Mexico cruise or Las Vegas roadtrip, in January?

Yes I think I understand the weather difference now. I meant Las Vegas and Palm Springs might be a better combo itinerary than Las Vegas and Grand Canyon. Partly because Las Vegas would be the main destination but a whole week in that area seems to much, partly because there's a big difference in driving distance and partly because we'll be needing at least an overnight anyway somewhere before heading back to LAX.

I wouldn't make Las Vegas the main destination, I'd make Palm Springs/Palm Desert the Main destination with a couple of nights in Las Vegas. Three nights in Vegas is the max of my limit of toleration.

Palm Springs is amazing that time of year with lots going on.

I lived in Turd Town ( LAS aka Tinsel Town ) for 20 yrs. Luckily I was only there half of the month usually. My Mom is on Princess 10 day New Years cruise from SFO on Dec 30. Alot of comments on Death Valley, main attraction is Scottys Castle. Flash floods destroyed the place and "hopefully" it will reopen in 2019. We've gone on HAL and Carnival from San Diego in Jan while living in Vegas years ago. Rough seas once, 25-30ft and glass the other. The drive from San Diego to Las Vegas non stop can be anywhere from 5-8 hrs depending on traffic. I would take a drive north, might be alittle wetter, but Santa Barbara, Hearst Castle, etc... Can also be VERY windy in Jan in high deserts. I had my pool freeze in Las Vegas in Jan before, so not much sun and fun. More like bundle and run.

Thank you all for the suggestions :)

We haven't decided yet, but there's still time. I'll let you know.

/Henrik

Just back for an update on the plans. We decided that there's just too much to see & do for our first visit in the area, so we've decided to skip the cruise. We'll do 4-5 nights in Hollywood, 3-4 nights in Anaheim, 3 nights in Las Vegas and 2 nights in Palm Springs.

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

/Henrik

Just back for an update on the plans. We decided that there's just too much to see & do for our first visit in the area, so we've decided to skip the cruise. We'll do 4-5 nights in Hollywood, 3-4 nights in Anaheim, 3 nights in Las Vegas and 2 nights in Palm Springs.

 

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

 

/Henrik

I think you have a nice mix there, but I'd take one night from Las Vegas and do an overnight at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Do check out the El Tovar Hotel.

http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/lodging/el-tovar/

I think you have a nice mix there, but I'd take one night from Las Vegas and do an overnight at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Do check out the El Tovar Hotel.

 

http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/lodging/el-tovar/

Yeah originally we planned for Grand Canyon, but have now changed it for Palm Springs. Cold, snow and a long drive etc to South Rim didn't sound so appealing. Also, West Rim doesn't seem to be "the real thing". We considered air sightseeing from Boulder City, but again it only goes to West Rim and it seems short and low winter sun with long shadows seems to impair the views. For the last day in Vegas, we'll do Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire instead. Also we can visit Joshua Tree on our way to Palm Springs.

/Henrik

Going up the 101 north of San Francisco is amazing. There's a reason it's called the Lost Coast. But this route isn't practical for the OP.

Actually, 101 north of San Francisco is not a very scenic drive until you get past where Hwy 1 joins it near Gurneyville. Taking the Hwy 1 turnoff from the 101 just after crossing the Golden Gate bridge takes you to Muir Woods and on to Stinson Beach and then to Pt. Reyes, then on up the Sonoma County coast to Mendecino and Ft. Bragg. Hwy 101 goes inland from the coast through suburbs and farmlands and doesn't get out to the coast again until you get to Eureka. 101 north of Eureka is a scenic drive, but I doubt they will want to go that route in January. If any place in CA is getting rain in January, it is the coastal areas north of San Francisco, esp. Humboldt and Del Norte counties.

Hi everyone.

I know his is an old thread by now, but I just wanted to thank your all again and report back.

We chose the road trip in January from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and Palm Springs, instead of the Mexico cruise and had a good time. However we had bad weather with overcast skies and rain in both Los Angeles and Palm Springs but the weather was really nice in Las Vegas, go figure - that cruise might have been better. But we're happy anyway and packed in a lot of sights and experiences. The best part of the road trip was probably the Valley of Fire and Red Rock Canyon, and our hotel (Encore) in Las Vegas. In Los Angeles we really enjoyed Disneyland and the Getty Center.

Check out my travel video here:

Check out my YouTube channel with my cruise videos and more here: https://www.youtube.com/user/hlaurino