Stu: The Presidio Travelodge is less than 1/2 a block from the Lombard/Lyon Street gate so not in the middle of the Lombard street 'ugly commerce'. If one has a car it is fine since the parking is free and the Presidio in on the doorstep. Perfect location - no. But certainly OK w/ a car.

Re Disney -- yes, that it is a long drive from Oxnard. But your description of DL is a bit misleading. There is Fast Pass which is great on all the most popular/crowded rides.

I'd actually try to visit Disneyland from Escondido instead of Oxnard.

>> Spending 80&

>>Apart from Union and Lombard St in SF, is Presidio area also worth considering

Thanks Stu and JanisJ for the inputs!

I had tried sneaking DV in and hoped no-one would notice
And Vegas - like DV - was just one of those places I have wanted to see - unfortunately, us travelling to California smack-bang in the middle of your summer doesn't help!

Stu your link has served to confirm that I need to extend our stay in SF!! I'll need to get a map and gradually work my way through your myriad suggestions.

JanisJ - Up until yesterday I had actually been considering an agenda very similar to your above suggestion, i.e. Vegas, DV, Hwy 395 - Lone Pine, Tioga Pass, Yosemite overnight and on to SF. My biggest concern was the resultant loss of 3-4 days that could've been spent in SF! Hence the idea of flying to SF directly from Vegas. Mistake?

Stu - Escondido unfortunately was a timeshare exchange to help keep accommodation costs reasonable. From what I understand SD is approx. 40 mins' drive from Welk resort?

The Travelodge I mentioned is indeed the one right next to the Presidio. But its really only a consideration, I am open and grateful for all suggestions for accommodation in SF, as well as in Monterey/Carmel etc. The hotels in the highly recommended Union Street are pretty expensive.

So, the big question - do we invest the 5 days or so travelling up to Vegas - along highway 395 - Tioga Pass - Yosemite - SF, or do we fly directly to SF and perhaps do an overnight trip to Yosemite?

A further concern I had is that by doing so we'll be giving up the opportunity of visiting the Grand Canyon - although to be perfectly honest with myself and this forum, GC is perhaps less of a must-see attraction to us, given our time constraints, than Yosemite.

Of course the simplest solution to all this is to magically inherit a few million dollars, take early retirement, and spend a year on the road with the kids!

A further thought was to spend the last night in California either in Disneyland, or in an adjoining hotel in Anaheim, to avoid traffic. Although I personally have no huge desire to see Disney, my kids would never forgive me if we were so close and didn't visit. So we'll have to grin and bear the crowds

I think it is an excellent idea to stay in Anaheim for one night so you can go to Disneyland when it opens (depending on day of the week will be either 8am or 10am) as that is when it is least busy for the first couple of hours. There are a number of motels on Harbor within walking distance and if the kids get tired most offer ART shuttle for $5pp per day. Look at Best Western Park Place Inn and Park Vue Inn, they are probably the closest to the park although there are many others.
I also like janisj'idea of a DV drive thru with a stay in Lone Pine or Bishop or Mammoth.

I don't think you need to stop overnight on the way from Las Vegas to Yosemite via Death Valley. That's a 6.5 - 7 hour drive without factoring in any stops. You will have plenty of daylight and if you are driving through Death Valley you'd want to get an early start, so I don't see why you couldn't expect to be in Yosemite by mid-afternoon.

You'll be limited somewhat in what you can do in Vegas because of the kids. I'd stay there one night. Get up reasonably early, drive to Vegas from Escondido and stay overnight in Vegas on the 1st. On the 2nd, again get up early and drive through Death Valley and continue on to Yosemite. Stay there 2 or 3 nights, then head to San Francisco.

The toughest part of this plan is getting lodging in Yosemite on the 4th of July weekend. If it was me, I'd book those 3 nights right now and then cancel if you change your itinerary.

Unfortunately I think Yosemite will be insanely busy during that time because of the holiday weekend, so you may not enjoy it as much as visiting some other time. I don't know if you can reconfigure everything so you visit San Francisco first (over the 4th of July) and then visit Yosemite and take your drive down the coast.

Maybe something like this:
July 1: drive from Escondido to Vegas, stay Vegas overnight
July 2: early morning trip to Death Valley, then head back to Vegas and fly to San Francisco that evening
July 3-6 in San Francisco, drive to Yosemite on the afternoon of the 6th
July 6th and 7th in Yosemite, leave on the 8th to drive down the coast.

It's no that Yosemite won't be busy if you arrive on the 6th (it will be busy all summer) but it will be insanely busy over the 4th of July. And if you stay in San Francisco that weekend you could see some fireworks shows, you won't get that in Yosemite.

>>And if you stay in San Francisco that weekend you could see some fireworks shows, ) - many years SF is so foggy on the 4th you don't see anything.

If it was me -- I'd sacrifice one night in Vegas (or even ALL nights in vegas ) to get two nights in Yosemite any time of the year.

To clarify re the Travelodge . . I've actually stayed there. I live about 1.5-2 hours from SF and go there often. I've stayed everywhere from Sausalito/Tiburon to posh Union Square (Union Street is a different place) and Embarcadero hotels to this cheap Travelodge. The main reasons to stay at the Travelodge isn't because of Lombard Street (This isn't the bendy bit of Lombard you have see photos of) . It is because of the cheap-ish rates, free parking, proximity to the Presidio, Golden Gate Bridge and the Marina Green.

Is it my favorite area of SF -- no. But when I drive in to the City (as opposed to taking Amtrak) I will always check for availability there -- especially if my plans include Golden Gate Park and/or driving over to Marin County.

Thank you for the suggestions!.

I have now booked as suggested by WhereAreWe (flying to SF for the 4th July weekend and then to Yosemite 6-8 July) , thanks for the suggestion! I think this is the best we can do in the time and considering the 4th July weekend. We're really excited to be visiting Yosemite, as well as SF (without having had to give up Vegas LOL). And we can decide when we're in Vegas how we feel about doing the day trip from Vegas to DV - probably, the heat will convince me that you were all right about it being too crazy hot after all!

I have booked the Travelodge at Presidio, we will have a car and do want to see the Presidio area, Golden Gate bridge, Marin headlands, Golden Gate Park, so this makes sense to us. And the free parking is also a boon! thanks very much JanisJ.

Thanks also jamie99, we're now looking for a good day to slot in Disney and a hotel in Anaheim, I would assume a Monday or Tuesday would be the quietest days? Would it be advisable to spend 2 days in the park?

>>Would it be advisable to spend 2 days in the park?

Yes weekdays will be less busy, just be there about 30 minutes before opening (they often open up Main Street ahead of the rest of the park). By staying across the street at a motel, if anyone gets tired you can head back for a nap, use the pool, etc. and then return later in the day. Be aware that everyone except small children has to show photo ID now to enter. Also Disneyland is now enforcing the Fast Pass rules, you must use your Fast Pass by the time stated, they no longer let people use the Fast Pass a couple of hours after the time.
For crowd levels, look at www.isitpacked.com
You can either buy one park per day tickets or ParkHopper tickets.

<Would it be advisable to spend 2 days in the park?>

You don't need 2 days in one park. If you want to see both parks, then yes you should set aside 2 days. As well as some serious cash.

Perhaps you can find some good discount packages, but if not plan on spending at least $1000 if you do both parks over 2 days. It's going to be close to $400 a day for admission, plus food and souvenirs. And a hotel on top of that. I'd research the rides and attractions at both parks and decide if that much money is worth it for your family. Factor in whether you want to spend two consecutive days standing in line to go on rides that are mildly adventurous at best.

Thank you all for the suggestions.

I have to say, standing in queues all day and for 2 days in blazing hot sun is not my idea of fun! Having said that, our kids would never forgive us if we didn't fly halfway across the world and not visit Disneyland! So the decision is really whether to do so for 1 or 2 days.

I like the idea of a hotel close by for mid-afternoon rest and recovery! Nothing like a nap and/or swim to rejuvenate.

How does LEGOLAND Carlsbad compare as a substitute for the second day ? (my kids will be 9 and 12 and my son LOVES Lego).
Or Knott's Berry? I would assume crowds here would be far less?

sorry - meant to say, wouldn't forgive us if we DID fly halfway across the world and not visit DL ..

Legoland is great but t is mainly geared to younger children. Your choice whether you think your family would enjoy it.

Don't second guess Disneyland/California Adventure. -- Sure there are crowds but w/ fast pass the most popular ride are very manageable. Go to the biggies first and collect your fast passes for later in the day (or board the ride right then if the queue isn't long)

Another trick - several rides have a 'Single rider' line that really speeds things up. It means you wouldn't necessarily be in the same car but anyone solo can bypass most of the line. Especially useful if one or more of you want to ride something the others aren't interested in.

<Having said that, our kids would never forgive us if we did fly halfway across the world and not visit Disneyland!>

Absolutely. I meant you should definitely go to Disney or California Adventure for one day for sure. It's just a question of whether you want to spend that much money and time for another day at the other park, or do something different.

Legoland is slightly cheaper than the Disney parks and you could probably visit from Escondido rather than make a separate hotel reservation for it. It also has a water park which you could add to your admission. With the water park it would be cost as much if not more than one Disney park but at least you'd be able to go on some water rides and cool off. There are just a couple water rides at Disney.

Knott's is the smallest and cheapest.

Again, I think you'd need to research their websites and check out the rides/attractions to see what you think your family would enjoy the most. It sounds like one day at Disney plus one day at Legoland would make everyone happy but that's your call.

Whatever you do, use the Fast Pass and find an app that shows wait times at the rides. They both help avoid long lines and wasted time.

Personally I prefer Knott's over Legoland, we took our granddaughter when she was 5 and it is very expensive and she did not like it that much, she much preferred the Safari Park in Escondido that we visited the next day.
Alex, if you utilize tricks like getting there at opening, using Fast Passes, Rider Swap and Single Rider you'll cut down your standing in line time a lot.
Might also check mousesavers.com for any discounts.
Check out some of the Disney fan boards like micechat, allears, etc. allears has a very good section with the menus and prices for all restaurants in both parks and Downtown Disney. Hope this helps.

Thanks everyone for all the tips and suggestions.

I've had a look at the various websites and there's a lot to take in. Such a pity we have limited time and no money-tree!

In a nutshell, I plan to take the family to 2, or maximum 3, theme park-type outings whilst in the US. So we had in mind, 1 day Disneyland, 1 day Universal Studios, and 3rd day (still to decide if and which one) - Sea World San Diego, Disney California Adventures, Legoland, Knotts Berry etc. So we'll be busy looking at all the forums the next few days.

You must visit a southern California Beach
Huntington Beach - best surf. Excellent Beach area. Spent many days/hours there on a board. Drive north about one mile where it is less crowed. Surf probably not as dynamic as South Africa's

Venice Beach - This is where the 'free spirits' congregate. Rent a bike there and peddle around. This is the one I recommend for touring.

Santa Monica. Very nice town, very good beach. Many movie scenes where filmed there. They once had a merry go around.

You can Google town + beach
or
beach.com. e.g. santa monica cam for live video

Vaga

What makes an "excellent" beach? I haven't visited Huntington Beach since about '65 when we went there for church outings, High School club trips, Boy Scouts, "surfer girl" hunting, etc. I remember it being lots of flat sand bordered by a huge asphalt parking lot and not-so-interesting buildings.

When I got married we moved to Laguna Beach with lots of scenic coves, tide-pools, volleyball tournaments, Ozzie & Harriet & Ricky Nelson, and scenic cliffs. Even a nude beach or two. At least once a week we took our bikes up to Newport Beach and rode along the concrete boardwalk to the Balboa Pier, ferry over to Balboa Island, back to the peninsula, through lots of back streets, and back to McFadden's Wharf. I've visited the "northern" beaches many times, but always preferred the Newport/Corona Del Mar, Laguna Beach area. Just more "scenic".

Stu Dudley