California holiday - Yosemite, Monterey, disney

[PrincessPopsicle]

Hi, would really appreciate some planning help for Cali holiday.

We have 2 weeks. Fly to SF and stay for 4 nights, then 2 nights as yet undecided, 4 nights LA, 3 nights LV and final 2 nights undecided.

The 2x undecided were going to be Carmel/Monterey and Yosemite (in that order but now thinking may change this to avoid 7 hr drive from LV) but youngest has just asked if we are going to Disney. We weren’t planning to, but do have Universal and Warner Bros in mind for LA.

Does anyone have a view on where is good to stay in Yosemite - general location helpful (found nice hotel in Fish Camp?), we are 5, so accommodation isn’t always super easy. I think we’d like to see the main attractions there, but are not seasoned hikers (and I’m a little afraid of bears). I’m hoping we’ll find an organised tour to join (assuming they exist).

Also, anyone any thoughts on whether 2 nights is overkill (given how little time we have to play with) for Monterey etc. We would like to do whale watching and I’m told the aquarium is amazing. Could we nick a day from here to go to Disney and not suffer?

Any other tips on what not to miss while we’re SF/LA/LV and anywhere in between, would be fab. We fly at the weekend, so not much time to organise!

We stayed in the tent-cabins in what is now called Curry Village. It was great. My only complaint was the price/quality of the food (see my post above).

Sorry to jump in but I'm just starting to think about USA road trip for 2020. I know it's a bit of a how long is a piece of string question but what's a very rough price pp?? I'm not very confident about booking a hol outside a package but I know I'll need to if I'm going manage a trip like this.
Thanks

It's impossible to say without knowing what you want to do! Assume flights £800 each? We spent at least £100 per day for food for 4. We used Airbnb as hotels were very expensive. It's not a cheap.

If you have a rough idea of when you want to go put some dates into Skyscanner. Compare prices for LAX, SF and LV. Try 13/15 days ie going on a Fri returning on the Sat or Sun. This can be cheaper than a straight 14 days.

I used Bookings to find accommodation then used Trivago/Trip Advisor to find the best price. Also worth checking directly with the hotel to get a good price.

Our flights were cheap. Around 470 per pp Edinburgh to SF via Heathrow. Next time I will go cheaper on hotels as they really are just a base as you are out and about dawn till dusk. Saying that San Francisco and LA are always going to be expensive. Vegas is cheaper especially during the week.

You can still eat cheaply if you are not too fussy but taxes and tips put the price up. I tried to find hotels that included breakfast. Best Western and Hilton Garden Inn provide a basic buffet. I also thought that supermarkets were expensive for drinks and snacks. Fuel is still cheap.