Seeking critique to my LA/San Diego itinerary

[Gnomes]

I am aware there is a very good thread by T.T regarding LA but I dont want to hi-jack his thread. What I want opinions to is whether or not my itinerary is reasonable, too much wasted time, or too rushed.

Date: Last week of October. Hopefully there will be sunlight for helping with driving.
People who are going: 3 not very experienced drivers. Farthest place driven is to seattle and whistler with GPS help.... relatively calm traffic.
Places to visit in 1 week:
San Diego zoo
Seaworld
San Diego outlet
Disneyland
Universal studio

__________________________________________________ _____
OPTION A = $198 + $21 taxes & fees = $219 USD
SEA -> SAN, LAX -> SEA

Day1:
1. Drive to seattle, catch 1:40 plane
2. fly to san diego
3. arrive san diego at around 530 after gates
4. rent car and find motel A (3 nights here?)

Day2:
1. Day at san diego zoo
2. Motel A

Day3:
1. Day at Sea world
2. Motel A

Day4:
1. Outlet shopping
2. Drive to LA
3. Find motel B (3 nights?)

Day5:
1. Disneyland
2. Return to motel B

day6:
1. universal studio
2. Return to motel B

Day7:
1. Return car to drop off location in LA??
2. Catch 4:30pm plane to seattle
3. arrive SEA at around 8pm after gates
3. Drive back to Vancouver 10pm
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OPTION B = $190 + $93 taxes & fees = $283 USD
Day1:
1. Fly to LAX, catch 8:30am plane
2. Reach LA, 12noon after gate
3. rent car, find motel B (3 nights?)
4. still early, do something fun?

Day2:
1. Universal studio
2. Return to motel B

Day3:
1. Disneyland
2. Return to motel B

Day4:
1. Drive to San diego
2. Outlet shopping
3. Find motel A (3 nights?)

Day5:
1. San diego zoo
2. Return to motel A

Day6:
1. Seaworld
2. Return to motel A

Day7:
1. Drive back to LA
2. Return car
3. catch 7:30pm plane to YVR
4. arrive YVR about 11pm after gates

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Not sure which option would be least stressed and tiring. Is it worth saving $60 each person to go to seattle

[syee]

The schedule seems pretty realistic. To be honest, I enjoyed the San Diego Wild Animal Park a bit more than San Diego Zoo. I'm not sure if I could spend a whole day at the zoo either.

What I'd do is probably lump outlet shopping at the end of each day (if people aren't too tired). The outlets there are usually open pretty late (around 11 if I recall correctly) so it's good filler in the evening after an early dinner. That'll give you some more free time and give you the option to go to more than one outlet if you've got avid shoppers going with you.

I think BLI should be done with their construction at the end of September, so I'd probably suggest flying out of Bellingham. Allegiant flies to both LA and San Diego and the drive is a lot shorter. (as well as cheaper parking)

California driving might be a bit intimidating for new drivers as they drive pretty fast on the Interstates there. Otherwise, in the city, it's usually just stop/go slow traffic which shouldn't be a problem for most people. I would think a GPS is a must if you haven't been there and with not so confident drivers. (it's just one less thing to worry about)

[bcrdukes]

The schedules look realistic, as syee has mentioned.

GPS is a must in Socal - no exceptions. Even my family who has lived there for 30 years needs a GPS.

[Gnomes]

So an entire day at seaworld or San Diego Wild Animal Park/zoo wouldnt be overkill eh?

That outlet shopping idea is very good. I might even do the San Diego Wild Animal Park on my drive to/from LA <-> San Diego since it is located in between the 2 cities.

[syee]

Doing both the Wild Animal Park and the Zoo on the same day might be a bit too much. I'd imagine that they'd probably close up around sunset so you probably wouldn't be able to do both if you wanted to actually spend some time looking at stuff.

There's a pass you can buy that gets you admission into all 3 parks here. (San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park and Seaworld). You can pre-buy it online and just print it out if you plan on going to all 3 attractions.

[bcrdukes]

Originally Posted by Gnomes

So an entire day at seaworld or San Diego Wild Animal Park/zoo wouldnt be overkill eh?

That outlet shopping idea is very good. I might even do the San Diego Wild Animal Park on my drive to/from LA <-> San Diego since it is located in between the 2 cities.

Local SoCal tip - when driving between La/San Diego - DO NOT take the 405 between the hours of 3 to 6pm. You WILL regret it.

[henry604]

I just came back from a road trip down to L.A and San Diego. As bcrdukes said, don't go on the 405 between 3 and 6 pm. We ended up sitting in traffic for 2 hours to get to our exit which would usually take 20 minutes. Check out Cabazon premium outlets if you want to go shopping. Wicked stores and wicked prices a bit out of the way though as its near palm springs.

Bring a GPS if you plan to drive, theres no way of getting around it. My G.F and I would have spent hours being lost if it wasn't for our GPS.

I would suggest booking hotels ahead of time. Most companies will give you a better rate if you book online a couple months in advance.

Make sure you check online to find coupons and deals on tickets for the attractions you want to go see.

[Splmash]

I lived down in SoCal for a couple years and I have been to all those attractions numerous times. They are definitely worth the admission prices, generally. And whenever I fly down, I usually head all the way down to SD, to see some family first.

You may want to rethink about spending a whole day at the SD Zoo, and Seaworld. Unless you are bringing a kid along, it might be a lil overkill. There are a lot to see and it is definitely worth the trip going there, but a whole day might be dragging it out.

I like to do my shopping in LA instead of SD. And just visiting Hollywood and LA would satisfy all shopping needs.

A car, or a ride will be necessary in SoCal; LA especially. Car rentals is usually really fair in price but you do need to be 21.
+1 to avoiding the 405 during peak hours
+1 to bringing a GPS, since roads and foreign areas will always be confusing

It might not be the right time of the year but all of SD's water activities is super awesome. Parasailing, surfing, waterskiing etc.

If you are a sports fan, I highly recommend a football game. You do want to find tickets before hand tho.

[Amaru]

Forget driving to Seattle. 3 hours of driving time + border waits + airport parking + $40 of gas each way to save $60 for flights? You'll burn through that savings buying a couple of magazines in the airport. Take the Vancouver flight, arrive less tired, and return without any hassles.

SeaWorld rocks, imo. So many cool exhibits and shows, plus there are actual rides there. When you factor in the drive from LA, it's probably a full day affair. If you've got a few extra hours on either end, there's plenty of beaches & sightseeing to do in San Diego.

Definitely go for the GPS. Be confident when you're driving on the interstates and don't be afraid to be aggressive if you need to change lanes/make an exit... drivers there are used to it. Stay in the proper lane if you're going to be driving slowly.

Universal Studios has a "front of the line" pass that costs $30 or something like that. On a busy summer day, it's well worth it imo.

Oh, and to continue with Splmash's thoughts on sporting events... if you've got time one evening, you could go to a baseball game. It's an American institution, it's easy/cheap to get tickets, and it's a lot of fun. With three teams in the area - the Angels, Dodgers, and Padres - you shouldn't have trouble finding a home game during your time down there.

Have fun!