10:14 AM 400ixl Imagineer
400ixl Imagineer Join Date: Mar 12	Death Valley isn't 2 hours if you plan to see anything. From Vegas to the centre of Death Valley taking in the sights will take 4-6 hours. From the centre out to the west side of the park 2-4 hours depending on what you want to do (highly recommend going into Darwin as a semi deserted mining town which many miss). You then have the drive up to Yosemite when you get out of the park. On PCH personally our least favourite place was Pismo Beach. Lots of nicer places to stay than there. But looking at your schedule, not sure you have time for PCH and assume you are flying down to LA. In LA with kids of that age you may want to consider Universal, Warner Bros Studio Tour, Hollywood, Six Flags Magic Mountain. If they are into and films / TV series you may find filming locations scattered around LA that are interesting to go and see. We tend to find there is far too much to do in LA to look at doing beach type holidays there.