1st Trip to California (AGAIN!)

[Lissete]

I apologize in advance for the length of this post.

I had originally started planning this trip in Aug.2001. It was to be my 1st ever plane trip at the age of 35! If you look back at my post it was dated 8/28/2001. Fourteen days later everything changed. From then on it was a chain of events that prevented us from making this trip.

Finally in Oct of last year I got on an airplane(with a little help from Xanax ) and we went to Las Vegas, Sedona, & the Grand Canyon. So now I am back to our California trip. I have basically kept our original plans.

Everything is booked, all I need to do now is purchase some travel insurance just in case.
We are WDW veterans so we are really excited about the DL portion of our trip.

We are a family of 4. DH 39, Me 39 & our 2 girls 16 & 17.

Our vacation starts on 6/14 and ends on 6/30

We will be flying from Miami to San Francisco.

SF: 3 nts ( Touristy stuff, Alcatraz, Muir Woods & Sausalito)
Yosemite : 2 nts.
Monterey : 2 nts (Aquarium, 17 mile drive, Whale Watch)
Leisurely drive from Monterey to Cambria with a few stops along the way.
Cambria: 2 nts. (Hearst Castle)
Drive to Anaheim with a quick stop in Solvang.
3 nts at the Candy Cane Inn (Disneyland!!!!)
3 nts. At the Magic Castle Hotel in LA (Touristy stuff, WB tour, Magic Castle, Queen Mary)
1 nt Manhattan Beach .
Fly out of LAX.
Home

Any tips, suggestions & must see’s are most welcomed!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Wow -- sounds like a fantastic trip!!

In Yosemite I recommend both the Mariposa Grove & Glacier Point. That way you'll see the tallest living things on Earth - the redwoods - and the largest living things on Earth - the sequoias.

When you spend the night at Manhattan Beach (I live close by), enjoy dinner at either Cheesecake Factory & eat outside (they have heaters to keep you warm), or go to Tony's Fishmarket on the Redondo Beach Pier, and enjoy dinner while you watch the sunset. You'll have a view of the beach & the homes & Palos Verdes Peninsula in the distance.

Monterey is one of my favorite cities - enjoy your visit there.

 

[blackjackdelta]

I would start by reading the sticky's at the top of the board, may lead you in the path you want to go.

Jack

 

[Judy from Boise]

Also head over to the trip reports board and search for Kevin Stringers trip reports......he took did a lot of wht you mentioned and reported on it with photos and dry British wit!

 

[Lissete]

Thanks for your input! I'm constantly taking notes on what and what not to do. That trip report is great! Thanks for leading me to that.

 

[LucyKate]

You may also like to look at our trip diary - we did pretty much the same tour as you, but in the opposite direction.

My only suggestions would be to cut back on the LA section, and try to fit in a visit to San Diego for the Zoo and Seaworld, which were both superb.

Also, when visiting Hearst Castle, make sure you check out the elephant seals on the beaches just to the north of the castle.

Three days at Disneyland should be the absolute minimum to see both parks.