coming from the East coast to Disneyland...

[mrsswat]

and want to fill up 7 -8 days near disney. First of all, help me out with where to fly into, and then what to see in those few days while there. Beaches, landmarks, cities? We want to do this but are truly clueless If this has already been outlined somewhere can somebody point me in the right direction? I will be eternally indebted Now that DDs and 27 and 23 and are willing to not have a Disneyworld vacation (first time since 1988!) we really want to expand outside the box Thanks

 

[momrek06]

and want to fill up 7 -8 days near disney. First of all, help me out with where to fly into, and then what to see in those few days while there. Beaches, landmarks, cities? We want to do this but are truly clueless If this has already been outlined somewhere can somebody point me in the right direction? I will be eternally indebted Now that DDs and 27 and 23 and are willing to not have a Disneyworld vacation (first time since 1988!) we really want to expand outside the box Thanks

Are you all up for DISNEYLAND?? Fly into "John Wayne" airport aka Santa Ana aka Orange County. You will be 20 minutes to the LAND.

Take the kiddos north an hour to L.A. So much to see and do there.

Take the kiddos south to San Diego. So much to see and do there.

Beaches along PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach.


Here is a great link for Tours in and around the area.
http://www.starstours.com/tours/tourDetail.cfm?tour_id=8559

I have used this company!!

 

[mrsswat]

I will most definitely be checking into those things!!

 

[StageTek]

Check out this great thread!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=567683

 

[shelemm]

LA: Venice Beach, Hollywood, Warner Brothers Studio Tour, El Pueblo National Historic Park (Oliviera Street), the Getty Museum. Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (many trails plus sites where TV shows, movies have been filmed). Go see a TV show being taped, go see Hollywood premiere (this will take some Googling), Griffith Observatory, La Brea Tar Pits.

Go East to Palm Springs, cable car lift up to San Jacinto Wilderness State Park. Visit Joshua Tree National Park.

Really, there are too many things to do.

What kinds of things do you like? Cultural, natural, historic?

 

[mrsswat]

we don't like to run ourselves ragged on vaca - we do enough of that at home! But on the other hand, we may not ever get out that way again, so I guess we'd be up for anything, just not running around. If we take 1 day off when we get there, then 2/3 days to do DL, 1 day return travel, that really only leaves us 3 or 4 days for other things. So I guess what I'm throwing out there is what MUST we see that is in the DL area and won't give us heart attacks doing it. I said the beach because I want to say I was in the Pacific Ocean. What about Catalina Island? Would it be odd to stay there like only 2 nights? The tar pits I would love to see, so what else is near there? This is starting to take some shape at least, instead of being just a blob of an idea in my mind. We are probably looking at the middle of July. We were originally going to DW for the 4th of July, but I'm guessing the holiday would be too crazy to try to do DL and the few other things for first timers? Thanks a whole bunch for your feed back guys. I really appreciate it!

 

[mrsswat]

cable car sounds great too!

 

[mom2aidanNpiper]

Hi there!

Catalina Island is good- but is pricey. Also- a note about flying into John Wayne- much more expensive than LAX. I fly to DL once a year, rent a car at the airport, hop onto the freeway (right off the airport) and then drive about 45 minues straight. Last time we got in late night and actually saw the fireworks while still on the freeway Any hotel you stay at (there aren't nearly as many around as WDW) is minutes away from the parks.

We've gone through Hollywood (a little dirty in my opinion, but seeing the sights was fun). Santa Monica Pier is about 15 min from LAX, decent beach and ocean view. Muscle beach is there, and it's always amusing to watch the "hard bodies" . lol. We went to the astronomy center in LA last time which was really cool.

We've also spent a few days more south of DL and done Legoland, San Diego zoo, Seaworld, etc.

 

[mrsswat]

had a free flight, which is taking us into San Diego actually. We will be going thru Hollywood, I really don't know that we'll ever go out to CA again, being from the East coast. The only reason why it came up this year because with the 2 free flights and points to use at GCV it seems to be a no brainer. I also realize that Catalina is expensive, but since this is IT, we're going to spend a day there. Going over to Palm Springs for the tram also, tar pits, observatory, while using GCV as our "home base". Once we leave Catalina Island, we're going to drive up the coast, stopping mid way to Monterey. Currently looking at Pismo Beach for the night. Then continuing on to Monterey, going to look for a wine tour, look for some redwoods, DH says he must go to Alcatraz, then time permitting we may take a drive over the San Francisco Bay Bridge. Recommend any hotels at these locations? Thanks for all the info, it really has been very helpful

 

[cepmom]

subscribing to this as we are also thinking about heading to CA from the east coast. I'm totally clueless!!! We have been to WDW a ton and are thinking about heading to CA for a change. I have at least 4 of the 5 flights we need for free so I figured I should take advanatge of that before they expire. Interesting suggestions so far.....

 

[lcasa]

We stayed at the Shore Cliff in Pismo about 10 years ago, and it was really nice - oceanfront.

In SF - what's your budget? I've had good luck booking thru Priceline and Hotwire, as long as you stick with 4 star hotels in Union Sq or Nob Hill. Parking is expensive though - we park in public lots instead of the hotels usually ( $25 and up a night in the hotels!). I've gotten the SF Hilton for $100, Stanford Court for $125. If you're looking for something more moderate, we've stayed on Lombard ( past the windy part ) which is a bit out of the way at Chelsea Hotel & it's sister sites ( found it on AAA a while back ). They come with parking and run right under $100 usually - pretty much mid-tier hotel - roomy & clean, but not cutting edge style or fancy furniture. A few rooms have small views of the Golden Gate though.
Personally I'm not a Palm Springs fan - kind of far and in July? It will be hot as hades. I'm a beach person - live in Huntington Beach.

Where are you thinking of for wines? Napa (1.5 hrs away from SF ), Sonoma ( slightly closer ), Central Coast? I can make some recommendations if you pick a region. The wines are best for me in Napa/Sonoma - but I'm a cab drinker. For Pinots the San Luis Obispo area is really nice. I'm not as crazy about the Santa Barbara area wines. Napa has Silverado - which is owned by Diane Disney Miller! Fess Parker is in Santa Barbara/Los Olivos area - so another Disney connection.

Just north of SF is Muir Woods if you're looking for redwoods. amazing. The drive on the 1 is slow, but is beautiful as well - and there are some redwood areas there too.
Have fun!

 

[Joan S.]

Hi, We are also East Coasters and thinking of heading to California this Summer. We did this 5 years ago and went to DL and CA. We stayed at the DL Hotel and took a day and went to Laguna Beach. This time I would like to venture out more San Diego, San Francisco,see some Wine Country and also a couple of days at DL. We also flew into LAX,easy drive to DL. Joan

 

[gasman61]

From Ohio (not quite as far away as East Coast) and are thinking of taking our 3 teens to California this July. Cheapest flights (so far) take us to LAX. We have up to 2 weeks but would like to keep things closer to 1.5 weeks for the sake of costs.

A friend of ours highly recommends San Francisco, and my DH loved San Diego when he drove out to CA during college. So, right now I'm thinking we'd spend 3 nights in LA, drove the 6 hours to San Fran and spent 4 nights there, then drive to San Diego and spend 3 nights there.

Do any of you have any input on this plan? We could skip San F or San D.. no plans at all yet. We go to Orlando frequently so we are not planning to do DL. Prob wouldn't do Seaworld either. We would love to do a tour of a movie studio and also a tour around the LA/Hollywood area; it might be fun to go to a show taping; the cable cars and sights in San F sound awesome, the grandeur of the national parks out there would be great to see.. what sort of itinerary would you suggest?

Open for any suggestions! Thanks so much. It is almost overwhelming to try to plan for a trip to CA because there are so many things to see. Guess I'm asking for some "can't miss" things for a family traveling with teens.

Karen

 

[KCmike]

Hollywood and LA highways are dirty areas.
Good beaches - Laguna, Newport. Newport is close to DL and is probably the best.
San Diego is an hour and half away and most definitely worth it. Seaworld and San Diego Zoo plus the Hotel Del Coronado and the best beach in the world for families. Legoland is in between San Diego and DL.

If your into nature (I wan't until last year) then five hours to the north is Yosemite National Park (jaw dropping awe inspiring that you must visit before you die...it is that incredible! and then approx an hour closer is Seqouia National Park.

You've gotta drive the 101 or PCH highway. We drove it from LA to San FRan last year and it was amazing. You could go to the Santa Monica Pier.

There's also Universal, Knotts Berry Farm, and Movie Lots. So much to do. There is a Socal city pass that offers 3 days at DL, and then a day at Universal, Sea World, San Diego Zoo.

Have you ever been to DL yet? If you haven't then take your time and enjoy it. Don't do too much and get caught in all the traffic. DL is wonderful.
We have been WDW vets and now we've been to DL three years in a row. You will get addicted especially with so much California has to offer.

 

[coppertopmom]

If you want to do a Studio tour, I highly recommend Warner Bros. VIP Tour, its really the kind of tour you imagine. I did it last year with my 19yr old son who loved it. We also did Universal's tour as part of a visit to that park and while Universal's was ok, it was more like just a ride. In Hollywood, we did the Hop On Hop Off bus, got off at Graumann's theatre for the Walk of Fame, and got off at Guitar Center where they have a Music Walk of Fame that my son found fun. We walked Melrose Ave which was kind of run down but there was a gallery there that my son enjoyed with a Beastie Boys exhibit. And in the evening we went to the Laugh Factory on Sunset where Dane Cook made an unscheduled appearance. My son also loved Amoeba Music, a store on Sunset that's like a warehouse for music, check out their website. We were in Hollywood (from the East Coast) for a taping of the Price is Right which is an experience in and of itself. We stayed at the Farmer's Daughter hotel across the street, a cool motelish kind of place walking distance to the Grove and Farmer's Market.

 

[PrincessInOz]

If driving the PCH for the first time, there's a little town called Solvang; which is off the highway. It's Danish and if you have time, it's worth the slight detour.

Hearse Castle at San Simeon is also worth a visit. Book into a tour as it tends to get busy.