What do you think about Yosemite & DL?

[KCmike]

I would take two days for each park min. I know alot of people think they can do it all in 2-3 days but they miss the small things that makes Disneyland so special...ie Storybook Canal boats, Billy Hill, riding the canoes, eating dinner at Riverbelle Terrace and watching the people walk by, riding the Lilly Belle....

 

[ArchOwl]

I've been to Disneyland three times, but I know a lot has changed since I was there last. I did not like the ferris wheel (forget the name) and I think I had my eyes closed on the roller coaster. We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and as much as I'd love to stay at the Grand Californian, if I combine this trip with Yosemite I might consider staying off property. In fact, as I type this, seems like I might stay off property at Disneyland to justify the cost of Ahwahnee.

California dreamin' -- that's me. (It's been a long cold winter in upstate new York!)

Oh wow, choosing between the Grand Californian and the Ahwahnee is not a decision I would want to make! Such completely different experiences (Disney vs. Yosemite)! I am wondering which would be better for you.

I would take two days for each park min. I know alot of people think they can do it all in 2-3 days but they miss the small things that makes Disneyland so special...ie Storybook Canal boats, Billy Hill, riding the canoes, eating dinner at Riverbelle Terrace and watching the people walk by, riding the Lilly Belle....

I totally agree. You can certainly do the highlights of both parks in 2-3 days, but to really see everything AND do the shows you need 4 days. It is really hard to schedule Aladdin, Billy Hill, Fantasmic, World of Color, and fireworks into 3 days. And if you want to do a lot of meet and greets and character meals, the time really starts to fly!

 

[aboveH20]

I would take two days for each park min. I know alot of people think they can do it all in 2-3 days but they miss the small things that makes Disneyland so special...ie Storybook Canal boats, Billy Hill, riding the canoes, eating dinner at Riverbelle Terrace and watching the people walk by, riding the Lilly Belle....

The Riverbelle Terrace sounds intriguing. Gotta check it out.

Oh wow, choosing between the Grand Californian and the Ahwahnee is not a decision I would want to make! Such completely different experiences (Disney vs. Yosemite)! I am wondering which would be better for you.



I totally agree. You can certainly do the highlights of both parks in 2-3 days, but to really see everything AND do the shows you need 4 days. It is really hard to schedule Aladdin, Billy Hill, Fantasmic, World of Color, and fireworks into 3 days. And if you want to do a lot of meet and greets and character meals, the time really starts to fly!

I know what you mean about Disney and Mother Nature being at opposite ends of the spectrum.

I don't want to cut myself short at either place -- Disney or Yosemite. I don't expect to ever do Yosemite a second time (gotta see Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, Denali, etc.) and Disney World is cheaper and more convenient to get to so I want plenty of time at Disneyland. I've got to keep crunching numbers$ -- and reading all the suggestions, for which I am most thankful!

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

September was sounding good, but seeing the falls sounds nice, too.

I live in Saratoga county. What county are you in?

I'm still debating. Looks like one way airfare (LAX to San Francisco) was only $89. I have to check out one way car rentals, because I think I'd rather fly out of some place nearer Yosemite than drive back to LA.

Hello neighbor. We live just across the bridge from Albany in Rensselaer County. Our son lives in the Monterey area and we often fly into San Jose. Modern airport without as many delayed flights as San Francisco imho.

HBC

 

[I❤MICKEY]

Hello neighbor. We live just across the bridge from Albany in Rensselaer County. Our son lives in the Monterey area and we often fly into San Jose. Modern airport without as many delayed flights as San Francisco imho.

HBC

I just happened to see your cities - I lived in Arlington Vermont for 7 years. We made the drive to either Albany (for Crossgates) or Saratoga just about every weekend.

Missing New England but not the weather.

 

[Butterfly123]

It really is "a small world"! My husband was raised in Saratoga Springs.

 

[aboveH20]

Hello neighbor. We live just across the bridge from Albany in Rensselaer County. Our son lives in the Monterey area and we often fly into San Jose. Modern airport without as many delayed flights as San Francisco imho.

HBC

I got my masters degree at RPI -- technical writing, not engineering.

I just happened to see your cities - I lived in Arlington Vermont for 7 years. We made the drive to either Albany (for Crossgates) or Saratoga just about every weekend.

Missing New England but not the weather.

I had a contract that took me to Vegennes a couple times a month for a few years.

It really is "a small world"! My husband was raised in Saratoga Springs.

You're right -- small world it is. I went to Disney World in February. I had reservations at a moderate resort and was offered an upgrade to Saratoga Springs or Old Key West. I took OKW because Saratoga Springs didn't seem like it would be getting away.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

I got my masters degree at RPI -- technical writing, not engineering.

I had a contract that took me to Vegennes a couple times a month for a few years.

You're right -- small world it is. I went to Disney World in February. I had reservations at a moderate resort and was offered an upgrade to Saratoga Springs or Old Key West. I took OKW because Saratoga Springs didn't seem like it would be getting away.

I just happened to see your cities - I lived in Arlington Vermont for 7 years. We made the drive to either Albany (for Crossgates) or Saratoga just about every weekend.

Missing New England but not the weather.

Yes it is a small world. I went to UAlbany and Sage. Our son goes to UVM and we are driving up through Vergennes tomorrow on our way to Burlington to visit him. We stayed at the Boardwalk Villas at WDW in February and we were at Crossgates this evening. A very small world indeed.

HBC

 

[aboveH20]

Yes it is a small world. I went to UAlbany and Sage. Our son goes to UVM and we are driving up through Vergennes tomorrow on our way to Burlington to visit him. We stayed at the Boardwalk Villas at WDW in February and we were at Crossgates this evening. A very small world indeed.

HBC

Crossgates hasn't been the same since the original Disney store moved and then closed. More than once I got a Cinnabon bun, cup of coffee, and sat at their little tables when they were on the second floor across from the Disney store, trying to pretend I was at WDW.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

Bumping... DH really wants to go to either Yosemite (or Yellowstone) next and I want to take the kids to DL, so I was thinking of combining DL and Yosemite.

 

[I❤MICKEY]

Bumping... DH really wants to go to either Yosemite (or Yellowstone) next and I want to take the kids to DL, so I was thinking of combining DL and Yosemite.

Last May/June we did Yosemite/Sequoia/DL all in one trip. I think it really depends on what you hope to accomplish. It was completely reasonable for my family. We did the National Parks/Camping first and then ended w/ DL which was the perfect finale to our trip. The drive between parks was not difficult at all. Do you have any specific questions?

We've been to Yellowstone 12 times in the past 5 years. It is one of our favorite parks. We've had the pleasure of enjoying every season and seeing a ton of wildlife including wolves and grizzly bear.

 

[KateDrake]

I would highly recommend taking in Yosemite! It truly is one of the most stunning places on the planet. I would say you should take at least 3 days if you want to see most of the valley, more if you want to explore the rest of the park.
While the park is open year-round, it is not a good winter destination. We went for a week last April and were buried in snow a couple of days. But we still had a great time! Spring is when the waterfalls are at their most spectacular, so it's a great time to go. However, if you try to find a place TODAY, you will probably have a hard time finding a vacancy for spring. People seriously book at least a year in advance, so it can be hard to get reservations. But once you get there, you'll see why!
We flew from SLC to Fresno, and then drove about 3 hours to Yosemite to a great hotel, Tenaya something right outside the park. However, if you stay outside the park, you can still expect about an hour drive into the Yosemite valley each day. I would probably skip flying, simply because you'll have to rent a car anyway to drive from any airport. With the time you spend arriving at the airport, getting luggage, etc. it is probably just as fast to drive.

 

[KateDrake]

I should have read the whole thread before replying. Tenaya Lodge was the hotel outside the park, and they also have super cute little cabins. We've also stayed at the Ahwahnee, which is awesome, but super spendy.
The Yosemite Lodge at the Falls has great scenery, but is kind of a crappy little hotel on the inside. It's fine, clean, double queen beds, etc. but it is certainly not what you'd expect for $250+ per night. More like a crappy motel. But, the views are stunning! My family jokes it's "hotel camping". So it's fine, just don't expect a regular $250 room. You are paying a premium to stay in the valley.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I would say 3 days min at Disneyland and 3 days min at Yosemite, if you can swing it. I live 15 minutes south of LAX, and it takes me 6-7 hours to get to Yosemite valley.

I stayed at the Yosemite Lodge last year and requested the eco room. I think they have two of them. That room was nice! I prefer camping, but when I can't get campsites, I will stay at www.redwoodsinyosemite.com. They are residential cabins near the Wawona Hotel, which is 15 minutes in the park from the south entrance.

If you want to semi-camp you can stay at Housekeeping, which is right next to the river.

When we had guests, we stayed in Yosemite two nights (they were on a tight schedule), and on the way home drove through Kings Canyon/Sequoia. We picnicked at Hume Lake, swam, and then went to the Giant Forest where we saw the General Sherman, then visited Crescent Meadow. We got home late, but it was so worth it.

 

[rmom]

Having stayed at the Ahwahnee, I was not impressed. While it is a nice hotel, I don't think it is worth the price. We do visit it each time we go and sometimes have sunday brunch there. There are other places to stay inside and outside Yosemite. We love the cabins in the redwoods, the Walwona Hotel for the history (plus we used to camp in that area), and Curry. Outside the park we have stayed at the Miner Inn and the Yoemite View Lodge. I have never stayed at Housekeeping but they looked very cold as they are made out of concrete, cinder blocks or something like it - I could be wrong. Where ever you stay be sure to clean out your car of food, wrapper, ect. or you may have a bear remodel your car (at night) for you. One visit we stayed outside the park one night and went in early the next morning. We were going to park the car at Curry since we were going to spend the night there but we had food in it. Since they just had the bear visit, I was told not to park there until later when there was more activity because they did not know how far the bear had gone.

Have a great trip! Yosemite is beautiful all times of the year.

 

[KCmike]

Bumping... DH really wants to go to either Yosemite (or Yellowstone) next and I want to take the kids to DL, so I was thinking of combining DL and Yosemite.

Yosemite is heaven on earth. Going when the waterfalls are in full flow. It's an easy six hr drive either up or down to DL as well!

 

[Dallas_Lady]

Thanks everyone! Our trip will probably be early-mid June 2014. I have been trying to search for Yosemite lodging but it's all SUPER expensive. Am I missing something or is that the way it is? We'll have a week, so here's my rough itinerary:

Saturday- Fly to LAX
Sunday- Disneyland
Monday- Disneyland
Tuesday- Disneyland
Wednesday- Drive to Yosemite
Thursday- Yosemite
Friday- Yosemite
Saturday- Drive back to LAX, fly home late Saturday or early Sunday.

 

[KCmike]

Thanks everyone! Our trip will probably be early-mid June 2014. I have been trying to search for Yosemite lodging but it's all SUPER expensive. Am I missing something or is that the way it is? We'll have a week, so here's my rough itinerary:

Saturday- Fly to LAX
Sunday- Disneyland
Monday- Disneyland
Tuesday- Disneyland
Wednesday- Drive to Yosemite
Thursday- Yosemite
Friday- Yosemite
Saturday- Drive back to LAX, fly home late Saturday or early Sunday.

You might want to do the opposite so your close to the airport for the final day.

Which hotels are you looking at? What do you consider super expensive? Try looking at Yosemite View Lodge just outside the gates on the south side. I'm talking a minute or less away from the gate. It's a hotel/motel but very decent and its right by the Merced River which runs from the YNP.

BTW your also going during one of the busiest times but one of the best.

 

[I❤MICKEY]

I agree w/ the previous poster regarding ending your trip with DL instead. They have a good point regarding being close to the airport at the end of your trip.

As far as hotels in Yosemite I can't provide much guidance. I have heard that it can be quite expensive. We tent camped and loved it.

You might find that 3 days at DL are too short. Especially as it will be a busier time of year which means longer lines. I would add a day in the park if possible.

You mention that you only have a week. Another suggestion would be to fly out Friday after work and/or you could stay until Sunday. This would give you one full extra day to spend at DL. You would have the expense of an extra hotel night. But it might be worth it.

 

[rmom]

Our trip will probably be early-mid June 2014. I have been trying to search for Yosemite lodging but it's all SUPER expensive. Am I missing something or is that the way it is? We'll have a week, so here's my rough itinerary:

I agree to do Yosemite first. Part of the problem is that you are looking at 2014. Are you checking prices for 2012 or 2014? What do you consider expensive and how much are you hoping to pay? Inside the park will be expensive but Yosemite is right outside your door. I know we spent under $150 ( for 3 of us) at the Yosemite View lodge in August of last year but we had a 2 room suite and it included breakfast. The Miner's inn was less but it is further away. If you are brave, you could do the tent cabins at Curry. I believe they have heater but they may be cold in the morning. My sister got married in Yosemite at the beginning of May and they were sending out emails with "specials". You could book a tent for under $50 a night - gives a new meaning to something blue for the wedding!