Yosemite was the best family vacation we have ever had! We went in June 2002. We planned 7 months in advance of going, but still struggled with getting the lodging we wanted in the park. Plan early! There is no point to staying outside of the park since it takes hours to reach things from the outside.We stayed one night in the Wawona Hotel near the Redwoods. It was convenient to seeing them since they are on that edge of the park and nowhere else. The hotel is very old (historic) and you may have to carry bags up stairs to your room. The restaurant has good food and there is a pool. The rest of our time was in Camp Curry in a cabin. Camp Curry is down in the valley where a lot of the activities are. The cabin was simple, but fine. We would splurge next time and rent the adjacent side of the cabin too (must reserve in advance). There was an adjoining door and it would have been quiet with privacy for the adults. A few nights we had a loud family next door with very thin walls. Camp Curry has a crowded pool which was appreciated by our kids. The ranger programs at night are free and interesting.The valley of the park was very family friendly with a free bus that constantly loops around to different areas. It is simple to use. The Merced River is a short walk away with rafts to rent to float down. We loved that so much that we did it twice. Nearby there are several fabulous waterfalls within easy hikes. A highlight was doing the more strenuous hike all the way to the top of Vernal Falls. The kids (7 and 9) made it pretty well up to the top and had less trouble going down than the adults. Do hikes to waterfalls early in the morning and you will see NO crowds at all. We took snacks for breakfast and waited to eat until after morning hikes. It was not hot and we were nearly alone at breathtaking places.We wish we had spent a longer day at Tuoleme Meadows with bathing suits available. We hiked around up there and waded in the idyllic streams in the subalpine meadows. There is a gorgeous mountain lake up there that you can swim in and hang out on a sandy beach. It was a 2 hour drive from down in the valley to get there, so we only went one day. We wished we had planned an all day field trip there with a cooler full of food and suits to swim in the lake. It's rustic up there...not even an ice cream stand. There are also few people around.On the way out of the park we spent one last night at a lodge outside of the park. The price was really high and they offered various activities...all for a high price. The same type of activities are free or less expensive inside the park. I would not bother again. The kids did like the Sugarpine Railroad, but it was a typical tourist kind of thing and not that interesting to the adults.There are no televisions in any rooms in the park and cell phones don't work. We did not miss either one for the week we stayed. The scenery around is so stunning you keep staring at it like an idiot and going through rolls and rolls of film. I would recommend the trip for any family with kids age 7 and up. Younger kids would have difficulty doing a lot of the hikes and other activities. Our kids did the Junior Ranger program and got sworn in at a Visitor Center which was fun. They get a patch for finishing the program. Try going before August if you want to enjoy the waterfalls.