Help needed on West Coast Holiday

I'm a UK coaster peep who's visiting the states between the 2nd & 16th November. I'm staying in LA & Vegas and I'm wondering if anyone here could give me some advice about the parks in the area and when to visit them. I'm aware that it's Veteran's Day on the 11th so how will this affect the parks?

SFMM as far as I'm aware only opens up at weekends & Veterans Day when I'm there.

Any other information would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Andrew, I don't know about the Cali parks (just check the websites) but I'm about 99.9% sure the Vegas coasters operate year round.

Have a great trip!

Don't miss Disney! I'd devote about 2 days to the mouse.

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Vekomember is from Holland, ishn't zaht veerd?

Don't forget Knotts Berry Farm!

http://www.knotts.com/

Of all the places you should attend, making time for Knotts is crucial. SFMM will be open as well, so that would be a biggie. Riding X and Deja Vu, if they aren't down, is huge. Vegas, honestly (IMHO), can be missed. The only rides worth their salt is Speed, and the unbeatable Bigshot at the Stratosphere. Desperado is at the border on I-15, but not half as great as it looks. DCA and Disneyland are great just because they are quite different. Still, my money is on Knott's. It isn't huge, but all the rides, with the exception of the Boomerang, are top notch, and it is a clean, respectable park. Besides, Po Folks is just across the street:)
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www.tripowered.com

Knotts is open 364 days each year (not on christmas) so they will be open when you visit. Visit on a weekday and you'll be greeted with less than 4000 people in the park, a complete walk on extravaganza (even Ghostrider, Xcelerator, and Perilous Plunge). Almost all rides should be open (except rides under rehab). Eat at Ghost Town Grill, Chicken Dinner Resturant, or one of the dozen fine resturants on Beach Blvd. Stay a full day. I know of no discounts at the time you're visiting, except maybe coupons in Hotel LVisit Disney's California Adventure and disneyland, skip DCA if CA Screamin' is on rehab. Schedule 2 days and get a park hopper if they do that (since you'll need 1/2 day in DCA). Expect tickets to be expensive.

Hit SFMM on veterans day (should be more reasonable since the school kids have to go to school the next day), all day long. Lines should be reasonable, maybe 2 hours for X.

Vegas is expensive. 11.75 for a ride on Manhattan Express expensive. Hit speed and if you're going to drive to LA from Vegas, certaintly stop at Desperado.

Thanks everyone. You've all gone and confirmed what I was thinking in the back of my mind. Since I'm going with a few non coaster peeps I'll only be able to probably select two parks at most to visit whilst in LA.

From what you've said it seems that Knotts is a must (Xcelerator looks fabulous and I've yet to ride a CCI woodie since Megaphobia is in deepest darkest Wales). SFMM looks to be getting the second place spot with X, Superman, Goliath, Deja Vu, Riddlers and the classics like Batman, Viper and Revolution.

Unfortunalty the mouse may have to be missed & same for Universal however we are staying in Hollywood so Universal may be a possibility.

Thanks to speedy for the advice over Veteran's Day m8. I'll try to get there bright & early using my homed Alton Towers techniques (barge everyone out of the way and point out where the supports on coasters wobble :-) ).

Also cheers for the vegas information. Pity they haven't built the 700ft coaster but I'm sure I'll have a good time there anyway.

Thanks again 2 everyone & keep the help coming in (especially things like public transport tips) :-).

Ugh. Don't even think about going to Universal Studios Hollywood if you're looking for a day at a park (not half a day because USH barely has anything for you to do there).

And don't forget that Knott's GhostRider is ranked the 6th best wooden roller coaster in the world (among hundreds) by Amusement Today''s 2002 Golden Ticket Awards. (Should rank higher IMO)