where would you go on your dream usa trip?

[GrazingGoat1966]

For what its worth.....been 7 times to the states, and done a fair bit. Highlights city is San Fran. The finest city I've ever visited. Vegas you love or hate....I happen to love. Memphis is an absolute must see for fans of Music. Besides Graceland, there is also the Rock n Soul museum, Stax Records, Sun Records and the National Civil Rights museum built next to the Lorraine motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated.
ANY National Park is worth the visit, but Glacier in Northern Montana is special, the Grand Canyon makes you feel insignificantly small, Bryce is stunning...there really arent too many duds.
And finally the one city that I wouldnt do again in a month of Sundays.....New Orleans. Easily the most over-rated pit in all of North America.

Enjoy your planning!!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

You know the really cool thing about Yellowstone is that that you can't go anywhere without almost tripping over the wildlife! The elk were roaming through the main streets and lawns in Mammoth Springs and you basically have to dodge around the bison at Old Faithful. There was a coyote wandering through the carpark near the river and we saw deer passing along the side of the road near the river. However the wolves and the bears are certainly shy - my DH and I still argue about whether the furry thing we saw in the distance one day was a wolf or a coyote...

I'd love to go back to Yellowstone during their mid-winter season and ride around on snow-mobiles and go snow-shoeing. Too many places...not enough time or money!

Andona

Seeing animals in the wild like that appeals to me so much. I've done quite a bit of research into Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons and have seen some really cool looking tours with local scientists where you specifically go in search of wolves and bears. The only thing is that some sightings take patience and time. Photography is my third favourite hobby (after travel and planning to travel) and I could happily sit for hours waiting for the right shot. Just like I don't mind sitting for hours fishing. If the sun is shining and I'm surrounded by beautiful scenery - life is good!
I'm not convinced my 5yr old would agree unfortunately. We're trying out hardest to instill in him a love of nature and he seems (almost) as happy walking in the bush or skimming pebbles across a lake as he does on a theme park ride. However, I still worry that sitting quietly for a few hours, looking at some hills, and hoping a pack of wolves will emerge is asking a bit too much of him.
In saying that, I am really looking to taking him there one day and helping him earn his junior ranger badge. That's a real life experience that no child can get in a classroom.

 

[alicia1506]

wow. everyone's responses have been amazing.

after an extensive conversation with the travellers on our next trip, we have the following options available to us:

1. disney world (3 days) + disney cruise (4 nights) + universal studios (4.5 days) + disneyland (4.5 days)
4th sept bris - lax - mco, 4-8 wdw, 8-12 dcl cruise to bahamas (nassau & castaway cay), 12-17 universal studios, 17 mco - lax, 17-23 disneyland, 23 lax - bne.


2. disneyland (4.5 days) + disney world (4 days) + disney cruise (4 nights) + universal studios (3.75 days)
4th sept bris - lax, 4-10 disneyland, 10 lax - mco, 10-15 wdw, 15-19 dcl cruise to bahamas (nassau & castaway cay), 19-23 universal, 23 mco - lax - bne
(includes halloween party at wdw + special friday 13th celebration at wdw)

3. disney world (4 days) + disney cruise (7 nights) + universal studios (2 days) + disneyland (4.5 days)
9th sept bris - lax - mco, 9-14 wdw, 14-21 dcl cruise to western caribbean (grand cayman, costa maya, cozumel, castaway cay), 21 - 23 universal, 23 mco - lax, 23-28 disneyland, 28 lax - bne
(includes halloween party + special friday 13th celebration at wdw + extended cruise options)

4. universal studios (2 days) + disney cruise (7 nights) + disney world (3.5 days) + disneyland (4.5 days)
4th sept bris - lax - mco, 4-7 universal, 7-14 dcl cruise to eastern caribbean (st maarten, st thomas/st john, castaway cay), 14-18 wdw, 18 mco - lax, 18-23 disneyland, 23 lax - bne
(includes halloween party at wdw, no special friday 13th celebration, + extended cruise options)

5. disneyland (2.75 days) + disney cruise (14 nights) + universal studios (1.75 days)
11th sept bris - lax, 11-14 disneyland, 14-28 dcl panama canal cruise (cabo san lucas, puerto vallarta, panama canal, cartagena, cozumel), 28 hou - mco, 28-30 universal, 30 mco - lax - bne
(includes friday 13th celebrations, no halloween party, no disneyworld)

6. disneyland (1 day) + disney cruise (14 nights) + disney world 2.75 days) + universal studios (1 day)
13th sept bris - lax, 13 - 14 disneyland, 14-28 dcl panama canal cruise (as above), 28 hou - mco, 28-2nd oct wdw with 1 day trip to universal, 2 mco - lax - bne
(includes friday 13th celebrations @ disneyland, halloween party at wdw, plus visit to universal)

7. universal (3 days) + dcl cruise (7 days) + disney world (8 days)
9th sept bris - lax - mco, 9-14 universal, 14-21 dcl western caribbean, 21-28 wdw, 28 mco - lax - bne
(includes halloween party at wdw)


omg, decisions, decisions. and this only encompasses the disneypalooza options

 

[5ofus]

Just curious as to why the WDW portion is only a few days on most options? Being nosy

 

[alicia1506]

Just curious as to why the WDW portion is only a few days on most options? Being nosy

i am totally happy to answer.

disneyland resort is our 'home' park and the place where we feel comfortable. for us, that this the park at which we want to spend the most time, this trip.

wdw is a bit of a teaser for us this trip. carlo and i intend to go back next year (2014, i'm already planning on 'this year's trip which is sept 2013) and spend at least a solid week - 10 days there in may/june ... this trip is to just get our feet wet, so to speak, figure out some of the transport options, get a feel for our resort (art of animation) and just do a few days at MK and EPCOT, and then when we go back in 2014 we will be spending a couple of days straight in HS, at least 1 day in AK, at least 2 days each in MK and EPCOT and maybe 1 day of just resort hopping

plus, since we are taking our respective siblings with us this trip, they get a bit of a say-so in our trip decisions and they wanted to do wdw but only for a few days...

for us, it's a bit of a fact finding mission. for them, it's a few extra days in a disney park, but since they are happy to not research/know about the differences, i expect that they will change their minds once we are there, and will beg for a return trip of longer duration to explore all there is to offer

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Seven, three and four in that order.

I'm biased, however, as seven is closest to what my family and I will be doing. From a purely economic point of view, the tickets at WDW get cheaper the longer you stay, so just going to WDW will make the trip cheaper. Also, you are going all that way, so it makes sense to spend as much time on the East Coast as possible. If it was me, I would make this trip your WDW one and then save DL and other parts of the States for 2014.

I picked options three and four next as they end with DL rather than start with it. Besides a dayroom at a LAX hotel, we have decided not to break up our trip home from Florida next year and it's the one part of our trip that I'm really dreading. Post-holiday blues are bad enough without jetlag and airplane fatigue compounding it. Stopping at DL for a few days will help break up the trip home.

 

[5ofus]

i am totally happy to answer.

disneyland resort is our 'home' park and the place where we feel comfortable. for us, that this the park at which we want to spend the most time, this trip.

wdw is a bit of a teaser for us this trip. carlo and i intend to go back next year (2014, i'm already planning on 'this year's trip which is sept 2013) and spend at least a solid week - 10 days there in may/june ... this trip is to just get our feet wet, so to speak, figure out some of the transport options, get a feel for our resort (art of animation) and just do a few days at MK and EPCOT, and then when we go back in 2014 we will be spending a couple of days straight in HS, at least 1 day in AK, at least 2 days each in MK and EPCOT and maybe 1 day of just resort hopping

plus, since we are taking our respective siblings with us this trip, they get a bit of a say-so in our trip decisions and they wanted to do wdw but only for a few days...

for us, it's a bit of a fact finding mission. for them, it's a few extra days in a disney park, but since they are happy to not research/know about the differences, i expect that they will change their minds once we are there, and will beg for a return trip of longer duration to explore all there is to offer

Makes perfect sense and trust me, unless they are completely immune to the magic, they will ALL be begging to go back t WDW

My vote is for #3

 

[ExcitedSam]

I like 3 as an option, seems to be a good balance and you get all the extras too!

Dream trip would be road trip of northern states, seeing the national parks.

Our last trip we did Disneyland, Yosemite, Vegas (via death Valley) Grand Canyon, Sedona, Phoenix, Anaheim. (with day trips to LA and San Diego)

I am leaning toward the National parks as my favorite places rather than the cities. Disney my all time of course, but would love to go with another Disney lover, my DH is not as into it as I am, he is a nature boy!

Franrose- we would love to do what your parents do one day. While there we talked about how cool it would be to keep and RV and use it for holidays!

 

[zanzibar138]

Zanzibar, your dream trip sounds very familiar... we did it last month and yes those Saguaro are HUGE! There's a pic of me standing next to one on my TR

Andona

Yes I've read your TR Andona and am VERY jealous

Alicia - I would totally do a Panama Canal cruise! Been wanting to do that for years!