Planning a (budget) trip to Southern California...Need Help

[Helene]

I posted this over on the DL board, but there doesn't seem to be much viewing traffic over there. I'm hoping some of the Budget gurus will have some travel and $$ saving tips for me.

I am working on a plan to go to California over Christmas break. I'm tentatively thinking we could spend 3 nights in San Diego, 3-4 nights in Anaheim and 3 nights in Pasadena. Any good, budget friendly ideas on where to stay??

Plan is to purchase the so cal city pass and to go to the Rose Bowl parade.

I've never been to California before and I'm not sure if I'm overstating my ability to travel between cities. I'm open to spending 7 nights in the Anaheim area to avoid going to a 3rd hotel......is attending the Rose Bowl parade doable from Anaheim??

I will be travelling with DH and DD 12, and DS, 11.

Any suggestions on an itinerary will be greatly appreciated

 

[DawnM]

I would book Pasadena now and you still may not find anything. I moved from Pasadena. It is really hard to find any lodging anytime near the Rose Parade. There were people who rented out their houses for more than 10K per week during parade week.

The time period you are going is peak season. I don't know how "budget" you can really get.

Dawn

 

[Mama Steph]

Dd and I spent a week in that area about a month ago. We spent 3 nights in Pasadena at my uncle's house and went to US, 2 nights in SD where we spent a day at Sea World and atended dd's gymnatics meet and then 2 nights in Anaheim with 1 day at DL and 1 day at DTD. Since we didn't have a car, we took the train from city to city and really enjoyed it. In Anaheim, we used the city shuttle to get to and from DL. The train was a lot cheaper than renting a car and we didn't have to worry about parking.

 

[scanmom]

the driving aspect is very doable, but probably not the budget aspect. Like a PP said, that is peak time, and all the hotels and car rentals will be at peak prices. That being said, check out www.getawaytoday.com for some decent, if not really good deals. We have used them twice and have been VERY pleased with the level of service. And like I said, sometimes they have really good deals, almost always better than Disney. and they can book you for Anaheim and San Diego. And, as a tip, I would stay offsite for the DL portion of the trip, but try to get a hotel right across the street from the parks. It is so nice to be able to walk back for a rest rather than having to go to the parking lot and drive back. You will save tons of time and aggravation. Some good ones are Best Western Park Place Inn, Camelot Inn, Tropicana Inn and Suites, Howard Johnsons (a bit further). None of these are very fancy, but they are the closest, which in busy times is very important. Have fun!

 

[Helene]

Thank you!! I knew I could count on the budget boarders for insight and information

I like the suggestion of using the train system. My only problem is I rarely use public transportation(like never, only when travelling to NYC) so it intimidates me a bit. I get confused easily

Is it possible to stay in the Anaheim area and travel to San Diego and Pasadena by train??

 

[nunzia]

Thank you!! I knew I could count on the budget boarders for insight and information

I like the suggestion of using the train system. My only problem is I rarely use public transportation(like never, only when travelling to NYC) so it intimidates me a bit. I get confused easily

Is it possible to stay in the Anaheim area and travel to San Diego and Pasadena by train??

You can certainly take the train to San Diego from Anaheim, but how will you get around once there? I don't know about Pasadena. We took a trip to San Diego in June to do Sea World and Legoland and decided it was better to do that trip with a car...when we do Disney we just take a train to Fullerton, then a cab to hotel and stay put. If you are doing day trips, I've heard good things about GrayLine tours. You could get to Anheim, take the train to SD a rent a car for that portion. I don't have a clue about anything to do with Pasadena. I second the Getawaytoday idea. We used them for Sea World and everything worked great.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

For the Anaheim area, if budget is really a priority, I would only book a fully refundable hotel. When you get closer to your trip, I would try a Priceline bid for a hotel. Anaheim has a lot of hotel rooms to accomodate the convention center business and that business is very slow during the holdiays. Be aware that there will be a trade off: the hotel will not likely be within easy walking distance to DL, so you may need to use the Art Shuttle ($10/$2 for 3 days for adults/child) and there will probably a parking charge of at least $10 per night).

I still remember winning the Hyatt Regency for a 3 night stay for my parents many years ago and my Mom was shocked when I told here it was $110 for all 3 nights. These days, I would expect the winning bid for a 3.5* would need to be up to $60.

Have a great trip -- Suzanne

 

[tommya60]

Driving from Anaheim to Pasadena is not a big deal. If you want to see the parade floats up close, they are generally on display in a park for about 3 days after the parade.
Sometimes local cities offer day trips to the Rose Parade, that might be an option. They would charge an extra fee for non-residents of the city. You would have to get to the pick up location (maybe a cab?) it might be cheaper than renting a car, parking, etc.

Check restaurants.com for discount restaurant gift certificates. House of Blues, etc.
San Diego is beautiful, but depending on what you want to do you may need a car. The zoo and the Wild Animal Park are almost 45 minutes apart, Legoland is not actually in San Diego. There are hop on, hop off tour buses, but the ones I know about really leave the city area.

 

[jessica52877]

We always just stay in Anaheim and drive to the other places (but rent a car). Anaheim HoJo is usually reasonably priced, check out their entertainment card rates (go to their site then message boards for dates). I am not sure with the Rose Bowl how it would be driving to that area though.

 

[karmutt]

If you want to go all in for a Rose Bowl parade experience, you can always camp on sidewalk along the route the night before. It's legally allowed (from http://www.tournamentofroses.com/roseparade/paradefaqs.asp - "Curbside camping on the parade route is allowed beginning at noon the day before the parade.") and it'd save you one night on a hotel. If you do get a hotel, chances are you're going to have to leave it at midnight to find a spot on the route anyway.