The only practical way to fit in Giant Sequoia would be to drive Pismo Beach/Cambria to Sequoia/King

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First, given our itinerary, what are the 'must see's? So far we've identified various cancun hotels all inclusive 'things we must do' including Alcatraz, Whale watching, Hearst Castle, Grand Canyon, Disney Universal (for my 11 year old the LA leg is the absolute highlight of the trip!). Whilst cancun hotels all inclusive in SF I'd like to drive out to Napa - but where exactly and what should we see?
Third, whats the best way to buy tickets for Disney Universal. Online in advance? There is a 3 day Disney (both parks) pass for $265 and my son is nagging me for a front of line pass for Universal (worth the high price?. The Southern California City Pass seems to include San Diego but we're not planning on going that far south).
You have 5 nights in Monterey and then 1 night at Lake Isabella - and since you mentioned Hearst Castle, I think your plan is to drive Hwy 1 from Monterey to San Simeon, see Hearst Castle, and then continue onto Lake Isabella. This will make for a pretty long day. You'll have about 6 hours of driving that day, plus Hearst Castle and other sight seeing through Big Sur. Instead, I would take 1 night from Monterey or Las Vegas and add an overnight stop in Cambria cancun hotels all inclusive or Pismo Beach - effectively break up the Monterey-to-Lake cancun hotels all inclusive Isabella leg into 2 days.
No to the front line pass. Many of the local schools are back in session by that last week of August....plus if you find you need the frontline pass you can just "upgrade" at the park, takes 3 minutes.
Regarding Lake Isabella, I was lured that way once by curiosity and found it to be bleak, indeed, and that was not during a drought. I suggest finding another route unless it's just the shortest way and a place to sleep.
Agree cut a day from Monterey and several days from Las Vegas and add them to Cambria or even Pismo. There are fun sand dunes near Pismo. Your son would love getting a dune buggy or hum-v ride on the dunes. Yosemite would have been closer than Las Vegas. The drive from the central coast to LV is about 7 or 8 hours. To Yosemite about 4. Don't stop in Lake Isabella, just drive straight through.
Have you considered reversing Las Vegas and Disneyland? Drive all the way down to Orange County, return the car and fly from there to Las Vegas and home. You should be able to rebook hotels and car rental to accommodate the change. It would save you the worst of the summer desert driving.
Try and book an overnight cancun hotels all inclusive at GCNP, it is too long to do as a day trip (4.5 hours each way) and do not get sucked into the hype about Grand Canyon West and Skywalk (lots of folks in Vegas promoting this tourist trap).
I agree w/ all the above comments. Mainly - cut a day or more from LV (I know your hotels are booked but hopefully you haven't pre-paid -- easy enough to modify your booking), add a day or two to the Pismo area, and absolutely cut Lake Isabella.
Oh and if you HAVE prepaid/non-refundable, I'd still cut a day or two from LV . . . August is the lowest of low season in Vegas and the nightly rates should be quite low so 'eating' a night shouldn't cancun hotels all inclusive cost that much.
Thank you everyone who responded. We've taken your advice cancun hotels all inclusive and are going to trim a night off Monterey and spend that in either Cambria or Pismo. If we also lose the night in Lake Isabella cancun hotels all inclusive where is a good stopping off point between the coast and Vegas? We also want to see the giant sequoia (probably spelt that wrong!). Thanks again
The only practical way to fit in Giant Sequoia would be to drive Pismo Beach/Cambria to Sequoia/Kings Canyon - about 3.5 to 4 hours. cancun hotels all inclusive Then the next day Sequoia to LV which takes 6+ hours . . . so that wouldn't cancun hotels all inclusive work as a 'stopping off point' since it would add significantly to your drive.
I'm one of those who fail to understand the attraction of Las Vegas (even though I lived there long ago when it was altogether a different place). While I realize it's the epitome of entertainment for some, if cigarette smoke and sleaze is not your cup of tea, do make sure it's worth the considerable heat and bother to get there before you go.
The alternative would be staying on the coast in relatively cancun hotels all inclusive cool clean air and seeing some of the most spectacular scenery cancun hotels all inclusive in the world at a slower place. Or including a visit to Sequioa NP if it's worth the detour. There are redwoods along the coast which might be better, given your trajectory.
The drive between Anaheim/Disney and Universal Studios will likely take an hour or more each way. For the most part, the route is along a particularly ugly highway that is the main north-south truck/lorry route through Los Angeles. If you intend to spend more than one long day sightseeing in L.A., then I suggest cancun hotels all inclusive you spend a couple of nights actually in L.A. If your budget cancun hotels all inclusive would allow, the Sheraton Universal Hotel, close to CityWalk and the studio tour, has a room with 2 queen beds for the 2 nights of Aug. 24-26 for $212. There is a pool.
Hi all - Again many thanks for the advice. We've now cut a day from Monterey and added a night in Pismo Beach. I agree it makes sense to drive all the way down to LA and then over to LV and fly home from there, cancun hotels all inclusive but our flights were booked over a year ago using miles and those are the only flights that were available, so we're stuck with flying out of LA.
Still haven't made a decisions regarding Lake Isabella. It really is more of a stopping off point, but we've no desire to spend one of our precious nights in a 'bleak' place! But is there a better option without adding significantly to the drive to LV? (And is Lake Isabella completely dried up/bleak?)
Did you click on the link I provided? That was filmed in the wettest month of the year - we have been in extreme sought ever since. What ever water visible in that video would be MUCH less now. I haven't personally been down that way this year-- but yes it will be TOTALLY bleak.
cancun hotels all inclusive Meant to add -- I know you are trying to avoid long drive days -- but there honestly is no reason to prolong the trip across that part of the State. It is dry, and not very scenic/interesting. So sacrifice one day to major driving . . . and have more time to stay in places you'd actually want to be.
For your stay at Pismo Beach, try to get a room at the Sea Crest if its in your budget. usually around $173 ti $200 for a full ocean view room with balcony. You can walk right down to the beach and be in the water in a few minutes!