Calidornia (Dream) visit
 

Hello Fodor's Experts,
Planning to CA visit (my dream) from Sept 1-9 (with spouse and 3yrs old son - from Buffalo,ny).
Tentative plan is :
1. Reach San fransisco on aug 31 night, take a city tour on sept 1.
2. Move to Pasedena on sept 1 night (have a friend there)
3. Sept 2 - rest
4. Sept 3 - LA hollywood (bus from Pasedena and return by even)
5. Sept 4- Universal studio (bus from Pasedena and return by night)
6. Sept 5 - leave by noon to LV (by car), spend night in LV hotel
7. Sept 6 - return and rest
8. Sept 7 - Sea world
9. Sept 8 - disney park
10. sept 9 - LA beach, rest and return late night (or early next morning)

flight deal : from Buf - SFO - LAX - BUF = $365 per person.

Do you think, this is a fair deal on travel?
Any suggestions/inputs on my plan are appreciated
Thanks in advance

That's a pretty busy schedule.

I would leave Las Vegas out. There's nothing there for a three year old, and it will still be very, very hot.

I'll assume you are aware that Sea World is just under a two hour drive from Pasadena. Interstate 5S can be very backed up on weekends-all the way to San Juan Capistrano sometimes, but more usually from Oceanside. This can add a lot of time to your drive. During the week you'll have rush your traffic to contend with. So, leave Pasadena early and return after 7pm. I know I'm sounding negative, but I'm not trying to put you off the idea, really. You might consider staying in San Diego one night, doing Sea World one day and the Zoo the other day. Your son would like the Zoo.

While you're in Pasadena, don't miss the Huntington Library and Gardens (and art museum). If you go on the first Thursday of the month, entrance is free.

Thanks Barbara for the tips.As you suggested,I can leave early for sea world (as would have been taking rest in previous day).
LV strip will be for me :))
Btw,
any suggestions on SF hotel (economical) to stay?? ( Planning to take 5 hrs city tour)

I don't understand the SFO - San Francisco - part of the trip.

Is there nothing from BUF to LAX?

SFO is for downtown and mainly golden gate. We have to do it on the way to LAX. Making a trip from pasedena to SFO (to and fro), will either cost us money(flight) or time (bus).
So, planning to start with it and take a evening flight to LAX and then travel to pasedena (bus) for night rest.
Hope, I am clear...

Your trip sounds too busy. Too many cities in too short a time-- one day in S.F., one day in Las Vegas, going all the way to Sea World and Disney the next day-- whew! Your 3-year old might be more happy playing on the beach than being in the car and bus that much.

I'd allow time in LA for Malibu or Zuma beaches, Westwood, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills/BelAir, Sunset Boulevard. . ..

The Hollywood area isn't scenic. You probably don't want an entire day there, plus a return visit the next day. I'd combine the Hollywood/Universal studio tour into one day.
:)>-

You need to pick a destination. Not sure why you are even bothering w/San Francisco or Las Vegas based on the time you will spend there, versus the time it will take you to get there...or get there & back. You'll spend, literally 30-40% of your time traveling & I'm not even counting the flights out & back. If you do that, it is more like 50%.

Honestly --- I would save SF for another trip another day. It's at least a 5 hour from SF to Pasadena and possibly much more with traffic. And you have planned that for an evening after you have taken a 5 hour city tour.

California is just too large to see so much in such a short time. Don't discount the jet lag factor either - I'm in PA and when I fly to the west coast, I'm ready for bed at 8 pm.

Having traveled many times with children, I think your agenda is too ambitious.

If you really want to go to Vegas, is it possible to do it either first or last, rather than in the middle? Though I agree with another poster, Vegas with a 3 year old is the last thing I'd want to do - I know you want to experience it, but if you want to go to the casinos, your spouse will have to babysit.

I understand wanting to just see a little of this and a little of that --- but traveling with a child makes it very difficult to travel that way.

I have to report that going to California was a dream of mine too - and I ended up breaking it into 3 trips in 3 years; one SF, one LA/Orange County and one San Diego. There's just too much to see covering too many miles.

One issue I did not see mentioned--
Sept. 1,2,3 is Labor Day weekend one of the biggest summer holidays and LOTS of traffic-- and lots of people... Also be sure to reserve a place to stay on 31st. NOW .

I would like to mention, couple of more inputs, (which went into my planning) :
1. I am planning disney on saturday, as I heard ,they have laser show and fireworks only on w/end. Correct me, if I this is wrong.
2.I agree, I am planning to cover lot many things, here and there, so planned SF on the way to LA from buffalo, thats on first w/end. I will travel from SF to LAX by flight and not by bus (1 hr 20min - USD 70)

3. SO, that left me to go to LV only on week day. I am plannign to start by noon (from pasedena by car), reach LV hotel and take a good nap , prepare for night walk on strip and go to back to hotel, say by 2AM, take rest, travel back to pasedena by noon or so and take rest.

Will this help us/child, to get relaxed and charged for disney and sea world?

Will that help? Not much.

Seriously, drop Las Vegas or Sea World or Disneyland, or San Francisco, or something.
:)>-

Several people have said this is difficult itinerary - REALLY difficult. But you seem to be set on doing it this way, and not changing anything. In that case I really think you are mostly on your own.

Not trying to be rude - but the folks answering you live in CA and we know how far things are and how long things take.

I completely agree with all you. Its not that,I am fixed on my plan, just trying to cover as best as can.(as I don't have any plans to have 2nd trip to CA, in near future), also, being in east coast, first timer to CA, this will cost me a lot.
So,trying to my best to see the beatiful CA :)

Sorry, bond, I did miss the part that you were flying from SFO to LAX, I just read "move to Pasadena" and thought you intended to drive.

Still a busy itinerary.

Have a wonderful vacation.

Btw, a basic Q (may be silly):
I am planning to come back to Buf on 10th sept morning, but my family may stay back few days there (in pasedena), and come back later (this way, they will get a chance to visit disney and sea world, if I drop that from my list :)
Now, the Q is how to book this online, I see that its either round trip or multi route.
Do I have to book twice, once for me and second time for family??
Thanks in advance for suggestions.

Disneyland's calendar is not showing fireworks after July. They are showing Fantasmic (laser show), you can check it yourself for specific dates.

Click on the date for specific events. I don't think September is updated yet. But if you are after Labor Day, there will be fewer people and also less chance of fireworks/and or Fantasmic.

Bond, if your route and dates are not identical to your family's, then yes you would have to go through the booking procedure twice. At least on any of the airline websites I have used. Are you booking thru an airline or through Expedia or a similiar site?

With everything else being equal, I would book through an airline rather than a site such as Expedia (my own opinion based on problems I've had in the past when the airlines changed flights and times).

mlgb :
I just "googled" disney site.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/sep07...sttimeout=1000
Per this , there is illimination and laser show on 8th sept at around 9PM.
Am I right?

Bond - that is Florida, not Anaheim.

Check "disneyland" not disney world.

:)

swaymock : Only difference between mine and family's travel date will on on return travel from LAX to BUF.
they will travel after say, couple of weeks.
So,iternary will be same, except the change in last travel (from LAX to BUF).

The flight from SFO to LAX may only take 1hour and 20 mins, but that doesn't take into account getting to SFO and the time for check in and security, not does it include the time getting from LAX to Pasadena. So it is going to take you something like 4 hours, assuming that the flight leaves on time and LA traffic cooperates.

In my opinion your plan is crazy for two adults, insane with a 3 year old. At least cut out Sea World. If this is your only reason for going to San Diego as others have said while it may look like a 2 hour drive on the map, the traffic could, and probably will make it much longer. (You truely cannot imagine the traffic in LA until you experience it.)There are other Sea Worlds other places, hit one of them on another vacation. It will also allow your 3 year old to be fresh for Disney. Nothing worse than a tired kid at the begining of a long day at Disney. Re Vegas, could you hit it on your last day / night and fly home from there?

Re spliting your trip I would make it into 2 trips, SF and LA; and SD and LV. Doesn't really matter if they are years apart.

At any rate rest up - you'll need it!

I understand there is only one small difference between your flights and your family's flights. I stand by my earlier response. You can't book two different itineraries AT THE SAME TIME. Try it.

Barblab :I agree,Sea world is the only point for us in SDiego. I think I can drop it from my list.
LAter, anyway, my family can visit (as they are planning to stay longer there).Thanks for the suggestion.

swaymock: Whether, calling the airlines booking agent will help me to book this same time? I am just worrying that, by booking twice online, should not create any problem.

Honestly, bond, if I were doing what you are doing - I would call the airlines to make the reservation. If you book separately from your family online (which is what you will have to do), it could be difficult to get seated together.

I think for your peace of mind, it would be good to have a warm body (agent) booking the flights for you.

The agent can book whatever you like --- the websites are only set up to book one identical itinerary at a time (I mean you can book two people with the same itin, but not two different itins).

I would spend more time in SF than LA. :-)

If you do visit San Francisco, try to fly into Burbank rather than LAX. Much smaller airport, and it is closer to Pasadena.

Can you fly to Las Vegas? The drive through the desert is HOT (especially in the late afternoon) and boring.

I have lived in California all my life (well over 50 years) and I am not sure how much of the "beauty of CA" you will be seeing on the freeways.

Welcome to California.

swaymock : I agree. Do you feel the booking agents can do this. I will try my best to book this way. I hope :)

Thanks BarbAnn -: But flying to LV will affect my budget very badly (just checked its,~165-175 per person :(. So looks that, have to drive.
As you been there, kindly suggest, which airport will be suitable for me (from buffalo)- I am planning to take any economical transport to hotel (aug31 night) and take 5hr SF tour (sept1) and by night, back to airport to Pasedena. If possible, kindly suggest suitable hotel also. Plannint this tour to take :http://www.sanfranshuttletours.com/?...FRUHWAod4TDB7Q.

I think driving to Las Vegas is not a great idea - although bear in mind that ALL air travel requires a couple of hours of time at the airport prior to departure.

I would skip Las Vegas. You have NO IDEA of the HEAT. What will a 3 year old do? Personally, I think the tv shows that show Vegas pretty much cover it. Being there in person isn't much different, except for the heat. I would never take a child. You can't go into the casinos, can you? So all you are doing is seeing these weird fake places in the flesh.

Don't get me wrong - it is kind of impressive - but go see Ocean's Thirteen or something and save it for another trip - maybe when you go to the Grand Canyon. (Or is that part of this trip? ;)

I keep forgetting to say that I am from Buffalo, too. You will love CA. Have a great time! I'll probably be visiting western NY while you are here.

cabovacation - Thanks for the warning. As of now, I have not thought of Grand canyon...from HEAT point of view (as well Hoover dam)
Do you mean, even in late even, or night, will it be WARM there?

Btw, have you been to erie beach, thats good spot for your trip.

You COULD fit in San Francisco and Las Vegas and LA and San Diego in 9 days,

provided:

You fly into San Francisco from Buffalo, do a one day thing in SF,

FLY to Las Vegas from SF, do a one day thing in LV,

then FLY to LA from Las Vegas and get a car for the remainder of your stay in Southern California.

Try Southwest Airlines. They have some good fares, especially with 14-day pre purchase.

You might also try sidestep.com and input your dates and cities of travel and see if there are good deals from other airlines.

Good luck! Welcome to California! (I understand - been to Buffalo and understand why you would want to see a lot of California! :) )

Thanks a lot easytraveler. I appreciate.
Let me go through your plan and as well COST. (that is also one more constraint).
As said, this is my tentative plan and was looking for expert advises from Fodorites, and got that, as always.
Thank you all. I have to do some homework now on plan-revision2 :)

In San Fransico, I have stayed at the Chelsea Motor Inn (www.chelseamotorinn.com) twice. It is basic, but in a safe location. Their sister properties are good too.

If at all possible, take the City and Muir Woods tour. You would see The City, coastal redwoods and the northern California coast. The coastline of northern California is absolutely beautiful.

Very good suggestion from easytraveler.

Good hotel suggestion from BarbAnn. I was going to suugest Columbus Motor Inn which is a sister property to Chelsea Motor Inn.

To answer your question about Las Vegas heat. Yes, it is still warm at night. Although it may cool down some at night that is usually around 3am. If you are walking around between sundown and midnight, the temperatures could still be in the 90's.

Easytraveler has a good plan. Right now Southwest Airlines has roundtrip for your dates at $118 (that includes fees and taxes). That is departing from Burbank Airport. Keep in mind that a tank of gas here in So. Ca is around $50 or more depending on the size of your gas tank. So it will cost you a minimum of $100 to drive your car and that is a low estimate.

I also just did a quick check on using Expedia. You can fly from Buf to SFO and then from LAX to BUF for $258.00 on Delta and for $273 on American. If you use Southwest to fly from San Francisco to Burbank at $49 one way that will put your flight total to a little over $300. With that savings you could afford to fly to Las Vegas.

Personally I would follow the advice of others and skip Las Vegas. You will have your 3 year old that you can't take into casinos, it will be hot and pretty miserable. You will be taking away 2 days that you can see California.

Just to put another wrench in your plans, have you thought about driving from SF to LA. If you really want to see the beauty of California, driving the coast is the way to see it. As others have said, all you will be doing particularly in So. CA is spending time on the freeways and fighting crowds at Disneyland. You could spend 2 days in San Francisco, maybe one day in Monterrey (your child would like the Aquarium, one day in Santa Barbara and the rest of the time in LA. This would give you plenty of time to see Universal Studio and Disneyland and the beach. Just a thought. The central coast of California is one of the prettiest spots in the state.

To clarify-the $118 RT from Burbank was to Las Vegas and back. Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks a lot paula1470. You gave me a very good thought.It is scaring me that, even after sunset, its 90F there :). Just a thought, is it a wise decision to travel there in Oct end/early nov??
Reg : 258 RT from buf to SFo, its the same flight, I am thinking to take.And I am getting $70 from SFO to LAX., but $49 from SFO to Burbank seems better deal.As said above, planning to take a 5hr tour of SF and leave to Pasedena.
advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance

I ditto what Paula says (me, a 20+ year resident of So Cal).

I know many people want to see the glitzy stuff that CA has to offer, but there is some real natural beauty, too.

Just taking the time to drive down Pacific Coast Highway and look at the water (you will go past many celebrities' homes although you wouldn't know it). Take a full day at the beach. Your 3-year-old will love it. When my girls were little we used to go to the Tide Pools in Newport Beach. It's a more kid friendly area where they can play in shallow water and see some sea life and watch the tide come splashing over the rocks.

As far as Northern CA - what about seeing the Redwoods? And San Francisco alone is a wonderland.

Personally, I'd skip Sea World and Las Vegas. Disneyland, I understand the lure (although I am totally Disney'd out!).

Try to scale back. I know it's hard, but really try to resist doing too much and not remembering anything.

Thanks for the Erie Beach tip!