keith_h

While you are in SoCal I would suggest you take a day to drive down to Mission San Juan Capistrano via the Pacific Coast Hwy. This will take you through Laguna Beach and the Ocean Institute in Dana Point. You aren't that far from San Diego, about 1.5 hours,  so might want to think about a day to visit there and hit San Juan Capistrano.

Are you flying? If so how are you planning your flights in and out of CA? 

Since you are staying 4 days at Disneyland I would suggest you consider driving Pacific Coast Hwy up to Monterey and plan the next day there. In addition to all of the Steinbeck sites they have a great aquarium. 17 mile drive is also in the area. Going up to Monterey via PCH will take you through Big Sur  which is about 25 miles before you get to Monterey. An alternative would be to spend the night in Big Sur and see the trees the evening you arrive, spend the next day in Monterey and drive the rest of the way to the SF Bay area that evening. Depending upon traffic if you stick to PCH (CA Rt 1) you are talking about a 7 - 8 hour drive to Monterey from Anehiem. Again depending upon traffic the other routes that use PCH/US 101 or I-5/US 101 the time will be closer to 6 hours.

One thing to note is the Coast Redwood while tall does not have the large girth of the Sequoia. If you are more interested in seeing those then I would suggest going inland to Yosemite. However given the time of year you are talking about snow could still be an issue. In fact I'm sure Tioga and Glacier Point roads will be closed.The drive will be about 5 - 6 hours. We haven't been to Yosemite since we moved away from CA in the early 90's. I know they have implemented traffic controls that limit vehicles in the park and require the use of parking decks and buses. So you will need to do your own research. Yosemite could give you a couple of options a day would give you a chance to fully see the valley and one of the Sequoia groves. You could also do a drive through for an couple of hour stop where you see the big trees and waterfalls from short education walks near the parking areas then continue on to the Bay Area. Personally if you go this way I would try to spend at least a full day there. Things like the Mariposa grove of Sequoias are best seen from the longer trails than they are from the education loop. It is a 3 - 4 hour drive to the Bay Area from the park.

You can hit the highlights of SF in a day or spend a couple days. When we had visitors we would typically spend a day in SF and the next day cross the Golden Gate to Sausalito, Point Reyes Natl Seashore, Muir Beach and other things north of the GG bridge.

I don't know if you have a train aficionados but the California State Railroad Museum is in Sacramento which is about an hour and a half from the SF Bay Area. It is located in the Old Sacramento which is their Gold Rush Historic District.

Of course for adults the Napa Valley isn't that far from the SF Bay Area either in the event someone wants to go on a tasting tour.

 

31 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

I get it if they were only supposed to be in place for 10 years, and it's been close to 20.  At the very least, Disney should apply a bit more editorial control over the responses given by the Mom's Panel.  

https://disneyparksmomspanel.disney.go.com/question/buy-paver-commemorative-stone-magic-kingdom-last-time-339068/

But hey, who am I to question the all-knowing Disney Mom's Panel??

Depending upon how old you are 10 years is forever.

11 minutes ago, BradyBzLyn...Mo said:

that's a horse of a different color.

No this is a horse of a different color.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN75xqpqCGE

The guarantee from Disney was the brick would stay in place for 10 years. Since it ended in 2000 the guarantee would have expired in 2010. Looking at the installed pavers I think they could take them up individually but my guess is they want to do it on the cheap with a front loader and a dumpster. Still stinks if you ask me.

8 hours ago, momof3kids-Yvonne said:

You hear them too? 

That certainly would explain the rational Dave that showed up in the post above.

16 hours ago, mouseketab.....Carol said:

There are also the empty nester days to come! We didn't get our T@B until both of the boys were gone. When they were at home, we were Scout camping, and running to baseball games year round. I was the camping mom. For our rare vacations that were not baseball trips, it was hotels. Once the boys left, I still wanted to camp, but Rick was having nothing of the tent camping, so we got the T@B. While I go solo more than not, at least Rick will join me at the Fort with the T@B, and will go on an occasional state park trip locally so he can fish. Even as expensive as the Fort is, its still less expensive than even the values most of the time. It also provides us the environment to relax and enjoy the parks in smaller doses. The Value resorts don't provide that atmosphere.

This was Rene and I.

We wanted to camp even after the kids were gone but had decided at our ages there was no way to look dignified crawling in and out of a tent. We also found we weren't getting out as much due to the summer humidity making it harder to sleep as we got older. The result was buying an entry level TT which we used year round for camping and destination travel. Last year we upgraded to a somewhat larger trailer so I guess we're hooked.     

As I said in a previous post I was wondering if the Settlement was going to be reassigned to the DVC. I also seem to recall someone commenting that Trails End was going to get some remodeling or updating. It would make Di$ney sense, not the same as common sense,  to make the Hoop-Dee-Doo Review, an upgraded TE, beach and the rest of the Settlement a selling point of the DVC. The rumor of the tiered pricing off the Meadows certainly would fit with the change. Hopefully the artist took a fair amount of artistic license on the drawing. I guess we'll know by the next time Rene and I get down that way. 

17 hours ago, YENSIDCAMPER said:

Wait, isn't Disney considered liberal and Fox conservative?  If that is true what view point will prevail on the news side of the broadcast business?  I would think business wise both views would bring in more of the market than a singular view.

Disney is not getting the broadcast, news or sports portions of Fox. They are being spun to their own company still owned by Murdoch.

That looks like it would be fun. Might have to do that our next trip (whenever that will be).

16 hours ago, Katman1356...Jason said:

Be sure to let me know when you head up this way if you want to meet up. 

We arrive on a Sunday and leave that Friday so it is going to be a pretty tight trip. We will have to play it by ear after we get there as there are a number of places we would like to revisit. Part of the plan is to replace pictures that were somehow deleted from our last trip about 15 years ago.  

On 3/6/2019 at 1:21 PM, tim5055 said:

RV manufacturers are producing more and more units.  Couple that with the cost of developing a new campground and you end up with too many folks wanting to go camping at fewer campgrounds.  Basic supply & demand says the prices are going up.

I hear you on the too many people. State campgrounds we use to reserve a day or two ahead of time are now booked months in advance. The same has started happening to private campgrounds. Fortunately prices have been pretty stable here we can still get electric sites in the state parks for $22 per night. The private campgrounds vary with the season but the two KOA's we use down by the coast are still $65 - $75 per night for a full hookup site.

23 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Sunday through Thursday. 

LOL. 

TCD

 

While it doesn't help the weekenders it works well for folk like Rene and I where we arrive on Sunday and leave Saturday morning.  However we are heading up to the Boston area in May so this discount is of no help for us.

On 3/4/2019 at 3:57 PM, lightbikes said:

Only the bean counters are smiling

I'm sure Iger makes sure they are well paid to help justify his over the top pay package.

On 3/4/2019 at 9:18 AM, twiceblessed....nacole said:

Hate it...hate it..hate it.

Gee Nacole why don't you tell us how you really feel. 

I agree it is going to ruin one of the main areas of the Fort with the way everything is just being jammed up to the Settlement. It makes me wonder if the long term plan is to take what use to be Fort amenities in that area and reassign them to the DVC. 

59 minutes ago, mouseketab.....Carol said:

Looks cool, but I don't like that I need to use my phone for the "story"

I don't like the phone thing either.

Ride the launch or larger boat and see the fireworks from the lake or if you don't mind the paying money buy a fireworks cruise. I don't know if they still have it but the Wilderness Lodge use to have some pre-planned activities for kids during the day. You can also hop a boat to the Contemporary and then do a loop on the Monorail to see the lake area resorts and/or switch to the Epcot loop and get a look at it from he outside. At the Fort there are also carriage rides. On checkout day we pack up and park in the overflow lot then take a bus to Trails End for brunch before we hit the road.

That's good news.

When I saw the title I thought it might have been a former across the street neighbor of ours. He and the wife sold the house and bought a Class A. The day they brought it home he leveled our next door neighbor's mailbox. About a month later when they fired it up to leave they wiped the mailbox out again. They never offered to pay and when caught in the act the second time he used an expletive with the daughter and said something to the effect they better hope the mailbox didn't damage his rig. The really sad part is another neighbor of ours performs regionally in a gospel group. He owns and drives their tour bus and is more than happy to give anyone some lessons on driving large rectangular boxes on wheels.

Sheesh

2 hours ago, BradyBzLyn...Mo said:

Hopefully it's a quickie - otherwise that's going to be a heck of a bummer for people bringing dogs that were counting on the park being open.

I am super curious what "enhancements" will be added.... ball launcher? swimming pool? endless supply of frisbees? importing a flock (herd? squadron?) of squirrels to run circles around the place for entertainment?

Seriously I'd be happy with a few more trees and moving the picnic tables out of the sun.

With your crew maybe a herd of sheep?

I just don't understand these younger people (oh my gosh am I that old that I'm starting to sound like my parents?). In my day when we found a free way into a place or could sneak into areas we shouldn't be we kept it to ourselves so it wouldn't get found out. I mean what good are they if you can't use them again?

The problem with trapping in an area like the Fort is you tend to trap other wildlife as well. The same foods used to bait the dog are also appealing to raccoons and possums not to mention other critters. We've been there with trying to remove a litter of feral cats that were causing us problems. Nothing like an angry possum letting you know it isn't happy from inside the cage trap. I think the dog will be hard to catch unless someone can befriend it and gain its trust.

On 2/4/2019 at 10:31 AM, Katman1356...Jason said:

People booking the throwaway campsites don't always bother to cancel them. 

If they are still paying for the site I'm ok with it. Even if they only use it to get FP's after all what they do with  a site or room is their choice. It is also playing by the same rules the rest of us who actually use the site/room are.

1 hour ago, DaveInTN said:

If the buildings need maintenance, maybe they will carefully dismantle them so they can reuse the original timbers that were sourced in the Rocky Mountains, and rebuild them in the same locations but spun 180 degrees so they face the new resort and the backsides face the campground.   

I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't paint a backside on that backside to show us how they really feel.

Closing the road and walk during construction makes sense. There is going to be a lot of traffic and big trucks going in and out which is a safety issue. Not sure I buy the move of the Settlement as it doesn't make sense given it will be part of the draw for the new resort as well as the Fort.

11 hours ago, h2odivers...Ray said:

Besides if Disney raises their nightly room rates people will notice immediately when they are on line comparing prices. But if they sneak in a resort fee, like other resorts. People dont notice the resort fees easily. 

Yep. Fees are a way to hide room rate increases as they can bury them in the fine print and itemized receipt. The same reason quotes are the total price as most folks just assume the difference between the advertised rate and total is taxes.