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Help with San Francisco / Yosemite / Disneyland Trip? (1 Viewer)

Lehigh98

Footballguy
Just started booking a trip for mid-August to do a 10+ day California tour with the wife and kids (10 & 8).  We're planning on flying into San Francisco and spending a few days there, driving to Yosemite for a few days, and then driving to Disneyland for a few days until we fly back from LAX.

My wife and I have been out to SF a couple times without the kids and they are looking forward to some of the things we've told them about and especially Alcatraz which they've been talking about in school for some reason.  The main problem with SF so far is finding a good place to stay with kids.  It seems like there's no clear-cut choice and everything is $350+ per night anyway.  Anyone vacation out there and have any suggestions?

We've never been to Yosemite and I'm just learning about it now.  We had friends that stayed out there and rented a place through VRBO so I've started looking into that and trying to find the right balance of amenities / price / distance to Yosemite (and trying to figure out where you go in Yosemite to measure from).  Anyone have suggestions for where (specific or general location) to stay that's convenient to the park?  Also, looks like there's a ton of stuff to see and do, any suggestions for activities not to miss with kids?

We've also never been to Disneyland but have visited Disney World twice.  We've already booked a hotel within walking distance of the park with its own water play area and big two room suites. (http://www.hojoanaheim.com/) I need to do some research and figure out what the latest is on Disney's park ticket plan and how to plan out the attack there.  As usual, I'll use https://touringplans.com/ for help with that but any advice is appreciated.

Also need to find a rental car deal that won't overcharge me for mileage since I'm dropping off at a different location than I'm picking up.  I usually use Avis for work but they kill you with the mileage if you don't return to the same location.

So should be quite an undertaking but I think we'll have alot of fun.  If you can think of any advice that might help me out at any of the stops, please let me know.  I'll try and update with our plans / results if there's interest.  Thanks in advance!

 
Trip Itinerary (in progress)

San Francisco (8/8-8/10)

Reserved Hotel: Hilton San Francisco Financial District - I have some Hilton points so saved almost $600 here.

SF to Yo Drive (8/10-8/11)

Road Hotel: TBD

Yosemite (8/11-8/13)

Reserved: https://www.vrbo.com/826718 - Yosemite West

Yo to Disney Drive (8/13-8/14)

Road Hotel: TBD

Disneyland (8/14-8/17)

Reserved Hotel: http://www.hojoanaheim.com/ - Walking distance, water area, two room suite with bunk beds

 
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I would recommend looking for places in Yosemite West.  Between valley floor and Wawona, but you are already inside the park so you don't have to be in the line to get into the park, which during the summer can get pretty bad.  Get up early and head into the valley where you can park at Curry village and then take the trams where ever you want to go.

 
The drive down 99 between Fresno and the Grapevine is going to be the highlight of your trip.  Let me know if you need any recommendations for rest stops or Denny's etc.

:thumbup:

 
Last summer did a trip where we started in San Diego, worked our way up the coast, finishing in San Francisco.

My experience was Alamo was the best deal on a rental car picked up in one place and dropped off at another.

The airport(s) you use for rental car pickup and drop off can move the price quite a bit.  We ended up flying home out of San Jose instead of SFO because we could get comparable plane tickets and a much cheaper car rental quote.  

If you haven't locked in your plane tickets left, consider flying out of John Wayne Airport (SNA) instead of LAX.  It's about a 30-minute drive from Disneyland, about 25 gates, clean, and you don't have to battle the world in and around LAX.  Because the gates are limited the flight choices are limited.  

Hotel by DLR looks good.  A lot of hotels in Anaheim claim walking distance to DLR, but the walk gets less convenient on Harbor if you're north of I-5 (walking across that freeway on/off ramp is scary) or south of Katella.  That HoJo is in the "convenient" window.  

 
For the SF leg, any of the hotels you listed are OK.  I think the Holiday Inn you listed as a good location is probably the worst.  It's right off the California St. cable car line and there are a lot of dining options on Van Ness and Polk Sts.   But other than that, there's not much around there that would be of interest to tourists.  The city is compact so getting around via Uber/Lyft is easy. 

There are a lot more accommodations in SF than Yosemite so priority #1 should be to nail down the Yosemite lodgings.  The only other thing you need to book early is the Alcatraz visit.

 
Dont base your SF hotel on whether it has a pool or not.  SF doesnt warm up until Sept./Oct. and will probably barely be pool weather at best even in August.  

 
I stayed at the Yosemite  View Lodge.  Excellent location a mile or two outside the main gate.  Pretty easy drive from SF.  Beautiful area, but nothing else in the immediate area.  Hotel was OK, definitely not a  4-star, but clean.  Rate when I was their in December was cheap, but during peak months it is a bit steep, $250.  Of course to get a better location inside the park, you can double that.  Otherwise you can add another 20 minutes of drive and save a bit.  Maybe in the busy time of the year, it might be better to use the bus service.  When I was their it was awesome with very few other visitors.   I was able to see the highlights in one full day. 

 
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+1 on Alcatraz filling up early.  That was the toughest ticket for us to get for our SF touristy stuff.

If you and/or the kids are Star Wars fans... there's a Lucasfilm office park in The Presidio.  There's no signage for it on the outside of any buildings, but any maps app will have the location.  I drove up to it one morning, told the security guard I was a Star Wars fan and wanted to take a few pictures.  Was told where to park, not to talk to anybody I didn't know or take photos of anybody I didn't know, but if I stayed quiet and didn't bother anyone they would let me look around the lobby.  There was a ton of Star Wars awards and models on display, plus some style books and other sources Lucas recommended for inspiration for the team.  There's also a cool Yoda fountain out front.  Probably spent about 20 minutes looking around and taking photos before I got the "it's time to skedaddle, fanboy" stinkeye from the desk admin.  

Nothing to build a day around, but a nice add-on in a part of town you will want to see.  

 
Dont base your SF hotel on whether it has a pool or not.  SF doesnt warm up until Sept./Oct. and will probably barely be pool weather at best even in August.  
Yeah, no guarantee San Francisco will be warm and sunny in August.  The most popular "souvenirs" sold along the piers and wharf are sweatshirts and hoodies.  Some locals call it "The Cincinnati Surprise".  

 
Just started booking a trip for mid-August to do a 10+ day California tour with the wife and kids (10 & 8).  We're planning on flying into San Francisco and spending a few days there, driving to Yosemite for a few days, and then driving to Disneyland for a few days until we fly back from LAX.

My wife and I have been out to SF a couple times without the kids and they are looking forward to some of the things we've told them about and especially Alcatraz which they've been talking about in school for some reason.  The main problem with SF so far is finding a good place to stay with kids.  It seems like there's no clear-cut choice and everything is $350+ per night anyway.  Anyone vacation out there and have any suggestions?
Have you looked into www.airbnb.com? You're basically renting out someone's home/condo and I've had some great experiences (non in SF though).

 
Yeah, no guarantee San Francisco will be warm and sunny in August.  The most popular "souvenirs" sold along the piers and wharf are sweatshirts and hoodies.  Some locals call it "The Cincinnati Surprise".  
"The coldest summer I ever spent was this really cold day in San Francisco in the summertime"

--Matt Twain

 
I would recommend looking for places in Yosemite West.  Between valley floor and Wawona, but you are already inside the park so you don't have to be in the line to get into the park, which during the summer can get pretty bad.  Get up early and head into the valley where you can park at Curry village and then take the trams where ever you want to go.
I second this.  Once you actually enter the park, it is still a 30+ minute drive to Yosemite Valley depending on traffic, so staying within the park would be a great time saver.  My family and I usually stay in the tent cabins in Curry Village or whatever it has been renamed now, but I would imagine those are booked up for August.  

 
Also need to find a rental car deal that won't overcharge me for mileage since I'm dropping off at a different location than I'm picking up.  I usually use Avis for work but they kill you with the mileage if you don't return to the same location.
I did a drop off with Enterprise about a month ago.  The fee was like $27.  

Oh and whatever rental company you go with double check the A/C before you leave the lot.  August in Mid Cal is brutal.  

 
I would recommend looking for places in Yosemite West.  Between valley floor and Wawona, but you are already inside the park so you don't have to be in the line to get into the park, which during the summer can get pretty bad.  Get up early and head into the valley where you can park at Curry village and then take the trams where ever you want to go.
Thanks for the tip.  I saw some pics of mile long backups into the park in the summer and proximity jumped up my list of priorities. I think I looked through every listing on VRBO, Airbnb, and other Yosemite based rental sites and this had the best combination of what we were looking for out of what was still available:

https://www.vrbo.com/826718

No washer/dryer like we were hoping but we'll try and find a residence type hotel with a washing machine between Yosemite and Disney.

 
We are doing the same thing in June (less disney).  Flying into SF, spending 4 days (Hyatt House Belmont), driving to Yosemite (just applied for the half dome permit!!) staying 3 nights (Tanaya Lodge), then going to kings canyon/sequoia and pinnacles on the way back to SF.

 
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Opinions on staying at Emeryville vs Belmont/Redwood Shores?
Emeryville is much closer distance-wise but you'll have to deal with bridge traffic (and tolls) if you plan to head into SF on a weekday morning.  You'd probably also hit traffic coming north from Belmont though.  

I've actually been inside a room in the Hyatt House Emeryville and it was pretty nice.  Nice views of SF skyline from a whole side of the building.  

If it were me though, I'd do whatever I could to actually stay in the city.  

 
Just started booking a trip for mid-August to do a 10+ day California tour with the wife and kids (10 & 8).  We're planning on flying into San Francisco and spending a few days there, driving to Yosemite for a few days, and then driving to Disneyland for a few days until we fly back from LAX.

My wife and I have been out to SF a couple times without the kids and they are looking forward to some of the things we've told them about and especially Alcatraz which they've been talking about in school for some reason.  The main problem with SF so far is finding a good place to stay with kids.  It seems like there's no clear-cut choice and everything is $350+ per night anyway.  Anyone vacation out there and have any suggestions?

We've never been to Yosemite and I'm just learning about it now.  We had friends that stayed out there and rented a place through VRBO so I've started looking into that and trying to find the right balance of amenities / price / distance to Yosemite (and trying to figure out where you go in Yosemite to measure from).  Anyone have suggestions for where (specific or general location) to stay that's convenient to the park?  Also, looks like there's a ton of stuff to see and do, any suggestions for activities not to miss with kids?

We've also never been to Disneyland but have visited Disney World twice.  We've already booked a hotel within walking distance of the park with its own water play area and big two room suites. (http://www.hojoanaheim.com/) I need to do some research and figure out what the latest is on Disney's park ticket plan and how to plan out the attack there.  As usual, I'll use https://touringplans.com/ for help with that but any advice is appreciated.

Also need to find a rental car deal that won't overcharge me for mileage since I'm dropping off at a different location than I'm picking up.  I usually use Avis for work but they kill you with the mileage if you don't return to the same location.

So should be quite an undertaking but I think we'll have alot of fun.  If you can think of any advice that might help me out at any of the stops, please let me know.  I'll try and update with our plans / results if there's interest.  Thanks in advance!
What days are you planning on going to Disneyland?  I was an annual pass holder for five years (until recently when we have too many other activities). I would guess I've been to the parks close to 100 times which has meant some of the busiest days and some of the emptiest.  Don't make the mistake of choosing busy, crowded days and having to dictate exactly when and what rides your family goes on.  That sounds miserable especially for an once in a lifetime trip for young kids.

Disneyland has recently taken the daily attendance into account with their new three tier pricing: value, regular, and peak.  Unfortunately, their pricing calendar only goes out to June right now.  But if you can wait to finalize dates, I would absolutely make the value days a priority.  There have been "value" days where we could ride Thunder Mountain four times in an hour, for example.  That is so much more enjoyable than sitting in the hot sun for an hour to ride it once.

I'll see if I can look back at some of the best days we went in the August month.

 
tjnc09 said:
What days are you planning on going to Disneyland?  I was an annual pass holder for five years (until recently when we have too many other activities). I would guess I've been to the parks close to 100 times which has meant some of the busiest days and some of the emptiest.  Don't make the mistake of choosing busy, crowded days and having to dictate exactly when and what rides your family goes on.  That sounds miserable especially for an once in a lifetime trip for young kids.

Disneyland has recently taken the daily attendance into account with their new three tier pricing: value, regular, and peak.  Unfortunately, their pricing calendar only goes out to June right now.  But if you can wait to finalize dates, I would absolutely make the value days a priority.  There have been "value" days where we could ride Thunder Mountain four times in an hour, for example.  That is so much more enjoyable than sitting in the hot sun for an hour to ride it once.

I'll see if I can look back at some of the best days we went in the August month.
I've checked in on crowd estimates through https://touringplans.com/ on trips to Disney World and went in and checked for Disney Land.  We'll get into Anaheim on Monday, Aug 14th and will leave on Thursday, Aug 17th.  We haven't decided yet how many days to spend in Disneyland or California Adventure.  Will probably take a ride to a beach one day so they kids can jump on the Pacific.  Will check into what else we may want to do, not sure if its worth heading up to Hollywood area.  (I wonder if we could get into any tapings of anything good?... maybe not much going on in Summer) Anyway, Touringplans says the crowd levels on each of those days should only be 4/10.

How long do you think we'll end up wanting to spend in each park?

Are there any activities / meals / etc that we need to book in advance?

What else is worth checking out on our first visit to the area in lieu of spending time in Disney?

Thanks!

 
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:blackdot:   looking at taking a hop from McGuire to Travis in July-ish and either staying a bit (Yosemite) and then meandering down the coast (Disneyland) or taking another to Hickam in Hawaii. Then hopping our way back east.

 
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By mid-August, a lot of TV series will be back in production. 

I recommend the WB Studio Tour for a good Hollywood experience. You get carted around in small groups, your guide will customize the experience based on the group's interests - our cart had some big Gilmore Girls fans, so the guide gave us extra time where the exterior scenes were filmed there, let us walk through the Gilmore house - and after zipping around the backlot for a couple hours they give you access to a big museum-like display (when we were there it was props and vehicles from the Nolan trilogy of Batman movies, might be changed up by now).  There's also an interactive experience at the finish where you can do photos and video with greenscreens, hold an Oscar, get a quick tutorial on sound mixing and editing, see how motion capture technology works... this was WAY more fun and hands-on than the backlot tram ride at Universal.

 
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I've checked in on crowd estimates through https://touringplans.com/ on trips to Disney World and went in and checked for Disney Land.  We'll get into Anaheim on Monday, Aug 14th and will leave on Thursday, Aug 17th.  We haven't decided yet how many days to spend in Disneyland or California Adventure.  Will probably take a ride to a beach one day so they kids can jump on the Pacific.  Will check into what else we may want to do, not sure if its worth heading up to Hollywood area.  (I wonder if we could get into any tapings of anything good?... maybe not much going on in Summer) Anyway, Touringplans says the crowd levels on each of those days should only be 4/10.

How long do you think we'll end up wanting to spend in each park?

Are there any activities / meals / etc that we need to book in advance?

What else is worth checking out on our first visit to the area in lieu of spending time in Disney?

Thanks!
You can do both parks in a long day, esp if you land there on a lower attendance day.  But if they have a 2 day park hopper and its in your price range I would suggest that.  Lets you go back and forth between the parks over 2 days.

The parades, fireworks and light shows all go off after dark so it is worth it to stay late.

California Adventure is smaller and does not take a full day to get through all the attractions.  I would suggest hitting the fast pass for the Cars ride when you first go to CA Adventure since thats the line that gets the longest. 

 
Scoresman said:
Emeryville is much closer distance-wise but you'll have to deal with bridge traffic (and tolls) if you plan to head into SF on a weekday morning.  You'd probably also hit traffic coming north from Belmont though.  

I've actually been inside a room in the Hyatt House Emeryville and it was pretty nice.  Nice views of SF skyline from a whole side of the building.  

If it were me though, I'd do whatever I could to actually stay in the city.  
Which Hyatt would you recommend in the city?

 
Which Hyatt would you recommend in the city?
There are three:  Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square and at the foot of Market Street.  All are good locations but I've only been in the public areas of two of them.  Your choice depends on what else you plan on doing your visit.

 
There are three:  Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square and at the foot of Market Street.  All are good locations but I've only been in the public areas of two of them.  Your choice depends on what else you plan on doing your visit.
Fishermans Warf is probably out because the Diamond (or globalist) benefits generally suck at the Centrics.  The Regency and the Grand both look nice.

 
I've checked in on crowd estimates through https://touringplans.com/ on trips to Disney World and went in and checked for Disney Land.  We'll get into Anaheim on Monday, Aug 14th and will leave on Thursday, Aug 17th.  We haven't decided yet how many days to spend in Disneyland or California Adventure.  Will probably take a ride to a beach one day so they kids can jump on the Pacific.  Will check into what else we may want to do, not sure if its worth heading up to Hollywood area.  (I wonder if we could get into any tapings of anything good?... maybe not much going on in Summer) Anyway, Touringplans says the crowd levels on each of those days should only be 4/10.

How long do you think we'll end up wanting to spend in each park?

Are there any activities / meals / etc that we need to book in advance?

What else is worth checking out on our first visit to the area in lieu of spending time in Disney?

Thanks!
 @B Maverick is spot on about the Cars ride.  It's always our priority to get in line for that first and get fast passes for a second ride.  I looked at the Disneyland App earlier and the wait time for that right now is 90 minutes.  No other ride is more than 40 minutes.  

That is typically a really good week to go (didn't see your post before my PM) When we went around that time last year, we ended up leaving CA Adventure before dinner because we got through everything we wanted to.  Disneyland will take a full day even with light crowds.

The beach weather should be perfect.  We hit that the same week in August last year.

The studio tours are typically the last thing I recommend.  They are quite boring especially if your time is limited.

There are so many things to do within an hour or so: Sea World, the Wild Animal Park, LegoLand, Knott's, Universal Studios, etc.  It really comes to what your family prefers to do.

 
Reservation changed to the Regency with club access.
It's very centrally located near the waterfront.  The area is quiet at night but it's a short trolley ride to the Wharf and the cable cars stop right next to the hotel.

 
Any opinions on the best uses with this?  I will be with the wife and 2 boys (10 and 4).
At first glance I was pretty skeptical I'd be able to make my $270 (family of 4 also) back but there are some things on there I was already planning on checking out:

Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour - Just 4 tickets for ONE day are $162 on their site, you're more than halfway home right there.

Exploratorium - Wanted to check this out anyway ($100)

Already made my money back there

One All-Day Comfort Bike Rental by Blazing Saddles - Don't think we'd do a whole day but would be cool to ride the Golden Gate Bridge, (Around $80 through their site)

GoCar San Francisco Tour (30-minute rental) - Looks like a quick fun thing to try ($30)

There's probably at least a couple other things I don't know about but should check out too.

 
Had a blast at the Exploratorium.  

I'd strongly consider that bus tour - great way to cover a lot of ground in a relatively short amount of time.

We liked SFMOMA; my daughter knows a lot more about art than I do, and I'm the type that is seemingly dragged to art museums but always enjoys it once there.

 
Any opinions on the best uses with this?  I will be with the wife and 2 boys (10 and 4).
Of the ones listed on the site, I recommend the following:

- California Academy of Sciences.  Really cool science museum in Golden Gate Park.  There's a cool planetarium show, an indoor tropical rain forest to walk through, and a great aquarium as well.  Takes about half a day or slightly more.

- Exploratorium - I haven't been since they moved to their current location, but this is always a top notch visit. A bit more interactive than the Academy of Sciences above, the kids will LOVE this place.  Located on the waterftont, near the touristy areas.

- Bike Rental - This is a cool way to see the waterfront and Golden Gate Bridge.  You rent the bikes and then bike over the bridge to Sausalito or Tiburon, then ferry back.  Probably too much for small children though.

I'm not really an art person, but I've also heard good things about MOMA and the DeYoung museums.  

 
Logistics is always the challenge with maximizing usage of discount tickets.  I highly recommend the Exploratorium for kids of all ages.  It's along the waterfront about a ten minute walk from Pier 39.  But it'll take at least two hours to cover. 

The Academy of Sciences and DeYoung are located in the same area of GG Park.  If you tackle both and include the Park and Haight Ashbury, that's pretty much a full day.  A bike rental could also work here, especially on Sundays when JFK Drive is closed to cars.  It's a flatter and less challenging ride than the GG Bridge route.

 
Of the ones listed on the site, I recommend the following:

- California Academy of Sciences.  Really cool science museum in Golden Gate Park.  There's a cool planetarium show, an indoor tropical rain forest to walk through, and a great aquarium as well.  Takes about half a day or slightly more.

- Exploratorium - I haven't been since they moved to their current location, but this is always a top notch visit. A bit more interactive than the Academy of Sciences above, the kids will LOVE this place.  Located on the waterftont, near the touristy areas.

- Bike Rental - This is a cool way to see the waterfront and Golden Gate Bridge.  You rent the bikes and then bike over the bridge to Sausalito or Tiburon, then ferry back.  Probably too much for small children though.

I'm not really an art person, but I've also heard good things about MOMA and the DeYoung museums.  
good advice here

 
If you do the bike trip across the GG bridge and go into Sausalito (or beyond to Tiburon- not recommended with kids as it's a bit far)... please be very careful on Alexander drive.

This is the primary entry into the town for cars and it hasn't been properly designed to be shared with bikes. there are some high-speed drivers just after the bridge, and then the road gets very tight at your first left and then right into the town proper. Some drivers don't want to share the road with you- or if you're not careful, you'll find yourself off the shoulder and into the road meant for 45mph. it's also all downhill after the bridge, so the speed picks up. make sure you're all capable cyclists before doing this.

 
Thanks for the heads up about the GoCard. Mrs. EY and I will be going for Memorial Day weekend. We're meeting up with friends and family for dinner each night but have 3 days to explore on our own.

We used a similar card in Rome and it was the best value in Italy.

 
Staying at Tenaya Lodge outside of Yosemite now.  We are going early to Yosemite Park tomorrow morning.   It is going to be hot (95 °) but looking forward to it.  We have never been there.  Thanks to whoever recommended the Tenaya Lodge it is great.

 
Heading to SF from the south and looking for a place to stay for a couple of nights. Preferably in the city so we don't have to deal with traffic and something that won't break the bank in the process ($250/nt?) 

No idea about the city layout so I don't know what's convenient for public transportation getting to the touristy stuff from the hotel/home base. Anyone have any suggestions? 

ETA : Travis AFB is an option, but I'm hesitant about dealing with traffic going into the city and paying for parking ($50) If I do the inclusive pass mentioned earlier, do I park someplace to pick this up, and pay for the day there? 

TIA 

 
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