Travel : United States

[Honey]

LAX is messy but Orlando Airport is very pretty esp end of the year with the Christmas Light up. There is a Hyatt at the Airport.

[Honey]

TripAdviser (TA) at http://www.tripadvisor.com is a very good place for you to do research on travel. Type in the city you want to visit & you'll find recommendations of hotels to stay, things to do & see. You can even ask questions at the travel forum.

[Honey]

You can actually move around on your own in SF. The public transport there is pretty efficient. We stayed at Sheraton’s at Fisherman’s Wharf which is close to the Pier. You can walk around the whole place for the whole day. You can take a bus outside the hotel to Union Square, to Chinatown. You can ask the hotel for recommendations to join day tours. Read up in TripAdvisor where you would like to visit within San Francisco. They even have recommendations of day tours rated by tourists.


If you drive, rent a car in LA & Orlando as the public transport there are not as efficient as in SF (SF is a more compact city). Also due to the sheer size of LA & Orlando, it is easier to reach places of interest. In LA, it may still be easier cos of the metro. Choose to stay somewhere where there is a metro near & go around by the metro is still possible without a car. You either take a shuttle from LAX to the hotel or go by cab which could cost US$100. So if you rent a car, it is more value for money. You may PM me for more ideas as I am also going to California with family & have been to SF & Orlando as well. Hope can be of help.

[dolphinsiah]

Good evening Honey,


Thanks for sharing your travelling experience…
As you have travelled to USA quite recently…could you share with us
a)how’s the weather in SFO during Dec
b)Will it be very cold to travel to Yosemite during Dec ?
What sort of clothings must I prepare…winter clothings…or clothings to suit aircon temperature?
10 years ago when I was in Kansas it was snowing …everyday was like ice box…3 to 4 layers of clothes…had to carry umbrella and the ground was so wet…

That is why I do not want to go New York during Dec…I am not a cold weather lover…

Question on Orlando, the weather I guess must be pretty cool right?
So what do you suggest when we take water rides like Jurrassic …when 90% we will get soak…avoid these water rides ? How to handle water rides if we want to go for it…the water must be extremely cold…freezing ???

Thanks in Advance for your kind sharing…

[dolphinsiah]

verykiasu2010:

LAX is undergoing major upgrading and expansion. quite messy. was there a few weeks ago


SFO is relatively newer and more pleasant and more spacious.

If going to Orlando via SFO, immigration clearance is done at SFO, that is, the first landing point in US. Must get the luggage and redeposit it for the domestic flight

Immigration at SFO is in my experience much more friendly. I usually request all immigration officers (any country, I mean) to stamp my passport at a specific page and location, because I travel a lot and easier for me to keep track if the stamps are in sequence. Only the LAX one gave me a black face and PURPOSELY stamp some where else and gave a retort : \"I stamp where I like it\" and threw my passport at me. :stompfeet:

SFO to MCO (Orlando) is domestic. If your intention is to visit both places, then when you do ticket booking, indicate multi-city booking, and treat SFO as a stop, and SFO - MCO will be on a different date. On return if you don't want to stay over in SFO, just indicate MCO - SIN, and the stop over could be some other city than SFO. By booking all the way to MCO, you save more compared with booking SIN-SFO r/t, then another set of tickets SFO-MCO r/t. You can simulate the booking on the airline website and see the fare differentials

Thanks Councillor,
I tried the Domestic Flight booking with Multicity... I was given quite a number of option from SFO to Orlando.... :xedfingers:
I will be using EVA air to SFO....EVA do not travel to Orlando....so must take
Domestic Flight the next day to Orlando....
Which means SFO will be our entering point to USA and also the leaving point from USA....

Rent a car to drive in USA ....do not think will dare to try....because Left Hand drive.... :nailbite:
Will join local tour to LAX and Vegas.....
The pros of joining a tour....everything is taken care ...
Cons is time is always restricted and must give tips like seow.... :frustrated:
I think about SGD12 per day per person...10 days trip SGD120 tips...
3 person SGD360.... :moneyflies:

[verykiasu2010]

you can try booking on United / Continental or delta, quite cheap


understand the Orlando in December is not as cold as HK

[Honey]

The weather in SF can be rather cold in Dec. We were there 2 years ago & it rained hailstones (1st time in 30 years, that year was what many call freak weather), must have been 5 - 10 deg so do be prepared to be in Winter clothing. We don’t take very well to the cold & were decked in 3 - 4 layers, including Wind breaker (especially me & dd, we don’t take very well to the cold). We even had gloves on some days. The weather tends to be colder in the morning & evenings, especially in the fisherman’s wharf, nearer to the coast. So you layer & un-layer along the day. No need for inner thermal though.


We went to Yosemite on a hot summer day years back so I can’t comment on weather in Yosemite in Dec, I would presume it to bevrather cold in Dec possibly mid or low single digit.

As for Orlando, the weather is cool right but again we went there 2 years ago with the freak weather, it was rather cold to me though it is not as cold as in SF. The wind factor plays a big part to the cold. So if it is a windy day, it tends to be colder.

What we did 2 years ago was took Northwest Airline via the Multicity route. Our 1st point of embarkment was LA where we transit for 2 hours & took domestic flight to Orlando & went over to SF & departed from SF.

Instead of joining a full tour which I would rather not, why not join selective day tours, leaving you with more flexibility. In SF, you can really do on your own even without a car or joining tours. You can take Amtrak up to Yosemite. Check out the time of departure of the amtrak train. You can check out amtrak.com on their interactive route & even travel by Amtrak from SF down to LA & even San Diego.

It is very drivable in Orlando. The roads are wide & the drivers are very patient. With regards to the water parks in Orlando, I am not sure they are open in Winter. Do check them on the web 1st. I suspect they could be closed in Winter.

[jtoh]

dolphinsiah:

Good evening Honey,


Thanks for sharing your travelling experience....
As you have travelled to USA quite recently....could you share with us
a)how's the weather in SFO during Dec
b)Will it be very cold to travel to Yosemite during Dec ?
What sort of clothings must I prepare....winter clothings...or clothings to suit aircon temperature?
10 years ago when I was in Kansas it was snowing ....everyday was like ice box....3 to 4 layers of clothes...had to carry umbrella and the ground was so wet...

That is why I do not want to go New York during Dec.....I am not a cold weather lover....

Question on Orlando, the weather I guess must be pretty cool right?
So what do you suggest when we take water rides like Jurrassic ...when 90% we will get soak....avoid these water rides ? How to handle water rides if we want to go for it...the water must be extremely cold...freezing ???

Thanks in Advance for your kind sharing....

Hi. The weather in SF is chilly in Dec. It's COLD in Yosemite. If you dislike the cold be sure to have warm clothes ready, especially wind walls in Yosemite.

Weather in Orlando goes to the extremes in Dec. It can be nice and warm in the day and really chilly in the evening. So be sure to wear layers so you can peel them off and on as needed. For the water rides, there are little huts with heaters for you to dry off after your ride. You have to pay a nominal fee for them. Alternatively you can wear a rain coat and hope for the best.

[dolphinsiah]

Good evening,


Thanks for the great infor…Wow a heater to dry off …when wet …
I guess these Heaters must be those coin operated machine…?

BTW, when you were in Orlando did you stay on site at Walt Disney…
I plan to do that…so that we can take adavantage of the extra Magic Hours only for their own Hotel Guests…

but was shock about getting reservation on Meals at Restaurants…
All Restaurants at Walt Disney serving Buffet Breakfast are fully book…
Tourists were advised to make reservation…6 months in advance for meals at restaurants…

So how do we get Hot Breakfast (very important ) before we ‘zoom’ into the Theme parks.

Outside the Theme Parks do they have fast food outlets…serving Breakfast ?

For your kind sharing.

Thanks.

[jtoh]

Hi dolphinsiah,


Yes those heaters are coin-operated. I remember them at Universal Studios Orlando. Not sure if they have it at Walt Disney World.

Yes we stayed on-site at WDW. We were kiasu and made reservations 6 months ahead so had no problems with meals. Some of the WDW hotels have cafeterias where you don’t need reservations. They’re convenient for quick breakfasts or suppers. And if you buy the refillable drink mugs you can have free flow of drinks from your hotel for as long as you stay there. You save ALOT in drinks that way, knowing how expensive refreshments are at WDW.