Cruisin into Spring Training-VWL & 4 Nt Dream 3/22-28/13 COMPLETE! 8/11

[rentayenta]

I'll be on CC myself in January so I'll find out first hand. When is your cruise in Jan? Ours is the 19th out of Miami on the Wonder. I'm so crazy excited for our first Disney cruise.


I'll keep you posted on August. Alison too. If we go, we may not have a day at Disney but we could certainly meet in DTD or at the GCV.

 

[dvc4life]

Great couple of posts Ellen. Can't believe those people ran into Tim and said it was his fault. Really. Read the signs people!

And your pictures from CC and the Ship are really making me miss it. Can't wait until we cruise again. CC is one of my all time favorite places to be.

 

[podsnel]

First off, very nice update. I don't have kids, but if I did I would have let Timmy have it too! I freak out when Fran doesn't tell me when she is leaving or going somewhere (and that is fairly often )

Yes- it is NOT good!

I never thought about having to come back from CC to pack. I will definitely consider that in booking future cruises. I want a day at sea before I get off the ship!

Well, I wouldn't make it a deal breaker, but it sure does make CC day a whole lot more pleasurable-

OK. This situation unfolds as we get further in all the quotes. When you said Sequoias, I thought you meant the same ones as Cynthia, on the Eastern side of the San Joaquin Valley.



So if you're coming from the Western side of the SJ valley, I'm wondering why you want to drive all the way over to the 99 instead of take the 5 all the way down. I know that you were looking at staying in Hilton chains and there aren't any of those on the 5, but the 99 is a local Highway that goes through lots of towns and the speed limit is reduced.

The I-5 passes through plenty of places with hotels where you could stop, crash, watch TV and just chill, and I'm not trying to change your plans, just giving you a heads up that if you're interested in saving time, you might want to stay on the I5 and stay in someplace like Grapevine.

I wouldn't advise that you drive over the Grapevine in the dark if you haven't done it before. It's a large pass that goes up to about 4400 feet. When I was young and invincible, I had no problem driving over the Grapevine. Somehow in my adulthood, I prefer to make Fran do it and she is happy to oblige me.

We are figuring on the same drive in reverse next week. We have a "special lunch" for one of Fran's long time friends 70th birthday. After booking this we found out I have my XXth reuinion the next night in San Jose. So essentially we will finish lunch and hit the road to Nor cal. How stupid is that? My parents have forbid us from arriving in the middle of the night since they just moved to a new place and claim that the walk to their front door is treacherous, so we are trying to find a place midway to stay. We are settling on Kettleman City because they have a Best Western with King and Queen Size beds instead of Buttonwilllow or Lost Hills with only motels with double beds. I don't know what Grapevine has to offer.

I remember you were trying to do Hilton Brand hotels, so the only place you'll find those is the larger cities which you won't find on I5, but you might want to cut across to Bakersfield on 58 instead of traveling down the 99 since you'll have a faster traveling time on the I5 than the 99. There are plenty of places to stop for Dinner, in fact let me recommend Harris Ranch's coffee shop. Harris Ranch is a major beef producer for the state and they have some great steaks. They also have a fancy restaurant with some awesome wines and great cuts of beef, but even the coffee shop has some great choices.

Bakersfield isn't that awful, I haven't been to New Jersey, but I know that New Yorkers give you folks grief. It's a lot of the same s*** different day. People in LA don't like the combo of oil and cow smell which is pretty much what Bakersfield is about. Combined with the fact that expansion has turned it into chain store mecca for the South San Joaquin Valley it has all the charm of a mini mall with all the smell of a farm and oil field combined.

We had a friend in Tulare and traveled through that route often. I've also been driving back and forth from LA to SJ for 30 something years. I almost know every off ramp and what fast foods you can find at each one and which ones have real restaurants too. If it we me I'd stick with the I5 and streamline your trip rather than head over to the 99 just to stay in a "city".

Ok- I really appreciate all the tips! But I think there is still some confusion here- so here is a map of California-



So the reason we were being sent on 99 in every situation is because when we exit Yosemite at the South entrance, we will immediately hit 41. 41 runs into 99. If we stay on 41, eventually we will hit 198, which will eventually hit 5. 5 is further away, not closer. Which will then bring us back to just south of Bakersfield. It does take longer to get to 5, and we would not be on 5 for very long, but I guess 5 is an interstate? So we would be driving faster? But on all the maps I look at, there are no towns listed on the part of 5 we would be on. So how do I find a hotel? I did look at Grapevine, they have no hotels in Grapevine but there are 4 motels in a town called Lebec which is nearby? I did kind of want to stay right off the highway, because all we were doing here is making a pitstop. After everyones concerns about Bakersfield, then we thought, Ok- let's drive to Santa Clarita- but now you are saying driving through Grapevine at night is not great? I'm not sure when we will be going through there, whether it may have just turned dark. I am really, really confused at this point!! Where are the hotels on 5? Should I drive to SC or is it too dangerous at night because of elevations/twists and turns?

 

[eandesmom]

Ok- I really appreciate all the tips! But I think there is still some confusion here- so here is a map of California-



So the reason we were being sent on 99 in every situation is because when we exit Yosemite at the South entrance, we will immediately hit 41. 41 runs into 99. If we stay on 41, eventually we will hit 198, which will eventually hit 5. 5 is further away, not closer. Which will then bring us back to just south of Bakersfield. It does take longer to get to 5, and we would not be on 5 for very long, but I guess 5 is an interstate? So we would be driving faster? But on all the maps I look at, there are no towns listed on the part of 5 we would be on. So how do I find a hotel? I did look at Grapevine, they have no hotels in Grapevine but there are 4 motels in a town called Lebec which is nearby? I did kind of want to stay right off the highway, because all we were doing here is making a pitstop. After everyones concerns about Bakersfield, then we thought, Ok- let's drive to Santa Clarita- but now you are saying driving through Grapevine at night is not great? I'm not sure when we will be going through there, whether it may have just turned dark. I am really, really confused at this point!! Where are the hotels on 5? Should I drive to SC or is it too dangerous at night because of elevations/twists and turns?

5 is an Interstate, 99 is a highway. Huge speed difference. HUGE. 99 will take you through every town and stoplight. 5 is what you want to drive into LA and down to Anahiem on.

I'd probably cut over at 198 and maybe eat in Hanford/Lemore. Lemore is a navy town, there will be food but Allison may have a better idea on that end.

I'd have to agree about going over the Grapevine at night, it is steeper than all get out and a bit freaky if you aren't used to that kind of thing. That said, with the heat actually at night is easier on the car that's for sure. Just depends on your comfort level

Santa Clarita may be your best bet if you go over the pass, if not then I'd just check AAA, there will be small places all along the way I'm sure there is something that would work. There is a Holiday in Express in Frazier Park/Lebec just the before the pass that might be the last option before going over the pass.

You could still crash in Bakersfield, it isn't that far off of 5 especially if the hotel isn't all the way in the city, you just want to be using 5 to head south, not 99.

 

[podsnel]

I'll be on CC myself in January so I'll find out first hand. When is your cruise in Jan? Ours is the 19th out of Miami on the Wonder. I'm so crazy excited for our first Disney cruise.


I'll keep you posted on August. Alison too. If we go, we may not have a day at Disney but we could certainly meet in DTD or at the GCV.

Great couple of posts Ellen. Can't believe those people ran into Tim and said it was his fault. Really. Read the signs people!

And your pictures from CC and the Ship are really making me miss it. Can't wait until we cruise again. CC is one of my all time favorite places to be.

5 is an Interstate, 99 is a highway. Huge speed difference. HUGE. 99 will take you through every town and stoplight. 5 is what you want to drive into LA and down to Anahiem on.

I'd probably cut over at 198 and maybe eat in Hanford/Lemore. Lemore is a navy town, there will be food but Allison may have a better idea on that end.

I'd have to agree about going over the Grapevine at night, it is steeper than all get out and a bit freaky if you aren't used to that kind of thing. That said, with the heat actually at night is easier on the car that's for sure. Just depends on your comfort level

Santa Clarita may be your best bet if you go over the pass, if not then I'd just check AAA, there will be small places all along the way I'm sure there is something that would work. There is a Holiday in Express in Frazier Park/Lebec just the before the pass that might be the last option before going over the pass.

You could still crash in Bakersfield, it isn't that far off of 5 especially if the hotel isn't all the way in the city, you just want to be using 5 to head south, not 99.

So- I'm looking at a map of Grapevine and Lebec- Lebec is south of Grapevine. What am I missing????

 

[podsnel]

I found a You tube vid of the southbound I 5 through the Grapevine- I think it will be fine, we will just head on to Santa Clarita. If we leave at 3, we will get there at 8:30, so it should be all light until the very end.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brayK8kSJhg

My head kinda hurts!

Ok- off to baseball-

 

[podsnel]

I'll be on CC myself in January so I'll find out first hand. When is your cruise in Jan? Ours is the 19th out of Miami on the Wonder. I'm so crazy excited for our first Disney cruise.

We are on the NYE cruise on the Fantasy- Dec 28- Jan 4- so I will be on CC Jan 3. You SHOULD be excited for your first cruise- it is the BEST!!!!

I'll keep you posted on August. Alison too. If we go, we may not have a day at Disney but we could certainly meet in DTD or at the GCV.

Excellent!! I really hope we see you!!

Great couple of posts Ellen. Can't believe those people ran into Tim and said it was his fault. Really. Read the signs people!

YES!! Read the signs and stop thinking you know everything- because you definitely DON'T!!

And your pictures from CC and the Ship are really making me miss it. Can't wait until we cruise again. CC is one of my all time favorite places to be.

When is your next one scheduled for?

 

[franandaj]

So the reason we were being sent on 99 in every situation is because when we exit Yosemite at the South entrance, we will immediately hit 41. 41 runs into 99. If we stay on 41, eventually we will hit 198, which will eventually hit 5. 5 is further away, not closer. Which will then bring us back to just south of Bakersfield. It does take longer to get to 5, and we would not be on 5 for very long, but I guess 5 is an interstate? So we would be driving faster? But on all the maps I look at, there are no towns listed on the part of 5 we would be on. So how do I find a hotel? I did look at Grapevine, they have no hotels in Grapevine but there are 4 motels in a town called Lebec which is nearby? I did kind of want to stay right off the highway, because all we were doing here is making a pitstop. After everyones concerns about Bakersfield, then we thought, Ok- let's drive to Santa Clarita- but now you are saying driving through Grapevine at night is not great? I'm not sure when we will be going through there, whether it may have just turned dark. I am really, really confused at this point!! Where are the hotels on 5? Should I drive to SC or is it too dangerous at night because of elevations/twists and turns?

OK. I have to apologize. I don't know what geographical crack I was smoking there, but for some reason I was thinking that Yosemite was Pinnacles, which is located on the complete other side of California.

I just checked out the drive from Yosemite to Fresno, and if you leave Yosemite by 4 or 5PM, you'll get to Fresno between 6:15 to 8PM depending on traffic going down the mountain. Google estimates it at 2 hours 15 minutes for the 93.5 mile drive.

Here are some estimated driving times.

Fresno to Tulare - 1 hour on the 99
Tulare to Bakersfield - 1 hour on the 99
Bakersfield to just before the Grapevine - 40 minutes 99/I5

Driving to the 5 would be about the same time frame according to Google (20 minutes less).

41 to I5 (Kettleman City) - about 56 minutes
Kettleman City to Grapevine - about 1 hour 24 mins.

The only reason I mention these times is that every one of these little towns rolls up the sidewalks at about 9PM. Sure you can get into the hotels, but your plan to have dinner when you get down the mountain is a good one. Judging from the timing, you definitely want to stay on the North side of the Grapevine. It will be very late by the time you would be driving over it and you wouldn't want to get stuck. I know from experience that it is no fun to have a blow out at 11PM in the middle of nowhere.

The big difference between I5 and SR99 is that the speed limit on I5 is 70mph the whole way. SR99 reduces the speed limit to 55 whenever you go through each little town and I'm not sure it gets above 65 ever. In Bakersfield, there has been traffic to reduce speeds to 20-40mph, but that's not for more than about 10 exits.

There is a Best Western in Kettleman City off I5, which offers rooms with two Queen beds for a reasonable rate. That is about an hour out of Fresno and puts you an hour and a half from the bottom of the Grapevine.

You might also look into the Charter Inn and Suites in Tulare. We had a friend who lived there and used to stay often. The rooms are like a DVC studio (micro/fridge) and they serve you a hot breakfast in the morning complete with "make 'em yourself" waffles. One of my favorites! This usually runs about $100 per night and puts you about the same place that Kettleman City is from the bottom of the Grapevine.

Tulare or Kettleman City are pretty much 4 hours north of Anaheim (without LA traffic). If you left between 7-9AM, LA traffic would be over by the time that you hit LA. The advantage of Kettleman City is that you would not hit any Bakersfield rush hour traffic.

I didn't mean to open up this whole can of worms on your TR! Now you probably know more than you ever wanted to know about California Central Valley Geography. Bakersfield is fine to just crash in as well, but depending on how long it takes you to get down the mountain from Yosemite, you could be looking at a very late arrival time, also depending on what your plans for dinner end up being. We always end up eating our dinner from drive through on trips like this because we spend too much time dawdling and run behind, your family might be different.

Anyways, back to your packing on the ship!

 

[Beth D]

Great pics Ellen! Love that clear blue water at CC! With no CC stop, our cruise will end with a day at sea, after Grand Cayman. I'll let you all know how that feels!

I would have yelled at Timmy too for heading back to the ship. WHo knows, he might have gotten jumped by the mean bike people! Or run over by the crazy stroller lady and lying somewhere in a ditch, left on the island with just him, the cat, and Captain Jack!

Thanks for the baseball well wishes! We finished the tourney in 2nd place. Very respectable, as our boys weren't ever expected to be so good, but the team that finished first was "that team". You know the perfect one in every league that practices every night, is perfect, beats everyone, and is coached by the guy who runs the league. The one team everyone else hates!

It was a good game until one inning. One of our kids messed up base running, then DS came up to bat, and the kid ump told him his bat was illegal for their league. ***???? He'd used it 3 other times, and its just now illegal? I almost became that mom! I stepped back off the cliff, and just asked him how he waited until the game was almost over to call that, and asked sweetly if he was also checking the other teams bats! AARRGH!

Oh well, now its over and i can enjoy the rest of the summer! Hope your schedule is done soon too!

 

[englishrose47]

Great pix of CC!!! I don't think they had a Magic show when we were on the Dream, if they did we missed itThe Shows we saw were excellent though !!!

 

[podsnel]

OK. I have to apologize. I don't know what geographical crack I was smoking there, but for some reason I was thinking that Yosemite was Pinnacles, which is located on the complete other side of California.

Geographical Crack! All I want to know is- do you follow arrows, or not? That really is the only deal breaker for me!

I just checked out the drive from Yosemite to Fresno, and if you leave Yosemite by 4 or 5PM, you'll get to Fresno between 6:15 to 8PM depending on traffic going down the mountain. Google estimates it at 2 hours 15 minutes for the 93.5 mile drive.

Here are some estimated driving times.

Fresno to Tulare - 1 hour on the 99
Tulare to Bakersfield - 1 hour on the 99
Bakersfield to just before the Grapevine - 40 minutes 99/I5

Driving to the 5 would be about the same time frame according to Google (20 minutes less).

41 to I5 (Kettleman City) - about 56 minutes
Kettleman City to Grapevine - about 1 hour 24 mins.

The only reason I mention these times is that every one of these little towns rolls up the sidewalks at about 9PM. Sure you can get into the hotels, but your plan to have dinner when you get down the mountain is a good one. Judging from the timing, you definitely want to stay on the North side of the Grapevine. It will be very late by the time you would be driving over it and you wouldn't want to get stuck. I know from experience that it is no fun to have a blow out at 11PM in the middle of nowhere.

The big difference between I5 and SR99 is that the speed limit on I5 is 70mph the whole way. SR99 reduces the speed limit to 55 whenever you go through each little town and I'm not sure it gets above 65 ever. In Bakersfield, there has been traffic to reduce speeds to 20-40mph, but that's not for more than about 10 exits.

There is a Best Western in Kettleman City off I5, which offers rooms with two Queen beds for a reasonable rate. That is about an hour out of Fresno and puts you an hour and a half from the bottom of the Grapevine.

You might also look into the Charter Inn and Suites in Tulare. We had a friend who lived there and used to stay often. The rooms are like a DVC studio (micro/fridge) and they serve you a hot breakfast in the morning complete with "make 'em yourself" waffles. One of my favorites! This usually runs about $100 per night and puts you about the same place that Kettleman City is from the bottom of the Grapevine.

Tulare or Kettleman City are pretty much 4 hours north of Anaheim (without LA traffic). If you left between 7-9AM, LA traffic would be over by the time that you hit LA. The advantage of Kettleman City is that you would not hit any Bakersfield rush hour traffic.

I didn't mean to open up this whole can of worms on your TR! Now you probably know more than you ever wanted to know about California Central Valley Geography. Bakersfield is fine to just crash in as well, but depending on how long it takes you to get down the mountain from Yosemite, you could be looking at a very late arrival time, also depending on what your plans for dinner end up being. We always end up eating our dinner from drive through on trips like this because we spend too much time dawdling and run behind, your family might be different.

Anyways, back to your packing on the ship!

WOW! Thank you so much Alison! How wonderful to have such a concerned friend! When I say stop for dinner, I mean a drive through, too- we were going to hit In n Out Burger, since we don't have them out here, and how can we be in CA and NOT have one?- and the times from Yosemite are a little better than what you are thinking because we will be parked at the Wawona, at the very south of the park, as opposed to starting from the Valley, which is an hour (at least) north. I think if we leave at 3, we should be ok getting through that Grapevine in the daylight (sunset is right before 8pm) as it's 5 hours to Santa Clarita from the Wawona. If we leave later, we'll figure something else out.

Oh- and I looked up Pinnacles- no WONDER you have been trying to send me down the coast for the past 2 months! You must have thought I was a total idiot to be going into 99 and freakin Bakersfield! LMAO!!!

 

[Goofy442]

Had to go and watch the video on the grapevine, to see how bad it really was. The Smokey Mountain's in Tennessee or The Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire are just as bad if not worse. Good Luck!!

 

[dvc4life]

Excellent!! I really hope we see you!!



When is your next one scheduled for?

Our next cruise is the New Year's Eve Cruise on the Fantasy this December. Can't wait! Then we will have been on all 4 of the Disney Ships.

 

[podsnel]

Great pics Ellen! Love that clear blue water at CC! With no CC stop, our cruise will end with a day at sea, after Grand Cayman. I'll let you all know how that feels!

I have been on a couple of cruises that end in a sea day- and I really do like it the best, even when it's NOT after a day at CC! Very relaxing before you go back to the real world!

I would have yelled at Timmy too for heading back to the ship. WHo knows, he might have gotten jumped by the mean bike people! Or run over by the crazy stroller lady and lying somewhere in a ditch, left on the island with just him, the cat, and Captain Jack!

Pretty sure the bike people and the stroller lady didn't want him- he DOES have inferior arrow reading ability, after all.

Thanks for the baseball well wishes! We finished the tourney in 2nd place. Very respectable, as our boys weren't ever expected to be so good, but the team that finished first was "that team". You know the perfect one in every league that practices every night, is perfect, beats everyone, and is coached by the guy who runs the league. The one team everyone else hates!

Yes- I know "that team". We all know them because for some CRAZY reason, every league/town/program has one. Congrats again!

It was a good game until one inning. One of our kids messed up base running, then DS came up to bat, and the kid ump told him his bat was illegal for their league. ***???? He'd used it 3 other times, and its just now illegal? I almost became that mom! I stepped back off the cliff, and just asked him how he waited until the game was almost over to call that, and asked sweetly if he was also checking the other teams bats! AARRGH!

My advice to you is "Hello, lacrosse league???"

Oh well, now its over and i can enjoy the rest of the summer! Hope your schedule is done soon too!

Two teams down, two more to go- celebrating by having Tyler's wisdom teeth pulled the day after it ends- considering asking the surgeon to do it without anesthesia due to his recent snotty teenage attitude.

Great pix of CC!!! I don't think they had a Magic show when we were on the Dream, if they did we missed itThe Shows we saw were excellent though !!!

I have never been disappointed in their entertainment on DCL- they rotate the misc entertainer- I have seen comedians, comedian teams, ventriloquists and magicians. All a great time-

Had to go and watch the video on the grapevine, to see how bad it really was. The Smokey Mountain's in Tennessee or The Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire are just as bad if not worse. Good Luck!!

Agree on the Smokey Mtns- our bar is set very high because we have spent a lot of time on St John, USVI- hair pin turns, insane inclines, limited guardrails, all accentuated with driving on the left side of the road. Now THAT'S some hairy driving!! Although this one looks like it would be good to avoid at any cost on our drive TO Yosemite- it's called Old Priest Grade, and I bet it's what sent Kara into panic insanity when she went to Yosemite last year-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8h2BQMn8qE

It reminds me alot of STJ driving- except in STJ, there's pretty turquoise water for you to fly off the cliff into instead of a gulch.

Our next cruise is the New Year's Eve Cruise on the Fantasy this December. Can't wait! Then we will have been on all 4 of the Disney Ships.

Hmmm...YEA!! ME TOO!!!!!! well, for the next cruise part- still need to find someone to ride the Wonder with me...lol-

 

[RGirl]

I think they were just assuming he was the one screwing up because he was the kid, and clearly they knew everything as adults. Tim says after they screamed at him, their parting words of advice were "Ya need to watch where you're going, buddy." And he said he didn't say anything, but he thought, "And you need to watch where you're going when you are going the wrong way." But of course he didn't say that to them-

We are in San Fran for 4 nights, 3 nights in Yosemite, 1 night in transit (probably will stay in Bakersfield), 5 nights at GCV. UBER excited!!!!

It is sad when adults just assume that because someone is a kid or teen, he or she MUST be wrong. I don't know how we expect kids to grow up and respect us if we don't respect THEM! Tim sounds like such a wonderful young man - I'm glad he had such a good attitude about the whole thing.

Oh, SF! My old home. I miss that place. I lived there for years before moving here - I bought my first home down there! I hope you have an amazing time!

Thanks for the updates! I am wondering though - did I miss a sentence or something? Did you say how you liked Brave????? Either way, tell me, because if you did, I totally missed it!

 

[englishrose47]

Just a friendly BUMP!!!!

 

[15isto2]

Just a friendly BUMP!!!!

Looks like Timmy is still growing

 

[podsnel]

It is sad when adults just assume that because someone is a kid or teen, he or she MUST be wrong. I don't know how we expect kids to grow up and respect us if we don't respect THEM! Tim sounds like such a wonderful young man - I'm glad he had such a good attitude about the whole thing.

Oh, SF! My old home. I miss that place. I lived there for years before moving here - I bought my first home down there! I hope you have an amazing time!

Thanks for the updates! I am wondering though - did I miss a sentence or something? Did you say how you liked Brave????? Either way, tell me, because if you did, I totally missed it!

Thanks, I agree with everything you said- including that Timmy is a wonderful young man!

Pods and I took a trip to SF before we had kids- I can't wait to go back! It's a beautiful city, and we have some exciting plans in it. The past two days I have been focusing on the Yosemite portion of our trip. I feel thoroughly overwhelmed! This trip is kicking my butt planning wise! But it's going to be awesome-

Umm- I don't think I did say how I liked Brave! I liked it- but it really bothered me how little respect Merida had for her Mom- she never listened, and that caused a LOT of problems, ya know? But I loved how strong she was.

 

[podsnel]

Just a friendly BUMP!!!!

Thank you Rosie!

 

[podsnel]

Looks like Timmy is still growing

LMAO! I am watching the Blind Side with Timmy right now (for the millioneth time- we love this movie) and I showed him your pic- totally cracked us up! And yea- it does look like he's still growing, LOL.....