We find many people first think about visiting Disneyland California after several memorable and happy trips to Florida. They love the easily accessible Orland arks and think hey why not try and visit the “Other Disneyland”. However, this is where people run into difficulties as there are very few travel agents that are really serving the West Coast parks.

You really are kind of left to your own devices to plan and book a trip to Disneyland California, and most people are not aware JUST how different the two resorts are. This means people go about planning their Disneyland California trips in the same way they would for Florida, and that is a mistake. In this article, we look at how and why the two resorts are SO different and how you can go about planning your trip to the original Disneyland Park in California.

And remember, despite this being a “Versus” article, we are not comparing which park is better, simply showing you the practical and objective differences between the two parks. Mainly as a way to adjust your expectations of what visiting Disneyland California is really like.

Why Are They SO Different?

This is a really good question. For a company that has such a strong brand ethos, and attention to detail where the focus is on recreating the same thing over and over with incredible accuracy, which is the basis of animation really. It is kind of surprising to hear both parks are so incredibly different. We think most people expect a cookie-cutter experience simply with the only real difference being the location.

This is far from the truth and the whole nature and experience of visiting the parks is wildly different. But why? Really it’s just mainly down to the locations. Walt made a mistake when building Disneyland. He bought a plot of farmland big enough for his ideas but left the surrounding plots open to other bidders. This was in a remote part of Los Angeles and the land around was empty and cheap. Walt chose this plot however as he was advised the new Interstate 5 was about to come crashing through the area turning this sleepy farmland into a bustling metropolis. When this happened, the land was snapped up and prices rocketed, leaving the park City Locked, with very little opportunity for expansion.

When planning the second park, Walt wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice, so when he bought up some Swampland down in Florida he made sure he bought enough to cover ANY future dreams, aspirations, and expansions he could wish for, along with the opportunity to run the whole area the way he wanted and control ANY hotels and lodging in the immediate vicinity.

This simple difference has meant both parks have grown completely differently as time has gone on, making any visit to the resorts completely different, but there are a whole lot of similarities too. After all the essential DNA is the same.

Similarities

Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Park

The biggest similarity is the two main parks at both resorts. These are essentially the same, just with the Magic Kingdom being bigger, but the essential layout is pretty much the same. You enter both parks under the railway bridge, and into the main square, you then walk up Main Street and into the main plaza with the same Partners Statue and the Castle in front of you. This plaza has the same spoked pattern leading you off into the various lands, Adventure land, fantasyland, Tomorrowland, etc… infact the only real difference at this stage is the Castle.

Even though the sizes are pretty similar, we were quite shocked at this as we always felt Magic Kingdom was a lot larger than Disneyland, but the Main Square, Main Street, and the Central Plaza are all about the same size, and even the Disney Railroads that circle the parks only slightly different lengths.

There are certain dining experiences and attractions that are common across the parks and even subtle similarities such as the layout of the Starbucks on Main Street, and of course branding and merchandising remain constant across all parks, but these strong similes are where the likeness ends and the differences are so much more seismic it really can feel like it’s a totally different world altogether.

The Castles

Many focus on the castle as the main difference, but really, that is a drop in the ocean. Yes, the castles are hugely different, but also the same. they are located in the same spot and serve largely the same purpose. California’s is a lot smaller and less grandiose, and, for many, they are initially very disappointed. The Disney castle is at the beginning of every Movie and you really expect something towering and grand, and while the Cinderella Castle in Floridas absolutely fits the bill, the Sleeping Beaty Castle in Anaheim… can come across as a little …well…s**t.

Now we really say this with love. The Sleeping Beauty Castle was built in a different time, and with a very limited budget, and it’s Walt’s own personal creation so we hate to speak badly of it. And infact we will defend it to the death, but there is no denying that on first impressions, especially if you have seen the Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom, that it’s pretty underwhelming. It has its own charm, and we love the fact it’s just the original castle from opening day, we have, with time, totally fallen in love with it. But those first few times…well, yeah.

But the point of this is, that it’s just a castle, they both have one and they both serve the same purpose, so despite looking very different, this actually isn’t really a difference at all.

Size

The biggest difference between the two resorts is the Size. There is no denying this, the Florida Resort is, erm, big. The whole site is 39 square miles. That’s larger than the island of Manhattan. It has 77,000 employees and a theoretical capacity of 330,000 guests, these numbers don’t really sink in though until you are there and you can see firsthand just how colossal it is. As we said the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland California, are pretty similar in size, but that is just that actual park. In front of Magic Kingdom is a lake, surrounded by hotels, nearly twice the size of the park, and then a parking lot nearly as big as the park itself. As we move out, there is another lake, bigger still vast wilderness areas, more hotels, 3 golf courses, the huge wilderness lodge, villa complexes, and even a Freeway…and this is just the Magic Kingdom Area..there are 3 more parks, many more hotels, two water parks, and even a vast safari park. It has its own transport network, police force, and sewage system. It’s basically a self-contained city devoted entirely to Disney…and Disneyland… isn’t.

It is much much more compact. If we are talking pure size, then it’s a minuscule 0.15 Square Miles, yep just up above we said Disney World is 39 Square miles, so 260 times smaller! The difference in size is unbelievable and it’s really hard for people used to the colossal Florida campus it really get to grips with it. But bigger is not necessarily better. We use the word compact intentionally here, as what Disney has done with this tiny footprint is insane!

The tiny footprint is home to two theme parks, three hotels, Downtown Disney, and even a host of parking lots, all in what is only a 4×3 block radius. The parks are packed with rides and attractions and navigating these is made SO much easier as everything is within walking distance. You can literally stroll from your hotel to the parks, explore both parks all day, head back to the hotel for an afternoon rest, and then back in the parks for the evening, You can’t always do this at Disney World as the time taken to get and from a hotel to a park is just too long, it can be over an hour and that’s staying in a Disney Hotel.

So while the Size is a huge difference it’s not clear cut that Disney World Wins, as the little pocket rocket just packs so much in!

Quantity

Again, there is no doubt there are more rides and attractions at the Larger Disney World resort. There are 4 parks and two water parks, you are just not going to get the same amount of rides in the two-park Disneyland. But honestly, the California Resort gives it a good go and some of the best Disney rides appear at both locations.

Due to the smaller footprint, Disneyland is not really able to house many big roller coasters, so there is no Expedition Everest or Rock ‘N’ Roller coaster. It lacks a Pandora (for now) so misses out on one of Disney’s best rides Flight of Passage, while Tron and Gaurdian Cosmic Rewind are still on California’s wish list. But really as far as top rides go that’s about all that’s missing.

How they squeezed in a Galaxys Edge is beyond us, but they did, there is a Tower Of Terror (now Guardian of The Galaxy), the Cars Themed Radiator Springs Racers is basically Test Track only 100 times better, there is a Soarin’ and pretty much all of Magic Kingdom and Disneylands rides are the same (just there is the seven dwarfs mine train at Florida, but loses out on Matterhoorm Bobslerds, Nemos Undersea Sumarine Voayage, and several older classic rides) It’s really quite an achievement.

Due to Florida’s excess space, the rides are just more spread out across the various parks, whereas California just feels more dense.

Time Scales

These last two differences are more notable due to the effect they have on visit times. Disney World is a Holiday, 2 weeks is considered a basic amount of time to Visit the Resort, with many people opting for longer trips just so they can take more in and get out of Disney to see other parts of Florida. However, we rarely spend more than 2 days in the Disney Parks.

The amount you can pack in a do in Disneyland compared to Disney World is staggering. We often read trip reports from Florida goers claiming to have had amazing days at a park where they managed to get in 4-5 rides including most of the big rides in any given park. True enough, that is a good haul in the Florida Parks, but if we don’t get 15+ rides a day over in California we have seriously been sandbagging (which does happen, sometimes we just get stuck on Sonoma Terrace with a bottle of wine…)!

With everything so close and clustered together you really can smash ut the rides at the smaller Disneyland park. It’s really the way the parks have evolved. Disneyland is a Themepark, a place to visit, to fall into a fantasyland, and then leave. Disney World is a vacation destination, you are meant to go there and spend your whole trip in the Florida Bubble.

Orlando Bubble

Once you have touched down at the airport, your whole trip is really planned for you. You might think you are in control, but it’s all been pre-sighted and ready for you to just follow along. You will likely get some kind of airport transportation, (although may get hire cars too), and head over to your specific Dinsey/Themepark Orineted hotel, even if it’s not a Disney property, it only exists to serve visitors to these parks. You will follow the specific highways constructed just to get you into the arks, or use Disney’s OWN transportation network, you will eat the food Dinsey has provided, ride the rides in the way the parks laid out or the app steers you towards, you will see the same sights, take the pre-planned photos, and then leave back to your specific hotels ready to do it all again.

It’s all very self-contained. You are not really in a real place, it’s all just Disney and even the bits that aren’t are still constructed just for the purpose of serving the gusts of Disneyworld and the other parks. If the parks were not there, it would all just be SWAMP!

While your time in Disneyland will be much the same it’s the time out of the parks that will be more varied and more “REAL”

Disney Hotels

Both Parks have a selection if Disney Hotels, but they are vastly different in the way they let you experience the parks.

There are huge advantages to staying in a Disney hotel at Disney World. Not only the various perks you get for being a guest such as Early Entry and Early access to Fastpass and Dining options, but you are also inside the Disney Bubble, which is another bubble inside the Orlando Bubble. The only hotels in the Dsiney Resort area are Dsiney-owned, meaning 3rd part hotels are all further from the parks. Being in the Disney Bubble means you will have direct transport options to the various parks. Certain hotels have better links to certain parks, but essentially now have great links to all parks as the resort is just so huge.

The Disneyland Hotels are very different. There are fewer direct perks and the advantage of being closer is lost as Disney does not have control over Hotels right outside the park gates. This means you can stay in a much cheaper, higher-class hotel and still have all the benefits of being right by the gates. We scarcely stay in Disney properties in California, whereas at Disney World we see it as pretty much essential.

Packages

This is where the biggest difference for UK visitors comes in. There are a multitude of companies selling packages to Disney World from the UK. They will provide flights, hotels, tickets, even Disney dining, and car hire, and transport. It’s almost like an all-inclusive with every aspect taken care of. These same guests then think about trying California and there is basically nothing.

You are completely left to fend for yourselves, Sure you can book flights, and there are loads of hotel booking sites, but who knows what the hotels are like…and what are you going to do in Anaheim once you have done all the Disney Stuff…Disneyland’s longest ticket is only days! It’s a world away from the simple easy package trips to Florida.

Which is where we can help. We have put together years’ worth of California Trips and know from hard-learned experience all the best places to see and things to do in the Golden State. Click the Contact Us button so we can look to put together the perfect Disneyland trip from the UK. We can help you plan your flight, and hotels and find all the best things to see and do. There is so much to see and do and asking us for a proposal is totally free, so what have you got to lose, contact us today so we can take the stress out of planning your trip.

California vs Florida

And with this final category, we get to Disneyland California’s trump card…it’s in California. As we said inside the Orlando Bubble all your wants and needs are taken care of, you never need even leave the Themepark area, and that’s a good thing, as there isn’t much out there but SWAMP. In contrast, California really is the promised land.

From the bustling cities of San Francisco, LA, and San Diego, to the smaller towns of Napa, Monterey, and La Jolla, it’s a State of contrast. Towering redwoods, scored Joshua Trees, towering mountains and rolling plains, farmland, endless metropolises, incredible wildlife, and soaring skyscrapers. Drive 100 miles in Florida and you will go from swampland to more swampland. Drive it in Cali and the landscape can change 4 or 5 times. It really is one of our favorite places in the world and we would love to give you the chance to fall in love too.

And all the best trips to California include a little bit of Disney thrown in for good measure!

Weather

As a final difference, we should also mention the weather, and this is another clincher for California. Mild and sunny winters and warm and sunny summers offer perfect themepark visiting conditions. Months can go by without rain, and there is very little in the way of extreme weather events. Contrast that with Florida. It’s going to be hot and humid…in the winter, and scorching hot and disgustingly humid in the Summer, when it’s not tipping it down due to thunderstorms…and those are the good times, July to October is Hurricane season and just watching the news at the minute should tell you all you need to know about those in Flidoa in present-day conditions.

Overall

Really there are huge differences between the overall experiences between the two. We still think trying to pick a winner is pointless as both have their pro’s and con’s and suit different kinds of audinaces and travellers.

If you are coming from the UK then California is more geared up for those with an adventurous spirit. For a 3 or 4-day trip to Disneyland, the 11-hour flight is just too much and it’s imperative you are planning a trip to see the wider area. For Florida you really can just be heading to the theme parks, there is stuff to see outside the bubble, with the everglades, Miami, and the Keys all within striking distance, but it’s more up to you if the trip is 100% Disney or a mixture of both. Where as with Disneyland California, it’s definitely more of a case that Disney just be a small part of the trip. But luckily there are endless possibilities outside of Anaheim, you just need to go looking!

Hawaii is a dream destination for many UK travelers. With lush green landscapes, crystal blue oceans, and year-round sun, there is a lot to desire about this picture-perfect Suft Paradise.

It’s one that has built its reputation from thousands of TV and Film references throughout the years and has been the go-to tropical destination for Movies and TVs for generations. From Elvis’s Blue Hawaii, Hawaii 5-0, and Magnum P.I. to more recent appearances in White Lotus, Young Rock, and the upcoming Disney remakes of Lilo and Stitch and Moana. With endless appearances in between from Pearl Harbour, Forgetting Sarah Marshal, Battleship, Friends, and 50 First Dates. You are even in Hawaii when you don’t know you are in blockbusters such as Jurassic Park, King Kong, Lost, and Jumanji.

Whenever Hollywood needs a Tropical Paradise Setting, Hawaii is often where they head, and this has enshrined HAwaii’s beauty in our minds as THE tropical paradise.

But it’s one destination that is pretty poorly served by UK Travel Agents and tour operators. And even those more specialist operators that do service the Islands, however, they are not what we would call specialists. It’s more of a case of them booking a hotel based on a star rating and sticking you on a plane hoping everything will go ok…

This is where we come in. We can really help offer a personalised and tailored experience to Hawaii. And we do this through our extensive knowledge of visiting the Islands, over and over, for many years.

Choosing an Island

This is an article in itself, but to be brief. There are 4 main Islands of Hawaii. Oahu, Maui, Hawaii (or the Big Island), and Kauai. Choosing which island to visit is a key part of planning your Hawaii Vacation.

Oahu – The Gathering Place

The economic and administrative capital of the State. Home to the Built-up metropolitan area of Honolulu, the world-famous Waikiki Beach and Pearl Harbor, and stunning natural landscapes. This is the Famous island, the one with endless place names and locations you are bound to have heard of.

Maui – The Valley Isle (aka The Honeymoon Isle)

This is more the Hawaii of your imagination. Much less developed yet still modern and westernized. Large ultra-luxury resorts sit next to quaint condo complexes with staggering beaches and natural beauty.

Hawaii – The Big Island

This is Hawaii in its rawest form. Wild Remote and extremely rugged. The Big Island is still not finished and its 5 volcanoes still produce regular eruptions and form new land. On the whole, it’s not as pretty as the other islands, but it’s got a rugged charm and the volcanic landscape is really striking. If you want to see volcanoes, The Big Island is the on;y choice…it’s also really BIG!

Kauai – The Garden Isle

The Garden Isle really lives up to its name. This is the oldest of the 4 and is the most green and lush of all the islands. Home to the wettest location on earth Kauai gets more rain per day than most places see per month. However, fear not, most of this rain is located in the inaccessible interior. The Tourist centers on the coast offer year-round sun. But all that rain keeps Kauai impossibly green and verdant. This is old-time Hawaii with very little in the way of development and offers a more rustic way of life.

Picking out an Island is the first and hardest part of planning your trip. But the good news is there are no bad choices. We can help you find the right island for your trip, along with planning out where to stay and what to see. We can even really help make the choice easier but planning an Island hopping trip to see two or more of the Islands.

Get in touch so we can help you plan the perfect trip

Booking Flights

The first stage of planning your trip is getting the flights sorted. And this is where complications arise as no UK Carrier offers good options for flying to Hawaii. It’s not like just hopping on a plane to Florida or New York…

Direct

Our golden rule is ALWAYS book direct flights to anywhere. The only exception is if the location you are going to does not have any direct flights flying to it, and unfortunately from the UK, Hawaii does not. You are going to have to stop off somewhere on the way for at least a couple of hours…

Lay-Over

The Classic Layover flight is one where you touch down at an airport part-way, de-plane. hang around in the airport, maybe venturing out a little on longer layovers, then re-boarding and carrying onto your destination (assuming it’s a single layover, some travel agents will over double or even triple layovers…)

We have done the Layover option plenty of times and quite simply it sucks. These are LONG flights, often 11 hours and then 5 hours with 2-4 hours in some awful US airport. By the time you arrive, you are turned upside down, inside out, and utterly exhausted. Expect to be awake and on the go for around 30 hours straight. It’s not fun. You need a good 2 hours + at any lay-over single stop and these are not fun parts of the trip. At best you will be stuck in awful departure lounge seats, crammed in with thousands of other passengers, or worse still stuck trying to get through immigration and security hoping you get through in time to catch your connection.

It’s awful and we think the main reason tour operators ignore Hawaii as a UK destination.

Multi-City

This is a better option and you can break the flight up to make the trip much easier, giving you time to recover in between flights and even make more out of your trip. For example, you could break it up and have a few days in San Francisco on the way. Maybe a few days in LA exploring Hollywood, or even stop off for a night or two in Sin City!

The only problems are Airlines are limited in the flights and routes they can offer and their systems only offer certain options and often come up blank. And they can even serious price gouge making the flight too expensive. And there is a better way.

Two-Stage Booking

This is our preferred way of doing things now, after lots of trial and error, overly expensive flights, and poor advice. This is essentially a Multi-City Booking, but doing away with single airlines. Essentially what we do is break the journey up into two parts.

Part 1: Getting to the States – Using a UK CArrier, or at least a carrier that operates as a UK route, we book flights to the States. This can be any City really, but for Hawaii the West Coast world best, L.A., Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego, and Seatle…we have even done this through Vancouver and Canada…it’s all the Same. Just get yourself booked on a flight to the States, to a city you want to visit and spend some time in. You can even do this as a Multi-City, such as flying into Vegas and out of LA, as we did on this EPIC three-stop trip we did in 2022.

Part 2: Domestic/Internal flights – For this stage, we just book directly with a US carrier. These flights can be a real steal when not packaged up as a horrible layover flight. You might even find you are on the same flight Virgin or BA were trying to put you on but for much less. There is a lot of choice and a lot of competition between the US carriers so you can get some really good deals just by flying directly from a major USA airport. We use Skyscanner or Google Flights to find the best flights and then book directly as ALWAYS.

Doing it in two parts gives you TOTAL flexibility to customise the trip how you want it. When booking Multi-City and Layovers, airlines are limited to their partners and do not always provide the best option. By splitting it into two parts YOU are in control and you get the flights and the trip you want.

Example:

Day 1 – London Heathrow -LAX Virgin Atlantic

Day 2 – 3 Exploring LA

Day 4 – Hawaiian Airlines – LAX – Kahului (Maui)

Day 5- 19 – Two Weeks in Maui

Day 20 – Hawaiian Airlines – Kahului (Maui) – LAX – Overnight in LA

Day 20 – Morning in LA* – LAX – London Heathrow

While this is the best way, it can be complicated and hard to plan with a lot of research. However, can help you find the best flights, book some great accommodation on your Stopovers, and really make the best out of this part of the adventure, turning something that must be endured into something that can be enjoyed! You’re Welcome!

* book with us through one of our preferred partners and we can sometimes offer you a Late Check-Out amongst other exclusive perks, so you can spend the morning relaxing.

ESTA/VISA

You will need either an Esta (an electronic Visa Waiver) or a Tourist Visa to gain entry to the United States on a UK Passport.

Most travel agents or tour operators will mention this at some point. Normally after booking, when all your hard earned has gone through as a non-refundable payment. But we want to get you on board with this right from the get-go. Get your Esta’s or Visa’s in place before committing to anything.

Applying for an ESTA only costs $21 per person and once successful lasts 2 years. However if declined, getting a Visa can take months and if you leave this until a few weeks out as most travel agents suggest you risk losing your trip and NO travel insurance will pay out because YOU failed to get your VISA in place. You will have lost ALL non-refundable monies.

So before paying out anything, just get your ESTA in place. At worst you will know you need a VISA and can start working on that. Chances are you will be approved and it’s one less thing to worry about…

we will happily guide you further on this matter if you choose to book through us.

NOTE – There are several ESTA Scam Sites out there. We only advise you on ESTAs, we advise you to fill out your own application and do so through the Official site – found HERE

Accommodation

Next up, you are going to want somewhere to sleep.

Hotels

The obvious solution is a hotel, right? And this is a fantastic way to spend your vacation in Hawaii. However, it’s one we rarely choose for our Stays. Infact, outside of Honolulu we have never stayed in a hotel in Hawaii. Instead, we tend to opt for more rustic settings, more on this in the condo Section. Essentially hotels in Hawaii, again outside of Honolulu where the is more of a range, hotels tend to either be ultra-luxury and way outside our personal budgets, or Condo Complexes.

Most Hawaiian Hotels are stunning luxury resorts with endless amenities, manicured grounds, and stunning dining options. However, with prices starting at $1000 a night for some locations, they are extremely costly.

Condo’s

This is where condos come in. The majority of the Cheaper hotels offer condos rather than Rooms. These are similar to the Apart-Hotels you get in Europe and offer fewer amenities outside the condos, but more features within, such as a fully fitted kitchen, dining rooms, and the all-important Lanai (Balcony).

We love condos and these are our primary choice when staying in Hawaii. Not just because we find them more cost-effective, being both cheaper initially and allowing you to shop in the local supermarkets to reduce dining costs, but because they allow a more immersed feel. They feel like you are living in Hawaii, albeit for a short stay. Hotels always make you feel like a guest, but condos allow immersion in the surroundings and end up feeling like a home away from home.

That first morning, when we rise far to early due to jet lag, and sip that first Hawaain Coffee on the Lanai…ahh it just makes it all melt away and you know you are back home.

The big issue with condos is the HUGE range of quality. Some are pretty basic and run down, a lot were built in the ’60s and ’70s and not all were maintained well. There is also a huge array of choice as many owners rent their condos privately. And there is the huge issue of illegal lets, something that is getting worse and worse as the governments crack down on these to help a very serious housing crisis happening on the islands.

Having stayed in multiple condos across all the islands we are really well placed to help advise where is worth staying and where you should avoid!

Guest Houses

We also like the smaller more rustic Guest house-style accommodations that are scattered about the islands. These offer a more budget approach to travel and like condos help immerse you into the Hawaiian lifestyle. We tend to go for these in the wilder, less traveled parts of the Island such as Hana, or the North Shore.

All-Inclusive

This is just not a thing in Hawaii. No hotels offer this option, and at best you may get a little resort credit and breakfast included. Really this is a good thing as there are SO many amazing dining options on every island the last thing you want is to be stuck in a resort eating at the same old Buffet Station!

Cruises

The Closest you will get to an All-Inclusive is a Crusie. There are some excellent cruise options in Hawaii, most notably the Norwegian Cruise Lines Pride of America which sits in Hawaiian Waters year-round and allows you to experience all four islands in 7 days.

However, we feel the cruise option does not really give you the real Hawaii experience. The joy of these islands is waking up every morning, with Koina Coffee, knowing you are feet away from the ocean, nestled in a real tropical paradise…you just don’t get that docked in a Cruise port with 2000 other holiday makers.

Camping and Van-Life

If you are looking for some seriously budget travel then you can look at these sorts of options. They are not for us, and tbh not really very good for Hawaii in general. There are far too many restrictions as to where you can pitch a tent or park your RV/Van that you basically have to spend the whole trip in a few pretty grotty campsites. It’s not the freeing experience you might think it is.

Let us help you pick out the PERFECT location for your Hawaiian getaway. Be it a cute little oceanside condo, ultra-luxe resort, or quiet little guesthouse in the sticks. There is a lot of choice in Hawaii, and we have a ton of first-hand experience – get in touch NOW

Getting Around Hawaii

Getting around whichever Island you choose is going to be an issue. Most of Hawaii has very poor public transport links. This essentially boils down to the buses, tour groups, taxis, and Ubers.

Ubers and taxis are costly and only work in the more populated parts of the Islands. You are not going to be able to use these in the more remote areas which many people will still want to visit.

Bus services are good, but they are limited to, again, only really servicing the more popular areas. They are more designed for locals to get around with little thought into the needs of tourists. And really…who wants to be waiting around at a bus stop, in 30-degree heat when you are in paradise?

Organized tours are a decent option. If you are staying in a resort and just want a couple of days heading out to see the sights and do activities then these tours will get you to the real Hawaii. But they are not cheap and you are always on someone else schedule…seeing the things they want to show you. They are always fun and the guides do an amazing job, but they have a lot of limitations.

All of this is really to try and shepherd you into the idea that there really is only ONE way to get around any of the Hawaiian Islands…and that is a Rental Car. Hiring a car is relatively cheap, you will be on your own schedule, can go wherever you like, and really get to see the real Hawaii.

It really is the best way of visiting any of the Islands, and we strongly suggest considering this option. We know some from the UK may be a little apprehensive about driving in the States, but Driving in the Islands is a breeze. Everyone is on Island time, and the roads are mainly small regular roadways (there are only 3 Freeways in all of Hawaii, all of them in the Honolulu area).

If you choose to let us assist with your bookings, then we can help arrange car rentals, and as you are from the UK you can get full coverage insurance much cheaper than most US visitors thanks to our compulsory insurance inclusions.

Drop us a message and see if we can help arrange your Dream Hawaii vacation.

What to see and do in Hawaii

The Fun Part…and here you are going to be spoilt for choice for attractions, tours, and things to see and do. With so much on offer, you might need a little help narrowing down all the amazing things Hawaii has to offer. These attractions obviously differ by island and really deserve their own articles, and we have written just such articles over on YourUSACityGuide.com

• Things to do in Maui
• Things to do in Oahu
• Things to do in the Big Island
• Things to do in Kauai

We know that’s a lot to get your teeth into and we would love to help you narrow it down and find the best sights and attractions on the Island, or island of your choice. Let us plan your trip for you and we will have plenty of time to talk about all things Luau, Snorkelling, Crusing, Helicoptering, Exploring hiking, Zip lining, and everything else these amazing islands have to offer.

What are you waiting for?

Drop us a line today for your FREE, no-obligation consultation to see if we can help you plan out the ultimate Hawaii Vacation from the UK

Our primary aim is to assist in planning and executing the perfect trip for you to our focused destinations. Most of our clients are UK-based and are looking to book travel to locations not normally as well covered by UK Travel agents. We have personal and intimate knowledge of these destinations and leverage this to help you plan out the perfect trip.

Many people love planning every detail of their trips themselves. This is fine, infact it’s exactly what we have done for years, so much so we even enjoy doing it for other people’s trips and are the go-to for our friends and family who are booking their trips away. But not everyone has the time nor inclination to sift through a million online reviews, travel guides, and forums to sift the wheat from the chaff. This is where we step in

However even if you are a delf planner, we are always worth giving a try as we offer some unique perks and insights that really might help you elevate the trip to another level.

Below we look at the differing levels of service we offer and how much we charge, clear, concise, and upfront

Initial Consultation – FREE

Get in touch now for your totally free consultation. Here we can touch base on what kind of trip you are planning, what sort of service you would like from us, and if we would be a good fit for each other.

We do not offer All-Inclusive trips (these are just not offered in our specialist destination) and focus more on Bespoke style trips, with us piecing together the various elements for you. For the destinations we offer, the sort of package deals people are used to just do not exist from UK suppliers so our services can really help get you to a hard-to-reach destination with the sort of ease a package usually delivers.

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Initial Proposal – FREE

If you like the sound of our services after the consultation we can go ahead and put together a rough itinerary and initial costings with a choice of hotel and activity offerings. This is really our bread and butter and we can piece together the perfect trip for you and your family. Whether this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Hawaii, a pilgrimage to Walt’s very own Disneyland, or your very own Fairy Tale in New York, we can help make your dreams a reality, and hopefully sprinkle our very own fairy dust on top.

Example Proposals:

• Disneyland and Southern California
• New York City
• Hawaiian Honeymoon
• Las Vegas Multi-Base

Onboarding with the Fora Travel Service

As part of this, we can onboard you with our Partner the Fora Travel Service. This is our booking partner and through them, we can offer a host of enhancements and perks to help make your trip even better. They also handle all the payments through a Secure portal and are IATA-backed so you know they are a bonafide Travel Provider.

Booking Stage – FREE

Once the proposal is accepted by you, we can go ahead and start booking your Travel. We may need to tweak and tinker with the initial itinerary a little, to fit your tastes, but this is all part of the planning stage.

We can then get on with booking your chosen hotels and activities to start to bring your trip together. As a way to stagger things you may choose for us to just book the accommodation at this stage and only look at finalising tours and attractions nearer the time. We can also look at Transfers, Car Hire, and extras such as lounges, airport hotels, and parking, anything to make your trip complete.

We can also share our guides to getting the best out of any given destination. We have been in the Travel Guide Industry for over a decade and visit these parts of the states several times a year, we really know all the best parts of the locales along with the pitfalls and tourist traps! We can suggest Beaches, natural wonders, Road Trip routes and highlights, Hikes, Restaurants, Food Trucks, Bars, and even ride reviews and photo ops, anything to make your trip incredibly special and memorable.

We tend to shy away from booking your flights for you. As a 3rd party, there is little advantage in us booking flights for you. Infact it can become a real issue should there be a rare instance of a flight cancellation or serious delay. In that instance, Airlines will be unwilling to talk to us about your flight, and usually, this just adds a layer of complexity that is not really necessary or helpful. Instead, we suggest you book your own flights and do so DIRECTLY with the airline, this is the number one way to avoid any issues.

But do not worry, we can offer plenty of help and assistance in finding you the best and cheapest flights with our preferred Carriers. As part of our Travel Website, YourUSACityGuide.Com we have reviewed hundreds of flights, services, and airlines so we really know what makes a good carrier and how to get across the pond in the most style, along with getting the best deal on Airfares.

Detailed Itinerary and 24-hour Concierge when away – £100 per trip

For really complex trips, where we may be required to come up with exceptionally detailed itineraries, or where you may rely on us in real-time when you are at the destination we may request a booking fee. This will always be stated up front and before you commit to anything financially. Often we make our money from the commissions we can earn on the various components of the trip and do not require any further financial compensation. But in some instances, where a lot of the work is non-commissionable and we are required to commit to a lot of planning hours we may request a fee.

We will always be on hand while you are away for emergencies and will check in with you on tour travels, but for the most part, we try and arm you with enough information to get away and just enjoy the trip. If we are required to be a little more hands-on, then this may incur a fee. Again, this will be made clear BEFORE, any financial commitment.

Go Traveling

While you are away we will keep in touch and make sure everything is going as planned, along with liaising with any preferred hotel partners you are booked with to ensure you are VIPed and receive any additional perks we have provided for you.

With us in your corner, you are bound to have the best trip possible and see and do the things you always dreamt of

Happy Travels