How long should I plan for this?

[2littleprincesses]

I am planning a trip in June 2014 to arrive in San Francisco and drive to San Diego. We want to:
1. Spend a couple days in San Francisco and do: magic show I have heard is good, Alcatraz, golden gate bridge, exploratorium (not sure if my girls are too old), Fischermans warf, seals, trolley ride
2. Possibly do yosemite?
3. drive down the coast: Monterey Aquarium, at least one other night stop maybe two
4. LA--girls want to see the hollywood walk of fame (stars on the ground), they would love to see the hollywood sign and be in an audience although I think they are too young and probably shows on hiatus at that time. I could skip LA
5. Anahiem--Disneyland for a day or two
6. San Diego: Sea World (we have not done), Coronado maybe, beach
7. Grand Canyon maybe

I know it is broad and I am still working on it. I am planning on saving some money by getting the tickets from the southwest deal, another rewards credit card for a couple hotel nights, and have $400 disney rewards to help pay for disney.

What do you think? How long would you take for this trip. How many extra days would Yosemite or Grand Canyon take? If you had to pick one which one would you pick? Thanks!

 

[bcla]

You could do all that San Francisco stuff in two days, but I'd recommend three if you don't know your way around. There really aren't many good places to consistently see seals in the area (they do swim in the bay), but maybe you're thinking of sea lions. They congregate at docks next to Pier 39, although they only do so seasonally. It's all males who couldn't find mates.

Yosemite is my favority place in the world, but you'll need to reserve well in advance if you want lodging inside the park in June. You can reserve up to a year in advance, and I'd recommend doing so a year to the day if possible. I'd recommend at least two days, but there are also bus tours that do it in one day from San Francisco. Would you want to go straight from Yosemite to Monterey?

 

[2littleprincesses]

Thank you so much for your help. Yes, I think we would go to San Fran for 3 days then Yosemite, then south. Do you have recommendations to stop along the way? Which towns we should stop in? THanks!

 

[PrincessInOz]

It seems we're doing 3 nights SF, 2 nights Yosemite so far.

I'll play and add to the plans.....

If you're driving down the Pacific Coast Highway....

I would recommend a night in Monterey or Carmel if you want to see the Aquarium.
You might consider a stop in San Simeon and visit Hearst Castle. If you do want to visit HC, make sure you book your tickets in advance for the tour time you'd like to do.
You might find the Elephant Seals at Piedras Blancas near San Simeon.
I also like staying at Solvang. I tend not to drive through Santa Barbara and from Solvang, I take the 154 to the 192 before cutting back to the 1/101.

That's potentially 3 nights.

 

[ILUVALASKA]

add a full day of driving between destinations and you are looking at a two week trip, minimum