JB

It cost us about $5000 for 3 weeks (not including plane fares). But then that included things like VIP tickets to a show in Las Vegas, hiring a car in LA, some sightseeing tours, eating at some fairly expensive restaurants etc. That was for 2 people. We could have done it cheaper if we'd stayed in cheaper hotels or in hostels and eaten at cheaper places... Cheers JB

Hi guys, well, we're back from the States and we had an awesome time! We stayed at the Annabella hotel at Anaheim, which was a short walk from Disneyland. We went to DL for 2 days, then went to Knotts via shuttle. Then we moved to Hollywood and took the Metro to Universal, and hired a car and drove out to SFMM for 2 days. Let me tell you, driving on those freeways with no real map and bad directions used almost as much adrenaline as the coasters did!! Our first day at DL was overcast. This was the best thing that could happen because we walked onto practically every ride without a wait. I love the Matterhorn at night! Knotts was ok, but Xcelerator was shut, and I was pretty annoyed at that. Actually, half of the park seemed to be shut. The outstanding rides here were 'Perilous Plunge' - an insane boat ride with a serious drop; and 'Le Reveloution' - a pendulous, spinning ride with 4 g's. Very cool. USH was better than I expected. The Jurrasic Park ride was very cool. SFMM was very very cool. The first ride we did was 'Riddlers Revenge'. This was my first time in a stand-up coaster, and it was fun! We waiting about 1.5 hours for 'X' and it was worth the wait. Man, that is an awesome ride. Freaked me out when we did that first back-flip!! 'Goliath' was about a 3 hour wait, and we couldnt be bothered with that, so we did everything else. We came back the next day and did Goliath twice first thing in the morning before most people were in the park. It was a good ride, but not worth a 3 hour wait. At Las Vegas we had done so many rides, and we had so little time, that we didnt feel the need to do the coasters there. They did look good, but when they were open you had to wait a long time to get on them, and we just didnt have the time.... Anyway, I wanted to thank you guys for all the info you provided me with. You really helped me out. If anyone is going to Anaheim I can definitely recommend the Annabella Hotel. It's across the road from DCA, and only a 10min walk from Downtown Disney. The hotel room we had was huge and really nice. Anyway, thanks again. I hope you all get over there soon! Cheers JB

Damn, I missed out on this. Bummer.... I guess I was too busy at Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, Universal Studios and Six Flags Magic Mountain : ) Hope you all had a great time. I am definitely going to try to make it to Wonderland before it closes. cheers JB

Hi Guys, thanks so much for the info. One more question: can you suggest any good places to stay? Should we stay at one hotel for the entire time, or should we move away from Disneyland after our 3 days there and move closer to KBF or SFMM? Thanks JB

Thanks so much for this info. Ok, the plan so far is: LA: Disneyland (both parks) - 3 days Knotts Berry Farm - 1 day Six Flags - 1 or 2 days Universal Studios - 1 day and maybe have a day left over for other stuff like Venice Beach, Rodeo Drive etc etc This is great! I am ready to pack my bags now!! JB

Thanks guys. The plan has always been Disneyland, Disneyland California Adventure, Knotts Berry Farm, Six Flags Magic Mountain, and Universal Studios. I thought USH had rides, so we might have to rethink that one, as the emphasis is on rides in LA... I am looking forward to the Riddler - it looks awesome! Any ideas how long we need to spend at each park? We'll be in LA between 1st and 8th March, so I dont expect the queues to be too long. Liam, if you see a couple of Aussies with manic grins on their faces and video camera in hand, then you've probably found us!! Cheers JB

Ok, well, we're going to the US in March next year, and I was wondering how best to divide our time? Any suggestions on how many days to spend at each park, which parks are a must, and which parks to avoid would be really helpful. Also, any 'must do' rides would be appreciated. Here's the itenerary: Honolulu - 3 days LA - 7 days Phoenix - 3 days Las Vegas - 3 days San Francisco - 3 days Thanks! JB

Yup, I rode Space Mountain in Anaheim in 1983 - I think it was fairly new back then. I was blown away by it, and was looking forward to going back on it in our trip to California next year... bummer that it's not going to be open.... JB

I remember when the Thunderbolt was first opened. The excitement was intense.. and then I found out I was too small to go on it. Man, was I annoyed! I remember the excitement of the first time I went on it, and my ears were bashed into the sides of the seat... We used to go to Dreamworld nearly every year, and it was definitely something I looked forward to with a passion. The Thunderbolt is one of my childhood memories, and I shall miss the old heap of rust. JB