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If you'll be close enough stop into the Long Beach Aquarium. It's well worth it.

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I don't have a credit card, and don't want to get stranded in California with no transportation.

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I'm not sure yet which Marine base in California it will be at

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Has anyone taken a Train cross country?

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ORIGINAL: pahunkboy

It sounds like you cant afford to go.

pick something closer to home and plan a week end event.

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ORIGINAL: outlier

Winsome,

Congradulations to your son.  I thank him for his service.

Have you considered arranging for an RV you could pick up and then
leave in So Cal?  You would have transportation while in the state
and a place to stay, but still fly to and from. 

There are websites about RVs that would give you a lot of info.
And Peppermint is a full time RV person who is on this board.

Keep us posted as to where in Calif. the ceremony will be.
It is a big state and some the answers you seek depend upon
where you will be.  Then we can come up with better suggestions
for things to see and do..

Outlier

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ORIGINAL: Mercnbeth

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I don't have a credit card, and don't want to get stranded in California with no transportation.

this might present a major problem when reserving a rental car, an RV or a hotel room.

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I'm not sure yet which Marine base in California it will be at

there are several...and California is a BIIIIIIIIG state.

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Has anyone taken a Train cross country?

not across country, but this slave has ridden various public transportation options here in California. train service throughout the Great State of California leaves a LOT to be desired. once you arrive, many of the lines have to rely on a charter-style bus for a portion...or all...of your trip, depending where you have to go. If you are only travelling between San Diego and Los Angeles, it shouldn't be an issue...but going farther north could be problematic. Greyhound out here is much worse...and this slave wouldn't reccommend it for anyone travelling with children inside of this state.

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ORIGINAL: dragonseeker

What to do in Southern California
Oh oh oh... love Universal Studios... granted your 2 year old might not be able to to on any rides but very worth it. It totally depend on what you are into. If you love nature I would totally suggest going and seeing the high desert areas cause you might catch them in bloom which is amazing to see. We have Missions all up and down the coast which have some great history. It all depends on where the ceremony is, SoCal or NoCal. There is Sequoia National Park. San Fransisco has tons of spots to go to obvious ones like Alcatraz, Golden Gate bridge.I have found that the problem with SoCal is that we have too many things to see and do for tourists. Transportation system down here kinda sucks, so I would highly suggest renting a car or plan on taking a cab wherever you are going. Check with your car insurance company and see if they have any deals, I know AAA has discounts and stuff... do believe you need a credit card for it though for renting a car, at least a debit/credit card. Train obviously takes a lot longer then flying, more sights to see along the way though. 

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ORIGINAL: dreamerdreaming

You can use your debit card to rent a car. They'll take a deposit upfront that will be refunded.

No one uses travel agents anymore for a trip like this. We all plan it online, ourselves. You can book everything online using your debit card.

A train trip is a lovely idea for seeing the countryside, but I prefer the view at 36,000 feet! If you fly, you'll have days more to explore your destination than you would if you rode the train. But if you're doing a zen thing where every step in the journey is as important as the desination, then the train is a terribly romantic way to go.

If it were me I'd fly. But I've already seen America. If you haven't, maybe its your turn to ride the train.

I have driven across the country too and that's also nice but takes days, and is exhausting. But if you rent a car and drive, you'll see things you never even heard of, and you'll find your own adventures along the way.

How great that you have this chance!

If it were me I'd fly to CA and then you can rent a car there, or ride the train there.


HAVE FUN!   

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I believe it is Camp Pendleton in San Diego.  I remember going to the Sequoia National Park when I was a child.  Thanks for reminding me!  Definitely a place I'll want to take my kids too.

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ORIGINAL: barelynangel

I know your initial instinct is to pile as much as you can into the week or two and see as much as you can. But that is a serious way to NOT enjoy a vacation because all you will be doing is running running running. What i would do is pick 1 or 2 things to do in a week and do them. Disneyland itself should take you a day or so to fully enjoy. Otherwise you may not find yourself enjoying yourself OR relaxing because everything is flyby so to speak. Think quality of time versus quantity of things to see. Plus do you really want to drive across country and then spend even more time getting back in the RV to drive to places -- as Mercnbeth said -- CA is a BIG state. I would seriously maybe ask disneyland for a suite that will sleep 5 (the 2 year old you can bed down anywhere really), and a kitchen that is like in the middle of everything. Then you can rent a car for a day or two and maybe go see another sight or so.

Also, i would check with a travel agent as you don't exactly know what sites and places to go that will be good for all the ages you have. They may be able to put together a great package for you guys. A travel agent can also plan a trip across country for you if you are determined to drive. Or check with disneyland or a place you may want to stay, i am sure they will probably have a lot of site seeing within the area of disneyland that you can create a tour type thing.

Just some thoughts, to me -- and yes many may be different -- but quality of enjoying and absorbing and having fun at a few to me is more important that quantity of sites to see in a flyby type a way where you are spending more time in the car than enjoying the sites.

A debit card is also used like a credit card nowadays so i doubt you will need to get a credit card.

All in all, you want to have fun AND RELAX on your vacation lol not be exhausted and not remember half the stuff you did on your vacation.

angel

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ORIGINAL: WyldHrt

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I believe it is Camp Pendleton in San Diego.  I remember going to the Sequoia National Park when I was a child.  Thanks for reminding me!  Definitely a place I'll want to take my kids too.

It very likely is, or the recruit depot in San Diego. If so, let me know. I live very close to Pendleton!
BTW, whomever suggested the Wild Animal Park was bang on. The Zoo with a 2 year old would be a bit much (it's freaking huge), and there's lots of fun stuff to do at the Park.