Hawlp! HELP! About This Page:

[Bee]

Hello! I need some expert advise on my planning.. I am planning a solo trip (my cousin might go with me she can't decide) to Cali in november dates but might switch are 4-15. Here's what I got soo far.

Nov 4 -9
WHERE TO STAY???? Check in
Fisherman's wharf
Alchatraz island
Trolly San Fran
hollywoood sign hollywood stuff

nov 9-15
Check in (still undecided Do I go all out since its my 1st time and my bday and stay at the paradise pier? or do I do a good neighbor? ) 1st time DISNEYLAND!!!!!! 4 days (is that enough?)
Downtown Disney


then heres my other question
do I fly out of san fran and leave through LAX (I know Ill be charged different)
rent a car?
ANY ideas advise.


THANKS BEEEE

[Dlandmom2]

I'll try to help as much as I can.

First of all, you'll need to move your Hollywood adventures down to the days when you're near Disneyland. Hollywood is about a 6 hour drive from San Francisco. Disneyland is another hour or more south of Hollywood.

Whether or not to rent a car, I think that's a preference question. You'll have to decide how you're going to get from SF to LA/Hollywood. It's about a 6 hour drive along non-scenic Highway 5 down central California, or a 7-8 hour drive if you go along the coast on Highway 101. Hollywood to DL is another hour with no traffic...in other words, it'll be way more than an hour, unfortunately. There's another thread with questions about how to visit Hollywood, so you may want to check over there and decide if you'd rather drive or take a tour.

[Dlandmom2]

I just realized I didn't comment on ideas of where to stay and go, lol.

There used to be a Holiday Inn at Fisherman's Wharf...I'm not sure if it's still a Holiday Inn, but it was a very very nice hotel and walking distance to the wharf, restaurants, and a slightly longer walk to Pier 39, the dock where you catch the Alcatraz boat, Ghirardelli square, trolley stop, etc. It would be perfect for the things you've listed so far.

Another idea would be Golden Gate Park, which has museums and other sites of interest, but you'd probably have to take a tour out of your hotel if you don't have a car. Chinatown would be fun to browse and eat, same with North Beach. I'm sure other northern Californians will chime in.

As for the DL area, it sort of depends what you like to do. DLR can take as little as 2 days or as much as 3 or 4, lol. Knott's Berry Farm is a fun amusement park that's near DLR, but it won't be as immersive as DLR...the old west theming is nice, but not as great as DLR, imho.

If Hollywood interests you, then consider a tour (see other thread) even if you have a car. It's quite a drive from DLR to Hollywood. However, if you don't mind the drive, it's a fairly easy route, and there's parking beneath the Kodak Theatre, so you can use that as a base to explore the area. If you want to stay with the Disney theme, the El Capitan Theater is right across the street from Kodak, so you could catch in a show if the timing's right.

Let us know what your interests are (eating, shopping, touring, amusement parks, etc.), and it'll help us Californians have a better idea of what to suggest! Good luck with your plans!

[Bee]

THANKS for replying soo fast. I don't know where to start I know I gotta get on the ball now though.. I'm from the east coast traveling to the west coast .. Soo I wanna see alot! cause I am not sure when I will get out there again.
I'm told I need to do the fisherman's wharf, alchatraz island and ride the trolley car and drive over the golden gate bridge! I wanna seee disneyland (some say i will be disappointed being a DW kid) but I told them it's DISNEY! what's to be disappointed. LOL and I want to go see the hollywood things ie the sign and some stars. the gold ones

my original plan was to just do disney HOLDING my passporter proud. But I was told to do more I'm afraid ill be overwhelmed.

my dates are nov 4-15 i figure i get back and have a day to adjust to the time difference.

[chezp]

I would say that four days at Disneyland would be a good amount of time to spend there. I can't help with accommodation, as we've not stayed at the Paradise Pier and we used our DVC points to stay in the Fairmont in San Francisco.

As for whether you rent a car or not, it really depends how happy you are driving. We did and went into LA on a Saturday and the traffic was absolutely fine - probably much better than a weekday. That's one tip I would pass on to you. I've heard the drive down from San Francisco to Los Angeles is a beautiful one, but we flew and got a really cheap deal on Southwest.

[Dlandmom2]

Bee, I went to college in Philly, so I can sort of sympathize with the visiting the other side of the continent feeling, hehe!

How comfortable are you with driving? If you're ok with it, then you can drive the scenic route down Highway 101 and make some stops along the way. There's so much to see depending on what you want to do. Just the drive alone will be amazing...the Pacific really does look quite different from the Atlantic, hehe...first time I went to Atlantic City, I was sorta surprised that the ocean looked so dark!

If you like wine, then a trip to Napa and/or Sonoma would be a great side trip. If you're into weird and strange things, you can stop by the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. Then there's Carmel, a beautiful seaside town, where Clint Eastwood is mayor (was mayor? is he still mayor now?). Morro Bay is another beautiful town further south, and Cambria, and then there's Pebble Beach. All of these seaside towns have quaint little hotels and motels. Many of them have a big artist population, so window shopping in the villages is kind of fun. Morro Bay has a great little fish and chips place with a walk up window. Stuff like that is all up and down the coast if that sounds interesting to you.

If you'd rather not drive, then there's plenty to do if you stay just in San Fran or just in LA/Anaheim. There are plenty of tours that run out of both towns, and it sounds like several of the members here can recommend different ones to you.

[DebiDebiDebi]

Don't worry about Disneyland vs Disneyworld. Disneyland has a wonderful cozy intimate feel that I attest to Walt Disney's complete involvement in the park's planning. I always say that going to Disneyland is like going home; it just seems to hug you!

[elcodfish]

We are going to Disneyland for the first time on December 6 and I feel a little lost too! We are staying at the Quality Inn at 1441 South Manchester Avenue , Anaheim, CA, US, 92802, I've been told it's by the freeway, but for 5 nights with my AAA discount, it is only $307 and change, so I'll take it! It is like a 15-20 minute walk, but we will be renting a car, I think it is like $10-$12 to park at the parks, but I am going to call my AAA agent because I think if I buy my ticket from them I get free parking, I need to call!

[LauraBelle V. Hime]

It is near I-5, but it should be an easy walk to DL.
If you MapQuest the hotel address you can see the close proximity of The Quality Inn, I-5, and DL.
In fact MapQuest has it only 0.2 miles from the hotel to the entrance of DL. Then from the main gate you only have a 5-10 minute walk to the main gates. If you drive and are sent to the parking structure, the walk from your car to the tram could take at least that long!

Remember...don't think WDW...DL is more compact...one turn off of Harbor and you are on DL property!

[2princessmom]

Paradise Pier is a nice hotel. I stayed there once and loved it. It doesn't have quite the magical feel that the Disneyland hotel has but it is still nice. If you can get a park view it is so fun and you will be able to watch the fireworks and will look right down into California Adventure.

If you can plan to stay onsite then plan your days around early entry. It really makes a difference in what all you can do in the parks. They are on days with T and S.

[Bee]

Ok I think I have it now
for my non disney part of my trip I'm looking at staying at buena vista motor inn. I think I will be staying there the 4-8. Fisherman's wharf, Alchatraz island, Trolly San Fran

and for my Disney part of the trip Ramanda Inn maingate (they offer free breakfast, parking) 8-15. My 30th is Nov 10 I really wanted to stay at the Disney resort but don't think I will be able to swing it - still looking into it

Now onto flights and rental cars

hollywoood sign hollywood stuff - which is this closer to???

I haven't booked anything yet I'm waiting on a friend to let me know if she wants to go. Hubby doesn't wanna go

[HeatherD]

hollywoood sign hollywood stuff - which is this closer to???

Hollywood is in the LA area, so closer to Disney. San Fran is Northern California.

I hope this doesn't sound flip, cause I really want you to enjoy your trip - you might consider going to a book store and taking a look at either their travel section or their map section - get a good book on California, which will include general maps. You need to be able to get your bearings straight to reasonably plan your trip. CA is a big state, so just because you are visiting doesn't mean you can fit in everything (for example, Las Vegas is closer to LA than San Francisco is). Knowing what is where will go a long way to your planning something in an organized fashion.

It would be like my going to Bethlehem, PA (where DH's family is) and thinking I can visit Philly, NYC, QVC, Amish country and Pittsburg all at once. Yes, they are all in PA (well, not NYC, obviously), but it takes considerably more time and planning to fit it all in.

[Bee]

Ok thanks for the info.. I figure I plan and do it and if I see it then I see it if I don't I don't lol but I'm def going to see DISNEYLAND! LOL

[HeatherD]

I'm def going to see DISNEYLAND!

And that's what REALLY matters!

[Two4Disney]

I second the advice Heather gave. I've lived in SF and LA and traveled back and forth extensively - there's too much to see on one trip. The drive down I-5 is long and boring - the coast is better if you have time to stop along the way but if you're alone, I would fly from SF to LA.

As for Paradise Pier, it's great if you want to stay on-property, and you'll feel more of the Disney magic, although you could probably get a higher-quality hotel off-site, such as the Hyatt. So it just depends on what you're looking for. But for a short stay, you may want to be close to the action. But if you're traveling back/forth to LA, you may want to stay off-site.

While DL can't compete with WDW for sheer size, I think you'll enjoy the differences in DL - park for park, it's much better.

I hope you have a wonderful trip! Any other questions, I will try to help.