Wow!, Mama must have a nice credit card!!!

I like NYC 2 nights to wander aimlessly and lose the jetlag and another 2/3 to take the rest in and then a train to DC for 2 nights which would give you one full day to explore The Smithsonian, Mall, Monuments, Georgetown, etc and then take an early flight to Orlando.

Ignore the anti Disney police. You couldn't drag me there, but people love it, and staying within the parks is the way to go. I think the lodging at Disney may have better options the Universal - so something to consider. Take your time and enjoy. From what I understand there is a lot to see, and do. And stay long enough to get the park thing out of your system, unless your daughter is a rollarcoaster nut that must visit a 6 flags. Then by all means, go for it.

I would blow off Miami and Keys if the timing works that she can spend time in Vegas at the age of 21 and spend more time in Hawaii.

Good luck with all the conflicting responces. It is a big change from you original trip.

<<<for DC, take the shuttle out of LaGuardia into Reagan National - one hour as opposed to 2hrs 45mins on the train>>>

Well, sure, ON the train vs. ON the plane, but for the plane, add the time it takes to get to LGA from Manhattan (1/2 hour), and the time it takes to get from DCA into DC (1/2 hour), plus the fact that you have to arrive at the airport an hour before your flight -- now the flight takes 15 minutes LONGER than the train :-)

I'm in DC 1-2 days per week so I'm intimately familiar with the Shuttle. If you take a 7:00am Shuttle, you can leave the city at 6:10, arrive at 6:30 and board your flight immediately (you certainly don't need to be at the airport an hour before for a shuttle flight). You then arrive at DCA before 8:00, and you're on Pennsylvania Avenue by 8:30 (I just did this yesterday morning). That's 2:20 door-to-door as opposed to over 2:45 just on the train.

with all due respect to your timeline mNYC - you are likely packing an overnight shoulder bag while they are visiting the states for a month.

I cannot believe someone actually shilled for Amtrak as a way to see America. Good gosh. Talk about the worst possible combination of bad price, crap service, slow trains, and microscopically small on-time rate and you'll scratch the surface of its flaws.

Even the "high-speed" Acela trains aren't -- they average 79 mph (125 kph) between New York and DC and only 63 mph (100 kph) between NYC and Baaaawstin. The only places to ride Amtrak where it won't completely suck is the DC to NY corridor.

i've always seen amtrak as the best way to see america unless you're driving if you have the time. by plane all you see are clouds

Sounds unanimous to skip Tijuana. Yuk. It's beyond ghetto, and it's probably less stable than Turkey and Greece.

How will you be traveling~plane, train, car? I understand the desire to see and do as much as possible while you're here, but your itinerary is fairly ambitious. It appears that you will be spending almost as much time traveling to and from the places you've mentioned as you will be staying in those places. Keep in mind it's about a 6 hour flight (non-stop) from the east coast of the US to the west coast.

I'm with the posters who suggested eliminating Florida. SoCal has lovely beaches, Disneyland, California Adventure, and Universal Studios Hollywood, and you'll get tropical beaches in Hawaii. I'm also with those who recommended a few days in DC. Keep in mind that you could spend weeks in NYC and/or DC and not see and do everything! Something else to consider is that the Grand Canyon is about a 5 hour drive from Vegas, as is Joshua Tree National Park.

Good luck fine tuning!

Sometimes I think people post their ideas/suggestions w/o reading what the OP says. . .

Everyone saying to skip FL must have missed the >><blue><i>Universal Orlando we have to do due to Harry Potter world, daughter is a huge fan.</blue></i><< bit.

Florida/Orlando may not be my first choice -- but travelbug gave very good reasons why they included it. And a few days in FL won't take much away from the other great places they are visiting.

You do realize that OP did not include that tidbit in her first posting, right?

Amtrak works just fine in the East most of the time, and is a good way to see things.

If all the gods are smiling upon one MichelleNYC's air timeline should work, but I would personally be terrified of showing up for ANY flight less than an hour before it left. My dad, who will never fly if he can take a train, used to consistently beat his airborne colleagues out of midtown into DC by using Amtrak, and this was in the 80's, before Acela and involved security lines.

I wouldn't take it to California unless I had all the time in the world, but it's easy and fun from NY to DC, and pretty manageable down to Orlando. If you are taking it to Florida, book a sleeper if you possibly can. It's a long trip, and not only is more comfortable/private, you get access to showers and meals are included.

Sorry, that should have been, "is it more", not "is more"!

You are correct, mlgb....that was NOT in the original post. If Universal Studios is a top priority, then spending a few days in Orlando would be reasonable, but perhaps cutting out Miami would work in order to add a few days elsewhere.

travelbug2011,
I have not seen your revised itinerary, but the original is somewhat partial to urban steel & concrete. I would encourage you to strike more of a balance between big cities and natural, scenic attractions. Florida has plenty of them. California too. Don't miss Grand Canyon. Maybe substitute the Everglades for much/all of Miami & some of the other big cities. Beaches? Southern California has nice beaches, but not as nice as Florida's, <b>and I grew up in L.A.</b> Moreover, the Florida ocean water is warmer in September. Just my opinionated opinion.

Perhaps the only thing we all agree upon is to skip Tijuana. :-D

_____________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

OK I can now give you a small update.
Leaving for Hawaii September 3rd to October 2nd booked and paid for.
Definitely so far he he 1 week Hawaii on arrival and 1 week before departure.The in between bits not 100% confirmed yet as now daughter doesn't want to do the NYC and Washington bit(don't ask)hopefully I'll have her convinced by the time we travel. So it will be over to L.A then onto Orlando back to Vegas and finish back in Hawaii. May just wing it once we get there and book as we go.
Open to your opinions