Advice for 2 week CA road trip, incl DL and Universal

[Arden01]

Hello,
I'm in the early stages of planning CA road trip for summer of 2019. Could use use help with itinerary. Thinking ahead bc we plan to stay inside Yosemite Park (Valley Lodge), so probably will book lodging one year ahead. Would appreciate any and all advice!

Who: me, DH and my twins (will be age 14 next summer)

Time: 2 weeks in summer, probably August. 13-15 nights - have a little flexibility here since we have family in So Cal and plan a few nights with them

What: Want to see San Francisco, Monterey/Carmel, Big Sur, Yosemite (including Mariposa Grove and giant trees), 1 day in Disneyland, 1 day in Universal Hollywood, LA-one day - just the highlights, San Diego - 1 day. My family lives 30 min north of San Diego. Plan to stay with them for 3 nights, maybe 4.

Questions:
1-Should we start in San Diego and go north or should we start in San Francisco and go south?
2-Where should we work in Yosemite? After SF, before?
3-How to work in Disneyland and Universal? Planning one full day is Disneyland only (no California Adventure) and one full day in Universal for Harry Potter and Studio tour. One daughter wants to see highlights of LA - Grauman's Chinese Theatre & Walk of Fame, Hollywood sign, Griffith Observatory. I'm not really interested in LA, but want to make sure everyone gets to do something they want.
4-Should we day trip Disneyland from our family's house or stay in Anaheim? They are about 90 min from Disneyland.
5-Should we day trip LA from family's house or stay in LA for Universal/LA touring? They are 2 hours from LA.
6-Should we stay 2 nights in Anaheim and day trip our Universal day from Anaheim?
7-San Diego zoo worth the $? We will be spending $ on Disneyland, Universal tickets, Alcatraz, whale watching.
7-Thinking 3 nights SF, 2-3 nights Yosemite, 2 nights Monterey, 1 night Big Sur, 2 nights Anaheim/DL or LA, 3-4 nights with family outside of San Diego. Flexible here, but want 3-4 nights w/my family.
8-Fly into San Francisco and out of San Diego or are other options better? Is LAX cheaper?

Thanks in advance!!! Appreciate any wisdom, tips, advice, etc!!

 

[JeninBrant]

What a fun trip! We are from the east coast and have done bits of your trip. Yosemite is awesome and you are right that you need to book for 2019.
Here are my thoughts & I apologize that they are all over the place. LOL

I would try to fly into San Diego or a SF area airport. LAX can be a hot mess and then you would be backtracking to SD.

I think you could probably shave a night or two off of Monterey and Big Sir. They are so close together and you could probably do one night for the both.

As far as Disney & Universal...I would def. stay in Anaheim to enjoy Disney. You could also leave early from SD, do DL & then stay in Anaheim. The traffic shouldn't be too bad from SD to Anaheim early in the am. There are so many hotels within walking distance of DL, that you could check-in midday, if needed. Are you going to get the park hooper to do CA too? It is worth it because DL & CA are so close and easy to walk between. I wouldn't make Anaheim a home base for Universal & Hollywood. I would try to do a night near Universal/LA area.

San Diego will be fun with your family. The zoo is HUGE and it will be hot in August! We have done it and enjoyed it. we did it before kids and I think my kids would complain about all of the walking if we did it now. I think you could skip it. There are so many other fun things to do in SD. Visit a beach, Old Town San Diego (fun place to shop & eat), take a hop on-hop off tour, or just let your family plan that part.
I will be following your planning because someday we would like to do the drive from SF down the coast.

 

[Arden01]

What a fun trip! We are from the east coast and have done bits of your trip. Yosemite is awesome and you are right that you need to book for 2019.
Here are my thoughts & I apologize that they are all over the place. LOL

I would try to fly into San Diego or a SF area airport. LAX can be a hot mess and then you would be backtracking to SD.

I think you could probably shave a night or two off of Monterey and Big Sir. They are so close together and you could probably do one night for the both.

As far as Disney & Universal...I would def. stay in Anaheim to enjoy Disney. You could also leave early from SD, do DL & then stay in Anaheim. The traffic shouldn't be too bad from SD to Anaheim early in the am. There are so many hotels within walking distance of DL, that you could check-in midday, if needed. Are you going to get the park hooper to do CA too? It is worth it because DL & CA are so close and easy to walk between. I wouldn't make Anaheim a home base for Universal & Hollywood. I would try to do a night near Universal/LA area.

San Diego will be fun with your family. The zoo is HUGE and it will be hot in August! We have done it and enjoyed it. we did it before kids and I think my kids would complain about all of the walking if we did it now. I think you could skip it. There are so many other fun things to do in SD. Visit a beach, Old Town San Diego (fun place to shop & eat), take a hop on-hop off tour, or just let your family plan that part.
I will be following your planning because someday we would like to do the drive from SF down the coast.

So helpful and exactly the kind of advice I'm looking for. Thank you!!

 

[wanderlust7]

There aren't many lodging options in Big Sur. There are 2 very expensive luxury hotels, then a few smaller places. One place you could stay in a yurt. I'd like to try that one of these days. We've done Big Sur from Monterey/Carmel, have even done a day trip from home (San Francisco Bay Area).

I think it makes more sense to do SF, Monterey, Yosemite, LA, SD (not Yosemite in between SF and Monterey). Reversed would be fine too, can't think of an advantage one way or the other.

The LA highlights you want to hit are all near Universal. Since you only want one day at Disneyland, seems it would make more sense to stay near Universal. Yosemite to LA will be a long drive. Not sure if you'll get to LA early enough or with enough energy to do the LA highlights your first day in LA. If you did, second day would be Universal, then third day Disneyland and sleep at your family's place.

 

[Arden01]

There aren't many lodging options in Big Sur. There are 2 very expensive luxury hotels, then a few smaller places. One place you could stay in a yurt. I'd like to try that one of these days. We've done Big Sur from Monterey/Carmel, have even done a day trip from home (San Francisco Bay Area).

I think it makes more sense to do SF, Monterey, Yosemite, LA, SD (not Yosemite in between SF and Monterey). Reversed would be fine too, can't think of an advantage one way or the other.

The LA highlights you want to hit are all near Universal. Since you only want one day at Disneyland, seems it would make more sense to stay near Universal. Yosemite to LA will be a long drive. Not sure if you'll get to LA early enough or with enough energy to do the LA highlights your first day in LA. If you did, second day would be Universal, then third day Disneyland and sleep at your family's place.

Thanks, Wanderlust7!! This is helpful. I still really want to drive down coast from Monterey and see Big Sur, the beaches, Hearst Castle, etc. Would you suggest SF-Monterey-Yosemite-Big Sur-LA-SD? I'm also starting to warm up to the idea of starting in SD with my family and maybe doing SD-Anaheim-LA-Pismo Beach/Cambria-Monterey-Yosemite-SF. However, not sure if ending trip in SF would be a sensory shock after Yosemite. Any thoughts?

 

[wanderlust7]

Thanks, Wanderlust7!! This is helpful. I still really want to drive down coast from Monterey and see Big Sur, the beaches, Hearst Castle, etc. Would you suggest SF-Monterey-Yosemite-Big Sur-LA-SD? I'm also starting to warm up to the idea of starting in SD with my family and maybe doing SD-Anaheim-LA-Pismo Beach/Cambria-Monterey-Yosemite-SF. However, not sure if ending trip in SF would be a sensory shock after Yosemite. Any thoughts?

Sounds like you want to drive the entire stretch of Hwy 1 from LA to Big Sur? There are still some road closures, but your trip isn't for a while. Hopefully it'll all be fixed by then.

We've done the drive once. It's a beautiful drive, but winding and slow. In that case, I think you'd have to do Yosemite in between Monterey and SF. You may want to break up the drive by staying one night in Avila, Morro Bay, Cambria, or San Luis Obispo. Near Hearst Castle you can see elephant seals at Piedras Blancas and if you like oysters my must stop in Cambria is Sea Chest Restaurant.

Not sure about sensory shock from Yosemite to SF. Better than Yosemite to the freeways of LA? I think I've lived here too long to be a good judge of that.

 

[Arden01]

Sounds like you want to drive the entire stretch of Hwy 1 from LA to Big Sur? There are still some road closures, but your trip isn't for a while. Hopefully it'll all be fixed by then.

We've done the drive once. It's a beautiful drive, but winding and slow. In that case, I think you'd have to do Yosemite in between Monterey and SF. You may want to break up the drive by staying one night in Avila, Morro Bay, Cambria, or San Luis Obispo. Near Hearst Castle you can see elephant seals at Piedras Blancas and if you like oysters my must stop in Cambria is Sea Chest Restaurant.

Not sure about sensory shock from Yosemite to SF. Better than Yosemite to the freeways of LA? I think I've lived here too long to be a good judge of that.

This is great advice. Thank you. Those sound like great stops along the way. I'm hoping by next year PCH is fully repaired. I think I have a good idea of a rough itinerary now - SF-Yosemite-Monterey-Big Sur-LA-Disneyland-SD or the reverse.

 

[wanderlust7]

This is great advice. Thank you. Those sound like great stops along the way. I'm hoping by next year PCH is fully repaired. I think I have a good idea of a rough itinerary now - SF-Yosemite-Monterey-Big Sur-LA-Disneyland-SD or the reverse.

Have fun planning. Sounds like a great trip. I'm not sure if 2 weeks will be enough, but you'll figure it out once you get all the details and drive times down.

Some more random thoughts -

Monterey: I love watching the sea otters. They're so cute when they're sleeping with their arms (legs?) linked or when they have a shellfish on their stomach and are tap, tap, tapping away to get it open. Point Lobos is an especially scenic place to see them. I really liked Phil's Fish Market in Moss Landing. Very casual, order at the counter type place with great cioppino. It was featured on one of the Food Network shows.

Big Sur: We had lunch once at Sierra Mar in Post Ranch Inn (one of the luxury hotels I mentioned before). It's a splurge, but the view is drop dead gorgeous. Reservations are required to get past the gate.

SF: Not sure if you'll have time, but my son (age 9) really likes the Exploratorium. The Ferry Building is nearby with lots of good food, sometimes they have a farmer's market or food trucks outside.

 

[oakleycat]

I agree with all of wanderlust's great suggestions. I would start in SF then work your way down so you will get down time to relax with your family after all that traveling. Fly into SF and out of SD (LAX will be a little cheaper but probably not worth the hassle that is LAX). I have also done Hwy 1/PCH all the way once and it is beautiful but a very long winding drive. If you have time definitely break it up with a night in SLO or Cambria to see the sights and relax at the beach. Then spend a couple nights in LA/OC - you can do Universal and a quick Hollywood tour in one day if you don't want to spend more time, then a day at Disneyland then down to your family in SD. You don't want to do the drive to Universal or DL from SD - that 1.5 hour drive gets longer with traffic and is really long after a day at a theme park (I used to live in SD and my family in LA so I've done it hundreds of times). Do the LA/OC thing for a couple days and then devote your time to SD/your family without interruption. For SF I agree on the Exploratorium, that and Alcatraz were my boys' favorite things.

 

[Arden01]

Thanks to you both. I kind of agree might be too much for two weeks. I’d like to do everything if money wasn’t an obstacle and I’d can extend a few days! However, if I just have two weeks, what would you suggest cutting? I really want to see the sequoia trees but could I see them without going to Yosemite? Maybe plan Yosemite for another trip? Or maybe skip LA?

 

[VandVsmama]

My thoughts/recommendations:

1. Start in SF. Sometimes you can find cheaper airfare by flying Southwest into Oakland.
2. Don't miss the Disney Family Museum. I've never been, but heard that it's really excellent.
3. Do SF, Monterey, then Yosemite. From Yosemite to Anaheim, it'll be a 4-5 hr drive. There's no convenient/fast way to get from the western to the eastern part of the state.
4. OR do SF, Yosemite, then Monterey.
5. Skip staying a night in Big Sur.
6. The Hollywood stuff is probably ~ 1/2 day worth of sightseeing, unless you spend a lot of time at the Griffith Observatory. You could throw in a lunch or dinner at the Tam O'Shanter, which is where Walt Disney often dined way back in the day.
7. Do the LA/Hollywood stuff (Universal Studios & Hollywood sightseeing) from a hotel near Universal Studios. The drive there from San Diego will be really not fun every day. It'll take you 3 hr or more in rush hour.
8. You can skip the zoo if you want. San Diego has plenty of other fun stuff to do. Since your family lives in San Diego, chances are that you might be back and you can certainly see the zoo the next time!
9. You might find yourself wanting a 2nd day at Disneyland, so consider giving yourself some flexibility on that.

I think your itinerary should be something like this:

• Day 1 - arrival day. Check into hotel in SF.
• Day 2 - SF
• Day 3 - SF
• Day 4 - check out of SF hotel. Get rental car. Hit the road in the a.m., but after rush hour (so leave at 10 am). Drive to Yosemite. Check into hotel near/in Yosemite. So this is Yosemite Night #1.
• Day 5 - full day in Yosemite. Yosemite Night #2.
• Day 6 - check out of hotel in/near Yosemite. Enjoy the outdoors. Leave ~ 1-2 pm. Drive to Monterey. It will take you 4-5 hours to drive this (Yosemite Valley to the Monterey Bay Aquarium). So you'll arrive by 7pm. Leave earlier if you want to have dinner on the wharf and watch the sunset. But you'll be giving up some Yosemite time for this. This is Monterey Night #1.
• Day 7 - enjoy Monterey & Carmel. This is Monterey Night #2.
• Day 8 - check out of Monterey hotel in a.m. Have leisurely breakfast. Drive ~ 1 hour south on Hwy 1 and explore Big Sur. Include 5 hr of driving to get to Santa Barbara for the night. Or stop in San Luis Obispo and stay at the Madonna Inn.
• Day 9 - check out of SLO/SB hotel. Drive ~ 2 hr south to Universal Studios/Hollywood. This is the day you do all of your Hollywood tourism. Check into a USH-area hotel.
• Day 10 - check out of USH-area hotel. Go to Universal Studios. At end of day, drive to Anaheim and check into a DL-area hotel. Get to bed early.
• Day 11 - DL all day. At end of day, drive 1.5-2 hr south to San Diego.
• Day 12 - with your relatives in San Diego.
• Day 13 - San Diego
• Day 14 - last day in San Diego/fly home out of San Diego airport.

This only gets you really 2 1/2-3 days in San Diego with your family. You're not going to have time to drive Hwy `1 all the way south and have a leisurely drive. You won't have time to explore Cambria or Morrow Bay or places like that. If you want a full 4 days with family in San Diego, cut out Monterey OR cut out Yosemite. Otherwise, you will feel like you are spending half of your vacation in the car.

 

[VandVsmama]

If you've gone to Universal Studios in Orlando, then skip USH. It's different than the one in Orlando. Friends of mine report that they much prefer the Harry Potter world in Orlando to the one in Hollywood. If you bypassed that, then you'd have time for a 2nd day at Disneyland and/or an extra day in San Diego with your family.

Skip Monterey and go to Yosemite instead. Get your beach time in San Diego. Plan on a 2nd day at Disneyland since you'll be there the summer that Star Wars Land opens, which will drive up crowds.

 

[Arden01]

If you've gone to Universal Studios in Orlando, then skip USH. It's different than the one in Orlando. Friends of mine report that they much prefer the Harry Potter world in Orlando to the one in Hollywood. If you bypassed that, then you'd have time for a 2nd day at Disneyland and/or an extra day in San Diego with your family.

Skip Monterey and go to Yosemite instead. Get your beach time in San Diego. Plan on a 2nd day at Disneyland since you'll be there the summer that Star Wars Land opens, which will drive up crowds.

Thanks very much! We have been to Universal in Orlando. My daughters loved it, but like Disney much more. Considering your advice about 2 days in DL. One of my daughters would love to do a studio tour in LA - would Universal be worth it for that or should we do the Warner Bros tour?

 

[Arden01]

My thoughts/recommendations:

1. Start in SF. Sometimes you can find cheaper airfare by flying Southwest into Oakland.
2. Don't miss the Disney Family Museum. I've never been, but heard that it's really excellent.
3. Do SF, Monterey, then Yosemite. From Yosemite to Anaheim, it'll be a 4-5 hr drive. There's no convenient/fast way to get from the western to the eastern part of the state.
4. OR do SF, Yosemite, then Monterey.
5. Skip staying a night in Big Sur.
6. The Hollywood stuff is probably ~ 1/2 day worth of sightseeing, unless you spend a lot of time at the Griffith Observatory. You could throw in a lunch or dinner at the Tam O'Shanter, which is where Walt Disney often dined way back in the day.
7. Do the LA/Hollywood stuff (Universal Studios & Hollywood sightseeing) from a hotel near Universal Studios. The drive there from San Diego will be really not fun every day. It'll take you 3 hr or more in rush hour.
8. You can skip the zoo if you want. San Diego has plenty of other fun stuff to do. Since your family lives in San Diego, chances are that you might be back and you can certainly see the zoo the next time!
9. You might find yourself wanting a 2nd day at Disneyland, so consider giving yourself some flexibility on that.

I think your itinerary should be something like this:

• Day 1 - arrival day. Check into hotel in SF.
• Day 2 - SF
• Day 3 - SF
• Day 4 - check out of SF hotel. Get rental car. Hit the road in the a.m., but after rush hour (so leave at 10 am). Drive to Yosemite. Check into hotel near/in Yosemite. So this is Yosemite Night #1.
• Day 5 - full day in Yosemite. Yosemite Night #2.
• Day 6 - check out of hotel in/near Yosemite. Enjoy the outdoors. Leave ~ 1-2 pm. Drive to Monterey. It will take you 4-5 hours to drive this (Yosemite Valley to the Monterey Bay Aquarium). So you'll arrive by 7pm. Leave earlier if you want to have dinner on the wharf and watch the sunset. But you'll be giving up some Yosemite time for this. This is Monterey Night #1.
• Day 7 - enjoy Monterey & Carmel. This is Monterey Night #2.
• Day 8 - check out of Monterey hotel in a.m. Have leisurely breakfast. Drive ~ 1 hour south on Hwy 1 and explore Big Sur. Include 5 hr of driving to get to Santa Barbara for the night. Or stop in San Luis Obispo and stay at the Madonna Inn.
• Day 9 - check out of SLO/SB hotel. Drive ~ 2 hr south to Universal Studios/Hollywood. This is the day you do all of your Hollywood tourism. Check into a USH-area hotel.
• Day 10 - check out of USH-area hotel. Go to Universal Studios. At end of day, drive to Anaheim and check into a DL-area hotel. Get to bed early.
• Day 11 - DL all day. At end of day, drive 1.5-2 hr south to San Diego.
• Day 12 - with your relatives in San Diego.
• Day 13 - San Diego
• Day 14 - last day in San Diego/fly home out of San Diego airport.

This only gets you really 2 1/2-3 days in San Diego with your family. You're not going to have time to drive Hwy `1 all the way south and have a leisurely drive. You won't have time to explore Cambria or Morrow Bay or places like that. If you want a full 4 days with family in San Diego, cut out Monterey OR cut out Yosemite. Otherwise, you will feel like you are spending half of your vacation in the car.

This is great. I am thinking of cutting one of these out. My daughters voted to cut out Yosemite, but my heart hurts kind of thinking about that! I will consider all the options, but I really want to see Big Sur. Would you go right from Yosemite to PCH?

 

[VandVsmama]

Yosemite Valley to Big Sur is a 5 hour drive.

 

[wanderlust7]

Thanks to you both. I kind of agree might be too much for two weeks. I’d like to do everything if money wasn’t an obstacle and I’d can extend a few days! However, if I just have two weeks, what would you suggest cutting? I really want to see the sequoia trees but could I see them without going to Yosemite? Maybe plan Yosemite for another trip? Or maybe skip LA?

Sequoia trees - maybe Muir Woods? It's just north of San Francisco. Although I'm not sure if it's the same type of sequoia as Yosemite. If you go there and have time to go another hour north, I really like Point Reyes. You can see tule elk there. But maybe I shouldn't be adding to your list.

 

[bcla]

Sequoia trees - maybe Muir Woods? It's just north of San Francisco. Although I'm not sure if it's the same type of sequoia as Yosemite. If you go there and have time to go another hour north, I really like Point Reyes. You can see tule elk there. But maybe I shouldn't be adding to your list.

Sequoia semipervirens - aka the coast redwood. They grow naturally in a small range near the coast of California to southern Oregon where there's a mist from the ocean that provides water. A lot also tend to grow around creeks. I'm kind of torn on Muir Woods. I don't mind it, but as a practical matter it stinks. The parking is a pain, and now there's a requirement for advanced reservations to get parking or to take the shuttle from Sausalito. It's fine in general, but there are way better places to see coast redwoods . There are a couple of state parks near Santa Cruz that are excellent without the problems at Muir Woods. Up the coast is even better, with larger trees up around Mendcino, Del Norte, and Humboldt Counties - such as Redwood National and State Parks.

https://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/reservations.htm

Giant sequoia are sequoiadendron giganteum. They grow at higher altitude in locations where there's typically cold winters and snow. They're are extremely large, but generally not as tall as coast redwoods.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Regarding studio tours: friends tell me they much prefer the WB Studio Tour. If your daughters have seen "La La Land," they may really enjoy that. USH is a working studio, so the working part gets the emphasis over the theme park, which is very different from USO. The Hollywood things your daughter wants to do can be done in 1-2 hours from the Hollywood & Highland Shopping Center. The Chinese Theatre is right next door, Walk of Fame right out front, Dolby Theatre (where the Oscar Ceremony is held) is inside, Hollywood Sign photo op spot on an upper level, etc. The Observatory is worth visiting on its own, but parking can be an issue, so allow time for that. Definitely recommend adding a second day for DLR to see DCA. DCA is unveiling Pixar Pier (a complete redo of the pier area, complete with ride refurbs to Pixar themes) on June 23rd. WOC is totally worth seeing, as is PTN. When in August will be you visiting? HM in DL will be closing sometime toward the end of the month (the 20somethingth) to install the Halloween overlay. The lower AP block will be lifted around the third week of the month, which will add to crowds. And the annual CHOC Walk (a BIG fundraiser) is on the 26th. Just some things to be aware of...

 

[Arden01]

Regarding studio tours: friends tell me they much prefer the WB Studio Tour. If your daughters have seen "La La Land," they may really enjoy that. USH is a working studio, so the working part gets the emphasis over the theme park, which is very different from USO. The Hollywood things your daughter wants to do can be done in 1-2 hours from the Hollywood & Highland Shopping Center. The Chinese Theatre is right next door, Walk of Fame right out front, Dolby Theatre (where the Oscar Ceremony is held) is inside, Hollywood Sign photo op spot on an upper level, etc. The Observatory is worth visiting on its own, but parking can be an issue, so allow time for that. Definitely recommend adding a second day for DLR to see DCA. DCA is unveiling Pixar Pier (a complete redo of the pier area, complete with ride refurbs to Pixar themes) on June 23rd. WOC is totally worth seeing, as is PTN. When in August will be you visiting? HM in DL will be closing sometime toward the end of the month (the 20somethingth) to install the Halloween overlay. The lower AP block will be lifted around the third week of the month, which will add to crowds, And the annual CHOC Walk (a BIG fundraiser) is on the 26th. Just some things to be aware of...

This is really useful information that I wasn't aware of! Thanks. One of my daughters is obsessed with La La Land, which is the sole reason she wants to go to LA (I'd prefer to skip if if I could). I will look into the WB tour. Is there a bus or pubic transportation to the Observatory? We might skip Universal since we spent three days in Universal Orlando last summer. I'm not exactly sure when we'll be doing in August but probably towards the beginning of the month since my cousin's kids start school mid-August. I am considering extending our DL stay to two full days, especially if we skip Universal. Also, thinking of trying to extend our trip to 2 1/2 weeks so I can fit in Yosemite and the extra day at DL. If I can't, we'll just adjust and not do Yosemite this time.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I'm not sure if there is a bus to the Observatory, but you could always get Uber/Lyft or a cab. USH is fun, but if a studio tour is more what your daughter wants, the WB tour is perhaps more in line with that (especially with the "La La Land" connection). Forgot to mention that if you do take a day for DCA, definitely be in Cars Land for sunset -- the neon lighting on Rte. 66 transports you right into the movie! Look into getting Max Pass for your DLR day/s -- it will help you get the most efficient use out of your time in the park/s.