US help.

[a1v1n_]

Thanks for the tip. As it's our first time driving in opposite direction, any tip/thing we need to look out for compared to driving in Singapore?

Stop sign MUST stop.

Sent from me using GAGT

 

[NoLogicLah]

Anyone drove to key west florida before? Any recommendations what to do m eat there thxs

 

[patryn33]

Great Smoky Mountain dethrone Grand Canyon!

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/most-popular-national-park-service-sites-2017/index.html

2017 Most popular National Parks (59 total)

1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (NC/TN): 11,388,893 visits
2. Grand Canyon National Park (AZ): 6,254,238 visits
3. Zion National Park (UT): 4,504,812 visits
4. Rocky Mountain National Park (CO): 4,437,215 visits
5. Yosemite National Park (CA): 4,336,890 visits
6. Yellowstone National Park (ID/MT/WY): 4,116,524 visits
7. Acadia National Park (ME): 3,509,271 visits
8. Olympic National Park (WA): 3,401,996 visits
9. Grand Teton National Park (WY): 3,317,000 visits
10, Glacier National Park (MT): 3,305,512 visits

 

[o blong]

Btw, thinking of renting with Alamo. Any reviews?

Saw some negative reviews, but i had a smooth experience. Booked with them thru hotwire. Cheaper. Even got a car upgrade at the parking lot. Beware the counter staff who will upsell u a lot of things

 

[Shiny Things]

Anyone drove to key west florida before? Any recommendations what to do m eat there thxs

Yup! Been to Key West a few years back, and I’ve driven up and down the Keys a couple of times before. One very big, very important disclaimer: all my knowledge comes from before 2017, when the Keys got clobbered by Hurricane Irma. It’s entirely possible that most of the stuff I know is closed, or doesn’t exist any more.

As far as lunch stops go, Lazy Days in Islamorada is pretty great; not sure if it’s still there (see above), but when I was there it had a lovely outdoor porch right on the water and some pretty solid American food.

On your way down the Keys, stop in at the Publix in Marathon and do some shopping; Publix is a supermarket chain, but it’s more than that, it’s a Florida institution.

The local delicacy is conch (pronounced “konk”), a marine mollusc that’s sort of like a sea snail and is quite tasty when it’s battered. I can’t recommend any specific places to get it, but my one tip in Key West would be to stay away from Duval Street (that’s where all the tourists hang out), and ask the locals for recommendations instead.

Hope that gives you a few starting points.

Hi,

I am travelling solo to SFO in June, would like to know if there are properties that charges for day rooms ? I will be arriving 6+ pm and will stay for a night before my next flight to Hong Kong that only departs at midnight. This is not my first time in SFO, but would like to see the sights before heading to my next destination.

I will be staying at the Financial District area (I want to stay away from Tenderloin), but the hotel does not offer a day rate and check out time is at 12 noon. Booking for 2 nights will be a waste, and I read some hotels charges an early departure fee. I know those higher end hotels offers up to 4pm late checkout (but I am not their elite member so it's out) and some charges up to USD $150 for a 4 - 6pm late check out. Leaving my luggage with the hotel is not an issue, but I would like to freshen up before heading to the airport for a 14 hour hop across the Pacific to Hong Kong before I could possibly have a chance to shower. Too bad the SQ KrisFlyer lounge has closed to make way for the United Polaris Lounge, which is still under construction. There goes my shower.

I intend to head for the airport 9ish pm on my departure date.

If all you want is a couple of hours’ break and a shower, there’s an iPhone app called Recharge that lets you book hotel rooms by the hour during the day. Never tried it myself, but they’re pretty generous with the promo codes, and they’ve got good coverage in downtown SF, so you should be able to get a couple hours pretty cheap.

 

[koohansen]

If all you want is a couple of hours’ break and a shower, there’s an iPhone app called Recharge that lets you book hotel rooms by the hour during the day. Never tried it myself, but they’re pretty generous with the promo codes, and they’ve got good coverage in downtown SF, so you should be able to get a couple hours pretty cheap.

Thanks for the app recommendation, shall take a look!

 

[micromousez]

any method to use if the website only accept USA credit/debit card?

 

[Parmesean]

any method to use if the website only accept USA credit/debit card?

If you are in the US, you can get a gift card from CVS, and top up the money through there.

If you aren't, there are services online that charge a small fee, but they allow you to have a digital purse online with a US address.

Not sure how safe it is, but I do know that some websites can track if it is a digital purse, and not allow the transaction to go through.

 

[ceecookie]

any method to use if the website only accept USA credit/debit card?

I used this 5 digit postal code trick which worked for me during Black Friday shopping and Netflix US. Try this on your end -

1) Remove the 1st digit of ur postal code, and find the matching US city with the 5 digits. I.e 219428 is 19428, which map to Conshohocken, PA 19428

2) If the 5 digit is invalid, try adding zeros in front or behind until u get a valid postal code

3) For billing address, input your real street and unit number but use the city and postal code from step 1

https://regionfree.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/191232-how-do-i-open-a-us-netflix-account

PS: Try to use a US VPN when inputting this, as merchant payment system may also check your IP address

 

[wunderluster]

Yeah, save it for a trip back when you have a bit more time to dedicate to Vegas and Utah. If you had more time and a smaller crew, I'd absolutely say you should drive from SF to Yosemite to Vegas, because it's an AMAZING drive, but save it for the next trip.




One thing to note is that Highway 1, the famous highway that runs along the Pacific Coast, is still closed due to last winter's gargantuan mudslides. If you want to drive from north to south, you'll need to take highway 101, which is not quite as nice but still pretty darn good. (Don't take Interstate 5, which is fast but famously boring and awful.)

1) Oh god no, don't rent a car in San Francisco, you'll hate yourself for it. Driving in SF sucks, and parking is horrifically expensive.
2) Yes, for six people plus luggage you're going to need an SUV. I personally like Hertz and Avis.
3) I wouldn't bother. San Diego's a bit of a schlep.
4) As much as I love Death Valley: a) I don't think you have time, and b) yeah, DVNP in summer is going to be hot as balls. It's much nicer in the winter and early spring.
5) Mmm... I'm a little biased here, but I don't like LA that much! And you might have a little bit too long on the road trip - it doesn't take that long to get from SF to LA. I'd do something like:

• 4 nights SF
• Drive to Yosemite, do one night in or near Yosemite
• Drive back to the coast; do one night in Monterey or Salinas, maybe even two nights
• Head down the 101; stop in at Pinnacles National Park; do one night in Atascadero if you like wine, or Pismo Beach if you like the beach
• Keep going down the 101. Stop in Ventura for a night, and do a day trip to the Channel Islands!
• Steel yourself and drive into LA. Traffic in LA is disastrous, and LA is huge, so you'll want to split your time between the west side (where Universal Studios and the beach are) and the east side (where Disneyland and the outlet malls are).
• Spend two nights on the west side: stay in West Hollywood if you can, because that's closest to Universal; Santa Monica is a bit further away but it's OK too.
• Drive over to Anaheim, where Disneyland is; spend two nights there.

And that gives you a night left over to add in somewhere! A second night in Monterey would be nice, or an extra night on the west side of LA.

Hi. I am currently planning on the drive down the coast. I understand that highway 1 is closed. If thats the case is the Bixby bridge still accessible? I went to the website you stated regarding the road closure, but do not really understand which part is closed and what is not.

101 seems to be pretty inland, so there is not much view to speak of? I am looking at places to stop at along 101 but seems like nothing much?

Thank you for any advice given!

 

[Shiny Things]

101 seems to be pretty inland, so there is not much view to speak of? I am looking at places to stop at along 101 but seems like nothing much?

Thank you for any advice given!

On the contrary, 101’s pretty great, but you need to be open to the odd detour. Santa Cruz! Monterey! The wineries around SLO and Atascadero! Cambria! Pismo Beach! There’s lots of great little beachy towns to be found.

 

[mlam84]

Saw some negative reviews, but i had a smooth experience. Booked with them thru hotwire. Cheaper. Even got a car upgrade at the parking lot. Beware the counter staff who will upsell u a lot of things

Did you get insurance from them ?

 

[sgpapabear]

4 years back took some good advise from patryn33 & Shiny Things for our family first Cali trip, it was a blast! Now that kids are a little older, planning another trip this Dec. It will be 7 paxs to Florida for 2 weeks. Some poi:
1. Universal Studios
2. Legoland
3. Disney World (not sure as kids might not a Disney fans any more)
4. Old Town / Kissimmee Parks
5. Florida Premium Outlet
6. Florida Mall
7. Gatorland
8. Cacoa Beach
9. Kenedy Space Center

Anyone been to Florida can shared some advise?
Q1. Above poi any hits or misses i should consider?
Q2. Should I rent a 12seater van or split into 2 MPV instead?
Q3. USF and Disney was told need 2-3 days each, seriously?

TIA
(could not log into my old user, California)

 

[gumbokins]

4 years back took some good advise from patryn33 & Shiny Things for our family first Cali trip, it was a blast! Now that kids are a little older, planning another trip this Dec. It will be 7 paxs to Florida for 2 weeks. Some poi:
1. Universal Studios
2. Legoland
3. Disney World (not sure as kids might not a Disney fans any more)
4. Old Town / Kissimmee Parks
5. Florida Premium Outlet
6. Florida Mall
7. Gatorland
8. Cacoa Beach
9. Kenedy Space Center

Anyone been to Florida can shared some advise?
Q1. Above poi any hits or misses i should consider?
Q2. Should I rent a 12seater van or split into 2 MPV instead?
Q3. USF and Disney was told need 2-3 days each, seriously?

TIA
(could not log into my old user, California)

2) how many drivers are there? if got 2, maybe better to keep everyone together and have drivers take turns

3) Disney World has so many theme parks..I see online recommended is 5-7 days lol. with older kids maybe can plan for fewer days.

 

[sgpapabear]

2) how many drivers are there? if got 2, maybe better to keep everyone together and have drivers take turns
>2 drivers. Yes ideally to keep everyone in a single ride. But to fit all with luggages we probably need a 12 seaters van. I am worried about driving such a big car in unfamiliar place. More over, i read that the seats are not foldable, but rather, removable.

3) Disney World has so many theme parks..I see online recommended is 5-7 days lol. with older kids maybe can plan for fewer days.

kids are above 12, need to plan accordingly.

 

[Parmesean]

3) Disney World has so many theme parks... see online recommended is 5-7 days lol. with older kids maybe can plan for fewer days.

Even as an adult, I need a week at Disney world, if I'm heading to Florida, I might as well go all out....

 

[Shiny Things]

4 years back took some good advise from patryn33 & Shiny Things for our family first Cali trip, it was a blast! Now that kids are a little older, planning another trip this Dec. It will be 7 paxs to Florida for 2 weeks. Some poi:
1. Universal Studios
2. Legoland
3. Disney World (not sure as kids might not a Disney fans any more)
4. Old Town / Kissimmee Parks
5. Florida Premium Outlet
6. Florida Mall
7. Gatorland
8. Cacoa Beach
9. Kenedy Space Center

Anyone been to Florida can shared some advise?
Q1. Above poi any hits or misses i should consider?
Q2. Should I rent a 12seater van or split into 2 MPV instead?
Q3. USF and Disney was told need 2-3 days each, seriously?

TIA
(could not log into my old user, California)

Do Disney World, I mean, my goodness, how can you go to Orlando and not do Disneyworld. Never done it myself, but the tip is apparently to stay on-property at Disney rather than going off-property. And heck, you could easily spend four days at Disney; dunno about Universal Studios though.

7 people for two weeks, you might be able to get away with a big SUV instead of a 12-seater van.

 

[gumbokins]

Even as an adult, I need a week at Disney world, if I'm heading to Florida, I might as well go all out....

But only the Disney diehards can justify spending half of their trip in WDW.

7 pax may fit in one SUV, but 7 pax and their luggage might not.

 

[koohansen]

If you want to rent "huge SUVs"
Not all rental locations have them, you will need to contact the company directly and ask. Eg, 5 Adults + Luggage.
A 7 seater is just nice if you have 4x standard size luggage.

 

[fzhfzh]

I went LA Disney land last time. Spent just a day in there and I had enough. Depends on whether you like amusement parks.