Advise on US trip !
Dear Friends,I am planning a trip to US with my wife and require to book some tours /also some good budget stay -in the central tourist places or easily commutable to the city centre.
kindly suggest some good tour operators to do the bookings for local tours or links to do it self . This is our 1st trip there , so any suggestions/recommendations for stay /travel/ weather /must see tourist attractions ,etc are welcome. Our trip plan is for 1 month
trying to book flights from mumbai to miami on 29th september and return back on 29th October
29th Sept & 30th september- Miami stay required
1st to 6th October- Business conference in Miami (stay not required).
7TH –flights from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas (plan to apply Visa in Miami -Any info would be appreciated)
8th Bahamas(Nassau) –Tour/stay details required if any
9th – late afternoon -Return from Bahamas to Orlando
9th –Check in Orlando
10th/11th/12th –Disney park- tour passes (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios , Disney's Animal Kingdom) (what are the types of discount passes for all the 4 parks within 3 days -without any restrictions to & fro to single park or entries?)
13th /14TH- Universal studios
15th- Kennedy space Centre
16th –Flight from Orlando to Sanfrancisco via Dallas
17th –Day tour Sanfranciso /Night tour if any (suggestion on tours/places/stay required)
18th –San Francisco to Los Angeles (any night tours or must see attractions?)
19th Los Angeles tour suggestions required
20th –Los Angeles to Las vegas transfer by bus (Any evening tour suggestions?)
21st – Las vegas strip limo tour as well as chopper ride (recommendations on timings/tours /prices, etc)
22nd -Grand canyon tour
23rd- Las vegas to new york- flight
24th /25th –New York 48 hour hop on/off tour (statue of liberty tour/empire state building /nyk ship museum, some shopping recommendations any other suggestions please?)
26th- Washington DC tour
27th/28th- plan to see Niagara falls ( want to see the canadian side and apply visa in Miami or new york ? is that possible or should I go for the US side Niagara within these 2 days plan?)- how to plan this one ?-any local tour operators ?
29th -Fly back Nyk to mumbai.
This is rough trip plan , I hope this is doable and not spending more or less time at one place ? any suggestions/recommendations on tours/stay-Hostels/hotels /prices/ attractions /etc
thanks in advance.
Rgds
Nik
1
Ok, to summarize, you are spending 9 days in xFlorida (excluding the business trip), but a total of roughly five days in xSan Francisco, xLos Angeles, DC and xNYC combined.That itself is ridiculous, in my opinion.
so any suggestions/recommendations for stay
What is your budget, in numbers?travel
Read FAQ 242.weather
How do you suggest/recommend weather?See weather.com for averages.
must see tourist attractions
What are your interests? History? Art? Hikes? Bikes? Music? Food? Shopping? Night clubs? Strip clubs? Remember, we don't know you, and what we like may be what you hate.How old are you?
Are you willing/able to rent a car?
Disney park
(what are the types of discount passes for all the 4 parks within 3 days -without any restrictions to & fro to single park or entries?
Disney website.(what are the types of discount passes for all the 4 parks within 3 days -without any restrictions to & fro to single park or entries?
New York 48 hour hop on/off tour
Don't bother. Stick to the subway to get around, or walk.plan to see Niagara falls
To steal and augment a post from poster zeldasdad:For the Geographically Challenged, Google Maps provides the following distances from New York City:
Niagara Falls is 426 miles away
Morgantown, West Virginia is 371 miles away
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is 371 miles away
Youngstown, Ohio is 397 miles away
Wheeling, West Virginia is 405 miles away
Richmond, Virginia is 343 miles away
Portland, Maine is 335 miles away
Montreal, Quebec Canada is 374 miles away
Nags Head, North Carolina is 438 miles away
General consensus:Niagara Falls is 426 miles away
Morgantown, West Virginia is 371 miles away
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is 371 miles away
Youngstown, Ohio is 397 miles away
Wheeling, West Virginia is 405 miles away
Richmond, Virginia is 343 miles away
Portland, Maine is 335 miles away
Montreal, Quebec Canada is 374 miles away
Nags Head, North Carolina is 438 miles away
If you feel you absolutely must go, then go.
If you are on your way to xToronto, go.
If you are making a random side trip to see it because it is there, you're crazy.
want to see the canadian side and apply visa in Miami or new york ? is that possible
Ask on the Canada Branch. And while it seems you are from India, make sure you tell them who issued your passport.Hostels/hotels
Read FAQ 243.prices
Rough costs.I highly recommend you invest in a guidebook and look at a map.
2
20th –Los Angeles to Las Vegas transfer by bus (Any evening tour suggestions?)
21st – Las Vegas strip limo tour as well as chopper ride (recommendations on timings/tours /prices, etc)
22nd -Grand Canyon tour
23rd- Las Vegas to New York- flight
21st – Las Vegas strip limo tour as well as chopper ride (recommendations on timings/tours /prices, etc)
22nd -Grand Canyon tour
23rd- Las Vegas to New York- flight
"Los Angeles to Las Vegas transfer?" "Transfer" has a specific meaning in the U. S. when you are riding a bus. This is probably a language problem. You are going to the Los Angeles Greyhound station and taking "the dog" to Las Vegas. The joke is that people drive a $50,000 car TO Las Vegas and ride a $200,000 Greyhound bus home FROM Las Vegas.
If you can afford a Limo tour of The Strip and a "chopper ride" you should be able to find a more elegant means to travel to Las Vegas from Los Angeles. Google "Papillion," Scenic Airlines," and "Las Vegas helicopter tours" for companies offering the service. For my money, eating a formal dinner in the restaurant at the top of the Stratosphere Tower is a better deal. It doesn't cost any more than the air tour, it lasts longer, you're at the same elevation as the helicopters, and the views are better. The tower is on The Strip. The helicopters don't overfly The Strip. Time dinner for sunset. Most people tour The Strip on foot after sunset.
Again, what sort of "tour" are you contemplating for the Grand Canyon? The BEST way to see the Grand Canyon is to drive there from Las Vegas. It is a 5 hour drive each way so make the trip an overnight. There are air tours available. If you take an air tour from Las Vegas, be certain that it goes to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. You are being "ripped off" if it goes anywhere else.
Google "Papillion," Scenic Airlines," and "Grand Canyon Airlines" for companies offering the service. In my opinion, there is no difference between a fixed wing and a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon. The fixed wing aircraft are less expensive. None of them are "cheap." Again, a Grand Canyon Air Tour is incongruous with taking Greyhound to Las Vegas.
So, you don't plan to see a show in Las Vegas?
I count 3 entries into the U. S. on your planned trip. One on your arrival in Miami, one on your return from the Bahamas, and one on your return from the Canadian side if Niagara Falls. All three occur within 30 days. I don't know how the rules work for foreign visitors. Be certain that you do before you arrive here the first time.
Have a great time.
3
Uhh, thats a hellish trip. is this the amazing race?First be aware its peak Hurricane season, and the Bahamas and Florida are both in the usual path of these gigantic storms.
I would forget Orlando, and go to the parks in LA/San Diego areas, Southern Califorinia is much nicer than Orlando area on all levels.
Not sure how much you can get done in San Fran in 2 days, what about wine country too?
If you are going to NYC, dont so the hop on hop off, a waste of time, use your feet, taxi's and the subway, also, go to Niagara falls from there...
No point in going to Wash DC for a day?? You need 3 minimum.
The flights to all these places are all day flights when said and done between getting to airport early, the flight, luggage, then car, the hotel.
Its 5 hours flight from Miami to LA. From west coast to east coast is 5 hours too.
4
In another thread, you said that " I am an Indian passport holder with valid multi entry US visa." That would have been helpful to have posted here. It appears from that other thread that your visit to Niagara Falls may depend on your ability to get a Canadian visa.16th –Flight from Orlando to Sanfrancisco via Dallas
17th –Day tour Sanfranciso /Night tour if any (suggestion on tours/places/stay required)
18th –San Francisco to Los Angeles (any night tours or must see attractions?)
17th –Day tour Sanfranciso /Night tour if any (suggestion on tours/places/stay required)
18th –San Francisco to Los Angeles (any night tours or must see attractions?)
You are spending a whole day on an airplane in order to spend a day in San Francisco. Then you are spending only a day or so in Los Angeles. That is really not the best use of your time. I would pick either San Francisco or Los Angeles and spend more time in the one place.
Neither city can be really seen in a one-day tour. You will be rushed around and will just get a glimpse of many things. You will enjoy them more if you take one or two half-day tours of specific areas and spend the rest of your time exploring on your own. In San Francisco, for example, many people want to visit Alcatraz Island. That alone takes about 2.5 hours.
One thing that may be a consideration for you. You do not need a car in San Francisco. It is a compact city and you can walk ot many places. Transit is good and there are many taxis. Los Angeles is large and spread out and is best done by car. Although there is transit, it doesn't go everywhere and can be very time consuming. If you really only have 1 day in LA, you don't want to spend most of it waiting for a city bus.
You can easily fly from San Francisco or Los Angeles. That might be preferable to taking a bus.
6
You can easily fly from San Francisco or Los Angeles. That might be preferable to taking a bus.
Oops! I left something out. The OP plans to take a bus from LA to Vegas. My sentence should readYou can easily fly from San Francisco or Los Angeles to Las Vegas. That might be preferable to taking a bus.
7
Thanks for the tips and suggestions ! I have dropped Bahamas from the plan and added additional days to LA & SF -so roughly 2.5 days each places ... I hope that should be enuf :)I am not taking bus either from SF to LA , the suggestion given to me was a bus travel from LA to LV
.... but I think I am seeing options to take flights there as well (LA to LV). ....
Thanks for the suggestions on the grand canyon and I think I will explore New york on own without the hop/on & off option -metro/subway/buses ,etc
I think i would have plenty time in New york & I have still some additional days to decide on the Niagara falls siteseeing .. I am still working that out !
thanks everyone !
