Fall Trip in the planning can we do ALL this?

[merky]

Well our last 3 vacations have been Cruises DH wants to go back to a land vacations , we are WDW vets having been there many times but planning a Cal. DL one, is soooo much info.
ok our plan is to go this fall Sept 5 thru Sept 14 2014 need help with just about everything .
fly into SF 9/5 rent car? at airport, need Hotel ?
9/6 SF Alcatraz , Muir Woods Hotel?
9/7 Drive to sequoia NP stay at John -Muir lodge site see?
9/8 drive to Yosemite NP stay at Yosemite View Lodge 2 nights Site see?
9/9 Yosemite NP not sure will have to do research on what to do
9/10 Drive to Anaheim hotel ? for 4 nights would like to be close to DL
thinking of getting the city pass 3 days DL , 1 day universal, 1 day to do Hollywood I know we will have to drive from Anaheim but we are central time zone so will be up very early to drive
fly home from LAX 9/14 / 14 can we do all this and can any one give advise on how to do this trip.
Just a FYI It will Be Me , DH and Daughter 17 her last trip before college

 

[usnuzuloose]

Everything you have sounds good. But the drive to Yosemite is a little lengthy , very windy mountain road. Being a high altitude you don't know how the weather will be. Right now not sure if the falls have anything to offer as we are in a serious drought. As long as you are not disappointed to may not see much. It is a beautiful area. Just a hefty drive. But for me I don't like heights, I panic....

Before you head out on your trip check the weather before you leave home to see how Yosemite is doing. There is a lot of transportation in Frisco. Just depends how much driving you may want to do. Just about every where including the hotels charge for parking the car daily. That just upsets me to know end. There are trolly's and the bus. Hope this helps a little.

 

[merky]

thanks for the reply , hadn't really given the weather much thought is sept to late to go?

 

[PHXscuba]

If you are driving from Yosemite to DL on 9/10, that will take up most of your day. Park hours will be short on a weekday that time of year (closing at 8 p.m.?).

If you are flying out 9/14, you could do Hollywood on that day you go back to LA befre leaving.

But if you are only going to be in Anaheim for 3 days (9/11, 9/12, 9/13) I'm not sure the CityPass is a bargain. You can't fit 3 days of Disneyland and a day at Universal, plus you're paying for access to SeaWorld that you won't use.

The only way I see the CityPass working is if you drove through Hollywood on your way down from Yosemite, did the 3 days at Disneyland, and then went to Universal on your fly-out day, if you don't depart from LAX before 6 p.m. or so. Even then, the CityPass saves you only a couple of dollars vs. buying DL and Universal tickets separately.

PHXscuba

 

[PrincessInOz]

Well our last 3 vacations have been Cruises DH wants to go back to a land vacations , we are WDW vets having been there many times but planning a Cal. DL one, is soooo much info.
ok our plan is to go this fall Sept 5 thru Sept 14 2014 need help with just about everything .
fly into SF 9/5 rent car? at airport, need Hotel ?
9/6 SF Alcatraz , Muir Woods Hotel?

If you are heading to Muir Woods to see the Redwoods, are you aware that there are redwoods south of San Francisco. Check out Big Basin or Henry Cowell State Park. If you decide on Henry Cowell, check out the Roaring Camp Railway as a potential excursion in this area.

With the rental car, there are a number of rental car agencies at SF airport. However, the BART will take you directly into the city centre. Depending on where you stay, you might find that you may not need a car for a day or so if you're exploring downtown SF. The MUNI will have one-day or three-day passes to buy for nearly unlimited travel on the MUNI system. It will not give you travel on the BART system.

You could then pick up a car hire in San Francisco when you're ready to travel.

Here's a thread with a few things I like to do around greater SF. Hope it helps.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2451585&highlight=san+francisco

9/7 Drive to sequoia NP stay at John -Muir lodge site see?
9/8 drive to Yosemite NP stay at Yosemite View Lodge 2 nights Site see?
9/9 Yosemite NP not sure will have to do research on what to do

Is there a reason why you're driving from San Francisco to Sequoia NP first; before Yosemite NP?
Sequoia sits lower down in the state (from SF) than Yosemite.

It may be a better route to go from SF to Yosemite and then head to Sequoia. That way, you're not doubling back.

There is a grove of sequoia trees at the southern end of Yosemite NP. From memory I think it might be called Mariposa Grove. If you want to see sequoias, you can see them here. They aren't going to be the headline sequoias that you'll find at Sequoia NP; but you do get the feel of what it is like to be walking amongst the giants.

If you decide this is what you'll do, it may give you an extra day for SoCal - assuming that you then decide not to go to Sequoia NP.

9/10 Drive to Anaheim hotel ? for 4 nights would like to be close to DL
thinking of getting the city pass 3 days DL , 1 day universal, 1 day to do Hollywood I know we will have to drive from Anaheim but we are central time zone so will be up very early to drive
fly home from LAX 9/14 / 14 can we do all this and can any one give advise on how to do this trip.
Just a FYI It will Be Me , DH and Daughter 17 her last trip before college

If you didn't go to Sequoia NP, you could have the extra day in Anaheim. That would give you time to do 3 days at DL, 1 day Universal and have 1 full day to see Hollywood. Whether you buy the SoCal city pass or buy the tickets separately is up to you. The SoCal city pass is worth the money if you are also planning on seeing SeaWorld as well. Having said that, I believe that the SoCal city pass is offered for cheaper still at Costco and/or Sam's?? It was last year; not sure if it still is for 2014.

 

[merky]

ok after reading your replies I have revised my trip
fly into SF 9/5 rent car? at airport, need Hotel ?
Stay at the Pier, hotel still undecided rent a car from enterprise pick up in that area cost about 600.00 for trip
9/6 SF Alcatraz , Muir Woods Hotel?

9/7 Drive to Yosemite NP stay at Yosemite view lodge site see?
9/8 Yosemite NP stay at Yosemite View Lodge 2 nights Site see?

9/9 Drive to Sequoia NP stay at John-
Muir lodge

9/10 Drive to Anaheim hotel ? for 4 nights would like to be close to DL
thinking of getting the city pass 3 days DL , 1 day universal, 1 day to do Hollywood I know we will have to drive from Anaheim but we are central time zone so will be up very early to drive
fly home from LAX 9/14 / 14 can we do all this and can any one give advise on how to do this trip

According to map Quest it is about a 13 hour drive total split into 3 driving days of course that could be wrong , I will check into getting separate tickets for DL and Universal I do know we cant do 3 full days at DL but thought if we were in a hotel really close to DL we could go watch parade's or fire works or just stroll around in the later evening so that was the purpose of the 3 day ticket you all have given wonderful advise anything else would be great . Thanks

 

[bluedevilinaz]

Also keep in mind that DL only does fireworks/fantasmic on the weekends in the off season and opens around 10 am closes as early as 8pm during the week.

 

[BW DISfan]

Are you going to Sequoia National Park to see the Grant and Sherman trees or just to see the Sequoias? If you just want to see Sequoias I prefer going to Sequoia National Forest and the "Trail of 100 Giants" I also like hiking the Bear Creek Trail. The National forest is free and there is a lot less people.