Six Wonderful Days in Southern California - Part 1: Los Angeles & Santa Monica

Santa Monica Pier

As I'm sure I've mentioned, we have 4 children (now ages 11-20). As each child graduates from 8th grade, it has become our tradition to have one parent take them on a vacation of their choice, by themselves. I took Hannah to Disney World, Tom took Will to Key West, and a few weeks ago Annika and I went to Southern California (Ally is already busy planning her trip!). We had 6 days and 5 nights exploring some of what this amazing part of our country has to offer, and I want to hit the highlights for you here. We went to LA/Santa Monica, Disneyland and Palm Springs, and had a wonderful time!

We started our trip in Los Angeles, and decided to stay in Santa Monica, which was a great choice. It is a very pleasant area to be (although a bit chilly and gloomy in June), with unlimited options for food and shopping, and it is very easy to get from Santa Monica to some of the most interesting areas of Los Angeles. We stayed at The Shore Hotel, and I highly recommend it for anyone staying in the area. It is a brand-new, LEED-certified, very comfortable and trendy hotel, and we really enjoyed it. Here are some photos from our stay:

The first thing we did after some lunch and getting settled in our hotel was go on the Hollywood/Beverly Hills Tour at Amazing LA Tours. We were picked up right in front our our hotel at 1:30, were able to check off many of the top sites in LA and get oriented, and were dropped off back at our hotel before 5:00. Our tour guide was terrific (sadly I don't remember his name), and it was a fun and relaxing way to see the city. We saw the Hollywood sign, had a half hour to explore Hollywood Blvd (Grauman's Chinese Theater and the Walk of Fame), did a drive through West Hollywood and then through Beverly Hills. We also had a stop at Rodeo Drive, but other than the awesome brownies we picked up there, that was really boring! The highlight was seeing the handprints and footprints at Grauman's Theater - that was inspiring and fun to explore. Don't miss it! Highlights from our tour:

Our main activities in Santa Monica were shopping and dining - there is plenty of both! We were just 2 blocks from the Third Street Promenade, a pedestrian-only outdoor shopping area - heaven for a 14-year old girl. We had a couple of really great meals there, and Annika really enjoyed all the shopping options.

The next morning we had reservations at IFly Hollywood, for "indoor skydiving." Wow! What an experience! It is an indoor vertical wind tunnel that mimics the experience of skydiving without actually having to jump out of a plane. It is actually much more challenging than it looks, and somewhat athletic (our shoulders ached for the next day or two). After 2 sessions we got the hang of it, and boy what a rush! Totally worth doing!

IFly is located at Universal Studios CityWalk, so we decided to head into Universal Studios for a couple of hours. This was the only real disappointment of our trip. We really enjoyed the brand-new Transformers ride (totally amazing!), but other than that the park was not that interesting. There is a huge difference between Universal rides and what we experienced at Disneyland later in the week - they just didn't seem to work that hard to engage the rider in what was happening. Both Jurassic Park and the Mummy ride just sort of petered out at the end. I would have enjoyed doing the studio tour (and maybe that would have changed our feeling about the park), but Annika was not into it and we still wanted to do more shopping and see the Santa Monica pier. So we left after a few hours and headed back.

A quick note about driving in the LA area. I was actually somewhat nervous about tackling the freeways out there, and dealing with the traffic and drivers. But once I got a bit oriented (the tour the first day was very helpful for that, and I spent some time studying maps), it was actually pretty easy to get around. And we were VERY lucky with traffic. On a few occasions we saw a huge traffic jam going the other way on the freeway, but we never got stuck in one ourselves.

Anyway, we headed back to Santa Monica and spent some time on the beach and the pier. It was too cold for swimming - they aren't kidding when natives talk about June Gloom in Southern California!

Then more shopping, and the best meal we had in Santa Monica, at The Border Grill. I've decided that Margaritas are definitely my drink! We soaked in the hot tub at the hotel for a bit, and then headed to bed, because in the morning we were going to Disneyland!

There were a number of things that I would have liked to have done that we didn't get to, in particular:

• visit the Getty Museum (we thought we might do that on our last day, but that didn't work out as you will see)
• see Venice Beach - we drove through that area and it looked really interesting
• drive up to Malibu

I always say that when you don't do everything that gives you a reason to go back, and we definitely feel that way about the LA area!

Next blog post: Disneyland and California Adventure!

Travel Advice - When to Visit Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States. More than 17 million people visit the Magic Kingdom each year! And although a surprising number of people choose to honeymoon in Disney World, it is safe to say that the vast majority of those visitors are families with children. Taking the family on a pilgrimage to see the Mouse is practically an obligation! With a bit of advance planning, a Disney World vacation can be a joyous experience for everyone. However, too many families are overwhelmed by the size and complexity of Disney World, and find themselves standing in an endless series of long, hot lines wondering when the fun is going to start. Drawing on my experience both vacationing at Disney with my family, and planning dozens of Disney vacations for my clients, I am beginning my Travel Advice posts with some of my favorite Disney World planning tips. I'm going to start with one of the most basic considerations - the best time to visit Walt Disney World.

There are a number of different things to consider as you decide when to plan your Disney vacation. Let's consider a few of the most important ones.

Crowds
I am told that there once was a golden age, long before I started taking my family to Disney World, when there were whole months during which you could visit Disney and find almost empty parks, walk onto attractions with no lines, and dine at any restaurant without a reservation. Alas, those days are no more! While there is no "perfect" time to visit Disney World, if avoiding crowds is important to you you should definitely consider planning your trip at certain times of the year.

Because most families prefer to schedule a trip to Disney World when school is out of session, the busiest times of year are invariably during school vacations. The very busiest times at Disney are the week between Christmas and New Years, and the two weeks before and after Easter. This doesn't mean that you can't enjoy a vacation during those weeks, particularly since Disney extends hours and adds lots of special events at those times. However, you will need to plan ahead and decide what is most important to you, and not try to see and do everything in the parks. Do what you can and enjoy the atmosphere! Other very busy times of the year are the 4th of July holiday, the week after President's day, and Thanksgiving.

The summer months are also a very popular time to visit Disney World. The busiest months are mid-June through late July. If you would like to plan a summer visit, but want to avoid the heaviest crowds, try to schedule your vacation when some schools are in session. Southern schools typically have their summer vacation from late May to early August, while schools in the Northeast are dismissed in mid-June and return in September. Both late May and late August are good times to visit Disney World, and late August also typically has some of Disney's best discounts of the year!

If you want to visit during the Spring Break period of mid-February through mid-April, just try to avoid the busiest weeks around President's Day and Easter; you will still encounter larger crowds during these months, but with smart touring decisions it shouldn't be overwhelming.

If you have young children, or don't mind taking your children out of school for a few days, you can plan your visit for the lowest crowd periods of the year. If you avoid Martin Luther King weekend, early January through mid-February have the lowest crowds of the year; if you don't mind the possibility of cool temperatures that's a great time to tour the parks. Another good time to visit is the first 2 1/2 weeks of December - the crowds are low and the holiday decorations and parades are up and running, so you can have the best of both worlds! Finally, September and early November are also periods with lower crowds.

If you can't avoid going during the busiest periods, do your homework or use a Disney-certified travel agent to help you plan your time (I provide itinerary planning free of charge to all of my Disney clients). Get to the parks early, don't try to overdo things, and enjoy all the extra entertainment that Disney provides during those months - and have a great time!

Weather
As you can see from these photos from our family vacations, weather in Orlando can vary quite a bit, from very hot, humid and sunny:

Disney in August

to wet and rainy:

A rainy June day at Epcot

and even occasionally quite chilly:

Bundled up for a chilly day in January

It's good to be prepared!

If you really hate hot and humid weather, you should definitely avoid Disney from late May through early October. However, most people can tolerate a visit during those months as long as you keep hydrated, take frequent breaks in air-conditioned attractions, shops and restaurants, and avoid touring during the hot afternoon hours (that's what the pool at your resort is for!). You can get rain during any month in central Florida, but the rainiest months are June-September. Finally, while freezing temperatures are quite unusual in Orlando (although they do happen occasionally), you can encounter a cold snap any time from December through February.

The best months to visit if you are looking for moderate temperatures and low rainfall are March through May, and late September through November.


Cost
The most expensive times to visit Disney are also the most popular times: the week between Christmas and New Years, Easter week, and the spring break and summer months. So if you can find a way to visit during the less crowded months, you can also save quite a bit of money on your vacation. During the recent economic downturn, Disney has been offering excellent deals on packages during much of the year; however, there are indications that this will not be the case in 2012. You will find the best values during late August and September, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and during the month of January.


Special Events

There are special events scheduled throughout the year that may lure you to Disney. Here is a list of some of those events:

January - Disney's Marathon Weekend
May - Epcot Flower & Garden Festival
June - Star Wars Weekends at Disney Hollywood Studios
October - Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
November - Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
December - Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

Visit the following links for more information about special events at Walt Disney World:
For general information: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/
For information about Disney Marathon Weekend and other running events at Disney World: http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/sports/rundisney

Running a Half Marathon thru the Magic Kingdom

Epcot Flower & Garden Festival

When planning your vacation, you need to balance all these different considerations with your family's work and school schedules. Knowing what to expect and planning ahead gives you what you need to have the best Disney vacation possible.

I hope this is helpful! My next Travel Advice topic will be enjoying Disney at every age - from babies to grandparents and everything in between! In the meantime, next week I will be live blogging from my family's trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras.

Have a great week!

Kira Gartner
Blue Sky Destinations
kira@blueskydestinations.net
267-481-2930