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California Trip Planning Help!!


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So, we are finally... FINALLY making a trip out to the west coast, and wanted a bit of advice (Given that we have never been.) We will be making the trip out there in late July-early August. . .

 

So here is the plan so far:

 

Day 1: Fly in to Las Vegas (landing about noon.) Pick up the car, check into the hotel, walk the strip... Do the touristy things. Hit up a show. Stay the night get up, check out and drive down to LA.

 

Day 2: Arrive at Magic Mountain. Do a day at Magic Mountain.

 

Day 3: Do the touristy things in LA, and go to the Ellen Show (Working on getting tickets) Finish the evening with a drive to up to San Francisco.

 

Day 4: Do Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. (Or possible different park)

 

Day 5: Fly home

 

Given that we have never made this trip before (The farthest I have been is Vegas, and my partner has NEVER been to either areas) What could I possibly be over looking?? We aren't looking to do any of the Disney Parks or Knott's on this trip...

 

That being said we might consider a visit to a different park instead of Six Flags Discovery Kingdom if that's suggested. Any advice, feedback, or tips is greatly appreciated. I'm sure there are things we haven't even considered that you all might be able to point out to us. Thanks in advance!

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California's Great America is south of San Francisco, so you could substitute that park, for DK.

 

We looked at California's Great America... There just didn't seem to be enough that appealed to us to make us want to visit the park. . . Then again, I could be over looking something there...

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^ Well then, if this is your very first visit to the West Coast...why not take that last day and explore San Francisco, itself?

Lots and lots to see, do, admire, freek out about, eat, drink, enjoy! And Castro Street is still, a "historic destination" for some.

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SFDK is definitely the better of the two parks, and would be my choice, but CGA is still a fun park with good rides that's worth a trip if you got the chance. I would even consider doing two days at SFMM around that time of year. It's possible you won't get to do everything.

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^ We thought about adding in an extra day before flying home to do that... But wasn't really sure if there was that much to do that would justify a day in itself...

 

What are your time constraints? Yes, you are missing SO much! I could list a weeks worth of stuff to do at each of your three destinations and things in between! For example, it’s a boring 5hr drive to get to San Fran, but not if you take Hwy 1. It is filled with amazing scenic look outs and stops like Big Sur (whale watching), Pebble Beach and The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. You’ll need another day just for driving, but it’s one of the best drives I’ve ever had.

 

One glaring mistake is driving all the way to Valencia and then back into L.A. The trip from Vegas takes 4hr with no traffic, L.A. has terrible traffic. You’ll want a full day starting at opening for Six Flags. There’s some good hotels In that area.

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...I would even consider doing two days at SFMM around that time of year. It's possible you won't get to do everything.

 

Would Platinum Flash Passes not be enough for us to be able to do everything in one day?? (I'm not overly familiar with the park, crowds, or their operations...)

 

What are your time constraints? Yes, you are missing SO much! I could list a weeks worth of stuff to do at each of your three destinations and things in between! For example, it’s a boring 5hr drive to get to San Fran, but not if you take Hwy 1. It is filled with amazing scenic look outs and stops like Big Sur (whale watching), Pebble Beach and The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. You’ll need another day just for driving, but it’s one of the best drives I’ve ever had.

 

One glaring mistake is driving all the way to Valencia and then back into L.A. The trip from Vegas takes 4hr with no traffic, L.A. has terrible traffic. You’ll want a full day starting at opening for Six Flags. There’s some good hotels In that area.

 

We don't have a lot of time in the area. My partner doesn't have as much vacation time from work, so we need to keep the entire trip at 7 days. We are not dead set on driving to San Fran. Just something we had been considering. We might just do Las Vegas, and the LA area if that seems like a better idea to get to experience most of what we want to do.

 

Railblazer might be calling your name.

 

I thought of going for Railblazer, but with Wonder Woman Golden Shower Coaster coming to SFFT we will already be experiencing it this year...

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You should be good with the Platinum Flash Passes, but bear in mind that on some rides you can only ride once with the pass. Most lines will probably be lengthy during that time of year. Crowds were very heavy when I was at SFMM around the same time a couple of years ago. They also had Lex Luthor closed the entire week for maintenance, and Scream was running one train, so that'll be a crap shoot. My best advice is prepare for the worst and don't get your hopes up for anything when it comes to SFMM, or you'll probably be disappointed.

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check the dates in Vegas for shows before you plan your first night.

 

many of the Cirque shows are dark on Mondays, and a bunch of stuff is dark on Tues.

 

just be forewarned, if there's something you specifically want to see (can't really go wrong with Cirque's "O", "Love", "Mystere' " or the non Cirque, but similar and adult/hysterically filthy "Absinthe").

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Don't forget the Adventuredome and the Big Apple Coaster in Vegas! I've actually never been to either, but I'm going to be out there for work in just under 3 weeks and will check them out. If you're starting/ending your trip in Vegas, then why not?

 

If you can extend the trip, the drive up and/or down the PCH is an absolute must do. It's sooo beautiful. When I drove it a few years ago, I took my sweet time driving north, and then blasted down the 5 on the way back.

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If you only have 7 days, I would stick to Las Vegas and L.A. Are you sure you'll be satisfied with only half a day and one night in Vegas? With all the shows, rides, restaurants, casinos and shops, it's usually a 3 day destination. You can even make a day trip to the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon, which is quite spectacular. Make sure you stop at Buffalo Bills on you way to L.A. to ride the Desperato coaster.

 

In the Greater Los Angeles Area, I would recommend in order of personal importance:

-Disneyland and California Adventure

-Universal Studios

-Magic Mountain

-Knotts

-Santa Monica Beach and Pier

-The Grove Mall and Rodeo Drive

-Sunset Boulevard and Beverly Hills drive

-Griffith Observatory

-TMZ tour (I really had fun)

-Hollywood Walk of Fame

 

At SF, the Platinum pass will get you on every ride, however only once on the best coasters. I would recommend going to your fav coaster first at opening before buying the pass, so you can get two rides in.

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