8wks in the US - suggestions please

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

I'm pretty excited. We have 8 wks in Dec09/Jan10 for a nice long break over our Summer school break.

It's been nearly 4 yrs since we were in the U.S.

We'll be flying into the West Coast from Sydney and are toying around with renting a motorhome for a week or 2 to explore a bit. Where would you suggest we go? We thought maybe Yosemite National park. Would love to get to Sedona but it might be too far to drive?

We'd also like to go to Disneyland and fit in a cruise.

Everything else is up in the air.

Any suggestions for a cruise? Any ideas of how to fill in our 8 wks? I saw some of the Disney bulk banks and also got quite excited but not sure if it's worth making the effort to the East coast?

We are open to suggestions. One reason we thought the U.S. would be good over Europe, even though we love Europe is we now have a 5 children. I know that it's a lot easier to rent people movers in the U.S. than Europe and it'll be easier to get around in the US with a family our size.

Looking forward to reading any and all suggestions!

[Nancy Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Nancy]

8 weeks

Sydney,

Noticed this yesterday, and decided no one had responded, so I'll add something. Please be aware, I live in Eastern US, so really don't know too much about Western US in Winter. Just know that it is Winter and depending where you plan to travel weather could be bad and/or cold. If you rent a motor home, make sure that there are seats that hold 7 for travel. (They may seat that many, but seats not rated for travel.)

Sorry I can't help more. Maybe some West Coasters will chime in.

Nancy

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I was thinking the same thing, that winter here is not a very good time to be exploring out west. Even SOCAL is not all that pleasant in the winter.

I would not even attempt to venture into any of mountains or National Parks.

Except for Vegas, maybe, that pretty much eliminates the West.

I met some Aussies in the hot tub at OL in 2004 who do much the same thing, several weeks in the US that time of year. They said that Aussies have generous amounts of vacation time.

[Jya-Ning Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Jya-Ning]

Yosemite maybe covered by snow at that time. And not may activities there. If you don't mind that, than you can also drive further a little to Tahoe after you spend time at Yosemite, there will be all winter activities, and some casinos.

The rest of California should have very good weather. Napa, Sacramento, San Francisco, Drive from route 1 via Hearst Castle to Los Angles, than San Diego. If from there you drive East to places like Las Vagas, it is pretty chilly especially at night, but most of the activies are in door, so should be O.K., you can go further to Grand Canyon, it will be covered by snow also. And Flagstaff and Phoenix.

Not sure about cruise. Not sure about anything north like Seattle.

You can also drive down pass the board to Mexico. The ocean temperature should be better there.

Jya-Ning

[chellej Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close chellej]

Sydney

Yosemite will be cold and snowy and some of the roads will be closed. Soutern california is a good bet, Disneyland, California adventure, universal studios.

San Diego is sea world, the zoo and the animal park. Palm springs would have decent weather as well. There are cruises to Baja from LA and San Diego.

Try this web site for road trip ideas

Road Trip Planning: Tips, Resources & Advice

I would say the southwest would be your best bet unless you want to ski/snowmobile

[dmbrand Member Find all posts View Profile Close dmbrand]

Would you be open to making the trip to the Gulf state region? We just returned from San Antonio, TX,(early Feb) and the weather was wonderful.

We met other people who seemed to have started their trips in Florida, then followed the coastline to New Orleans, San Antonio, and on to Arizona. I think you can pick up on historical sights along the way.

Not sure if all these places have oodles of kid activities. For our family, we just made sure some sort of water(beach) fun was included.

DawnB

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

Sydney,

Being an East Coaster, I'm not really sure what to suggest, but 8 weeks, Yippee!!!!! That's terrific!!!

If you're flying to the West Coast, maybe you can do a cruise to Hawaii, and then even spend some time on the islands. That, or Mexico.

[Pstreet1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pstreet1]

We are generally in Mexico that time of year, but we're only 30 minutes south of the border at San Diego, California. We like the weather then. It's usually cool but sunny; it's definitely not cold. We make the drive from our home in Mexico to our home in Arizona in about 6 hours (depends on how many stops we make). Phoenix is only an hour from Sedona. To me, that doesn't sound like a long drive for you to consider. Southern California has many desirable visitor spots: Sea World, San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, tour of the U.S.S. Midway in San Diego, Disneyworld in L.A., etc. My husband is from the Monterey Bay area and we often make a run to that area in the winter. The weather varies, but it is often quite nice. One year it was 80 degrees (farenheit) Dec. 2nd. San Francisco is a fun city to visit.

The mountains of California are, of course, snowy. You might enjoy trying skiing. You could drive to Lake Tahoe and enjoy the beauty of the lake and nearby skiing, and even gambling in the casios there.

In Arizona, you might consider visiting the Tucson area. There is a fantastic desert "museum" (which is actually an interactive park), and Karchner Caverns are not far. Karchner is a still-growing cave that has been protected as no other cave I have ever heard of has been (air lock doors, visitors taken to the airlock in trams so the atmosphere is not polluted, visitors strictly limited, etc). It's a wonderful experience.

One day's drive from Phoenix or Tucson is Albuquerque/Santa Fe New Mexico. Again, lots to do: explore Native American ruins (as you can also do from Sedona, Arizona), look at pictographs, check out the Native American market in Santa Fe.......

Again, it's not a big drive. Roads are 4 lane all the way; driving in the American South West is easy.

I think you'll have a wonderful time. In 8 weeks, you should really get to experience a lot. If you haven't used the travel site Reviews of vacations, hotels, resorts, vacation and travel packages - TripAdvisor check it out. You'll find tons and tons of information and lots of friendly people who love sharing about their trips and the areas where they live.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I still think the Aussies I met who come to Florida in January have it right for that time of year.

In 8 weeks you can get a very good taste of the varieties Florida has to offer. It has the best US weather that time of year, comparable to Hawaii. It has several cruise ports.

[Spence Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Spence]

I'm pretty excited. We have 8 wks in Dec09/Jan10 for a nice long break over our Summer school break.

It's been nearly 4 yrs since we were in the U.S.

We'll be flying into the West Coast from Sydney and are toying around with renting a motorhome for a week or 2 to explore a bit. Where would you suggest we go? We thought maybe Yosemite National park. Would love to get to Sedona but it might be too far to drive?

We'd also like to go to Disneyland and fit in a cruise.

Everything else is up in the air.

Any suggestions for a cruise? Any ideas of how to fill in our 8 wks? I saw some of the Disney bulk banks and also got quite excited but not sure if it's worth making the effort to the East coast?

We are open to suggestions. One reason we thought the U.S. would be good over Europe, even though we love Europe is we now have a 5 children. I know that it's a lot easier to rent people movers in the U.S. than Europe and it'll be easier to get around in the US with a family our size.

Looking forward to reading any and all suggestions!

Definitely Washington DC.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Some average January temps in vacation destinations:

Key West, Fl: Hi 75 Lo 65

Ft. Myers, FL: Hi 75 Lo 54

Orlando, FL: Hi 72 Lo 50

San Diego, CA: Hi 66 Lo 50

Los Angeles, CA: Hi 68 Lo 48

Seattle, WA: Hi 47 Lo 36

Las Vegas, NV: Hi 57 Lo 37

Phoenix, AZ: Hi 67 Lo 45

Honolulu, HI: Hi 80 Lo 66

[Chap7 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Chap7]

Christmas time in New York City is pretty cool. There's the Radio City Christmas spectacular, the tree at Rockerfeller Plaza, decorated store fronts, handsome cab rides through Central Park, all the museums, the food...Plus I'm sure that some of the NY members would love to catch up with you.

Oh, just one thing. It's c-o-l-d!

[idahodude Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close idahodude]

OK, so some of us "West Coasters" need to respond to you. I do agree that temperature-wise, Florida and Hawaii are the nicest that time of year. Still, Southern California and most states on the southern border of the US aren't bad, but you might need a jacket at times. Yosemite is beautiful in the summer, but unless you're wanting to ski would probably avoid most mountain areas. If you don't mind the cold, there are still a number of areas to check out. You would need to be somewhat flexible with your travel times since winter storms can occasionally close roads and hinder travel.

One National Park that's actually nice to visit in Winter is Death Valley National Park. It's generally still quite warm, but not 120+ like it can be in the summer. I actually like certain other national parks in the Winter, but you may have to ski in to enjoy them. Very Peaceful. I don't think that Arizona would be too long of a drive from SOCAL, especially if you have that many weeks. If you are interested in coming further north, you could see Yellowstone National Park at a time of year many don't. You won't want to do any long hikes, but can still snowmobile in or take a Snowcoach.

I too like Sea World and many other amusement parks/attractions in SOCAL, but costs can quickly escalate. I don't know how much of a factor that is for you. There are a lot of things to do in Texas during the Winter. Nice, but I prefer other areas a little more, unless I'm visiting family that lives there.

Las Vegas is another place you could visit if you want to consider including it in your itinerary. Generally fairly warm at that time of year, but still might need a jacket. Snow is fairly rare there.

I'd be happy to try to answer any other questions you have about specific areas.

Have a great time. I'm jealous. It seems it's almost impossible for me to take more than a week off of work without terrible repercussions when I return.

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

Sydney,
Just know that it is Winter and depending where you plan to travel weather could be bad and/or cold.

Gosh, I completely forgot about the weather. Guess I was expecting it to be mild in Winter like here. I'll be sure to check there are seat belts for 7. Thanks for the reminder!

I was thinking the same thing, that winter here is not a very good time to be exploring out west. Even SOCAL is not all that pleasant in the winter.

I would not even attempt to venture into any of mountains or National Parks.

Except for Vegas, maybe, that pretty much eliminates the West.

I met some Aussies in the hot tub at OL in 2004 who do much the same thing, several weeks in the US that time of year. They said that Aussies have generous amounts of vacation time.

We only get 4 wks a year. Then every 10 yrs, we get an extra 2 mths and every 5yrs after that, we get an extra month. I think Europe has the best annual leave.

Yosemite maybe covered by snow at that time. And not may activities there. If you don't mind that, than you can also drive further a little to Tahoe after you spend time at Yosemite, there will be all winter activities, and some casinos.

The rest of California should have very good weather. Napa, Sacramento, San Francisco, Drive from route 1 via Hearst Castle to Los Angles, than San Diego. If from there you drive East to places like Las Vagas, it is pretty chilly especially at night, but most of the activies are in door, so should be O.K., you can go further to Grand Canyon, it will be covered by snow also. And Flagstaff and Phoenix.

Not sure about cruise. Not sure about anything north like Seattle.

You can also drive down pass the board to Mexico. The ocean temperature should be better there.

Jya-Ning

Was thinking of maybe flying in or out of SFO and LAX. I'm a bit nervous about driving to Mexico. Not even sure if the rental company will let us. Will check it out though. Thanks the driving tips. Jya-Ning

Sydney

Yosemite will be cold and snowy and some of the roads will be closed. Soutern california is a good bet, Disneyland, California adventure, universal studios.

San Diego is sea world, the zoo and the animal park. Palm springs would have decent weather as well. There are cruises to Baja from LA and San Diego.

Try this web site for road trip ideas

Road Trip Planning: Tips, Resources & Advice

I would say the southwest would be your best bet unless you want to ski/snowmobile

So I guess that means Yosemite is out?

We've driven to Grand Canyon from Las Vegas in Jan 2005 so probably will skip that this time.

Thanks for the tips in SoCal and the link! Much appreciated!

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

Would you be open to making the trip to the Gulf state region? We just returned from San Antonio, TX,(early Feb) and the weather was wonderful.

Not sure if all these places have oodles of kid activities. For our family, we just made sure some sort of water(beach) fun was included.

Yes, definitely. We're open to anything. Tanks for the suggestion. I'll look into it. Don't mind about kids activities. We kind of entertain ourselves and will be to busy seeing new things for the kids to be bored.

Sydney,

Being an East Coaster, I'm not really sure what to suggest, but 8 weeks, Yippee!!!!! That's terrific!!!

If you're flying to the West Coast, maybe you can do a cruise to Hawaii, and then even spend some time on the islands. That, or Mexico.

Thanks Ange. I was thinking along the lines of a cruise to Mexico. The cruises to Hawaii seems a bit far and more expensive.

Phoenix is only an hour from Sedona. To me, that doesn't sound like a long drive for you to consider. Southern California has many desirable visitor spots: Sea World, San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, tour of the U.S.S. Midway in San Diego, Disneyworld in L.A., etc. My husband is from the Monterey Bay area and we often make a run to that area in the winter. The weather varies, but it is often quite nice. One year it was 80 degrees (farenheit) Dec. 2nd. San Francisco is a fun city to visit.

The mountains of California are, of course, snowy. You might enjoy trying skiing. You could drive to Lake Tahoe and enjoy the beauty of the lake and nearby skiing, and even gambling in the casios there.

In Arizona, you might consider visiting the Tucson area. There is a fantastic desert "museum" (which is actually an interactive park), and Karchner Caverns are not far. Karchner is a still-growing cave that has been protected as no other cave I have ever heard of has been (air lock doors, visitors taken to the airlock in trams so the atmosphere is not polluted, visitors strictly limited, etc). It's a wonderful experience.

One day's drive from Phoenix or Tucson is Albuquerque/Santa Fe New Mexico. Again, lots to do: explore Native American ruins (as you can also do from Sedona, Arizona), look at pictographs, check out the Native American market in Santa Fe.......

Again, it's not a big drive. Roads are 4 lane all the way; driving in the American South West is easy.

I think you'll have a wonderful time. In 8 weeks, you should really get to experience a lot. If you haven't used the travel site Reviews of vacations, hotels, resorts, vacation and travel packages - TripAdvisor check it out. You'll find tons and tons of information and lots of friendly people who love sharing about their trips and the areas where they live.

Sounds great Pat. Lots of possibilities. Good to know the roads are wide. I'll check out the time it takes to get to Sedona. Was just saying to DH that I'd like to get to Sedona this time since we missed out last time. We'll skip skiing as have done it a number of times near home and I don't relish the thought of packing all our ski gear.

I still think the Aussies I met who come to Florida in January have it right for that time of year.

In 8 weeks you can get a very good taste of the varieties Florida has to offer. It has the best US weather that time of year, comparable to Hawaii. It has several cruise ports.

We were in Orlando for 2 wks back in Jan/Feb 05. We'd like to see something different this time, although we did enjoy our time there. Thanks Jim. I agree it sounds lovely to just stay put, relax & explore a place for 8 wks.

Definitely Washington DC.

Ok. Will check it out. Would be cool to see Washington DC, if we end up making it a bi-coastal trip. Thanks Spence.