I started off knowing I wanted to spend at least 5 park days in
Disneyland. I ended up booking a 7 night stay so I had a rest day in between. I knew I wanted a National Park so debated between Yosemite and Sequoia. I finally decided on Sequoia because it is quieter, easier to access (less driving is important to DH) and it sounds beautiful. We are OK with moving hotels every night if that cuts back on driving so our itinerary reflects that. Cost was also a factor.
My original itinerary had us flying into San Jose and out of SNA
Day 1 - Fly into San Jose (arrive 11am), drive 2 hours to Monterey, night in Monterey
Day 2 - Drive 3 hours to Sequoia/Kings Canyon, night in the park
Day 3 - Sequoia/Kings Canyon, night in the park
Day 4 - Sequoia/Kings Canyon, night outside the park
Day 5 - Drive to Anaheim, arrive by 2/3pm to skip rush hour
Day 6 - 11 - Disneyland (5 park days, 1 break day)
Day 12 - Fly home
My boss just gave me the day before my vacation off - so I changed my flight to arrive a day earlier. San Jose is now too $$ so I switched and am now flying into Burbank. I had to come up with a change in plans.
My new itinerary has us flying into Burbank and out of SNA
Day 1 - Fly into Burbank (arrive 11am), drive 3.5 hours to Pismo Beach/San Luis Obismo, stay the night
Day 2 - Avila Hot Springs, Dune Buggy rental, Whale Watching Tour, chilling on the beach, leave area by 4pm. Drive 3 hours to Sequoia, night outside the park
Day 3 - Sequoia/Kings Canyon, night in the park
Day 4 - Sequoia/Kings Canyon, night in the park
Day 5 - Sequoia/Kings Canyon, night outside the park
Day 6 - Drive to Anaheim, arrive by 2/3pm to skip rush hour
Day 7 - 12 - Disneyland (5 park days, 1 break day)
Day 13 - Fly home
Good luck! There is so much to see and do I had to piece each part together and then look at everything overall (including drive time) to make sure it all made sense.
Right now I get 3 full days in Sequoia. I am still considering spending all 5 pre-DLR days there instead of doing the Central Coast thing (extra 3 hours of driving). But seeing the Coast would be amazing and dune buggies and whale watching would also be awesome. Also, I really like the laid-back, small-town sound of Pismo Beach/Avila Beach. More appealing to me than glitzy Monterey.