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Our California Fly Drive
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travellerboy wrote: »Anyone know the answer?
Is it better to book a helicopter flight on-line prior to arriving in Vegas, or better to wait and book in Vegas?
Any advice greatly appreciated, thanks..........
I don't know if its better to do it in advance, but its hassle free and once booked you can plan your stay in Vegas around it.0 -
Sorry to weigh in. I am also heading out to CA on a fly drive v.soon and I was wondering if there is a way to get cheaper universal/disney tickets. Can not seem to find them discounted online, so appreciate there won't be many options. $105.00 for our 1 day Park Hopper ticket to Disney/CA adventure & $72 for Universal Studios is the best i can find so far. Deals to be had for 2 days+ but only need 1 day at each.
Have a look on here for discounts:
http://www.mousesavers.com/universalhollywood.html
I seem to remember when we were there a few months back, you could get $15 off the admission by buying a bottle of Arrowhead water.0 -
Not sure if I have missed this but are you using the Tioga Pass?Loved our trip to the West Coast USA. Death Valley is the place to go!0
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northwest1965 wrote: »Not sure if I have missed this but are you using the Tioga Pass?
Yes
Why are there problems with it at the moment?0 -
Not that I am aware of. i just hadnt seen it mentioned and I know it cuts down on driving time. We go in October. Have a great time, if you are anything like us, you are also constantly reading tripadvisor aswell:rotfl:Loved our trip to the West Coast USA. Death Valley is the place to go!0
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Have a look on here for discounts:
http://www.mousesavers.com/universalhollywood.html
I seem to remember when we were there a few months back, you could get $15 off the admission by buying a bottle of Arrowhead water.
Thanks, got $15 off Universal. Nothing for Disney though, the ticket we want; Disneyland/CA Adventure park hopper ticket never seems to be discounted.
I like six flags... love rollercoasters, and its cheap. However I would definetly do Universal before it without a doubt, and possibly Disney depending on what you like. It has some good rides for adults, as does its sister park right next door; CA adventure.0 -
Missymoo, As you are aware the options are so wide it's difficult to recommend, I would suggest you consider -
* Biggest attraction in California must be Yosemite - have at least a day trip from SF.
* Internal flight from SF to Vegas is only £80 - saves a lot of valueable time
* Use Vegas as a base and visit Zion (the best US national park)- 2 day coach trips are cheap from Vegus.
* Take a sightseeing flight from Vegas to CG (Tusayan), land stay the night see sunset, sunrise and fly back, it will save you a couple of days and is not expensive.
* Book CG Hotel as soon as possible - suggest El Tovar, as it is the best.0 -
x_missymoo_x wrote: »
1. Fly to SFO, Stay in SanFran (obviously not sure on flights at this stage!)
2. Explore SanFran, Stay in SanFran
3. Morning drive to Napa, Stay in Napa - I have family here, some whom I've never met so wish to spend at least 2 good days here. I may also be able to get picked up from SanFran rather than drive to save on car hire until we leave Napa
4. Spend day with family. Stay in Napa
5. Take day to drive along coastal Highway 1, Big Sur etc. (I had originally pencilled in to stay in SLO based on positive reviews, but I wouldn't want to rush the drive so possibly stay somewhere further up?? Suggestions on a postcard)
6. Drive to LA, explore, Stay in LA
7. Explore LA - Hollywood etc, Stay in LA
8. Drive to San Diego, Stay in San Diego.
9. Explore SD - mainly for SeaWorld! Stay in San Diego
10. Drive to Las Vegas. Stay Las Vegas
11. Explore, Stay in Vegas.
12. Drive to Grand Canyon, stay Grand Canyon.
13. Explore, Stay Grand Canyon
14. Go homeUnsure of return airport though and again flights...
So.... what do you think? Is this doable or am I packing in too much? Would you change anything e.g. order of stays or places visited? Anything to possibly skip over or actually spend more time somewhere? Ideally want to keep Napa near start so I can gain some useful insights from family! Thank you soooo much in advance and I'm looking forward to seeing what you all think
hello Missy
if you'd somewhere near the top end of Highway 1, have a look at Monteray, Paciic Grove or Carmel, all of which are really nice places.
LA is a real love it or hate it place. I'm firmly in the hate it camp and I'm of the opinion that every hour spent there is an hour that I could have spent somwhere MUCH nicer. For ME, I'd be a lot happier spending longer going down Highway 1 and only visiting LA if I was going to use LAX airport.
Then drive to San Diego, & back to LV.0 -
x_missymoo_x wrote: »Thank you for that Murphy... yours was actually one of the threads I most enjoyed reading, so insightful and full of great tips and hints!! *and so I know your feelings for LA but I feel it's one of those things I have to do once!*
LA is a real 'Marmite' type of place - of course, you could be firmly in the 'love it' camp.
If you want to break the trip from Carmel to LA, there are quite a few really nice stops. Most of the towns/villages from San Simeon to Santa Barbara are really pleasant to visit, or stay over in. W've got another soft spot for Avila Beach, just a few miles outsode of SLO. Its not a big place, its just nice, in a way that its hard to put your finger on !0 -
Hi MissyMoo,
I did a trip in 2009 which was
2 nights in Santa Clara (with family - 40mins outside SF)
3 nights in San Fran
3 nights in Los Angeles
3 nights in Las Vegas
It was all internal flights - no self drive
In San Fran we did a city tour with this company that was fantastic http://www.mrtoadstours.com/ . We chose the "Hop Around the City" Tour which was 90-Minutes
We did a Napa Day trip, which consisted of being picked up from SF and driven over the golden gate bridge and then being taken to about 5 different wineries. It was with these people www.sanfranshuttletours.com.
We also visited Alcatraz, which was brilliant.
In LA we did a City Tour and also went to Universal Studios for the day. They were both booked with Star Line tours and they will collect you from your hotel. The City Tour was ok, lots of photo opps but a bit uncultured compared to the SF city tour.
In Vegas, we just mooched around, saw shows, we contemplated the Grand Canyon helicopter trip, but it was expensive and we were so tired from the travelling that we didn't fancy the early start (it would have meant going on our only 'free' day!)
We has a fabulous time, but the best thing we did was the Napa Day trip, it was so romantic and you drove over the Golden Gate to get there and they brought you back via a ferry which was great.
As you only have 1 day in San Fran I would recommend that you do a city tour in the morning and go and see Alcatraz in the afternoon (or vice versa) A very nice restuarant is the Stinking Rose in North Beach, lovely little booths with velvet curtains for privacy.
Have a fantastic time, California is amazing!0
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