Advice Needed - SPRING 2012 TRIP - ORLANDO to VEGAS

[Bad Boy Bazza]

Hi

We need some advice on what to do and where to go - our current itinerary is below (subject to change) - I think we get a bit lost after Houston and before Tucson

DAY 1 - ORLANDO Sat
• Gatorland - $20
Overnight - Orlando

DAY 2 - CAPE CANAVERAL
• John F. Kennedy Space Center - $41 – 45 miles from Orlando

Tallahassee, FL
• Antique Car Museum - Batmobile

Drive 200km to Pensacola
Overnight - Pensacola

DAY 3 - PENSACOLA/ MOBILE

Drive 70km to Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
• Home of the Oldest Carnival/ Mardi Gras
Overnight - Mobile

DAY 4 - MOBILE/ BILOXI/ NEW ORLEANS

Drive 70km to Biloxi
Biloxi, Mississippi
• Casinos
Drive 100km to New Orleans
Overnight - New Orleans

DAY 5 - NEW ORLEANS

New Orleans
• French Quarter/ Bourbon Street
• See a Jazz Funeral
• Louisiana Voodoo
• Lil Dizzys
• Willie Mae’s Scotch House
• Vaughan’s Lounge

Overnight - New Orleans

DAY 6 - NEW ORLEANS

Overnight - New Orleans

DAY 7 - NEW ORLEANS

Drive 100km to Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge
Swamp Tour – 2 hours - $20 - Interstate 10 – Exit 109
www.cajuncountryswamptours.com
Drive 70km to Lafayette
Lafayette
• Centre of Cajun Culture in Louisiana
Overnight - Lafayette

DAY 8 - HOUSTON ST PATRICKS DAY Sat
Drive 250km to Houston
Houston
• Energy Capital of the World
• Lyndon B Johnson Space Centre (25 miles south of downtown Houston)
Level 9 Tour – only 12 available each day – book in advance – begins at 11:45am – visit Mission Control and see where the astronauts train - $90
• Sam Houston Race Park – horseracing
• Tour Port of Houston – boat tour – free
• Beer Can house
• Katie, TX – 1/3 scale replica of Terracotta Army
Overnight - Houston

DAY 9 - HOUSTON TO AUSTIN

Drive 220km to Austin
• Iron Works Restaurant – Best BBQ in Texas
• Congress Avenue Bridge – Downtoen Austin – home to the largest urban bat colony in North America – 1.5m – each night from mid-March to nov – bats emerge at dusk
• Live Music Capital of the World – hub is 6th Street.
• Local Motto – ‘Keep Austin Weird’
Overnight - Austin


DAY 10 AUSTIN TO SAN ANTONIO TO FORT STOCKTON

Drive 100km to San Antonio
San Antonio
• The Alamo

• Ozona, TX – Davy Crockett County
Overnight in Fort Stockton? Around 400km drive

DAY 11 FORT STOCKTON TO EL PASO

Drive 250km from Fort Stockton to El Paso

• Lucy’s – best Mexican Food
• National Border Patrol Museum
• Gene Roddenberry Planetarium
Overnight and PARTY in El Paso!

DAY 12 EL PASO TO TUCSON

Drive 400km to Tucson

• Through Las Cruces – where majority of people work at nearby White Sands Missile Range
• Side trip to Tombstone – original 1880s Western building – ‘The Town Too Tough To Die’ – site of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral – daily re-enactments at 2pm – I10 – take exit 303 in Benson to Highway 80 – 24 miles south.
• Pima Air & Space Museum – SR-71 Blackbird – offers bus tours of the “boneyard” – Davis Monthan AFB
• Titan Missile Museum, 25 miles south of Tucson, Green Valley
Overnight - Tucson

DAY 13 TUCSON TO FLAGSTAFF

Drive 350km to Flagstaff

• Take Scenic Apache Drive near Phoenix?
Flagstaff, AZ
• World’s first “International Dark-Sky City” – Lowell Observatory.
• Helicopter Trip over Canyon?
Overnight - Flagstaff

DAY 14 FLAGSTAFF TO VEGAS

Drive 400km to Vegas
Hoover Dam
Grand Canyon

DAY 15 LAS VEGAS/ GRAND CANYON

To Vegas

DAY 16 Las Vegas, NV

DAY 17 Area 51/ Rachel, NV
• 3 hrs drive north of LV along Highway 375, the Extraterrestrial Highway.
• Little A’Le’inn restaurant and bar
• Drive up to restricted area

DAY 18 Vegas – Flights back

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

It looks as though you have been doing plenty of research and digging out places of interest to you and is far more detailed than we could have offered, good job !

• Helicopter Trip over Canyon?

From the Grand canyon airport in Tusayan you can take a 50 min flight over the National park area and is a truly wonderful experience that will stay with you forever. We used Papillon Helicopters and was very pleased with the service. As great as it is, it is not a substitute for standing on the rim of the Grand canyon and soaking it all in, particularly at sunrise or sunset, so I wouldn't recommend the Heli flight if it meant sacrificing time at the rim edge, do both !

DAY 17 Area 51/ Rachel, NV

From Vegas, I think you would have a much better time with a day spent in Death valley. Little Ale'inn is fun if you are passing through, but you won't be able to get anywhere near the restricted area or see anything and would run the risk of being 'hunted' down by border control and moved along. It's a remote area and the Aliens are very shy ! ;-) Death valley on the other hand, is a spectacular landscape !

[Midwest Michael]

I agree you've done an excellent job of planning.

The only area I think you'll have real problems is the day in the Tucson area. You've listed a lot of stops - and several of them are pretty significant detours. I don't think you'll be able to get to everything you've listed.

Having said that, its quite possible you'll find that with your other days. Anytime you make a detailed schedule like this, its important to remind yourself that it will change when you are on the road. You'll decide to spend more time at some areas, and even find more areas you couldn't have possibly known about until you are on the road. As long as you stay flexible and keep your plan as a guide, and not a bible, you should be in great shape.

I'll also add that I agree with Dave that the ET highway would not be my first choice for your limited time near Vegas. If it were me I'd go with Death Valley or one of these other options.

[Bad Boy Bazza]

Hi guys

Thanks a lot for your helpful comments.

We appear to have hit a major bump in the road so to speak.

And the bump is called One Way Fees - so relating to Car Hire. I'v ebeen using www.carhire3000.com and obtained a reasonable quote. However looking into One Way Fees it appears that we will be charged $500 + Local Taxes just as a One Way fee for picking up in Orlando and dropping off in Vegas. Is there any way around this? Anyone know?

Maybe a company that doesn't charge these One Way Fees? Wishful thinking?

Any solutions/ ideas more than welcome

Thanks again

BBB

[Bad Boy Bazza]

Below is what I saw

Please Note - There is no fee for one way rentals within the states of Florida and California, or for one way rentals between the states of California, Arizona and Nevada.

So I guess our current 'solution' is to pick up in Vegas and Drop off there also. We would get to drive around a fair bit but wouldn't kae it further East than Austin I'd say so that would mean no Swaps and No Gators and no Cajun culture :(

[Foy]

In the event your trip can include New Orleans, be aware of the dates for the 2012 Jazz and Heritage Festival. It's second only to Mardi Gras in terms of tourist visits and runs for two weekends + the week in between.

Down in Austin, become aware of the 2012 dates for the "South By Southwest" music week(s?) and the rapidly growing "Tech Fest" gathering a week before (not sure about the exact name of the Tech Fest, but many of the graphic artists/designers my wife works with are fans of the affair).

Have a ball!

Foy

[Bad Boy Bazza]

Cheers Foy - knew about SWSX but will look into Jazz and Heritage Fest now.

Any idea re: CAR HIRE? See my/ our issue above

[Midwest Michael]

One way drop fees are simply a part of the industry. Every company has them in one form or another (some simply raise their daily rate for one way trips instead of including it as a line item fee).

On a cross country trip, it is basically impossible to avoid the drop fee, and $500 is actually quite reasonable. Keep in mind, 1 way rentals are more expensive for the rental agency, as they eventually have to get the car back to the original destination too.

If that $500 is a death blow to your plans, then you may have to look at doing a loop.

[Bad Boy Bazza]

Thanks Mike

Its not a death knell but it does move our car hire price up around 300% - now looking at £800 in GBP I think.

Looked at a loop but then we miss getting that whole 'cutting a swathe' thru the country feeling.

Looks like we may have to just absorb.

[Midwest Michael]

Based on some quick math, that sounds like you're still only paying about US$25 a day - which is really a great price for any car rental, but especially for a one way trip.

I just noticed this is a one way trip, and since you are doing it in the Spring and starting in Florida, there actually is a possibility that you could find an excellent deal for car rental. Often times the major car rental companies end up with a glut of cars in Florida, that have been driven down over the winter. Quite often you'll see companies offer great deals if you are taking a car out of Florida in April or May (I think Hertz did something like $10 a day to any destination once.)

You would have to wait and see if something like that becomes available - you likely wouldn't hear about it until January or February at the earliest. It is an option if you are willing to gamble a bit, however, considering the price you are quoting right now, I think you're already doing pretty good.