Trip of a lifetime USA- CA or NYC?

[hakunamatatanoworries]

We have been saving up and have decided to take a once in a lifetime trip with the kids (6&8). We will never be able to afford this type of trip again so we want to make sure it’s perfect. Me and DH have always loved the USA and so there is no doubt that this will be where our trip is but we are stuck on where to go. We will definitely be going to Orlando for 10 days first as the kids really want to do Disney, the space centre and they want to do a boat trip to see crocodiles.

However we currently can’t decide where to go after- we like the idea of NYC (I have been before but the others haven’t) as we know we could visit the landmarks and museums etc for 3 days, we would then go to Salem for two days after (me and Dc are Halloween obsessed and this has always been a dream of mine). But I also worry that after a busy time in Orlando this may be too much.

The other option would be to go to California for 5 days, we would do 3 relaxed beach type days and then 2 days at a lodge in either Yosemite or Sequoia national parks. Husband loves CA but I’ve never been. I love the idea of the national parks as I’ve never seen that side of America and think it would be beautiful to explore, I also think the kids would have a bit of a wow factor with the scenery.

We really can’t decide which would be better! For context DD is very laid back and would be happy with either option she’s just excited to go on such a big holiday. DS is Audhd and is also very excited about the trip but I am aware that parts of it could be over whelming so we will have to explain the plans in detail to him before we go so he has time to process and prepare.

Any opinions or advice?

OP it seem you may be a little naive about the distances involved and the time needed to visit these places on the same trip / it’s not really realistic .
It sounds like you want to fit it all in - but you can’t .
California is huge - the whole state could be a holiday in itself . You simply can’t do the national parks any justice in two days - that’s ridiculous.

stick to Orlando , take a few days beach time afterwards at a Florida beach and save the rest for when you actually have time to do it .

Adding to my post... I do think you are trying to pack too much into 2 weeks.. I hadn't appreciated you only had time for 15 days. I would stick to either Florida or out west for the entire trip, and given the age of the kids I would go for Florida.

I think the New York option and then to Salem too if you like Halloween! If you opt for beach vibes I’d recommend Anna Maria Island in Florida as that is beautiful!

Do Orlando then go to the Everglades for an airboat ride to see alligators.Go sll the way down to Flamingo where you’ll see crocodiles too and manatees if you’re lucky. After that drive down to the Keys and stay at Key Largo. Visit Robbies and feed the huge tarpons. You’ll also see more manatees in the Keys. Eat key lime pie. Worth a visit to Hemingway’s house at Key West. Kids will like the 6 toed cats!
You could then fly home from Miami which is great for a couple of days. Visit Wynward Walls for entertaining wall art. Kids will love the clever 3d scenes. Great ice cream in surrounding shops. Ocean Drive is great for the beach and spotting retro cars and luxury sports cars if you’re interested. The Miami police were also very sweet with our grand kids posing for photos. You can see quite a lot over a relatively short distance once you’ve left Orlando.

I can't believe anyone would consider going to the US at the moment.

If genuinely a trip of a lifetime I'd wait until they were a bit older which would coincide with hopefully a less authoritarian government in place and less armed goons on the streets operating with no oversight.

Other than that id go Florida, NYC and Washington

I agree with waiting for a few years. My youngest was the age of your kids when we went on two big holidays and now as an older teen he can’t remember them at all.

If I was going to do a trip of a lifetime, I’m not sure it would be to Disney and NYC/CA (and I say this as someone who has been to Disney probably 5 times and lived in both NYC and CA!)

If you want to do it though, I’d personally shorten Disney and go for 3-4 days in the Keys. Then CA, road trip up Rt 1, Yosemite/Sequoia. I don’t rate LA or SF personally, but I do like the coast and little towns and national parks. I’d actually be more inclined to do the Southwest and Rockies than CA.

Other thing to bare in mind - US National Parks now cost USD 250 per person so that will be a significant cost to your CA plans (if you are visiting more than one day the most cost effective way is to make a non-resident annual pass)

The America the Beautiful annual pass for non residents is now $250, and covers up to 4 adults (under 16s are generally free anyway). 11 NPs are now charging a surcharge of $100 per adult - Acadia, Bryce, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion - so visiting any of one those makes the annual pass a no brainer.

we did 10 days in Orlando doing the parks and discovery cove then drove to Miami spent a couple of nights there and then went on a 7 day Caribbean cruise. Children were aged 8 10 12, it was ambitious with the travelling but we loved it

Plenty of National Parks on the East Coast eg Blue Ridge Mountsins/shenandoah Drive.

I can't think of anything worse than OP's itinerary. So many crowds! So much noise!

If NYC and Boston are on the cards, think about a meander up the East Coast. There is so much to do from Virginia up to Maine, and the driving distances aren't far.

My favourite US holiday with kids was in a Vermont Ski resort in the summer. It was both relaxing and as busy as you liked.

I've also enjoyed the Smoky Mountain National Park (incl Gatlinburg for tat), and various state parks in Ohio and Kentucky (we used to live there).

If thrill seeking is what you want for a few days, there are numerous huge rollercoaster parks all over the place.

Thank you for all the helpful comments. I agree that I was probably a bit naive hoping to fit it in to two weeks. The original plan was to go for 6 weeks and travel a few states but we felt it would be too disruptive to DS so I think we have now decided we will do 2 weeks in Orlando this year and then save the rest of the savings until we can take a longer trip when the kids are a bit older. Thanks all!

If it really is a ‘Once in a Lifetime’ trip, wait until your children are older so they will remember it. If it is not truly a once only trip, and perhaps you might do again in 6 -10 years then that is different..

We did a fabulous 3 week trip to California when our children were 6&8. They only have a few memories from that trip. We did another 3 week fabulous trip when they were 13 & 15 and they have fabulous memories from it and still talk about it almost 10 years later.

Also unless your 6 year old is tall and a dare devil, they might not be able to do lots of the rides. Maybe do Disney in Paris until they are older. Or Effteling in Netherlands, or Phantasialand near Cologne.

Personally I wouldn’t want to visit US at the moment. Things could get nasty at short notice. It will also be very busy and expensive with World Cup there this summer.

Cross post with OP.
2 weeks in Florida, with plenty of breaks from the theme parks, relaxing in hotel pools, etc is better idea for that age group. 2 weeks will be fairly full on and they are still very young.

I still wouldn’t go to US at the moment. But each to their own.

Not helpful but I want to one day fly to Los Angeles and hire a car and do a road trip all the way through California up to the Redwoods via beaches, National Parks, the lot. I’d want to do it over about 10 days.
If you’re set on Florida I agree just do Florida now. Then a seperate trip a few years later to California and a shorter trip to NYC with a day trip Salem thrown in.

No experience here, but I'd say NYC is a lot of walking and sightseeing, whereas CA might be more child-based.

honestly if you will never be able to afford a long haul 2 week trip again, there are just so many places in the world to see that are more amazing and memorable. Not to mention cheaper, you can holiday like a king in Thailand, Sri lanka or Vietnam for the same price you pay for just Disney passes.

If you're shortening the trip, go to St Pete or Sarasota from Orlando for some beach time with fairly short driving time. Longer drive, Key West.

I’d consider going myself to visit family but I won’t take my kids to the US for the forseeable

We've done NYC and Orlando in one trip, Boston and Orlando in one trip and also a CA road trip including Yosemite.

At that age I'd say Cali as they won't get a lot out of the cities. Although would also say consider just doing Florida really if you're going to go back.

Enjoy!!

I would say NY + New England. California is beautiful, but my personal preference is for the east coast.

You don’t have to do ‘full on’ NYC for the entire time there. From NY you can take the coastal route to Acadia national park Maine, and along the way you can see Providence, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Boston, and Salem. There’s also lots of quintessential New England fishing villages on that route. It’s not a long road trip either, about 500 miles in total.

Ah thank you, I hadn’t realised more than one person could use the same pass.. that makes it much more affordable.

The America the Beautiful pass is fabulous - pre Trump it was $80 for non residents, what a great idea to encourage foreign tourists to visit your national parks. Now it’s been bumped up to $250 for tourists, plus all the hassle of getting through immigration on landing, you do wonder whether the US actively wants foreign visitors.

The $250 pass is for up to 4 adults in a vehicle or everyone in a non commercial vehicle - depends how day fees are levied. Yes, it’s gone up a lot but it’s not awful if several parks are visited. Given the price of a USA holiday, it’s not huge. I’m glad ours was $80 last May.