Vacation to California This Summer

We used to live in CA so have been to Disneyland several times. Have fun!
We usually stayed at Candy Cane Inn. Right across the street from the entrance. Nice rooms. Free continental Breakfast and free parking. At least it was when we stayed there, it may have changed. Clean, nice. Not fancy. But nice. I would stay there again.

I'm from Orange County, just moved to to VA 1 year ago. Although the zoo is great, I actually have had more fun at the San Diego WIld Animal park. It's not actually in san diego, but it's a little north of san diego (closer to legoland, but not that far north). You could go up to Buena Park and do knotts berry farm. We have found that it's cheaper to rent a condo (vacation rental) rather than stay in a hotel. It's quieter, and cheaper. Also you don't have to eat out so much because they come with kitchens. You can just go to the store and cook your own food. Laguna beach is fun, Irvine spectrum is a very nice outdoor mall with a fountain thing where water shoots out of the ground that all the kids play in to cool down. Seaport village is also fun in San Diego. Have fun!

Well if you have an afternoon free, Zoomars in San Juan Capistrano is a small little venue, but my son had a blast there feeding the guinea pigs, llamas, emus, rabbits, and goats. http://zoomars.com/

And we have both flown and driven to California. For the 4 of you, driving will be SO much cheaper. This summer we drove our diesel truck (more expensive fuel) to Anaheim and back (we live near San Antonio). I think our total fuel was around $600 or $700. And if you are in Texas during daytime hours, you can drive 80MPH on I-10. At night, you have to lower it to 65 I think it is, therefore taking you longer. In total, it's about a 20 hour drive straight (not sure where Argyle is though).

That's all I know - we go to visit in-laws, so haven't had to do hotels yet.

Consider checking out City Pass for discounts. http://www.citypass.com/southern-california2

We are doing San Diego for spring break. 2 years ago, we also did Legoland and Disneyland. We had just a good time. We went in June, Legoland was dead. It was as if we had the place to ourselves. Most rides we could just walk up to. Disneyland was not so good. (really long lines) In June, it was chilly. Have so much fun!!!

Queen Mary in Long Beach. You can take a guided tour or just visit the upper 2 or 3 decks. They have bars and restaurants on the ship or right across the bridge from the ship is a shopping area with stores and restaurants; my guess the prices are better too.

I haven't been there in a long time. I moved away from Cali 17 years ago.

If your kids are familar with Titanic. Queen Mary is so much bigger that the hull from Titanic would have easily fit in the hull of the Queen Mary and Queen Mary is about 20 yrs newer

We did Disneyland and Legoland last summer. There aren't really any super deals in summer ... I looked everywhere and the only savings I found was getting the 3-day pass for Disneyland. We did get a pretty good deal at the Doubletree near Disneyland that included free breakfast. Very nice hotel, but long walking distance to the park (although we did it until we discovered the Disney shuttle came right in front of our hotel!). Read reviews on TripAdvisor and you should be able to find a decent non-Disney place near the park that doesn't have scary reviews (some do, so it's worth reading up).

We really loved Legoland. It was a nice change of pace after Disneyland. Had a lot better dining options (there's a nice sit-down restaurant near the roller coaster that has a fantastic kids buffet) and more bathrooms than Disneyland. It also had shorter waits for everything.

The website MouseSavers.com is a great starting point for deals and tips. It also covers things in the San Diego area.

Have fun!

Do you by chance have American Airline miles?? If so, you can use them to purchase a night at the Anaheim Hilton, right across from Disneyland. Great hotel, we stayed there last year and I just booked another night for May when we'll be visiting the park again. It was only 14,000 miles; the rooms cost around $250-300/night

I LOVE Legoland. We've been there 2-3 times. I don't have time for specific recommendations right now, but PM me if you have particular questions. I highly recommend it as a destination. One time we stayed in San Diego and one time we stayed in nearby Carlsbad. We like hotels that offer breakfast and a fridge/microwave in the room to cut down on food costs.

We've stayed down the block at the Alpine, that was about 3 years ago.. it was inexpensive and CLEAN (a big deal with us) and the noise level wasn't bad. if it's still the same, then it was well worth it and too, was walking distance to the park..
additionally, those hotels directly across from the park are VERY used , dirty and loud.. that has been my experience... so although they are close, if you stay there BEWARE................ also, there are restaurants along that strip across from the park, one of which is Denny's.. IF you eat out, then get there EARLY... before the crowds.. e.g. park opens at 8am... then be at the Denny's before 7am.. (pref 6ish) otherwise, there is a long line... and that will delay you from getting to the park...

Bring snacks/water with you in the park, this way you don't have to find food right away in the park.... like some of the novices :) also, if you need a locker, get one asap........... then, go directly to the kiddie rides (they fill up early) because like you, people want to get their small children on them before nap time.. by noonish, you ll begin to notice many strollers parked with sleepy kids..

oh and if you stay for the parade, stake out your seat EARLY.. people start lining up on Main street at min an hour beforehand.. to get good seats... and bare in mind, if they do fireworks... I have been there when they closed off the kiddie section. so if you think you will be riding rides at night, ask an employee which part of the park will be roped off...

Umm what other good advice... San Diego Zoo... it's BIG.. so go early before the heat .. this way, it's more enjoyable. the Pandas are VERY popular... go there first... otherwise, a line will build.... have your map in hand..... many turns in that park... you can lose your way... the bus is a good way to tour it... but sometimes it's a pain in the neck dealing with the lines in which to board... again, go early............ The park is deceiving, while it does offer much shade... it can get HOT.............. and there are some inclines to walk up... which when you are hot and tired can seem like a lot , especially with small children...

Oh and while in San Diego,if you visit Little Italy.. don't be swayed by all those Italian restaurants.. they are pricey and frankly, I wasn't too pleased with the food... However, right down the street was the burger lounge... YUM.... great hambuger, good fries, choice of salad if you want to go light.. and the service was quick and friendly.. as for OLD TOWN.. Good scenery... but food not too great.. Mexican Restaurants for which I wasn't impressed..... burger lounge was much better. oh and good shakes there as well...

have fun!!

Just an FYI, pack light jackets for everyone. Its overcast in the mornings and doesn't usually burn off until noon. Search for packages online. Good luck!!!